Lately, outside of the Batman films, DC Comics hasn't had the success that Marvel has had in making favorable adaptations of their superheroes for the big screen. Its attempt two years ago with Green Lantern had the movie turn out to have a more childish and humorous tone than it should have. 2010's Jonah Hex was a complete failure, and 2006's Superman Returns didn't have nearly as thrilling of a homecoming as his character deserved.
It also seems like no matter how long Hollywood has attempted to replicate the achievement of Marvel's The Avengers by bringing the Justice League to the cinema, they always hit a roadblock. It does look like, however, that the newest adventure for Superman will help the DC universe take a step in the right direction to get closer to that possibility.
In director Zack Snyder's vision of the epic hero in Man of Steel, he crafts an interpretation of this famous character in American mythology that's much livelier than Bryan Singer's film from seven years ago. Although the movie sometimes falls into Snyder's effects-heavy tendencies, it nonetheless provides enough attention to establishing the characters and their world in this origin story.
The planet of Krypton is on the verge of destruction due to a damaged core as a result of trying to gather the planet's natural resources. Before Krypton is destroyed, scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and his wife Lara (Ayelet Zurer) decide to launch their infant son Kal-El to Earth, having mixed his cells with the codex, a genetic device that will allow for the preservation Krypton's race. Meanwhile, General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his followers are arrested and sent to the Phantom Zone as punishment for murdering council officials.
Kal-El is renamed as Clark Kent by Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane). Later as an adult, Clark travels to various places to keep off the grid and have his true self remain a secret. As events unfold, however, Clark must make the decision whether to stay as normal as possible, or assume his responsibility on Earth as something greater.
Henry Cavill appears as a rugged and more worldly individual when the viewer is first introduced to him as an adult. Having a full beard and various jobs, both dangerous and low key, Cavill's version of Clark is significantly more interesting than that of Brandon Routh's in Superman Returns. Routh's was more of a somewhat awkward Clark who reported for the Daily Planet newspaper, whereas Cavill's is more of a traveler. Although this is to be expected because this all happens before he becomes a reporter, it still makes for a more detailed story that's bigger in scope.
The way Cavill portrays Clark Kent and Superman is fairly understated, in a positive manner, and is not overly showy, despite portraying one of pop culture's most iconic superheroes. He has the attitude and appearance of a world-weary traveler who is trying to find his place and purpose in the universe, which works to great effect because that's what the story is mainly about.
Amy Adams proves to be a tougher and more spirited Lois Lane than Kate Bosworth in the 2006 film. Of course, given Adams' acting caliber, there wasn't any doubt towards her version of Lane. Her considerable screen presence perfectly pairs with her strong-willed character, one who isn't the typical superhero-movie female lead who needs saving.
Michael Shannon first creates a worry that he's going to go over-the-top with his villainous portrayal of General Zod, but he is able to keep himself tame, yet sinister, bottling up his fury and saving it for the big showdown near the end.
As Clark's birth father, Russell Crowe channels wisdom and provides support for an older Clark, a mentor-mentee relationship that's similar to that of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. For a Zack Snyder movie, there are also a few surprisingly tender moments involving Jonathan and Martha Kent trying to help their son come to terms with who he is.
It's appropriate that David S. Goyer wrote the screenplay for Superman's origin story, seeing as he was also one of the writers for Batman Begins, which was a superhero origin story directed by Christopher Nolan, who acted as one of the producers for Man of Steel. The film's 20-minute opening sequence boasts some of Snyder's usual impressive visuals, but it brings the concern that the film will be just another one of Snyder's CGI-driven spectacles, however, this isn't entirely the case. There are lengthy stretches of the narrative that focus on Clark's character where the director, thankfully, restrains himself from using an overload of visual effects.
The downside to that, however, is that Snyder then seems to want to compensate by throwing in his booming, and expected, big-budget scenes in the later half, and it becomes a little excessive by the time the climactic fight between Superman and Zod in Metropolis comes around. By then, it nearly turns into one of Snyder's typical special-effects films during the last hour. There are also a few plot holes that appear throughout the film that become bothersome.
Although Snyder is the director, the viewer can sense how Nolan offered him some guidance as to where the story should go. Snyder presents a darker tone to the film, much akin to Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, contributes an adequate amount of time to developing Clark as he grows and becomes Superman, and is able to get performances out of his cast that aren't too comic-booky and are in sync with the tone. As far as the sequel goes, Snyder is reported to come back and direct, and Goyer will write the screenplay. If they can space out the action scenes more evenly to not have it cluttered in the end, but still give enough attention to the performances, then they can have a Superman movie that truly flies high.
Final grade: B
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Party Like It's the End of the World, Because It Is
There have been several attempts by Hollywood to make a quick buck by making films that rely on crowded casts stuffed with A-listers to get audiences in theater seats, with films such as 2010's Valentine's Day and 2011's New Year's Eve. While these films have an abundance of talented actors, the pleasant holidays depicted in the films would get cliched story treatments. There is now another film out there that has just as big of a cast as these two films, but it doesn't focus on a joyous holiday. It deals with Armageddon.
In the directorial debuts of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, This Is the End gathers many of Hollywood's top comedic actors as they party their way into Judgment Day. In an interesting twist, the film has the actors portray fictional versions of themselves, instead of actual characters. As the comedy genre has taken several apocalyptic spins in films like Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and Zombieland, Rogen and Goldberg have brought audiences a survival guide for how Hollywood would tackle Hell on Earth.
When Jay Baruchel visits his friend, Seth, in Los Angeles, the two attend a wild party at James Franco's house, where many celebrities are having the time of their lives. As the night goes on and the party gets crazier, the world starts to go to pot, and not the kind that Seth and his friends prefer. Huge holes and cracks begin to open up in the ground, buildings start to crumble and several people are taken up in the rapture. Following this, Jay, Seth, James, along with Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride, are trapped in James' house as they try to make it through this global cataclysm.
Watching the six friends make fun of their star images is the main joke of the film. Seth is the lovable stoner that he has played through several of his films, even acknowledging this early in the film when a man with a video recorder asks him why he plays the same character in every movie. In this, however, he takes his love of drugs to another extreme, in a the-world-is-ending-so-let's-do-all-of-the-drugs attitude. Jay maintains his common image as the good-natured and shy best friend, complete with his jittery and nervous persona.
James pokes fun at his pretentiousness, especially in a rather interesting conversation he has with Jay about what can be considered as art. Jonah, who can generally be seen as the nice guy and/or pushover, is the character who has it out for Jay, masking the jealousy he has towards the friendship between Jay and Seth with a desperately fake kindliness. Danny appears as the crude, unwanted party crasher, and Robinson's character is the only other friend that Jay has in the group, being the first to truly believe Jay's assumptions that what's going on is really the end of the world.
Besides the film's core group of actors, there are also enough celebrity appearances to fill the red carpet. Most of the film, especially the party scene in the first half hour, is a fun guessing game of "Who's Going to Appear Next?" I won't give all of the cameos away, but I will say that the trio from Superbad makes a return, and you won't find another movie this year, or ever, that has both a coked-up Michael Cera and an axe-wielding Emma Watson, a terrifically far cry from her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. Also, there is a cameo in the closing musical number that will be a cheerful throwback for any child of the '90s.
The screenplay by Rogen and Goldberg has some pleasurably improvised moments, which can lead to some creative dialogue, like a round-table discussion about who will eat the only Milky Way in the house. A conversation between Jay and Seth about health food on their way home from the airport is not only funny, but also carries a small resemblance to the conversation between Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield about European fast food in Pulp Fiction. Later in the film, there's a moment involving Jonah and a demon that turns into a hilariously uncouth parody of Rosemary's Baby.
Some of the jokes, however, go on a little longer than their material merits, especially an argument between Danny and James over their use of a certain kind of magazine. Although watching improvised scenes can be fun, sometimes it will allow the actors to keep running with a joke until it's not that funny anymore, which can be damaging.
The film starts to lag a bit in the middle third, mostly because a majority of the film has the group taking refuge in James' house. Despite the dangers lurking outside that are keeping the characters inside, it would have provided the story with a few more bizarrely entertaining antics if the group did some exploring around the decimated L.A. area. The final 15 minutes has them out of the house, but some journeying through the fiery city earlier on could have helped pick up the story in spots.
Several of the film's highlights come from the moments that reference the stars' other films. When the gang sets up a room to record video confessionals, James is the first to use it, which calls to mind his role in 127 Hours. In a drug-induced scene, the group gets high and Seth, James, Danny and Craig reprise their roles from Pineapple Express, and begin to film a sequel.
Directors Rogen and Goldberg are clearly one of the top duos today in delivering original comedy, having worked together on many projects before this film. They have exceptional camaraderie with their actors, some of which they have worked with on other films, and they let each of them do their own thing. The two have the ability to bring Hollywood's comedy community together to act out stories that thrive on unpredictably comical scenarios. This Is the End abandons the normal gloom and doom of the apocalypse, and replaces it with Hollywood's hysterical out-of-control partying and outrageously wild fight for survival.
Final grade: B+
In the directorial debuts of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, This Is the End gathers many of Hollywood's top comedic actors as they party their way into Judgment Day. In an interesting twist, the film has the actors portray fictional versions of themselves, instead of actual characters. As the comedy genre has taken several apocalyptic spins in films like Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and Zombieland, Rogen and Goldberg have brought audiences a survival guide for how Hollywood would tackle Hell on Earth.
When Jay Baruchel visits his friend, Seth, in Los Angeles, the two attend a wild party at James Franco's house, where many celebrities are having the time of their lives. As the night goes on and the party gets crazier, the world starts to go to pot, and not the kind that Seth and his friends prefer. Huge holes and cracks begin to open up in the ground, buildings start to crumble and several people are taken up in the rapture. Following this, Jay, Seth, James, along with Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride, are trapped in James' house as they try to make it through this global cataclysm.
Watching the six friends make fun of their star images is the main joke of the film. Seth is the lovable stoner that he has played through several of his films, even acknowledging this early in the film when a man with a video recorder asks him why he plays the same character in every movie. In this, however, he takes his love of drugs to another extreme, in a the-world-is-ending-so-let's-do-all-of-the-drugs attitude. Jay maintains his common image as the good-natured and shy best friend, complete with his jittery and nervous persona.
James pokes fun at his pretentiousness, especially in a rather interesting conversation he has with Jay about what can be considered as art. Jonah, who can generally be seen as the nice guy and/or pushover, is the character who has it out for Jay, masking the jealousy he has towards the friendship between Jay and Seth with a desperately fake kindliness. Danny appears as the crude, unwanted party crasher, and Robinson's character is the only other friend that Jay has in the group, being the first to truly believe Jay's assumptions that what's going on is really the end of the world.
Besides the film's core group of actors, there are also enough celebrity appearances to fill the red carpet. Most of the film, especially the party scene in the first half hour, is a fun guessing game of "Who's Going to Appear Next?" I won't give all of the cameos away, but I will say that the trio from Superbad makes a return, and you won't find another movie this year, or ever, that has both a coked-up Michael Cera and an axe-wielding Emma Watson, a terrifically far cry from her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. Also, there is a cameo in the closing musical number that will be a cheerful throwback for any child of the '90s.
The screenplay by Rogen and Goldberg has some pleasurably improvised moments, which can lead to some creative dialogue, like a round-table discussion about who will eat the only Milky Way in the house. A conversation between Jay and Seth about health food on their way home from the airport is not only funny, but also carries a small resemblance to the conversation between Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield about European fast food in Pulp Fiction. Later in the film, there's a moment involving Jonah and a demon that turns into a hilariously uncouth parody of Rosemary's Baby.
Some of the jokes, however, go on a little longer than their material merits, especially an argument between Danny and James over their use of a certain kind of magazine. Although watching improvised scenes can be fun, sometimes it will allow the actors to keep running with a joke until it's not that funny anymore, which can be damaging.
The film starts to lag a bit in the middle third, mostly because a majority of the film has the group taking refuge in James' house. Despite the dangers lurking outside that are keeping the characters inside, it would have provided the story with a few more bizarrely entertaining antics if the group did some exploring around the decimated L.A. area. The final 15 minutes has them out of the house, but some journeying through the fiery city earlier on could have helped pick up the story in spots.
Several of the film's highlights come from the moments that reference the stars' other films. When the gang sets up a room to record video confessionals, James is the first to use it, which calls to mind his role in 127 Hours. In a drug-induced scene, the group gets high and Seth, James, Danny and Craig reprise their roles from Pineapple Express, and begin to film a sequel.
Directors Rogen and Goldberg are clearly one of the top duos today in delivering original comedy, having worked together on many projects before this film. They have exceptional camaraderie with their actors, some of which they have worked with on other films, and they let each of them do their own thing. The two have the ability to bring Hollywood's comedy community together to act out stories that thrive on unpredictably comical scenarios. This Is the End abandons the normal gloom and doom of the apocalypse, and replaces it with Hollywood's hysterical out-of-control partying and outrageously wild fight for survival.
Final grade: B+
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
The Wheels Keep Spinning
Generally, most of the franchises that get sequels are either superhero adventures or the latest horror story that receives a new installment every Halloween. When director Rob Cohen's The Fast and the Furious was released in June 2001, it was hard to believe that a movie about street racing would spawn five sequels. Now, in a series that is still growing after starting its ignition 12 years ago, the tricked-out cars are still speeding, flipping and gliding their way across the world.
The franchise has since reached its sixth entry with Justin Lin's Fast and Furious 6. The auto world's equivalent of the Avengers assembles once again in what is probably the most unapologetically over-the-top installment to date and requires some of the strongest suspension of disbelief you'll need for any film this year.
Following the events of Fast Five, the whole road crew has scattered around the globe: Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) are new parents; Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) lives with his new girlfriend, Elena (Elsa Pataky); Gisele (Gal Gadot) and Han (Sung Kang) reside in Hong Kong; and Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Chris Bridges) live wealthy lives of their own. Soon, DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) finds Dom and reveals that the latter's past love, Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), who is suffering from amnesia, is actually still alive and working for a gang leader named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). Hobbs requests that Dom gets his team back together to stop Shaw's heist gang from creating a terrorist device. In return, Dom and his friends will be granted pardons for their past crimes and will be allowed to return home to the United States.
The acting doesn't stretch beyond the requirements for a typical action film, which is fine because the whole gang looks like it's having fun just being together again. Diesel has his usual and satisfying tough-guy growl, and Gibson and Bridges, while not the best actors, provide the occasion comic jabs. There are a couple of standouts, including Rodriguez and Evans. Rodriguez, with her don't-mess-with-me scowls, retains her tomboy persona and is as good at it as ever, always ready to let her hair down and throw some punches. With Evans, although his character can come off as a cliched foreign antagonist, he still manages to come off as threatening when trying to exploit Letty's amnesia and intimidate Dom's group.
With each new film, the super-charged action scenes attempt to eclipse those of the previous chapter, and Fast and Furious 6 certainly accomplishes that. In fact, the film practically has two climactic chases back to back that revel in their absurdity, but it's all in the fun of the franchise. The first occurs on a highway in Spain that involves a fast-moving tank that demolishes its way to the crew, as well as ludicrously amusing stunts and Dom coming to Letty's rescue in the most ridiculous way possible. The second involves the crew chasing down Shaw's plane on what is apparently the longest runway ever, a sequence in which anything insanely impossible can happen.
Besides the large-scale chases, the film also takes its action to hand-to-hand combat, seeing as the newer installments have now become more like action movies than street-racing movies. A fight between Letty and DSS agent Riley (Gina Carano) in a subway station, with its shaky camera, quick editing and involvement of an amnesia victim, recalls the fights of the Bourne film series, although the latter simmer with more intensity.
Screenwriter Chris Morgan, who wrote the previous three Fast movies, realizes that a big story isn't entirely necessary for these movies because the points of attraction are the stunts and fast cars, so he just builds in a plain action-movie terrorist plot to give the characters and road-tearing sequences something to be involved in. Having worked on the prior three films as director, Justin Lin takes each of Morgan's screenplays and grows with each film as he displays his capability to thrillingly shoot each action scene as they become bigger with each film.
One of the story's weak spots is a last-minute plot twist revolving around one character, a surprise that doesn't serve a purpose. There is, however, a scene during the end credits that gets the viewer revved up as it reveals the villain for the seventh installment, which will be out next July. It also appears that the franchise's next events will move forward from the third film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the story of which happens last when the timeline of the series is taken into consideration. This tantalizing tease is enough to hold the audience over until the cars are ready to emerge from the garage once again.
Final grade: B
The acting doesn't stretch beyond the requirements for a typical action film, which is fine because the whole gang looks like it's having fun just being together again. Diesel has his usual and satisfying tough-guy growl, and Gibson and Bridges, while not the best actors, provide the occasion comic jabs. There are a couple of standouts, including Rodriguez and Evans. Rodriguez, with her don't-mess-with-me scowls, retains her tomboy persona and is as good at it as ever, always ready to let her hair down and throw some punches. With Evans, although his character can come off as a cliched foreign antagonist, he still manages to come off as threatening when trying to exploit Letty's amnesia and intimidate Dom's group.
With each new film, the super-charged action scenes attempt to eclipse those of the previous chapter, and Fast and Furious 6 certainly accomplishes that. In fact, the film practically has two climactic chases back to back that revel in their absurdity, but it's all in the fun of the franchise. The first occurs on a highway in Spain that involves a fast-moving tank that demolishes its way to the crew, as well as ludicrously amusing stunts and Dom coming to Letty's rescue in the most ridiculous way possible. The second involves the crew chasing down Shaw's plane on what is apparently the longest runway ever, a sequence in which anything insanely impossible can happen.
Besides the large-scale chases, the film also takes its action to hand-to-hand combat, seeing as the newer installments have now become more like action movies than street-racing movies. A fight between Letty and DSS agent Riley (Gina Carano) in a subway station, with its shaky camera, quick editing and involvement of an amnesia victim, recalls the fights of the Bourne film series, although the latter simmer with more intensity.
Screenwriter Chris Morgan, who wrote the previous three Fast movies, realizes that a big story isn't entirely necessary for these movies because the points of attraction are the stunts and fast cars, so he just builds in a plain action-movie terrorist plot to give the characters and road-tearing sequences something to be involved in. Having worked on the prior three films as director, Justin Lin takes each of Morgan's screenplays and grows with each film as he displays his capability to thrillingly shoot each action scene as they become bigger with each film.
One of the story's weak spots is a last-minute plot twist revolving around one character, a surprise that doesn't serve a purpose. There is, however, a scene during the end credits that gets the viewer revved up as it reveals the villain for the seventh installment, which will be out next July. It also appears that the franchise's next events will move forward from the third film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the story of which happens last when the timeline of the series is taken into consideration. This tantalizing tease is enough to hold the audience over until the cars are ready to emerge from the garage once again.
Final grade: B
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