Archive for the ‘Science Fiction & Fantasy’ Category

X-Men: First Class

Posted by benjamin on June 12, 2011

Summer 2011 was living up to be the summer of the superheroes. We’ve already seen it once on ACG for Thor, but there’s plenty more to come. X-Men: First Class was always lost in the shuffle but since the first trailer released it seemed to bring a thought that it could potentially be the hit of them all. Well after a single viewing, I’d have to agree so far.

First Class takes place in the 60′s in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The movie centers on a time when mutants are really first becoming known to the world and the audience gets to see the first interaction between Magneto and Charles Xavier as the two grow to learn they are not the only ones. However, due to each’s upbringing, their view on how the world should deal with the mutants is quite different.

As the movie relies heavily on this friendship/tension between Xavier and Magneto, it was great to see the casting of James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Both shined in their roles. McAvoy created an Xavier that was a little more dashing and rakish than we are accustomed with Professor X but in the times, it works and works well. His only failure was the cartoonish way his hand always had to go to his head when using his powers. It was fine once or twice, but then it became old and annoying. Fassbender’s Magento is perfect. He’s smart, powerful, and dark when needed. The early parts of the movie that have Magneto hunting down those in charge of the concentration camps could have been a movie in of itself that I would enjoy. The other mutants are mostly forgettable or were only added for the final fight, except for Jennifer Lawerence’s Mystique and Nicholas Hoult’s Beast. The interaction between these two (new to me from the comic world I think) was sweet and definitely pushed the thoughts that many mutants want to be normal like most people do. Probably doesn’t help that mutations typically appear during the teenage years. I’d keep my eye on these four actors going forward. Might be nice to see what else they can do and bring to the screen.

Vaughn’s direction helped build the emotions and conflict. He borrowed from the original films but also added his own style. If he would have directed the third X-Men film, as was originally intended, maybe it wouldn’t have been the unholy mess that it ended up being. It can be difficult to create a period piece as well as an action movie, but Vaughn mixed the two with relative ease. Vaughn’s biggest letdown was late in the film when we encountered a “preparation” style montage that was cut together more like a comic book panel. I enjoyed this style in the first Hulk movie, but it seemed out of place here after not using it throughout the early parts of the film. Otherwise, Vaughn did very well to make a two and a half hour movie pass quickly and efficiently.

With all of this said though, I always believe that a superhero movie is made or broken by the villain. A strong villain can elevate the plot and heroes even when everything else is truly flat. Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw is that character. He is the Magento before Magneto becomes the ultimate villain. I was first worried about a mainstream film using a character and group, The Hellfire Club, that is relatively lesser known to the primary movie going audience. However, it was a brilliant move due to the time period and making the Club a true night club where the potential underground and shady deals could be taking place thanks to a few powerful mutants. Bacon is suave, charismatic, but he has a goal to make the world in the image that he approves. He’s even strong enough to make you forget just how forgettable the rest of the club is, including the “let’s show off what you have” Emma Frost who is played by January Jones.

As this movie continues to do well at the box office, I’m interested to see where the characters go from here. There is still plenty of time before the present day X-Men franchise timeline is met and several potential directions that are available. I’ve heard rumors that subsequent movies could be set in different decades such as the 70′s and 80′s. I’ll be there when that happens as well.

Note: There are two key cameos in this film that I thought were perfect. They weren’t too much or too little and fit nicely with the storyline when they are introduced. See if you can spot them.

The Verdict:

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Thor

Posted by benjamin on May 15, 2011

The summer superhero season kicks off with Marvel’s latest comic to film presentation of Thor, the Norse god of thunder. We must wait until the end of the summer months to determine how it stacks up against Green Lantern and Captain America, but we can at least joy what we have to date.

The movie follows Thor’s time in Asgard, his fall to Earth due to his arrogance, and his eventual rise after understanding that his actions were wrong prior and that he must be a better god and leader in order to represent his people. The real strength of the story lies within Thor’s time on Earth, a.k.a. Midgard. During this time, the interactions seem genuine, easy to relate, and very entertaining. Thor’s simple misunderstanding that a diner does not bring more to drink when one smashes a cup on the floor demanding sustenance is humorous and allows the audience to understand that Thor has lost everything but is still a Norse god at heart. However, when we venture beyond Earth things are more sporadic and confusing. There are a multitude of characters that are introduced, which are important within the comics, but seem to be more in a filler role here. Why not just save those for another film or build the characters so that they have some actual personality to build upon. If Thor had been left to Earth without returning to Asgard, I would have enjoyed the movie much more than I did.

Even if I downplay the lack of growth with many of the minor characters within the film, I must applaud the casting of Thor. Hemsworth as Thor and Hiddleston as Loki was remarkable. They really shined in their roles. Hemsworth had the manners and look perfected. Hiddleston provided great growth in a character that is by far one of the more interesting villians within the Marvel universe (in my opinion). I’m interested to seeing both possibly reprising their roles within next year’s Avengers movie (Thor has been confirmed, Loki has not), but Marvel should tone back the build up for the Avengers to some degree. This movie and Captain America should not feel like a filler until next summer. They should stand their own without the need to reflect on what is to come.

I must applaud Kenneth Branagh’s work within this film but also provide my criticism for certain choices. For the praise, I must say that he took a subject and story that could have been delivered in an over the top manner, but he contained it well enough that it never seemed cheesy. Any other director would have last the majority of the audience within the first 15 minutes. Maybe it was his past experience with Shakespeare or maybe it was simply Hemsworth’s charisma, but whatever it was it worked and I’d be happy with him continuing to build this universe and set of characters. Now for the criticism. The costumes were just too rubbery for my taste. I would let this slide as there were times when the look on film worked well, but after seeing Thor’s mighty hammer, I just couldn’t accept it any longer. The hammer decided to strike fear into all that face Thor seemed more like some new toy that would be on the shelves of stores in a matter of months. I wanted….no….needed a hammer forged in something of the Earth, not something forged from a McDonald’s happy meal toy.

With all of this being said, I’m still torn between feeling if I loved the movie or want to toss it to the side. I laughed. I was entertained. But I wanted and expected something more. Is that the hype that is talking or someone who just though the film overall fell short of its potential and thus must suffer a rating of such? Until I can figure out my real thoughts, I must give a rating that is undecisive.

Two final notes. The first is that though Thor is advertised for 3D do not spend the money to watch it in 3D. It did not use the technology well enough to warrant the need to see the film in this way. The second is to stay through the credits. As is normal fashion prior to the Avengers, Marvel provides us small scenes which help build towards the mega superhero team up.

The Verdict:

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Where the Wild Things Are

Posted by will on February 4, 2011

Where the Wild Things Are, in literary form, admittedly, was not a book I recall ever loving (that would be The Giving Tree) but one I do remember thumbing through a time or two. That being said, I have no sentimental recollections nor gooey nostalgia regarding said book. I just wanted to set the record straight that I was excited, more or less, from the previews, with The Arcade Fire’s anthemic “Wake Up” (via their seminal album Funeral) giving rise to the internal carnal sensitivities with credits giving all-powerful kudos, in children’s scrawl, to Spike Jonze, director of one of my favorite films (Being John Malkovich) and several of my revered music videos (Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” and Weezer’s “Buddy Holly”).

Phew. Okay, let’s take a step back and catch a few breathes.

But wow, what a major disappointment.

Maybe I was aiming for the sun but watching an angsty child, one that I could find not one ounce of pity or empathy for, lord over a bunch of mopey, depressing creatures (from his imagination no less) was just was not my cup of tea. Sure, sure, I know there is a bunch of symbolism and deeper meaning to the movie and all that jazz. Okay, this was a true-to-life, raw portrayal of a child. Honestly, I just was not inspired to stick around to dig a little deeper into Max’s psyche.

In short, Max, ironically portrayed by Max Records, is the youngest sibling under the roof of his divorced, working mother (Catherine Keener). Maybe Max is a little off, maybe he is misunderstood, maybe he is a thinker before his time. Whatever the case really be, it is painfully obvious that Max is a frustrated little boy.

After a violent outbreak in a show of defiance (either sparked by his mother’s inattention or her gentleman caller), Max runs away not only from his home but from the physical realities of our world to a land of sad creatures with problems of their own.

To be honest, I can only evaluate this movie for half of its running time. Visuals aside, the story and characters were so insipid I was compelled to just turn the movie off. More than likely, what I was not prepared for was a movie detailing, through the eyes of a child, the disparity and dejection of life. I mean, after all, children’s books aren’t supposed to be about imaginary-medicating children who re-imagine their plights but with mopier characters with their own issues to work through, right? However poignant and heroically beautiful this might be, it was not something I found, at the time, appealing.

Don’t get me wrong, I like unrefined honesty in my movies (in some contexts). That’s why it is hard for me to stomach a lot of the crap that gets churned out of Hollywood these days. None of it is real and the material is not relatable. I like my champions of the dispirited to be dressed up in quirk, self-deprecation, or, at the very least, some ambition. I did not find any of those qualities with King of the Rumpus, Max. Maybe I just was not “hip” enough for this film.

The Verdict:

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Sunshine

Posted by christopher on January 31, 2011

Sunshine is a movie I was keenly interested in. While it’s somewhat dated today, coming out in 2007, the moment I first heard of it I was instantly captivated.

As a self-aware geek, I quite enjoy a sci-fi that is based in reality: futuristic but educated; full of imagination but plausible. And while any fact that I’ve read regarding our life-giving star Sol suggests it will well outlive humanity, the response played out in this movie is generally well founded and reasonably executed.

But before I get ahead of myself, in a quick summary: the sun is “dying” causing global cooling, which the viewer is led to believe is causing suffering, requiring a drastic response in the form of some kind of fusion-igniting bomb package delivered into the sun.

For me, the concept of the sun dying and our response was what initially sold me. And while the first quarter of Sunshine delivers interesting exposition, leading the viewer into a hopeful experience, executing a solitary space-oriented film is difficult without cliches: things go awry, difficult decisions need to be made, calamity ensues. And, again, while this experience in-and-of itself is at least entertaining, Sunshine delivers a twist which is alluded to and ultimately expected, leaving me to feel cheated and certainly let down by the overall experience. In other words, Sunshine turns from one genre, which I find interesting, to another. Yet the flip does not feel true; it feels forced, with characters and sub-plots introduced but not fully explored, which ultimately don’t contribute to the outcome of the overarching story. This leads me to believe that Sunshine was either born of an interesting concept that may have been better suited for a short film, or was forcibly modified in an attempt to potentially capture mainstream appeal.

Hope, however, is not completely lost. I actually did learn about space through the film–though through my own exploration, the film brought up the questions and was generally true to scientific consensus. In a similar vain and as I stated initially, the science fiction was well thought out; I can foresee the technology following a path similar to what was in the film, from the design of the spacecraft and how oxygen is maintained in long journeys to the more extreme earth room. The film also delivered realism in what longer-term space travel might feel like, what would be required from a psychological perspective, and how we may react to an abundant resource becoming scarce. On this note and finally, there are many moments of excellence where the actors and actresses reactions are captured, the camera focusing on their faces, both in awe and desperation, engaging me with the movie and character and balancing the drawbacks.

I feel I have been harsh on Sunshine. My expectations were high and ultimately not met. The ‘thriller’ aspects of the movie were too heavy, but the film does entertain and would be enjoyed by most.

The Verdict:

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TRON: Legacy

Posted by christopher on December 20, 2010

The first moment TRON: Legacy starts, nay, the moment I witnessed the TRONified Disney logo, goosebumps kicked in and I knew this movie would not disappoint. TRON: Legacy, as you may imagine, is a visual marvel and the perfect score by Daft Punk truly engulfs you the user into the world; into the grid.

The TRON universe is a classic man vs. machine struggle; a struggle for greatness; a tale of unintended consequences. The series has us following Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a genius who has achieved success in computer programming by created the most popular video games in the 80’s. He is of course met with challenges in the form of a conniving business partner who tries and for a while succeeds in stealing Flynn’s ideas and selling them under the ENCOM Corporation name. Through a bit of hackery, Flynn is able to oust his former partner and take control of ENCOM, building it into a behemoth software company a la Microsoft. Something which both the first and now this TRON movie seem to gloss over is that Flynn and ENCOM have invented a way to transcribe the human body and mind into a digital form within a computer, which is where much of the series takes place–somewhat of a plot hole but forgivable. And this brings us to where TRON: Legacy begins: Flynn is on the verge of a major discovery in “the grid,” an empty plane in the computer world where programs (the people within the computer), machines, and buildings can be created, building a new utopian society. Flynn’s first order of business is creating CLU, a copy of Flynn’s persona who’s focus is on creating this perfect society, to manage the build while Flynn is away in the real world. Flynn’s son, Sam, is a budding young lad who himself has heard stories of the grid from his father and is eager to see what his father has spent countless nights creating; but something goes awry when Flynn senior disappears, trapped in the grid. Sam is left with his grandparents and grows up enjoying the benefits of the wealth he inherited but is left both with the struggle of discovery what happened to his father and striving for his genius with ENCOM. Through a bit of planned luck, Sam stumbles upon his father’s old arcade with a hidden basement office where Kevin was building the grid and that sneaky machine sit which can digitize the human body and mind, and the rest is Legacy.

The story of TRON: Legacy is interesting enough though a bit derivative of others in a similar category like The Matrix. It’s fast paced with enough action and mystery to keep us the audience glued to the screen throughout, but it doesn’t get lost for the sake of action alone. But the story alone is not why we want, why we need, to see this movie: the imagination of the computer world in combination with the execution of the visual effects and score of both TRON movies are incredible and where the series truly shines. The clean stylization of the grid, the lines of bright light set on a dark plane, the deep horns, fast violins, and heavy drums suck you in and keep you riveted. While we’re on the subject, the score Daft Punk created for Legacy is simply superb. It is the essence of TRON in the form of music. I’m left wanting it as my own personal background music in my day-to-day life–just drive at night with the street and city lights and you’ll feel the power, like you’re on a grand mission, like some mystery and longing compels you and you alone; it’s an epic feeling.

The action is as expected with disc throwing, acrobatics, hand-to-hand fighting, and of course the light cycles. But where the original now fails to impress in these aspects, Legacy delivers with fast paced sequences and close up shots of the action. They’ve expanded the scope of light vehicles as well, delivering an edge-of-the-seat light jet fight sequence, which sounds cool enough to say let alone experience. I saw TRON: Legacy in 3-D, though I missed out on the IMAX experience. The 3-D doesn’t really kick in until we get into the grid, which actually helps to convey the transformation into the new world, however the 3-D tends to sink to the background and really only comes through in the movie’s action sequences. Ultimately it adds some depth to certain parts and doesn’t get in the way in others so if you’re able to cough up a few extra dollars I’d say go for it.

And finally the actors and actresses. I’m left with really only one thought in this area, which is my biggest gripe with the film, and that is the execution of the young Jeff Bridges. I’ve heard others talk about the “uncanny valley” with respect to an all digital character who closely matches that of a real human; this may or may not be the case but what I saw was a supposed person that didn’t quite emote correctly–it’s the mouth–and who’s skin was just…off. It’s really the only area of the movie that’s disengaging.

So final thoughts: grab a stick, run as fast as you can, jump in the air, and ride the light to go see this movie now.

The Verdict:

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