Stars Tom Cruise. Sofia Boutella, Ananbelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, and Russell Crowe Directed by Alex Kurtzman Mild Spoilers Ahead The Universal Monsters - a moniker given to a group of creature that have featured throughout the Universal movies since the 1930’s. There have been a couple attempts over the last decade or so to recreate these creature features and they have fallen short of expectations before, be it The Wolfman (2010) with Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, or Dracula Untold (2014) with Luke Evans and Dominic Cooper. Other creatures known to feature in this movies include, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein’s Monster, and The Creature from The Black Lagoon. Here, the idea was to create a more comprehensive shared world for these creatures starting with The Mummy (although sharp-eyed viewers will notice a nod to the 1999 version of The Mummy that starred Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, quite likely making that one part of this same world). While the story may seem familiar - a tomb is discovered, a mummy is resurrected, havoc ensues, the mummy is defeated - there are quite a few unique elements introduced into this version. Firstly, it’s set in the present day, away from the dusty age of wonder, mystery and high adventure. Secondly, we have a female mummy (Sofia Boutella) as the main antagonist, which is a rarity… or some attempt at female empowerment or inclusive casting given this day and social age. Third, we have a glimpse of a secondary monster putting in an appearance thanks to the casting of Russell Crowe as literary import, Dr Henry Jekyll. The movie hits the plot points one might expect and there is some excitement to be had. The plot I presented above is pretty much what you get, so everything else comes down to the story and performances, and therein are the problems. This has so much potential, and the 1999 version gave us a rollicking pulpy high adventure flick, even though the origins are in the horror genre. I like that we have a different kind of mummy on the loose, and the slight attempt at imagining something bigger at play, but the plot and the motives don’t come across as needed for clarity. It may start with Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) and Chris Vail (Jake Johnson) accidentally uncovering the tomb/prison of this mummy, but then we have Jenny (Annabelle Wallis) who leads the investigation into this mummy. Her motives are really unclear. It’s not like she’s trying to prove herself or her worth as Rachel Weisz’s character in the previous version, clumsily (or charmingly) stumble into the situation. When she finds the tomb, she can identify it’s a prison and recognised all the signs of danger, but still insists (without any logical explanation except that the plot demands it) to evacuate the sarcophagus anyway. She wants to learn about the past or know what’s beyond death, and there’s seemingly some plot idea there about what’s driving her, but it’s never explored. Dr Jekyll also seems a little short-sighted for someone who’s purportedly been around a long time, and Crowe seems to be wheezing his lines most of the time (not too sure why or if it’s artistic choice). Then again, he’s supplying most of the back story and exposition, so it could be the blocks of dialogue he has to deliver at any one time. Sofia Boutella shines as Ahmanet (in the past) and the mummy (in present day), fairing much better than say, Cara Delevingne in Suicide Squad, where playing these barely clad / half-naked powerful sorceresses are concerned. Just one problematic plot point is that Nick has to “give in” to her in order for the curse afflicting him to be fulfilled… makes her come across as some weird stalker girlfriend. The elephant in the room, or the bull in the china shop, is Tom Cruise. This is the kind of movie Cruise has never done before and while it might be admirable for actors to stretch themselves taking roles that would challenge them, Cruise instead seems to be on autopilot, or director Alex Kurtman was glad to have the megastar in his movie that he didn’t try to rein in Cruise enough. There are some moments where Cruise works well as Nick Morton, but when it doesn’t work, it’s incredibly jarring particularly if he has to be perplexed by the situation he’s in (when Jekyll tries to explain the situation with the curse), or try to be charmingly funny. The lines fall really flat (“It’s not me, it’s you.”) and the humour you know is there just doesn’t work. He’s going to get a lot of flack for this one even though he brings his typical verve and energy to the action scenes. He does nail the pathos at the end after the big fight. If anything, Jake Johnson might have been a better lead instead of being Cruise’s funny side-kick. Kurtzman’s direction evokes a little of JJ Abrams’ style and while he can manage the action beats well enough, he seems to have a little problem with the quieter scenes. The major set-pieces work well enough to provide the entertainment factor with a good combination of practical stunts (weightless in the plane, for example) and effects work (mummy fights). There are also a couple of jarring edits making me wonder if they’re censor cuts (unlikely, but possible here) or just some story problems. There’s a combination of up to six people credited with story and screenplay. To be fair, my expectations were high for this one, given that the plan is to bring the Universal Monsters back to the screen, and while i did enjoy the movie for the most part, it was also fairly disappointing in its overall execution. I think of it more as teething problems and hopefully, they’ll learn from the mistakes and improve with the next one. Because, really… there’s always going to be another creature feature. There’s always the need to do something different and try something new. Some times it works, some times it doesn’t. In this case, best to check you brain at the door. Rating: **1/2 /5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support.
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Stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Said Taghmaoul, Ewen Bremner, Elena Anaya, Lucy Davis Directed by Patty Jenkins What a difference a changed perspective can make. While it may still be set within the cinematic DC Expanded Universe (DCEU) kicked off by Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, the dark tone that carried through Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad is given a little more light here, thanks to the direction of Patty Jenkins. Wonder Woman has a brighter and more colourful palette for most of it’s first half, slowly degrading to the reality of a war film in the second half. This does give the movie a breath of fresh air for a superhero movie of this particular product. The movie tracks Diana’s origins from her home with the Amazons in Themyscira to following lost pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) to the normal world in the midst of the first World War. While Trevor does what he can with his own mission at hand, Diana follows him into the heart of the war zones believing the cause of the war is due to the machinations of Ares, the God of War. Aiding them is an eccentric team of mercenaries including Sameer (Said Taghmaoui), sharp-shooter Charlie (Ewen Bremner, excellent as always), and smuggler ‘Chief’ (Eugene Brave Rock) as they make their way to find Lundendorff (Danny Huston) and his chemical specialist, Dr Maru (Elena Anaya) before they can release their dangerous chemical weapon. The movie is Gadot’s to carry and she does it with aplomb delivering an earnest performance that becomes the heart of the entire movie. She brings a very different Wonder Woman from her initial appearance in BvS; less seasoned, less experienced but no less a hero in the making. Chris Pine gives able support who somehow finds it extremely difficult to explain the world to Diana, something Lucy Davis as Etta Candy does better, although she doesn’t have much screen time. The rest of the cast do well with their characters with Huston hamming it up gloriously. Some of his dialogue seem odd, making his character come across very much like a red herring most of the time. Another standout is young Lilly Aspell as young Diana. Patty Jenkins takes a little time to build the world and the characters, albeit she manages it in rapid fashion with a solid shorthand. While her handle on the dramatic bits is good, her handle on the action delivers for the most part. The main bits are the ones teased in the trailers, such as the beach battle on Paradise Island or the one where Diana emerges from the trenches on the battlefield leading to the major set-piece in a village. In all, Jenkins does a superb job of bringing everything together. The problem is the final act, that final battle where it devolved a little into cliche, planting its foot firmly in the DCEU in its grandeur and inexplicable turn. Granted, it was an expected turn but they way it was carried out felt a little too trite. Still, it is still a highly enjoyable and entertaining movie that surpasses the expectations that had been set by the previous instalments of the DCEU films thus far. The music by Rupert Gregson-Williams evokes the works of Hans Zimmer close enough to provide the vigour and energy to drive the action and the drama. Props to the production design, especially for the Themyscira scenes that evoke a very classical and timeless tone. The few problems I may have with the movie may be trivial to others but not every movie can be perfect these days. In Gal Gadot, we have a cinematic Wonder Woman that will live through the ages as much as Lynda Carter making her an icon of the small screen decades ago. If anything else, this is a benchmark for the DCEU films; one which should inspire other female led superhero movies. Bothe Gadot and Patty Jenkins deserve the praises for this one. Rating: **** / 5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. Stars Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Kevin McNally, David Wenham, Stephan Graham, Martin Klebba and Orlando Bloom Directed by Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg Once more on the merry-go-round with those Pirates of the Caribbean. Some of you may enjoy the ride, others may find it’s just another spin, just another go around. So, what are you in for? Are you the kind who would get back on the ride and enjoy it like before? Or would a fifth time be one time too many after a disappointing fourth spin? Unlike the rather anaemic previous entry, that being On Stranger Tides, this one has a real story, or two, or three, or even four, and they’re all carrying pretty much the same theme. We have one young Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) seeking a means to release his father, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) from his curse of captaining the Flying Dutchman; we have Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) trying to find a mystical treasure with an unreadable map supposedly left to her by her father; then there’s the cursed Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) who hunted pirates because his father hunted pirates, and he’s seeking revenge (hence the title) on one Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) who’s somehow responsible for the curse in the first place. Sense a theme here? Captain Jack, on the other hand, carries on like usual, looking for the next score, the next bottle of rum, the next opportunity to bring the Black Pearl back from it’s little glass prison (yes, the fourth film was not ignored). Lots of ball in the air this time around instead of one simple race to some odd fountain in a jungle. Aside from just having Mr Gibbs (Kevin McNally) back, we also have the diminutive Marty (Martin Klebba) and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), adding to the rather colourful cast of characters this time. Thwaites and Scodelario make for a better and more engaging couple than the last young pair, their chemistry a slight better too. Bardem bring his usual creepiness, delivering an intriguing villain who may be a little one-note in his obsession. While it was nice to have Orlando Bloom back in the fold, Will Turner was fairly underused, being no more than a plot device for young Henry’s actions and drive. Rush’s Barbossa is also underserved by the story, conniving in his usual way to try to survive the day, but he seemed severely under utilised given he had Blackbeard’s magical sword and ship at his disposal. Depp does his usual swagger, so Captain Jack Sparrow is pretty much the same as before, but then, that’s basically who he always is. The action set-pieces are fairly outrageous this time, playing into the high-adventure fantasy. There are the usual fights and chases, sea battles, and magical creatures, all done with a slight twist to keep things different than before. The directors, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg manage to keep a handle on the humanity of some of the characters while infusing the action set-pieces with the necessary verve, all while breathing some fresh air into the franchise that seemed to be on its last legs. The production design for some of the sets and locations are gorgeous, particularly the island at the end. There’s also Salazar’s ship, which is a terrifying beast of its own, complete with a massive figurehead of Medusa that can come to life. Visually, this is a slightly grander adventure than one might expect, even if these sea faring adventures can be notoriously difficult to tackle. Being one who enjoyed the original trilogy immensely, an aspect of the story here was rather disappointing, that being Jack’s compass being something of a MacGuffin this time around. The origin of the compass has been rewritten here. Where it was implicit Jack got the compass from Tia Dalma before, it becomes some inherited device AND (somehow) becomes key in enacting the curse that befalls Salazar. It’s a small plot device, butt he way it mucks with what’s come before, it’s a massive distraction for me. First-timers (or even those coming in from the previous movie without seeing the original trilogy) might not find any problem with this. Still, it’s a rollicking tale of high adventure, which is pretty much all one can ask for from a movie like this for it to be reasonably enjoyable. The action set-pieces keep the pace from lagging too much and the stars do their best to keep the characters interesting enough with Depp still keeping things loopy enough for the others to wonder whatever he is up to. Despite the numerous storylines, the plot is far less complex than you’d expect, unlike with the original trilogy. As with the previous instalments, there is a post credits scene. Rating: ***1/2 / 5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. |
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