A Month at the Movies - Apr. 2013

I may not be exposed much to the COW - Cult-of-Whedon - but it doesn't take more than a few minutes of this film to know that he ain't no ordinary story-teller.

The thing of comic book movies is that, although accessible, require a lot of pre-research and understanding of the comic universe. Since I'm no expert in either of that, the overall effect, like in many other superhero movies, felt fuzzy, disorientated, detached. I liked what I saw, the entertainment part of it anyway, but was lost in many references and scenes. To me it's a decent film, but I'm not a part of that world so it can be safe to say I didn't enjoy it as much. You may notice I've ranked quite a few superhero movies higher ratings but I'm guessing it has to do something with the execution style. Some managed to do it better than the others, that's all.

X-Men: First Class was impressive. I really enjoyed it. This film is proof that superhero movies can survive the next decade. It was sleek, stylish, had a great cast and had an admirable attention to details. It's clear to see that this film is modern. It's new. It's for everyone. Gone are the old and mature atmosphere of the previous X-Men films. First Class is young and it knows it.

Once again I'm going to point out the fact that I'm no comic book fan so I found some scenes confusing, as well as the placements of some characters. Unlike most others, especially the previous X-Men films, this one requires a lot of back knowledge and information because I was lost most of the time. Even though the overall effect was very entertaining, it just wasn't that accessible.

After when you've achieved that, watch The Surrogates and if you see tons of resemblances to previous sci-fi movies, don't be surprised. The setup, the story, the action, the theme is all been there, done that. In this endless explosions-era, dramatic and story driven sci-fi's are few and far in-between. Not to say I didn't fully enjoy this film, it just stuck out as a sore thumb amidst all the mindless ones. Had this film been released in the last decade, or the decade before that, it might've received some love or appreciation in the now-years, but seeing that it is virtually a rehash of previous films, The Surrogates will become a distant memory in the upcoming years. However, it is not entirely a bad film, it's just not too developed, nor too dramatic.

Let it be known that Wrath of the Titans isn't a good film. Not to say it was the worst or anything, but it had zero energy, and an even less will to continue. Honestly, the correct title of the film should be Limp of the Titans, because everyone - and everything - in the film was tired. No-one's heart was into it, and if it was, it was fueled only by the thought that one day the shooting will be finished and they can all go home... finally. There are major flaws everywhere and I'm going to start on the so-called Wrath: It was nothing. Plastic. A Barbie doll tantrum. Just as loud and powerful as a squeaky gate. The "wrath" was almost comical, almost like Marvel comics. Although I don't usually talk about them in my reviews, but the script was sub-par. It was horrible. Was it only me or did it seem too "modern"?

In the performances, Nicolas Cage as Cameron Poe was both awesome and unhinged. In the 90's he was at his peak. Like him or hate him, he starred in some of the best movies, gave some of the best performances, and showcased his love for hair. Over here he sports a long, mangly, Cobain-esque one. If you can look past his deadpan stare and utterly bad quotes, the performance is one of his top 10 best. The main show-stealer of course was John Malkovich, who had my attention by his performance as Cyrus, the main antagonist. His great line delivery and crazy control on his character did the trick.

Ewan McGregor was another tiring joke in the film. His acting - alongside Hayden and Natalie Portman - is one of the awful I've seen in movies. Their combined awful performances, with stiff dialogues and wooden chemistries, make them the worst trio if not in history then just in the Star Wars franchise. Even a badass like Samuel L. Jackson was pitiful, laughable even, in his role as Mace Windu. So, yes, basically what I'm saying is that almost all of the cast were an embarrassment.

But despite this, I still think Alex Pettyfer should reprise his role should they make a franchise out of it, which I'm guessing might flop, as seeing how negatively it was received. But what the hey, it would be cool to see a fresh new face + a fresh new character rise and (possibly) replace Harry Potter and Edward Cullen as the new leading fantasy icon. I don't care about the rest of the cast, but if Alex reprises his role, then I'm definitely watching the next film - should there be one. He had in him a decent level of charm, a character, a likable presence, something both Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Pattinson sorely lacked. If he's there, then I'm there. If he's not, then well, end of story!

In the performances, Ken Watanabe was absolutely fearless in his role as General Kuribayashi. A dedicative, almost flawless performance. He was indeed the heart and soul of the movie, provided strong shoulders and bought deep characterization to his role. Simply put, he was perfect. All the rest of the cast were equally superior, had their moments, and bought appropriate understanding and connection to the viewer.

This film is nothing more or less than a standard, generic action film. All the signatures of one are present here, some being thinly characterized, others starkly presented. It has mindless destruction, some off-dialogue, and some moments of insanity, but despite this, The Rock is actually one of the more plausible action films I've seen with a damn engaging storyline and powerhouse performances by the lead trio. Since it's an American film, it also has a tiring pseudo-patriotic speech by the president that's less on the tears and more on the groans! These moments do little to no justice in the film, and only belong to the real world.

It has a great cast, even that bunny from Donnie Darko makes an appearance here, but all of them are criminally underused; mostly through cheap shots, uninspiring editing, low-level script - although the script for Delroy Lindo was quite cool; or maybe he was the only worthy actor / character in the film - and a very boring feel to it. In short, Gone in 60 Seconds runs like a slow internet connection.