Stars Armie Hammer, Henry Cavill, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Luca Calvani, Syvester Groth with Jared Harris and Hugh Grant Directed by Guy Ritchie As a TV series back in the 1960, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was very much a lightweight James Bond-ian adventure series (Ian Fleming contributed to the original creation of the series, after all). The current cinematic entry very much follows in that vein, which might be considered a groovy and cool update… or something that leave the viewer a little wanting. As this is very much an “origin movie” neither of our leads is the titular character, although fans of the original TV series might pick up who the title refers to almost immediately. In a nutshell, we have two super operatives from opposing countries having to work together to stop a nuclear plot. That’s really all you need to know, but do enjoy the process which these two enemies need to work through to find common ground. We have Brit Henry Cavill taking on the role of debonair and suave Napoleon Solo, an ex-soldier turned gentleman thief who got caught, and then strong-armed into working for the CIA instead of going to prison. On the other side of the equation, we get American, Arnie Hammer, essaying the role of the fairly dashing and surprisingly charming KGB super-agent, Illya Kuryakin, an intelligent and driven giant of a man with potential psychotic issues. Obviously, both men prefer working alone and neither wants to work with the other. As both are loyal to their countries and their superiors, they follow their orders and get down to business of using Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander) to flush out her scientist father who may be building a nuclear warhead for Victoria Vinciguerra (Elizabeth Debicki). The two lead stars do extremely well in conveying their characters without relying on the works of their predecessors (Robert Vaughn as Solo and David McCallum as Kuryakin in the TV series), making the characters wholly their own. Their on-screen pairing ins remarkable and the dialogue they get to play with is electrifyingly spot-on and funny at times (an argument on women’s fashion comes to mind). Add to that Cavill’s suave line delivery and Hammer’s more brusque tones and you get a very nice sense of their characteristics. These two very ably carry the movie and very likely the whole franchise should the studio decide to pursue more entries, preferably with director Guy Ritchie at the helm. Ritchie’s direction capture more than just the period and tone, keeping lots of the action set-pieces fairly old-school. There is very little reliance on computer graphic effects (only four effects companies listed in the credits!) outside of creating the era There is a huge focus on fashion, design, sets and style, right down to Daniel Pemberton’s amazing jazzy driving score, and the use of period music. If there is a fault, it’s more with Ritchie’s story structure. More than once, we get an outcome to a situation only to jump back a few minutes to see how that outcome came about. Otherwise, even the editing is impeccable (the establishing of location in the final chase scene comes to mind), right down to the use of split screens. The tone is light and rightfully so, with a cast of utterly appealing characters, even the villains. The humour works incredibly well and the action plays out with a decent pump of adrenaline. The cast deliver solid performances and just as much work from behind the screen is delivered in some gorgeous visuals, from the design work to the cinematography. It also still carries some ‘origin movie’ issues, ending with that desire for another adventure that’s just waiting in the wings instead of being up in the air and not knowing if we can revisit this world again. Rating: **** / 5 Partridge Publishing / Barnes and Noble / Amazon / ISBNS Net (for best deals) - Please support by buying or recommending to others, then I can watch more shows and do more reviews. Thank you. The Syndi-Jean Journal: Year 2 is now available.
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Stars Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara, Michael B Jordan with Toby Kebbel, Reg E Cathey and Tim Blake Nelson Directed by Josh Trank Well, that’s different. And ‘different’ can be taken as a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the expectations of the viewer. Honestly, the early reviews were not helping much, as a general view of the movie is that it’s a non-starter and only half a decent movie. Given the landscape of super-hero movies that have come and gone in this day and cinematic age, one might suppose expectations are high. More so given the director, Josh Trank, had pulled up one of the better non-traditional super-hero movies ever made, that not many people paid attention to until after the fact. On a personal aside, I love Trank’s approach to the material, paying a kind of tribute to the era and genre the original Fantastic Four came from. That’s not to say there aren’t some inherent problems with the overall structure of the story. Also not helping matters are the trailers that preceded the movie because nothing in those trailers suggest the kind of movie we got. Were there last minute edits? Or was there a massive disinformation campaign going on with the publicity materials to subvert expectations? There were a lot in the trailers that don't turn up in the movie. Despite its comic book origins, this new adaptation is a throwback to the science-fiction exploration adventures of the late 1950s to early 1960s, and the movie follows that tack for most of its structure. Reed Richards (Miles Teller) and his compatriots are anywhere in their late teens to early 20s, very much a bunch to genius kids and dreamers, with the exception of Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell). The relationship dynamics is also fairly different from what one might expect, with nary a hint of any expected romance between Reed and Sue (Kate Mara). Reed gets invited to the Baxter Foundation to work with Sue and Victor von Doom (Toby Kebbel) on an inter-dimensional transport, with Johnny (Michael B Jordan) helping in the building of the device. All supervised by Franklin Storm (Reg E Cathey), father to Johnny and Sue; father figure to Reed and Victor. Together, they strive to crack the dimensional barrier and then it’s a journey into the unknown wherein disaster strikes, as such journeys are wont to have. And when a danger crosses over from the other dimension (not saying what here), our transformed scientists, and friend (Grimm), have to band together to stop the threat. While the powers of our heroes were meant to reflect their insecurities or personalities before, they are more of happenstance here. Each of the main stars do well enough although, preference is debatable. Teller plays Reed more as a misunderstood introvert whose quiet dreams have constantly been squashed by figures of authority seeking conformity, a contrast to Kebbel’s more experienced and older Victor. Kebbel delivers a far stronger performance with quiet simmering menace in the first half of the movie and does as best as he can manage with the second half. Mara’s Sue is also a quiet figure at first but has the ability to parlay her genius as and when needed while Jordan’s Johnny’s the rebellious hot-head trying to get out from his father’s shadow. Jamie Bell scores best giving Ben Grimm a quiet dignity (yes, aside from Victor, none of these characters might be considered extroverts or out-going) and strength while managing to add pathos and depth through the CGI monstrosity he becomes in the second half… even without clothes… or pants. While we seem to be stuck with a customary “Death From Above“ scenario to show off the high stakes, Josh Trank’s direction gives the proceedings a more grounded sense of reality, as much as an old-fashioned science-fiction B-Movie adventure flick can be grounded in reality. Not everyone will agree or appreciate the efforts there. The problem is because this is the Fantastic Four. The expectations for the characters are entirely different if compared with four different unknown adventurers on a similar adventure. The dour tone might be an issue for some. The diversion from the core characters might be an issue to some. The lack of colourful super-heroics and costumes might be an issue to some. As a whole, it’s a decent adventure, if a bit overly nostalgic for a style and period that many might consider out-dated. For me, I felt it was a daring approach (even if it follows the Ultimate Marvel version for the most part) and works well enough for an origin movie, replete with the problems of such a movie, even given it's very slim run-time (very comfortably under two hours, some might feel it's much longer). Let’s see what they can do now that this is out of the way. Rating ***1/2 / 5 (Average viewers may want to knock the rating down to **/5.) Partridge Publishing / Barnes and Noble / Amazon / ISBNS Net (for best deals) - Please support by buying or recommending to others, then I can watch more shows and do more reviews. Thank you. Stars Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris with Tom Hollander and Alec Baldwin Directed by Christopher McQuarrie Despite its outlandish plot and suspect tech the first Mission: Impossible movie was great escapist fare. Director Brian dePalma crafted a fairly tense and exciting movie and set the template for the subsequent sequels, most of which never lived up to the style and verve. Until now. Sure, each movie had its benefits, and they all relied on their respective directors, John Woo, JJ Abrams and Brad Bird, and their uniques visual styles. Rouge Nation is no different, relying on writer / director Christopher McQuarrie who brings his own grounded gritty style realism to the franchise. The best reference is star Tom Cruise’s previous effort with McQuarrie, Jack Reacher. Both movies have an air about them that evokes a more traditional filmic sense that harkens to the thrillers of the late 70s. Even in terms of plot, Rogue Nation gives Cruise’s super-spy a real challenge in terms of a nemesis who, unfortunately and despite reputation of his organisation, still hire goons who can’t shoot any straighter than our hero. Then again, it’s Mission: Impossible, which is set in a plausible universe of its own with dubious technology and overly convoluted planning to pull off stings and heists. Sean Harris manages to project an unassuming soft-spoken villain seemingly always in control, hiding that deadly force that he represents. It’s an intriguing performance, but might also present a problem to some viewers (a friend in particular) in terms of credibility. Not that it was an actual issue in terms of performance or character. The rest of the main returning cast (Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner) do well with their respective characters with Pegg getting a boost, more as a comedic foil to Hunt than a standard sidekick, but the standout is new-comer to the franchise, Rebecca Ferguson, as the possibly duplicitous double agent, Ilsa Faust. Ferguson’s Ilsa comes across very much Hunt’s mirror double in terms of skill and capabilities, which elevates both the actress and the character to equal standing. Her performance is engaging and the character is fascinating. If there was any character that deserved a spin-off from this franchise, she is it. Director McQuarrie might cater to Cruise’s desire to top himself in terms of the stunt work. At least two major set-pieces stand out, both featured heavily in the trailers. It is in his story-telling and direction that McQuarrie infuses the movie with the old-school aesthetic, clearing the major biggie of a stunt (the one featured in the trailers) out of the way and settling in for a pure cat-and-mouse thriller. The low-key approach gives Rogue Nation a different air from the previous two, similarly plotted entires, and all the better for it. It raises the quality and the production above the other sequels, almost putting it on par with dePalma’s Hitchcockian thriller. McQuarrie’s contribution shave been remarkable and one can hope he is retained for story credit on the next instalment. Given producer Cruise’s desire to have a different director and approach for each entry, it’s unlikely McQuarrie will return to the director’s chair. On that front, there’s always Jack Reacher 2. Rating ****/5 Partridge Publishing / Barnes and Noble / Amazon / ISBNS Net (for best deals) - Please support by buying or recommending to others, then I can watch more shows and do more reviews. Thank you. |
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