Stars Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Josh Helman, Evan Peters, Shawn Ashmore, Fan Bing Bing, Daniel Cudmore with Halle Berry, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart Directed by Bryan Singer And welcome back to the director’s chair, Bryan Singer! Along with the overt references to minority repression, flashbacks of WWII prisons et al. Well, to be fair, there’s not really a lot of it, but it’s still there. Singer even brought back the Cerebro door opening bit that kicks off the story proper. There is also a different ‘flavour’ to the proceedings that does mark the departure of X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn, although some of Vaughn’s influences do remain. Probably thanks to his and Jane Goldman’s contributions to the script. I just needed to get over the somewhat single-mindedness motivations of certain characters. The movie is based on one of the more beloved stories in the X-Men comics lore, with some obvious deviations that will not be discussed here. The core idea is a time travel story, starting with a dark and bleak future, and the attempt to prevent a certain event in the past from happening. A simple reasoning leads to Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) being the obvious choice to be the one sent back in time. (See secondary spoiler-laden article on the time travel dynamics). In effect, this is very much a sequel to X-Men: First Class, even if it also features cast and characters from the original trilogy that kicked off in 2000. So, yeah, there are a lot of characters, old and new running about here, and despite that, the handful that do matter deliver solid performances. The old guard is lead by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen along with a handful of familiar faces. Most don’t have many lines and their appearances are regulated to action beats, emphasising the brutality of the future they now occupy. How they got there is of some debate, particularly how far into the future they exist in the first place - especially given the coda in The Wolverine. Fans of the original X-Men may be disappointed with the lack of participation these characters have here. The majority of the movie is carried by the current cast, led by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, who continue their chemistry from the previous entry. McAvoy’s Charles is in a very different place here giving the actor the opportunity to play the same character but from a different perspective. Fassbender’s Erik has lost some of the swagger he carried earlier, but there is an added weariness of the (ten?) years being in prison. Jennifer Lawrence continues to show why she’s the hottest young star around while Evan Peters’ brash Peter steals every scene he’s in - more thanks to some choice story and filming decisions involving his character. There is a complexity to the structure of the story that might have a casual movie viewer scratching his head although the action beats do drive the pacing more that the necessary heavy exposition. Then there’s the character motivations, that single-mindedness I mentioned earlier. It’s not just Logan’s desperate mission from the future, but that of Mystique. having the mindset of a fanatical revolutionary on a mission; or that of Boliver Trask (Peter Dinklage) whose own motivations aren’t really explained. In spite of all that, Singer delivers a fairly tight and driven movie with high stakes, even if we do have a predictable outcome. Even with that, there are a few surprises thrown into that ending; one that might split a few fans on this whole movie. For the comic book fans, this is nothing we haven’t seen or read before, but to do it in a movie series, it’s a bold move that will either elicit cheers or jeers. And that post credits tag? For the movie fans, it’s not going to mean anything beyond being a tease for what’s coming next. For the comic fans, it’s a whole other thing because we know who this character is and what it means to the X-Men. In all, the solid score, impressive effects, some spectacular action set-pieces, one heck of an impressive jail-break sequence and some solid performances make up for the slightly complex plotting and story. Chances are you’d be better off just going with the flow and enjoy the proceedings. Rating: ****
0 Comments
Stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn with Bryan Cranston and Juliette Binoche Directed by Gareth Edwards Well, that was somewhat expected… … and rather unexpected as well. Taking on a property like Godzilla and then using the name as a single word title for the whole movie, it does evoke a certain expectation - which you do get; probably not in the manner that you get it on screen. It’s a bit like the Alien franchise. There’s only so much you can do with those xenomorphs and you have to build the human story around them to make things work. Understanding their nature - why they exist - helps more than trying to figure where they came from. In that respect, Godzilla might be the same and director Gareth Edwards did take that approach to the material at hand. Then again, after 60 years of celluloid glory, how else would you tackle a property like Godzilla? First off, Godzilla does look amazing, towering over 300 feet tall - the biggest version yet - and I can understand the complaint from some Japanese factions that he looks ‘Fat’. The head and neck area in particular is fairly squashed unlike the original design - and far from the last American rendition - ultimately giving the massive beast a rather stout physique. What I thought was genius was keeping the appearance looking very much like the traditional man-in-suit design, whir having it be a completely computer generated creation. Props to effects companies MPC and Weta, as well as some assistance from performance-capture king, Andy Serkis - what better way to do a man-in-suit creature than to utilise the latest technology of performance capture. From what I’ve gathered, Serkis only contributed in terms of facial performance and some movements, not the entire performance of Godzilla on screen. Edwards does a brilliant job of building up Godzilla’s appearance within the movie itself and has the story more focussed on the human element, much like he did with his impressive debut film, Monsters (2010). And therein lies one of the surprises; the lead character is not who you’d expect it to be. Then again, in following the human element within the story also takes focus away from the titular creature, and that might disappoint a few fans who would expect more of a monster movie. In any case, the cast do well with Aaron Taylor-Johnson leading the way for the most part as he tries to make his way back to his wife (Elizabeth Olsen) and son, while mixing up with the troops led by David Strathairn’s Admiral Stenz. On the sidelines, bringing up the scientific side is Ken Watanabe’s Dr. Serizawa, so named after a lead character from the original Japanese film 60 years ago. Unfortunately, Watanabe isn’t given much to do except stand around and look seemingly confused at the events going on around him, and then give an alternate take on the the existence of Godzilla himself. Where the ladies are concerned, aside from Juliette Binoche, both Sally Hawkins and Elizabeth Olsen do seem under-utilised and sidelined to mere caricatures. Then again, when the creatures (yes, more than one) are around, the humans are fairly insignificant. Perhaps that’s the point. Much like with Monsters, Godzilla is a tour through a series of disaster zones with the occasional encounters with the creatures. The structure of the movie is deliberate and it’s no coincidence that the lead family is named Brody. Edwards is clearly showing his influences where the pacing and story-flow is concerned. He handles the human element well and brings a little soul to the creatures as well as he did in his own film years ago. The action beats are well choreographed too even if the destruction effects might be questionable on occasion (buildings destroyed in one moment may appear momentarily intact in a later moment). The score by Alexandre Desplat is effective in driving the movie and the emotions too. Still, taken as it is, Godzilla is impressive film-making and has it’s heart and soul in the right place. It makes up for the few flaws with gusto and ultimately delivers where it matters. It definitely proves that Edwards is a film-maker to be noticed, and given the right material, he's going to go far. Rating: **** Stars Paul Walker, David Belle, RZA, Catalina Denis, Ayisha Issa, Grouchy Boy, Richard Zeman and Robert Maillet Directed by Camille Delamarre Essentially a remake of Banilieue 13 a.k.a B13 a.k.a District B13 from producer Luc Besson, utilising the same screenplay with some updates to accommodate the US setting. If you’ve seen the original, then the only reason to watch this would be to check out Paul Walker’s final film, or more precisely, the last film he completed before his untimely death. Being set in a crime ravaged section of Detroit, the sub-plot does bring to mind the original RoboCop, which makes the twist at the end not much of a twist since it was telegraphed way in advance. The plot is simple enough, but it’s meant to hang the action beats around it. Therein lies the pulse of the movie with Walker and B13 star, David Belle reprising his original role, running, jumping, leaping and occasionally duking it out to get to the self-proclaimed ‘mayor’ of the titular ghetto, Brick Mansions, played by RZA. Belle is in familiar territory, even if he’s struggling a little with the English. Rumour has it that Belle was dubbed by Vin Diesel, although it doesn’t sound like Diesel’s gravelly voice coming out on this side. Perhaps we got the original dub on this side of the world? While David Belle is regarded as the founder of Parkour, director Camille Delamarre (former editor for Besson’s EuropaCorp films and second unit director on The Transporter TV series) manages to stage the action beats well but doesn’t do enough to showcase Belle’s parkour skills, the highlight of the original movie and its sequel. Walker, too, seems to be in familiar action-movie territory, going through the motions with his usual enthusiasm and aplomb, especially in keeping up with Belle fairly admirably. There’s even a car chase scene. Performance-wise, he delivers although he’s not pushed to the limits as in his previous film, Hours (worth while to check out, if you haven’t). In any case, the rest of the cast do deliver as they should to accommodate the typical action film that we have here. There isn’t anything to elevate it into an exceptional action film while the plot itself is serviceable to keep it running over a cable/satellite movie channel for a long while without falling into that DTV category. If anything, it might get people to check out the little seen French originals. Delamarre follows the typical formula of the Besson EuropaCorp / Digital Factory films and is even lined up to direct the next Transporter film. A lot of flash and no style, though, or perhaps a style that’s yet to be defined or discovered. Rating: ** 1/2 Stars The Muppets, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey and a host of guest stars (spot them all!) Directed by James Bobin Yes, it’s a sequel to The Muppets - or as Dr. Honeydew points out in the opening number, it’s the seventh sequel to the original Muppet movie. Taking off right where the last movie left off, The Muppets, having gotten back together, embark on a ‘world tour’ with their show while managed by Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais). Dominic is actually working for the world’s number one criminal frog, Constantine - who just happens to look like Kermit the Frog, but with a mole on his cheek. Constantine swaps places with Kermit and no one’s the wiser - they are The Muppets, after all. For one, it is a different movie than before and yet, it’s also more of the same. The same humour, the same characters and the same format, with the self-aware jokes, big production numbers and the ever loving theme of friends and family. Perhaps the jokes not as snarky as before in some cases and the songs may not be as memorable as before - my favourite number being the Interrogation Song - but it all still in the fun of putting on a show be it at the numerous locales around Europe, or in the Gulag run by Tina Fey’s Nadya where Kermit ends up. And I love the double act of Ty Burrell’s Clouseau-like Interpol inspector Jean Pierre Napoleon and Sam the Eagle. While the Muppets are mostly themselves, kudos to Matt Vogel for his portrayal of Constantine, especially in trying to be Kermit. There is a very subtle difference in how the muppets are handled to distinguish Constantine from Kermit (essentially the same muppet). Although, given the nature of the story itself, a lot of the other muppets got sidelined, coming into play only as the plot demanded. As for the stars, they do look like they’re having a ball, especially Ricky Gervais gamely playing second fiddle to Constantine. And then there’re the gulag scenes where we have typical tough guys actors like Danny Trejo and Ray Liotta, also gamely partaking in the muppet madness. It is meant to appeal more to the fans of The Muppet Show and that particular brand of humour more than an average viewer (like Usher playing an usher, or Christoph Waltz doing the waltz). Still, the movie is entertaining as it needs to be and a whole lot of fun for tans of The Muppets themselves. Other viewers might enjoy the proceedings although just how much might be questionable. Rating 3 1/2 Stars Nicolas Cage, Danny Glover, Max Ryan, Michael McGrady with Pasha Lychnikoff, Rachel Nichols, Aubrey Peeples and Peter Stormare Directed by Paco Cabezas Is Nicolas Cage slowly descending into DTV status? Or is he already there? Tokarev hit the screens here although I hear is gone direct to video elsewhere, and there is nothing very much to argue for either case; cinema or direct sales. Thing is, while the movie plays out as a decent action flick with Cage playing a desperate father searching for answers to his daughter’s death, believing his dark past has come back to haunt him, the finale, or rather the twist in the tale, works to elevate it. Only ever so slightly, like many of those noir films where nothing is what it seems. Is that a spoiler? While many of us would prefer Cage as the quirky oddball character (see Adaptation, Moonstruck, Raising Arizona, Kick-Ass, even Joe), he also has these rage-fueled /driven characters that he seems to have been typecast into (see -or don’t- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call-New Orleans, Seeking Justice, Bangkok Dangerous, Stolen, Drive Angry) and Tokarev would fall into the latter category. One might feel like he’s seemingly sleepwalking through the movie, or he’s doing what comes naturally with these movies. On average, it’s a decent performance that doesn’t go too over the top like some of his other movies. The rest of the cast are made up of fairly familiar faces, most of them going through the motions. Danny Glover is still playing the tired old cop - or at least, it feels that way. Peter Stormare is still cool, but has nothing much to do. Pasha Lychnikoff comes in late in the game but is still playing very much any other Russian gangster he’s appeared as before. Only Rachel Nichols seems a little out of place and very underused. Still, director Paco Cabezas manages to hold things together with a decent foot chase and a decent car chase as well as some gun-play thrown in for good measure. It’s just the overall story that feels tired and worn more than the stars themselves, well, save for that twist. Otherwise, just wait for a screening on cable. Rating 2 / 5 |
Archives
December 2017
|