When a movie opens up with an 8-bit version of the film company's logo, you know you can just hear all the gamer nerds geeking out over what they're about to see. Such was the case with me seeing Scott Pilgrim vs. The World with my friends a few years back on opening day. Never having read the graphic novels prior to then, I will admit, I had little to no expectations for what I was getting myself into. But then that aforementioned logo appeared followed by the following text/opening narration:
"Not so long ago
In the mysterious land
Of Toronto, Canada
Scott Pilgrim was dating a high schooler"
With that opening text alone, I was immediately sold on how cheesy, yet geeky and inventive this movie would be. And, boy, did it deliver on all three fronts.
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World sees the titular character (played by Michael Cera) in a jam when he falls for the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In order to win her over, however, Scott must face all odds against her seven evil exes (known as the League of Evil Exes) and defeat them in various duels to the death. All while Scott throws down with the baggage of Ramona's love life, his band, Sex Bob-Omb, rises from their garage band status and his former girlfriend, Knives Chau (played by Ellen Wong), seeks to get back at Ramona for presumably stealing her man. Sound crazy enough? While the story and characters apparently aren't nearly as fleshed out as they are in the graphic novels, they're still full of crazy elements and traits that make you wish it were real. Most prominently, each fight with an evil ex turns everything into a video game-like scenario with there being hit combos displayed on screen at times, Scott and other fighters pulling weapons out of thin air, and, each time an ex or other enemy is killed, they explode into a shower of coins followed by a number of points displaying where they die. Brutal as it sounds, it's all actually quite fun to watch.
Michael Cera, for one, does an excellent job of portraying an adorkable nerd -- who's kind of a jerk when you think about it -- and he and the other members of the ensemble play well off each other in their outrageous interactions. It's especially outrageous in the variety of methods that Scott utilizes to conquer each fight: his fists, his wit, pulling out tricks, a bass guitar, and, ultimately, the Power of Love and Self-respect. And, despite the daunting task at hand, Scott himself never resorts to the tired trope of "main character complains about the task at hand" trope. In other words, instead of relying on another person -- perhaps his sister, Stacey (played by Anna Kendrick) -- to motivate him to essentially take on the world, he just accepts that his destiny awaits beyond what he has to do and goes through with it. And, since it's Ramona's past that he's dealing with -- even somewhat his own -- his journey creates a surprisingly powerful message for the audience: the best way to even have a relationship with the one you want isn't all fluffy clouds, but, rather, involves serious commitment even to the point of dealing with another's baggage. That said, I may be giving a lot away just by simply explaining Scott's character, so let's move on.
Being directed by Edgar Wright of all people, the film is packed with many nods to the conventions of the medium in which it came from. From what I've noticed in the special features, many of the film's shots are actually pulled straight from the graphic novels. Much of it involves innovative camera work and interactions between the foreground and background in scenes such as the part where Scott watches Ramona and Knives talk from a distance as well the elevator shot during the climactic scene. The typography throughout the film is a nice edition as well; in scenes where one would expect a narrator to do a voice over there are, instead, instances of text (pulled straight from the books I might add) that explain transitions between scenes (i.e.: "And then... he stalked her... until... she left... the party"). Going along with the video game-esque scenes are moments in which there displays stats for Scott -- specifically right before the final fight in which one of them strangely says Balls: +8 -- that most gamers may see as an element missing from movies directly based on video games. As a movie referencing various video games as opposed to being inspired by one, I definitely see it as a crucial element that works better in this movie than anywhere else.
Ultimately, one of the best, most crucial elements that gives the movie the unique identity it already has is the soundtrack. Not long after I watched the movie did I get my hands on the soundtrack for reasons that it all fit surprisingly well with my video games. Personal stories aside, the original songs recorded specifically for this film contain mainly garage band-styled tracks played by Scott's band during the opening credits and the many music-based showdowns throughout. Many other tracks that inspired the graphic novel's author, Brian Lee O'Malley, back in the day are also featured as background music (examples being "I Heard Ramona Sing" and "Under My Thumb" among others). Even the bass battle between Scott and the third evil ex is full of such epic guitar riffs that would definitely inspire the most competent of guitar players watching this movie. Plus, in addition to there being multiple sound effects ripped straight from games throughout, there is also this one secret 8-bit song hidden at the end of the credits for those willing to stay all the way through to the end with it. Although this is definitely no Marvel movie, I still find it satisfying enough to sit through to the end of the credits when I watch any movie for review.
So pretty much the gist of my take on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is that it lives up to its poster tagline: "an epic of epicness". It may not be one of the absolute greatest movies out there, but it definitely has its own unique identity with its simplified plot line, wacky world and characters, video game-like scenes, its typography, and awesome soundtrack, I wish there could be more movies (and perhaps books) like it. Of course, there will never be a sequel, but even I would be down to see any movie that takes inspiration and cues from it on a lot of levels. With that said, the verdict? This movie gets a solid B in my book and consider it worth watching for its entertainment value.
Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Jasonic Reviews How to Train Your Dragon
Sometimes it takes watching a movie all on your own to fully realize the deeper value of it. While viewing films is generally something I genuinely enjoy doing with people (friends and family alike), I can't always pick up on everything I like about the film and simply share my general thoughts -- especially on a first time viewing. The reason I'm sharing this is because, when I first watched DreamWorks' spectacular outing of How to Train Your Dragon, I had been watching over a bunch of kids with my teenage pals at the time and, naturally due to the kids being loud and off the walls, I couldn't pay full attention to it. While not a fully unpleasant experience, it didn't exactly give me the chance to let the film fully resonate with me; I never even had genuine interest in it at the time for fear that it would just be "another dumb kids movie". Years later, though, I gave it another chance after going to see the sequel in theaters with my best friend and did I actually think it was an awesome well put together film for pretty much all ages? Long story short: Yes.
*No need for spoiler tag in this one*
Being based on a children's book of the same name, the premise of How to Train Your Dragon is rather familiar at best. The film sees a scrawny teenage Viking nobody named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) desiring to fit in amongst his village of Berk, which is regularly attacked by menacing dragons. His father, the village chieftain, Stoick the Vast (voiced by Gerard Butler), who hates dragons with a passion isn't proud of him for being so weak and clumsy and the fellow villagers see him as a disgrace and don't always give him the attention he deserves -- particularly his crush, Astrid (voiced by America Ferrera). Hoping to get noticed for a change, he goes out of his way to somehow successfully capture a "Night Fury" -- the most feared and mysterious of all dragons. Even so, in his attempt to kill it, he can't bring himself to do it and ends up befriending it in secret (later naming it Toothless for its lack of teeth). Through being forced into the village blacksmith, Gobber's (voiced by Craig Ferguson), program of "dragon training" by his father and getting to know Toothless without anyone else knowing, Hiccup soon discovers that dragons, menacing and destructive as they are, aren't exactly everything the Vikings make them out to be. And so it becomes a tale of the nerdy protagonist venturing from "nobody" status to becoming an inspiration to everyone around him, a stubborn parent who won't listen at first, disowning his son, then later reconciling, and a "hide the pet" storyline that ultimately is exposed and shamed before everyone sees they were wrong.
The main reason hardly anybody criticizes the movie for having this familiar of a story is because it actually manages to do something that most films with these formulas don't do: pace it well and generate actual emotion. There's no rushing into the friendship between Hiccup and Toothless becoming friends; they take their time to get to know each other and Hiccup is seen actively studying Toothless to see his likes and dislikes as well as why he can't fly -- reason being that Hiccup shooting him down caused him to lose half of his "tail fin", which, in-universe, keeps dragons balanced as they fly. Plus, being Gobber's apprentice and all, Hiccup has experience in blacksmithing and knitting outfits together, which we are shown in his attempts to be creative in finding ways to help Toothless start flying again. On top of that, the relationship between Hiccup and his dad, unlike many similar examples, is given enough depth to make it feel... surprisingly human. Nothing Stoick does makes him an antagonist to Hiccup rather the two just have a hard time understanding each other; for example, Hiccup initially wants to kill dragons, Stoick says they're too dangerous for him, not because he's physically weak, but because he just doesn't have the heart for it. And when Stoick later disowns Hiccup for befriending Toothless and refusing to follow the traditional Viking ways of killing them, he doesn't lock him in a dark room nor is he completely hardened toward him. Instead, he walks away noticeably heartbroken, but continues to go on and try to find the dragon's nest in hopes to put an end to their attacks. Touches like this make the film stand out despite its formulaic setup.
Another thing that stands about the movie that stands out is its aesthetics. The character art style, kiddy as it looks, is easily subverted by the amount of heart that went into the film's story and is enough to give it a kid-friendly look all while adults can enjoy the other aspects. Even I can't get over just how much work went into the backgrounds and environments of this movie; there's enough balance between vibrant and natural colors throughout the village and the more forested, mountainous, and rocky sea areas to where it feels like you've been whisked away into old Viking times. At times, though, the graphical quality doesn't exactly look fully polished, but it's never too much to where it's distracting. If the environments themselves don't sound cool enough, try watching the dragon flight sequences. Simply put, with or without 3D, it's amazing and, even I'm not fully sure how they did it, but something about the camera angles and the high energy adrenaline given off by said scenes makes you feel as though you're the one riding the dragon close to the sea, into the foggy rocks, and through the clouds even. Not only does it "wow" my movie critic side, but it definitely brings out my inner child who wanted to ride on top a mythical dragon like that.
Overall, the running jokes and character interactions as well as the voice work are of note in this movie. Things like Gobber and Stoick gesturing to all of Hiccup who then points it out, Gobber's remarks about needing extra underpants, and some of the side character trends such as the twin's arguments with one another are enough to get good chuckles from me. In terms of interactions, the humor between Hiccup and Toothless as they become friends is fun and enjoyable to watch especially in the "Forbidden Friendship" scene where most no dialogue is present -- a very effective moment, which I will explain later on. When dialogue is present, though, a lot of the voice deliveries, well... deliver. Jay Baruchel is clearly going for the typical nerdy boy sound in his voice as Hiccup, but, weird as his inflections may sound, it isn't completely unbearable to listen to. Voices of the side characters such as Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Kristen Wiig are a neat ensemble and each have their own unique characteristics in both running gags and deliveries, but none of them even compare to Gerard Butler's performance as Stoick. Let's face it, in any movie he's in, Gerard Butler packs so much power and might with his awesome voice that it's easy to recognize him, especially when his performance is spot on.
Apart from voice acting, sound design wise, this movie definitely has a recognizable, unique, and "Viking feel" to its soundtrack. Composed by master orchestrator, John Powell, How to Train Your Dragon incorporates many classical string instruments, horns, and other instruments to bring the Viking world to life, truly bringing to life many sequences. From the high energy action scene that kicks off the movie to the amazing flight test and romantic flight sequences, the music never fails to stand out and captures the emotion of the scene perfectly. This is especially the case for me in the aforementioned "Forbidden Friendship" scene; the scene itself, dialogueless as it is, is conveyed completely through the score, which starts off softly then later builds toward excitement to show just how Hiccup and Toothless are finally starting to warm up to each other. In short, watching this scene with the sound off would completely rob it of context and the magic of their developing friendship. And, every time I hear it, straight up chills, most especially when Hiccup successfully manages to touch Toothless for the first time. If anything, I'm still amazed that a movie about something as non-existent as dragons could make me care so deeply about them, especially a E.T.-esque relationship between a boy and his pet dragon of all things.
In the end, of course, there's that moment in which everyone realizes they were wrong about dragons and that, even though not all dragons are good, not all dragons are bad either. Personally, I see this as somewhat of an analogy for how the film turned out to be; it looked to be a dumb, kiddy, cliche-ridden story from the outside, but, on the inside it's a film that, although it does follow a story that's been done to death for YEARS, it's genuine, for all ages, and touchy-feely enough to where it rose above a lot of other movies with similar premises. Between its new takes on old trends, stunning visuals, running jokes and character interactions with good voice acting, and stellar score, it definitely hasn't be ignored amongst audiences and critics alike. Even its success was enough to warrant a franchise with sequels (which I will cover someday) that managed to follow in its footsteps and be adored by kids and adults alike. As an adult who actually likes this movie, I give it an A+ and will certainly recommend it to anyone who can get passed its outward appearance to check it out.
Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!
*No need for spoiler tag in this one*
Being based on a children's book of the same name, the premise of How to Train Your Dragon is rather familiar at best. The film sees a scrawny teenage Viking nobody named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) desiring to fit in amongst his village of Berk, which is regularly attacked by menacing dragons. His father, the village chieftain, Stoick the Vast (voiced by Gerard Butler), who hates dragons with a passion isn't proud of him for being so weak and clumsy and the fellow villagers see him as a disgrace and don't always give him the attention he deserves -- particularly his crush, Astrid (voiced by America Ferrera). Hoping to get noticed for a change, he goes out of his way to somehow successfully capture a "Night Fury" -- the most feared and mysterious of all dragons. Even so, in his attempt to kill it, he can't bring himself to do it and ends up befriending it in secret (later naming it Toothless for its lack of teeth). Through being forced into the village blacksmith, Gobber's (voiced by Craig Ferguson), program of "dragon training" by his father and getting to know Toothless without anyone else knowing, Hiccup soon discovers that dragons, menacing and destructive as they are, aren't exactly everything the Vikings make them out to be. And so it becomes a tale of the nerdy protagonist venturing from "nobody" status to becoming an inspiration to everyone around him, a stubborn parent who won't listen at first, disowning his son, then later reconciling, and a "hide the pet" storyline that ultimately is exposed and shamed before everyone sees they were wrong.
The main reason hardly anybody criticizes the movie for having this familiar of a story is because it actually manages to do something that most films with these formulas don't do: pace it well and generate actual emotion. There's no rushing into the friendship between Hiccup and Toothless becoming friends; they take their time to get to know each other and Hiccup is seen actively studying Toothless to see his likes and dislikes as well as why he can't fly -- reason being that Hiccup shooting him down caused him to lose half of his "tail fin", which, in-universe, keeps dragons balanced as they fly. Plus, being Gobber's apprentice and all, Hiccup has experience in blacksmithing and knitting outfits together, which we are shown in his attempts to be creative in finding ways to help Toothless start flying again. On top of that, the relationship between Hiccup and his dad, unlike many similar examples, is given enough depth to make it feel... surprisingly human. Nothing Stoick does makes him an antagonist to Hiccup rather the two just have a hard time understanding each other; for example, Hiccup initially wants to kill dragons, Stoick says they're too dangerous for him, not because he's physically weak, but because he just doesn't have the heart for it. And when Stoick later disowns Hiccup for befriending Toothless and refusing to follow the traditional Viking ways of killing them, he doesn't lock him in a dark room nor is he completely hardened toward him. Instead, he walks away noticeably heartbroken, but continues to go on and try to find the dragon's nest in hopes to put an end to their attacks. Touches like this make the film stand out despite its formulaic setup.
Another thing that stands about the movie that stands out is its aesthetics. The character art style, kiddy as it looks, is easily subverted by the amount of heart that went into the film's story and is enough to give it a kid-friendly look all while adults can enjoy the other aspects. Even I can't get over just how much work went into the backgrounds and environments of this movie; there's enough balance between vibrant and natural colors throughout the village and the more forested, mountainous, and rocky sea areas to where it feels like you've been whisked away into old Viking times. At times, though, the graphical quality doesn't exactly look fully polished, but it's never too much to where it's distracting. If the environments themselves don't sound cool enough, try watching the dragon flight sequences. Simply put, with or without 3D, it's amazing and, even I'm not fully sure how they did it, but something about the camera angles and the high energy adrenaline given off by said scenes makes you feel as though you're the one riding the dragon close to the sea, into the foggy rocks, and through the clouds even. Not only does it "wow" my movie critic side, but it definitely brings out my inner child who wanted to ride on top a mythical dragon like that.
Overall, the running jokes and character interactions as well as the voice work are of note in this movie. Things like Gobber and Stoick gesturing to all of Hiccup who then points it out, Gobber's remarks about needing extra underpants, and some of the side character trends such as the twin's arguments with one another are enough to get good chuckles from me. In terms of interactions, the humor between Hiccup and Toothless as they become friends is fun and enjoyable to watch especially in the "Forbidden Friendship" scene where most no dialogue is present -- a very effective moment, which I will explain later on. When dialogue is present, though, a lot of the voice deliveries, well... deliver. Jay Baruchel is clearly going for the typical nerdy boy sound in his voice as Hiccup, but, weird as his inflections may sound, it isn't completely unbearable to listen to. Voices of the side characters such as Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Kristen Wiig are a neat ensemble and each have their own unique characteristics in both running gags and deliveries, but none of them even compare to Gerard Butler's performance as Stoick. Let's face it, in any movie he's in, Gerard Butler packs so much power and might with his awesome voice that it's easy to recognize him, especially when his performance is spot on.
Apart from voice acting, sound design wise, this movie definitely has a recognizable, unique, and "Viking feel" to its soundtrack. Composed by master orchestrator, John Powell, How to Train Your Dragon incorporates many classical string instruments, horns, and other instruments to bring the Viking world to life, truly bringing to life many sequences. From the high energy action scene that kicks off the movie to the amazing flight test and romantic flight sequences, the music never fails to stand out and captures the emotion of the scene perfectly. This is especially the case for me in the aforementioned "Forbidden Friendship" scene; the scene itself, dialogueless as it is, is conveyed completely through the score, which starts off softly then later builds toward excitement to show just how Hiccup and Toothless are finally starting to warm up to each other. In short, watching this scene with the sound off would completely rob it of context and the magic of their developing friendship. And, every time I hear it, straight up chills, most especially when Hiccup successfully manages to touch Toothless for the first time. If anything, I'm still amazed that a movie about something as non-existent as dragons could make me care so deeply about them, especially a E.T.-esque relationship between a boy and his pet dragon of all things.
In the end, of course, there's that moment in which everyone realizes they were wrong about dragons and that, even though not all dragons are good, not all dragons are bad either. Personally, I see this as somewhat of an analogy for how the film turned out to be; it looked to be a dumb, kiddy, cliche-ridden story from the outside, but, on the inside it's a film that, although it does follow a story that's been done to death for YEARS, it's genuine, for all ages, and touchy-feely enough to where it rose above a lot of other movies with similar premises. Between its new takes on old trends, stunning visuals, running jokes and character interactions with good voice acting, and stellar score, it definitely hasn't be ignored amongst audiences and critics alike. Even its success was enough to warrant a franchise with sequels (which I will cover someday) that managed to follow in its footsteps and be adored by kids and adults alike. As an adult who actually likes this movie, I give it an A+ and will certainly recommend it to anyone who can get passed its outward appearance to check it out.
Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Jasonic Reviews Inception
When you grow up watching enough films that range from awesome to mediocre at best, sometimes it takes a mind-blowing flick to knock some sense into you as to what "well done" really is. Long story short, watching the movie I'm about to review back when I was a teenager with little critical sense made me realize the true significance of spectacular cinematography, special effects, writing, and acting among other things when before I could barely make them out. Not to give myself any crap or anything, but even I find it amazing how this one film aided me in understanding many aspects of great and masterful filmmaking as I got older. So, without further adieu, I'm most eager to share the impact Inception -- one of the the most influential films of the decade -- has left on me since its release.
***SPOILERS BEWARE*** (and not everyone has seen the movie so I guess it matters this time)
The film summed up in one sentence: A Dream Within A Dream... within a dream... within a dream. BUT...! That's not all; if we're to get down to the nitty-gritty of the plot, it's about an extractor by the name of Dom Cobb (played by none other than Leonardo DiCaprio) who, along with his partner, Arthur (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), conducts corporate espionage missions inside people's minds through shared dream worlds. However, Cobb's missions are often sabotaged by invasive projections of his late wife, Mal (played by Marion Cotillard), whose suicide as a result of them being in limbo too long is on his criminal record and causing him immense guilt and torment. He is soon offered a chance at redemption when his most recent target, a business man called Saito (played by Ken Watanabe), tasks him with doing the impossible: "incepting" the brain of Robert Fischer (played by Cillian Murphy) in an attempt to disband the energy company owned by Fischer's father. With assistance from his main crew as well as graduate architect student, Ariadne (played by Ellen Page), and identity thief known as Eames (played by Tom Hardy), Cobb travels into the depths of Fischer's subconscious as well as his own in hopes to both accomplish the mission and expunge his criminal history so that he can make it home to his hoped-for reality of being with his children.
If that alone didn't sound deep enough, the plot and themes truly are just that: psychologically deep and engaging. As I just demonstrated, one can hardly explain the fine details about the plot in one sentence especially when One Simple Idea isn't enough to explain the film to its entirety -- technically, it kind of is, but more on that later. The main reason for this is because the film's director/producer/writer, the renowned Christopher Nolan, worked so hard on the script's main idea for years to make Mr. Cobb's emotional journey match up with the dream worlds he created. And, boy, did he deliver. The mere premise of people sharing a dream space with one another as well as crafting different worlds within dreams is a concept I've been super interested in coming to grasp more since watching the film for the first time a few years back. While most of it may be science fiction writing (such as the film's explanation of the "dream technology" they utilize being for military experiments), the onscreen action itself offers the audience many reasons why, simply put, dreams as well as one's subconscious are fascinating.
The various dream worlds and action set-pieces that take place within them are all unique representations of the subconscious and their layers. For example, when we're first introduced to Saito's dream world depicting a Japanese castle at the start of the film, it is clear based on his secrecy and when The Dream Is Collapsing that he has something to hide that he doesn't want to disclose to Cobb and co. Later on, though, the mechanics of the dreams start to play in big time; between instances like Cobb waking up through being kicked into a bathtub and water inexplicably pouring into the Japanese castle dream and Fisher's projections of militarized men infiltrating the three levels of dreams during the main mission, the whole thing is mind-blowing. And if that's not extremely surreal-sounding, a zero gravity fight takes place in the hotel dream while the van tumbles down a hill in the upper level dream. As one who likes to simply observe a work of visual media without much reaction the first time around, I didn't really give much thought to the zero gravity fight the first time around, but then, the more I thought about it, this particular action scene is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting fight scenes in all of cinema! So, when put basically, if one hadn't given much thought about dreams and their effects before this movie, they'd be lying if they said they haven't since.
As condiments to the film's main meat and bread (and by that I mean the outstanding action scenes and psychological premise), EVERY. SINGLE. ACTOR. in this is on top of their game thus making the movie all the more emotionally investing. I literally can't go without saying that Leo DiCaprio is absolutely golden in this as he plays a tormented Old Soul fighting to get over his tragic past with the death of his lover -- something Hollywood hardly even considers when writing love stories; another plus on Nolan's part! And to go along with that, Marion Cotillard does a great job of sounding like a delusional freak who can't discern reality from dreams in the flashback scenes depicting Mal after emerging from limbo with Dom. All the rest ranged from great to awesome at best, but I'd rather not be here all day describing each and every distinct performance by its characteristics (plus much of the main ensemble is carried over from The Dark Knight trilogy, which I also plan to review someday). If anything, though, the real show stealer is Tom Hardy as Eames. In the midst of this dark, serious, surreal psychological thriller/crime drama/noir/action movie, he's actually the one who gets the most laughs particularly in the layered dreams toward the end. When he steps in to assist Arthur in a shoot out by dreaming up a grenade launcher and transforms back into his plain self after projecting a hot woman in order to seduce Fischer's subconscious, I actually found myself cracking at his one-liners (e.g.: "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.").
Nevertheless, no good film is without the icing on the cake and, in this film's case, it's the astonishing musical score by the man, the myth, the legendary film composer, Hans Zimmer himself. Surely, everybody remembers hearing that iconic horn from the trailer that has essentially defined numerous dramatic trailer themes throughout the 2010s. For that matter, those same horns and intense strings manage to up the intensity big time during the big action bits thus making them more epic as a result. Even the inclusion of fast-paced drums (or whatever instrument was used) during the Mombasa chase sequence gave me a rush of adrenaline watching DiCaprio storm his way through the marketplace full of civilians as his gun-wielding pursuers gave chase. If nothing else, it would be a crime to let go unsaid that the slower, more somber bits of the score manage also to bring out the film's overall drab, dream-like atmosphere. Though I cannot exactly recall when it plays during the movie, every time I hear the track titled Old Souls, I instantly imagine myself lost in a bizarre, foggy dream world searching desperately for a way out before ultimately being chased by nightmarish projections that kill me, thus waking me up. After painting a story like that for you readers, I will note that, if you've been paying attention at all, that littered throughout this review are a few of the track names on the soundtrack written in italics. Even if you haven't seen the film, I would strongly suggests giving them a listen and see what all you can come up with for mental images -- and I would also recommend the track Time as it is, without a doubt, THE greatest movie ending song in the history of mankind!
To sum it up, this film is SO fantastic, SO involved, SO well-directed that I could easily talk about for hours how well it manages to construct everything it has in store. From its deep, psychological premise and inventively breathtaking action/visuals to its superb ensemble casting/acting and phenomenally influential soundtrack, almost nothing negative can be said about what this film does unless maybe someone viewing doesn't fully watch it with a critically functional mindset. In regards, I will say that, although the movie's dream sequences don't follow the whole stereotypical dream-like feel (that being the blurry, white vignette full of ridiculously surreal environments/events), the fact that each dream setting is portrayed more realistically than one would imagine with at least some surreal elements is all done in a way that viewer can better understand each dreamer's subconscious. With as much as I've discussed the subconscious throughout this review, my subconscious says I give this movie a solid A and would strongly recommend for anybody looking for an awesome piece of cinema that's considered art more than anything.
Thanks y'all for watching and I will see you in the next review!
***SPOILERS BEWARE*** (and not everyone has seen the movie so I guess it matters this time)
The film summed up in one sentence: A Dream Within A Dream... within a dream... within a dream. BUT...! That's not all; if we're to get down to the nitty-gritty of the plot, it's about an extractor by the name of Dom Cobb (played by none other than Leonardo DiCaprio) who, along with his partner, Arthur (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), conducts corporate espionage missions inside people's minds through shared dream worlds. However, Cobb's missions are often sabotaged by invasive projections of his late wife, Mal (played by Marion Cotillard), whose suicide as a result of them being in limbo too long is on his criminal record and causing him immense guilt and torment. He is soon offered a chance at redemption when his most recent target, a business man called Saito (played by Ken Watanabe), tasks him with doing the impossible: "incepting" the brain of Robert Fischer (played by Cillian Murphy) in an attempt to disband the energy company owned by Fischer's father. With assistance from his main crew as well as graduate architect student, Ariadne (played by Ellen Page), and identity thief known as Eames (played by Tom Hardy), Cobb travels into the depths of Fischer's subconscious as well as his own in hopes to both accomplish the mission and expunge his criminal history so that he can make it home to his hoped-for reality of being with his children.
If that alone didn't sound deep enough, the plot and themes truly are just that: psychologically deep and engaging. As I just demonstrated, one can hardly explain the fine details about the plot in one sentence especially when One Simple Idea isn't enough to explain the film to its entirety -- technically, it kind of is, but more on that later. The main reason for this is because the film's director/producer/writer, the renowned Christopher Nolan, worked so hard on the script's main idea for years to make Mr. Cobb's emotional journey match up with the dream worlds he created. And, boy, did he deliver. The mere premise of people sharing a dream space with one another as well as crafting different worlds within dreams is a concept I've been super interested in coming to grasp more since watching the film for the first time a few years back. While most of it may be science fiction writing (such as the film's explanation of the "dream technology" they utilize being for military experiments), the onscreen action itself offers the audience many reasons why, simply put, dreams as well as one's subconscious are fascinating.
The various dream worlds and action set-pieces that take place within them are all unique representations of the subconscious and their layers. For example, when we're first introduced to Saito's dream world depicting a Japanese castle at the start of the film, it is clear based on his secrecy and when The Dream Is Collapsing that he has something to hide that he doesn't want to disclose to Cobb and co. Later on, though, the mechanics of the dreams start to play in big time; between instances like Cobb waking up through being kicked into a bathtub and water inexplicably pouring into the Japanese castle dream and Fisher's projections of militarized men infiltrating the three levels of dreams during the main mission, the whole thing is mind-blowing. And if that's not extremely surreal-sounding, a zero gravity fight takes place in the hotel dream while the van tumbles down a hill in the upper level dream. As one who likes to simply observe a work of visual media without much reaction the first time around, I didn't really give much thought to the zero gravity fight the first time around, but then, the more I thought about it, this particular action scene is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting fight scenes in all of cinema! So, when put basically, if one hadn't given much thought about dreams and their effects before this movie, they'd be lying if they said they haven't since.
As condiments to the film's main meat and bread (and by that I mean the outstanding action scenes and psychological premise), EVERY. SINGLE. ACTOR. in this is on top of their game thus making the movie all the more emotionally investing. I literally can't go without saying that Leo DiCaprio is absolutely golden in this as he plays a tormented Old Soul fighting to get over his tragic past with the death of his lover -- something Hollywood hardly even considers when writing love stories; another plus on Nolan's part! And to go along with that, Marion Cotillard does a great job of sounding like a delusional freak who can't discern reality from dreams in the flashback scenes depicting Mal after emerging from limbo with Dom. All the rest ranged from great to awesome at best, but I'd rather not be here all day describing each and every distinct performance by its characteristics (plus much of the main ensemble is carried over from The Dark Knight trilogy, which I also plan to review someday). If anything, though, the real show stealer is Tom Hardy as Eames. In the midst of this dark, serious, surreal psychological thriller/crime drama/noir/action movie, he's actually the one who gets the most laughs particularly in the layered dreams toward the end. When he steps in to assist Arthur in a shoot out by dreaming up a grenade launcher and transforms back into his plain self after projecting a hot woman in order to seduce Fischer's subconscious, I actually found myself cracking at his one-liners (e.g.: "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.").
Nevertheless, no good film is without the icing on the cake and, in this film's case, it's the astonishing musical score by the man, the myth, the legendary film composer, Hans Zimmer himself. Surely, everybody remembers hearing that iconic horn from the trailer that has essentially defined numerous dramatic trailer themes throughout the 2010s. For that matter, those same horns and intense strings manage to up the intensity big time during the big action bits thus making them more epic as a result. Even the inclusion of fast-paced drums (or whatever instrument was used) during the Mombasa chase sequence gave me a rush of adrenaline watching DiCaprio storm his way through the marketplace full of civilians as his gun-wielding pursuers gave chase. If nothing else, it would be a crime to let go unsaid that the slower, more somber bits of the score manage also to bring out the film's overall drab, dream-like atmosphere. Though I cannot exactly recall when it plays during the movie, every time I hear the track titled Old Souls, I instantly imagine myself lost in a bizarre, foggy dream world searching desperately for a way out before ultimately being chased by nightmarish projections that kill me, thus waking me up. After painting a story like that for you readers, I will note that, if you've been paying attention at all, that littered throughout this review are a few of the track names on the soundtrack written in italics. Even if you haven't seen the film, I would strongly suggests giving them a listen and see what all you can come up with for mental images -- and I would also recommend the track Time as it is, without a doubt, THE greatest movie ending song in the history of mankind!
To sum it up, this film is SO fantastic, SO involved, SO well-directed that I could easily talk about for hours how well it manages to construct everything it has in store. From its deep, psychological premise and inventively breathtaking action/visuals to its superb ensemble casting/acting and phenomenally influential soundtrack, almost nothing negative can be said about what this film does unless maybe someone viewing doesn't fully watch it with a critically functional mindset. In regards, I will say that, although the movie's dream sequences don't follow the whole stereotypical dream-like feel (that being the blurry, white vignette full of ridiculously surreal environments/events), the fact that each dream setting is portrayed more realistically than one would imagine with at least some surreal elements is all done in a way that viewer can better understand each dreamer's subconscious. With as much as I've discussed the subconscious throughout this review, my subconscious says I give this movie a solid A and would strongly recommend for anybody looking for an awesome piece of cinema that's considered art more than anything.
Thanks y'all for watching and I will see you in the next review!
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Jasonic Reviews The Lion King
When the words "Lion King" come to mind, what is the first thing that pops in your head? The grand, ear-splitting African vocalist in the intro? That famous opening shot of the spectacular sunrise? Or is it "Hakuna Matata"? Whatever the reason your's may be, at least one of them is bound to come to mind when I consider the impact this movie left on me as a kid. Like Toy Story, I grew up on this movie -- and its sequels for that matter -- enjoying it time and again without ever realizing the factors that played into it being a great source of entertainment. And how does it look to me today? Well, a quick disclaimer: No nostalgia goggles were applied in the writing of this review.
Most of us that were born in the 90s no doubt grew up on the amount of great Disney movies released during that time. This era was known as the "Disney Renaissance" for the reason that Disney themselves saw a great revival in their animated feature's critical success after a few decades of somewhat unsuccessful flicks. Not wanting to throw in the towel despite lacking its best animators (among them the beloved Don Bluth), Disney reworked much of its animated department to forward a lot of projects that they had no idea would be so successful. After kicking off this era with memorable successes such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, Disney traversed into a territory they hadn't quite touched yet: a Shakespearean play. Specifically, they drew inspiration from the somewhat lesser known Hamlet and incorporated into a story set in the African Savannah with animals and all. In hindsight, the mere idea isn't that ridiculous and is among many reasons The Lion King is remembered in the hearts of many.
*SPOILERS BEWARE* (but it's an old movie that just about everyone knows, so who cares?)
By today's standards, the plot is rather basic, but, given that it's based on Shakespeare, this is very much expected. The film sees a young African lion prince named Simba (voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas young and Matthew Broderick as an adult) as he desires to become king of his pride just as soon as his father, Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones), passes on. This all changes when one day Mufasa's jealous younger brother, Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), murders Mufasa and causes young Simba to flee from his home forever thereby allowing Scar the title he always wanted alongside a pack of comedic hyenas. During his runaway years, Simba encounters two wastrels named Timon and Pumbaa (voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella respectively) and grows up with them free of responsibilities. Having not realized the disaster occurring during his absence, Simba is eventually snapped out of it with visitations from his childhood friend, Nala (voiced by Niketa Calame young and Moira Kelly as an adult) and his shaman Rafiki (voiced by Robert Guillaume). With that, he realizes he must confront his past and take his rightful place in the "Circle of Life".
Right off the bat, it is very easy to tell that the film is full of good, if not great voice talent. Matthew Broderick, while not the best of the bunch, was at least a decent pick for adult Simba, though I do think Simba's young voice did a better job overall. Jeremy Irons, meanwhile, does a masterful job at making Scar sound as menacing as he appears on screen. That said, if his scarred left eye doesn't strike at least some fear into children watching, his voice definitely will. On the other hand, Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as Timon and Pumbaa, while not the most noteworthy of the ensemble, do bring their intended comedic vibe to their characters whom I most often associate their voices with. Ultimately, though, the real show stealer had to have been James Earl Jones's Mufasa; like with a lot of his characters, he brings a very fierce, commanding presence to his character that only a (lion) king would deserve -- interestingly enough he had even played a king prior to this movie with Madge Sinclair (voice of Sarabi in this movie) even. While not exactly the top selling point of this movie, I found the voice cast to at least be of note alongside its more major hookers.
It's no question that most everybody remembers The Lion King for its grand, breathtaking visuals and spectacular animation. Honestly, who in the world could forget the aforementioned shot of the opening sunrise as it glazes the landscape in a golden hue? On top of that, just about every locale is drawn richly and colorfully in a way that, despite being animated, whisks the viewer away into the huge environments of Africa. From the wide open plains surrounding Pride Rock, to the more confined, sinister Elephant Graveyard littered with bones, and even Timon and Pumbaa's paradise full of towering majestic trees and waterfalls, each and every environment is one that easily sticks in the viewer's head forever. In addition, the attention to detail in the character animations is most impressive for its time. It's clear that Disney did enough studying of African wildlife to make everyone move like actual animals and even had the right tools for the job to bring the more complex animations to life. Specifically, I am talking about the famous wildebeest herd sequence in which every single wildebeest was animated in CGI. And this was only full year before Toy Story came out in full CGI too!
Even back in the day, there's no doubt this film's soundtrack was all the Disney craze back before Frozen stepped in and took that spot for this generation. Aside from "Hakuna Matata" essentially being the "Let It Go" of the time in which this movie came out, it is clear that this film's many other musical numbers have left a significant impression on viewers such as myself to this day. Okay, maybe not necessarily the songs themselves are noteworthy so much as the visuals associated with them. That said, numbers like "Circle of Life", "Just Can't Wait to Be King", and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" definitely enhance the scenes they go with, but are still memorable as songs in their own right. If anything, what's gotten to me most about the films score is Scar's villain song "Be Prepared" -- one of the most intense and menacing villain numbers in all of Disney's history -- as well as Hans Zimmer's masterful orchestrations that enhance the grand, majestic overall tone of the film. To this day, I still get emotional over little pieces in certain scenes such as the wildebeest chase, Mufasa's spirit appearing in the sky to Simba, Simba and Scar's final confrontation, and the ending medley after the finale, which ultimately leads into a short reprisal of "Circle of Life". All these and more add to the story and presentation and still keep me coming back every time despite minor flaws.
Despite most aspects of this movie being considered masterful, it is not without minor flaws. Like Frozen (with which it incidentally shares some plot similarities) after it, the first act feels more well put together than later down the line. After Mufasa dies and Timon and Pumbaa enter to teach Simba their inadequate philosophy, the film greatly brightens up in a way that almost makes you forget the previous tragedy. Granted, it's not as jarring as the transition between the off-screen death of Bambi's mother and the happy spring montage in, well... Bambi, but still, I couldn't help noticing this in my recent viewing. Then again, this may have been a deliberate attempt on the creators' behalf to help the audience better connect with Simba's sudden change in attitude -- me and my positive outlook on things, huh? In addition, Timon and Pumbaa, the more I think about them, may not be the greatest Disney comic relief of all time, but they at least don't drag the film down in any way and get a few good laughs every now and then. Other minor characters such as Zazu (voiced by Rowan Atkinson) are sadly forgettable, but at least keep things fun enough to watch when they're around. And though my older adult self admits that this isn't quite the perfect Disney film, it is still up there on my list of favorite Disney movies and movies in general.
So there you have it; an honest adult's non-nostalgia goggled review of one of the most iconic Disney films in both the Disney Renaissance and of all time. It still holds up to this day in more ways than one and remains one of the most aesthetically significant films in recent history. Between its interesting choices of casting, the iconic imagery and animation, and memorable score (musical or not), despite minor, insignificant issues, The Lion King is, without a doubt, one of those movies you're bound to remember forever. Overall, I give the film a solid A and consider it a must see for anybody whether old or young and Disney fanatic or not.
Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!
Most of us that were born in the 90s no doubt grew up on the amount of great Disney movies released during that time. This era was known as the "Disney Renaissance" for the reason that Disney themselves saw a great revival in their animated feature's critical success after a few decades of somewhat unsuccessful flicks. Not wanting to throw in the towel despite lacking its best animators (among them the beloved Don Bluth), Disney reworked much of its animated department to forward a lot of projects that they had no idea would be so successful. After kicking off this era with memorable successes such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, Disney traversed into a territory they hadn't quite touched yet: a Shakespearean play. Specifically, they drew inspiration from the somewhat lesser known Hamlet and incorporated into a story set in the African Savannah with animals and all. In hindsight, the mere idea isn't that ridiculous and is among many reasons The Lion King is remembered in the hearts of many.
*SPOILERS BEWARE* (but it's an old movie that just about everyone knows, so who cares?)
By today's standards, the plot is rather basic, but, given that it's based on Shakespeare, this is very much expected. The film sees a young African lion prince named Simba (voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas young and Matthew Broderick as an adult) as he desires to become king of his pride just as soon as his father, Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones), passes on. This all changes when one day Mufasa's jealous younger brother, Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), murders Mufasa and causes young Simba to flee from his home forever thereby allowing Scar the title he always wanted alongside a pack of comedic hyenas. During his runaway years, Simba encounters two wastrels named Timon and Pumbaa (voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella respectively) and grows up with them free of responsibilities. Having not realized the disaster occurring during his absence, Simba is eventually snapped out of it with visitations from his childhood friend, Nala (voiced by Niketa Calame young and Moira Kelly as an adult) and his shaman Rafiki (voiced by Robert Guillaume). With that, he realizes he must confront his past and take his rightful place in the "Circle of Life".
Right off the bat, it is very easy to tell that the film is full of good, if not great voice talent. Matthew Broderick, while not the best of the bunch, was at least a decent pick for adult Simba, though I do think Simba's young voice did a better job overall. Jeremy Irons, meanwhile, does a masterful job at making Scar sound as menacing as he appears on screen. That said, if his scarred left eye doesn't strike at least some fear into children watching, his voice definitely will. On the other hand, Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as Timon and Pumbaa, while not the most noteworthy of the ensemble, do bring their intended comedic vibe to their characters whom I most often associate their voices with. Ultimately, though, the real show stealer had to have been James Earl Jones's Mufasa; like with a lot of his characters, he brings a very fierce, commanding presence to his character that only a (lion) king would deserve -- interestingly enough he had even played a king prior to this movie with Madge Sinclair (voice of Sarabi in this movie) even. While not exactly the top selling point of this movie, I found the voice cast to at least be of note alongside its more major hookers.
It's no question that most everybody remembers The Lion King for its grand, breathtaking visuals and spectacular animation. Honestly, who in the world could forget the aforementioned shot of the opening sunrise as it glazes the landscape in a golden hue? On top of that, just about every locale is drawn richly and colorfully in a way that, despite being animated, whisks the viewer away into the huge environments of Africa. From the wide open plains surrounding Pride Rock, to the more confined, sinister Elephant Graveyard littered with bones, and even Timon and Pumbaa's paradise full of towering majestic trees and waterfalls, each and every environment is one that easily sticks in the viewer's head forever. In addition, the attention to detail in the character animations is most impressive for its time. It's clear that Disney did enough studying of African wildlife to make everyone move like actual animals and even had the right tools for the job to bring the more complex animations to life. Specifically, I am talking about the famous wildebeest herd sequence in which every single wildebeest was animated in CGI. And this was only full year before Toy Story came out in full CGI too!
Even back in the day, there's no doubt this film's soundtrack was all the Disney craze back before Frozen stepped in and took that spot for this generation. Aside from "Hakuna Matata" essentially being the "Let It Go" of the time in which this movie came out, it is clear that this film's many other musical numbers have left a significant impression on viewers such as myself to this day. Okay, maybe not necessarily the songs themselves are noteworthy so much as the visuals associated with them. That said, numbers like "Circle of Life", "Just Can't Wait to Be King", and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" definitely enhance the scenes they go with, but are still memorable as songs in their own right. If anything, what's gotten to me most about the films score is Scar's villain song "Be Prepared" -- one of the most intense and menacing villain numbers in all of Disney's history -- as well as Hans Zimmer's masterful orchestrations that enhance the grand, majestic overall tone of the film. To this day, I still get emotional over little pieces in certain scenes such as the wildebeest chase, Mufasa's spirit appearing in the sky to Simba, Simba and Scar's final confrontation, and the ending medley after the finale, which ultimately leads into a short reprisal of "Circle of Life". All these and more add to the story and presentation and still keep me coming back every time despite minor flaws.
Despite most aspects of this movie being considered masterful, it is not without minor flaws. Like Frozen (with which it incidentally shares some plot similarities) after it, the first act feels more well put together than later down the line. After Mufasa dies and Timon and Pumbaa enter to teach Simba their inadequate philosophy, the film greatly brightens up in a way that almost makes you forget the previous tragedy. Granted, it's not as jarring as the transition between the off-screen death of Bambi's mother and the happy spring montage in, well... Bambi, but still, I couldn't help noticing this in my recent viewing. Then again, this may have been a deliberate attempt on the creators' behalf to help the audience better connect with Simba's sudden change in attitude -- me and my positive outlook on things, huh? In addition, Timon and Pumbaa, the more I think about them, may not be the greatest Disney comic relief of all time, but they at least don't drag the film down in any way and get a few good laughs every now and then. Other minor characters such as Zazu (voiced by Rowan Atkinson) are sadly forgettable, but at least keep things fun enough to watch when they're around. And though my older adult self admits that this isn't quite the perfect Disney film, it is still up there on my list of favorite Disney movies and movies in general.
So there you have it; an honest adult's non-nostalgia goggled review of one of the most iconic Disney films in both the Disney Renaissance and of all time. It still holds up to this day in more ways than one and remains one of the most aesthetically significant films in recent history. Between its interesting choices of casting, the iconic imagery and animation, and memorable score (musical or not), despite minor, insignificant issues, The Lion King is, without a doubt, one of those movies you're bound to remember forever. Overall, I give the film a solid A and consider it a must see for anybody whether old or young and Disney fanatic or not.
Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!
Friday, February 10, 2017
Jasonic Reviews Captain America: The First Avenger
"When Captain America throws his mighty shield
All those who choose to oppose his shield must yield!"
For diehard Captain America fans, this might as well be the first thing that pops into their head the moment they hear reference to the Star Spangled Man himself. For those who haven't heard of the Captain before, well, they may as well come across it after getting into him upon seeing this movie. If anything, he may as well be the epicenter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe if I do say so myself. Ever since I first saw the movie a few years ago, I may have had a small feeling that Cap would ultimately become my favorite part of the universe with time. And, while I'll admit I wasn't super into the MCU films until The Avengers came out, this had to have been the diving off point for me at the time. And why would this be the case, you may ask? Well, read along and see for yourself why I consider Captain America: The First Avenger to be, at the very least, a decent film (and a good one at the most).
Believe it or not, guys, this wasn't the first time Cap ever made the jump to big screen; his big screen debut dates back really to 1990, but that movie, from what I read briefly about it, was considered trash and is not worth talking about. After a few years of dealing with lawsuits for Marvel Studios to acquire the rights for the character, Cap finally became a part of the then-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe with plans for the movie to come out right before the much anticipated Avengers movie. With the prior successes of Iron Man and Thor among others, the MCU at least had a strong critical and financial foundation for Cap to be a potential success on its own. As mentioned before, I consider Captain America to be the main piece of the MCU, one of the reasons being that it, taking place first in the timeline, lays a lot of the groundwork for the universe in years to come. The question, as such, regards in what ways did it succeed and in what other ways did it at least help the movies move along? The answer lies in a careful analysis of the film's many aspects that worked in the long run.
***SPOILERS FOR THIS MOVIE AND OTHER MARVEL MOVIES AHEAD***
Unlike the previous MCU installments, the film does not take place in modern times and, instead, takes us back in time to 1942-43 when the United States had just entered World War II. A young, skinny man from Brooklyn named Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) becomes eligible for fighting on the front-lines in the war thanks to the approval of Dr. Abraham Erskine (played by Stanley Tucci). With Erskine's help, Rogers becomes the first test subject of the "Super Soldier Serum", which ultimately makes him the world's first superpowered man with strength, agility, and regulatory capabilities unlike any other. With the help of his many comrades -- among them Howard Stark (played by Dominic Cooper), Peggy Carter (played by Hailey Atwell), and his best friend, Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan) -- Cap takes on the evil organization known as HYDRA in their quest for world domination. In the clash with a villainous Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving) and his menacing forces, Captain America will become the legend the world has been waiting for.
Generic as it may sound, the story may not have been the most interesting to those looking for a superhero origin movie that pulls away from the "wimpy guy becomes the big strong hero" trope. Unlike reviewers of the time, I have the advantage now of viewing the story from a more interesting perspective -- one that involves me looking back from the present day. What strikes me most about that is just how many major plot threads it managed to establish in the MCU back then. This was the first Avenger origin (hence the title) in terms of chronology, the ancient cosmic artifact known as the Tesseract, which plays significance in the Avengers films, came into play, and a tight relationship was established between Cap and Howard Stark that would ultimately affect how the latter's son, Tony (aka Iron Man), viewed the captain among other things. I won't spoil any other films as I plan to get to them someday, but, if anything, I enjoyed looking back on the movie and spotting the beginning of most, if not all, of the universe's plot threads. And, for that matter, it genuinely feels like the movie draws the viewer back in time (in both a literal and figurative sense).
Simply put, the movie well does succeed in establishing an authentic World War II setting that really draws you back to the forties. Similar in fashion to Raiders of the Lost Ark, the whole time period is brought to life by the more simplistic landscapes and old timey gadgets. Even the more tech heavy locations such as the tech expo and the HYDRA bases looked like something that would fit the time period whether or not it was all science fiction. And, on top of that, even the song, "Star Spangled Man", which they came up with for Cap whilst he was nothing more than an entertainer sounds like it could have come straight from that time in (alternate) history. Little things like this make me appreciate the period piece all the more. I mean the film was originally supposed to take place half in forties and half in modern times, but, given what I've said so far, I can't really see that working. Neither would I if it was just a film about Cap in the present day having flashbacks to his first mission.
Another thing that helps the film is the acting and the ways in which the characters play off each other. Christ Evans, undeniably, is the perfect choice for Cap; having recently played a superhero in the old Fantastic Four films, Evans does a great job here of capturing Cap's character all around. Whether he's noble, humble, jocular, or just all around awesome, Evans and his snarky one liners remains the reason why Cap is my favorite character in the entirety of the MCU. While Cap himself is clearly the most significant character in the film, the many assisting characters don't serve much of a purpose, although they do play well off of Steve's personality. Hugo Weaving's Red Skull, while not the best villain in the MCU, is the perfect anti-Cap with good acting to boot. Right off the bat, we can tell that he and Sebastian Stan's Bucky are best friends in the ways in which they playfully pick at each other and help the other out -- like when Bucky saves Steve from the bully in the back alley (on a side note, this makes Bucky's supposed death about 2/3 through the film all the more saddening). In addition, even though she isn't given much to do here, Agent Carter has a way with forcing the army men in training, including Steve himself, to man up assume their position. Having seen their relationships grow in future movies, their interactions in this movie definitely mean all the more to me now.
Ultimately, what makes the movie for me is the use of special effects. Most notably, pre-super serum Steve Rogers, through the many techniques the film utilizes, appears to be a realistic scrawny man's body and clearly isn't just Chris Evans' face slapped onto a skinny CGI doll. Unlike the previous MCU films, which featured high tech robot battles, giant monsters wrestling each other, and demigods clashing powers, the action in Captain America is clearly more grounded than most of the other films. While it isn't exactly the most stellar action we've seen in the series, I appreciate how it doesn't overcrowd every action scene with CGI (except with the Tesseract-powered weapons that HYDRA uses) and instead resorting to classic gun battles and occasional hand-to-hand combat. Some scenes, though, like the part where a newly superpowered Steve jumps on cars to chase down a HYDRA agent may appear a bit dated (wherein you can clearly tell it's most likely him on strings), but, in the end, I think it fit the time period they were portraying. And with that, the director did a great job of staying true to everything even a majority of the comic book source material.
So while Captain America: The First Avenger may not be the biggest film to ever grace the MCU, it's essential in the long run for a number of reasons. Between establishing heroes and future plot threads, showcasing an authentic World War II-era setting, selecting a great cast for now and future movies, and realistic action set pieces, the amount of hard work put into expanding the universe through this one movie has, so far, had a really solid payoff. For that matter, it's one reason Captain America remains one of my favorite Marvel superheroes (behind Spider-Man, of course) and is probably one of many good reasons so many fans of both the movies and comics have come to appreciate him. With that, I give the movie a B- and would surely recommend it to those looking to find a good starting point for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Thanks for reading y'all and I will see you in the next review!
All those who choose to oppose his shield must yield!"
For diehard Captain America fans, this might as well be the first thing that pops into their head the moment they hear reference to the Star Spangled Man himself. For those who haven't heard of the Captain before, well, they may as well come across it after getting into him upon seeing this movie. If anything, he may as well be the epicenter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe if I do say so myself. Ever since I first saw the movie a few years ago, I may have had a small feeling that Cap would ultimately become my favorite part of the universe with time. And, while I'll admit I wasn't super into the MCU films until The Avengers came out, this had to have been the diving off point for me at the time. And why would this be the case, you may ask? Well, read along and see for yourself why I consider Captain America: The First Avenger to be, at the very least, a decent film (and a good one at the most).
Believe it or not, guys, this wasn't the first time Cap ever made the jump to big screen; his big screen debut dates back really to 1990, but that movie, from what I read briefly about it, was considered trash and is not worth talking about. After a few years of dealing with lawsuits for Marvel Studios to acquire the rights for the character, Cap finally became a part of the then-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe with plans for the movie to come out right before the much anticipated Avengers movie. With the prior successes of Iron Man and Thor among others, the MCU at least had a strong critical and financial foundation for Cap to be a potential success on its own. As mentioned before, I consider Captain America to be the main piece of the MCU, one of the reasons being that it, taking place first in the timeline, lays a lot of the groundwork for the universe in years to come. The question, as such, regards in what ways did it succeed and in what other ways did it at least help the movies move along? The answer lies in a careful analysis of the film's many aspects that worked in the long run.
***SPOILERS FOR THIS MOVIE AND OTHER MARVEL MOVIES AHEAD***
Unlike the previous MCU installments, the film does not take place in modern times and, instead, takes us back in time to 1942-43 when the United States had just entered World War II. A young, skinny man from Brooklyn named Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) becomes eligible for fighting on the front-lines in the war thanks to the approval of Dr. Abraham Erskine (played by Stanley Tucci). With Erskine's help, Rogers becomes the first test subject of the "Super Soldier Serum", which ultimately makes him the world's first superpowered man with strength, agility, and regulatory capabilities unlike any other. With the help of his many comrades -- among them Howard Stark (played by Dominic Cooper), Peggy Carter (played by Hailey Atwell), and his best friend, Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan) -- Cap takes on the evil organization known as HYDRA in their quest for world domination. In the clash with a villainous Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving) and his menacing forces, Captain America will become the legend the world has been waiting for.
Generic as it may sound, the story may not have been the most interesting to those looking for a superhero origin movie that pulls away from the "wimpy guy becomes the big strong hero" trope. Unlike reviewers of the time, I have the advantage now of viewing the story from a more interesting perspective -- one that involves me looking back from the present day. What strikes me most about that is just how many major plot threads it managed to establish in the MCU back then. This was the first Avenger origin (hence the title) in terms of chronology, the ancient cosmic artifact known as the Tesseract, which plays significance in the Avengers films, came into play, and a tight relationship was established between Cap and Howard Stark that would ultimately affect how the latter's son, Tony (aka Iron Man), viewed the captain among other things. I won't spoil any other films as I plan to get to them someday, but, if anything, I enjoyed looking back on the movie and spotting the beginning of most, if not all, of the universe's plot threads. And, for that matter, it genuinely feels like the movie draws the viewer back in time (in both a literal and figurative sense).
Simply put, the movie well does succeed in establishing an authentic World War II setting that really draws you back to the forties. Similar in fashion to Raiders of the Lost Ark, the whole time period is brought to life by the more simplistic landscapes and old timey gadgets. Even the more tech heavy locations such as the tech expo and the HYDRA bases looked like something that would fit the time period whether or not it was all science fiction. And, on top of that, even the song, "Star Spangled Man", which they came up with for Cap whilst he was nothing more than an entertainer sounds like it could have come straight from that time in (alternate) history. Little things like this make me appreciate the period piece all the more. I mean the film was originally supposed to take place half in forties and half in modern times, but, given what I've said so far, I can't really see that working. Neither would I if it was just a film about Cap in the present day having flashbacks to his first mission.
Another thing that helps the film is the acting and the ways in which the characters play off each other. Christ Evans, undeniably, is the perfect choice for Cap; having recently played a superhero in the old Fantastic Four films, Evans does a great job here of capturing Cap's character all around. Whether he's noble, humble, jocular, or just all around awesome, Evans and his snarky one liners remains the reason why Cap is my favorite character in the entirety of the MCU. While Cap himself is clearly the most significant character in the film, the many assisting characters don't serve much of a purpose, although they do play well off of Steve's personality. Hugo Weaving's Red Skull, while not the best villain in the MCU, is the perfect anti-Cap with good acting to boot. Right off the bat, we can tell that he and Sebastian Stan's Bucky are best friends in the ways in which they playfully pick at each other and help the other out -- like when Bucky saves Steve from the bully in the back alley (on a side note, this makes Bucky's supposed death about 2/3 through the film all the more saddening). In addition, even though she isn't given much to do here, Agent Carter has a way with forcing the army men in training, including Steve himself, to man up assume their position. Having seen their relationships grow in future movies, their interactions in this movie definitely mean all the more to me now.
Ultimately, what makes the movie for me is the use of special effects. Most notably, pre-super serum Steve Rogers, through the many techniques the film utilizes, appears to be a realistic scrawny man's body and clearly isn't just Chris Evans' face slapped onto a skinny CGI doll. Unlike the previous MCU films, which featured high tech robot battles, giant monsters wrestling each other, and demigods clashing powers, the action in Captain America is clearly more grounded than most of the other films. While it isn't exactly the most stellar action we've seen in the series, I appreciate how it doesn't overcrowd every action scene with CGI (except with the Tesseract-powered weapons that HYDRA uses) and instead resorting to classic gun battles and occasional hand-to-hand combat. Some scenes, though, like the part where a newly superpowered Steve jumps on cars to chase down a HYDRA agent may appear a bit dated (wherein you can clearly tell it's most likely him on strings), but, in the end, I think it fit the time period they were portraying. And with that, the director did a great job of staying true to everything even a majority of the comic book source material.
So while Captain America: The First Avenger may not be the biggest film to ever grace the MCU, it's essential in the long run for a number of reasons. Between establishing heroes and future plot threads, showcasing an authentic World War II-era setting, selecting a great cast for now and future movies, and realistic action set pieces, the amount of hard work put into expanding the universe through this one movie has, so far, had a really solid payoff. For that matter, it's one reason Captain America remains one of my favorite Marvel superheroes (behind Spider-Man, of course) and is probably one of many good reasons so many fans of both the movies and comics have come to appreciate him. With that, I give the movie a B- and would surely recommend it to those looking to find a good starting point for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Thanks for reading y'all and I will see you in the next review!
Friday, January 27, 2017
Jasonic Reviews Raiders of the Lost Ark
One of the many reasons I find myself invested in films of all types is the grand spirit of adventure many of them have to offer. The thrill and excitement of being on the edge of your seat whilst scarfing popcorn comfortably in your theater seat (or couch whichever you prefer) is one reason I get so much enjoyment out of just one sitting of just about any exciting, action-packed thrill ride I encounter. Whether it's through cinemas or the small screen at home, I'm just about down for anything regarding the adventure genre. And that, my friends, is what holds true about my interest in the Indiana Jones films still to this day. They're fun, enjoyable action adventures that keep me wanting more and tell brilliant stories based around real history. But do they hold up still to this day? Let's start by looking at Lucas and Spielberg's original classic Raiders of the Lost Ark.
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD* (then again it's an old movie so it's no big deal)
The film's major inspiration consisted of film serials among other things similar to what Lucas had in mind for Star Wars years before. As a result, the plot is very reminiscent of a classic 1930s-40s adventures movie; world-renowned archaeologist Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford) in his attempts to acquire artifacts for a museum, crosses paths with the Nazis in their quest to uncover the long lost Ark of the Covenant. Among them, French archaeologist René Belloq (played by Paul Freeman) is most eager to find the Ark for himself so that he may present its capabilities to Hitler -- who desires to utilize its power to make his armies invincible. In the midst of the tangle, Indy's ex-girlfriend, Marion Ravenwood (played by Karen Allen), holds a valuable piece of the puzzle, which ultimately renders her a high-value target. Together they, with the help of their friends, must navigate various locales, dodging booby-traps and baddies along the way in order to preserve the Ark for the museum before it is used for evil intentions.
What makes the adventure so thrilling is the amount of iconic moments and things it created. The classic boulder chase at the start of the movie is just one of the many set pieces that gives the movie the adrenaline boost for the remainder of the run-time. In addition to straight up action bits, there's plenty of well done humorous bits in which the action seems to get tense before the unexpected happens. For example, the part of the Egyptian market chase in which the swordsman, after showing off his tricks with the sword, gets shot by Indy, always gets a good laugh from me -- and for that matter, I think it's one of the best ad-libbed scenes in all of moviedom. Then there's the outright tense scene in which Indy comes face-to-face with a venomous cobra down in the Well of Souls without it even biting him. Even just the mere silhouette of Indiana Jones makes him instantly recognizable to general audiences and moviegoers anywhere.
Unlike most other films I've reviewed up to this point, the characters aren't exactly the strongest component to carry the story in Raiders. The characters are more explored through dialogue than story and it's fun to hear the well-written banter play out between them, the best example being, of course, Indy and Marion. Marion has this feisty attitude that perfectly plays into Indy's get the job done attitude and their chemistry, while not essential to the story, made for quite possibly the best pairing in the franchise's history. If anything, the film is well-acted with other decently known names such as John Rhys-Davies, Paul Freeman, and Ronald Lacey portraying well their roles of Sallah, Belloq, and Major Toht respectively. One example is when Toht has a funny gag moment where he appears to be pulling out an interrogation tool to threaten Marion with only for it to turn up to be a coat hangar all while keeping a straight, but menacing face. It's little moments like this that make me appreciate the fun writing and spectacular script all the better.
What sells the movie most for me is the art direction and special effects it managed to have for its time. The various locations (whether that be South America, Marshall College, or Cairo, Egypt) are all very much lively and portrayed in a way that feels as though the viewer truly has stepped back in time to 1936 -- they even had to manually remove all satellites and things from the rooftops of Cairo to make the initial wide-shot more era-accurate. They may not necessarily be flashy, but they definitely maintain a sense of authenticity throughout. The special effects, on the other hand, may not be the most realistic given the time in which this was made, but are, overall, masterful craftings of onscreen imagery. I, of course, cannot go on without mentioning the famously freaky opening of the Ark at the climax of the film; the VFX in that are absolutely wonderful! Between the storm flashing in the sky, the ghosts swirling around the ritual area, and (who could forget) Major Toht's melting face, I am more than glad that neither Spielberg nor Lucas decided to tamper with these films using modern CG effects and, instead, allow me to see how much sophistication went into the process of making this iconic movie. And, finally, who could forget the phenomenal score by John Williams? I still have many songs from the movie playing in my head as I type this review for crying out loud!
In the general sense, this movie is another one of those that I just can't say anything negative about. Not nearly as perfect as some other noteworthy subjects, but it certainly warrants the critical acclaim it got back in the day. From the many iconic adventure film moments, to the well-written segments, and astonishing special effects for its day and age, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of those films that ought to be preserved and can't be ignored for the same reason that it's in the National Film Registry for being so "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant." As a final say, I give the film a solid A and consider it a must see movie before you die.
Thanks for reading y'all and I will see you in the next review!
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD* (then again it's an old movie so it's no big deal)
The film's major inspiration consisted of film serials among other things similar to what Lucas had in mind for Star Wars years before. As a result, the plot is very reminiscent of a classic 1930s-40s adventures movie; world-renowned archaeologist Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford) in his attempts to acquire artifacts for a museum, crosses paths with the Nazis in their quest to uncover the long lost Ark of the Covenant. Among them, French archaeologist René Belloq (played by Paul Freeman) is most eager to find the Ark for himself so that he may present its capabilities to Hitler -- who desires to utilize its power to make his armies invincible. In the midst of the tangle, Indy's ex-girlfriend, Marion Ravenwood (played by Karen Allen), holds a valuable piece of the puzzle, which ultimately renders her a high-value target. Together they, with the help of their friends, must navigate various locales, dodging booby-traps and baddies along the way in order to preserve the Ark for the museum before it is used for evil intentions.
What makes the adventure so thrilling is the amount of iconic moments and things it created. The classic boulder chase at the start of the movie is just one of the many set pieces that gives the movie the adrenaline boost for the remainder of the run-time. In addition to straight up action bits, there's plenty of well done humorous bits in which the action seems to get tense before the unexpected happens. For example, the part of the Egyptian market chase in which the swordsman, after showing off his tricks with the sword, gets shot by Indy, always gets a good laugh from me -- and for that matter, I think it's one of the best ad-libbed scenes in all of moviedom. Then there's the outright tense scene in which Indy comes face-to-face with a venomous cobra down in the Well of Souls without it even biting him. Even just the mere silhouette of Indiana Jones makes him instantly recognizable to general audiences and moviegoers anywhere.
Unlike most other films I've reviewed up to this point, the characters aren't exactly the strongest component to carry the story in Raiders. The characters are more explored through dialogue than story and it's fun to hear the well-written banter play out between them, the best example being, of course, Indy and Marion. Marion has this feisty attitude that perfectly plays into Indy's get the job done attitude and their chemistry, while not essential to the story, made for quite possibly the best pairing in the franchise's history. If anything, the film is well-acted with other decently known names such as John Rhys-Davies, Paul Freeman, and Ronald Lacey portraying well their roles of Sallah, Belloq, and Major Toht respectively. One example is when Toht has a funny gag moment where he appears to be pulling out an interrogation tool to threaten Marion with only for it to turn up to be a coat hangar all while keeping a straight, but menacing face. It's little moments like this that make me appreciate the fun writing and spectacular script all the better.
What sells the movie most for me is the art direction and special effects it managed to have for its time. The various locations (whether that be South America, Marshall College, or Cairo, Egypt) are all very much lively and portrayed in a way that feels as though the viewer truly has stepped back in time to 1936 -- they even had to manually remove all satellites and things from the rooftops of Cairo to make the initial wide-shot more era-accurate. They may not necessarily be flashy, but they definitely maintain a sense of authenticity throughout. The special effects, on the other hand, may not be the most realistic given the time in which this was made, but are, overall, masterful craftings of onscreen imagery. I, of course, cannot go on without mentioning the famously freaky opening of the Ark at the climax of the film; the VFX in that are absolutely wonderful! Between the storm flashing in the sky, the ghosts swirling around the ritual area, and (who could forget) Major Toht's melting face, I am more than glad that neither Spielberg nor Lucas decided to tamper with these films using modern CG effects and, instead, allow me to see how much sophistication went into the process of making this iconic movie. And, finally, who could forget the phenomenal score by John Williams? I still have many songs from the movie playing in my head as I type this review for crying out loud!
In the general sense, this movie is another one of those that I just can't say anything negative about. Not nearly as perfect as some other noteworthy subjects, but it certainly warrants the critical acclaim it got back in the day. From the many iconic adventure film moments, to the well-written segments, and astonishing special effects for its day and age, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of those films that ought to be preserved and can't be ignored for the same reason that it's in the National Film Registry for being so "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant." As a final say, I give the film a solid A and consider it a must see movie before you die.
Thanks for reading y'all and I will see you in the next review!
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Jasonic Reviews Star Wars: The Force Awakens
While I do enjoy a majority of the Star Wars saga (key word: majority -- and that mainly includes Revenge of the Sith), I don't feel as though it would be fitting for me to review the entire saga seeing as my opinions are generally the same as everyone else's. In short, here's my best to worst ranking of the two trilogies preceding the one I'm about to review:
1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. Return of the Jedi
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. The Phantom Menace
6. Attack of the Clones
Now with that mini-Star Wars saga review out of the way (saving me countless hours of re-watching before Rogue One comes out in a few days), without further adieu, here's what I, as a long-time Star Wars fan, have to say about the most recent major installment of the critically-acclaimed, pop culture phenomenon of (mostly) cinematic mastery.
With the history and success that became of Star Wars back in the late 70s-early 80s, it was such a shame to see it all go downhill with the release of the Prequel Trilogy at the turn of the century. Aside from The Clone Wars spinoff movie and TV series, the saga had been on a 10-year hiatus for the reason that the creator himself, George Lucas, had no real plans to continue the saga after closing the gap of Darth Vader's sad excuse for a backstory. Then in 2012, enter: Disney; their acquisition of Lucasfilm allowed for the saga to continue without oversight from Lucas (apart from his story treatments, mind you). Upon this announcement, fans old and new were excited to once again see the saga return to the big screen in a way that no one would have expected would be so successful. With director J.J. Abrams (Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness), expectations were high and the anticipation for the new planned trilogy to outdo the poorly executed prequels reached the point of through the roof. And after all the hype spawned from this movie last year, did it ultimately succeed? In just about every way possible, it did indeed!
***SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT*** (YOU'VE BEEN WARNED)
The story of the Star Wars kick starts back into action with the disappearance of Luke Skywalker (now an older, wiser Jedi master played briefly by Mark Hamill) leading the First Order -- the successor of the Galactic Empire -- and the Resistance lead by General Leia Organa (played by Carrie Fisher) to seek him out for different reasons. The First Order seeking a map that leads to his location so they may destroy him, Resistance pilot, Poe Dameron (played by Oscar Isaac) is tasked with keeping the only known existing piece of the map safe with newcomer droid BB-8. In a fate-defining entanglement, lone scavenger, Rey (played by Daisy Ridley), from the desolate Jakku and rogue Stormtrooper FN-2187 (dubbed "Finn" by Poe, played by John Boyega) become tasked with guiding BB-8 safely back to the Resistance whilst on the run from the First Order and other goons throughout the galaxy. Along the way, many more fateful encounters take place with the Original Trilogy's Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (played by Peter Mayhew) returning and the newest baddie to grace the franchise known as "Kylo Ren" (played by Adam Driver), Han and Leia's son, seeking to finish everything his grandfather, Darth Vader, started. In this thrill ride to save the galaxy from a foreboding evil once more, many secrets will be touched upon as the Force awakens (hence the title).
Familiar as it sounds, on the surface this movie is basically A New Hope 2.0 in the sense that the main plot device is keeping a droid safe from danger as the bad guys hunt it down initially on a desert planet. Upon release, this had to be the most common complaint from certain audiences going in who expected to see something completely new to save the franchise from its recent shaming. Instead what most people saw was essentially the same film that kicked off this saga almost 40 years ago repackaged and modernized for a new generation. This is not exactly the case; while the main plot devices and progression may mirror the original Star Wars to an extent, it is not entirely the same exact film we got just re-skinned with new characters and environments. The way I see it is that it's the franchise's way of returning to form to demonstrate to audiences that it still knows its roots whilst also setting up new and exciting plot threads for future installments. For example, we get see little snippets of Rey's backstory the moment she has those traumatic flashbacks the moment she touches Luke's lightsaber (this was not so for Luke in the original mainly because the backstory hadn't been fully planned out back then). This scene alone has been subject to various theories regarding Rey's origins as well as one of those defining character building moments the movie has to offer.
One reason the movie does so well in my book is because it knows how to setup good characters as the original films did. With Rey, our protagonist, she's initially a lonely, reluctant scavenger who desires to stay on Jakku out of the belief that her family will return to her there one day (after she was left there as a child as seen in the aforementioned flashbacks). All this and she initially doesn't even realize she's capable of the Force until her circumstances become so dire in her entanglements with Kylo Ren toward the end. Then we have Finn, whom I deem the fun character of the film. He's noble enough to break away from the norm and is willing to go out of his way to help his friends even going as far as picking up Luke's lightsaber and performing awkwardly with it as he tries to figure it out. His initial resistance to kill during his first battle in the movie as well as him going rogue is also an example of an aspect that's completely different from the original, which is one reason I say they're not the same movie.
Another reason to note why they're not the same movie has to do mostly with the villain; Kylo Ren is a surprisingly well-written villain and is more than just simply Vader 2.0. Whereas Vader didn't really have much of an arc in the original film, acting as nothing but the big bad who hurts his own, interrogates the damsel, and kills the mentor, Kylo Ren's story is shown in full through this movie alone. The aforementioned awakening in the Force is a calling from the Light Side of the Force, which he is told to resist through the council of the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke (played by Andy Serkis). Seeking to finish what Vader started, Kylo Ren (his real name later revealed as Ben Solo) is ultimately pulled through to the Dark Side when he enacts perhaps the biggest twist of the movie that no one saw coming: ***MASSIVE SPOILER*** the death of Han Solo ***MASSIVE SPOILER END***. Despite his conversion, however, it is clear that, unlike Vader, he is rather prone to losing his temper and rather inexperienced as he struggles to outdo Rey in their climatic faceoff as everything collapses around them at Starkiller Base -- which, by the way, is basically the third incarnation of the Death Star from the originals.
With all these great characters pushing the franchise in the right direction, it is worth noting just how good the acting is this time around. Daisy Ridley as Rey takes female protagonist to a whole new level, making her anything but a Mary Sue with her moments of unexpected talent and overall endearing performance that ultimately delivers on many levels. With the many new additions to the cast, though, it's sometimes easy to overlook the fact that the original cast makes a return with a few of them (Luke and Leia for example) given barely anything major to do. Rather than go in-depth about how the film somewhat falls flat in that regard, I will instead give props to Harrison Ford in his untimely return to the role of Han Solo. His presence greatly enhanced the overall fun factor of the movie with his cocky personality an smug attitude that made the original cast that much better to the point where I'm glad they didn't kill him off as early as Return of the Jedi like they planned before. If anything, the whole idea was to bright Star Wars into a new light while also maintaining the original greatness and they did a fine job of bringing us back into the universe that way.
The film's main downside for me, though, is the lack of investment in establishing the environments. J.J. Abrams tends to configure his movies with various closeup shots and panning shots of people running to where there sometimes isn't even enough establishing shots to draw the viewer into the worlds we were given. On top of that, some of the worlds weren't explored that much or even given in-film names from what I recall. Sure, everyone remembers Jakku and Starkiller Base for their names and similarities to Tatooine and the Death Star respectively, but we never exactly get the names or much else of the "cantina world", "the Resistance planet/moon", or even "the planet where Rey finds Luke at the end". While all are still beautifully constructed environments as Star Wars planets should be, there just isn't enough getting to know them like in the original films (and, I will admit, even the prequels did this to different extents). Regardless, I'm still in love with the film and am not going to hold any of its flaws or similarities to the original against it.
Finally, since this is a Star Wars movie, it is inevitable to note just how great the action was put together. A majority of the film consists of the familiar flight sequences with, for example, the iconic Millennium Falcon outrunning TIE Fighters on Jakku as well as the X-Wing battles on the "cantina world" and Starkiller Base at the end. Both pay respectful homages to the originals with their swerving the Falcon through tight spaces and trench run sequences respectively that I can't help but feel I'm reliving the greatness of Star Wars, but in modern times where I'm around to see it firsthand. While there aren't near as many blaster battles as the previous installments, ultimately, what makes the cut for me is the lightsaber fighting; the moments in which the heroes and villains whip out their lightsabers (or lightsaber-esque weapons in the case of that one Stormtrooper) the action's more grounded than the prequels ever were. In this, there's no such thing as dancing around rooms and flipping around as lightsabers clash, rather, it's simply like people are beating each other with swords like would the kiddies with their lightsaber toys. This makes the climactic fight with Ren all the more appealing to watch and brings out my inner child throughout the experience.
For the most part, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a treat for Star Wars fans old and new alike. The storyline is familiar with fresh twists, the characters are more compelling and fun to watch, the acting and casting are superb, and, despite little investment in the locales, has some enjoyably familiar action set-pieces that draw you in. If anything, this is the kick start the franchise needed to get back up on its feet and, with the recent release of Rogue One, is now the reason we're getting more Disney-related Star Wars content to sink our teeth into with each year to come down the line. In scoring this film for what it is, I give it an A- and consider it the most noteworthy success of any cinema franchise in recent years.
Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!
1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. Return of the Jedi
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. The Phantom Menace
6. Attack of the Clones
Now with that mini-Star Wars saga review out of the way (saving me countless hours of re-watching before Rogue One comes out in a few days), without further adieu, here's what I, as a long-time Star Wars fan, have to say about the most recent major installment of the critically-acclaimed, pop culture phenomenon of (mostly) cinematic mastery.
With the history and success that became of Star Wars back in the late 70s-early 80s, it was such a shame to see it all go downhill with the release of the Prequel Trilogy at the turn of the century. Aside from The Clone Wars spinoff movie and TV series, the saga had been on a 10-year hiatus for the reason that the creator himself, George Lucas, had no real plans to continue the saga after closing the gap of Darth Vader's sad excuse for a backstory. Then in 2012, enter: Disney; their acquisition of Lucasfilm allowed for the saga to continue without oversight from Lucas (apart from his story treatments, mind you). Upon this announcement, fans old and new were excited to once again see the saga return to the big screen in a way that no one would have expected would be so successful. With director J.J. Abrams (Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness), expectations were high and the anticipation for the new planned trilogy to outdo the poorly executed prequels reached the point of through the roof. And after all the hype spawned from this movie last year, did it ultimately succeed? In just about every way possible, it did indeed!
***SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT*** (YOU'VE BEEN WARNED)
The story of the Star Wars kick starts back into action with the disappearance of Luke Skywalker (now an older, wiser Jedi master played briefly by Mark Hamill) leading the First Order -- the successor of the Galactic Empire -- and the Resistance lead by General Leia Organa (played by Carrie Fisher) to seek him out for different reasons. The First Order seeking a map that leads to his location so they may destroy him, Resistance pilot, Poe Dameron (played by Oscar Isaac) is tasked with keeping the only known existing piece of the map safe with newcomer droid BB-8. In a fate-defining entanglement, lone scavenger, Rey (played by Daisy Ridley), from the desolate Jakku and rogue Stormtrooper FN-2187 (dubbed "Finn" by Poe, played by John Boyega) become tasked with guiding BB-8 safely back to the Resistance whilst on the run from the First Order and other goons throughout the galaxy. Along the way, many more fateful encounters take place with the Original Trilogy's Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (played by Peter Mayhew) returning and the newest baddie to grace the franchise known as "Kylo Ren" (played by Adam Driver), Han and Leia's son, seeking to finish everything his grandfather, Darth Vader, started. In this thrill ride to save the galaxy from a foreboding evil once more, many secrets will be touched upon as the Force awakens (hence the title).
Familiar as it sounds, on the surface this movie is basically A New Hope 2.0 in the sense that the main plot device is keeping a droid safe from danger as the bad guys hunt it down initially on a desert planet. Upon release, this had to be the most common complaint from certain audiences going in who expected to see something completely new to save the franchise from its recent shaming. Instead what most people saw was essentially the same film that kicked off this saga almost 40 years ago repackaged and modernized for a new generation. This is not exactly the case; while the main plot devices and progression may mirror the original Star Wars to an extent, it is not entirely the same exact film we got just re-skinned with new characters and environments. The way I see it is that it's the franchise's way of returning to form to demonstrate to audiences that it still knows its roots whilst also setting up new and exciting plot threads for future installments. For example, we get see little snippets of Rey's backstory the moment she has those traumatic flashbacks the moment she touches Luke's lightsaber (this was not so for Luke in the original mainly because the backstory hadn't been fully planned out back then). This scene alone has been subject to various theories regarding Rey's origins as well as one of those defining character building moments the movie has to offer.
One reason the movie does so well in my book is because it knows how to setup good characters as the original films did. With Rey, our protagonist, she's initially a lonely, reluctant scavenger who desires to stay on Jakku out of the belief that her family will return to her there one day (after she was left there as a child as seen in the aforementioned flashbacks). All this and she initially doesn't even realize she's capable of the Force until her circumstances become so dire in her entanglements with Kylo Ren toward the end. Then we have Finn, whom I deem the fun character of the film. He's noble enough to break away from the norm and is willing to go out of his way to help his friends even going as far as picking up Luke's lightsaber and performing awkwardly with it as he tries to figure it out. His initial resistance to kill during his first battle in the movie as well as him going rogue is also an example of an aspect that's completely different from the original, which is one reason I say they're not the same movie.
Another reason to note why they're not the same movie has to do mostly with the villain; Kylo Ren is a surprisingly well-written villain and is more than just simply Vader 2.0. Whereas Vader didn't really have much of an arc in the original film, acting as nothing but the big bad who hurts his own, interrogates the damsel, and kills the mentor, Kylo Ren's story is shown in full through this movie alone. The aforementioned awakening in the Force is a calling from the Light Side of the Force, which he is told to resist through the council of the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke (played by Andy Serkis). Seeking to finish what Vader started, Kylo Ren (his real name later revealed as Ben Solo) is ultimately pulled through to the Dark Side when he enacts perhaps the biggest twist of the movie that no one saw coming: ***MASSIVE SPOILER*** the death of Han Solo ***MASSIVE SPOILER END***. Despite his conversion, however, it is clear that, unlike Vader, he is rather prone to losing his temper and rather inexperienced as he struggles to outdo Rey in their climatic faceoff as everything collapses around them at Starkiller Base -- which, by the way, is basically the third incarnation of the Death Star from the originals.
With all these great characters pushing the franchise in the right direction, it is worth noting just how good the acting is this time around. Daisy Ridley as Rey takes female protagonist to a whole new level, making her anything but a Mary Sue with her moments of unexpected talent and overall endearing performance that ultimately delivers on many levels. With the many new additions to the cast, though, it's sometimes easy to overlook the fact that the original cast makes a return with a few of them (Luke and Leia for example) given barely anything major to do. Rather than go in-depth about how the film somewhat falls flat in that regard, I will instead give props to Harrison Ford in his untimely return to the role of Han Solo. His presence greatly enhanced the overall fun factor of the movie with his cocky personality an smug attitude that made the original cast that much better to the point where I'm glad they didn't kill him off as early as Return of the Jedi like they planned before. If anything, the whole idea was to bright Star Wars into a new light while also maintaining the original greatness and they did a fine job of bringing us back into the universe that way.
The film's main downside for me, though, is the lack of investment in establishing the environments. J.J. Abrams tends to configure his movies with various closeup shots and panning shots of people running to where there sometimes isn't even enough establishing shots to draw the viewer into the worlds we were given. On top of that, some of the worlds weren't explored that much or even given in-film names from what I recall. Sure, everyone remembers Jakku and Starkiller Base for their names and similarities to Tatooine and the Death Star respectively, but we never exactly get the names or much else of the "cantina world", "the Resistance planet/moon", or even "the planet where Rey finds Luke at the end". While all are still beautifully constructed environments as Star Wars planets should be, there just isn't enough getting to know them like in the original films (and, I will admit, even the prequels did this to different extents). Regardless, I'm still in love with the film and am not going to hold any of its flaws or similarities to the original against it.
Finally, since this is a Star Wars movie, it is inevitable to note just how great the action was put together. A majority of the film consists of the familiar flight sequences with, for example, the iconic Millennium Falcon outrunning TIE Fighters on Jakku as well as the X-Wing battles on the "cantina world" and Starkiller Base at the end. Both pay respectful homages to the originals with their swerving the Falcon through tight spaces and trench run sequences respectively that I can't help but feel I'm reliving the greatness of Star Wars, but in modern times where I'm around to see it firsthand. While there aren't near as many blaster battles as the previous installments, ultimately, what makes the cut for me is the lightsaber fighting; the moments in which the heroes and villains whip out their lightsabers (or lightsaber-esque weapons in the case of that one Stormtrooper) the action's more grounded than the prequels ever were. In this, there's no such thing as dancing around rooms and flipping around as lightsabers clash, rather, it's simply like people are beating each other with swords like would the kiddies with their lightsaber toys. This makes the climactic fight with Ren all the more appealing to watch and brings out my inner child throughout the experience.
For the most part, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a treat for Star Wars fans old and new alike. The storyline is familiar with fresh twists, the characters are more compelling and fun to watch, the acting and casting are superb, and, despite little investment in the locales, has some enjoyably familiar action set-pieces that draw you in. If anything, this is the kick start the franchise needed to get back up on its feet and, with the recent release of Rogue One, is now the reason we're getting more Disney-related Star Wars content to sink our teeth into with each year to come down the line. In scoring this film for what it is, I give it an A- and consider it the most noteworthy success of any cinema franchise in recent years.
Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!
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