Beaming onto a screen near you is a vaudeville starship troupe milking about five jokes for all they’re worth in James Gunn’s aimless but often joyful space opera comic book adaptation, Guardians of the Galaxy (B). A smuggler out of the Han Solo playbook, Chris Pratt continues his awesome year with crowd-pleasing snark on a mission to keep a mysterious orb out of the clutches of baddies. His companions including an endearing tree-man and a wise-cracking raccoon (voiced by Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper) who each get some great laughs in mischief-making derring-do. The intergalactic plot? Kinda lost in space. The film deserves kudos in the Marvel canon as a lively lark even if it uses up its clever action conceits in the first hour. The planetary effects are as triumphant as the tone ribald. Motown tracks and monster ballads also add some lift. It’s much more style than substance but filled with the tart nihilism of a cherry bomb that detonates when you least expect it. Side note: On the schawarma scale of consequence, the very brief epilogue will ruffle some feathers.
Tag Archives: Action
Sci-Fi “Snowpiercer” is an Amazing Ride
A dystopian sci-fi action film about a rebellion aboard a train carrying the last survivors of an uninhabitable future earth, Bong Joon ho’s Snowpiercer (A-) is a corker of a thriller with twists around each and every turn. Chris Evans as the reluctant hero has never been better, and Tilda Swinton is inspired casting as a vampy villainess. Darker and artsier than most mainstream fare, this is a triumph of production design with a series of staggering moral choices that provide an adventure for the mind. Each train car unlocks amazing visual treasures or shocking discoveries, and it’s a testament to all involved at what a spectacular steampunk world has been so thoroughly rendered within its lengthy locomotion. Although it can’t quite hold its amazement through parts of the final reel, it genuinely ups the ante and delivers a robust journey. Amidst the genuine excitement of downtrodden denizens’ quest to reach the front of the train and possibly unseat the rule of a sinister regime, there is significant commentary on class structure and what people will do to survive. This is sci-fi of the first order, imagining genuine possibilities with complex and distinctive emotional grandeur.
More Franchise Fun in “22 Jump Street”
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s comedy sequel 22 Jump Street (B-) provides just enough laughs from the raunchy raucousness of buddy cops Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill infiltrating college life to ferret out a drug scheme, but the freshness of its predecessor is largely missing. When it plumbs meta antics such as a Buster Keaton style car chase outside the film studies department or a warped therapy session with the psych professor, the film flirts with cleverness that is rarely delivered. The central bromance continues to be an often hilarious draw; and Tatum in particular is a great sport, throwing himself into the part even when the screenplay isn’t throwing him quite the quality content it could. Still, it’s intensely watchable with enough verbal fireworks and physical stunts to render the sequel decent rainy day fun.
“Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow” is Solid Thriller
A confusing title, the presence of the recently hit-or-miss Tom Cruise and a dark-looking paramilitary milieu are disguising what is actually one of the most clever films of the year, Doug Liman’s Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow (B). After a bit of a slow start in introducing a future in which warfare is being waged on the European front against squid-like aliens, the story injects a potent mixology of “mimic biology” and game mechanics to allow its reluctant hero to relentlessly reset his days to achieve victory over the earth’s invaders, even if it means dying again and again. Instead of playing his traditional alpha male role, Cruise gets to evolve into his heroism, and he does so with some deft comedy and bright, self-effacing acting choices. Emily Blunt is a fierce presence as the military might of the adventure and makes a sly foil and muse to Cruise. Video game players will relate to the idea of maneuvering scenarios until sequencing a path to success; and fans of the old choose-your-own-adventure books will relish the alternate realities afforded by the film’s central conceit. It’s a smart, action-packed spectacle; and while not as precise or enticing as an Inception, it holds its own in the category of sci-fi mind-benders.
“X-Men Days of Future Past” (2014) a Tedious Installment
Returning to the director’s chair he occupied for the franchise’s first two installments, Bryan Singer brings little new inspiration to X-Men Days of Future Past (C-), a tedious time travel installment in which the veteran ensemble of mutant superheroes sends Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine back to the ’70’s to help his First Class colleagues of younger selves avert a robot war started by Peter Dinklage. After filmgoers have enjoyed better warped reality executions in Inception, more fun with period detail in American Hustle and more all-around humor and adventure in The Avengers, this fifth (or seventh, depending on how you count) outing of this Marvel menagerie just seems like too little too late. It’s especially disappointing coming off a reboot prequel and an origin story (thanks Matthew Vaughn and James Mangold) that held together more effectively. Jackman phones it in, and Jennifer Lawrence gets nary enough screen time to develop her status as a character playing both sides of warring mutant factions. Most series regulars are reduced to extended cameos (Halle Barry may or may not have been computer generated). James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, given amazing characters in their past outing, are merely at the service of set pieces here. Evan Peters’ Quicksilver is a singular highlight with one hilarious montage of time-lapsed highjinks. There is missed opportunity with the waning days of the Vietnam War and the age of Watergate to have had something more to say here about the need for heroes. Instead the series simply needs to be rescued back from Singer’s lugubrious and poorly plotted return.
“Godzilla” (2014) Gets It Right
Gareth Edwards’ vision for a new Godzilla (B+) is a you-are-there disaster epic with undertones of family drama and a down-to-earth reality undergirding its myth and mayhem. There’s no camp or comedy in this mighty, muscular take on the classic monster legend. Gorgeous retro news reels and a globetrotting travelogue of sequences help plot out the possibilities early, even as surprises lurk behind every corner and cavern. Grounding the proceedings in its serious sphere is Aaron Taylor-Johnson as an extremely likable protagonist, balancing duties as father, husband, son and military operative against the backdrop of worldwide catastrophe. Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe provide additional heft to the proceedings in supporting roles as men who have studied conspiracies that are finally resurfacing. The monsters and their powers are wisely revealed over time during the film’s somewhat long duration, and the slow burn glimpses help build realism and suspense. The stunt work, art direction and effects are quite remarkable, presenting a modern look and feel while hearkening back to some of the iconography purists will crave. Although Edwards can’t sustain his taut atmosphere through every beat of the obligatory final showdowns in San Francisco, he certainly gives a summer movie audience its packed punch of epic thrills. There’s not gonna be a 13-year-old boy on earth who will be able to resist this action flick; and luckily for folks of all ages, it’s a pretty spectacularly well-made film for this genre if you’re going to venture to the cinema for a big screen blockbuster.
“Amazing Spider-Man 2” Darker But Enjoyable
Director Mark Webb is in fine command of the energy, acting, humor, gravitas, story and effects for the entertaining summer comic book movie The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (B). Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone lend their considerable charms to the leading roles in a sequel that is part romance as the central duo tries to balance a flirty relationship and the distraction of constant superheroics, part mystery as Peter Parker delves deeper into the events surrounding his parents’ disappearance and part action movie as Jamie Foxx becomes Electro with a plot that threatens to seap great power (and responsibility) from the island of Manhattan. Although Webb could be accused of cramming a bit much into this installment, the actors give heart and earnestness to their performances, and it all seems well grounded in NYC and among real people trying to grow up and wrestle with the consequences of genetic experiments gone awry. Some final act surprises lay the sacs for some sinister villainy to come. This new Spidey series swings along dandily; it shoots and scores.
“LEGO Movie” a Tiny Triumph
Chris Miller and Phil Lord’s The LEGO Movie (B) is a clever, comedic and crowd-pleasing animated romp that will appeal to both kids and adults. Chris Pratt is the heart of the film as the central character who must summon his spirit as a master builder in a conformist world. Filled with kaleidoscopic vistas, thrilling chases and surprising cameos, it was almost overstuffed at times. It was fun how it toggled from sleek sophisticated effects to clunky movements like it was filmed in someone’s basement or backyard. Nearly “everything is awesome.”
“Dom Hemingway” an Unusual New Role for Jude Law
It’s always a thrill to watch a starmaking performance, to witness an actor inhabit a role with singular ferocity. All the more astonishing is when this revelation happens to be an actor who has been in the spotlight for two decades and hasn’t really given a flicker of this genius before. And so it is with the formerly fey Jude Law who becomes the husky, hulky, wily and menacing ex-con safecracker central character of writer/director Richard Shepard’s Dom Hemingway (B). This rowdy British import has more bark than bite as Law’s character spews his witty cock-of-the-walk braggadocio and occasionally reveals he has a tender side too. The strongest plot line transports Law and sidekick (Richard E. Grant) to France where a debonair Demián Bichir and mysterious Mădălina Diana Ghenea treat them to 007-style intrigue. Later subplots fare a little less successfully, and there could be better character development in a couple of critical story points, but it wraps up well. The bawdy and imaginative script – including funny title cards – keeps things brisk and surprising. And you simply won’t be able to watch Law the same way again after watching him portray this corker of a criminal in reform.
Johnny Depp Stars in Tepid Sci-Fi Thriller “Transcendence”
After the novelty wears off of actually seeing Johnny Depp not pancaked in makeup and sporting an outrageous accent, it is disappointing to see that he’s one of the weakest links in a series of bad choices in a sci-fi thriller being unceremoniously dumped in a spring release time slot. First-time director Wally Pfister proves not quite up for the job of helming the complex Transcendence (C-) as sequence after sequence unspool with lethargy, lack of inspiration and flat-out loopy logic. Depp’s scientist character battles his own God complex as he uses his artificial intelligence technology to extend his life. As his long-suffering wife, Rebecca Hall isn’t very good either and makes some exasperating unexplained choices. Paul Bettany gets perhaps the only lucid speech in the whole film as the protagonist who may be able to make sense of matters. Overall, it’s just a bit too drab and goofy given the heady themes it contemplates, and the proceedings aren’t helped by dated effects and a leading man who’s hard-wiring his performance in. There are so many other ways this exact same script could have been realized brilliantly by a different cast and crew. As it stands, it’s not romantic enough, exciting enough, eccentric enough or wondrous enough to transcend its likely word of mouth.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” a Winning Installment
Anthony and Joe Russo’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier (B+) wisely eschews CGI-heavy creature effects for French Connection-style shoot-em-up combat and cat-and-mouse brinkmanship. The formerly frozen super soldier played by Chris Evans owns his shield-wielding role this time around as a morally grounded hero amidst specters of villainy, greed and terrorism. Scarlett Johannson is a game sidekick with the film’s rare comic relief lines as Black Widow, and Anthony Mackie is a welcome addition as a friend from the VA hospital who joins the team’s mission and becomes the first African-American Marvel superhero, The Falcon. Robert Redford and Samuel L. Jackson also get some commanding moments as S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters execs. Despite some overlong fight sequences, this sequel is uniformly solid and earns its distinctive badge of honor. After diminishing artistic returns with the latest Iron Man and Thor movies, this Captain continues the top-flight spectacle achieved with The Avengers.
“Lone Survivor” Re-Creates Military Raid
Some great counterprogramming for those who like matinee idol Mark Wahlberg in a role that doesn’t involve mind-numbing transforming robots is Lone Survivor (B), the true-life tale of a military raid in Afghanistan that takes some surprising, perilous and deadly turns for a group of heroes. Director Peter Berg is basically the anti-Michael Bay, serving up action undergirded with subtle characterization and vivid detail. Along with a sharp Wahlberg, there are other strong performances by Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and others in a film comprised largely of a re-creation of the stunning skirmish. The set-up for the mission and camaraderie of the characters creates a nice arch for the events to come; and even though the format doesn’t leave a lot of room to paint outside the lines, Berg applies a signature you-are-there vibe to the proceedings. It is high on action and suspense with an excellent epilogue reinforcing the themes of brotherhood and singularity of purpose.