Showing posts with label Movie Reviews. Show all posts
A Little Too Down to Earth: Guardians of the Galaxy Review
In keeping with my lazy-faire system of blogging where I apparently only do a post when a new Marvel superhero film comes out (though I don't exclude films not produced by Marvel), I've decided to jump back into things with a review of the latest Marvel blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy. Mild spoilers to follow, you have been warned.
When it was announced that lovable goofball Chris Pratt (on his best, most lovable, goofballish behavior as Andy Dwyer over on Parks & Recreation) would be playing Peter Quill AKA Star-Lord, leader of the fictional band of misfits called the "Guardians of the Galaxy," I had absolutely no doubt that this movie would be awesome. As a relative newcomer to the insanity that is the Marvel Universe, I was particularly excited when this film was announced because, though the property has been around for more than four decades, the current incarnation of the team was formed relatively recently in 2008. The lack of baggage makes picking up a few back issues much less terrifying than, say, trying to get into any single member of the Avengers, much less the team itself. With any luck, this could actually be Marvel movie that got my friends into the comics scene.
Unfortunately, Guardians of the Galaxy is a largely superfluous popcorn action flick that will probably end up spawning a series of vastly inferior sequels until the inevitable Avengers/Guardians team-up film. Okay, maybe that's a little blunt, but it's hard to minimize my disappointment when there was so much talent and potential here, only for it to turn into an average adventure film.
Guardians begins in flashback, with a young Peter Quill on Earth doing his best to ignore the impending loss of his mother, who lies only a room away on her deathbed. Wyatt Oleff injects a surprising amount of pathos in his singular scene as young Quill. To the film's credit, young Quill makes (or rather, doesn't make) a regretful action when facing his dying mother and the climax of the film calls back to this moment to aid in the resolution. Unable to face a world with mom, young Peter Quill runs outside into the night full of stars... And alien spaceships. One alien abduction (complete with a tractor beam and glowing lights) and twenty years later and Peter Quill is now a hot shot "ravager," who criss-crosses across the galaxy looking for artifacts and junk that he can sell to the highest bidder. The only vestige of his Earthly identity are an unopened gift from his mother and a 1980s portable tape player which inexplicably still works after twenty years and who knows how many light years.
As a character, Quill is a stereotypical goofball with just a dash of boyish charm. He's sadly pretty stereotypical, and though Pratt does a good job, he doesn't quite have the gravitas of a Robert Downey Jr. or even Chris Evans, and just ends up being another part of the ensemble more than a real leader. Then again, the ensemble is what works best about Guardians, from the moment the characters intersect, their squabbling and bickering like children, and only occasionally do they slow down to reflect on their current predicaments in a serious way. Of course, that seriousness is almost inevitably broken, usually by the breakout star and reason to return for a sequel, Rocket Raccoon. Rocket is definitely a favorite of mine from the comics, and not just because he regularly espouses phrases like "Blam! Murdered you!" Bradley Cooper (so dreamy such a great actor) and his partner in crime Vin Diesel (Groot) seem to be having the most fun and really bring their CGI characters to life. Meanwhile wrestler Dave Bautista makes Drax the Destroyer mostly more genial than terrifying, but his literal inability to understand figurative speech (as in metaphors, similes and other forms of figurative expression) earn some of the biggest laughs. Rounding out the cast is the obligatory love interest, Gamora, who is, thankfully, never really the damsel in distress. Actually in a way, Gamora is one of the most integral parts of the film and all future Marvel films, given that her father is Thanos, Marvel's "endgame" villain for the entire Universe. It's a good thing Zoe Saldana plays her with all the badassery she deserves, and honestly she was the more compelling of the two leads.
The main impetus for getting these weirdos together ends up being a powerful stone with the ability to literally destroy worlds. Before seeing the "Infinity Stone's" power in action, the group is eager to sell it to the highest bidder and split the profit between them. Things change once they find out that it's going to be sold to the murderous Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace,also dreamy a magnificent actor). Ronan is a cookie cutter villain who mostly drags the film down, and even Lee Pace can't save the character. In the end he ends up being as memorable as Malekith.... You need to look up Malekith now, don't you?
While Ronan is ostensibly Thanos' minion, he and his lovely assistant and half-sister to Gamora, Nebula (played by Karen Gillan) aren't planning to stay under his rule for long, and Ronan is eager to take out the peaceful planet that is home to the Nova Corps, leading to the obligatory "world in danger" scenario. To the film's credit, it seems to get cheesy the setup to the resolution is by having Rocket crack wise in the film's third act. But by the time the climax comes Guardians has hit all the notes you'd expect of a popcorn action flick and done nothing to differentiate itself from its predecessors. Nicole Perlman is the first female to pen a Marvel movie script, but she's a little too tacit with the characters. James Gunn's direction is proficient, but even the myriad of space battles just feel too "been there, done that" by now.
Perhaps the best part of the film is the soundtrack, with 80s pop songs diegetically filling scenes to add humor and cut the tension. Actually another pivotal point in the movie works thanks to Chris Pratt busting out into song and dance. Clearly Guardians knows what will help it stand out. But after a half a year of previews featuring "Blue Suede," the incredible soundtrack's impact was muted.
Guardians has all the hallmarks of a super mega hit franchise, and if the $100 million dollar open is any indication, it will probably make a ton of money and get twelve sequels. But we're quickly approaching the point of diminishing returns with the Marvel formula. With any luck, the next film will seek to actually delve deeper into the psyche of its hero rather than just throw some catchy music into chuckle worthy dialogue and explosions. That said, it's hardly a bad film, just depressingly average, especially after Winter Soldier. I would tepidly suggest watching it, but don't think you have to see it in theaters.
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| Image Credit: Marvel |
Unfortunately, Guardians of the Galaxy is a largely superfluous popcorn action flick that will probably end up spawning a series of vastly inferior sequels until the inevitable Avengers/Guardians team-up film. Okay, maybe that's a little blunt, but it's hard to minimize my disappointment when there was so much talent and potential here, only for it to turn into an average adventure film.
Guardians begins in flashback, with a young Peter Quill on Earth doing his best to ignore the impending loss of his mother, who lies only a room away on her deathbed. Wyatt Oleff injects a surprising amount of pathos in his singular scene as young Quill. To the film's credit, young Quill makes (or rather, doesn't make) a regretful action when facing his dying mother and the climax of the film calls back to this moment to aid in the resolution. Unable to face a world with mom, young Peter Quill runs outside into the night full of stars... And alien spaceships. One alien abduction (complete with a tractor beam and glowing lights) and twenty years later and Peter Quill is now a hot shot "ravager," who criss-crosses across the galaxy looking for artifacts and junk that he can sell to the highest bidder. The only vestige of his Earthly identity are an unopened gift from his mother and a 1980s portable tape player which inexplicably still works after twenty years and who knows how many light years.
As a character, Quill is a stereotypical goofball with just a dash of boyish charm. He's sadly pretty stereotypical, and though Pratt does a good job, he doesn't quite have the gravitas of a Robert Downey Jr. or even Chris Evans, and just ends up being another part of the ensemble more than a real leader. Then again, the ensemble is what works best about Guardians, from the moment the characters intersect, their squabbling and bickering like children, and only occasionally do they slow down to reflect on their current predicaments in a serious way. Of course, that seriousness is almost inevitably broken, usually by the breakout star and reason to return for a sequel, Rocket Raccoon. Rocket is definitely a favorite of mine from the comics, and not just because he regularly espouses phrases like "Blam! Murdered you!" Bradley Cooper (
The main impetus for getting these weirdos together ends up being a powerful stone with the ability to literally destroy worlds. Before seeing the "Infinity Stone's" power in action, the group is eager to sell it to the highest bidder and split the profit between them. Things change once they find out that it's going to be sold to the murderous Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace,
While Ronan is ostensibly Thanos' minion, he and his lovely assistant and half-sister to Gamora, Nebula (played by Karen Gillan) aren't planning to stay under his rule for long, and Ronan is eager to take out the peaceful planet that is home to the Nova Corps, leading to the obligatory "world in danger" scenario. To the film's credit, it seems to get cheesy the setup to the resolution is by having Rocket crack wise in the film's third act. But by the time the climax comes Guardians has hit all the notes you'd expect of a popcorn action flick and done nothing to differentiate itself from its predecessors. Nicole Perlman is the first female to pen a Marvel movie script, but she's a little too tacit with the characters. James Gunn's direction is proficient, but even the myriad of space battles just feel too "been there, done that" by now.
Perhaps the best part of the film is the soundtrack, with 80s pop songs diegetically filling scenes to add humor and cut the tension. Actually another pivotal point in the movie works thanks to Chris Pratt busting out into song and dance. Clearly Guardians knows what will help it stand out. But after a half a year of previews featuring "Blue Suede," the incredible soundtrack's impact was muted.
Guardians has all the hallmarks of a super mega hit franchise, and if the $100 million dollar open is any indication, it will probably make a ton of money and get twelve sequels. But we're quickly approaching the point of diminishing returns with the Marvel formula. With any luck, the next film will seek to actually delve deeper into the psyche of its hero rather than just throw some catchy music into chuckle worthy dialogue and explosions. That said, it's hardly a bad film, just depressingly average, especially after Winter Soldier. I would tepidly suggest watching it, but don't think you have to see it in theaters.
7.0/10
Watch It Like a Fox:
- Explosions! Sexual tension! Talking trees!
- Rocket Raccoon. That is all.
- The music will get you hooked on a feeling!
Duck It:
- You've got Marvel fatigue
- You want more for Chris Pratt and Lee Pace
- You don't need no stinkin' Groot
Game Change--Captain America: The Winter Soldier Review
Note: Spoilers for several Marvel movies will follow, but if you haven't watched Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World or any of the pre-Avengers movies by now then why are you even reading this? And if you haven't seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier, well, same question, but also, this review is like 3 weeks late. Go see the movie.
It's easy to be cynical when it comes to entering the theater in preparation of seeing a Marvel Cinematic Universe film these days. After all, Marvel's television and movie production arm has been hurrying out more and more films aiming to duplicate the massive payday that The Avengers turned out to be, but with a much foggier purpose than the titles that lead to that blockbuster. The "Phase I" films--as they are officially denoted by Marvel's own production office-- were quite clearly about building the team that was one of the most well known names in comic books. Each installment carried with it a purpose-- to explore the origin of a particular hero. Teasing future developments and tying the stories together through easter eggs and comic references was just a bonus to the larger film. Marvel's Phase 2 hasn't had much success constructing an overarching narrative for the heroes.
Sure, there's some teasing themes involving betrayal and mistakes of the past, but both Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World were directionless epic action films. Iron Man 3's postcredits scene was less of an important setup and more of an inside joke, and though Thor 2's midcredits sequence gave a juicier tease of Guardians of the Galaxy, the films themselves barely connected with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Don't get me wrong, I'm not crying foul because Tony Stark didn't call his g(o)od friend for back up (though his casual session with Bruce Banner was kind of weird, since if he could goof off with Banner why not give him a call for help to take down the Mandarin?), I'm just wondering why the most we've seen in the way of ramifications after the Mandarin blew up a city street and physics in the UK were sent into a tizzy is a couple of crossover episodes with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? It was almost like Marvel was backing away from the idea of a shared Universe, afraid that they'd hamper the path to Avengers: Age of Ultron by continuing to mix worlds.
Thankfully, Captain America: The Winter Soldier got back to what makes the Marvel Cinematic Universe so compelling, while telling an epic Captain America story at the same time.
Captain America is, to many, the ultimate hero. He's not only noble and kind and self sacrificing, he's also patriotic and humble. Oh, and his superpower isn't even that super, so if you worked really hard, you could sorta be close to being just like him one day! And, indeed, Steve Rogers himself is having to deal with the reality of his popularity, while also balancing his actual job as an operative for the increasingly more secretive agency, S.H.I.E.L.D. The movie doesn't make it clear whether Cap knows Coulson is alive, though by chip on his shoulder concerning the agency, I wouldn't be surprised if we found out definitively that he did not know of Coulson's magical trip to Tahiti. Naturally the first thing Cap is tasked with doing in the film is secure a S.H.I.E.L.D boat that has been highjacked by Batroc. Yes, you read that right, Batroc the leaper. And somehow the movie makes possibly lamest villain since Stilt-man... kinda badass. I love MCU reimaginings! Anyway, Cap hears that his mission is to save the hostages, but Black Widow is his backup, and she seems to have a different job completely.
The first really cool action sequence of the movie is Cap systemically taking down everyone on the ship. It is as amazing as anticipated. Let it be a note to Thor and Iron Man-- Cap don't need no fancy hammers or repulsor rays to take out highly armed baddies. This sequence is more or less an opportunity for Cap to be frank with Fury about his concerns on S.H.I.E.L.D. Concerns that mirror the ones soldiers in the real world probably have about our military. Fury provides stock answers about the need to have an agency like S.H.I.E.L.D-- secrecy and all-- so it can protect people. Cap's response is essentially questioning how much liberty people should give up for their security.
The question doesn't linger over the movie for too long, though, as soon Fury faces off against The Winter Soldier himself. There's little more that can be expounded upon with blatant spoilers, but suffice to say when the movie kicks into high gear, it really gets moving. The Winter Soldier has all the action movie scenes you expect-- explosions, Cap taking on dozens of guys in a crowded elevator, Black Widow putting guys to sleep with her legs (using martial arts moves, you pervs!), but it separates itself out from the popcorn thriller by being surprisingly topical.
When Captain America brings up his concerns over what is done in the name of the American people, it's a lot like the concerns of Obama's ongoing drone warfare or the NSA spying. And while the movie doesn't get too embroiled in representing the citizens reaction to events-- it is still a superhero summer blockbuster-- it should leave quite a few members of the audience nodding their heads in disagreement. Now if only we could actually vote Cap for president... Of course, the political edge behind the story would be meaningless if the main characters weren't of interest.
Chris Evans reprises his role as the handsome Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, and he brings a liveliness and playfulness to the role that is really unexpected by the way the character is usually depicted. Evans has definitely got the 1940's drawl down, though not so much the slang as the "lookie here, dahl" accent. Opposite him is the always lovely Scarlett Johansson, always swearing Samuel L. Jackson, and newcomer Anthony Mackie, playing one of my favorite superheroes ever-- The Falcon! Black Widow (Johansson) and Nick Fury (Jackson) should be pretty familiar by now, and each one plays their part. Widow is a little too overly concerned with Cap's romantic life, for my taste, but Johansson's deadpan delivery of the names of available women punctuating action scenes makes the gag work. The real surprise, though, is Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes. Though he's far more limited to flashbacks in this installment, he really creates an understanding for why Cap is the kind of man he is with that little bit of screentime.
But now you're probably wondering about all this "game change" nonsense and why I started this review with two paragraphs of how lame the other MCU Phase 2 films were for not incorporating the larger MCU. So what happens that makes the film more powerful than the other films in its phase? Well, I won't tell you here, but suffice to say: S.H.I.E.L.D is never going to be the same. The insidiousness that Captain America reveals involving the agency has a widespread affect on the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we're seeing those repercussions dealt with now on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Overall, the Captain America: The Winter Soldier explores some pretty powerful political themes. It's not exactly subtle with its parallelism, but the real draw of the movie is watching an iconic character tackle the problems we as Americans (if you're reading this as an American, of course-- sorry Canadians, no Alpha Flight just yet!) are either too fearful or too complacent to solve. Superhero films have always aimed to be more inspirational than education, and so it's nice to see a film that shoots for the stars and manages to reach the moon. Here's hoping Marvel's next trip lands us solidly in the galaxy.
9.0/10
Watch It Like a Fox:
- Great action scenes, intimate character moments, and a thriller espionage story with just enough twists to be understandable come together to form the best sequel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie and Scarlett Johansson have wonderful chemistry.
- Batroc was pretty cool. Like, for real!
- Crossbones (Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow)and
Emily ThorneSharon Carter (Emily Van Camp) show up, too!...Which combined with info that Chris Evans is only doing three more Marvel movies... doesn't bode well for Captain America....
Duck It:
- Duck it? Okay buddy, which are you: a communist or a Nazi?!
- Scarlett Johansson just isn't as enjoyable as she is when she's a disembodied voice.
- You're okay with being completely lost come next year around this time, or when watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
“You Americans Like to Think of Yourselves as Direct. But I Think Perhaps You’re Just Rude” Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Review
Tom Clancy is probably the first author I came across who
learned how to turn his many characters and storylines into franchises unto
themselves. The man himself unfortunately passed away towards the end of 2013,
but even now we still see people churning out high tech military thrillers with
his name slapped on the cover. So it was only a matter of time before Hollywood
decided to take another stab at the mythos of Clancy’s most well known hero,
Jack Ryan. I’m only familiar with the Jack Ryan novels in passing and through a single read through of his debut novel, The Hunt for Red October years ago, and though
they seem like excellent additions to the military thriller genre from what
I’ve seen, I hesitated on the idea of a modern update to the character that so
many fantastic actors had already brought to the silver screen. When you’re
stepping into the shoes of legends like Alec Baldwin (The Hunt for Red October), Harrison Ford (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) and Ben Affleck (The Sum of All Fears). And while my
fears concerning the actor were mostly unfounded, as Star Trek’s Chris Pine takes on the challenge well, my
fears on the story were substantiated.
Existing
in the void between James Bond and Jason Bourne, Jack Ryan acts as a more
down to Earth everyman. The film opens with a series of scenes providing the
motivation for Jack to join what is tentatively referred to as the CIA, though
the specific division remains elusive. Ryan begins as a promising student at
the London School of Economics, but when his fellow students are seen
flocking to the television with faces full of dread, it becomes clear what this
updated story’s motivation for Jack Ryan will be: 9/11. We skip ahead in time
and visit Jack as a lowly marine bonding with his fellow soldiers over sports
in a helicopter flying low over the mountains of Afghanistan. Needless to say,
there’s a further complication and Jack ends up in a recovery facility,
flirting with his physical therapist Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley doing a
terrible American accent). He also encounters the mysterious Navy general,
William Harper, who hints at being connected to the CIA, and eventually comes
out and request Jack’s help as an economic analyst, working at a white shoe
Wall Street firm on paper, but secretly working for the CIA.
From
there we jump ahead 10 years, and Jack catches wind of a conspiracy involving
Russians and the collapse of the United States. If you feel like you’ve heard
that entire plot before, then rest assured, you have. It’s not that the plot
makes no sense or is full of dizzying plot holes, but the fact is that there’s absolutely
nothing clever about it. Even the way
Jack goes about finding out how the Russians have inserted their sleeper agent
(cause there’s always a sleeper agent…) and rooting out the plot to cripple the
economy is so obvious you have to wonder if all the other CIA analysts had been
systemically poisoning their brains by huffing glue and so this slightly above
average intellect guy was their only hope to save the US. Make no mistake, none
of the mediocre dialogue is down to the actors, who all create believable
characters. Well, with the exception of Keira Knightley, whose awkward smiles
and comical accent are cringe inducing. The problem lies in the insistence on
positioning Jack against Viktor Cherevin, Kenneth
Branagh’s menacing Russian businessman and ex-intelligence officer, without
any real depth being added to either character. Sure, Jack has marital problems
and Viktor has a bone to pick with the US over losing family in the Cold War,
but none of these factors act as anything more than contrivances that are
sloppily tied up throughout the film. The CIA also seems particularly incompetent when it comes to anticipating threats, and I was seriously hoping there would be a mole in the agency just so I wouldn't have to believe everyone there was so stupid.
There are a host of cool gadgets and some slick, stylized tradecraft, but nothing impressive enough to think twice about. That being said, there are some competent action sequences, even if the initiation of the sequence doesn’t make sense (an epic car chase is predicated upon one of the baddie’s deciding to keep a cellphone and obvious tracking device in the vehicle with him). I watched it in IMAX 2D and I also have to say that this is one of the first films where a bullet sounds as visceral as it probably does in reality. Jack also fights like a marine turned analyst—using his wits and reacting out of sheer panic more often than cooly coordinating with his opponents in complex martial arts maneuvers. The way he uses the environment is pretty awesome too, and really makes you feel for him more than any of the other fearless, chiseled embodiments of machismo dominating other action flicks.
There are a host of cool gadgets and some slick, stylized tradecraft, but nothing impressive enough to think twice about. That being said, there are some competent action sequences, even if the initiation of the sequence doesn’t make sense (an epic car chase is predicated upon one of the baddie’s deciding to keep a cellphone and obvious tracking device in the vehicle with him). I watched it in IMAX 2D and I also have to say that this is one of the first films where a bullet sounds as visceral as it probably does in reality. Jack also fights like a marine turned analyst—using his wits and reacting out of sheer panic more often than cooly coordinating with his opponents in complex martial arts maneuvers. The way he uses the environment is pretty awesome too, and really makes you feel for him more than any of the other fearless, chiseled embodiments of machismo dominating other action flicks.
Overall, Jack Ryan had a lot of promise but ends up
squandering it by playing the same old spy thriller beats. It’s a shame that
this is probably going to be the last film Clancy could have played a part in
bringing to the big screen. Hopefully, if the franchise ends up continuing,
they figure out a better way to pay homage to the legendary scribe.
6.0/10
Watch It Like a Fox
If:
- You’re okay with mindless spy thrillers
- You’re really into Keira Knightley and/or Chris Pine
- Seeing cool “spy-fi” gadgetry really excites you
Duck It:
- You want something more thought provoking
- You enjoyed Clancy’s classic work
- You can’t deal with Chris Pine playing anything other than Captain Kirk