I think it’s fair to say I’ve seen a lot of crap movies over the decades, so I know what I like, what I don’t like and what I can tolerate. I do have a fondness for silly B- (or down to Z-)grade sci-fi flicks and certain creature features. So, yes, I enjoy the Sharknado franchise, I think the Mega-Shark series is silly fun and can even tolerate the ongoing antics of the Sharktopus, although his tussle with the WhaleWolf was a bit much. So, a Russian director decides to get into the superhero fray by making a Russian superhero movie. The problem being his movie going international in a world where The Avengers and friends are dominating the cinematic landscape. It also doesn’t mean he isn’t entitled to a decent try. Firstly, the effects are nothing to shout about, but they are decent enough to pass muster in comparison to a string of silly SyFy movie of the week type adventures. The nature of the heroes are derivative enough even if they can be compared to certain US counterparts (invisible woman, anyone?), and while their powers aren’t entirely unique, the presentation works well enough for the story. As for the characters themselves, there are moments where you can sympathise with their plight, the experiment that get hem their powers also elongated their lives, so one scene where Let (Sebastian Sisak) relates his personal experience of watching his daughter being born and living a full life up to her death is a little touching. The major problem is the dubbing. Removing the Russian (save for one small scene involving prayer) for an English dub give the movie the vocal subtlety of a damp cloth. It feels like anime in the 80s where the dubbing is trying to get through the lines in order to synch with the mouth flaps. There is practically no emotion, no urgency, no tension and nothing sounds right. Director SarikAndreasyan manages to pull things together with an earnestness and can-do attitude, managing some cool ideas and visuals, but ultimately not nearly enough to go toe-to-toe with the big boys. That being said, it’s a decent first attempt and should they make another with hopefully a slightly better budget, it would be interesting to see what they can pull of next. They get the extra 1/2 point for effort. Stars Anton Pampushnyy, Sanzhar Madiyev, Sebastian Sisak, Alina Lanina, Valeriya Shkirando, Stanislav Shirin Directed by Sarik Andreasyan Rating **1/2 /5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2017
|