Stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwenyth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Don Cheadle, James Badge Dale, Ty Simpkins, Jon Favreau with William Sadler, Miguel Ferrer, Paul Bettany and Ben Kingsley Directed by Shane Black Let's see here… Story takes place around, or references, Christmas? Check. Massive destruction of private property? Check. Villain with overly dangerous side-kick? Check. Simple bad guy idea hiding behind outrageous dastardly plot? Check. Highly quotable one liners? Check. It must be Shane Black at the wheel. And for reference, check out Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and the brilliant under rated Kiss Kiss Bang Bang where Black directed Robert Downey Jr. and effectively putting him back on everyone's must watch list. It's come full circle, hasn't it? Minor Spoilers ahoy - so you have been warned. And will be again when we reach a certain point. And while Marvel Studios have been piping this as the start of Phase Two in their grand master plan, it doesn't quite feel that to me. It feels more like a proper epilogue to Phase One that started with the first Iron Man movie. Even Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) pretty much comes full circle as the movie has him deal with the fallout of the events in The Avengers. In a way, it could be said this sets up how the rest of the Marvel movies might head off into Phase Two - whatever that may actually be. As much as Joss Whedon surprised us with The Avengers, Black has done the same on a smaller, more personal, scale focussing primarily on Stark. The movie opens with a flashback to set up the main plot, introducing us to main nemesis, Aldrich Killian (an effectively smarmy Guy Pearce) as well as Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) and the Extremis concept. When we get back to present time, radical terrorist The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is hacking into various broadcasts system to spread his 'lessons' in terror. Stark, in the meantime, has buried himself with his armours to deal with the mental breakdown that has plagued him since New York (see The Avengers). But when Happy (Jon Favreau) is injured in one of The Mandarin's attacks, Stark takes it personally. That's as much as we've seen in the trailers, but interestingly, there is so much more that spelling it out would ruin the surprises. Black's plot (co-written with Drew Pearce) does seem convoluted at first glance, but so much more happens and all the stars pull off what is required of them to convey the story and ensure the flow. The story choices are very smart and it does demand some attention as the plot takes Stark back to his Iron Man origins. When he was in that cave in the first movie, he had to rely on his wits and his smarts to save his own life. Here, even as he pushes his technology to the limits and beyond, he is also thrown back into that same position he was in that cave with the added problem of his anxiety attacks. Hence, the full circle. Downey Jr. does a remarkable job carrying the movie on his shoulders, having perfected his portrayal of Stark over three and bit movies. It is a near flawless performance that should draw no complaints, and lots of praise from the fans who have come to love his Tony Stark. Gwenyth Paltrow does get more to do this time and manages to be a perfect foil for Downey Jr.. Guy Pearce gets to convey Killian at various points in the character's life, and he pulls it off as well. He oozes slime the moment he appears in the present time scenes, making no qualms that he is obviously the bad guy, doing it better than Sam Rockwell did in Iron Man 2. But then there's Ben Kingsley. More spoilers ahoy…. be warned. Kingsley's turn as The Mandarin is a very nuanced and calculated performance. Even in the trailers, we can tell that there is a great theatrical sense in his line deliverance (some of which don't even appear in the movie). While there is a major twist midway through the movie involving The Mandarin. Kingsley still maintains a very deliberate performance that might suggest that he may or may not be the major villain he is in the comics. The idea of The Mandarin being a villain was sort of hinted back in the first movie (referencing The Ten Rings, which in the comics are the source of The Mandarin's power). But even in that moment, it falls to the audience to decide just how much of a villain The Mandarin is. It comes down to Kingsley's performance that would either suggest he really is a patsy, or a truly maniacal and genius villain. I wouldn't be surprise it it's something someone else might pick up, and the producer's decide to bring Kingsley back for another round. He steals every moment he's on screen, even against Downey Jr.. In the end, it's still the double act of Black and Downey Jr. that carries the whole movie, and they do it brilliantly with style to spare. The action is explosive and fun, delivering something different compared to everything that's come before, and that includes The Avengers. The stakes are pushed to the stratosphere, and when the truly spectacular final battle comes, you can't help but cheer for the heroes on screen. The movie delivers on various fronts as well as pulling in various resolutions, putting to rest various bits from the previous movies. By then, there is a sense of closure, even with Stark finally accepting who he really is, and moving on. Despite all that tho, by the time the credits end, we are assured that Tony Stark will return. Which also brings to mind that you should sit through the credits (enjoy Brian Tyler's rocking score) for the closing bit. So, if you've made it this far, did I spoil anything?
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Stars Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo and Zoe Bell Directed by Joseph Kosinski I honestly can't remember the last time I watch a movie that took place on a desolate nuclear ravaged post-apocalyptic desert Earth. They were such saples of 80s Sci-Fi movies. Okay, it's not entirely desert here, but deserts do feature as does the ocean. We do have ruins of New York, the Empire State Building being a major highlight. Look closely and you might see Lady Liberty's torch lying around as well. The scenery presented is epic in scope and utterly worthy of the big screen. Ah, but what about the story? The early trailer sort of presented the idea of Tom Cruise as Wall-E, a lone tech wandering the wastelands, fixing downed probes. A comparison further solidified within the trailer when Morgan Freeman pops up to describe Cruise character as a "curious one" much like our favourite trash-bot. Thankfully, if that's the only trailer you saw, they did a good job of hiding the main story. Yes, we're in a post-apocalyptic nuclear ravaged future of 2077, complete with designated radiation zones that must not be crossed. Aliens had invaded. They destroyed the moon to throw our planet into a mess, thinking it would knock humanity down. Humanity fought back with the nukes. We won battles, perhaps the war, but lost the planet. Humanity has apparently migrated to the Saturn moon, Titan! Technician Jack Harper (Cruise) and his base bound partner, Vika (Andrea Riseborough) are on maintenance duty with two weeks to go before joining the rest of humanity on Titan. There are no other humans around, but leftover alien Scavengers to worry about. That's the opening scenario. Back in the 80s, the Titan idea might be feasible. Here and now, something in the back of my mind is setting off alarm bells. Something's not quite right with this scenario. Sure enough, the 'plot' kicks in and, surprisingly, nothing is really as it seems compared to how the movie was marketed. That's also not to say that the plot is entirely all that original. So, story-wise, it's decent and entertaining although it does slog a little in the middle. The wonder of the movie then rests on director's Joseph Kosinski's presentation of his own story (which was adapted into a graphic novel first). Kosinski manages a visual signature from the design of the tech on screen to the mise-on-scene. The unique visual style of Tron: Legacy was not a fluke as Kosinski does manage to put up some truly beautiful and sumptuous visuals. Not an easy thing with desert landscapes. Of course, actual science is out the window, but don't entirely check your brain at the door. Cruise does what he does best, even with the meta-joke about how he might be playing the same character over and over again. Riseborough is Cruise's foil for most of the movie as the loyal employee, eager to finish her job and take the long trip to join everyone else. Most of the rest of the cast play along, committing to the parts they have, but not really rising above the typical character you might find in these movies. Heck, even when Nikolaj Coster-Waldau turns up sporting the ragged beard, first thing that popped into my head was "MegaForce". As much as this is Kosinski's movie, Cruise is his co-conspirator, doing the heavy lifting acting-wise. Ultimately, it sometimes feels like a mash-up of some other movies (or ideas) you might have seen before. It does strive to be something different, but barely rises above the norm, lacking a true threat to propel the story. What does elevate the movie a little are the resplendent visuals, but that seems to be what drives movies these days. (see also, Oz, The Great and Powerful or GI Joe: Retaliation for recent examples). It might also enforce the idea that Apple is set to take over the world of design… oh, wait. They already have, haven't they? |
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December 2017
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