Ant-Man Review

Ant-Man

Director:  Peyton Reed

Cast Headliners: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Corey Stoll

Original Release Date: July 17th, 2015

It’s been a while since the Marvel cinematic universe has had a classic style origin movie. The kind of movie where an average guy gets incredible powers that the must learn to control to save the day. But these people never really end up being that simple, whether they’re a billionaire or an orphan in world war 2. Ant-Man manages to break fresh ground in a different direction for the MCU and offer a surprisingly fresh experience.

In this case the movie sets up a world where Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) has created the Ant-man suit and been the hero before (shown via some surprising flashbacks. Cameos like these are some of the film’s strongest moments).  He entrusts the suit, after a series of events, to burglar Scott Lang ( Paul Rudd) whom he trains with his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) to foil the plans of the villainous Darren Cross (Corey Stoll).

The titular suit allows its wearer to shrink down to miniature size and communicate with ants. This leads to some exciting sequences and moments as unexpected situations are turned into explosive battlefields or acrobatics tests for Scott. The ants are given great characterization too and it will make one be amazed in ways they didn’t think possible.

While the visuals are mostly great this is one of the movies that is on the lighter side of action in the MCU. When fight scenes appear they are short but oh so sweet and once again the surprises are GREAT whether they be big or small. 

The film is actually moreso of a comedic heist. The jokes are hilarious and come from great lines by Rudd and especially from his fellow accomplice Luis (Michael Pena).  Pena’s abstract performance is definitely a highlight and it can be inferred that he’s working on material that ex-director of the flick Edgar Wright once worked on.  Peyton Reed did a fine job stepping in to finish things and the pace is mostly good though the simpler scope makes things feel like so much has happened at once.

The movie does manage to have a solid plot however ramping up from the most street-level life since Daredevil for Scott to its crazy finale.  But where one will laugh and be amazed by its wacky world in the course of the movie it cannot be said that they will remember Paul Rudd’s performance. He’s got charisma and laughs but he’s mostly just kind of “there” as a reactionary force.   The same goes for Corey Stoll as the main enemy Yellowjacket, who is moustache twirling evil from the first nanosecond he’s on screen.

Luckily, there is a great dynamic between Scott Lang and his mentors Hank  and Hope Pym.  Douglas gives a performance to outdo everyone else in the feature and has some emotional moments with his daughter.  His talent is not wasted here and he makes every scene he’s in enjoyable with his strong characterization which surpasses the main hero but perhaps that makes since for he was the original. Lilly is also great and at one point mentions that it should have been her in the armor suit and I do concur.    The rapport is best when this trio is joined by Luis and other friends of Scott for this is a movie where the best enjoyment is gotten from “hahaha” instead of “ dang awesome”.

Ant-Man manages to both be an effective slight twist on a more traditional Marvel superhero origin movie while also offering some great surprises and connections to a larger world.  It’s a palate cleanser end to their “phase two” of movie projects and its simple pure fun isn’t going to make cinematic history. Though there’s much more than meets the eye with this small hero who offers big entertainment and is worth the time to a fan of unique laughs and heists.  8.63 out of 10

Terminator: Genisys Review

Terminator: Genisys

Director:  Alan Taylor

Cast Headliners: Jai Courtney, Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Arnold Schwarzenegger 

Original Release Date: July 1st, 2015

            Terminator Genisys is tricky.  Is it a sequel or a remake or a reboot? Well it’s a bit of everything above. It starts with the continuing fight of John Conner (Jason Clarke) and Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney as the protagonist who offers little in the way of screen presence or coolness) and the human armies in the post-apocalyptic world controlled by Skynet.  Events transpire to send Kyle back in time to the era of the original Terminator film.

            Large parts are spent with Kyle meeting a changed  from what he had been told to expect for the era Sarah Conner (Emilia Clarke ) and her surprise friendly “Pops”  terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as they deal with threats including a younger arnie look-alike terminator and a liquid foe as well straight out of the second film (Lee Byung-Han who doesn’t do much). This is followed by a jump to a changed 2017 in this “twisted “ timeline where , much like the third film, they must stop  Skynet from being turned on.

            While it touts itself as a “whole fresh new Terminator film” it’s very much a greatest hits of tropes from the franchise. There’s some thrilling chase scenes and action moments, and an impending sense of dread. But despite its smorgasboard of features and actors it can feel messy at times.  The plot gets into some repetitive silly stuff towards the end and some action drags on. That’s not even to mention some jokes that fall flat.

            However when the action comes through it can be pretty neat (especially when the film’s subpar CGI doesn’t appear). There’s also a very great humorous performance by Arnie as Pops who manages to give this film a neat semi-satirical identity and who has the films best lines and moments. Emilia Clark is a decent replacement Sarah Connor as well although she’s by far no khaleesi with this hammy script.

            It’s messy and halfbaked and rehashing a bit too many past tropes but in a way Terminator  Genisys also feels like a attempted tribute to the franchise. It didn’t come far enough to that point unfortunately but its not without its simple enjoyment. 6.8 out of 10

Inside Out Review

Inside Out 

Director:  Pete Docter 

Cast Headliners: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Harder, Mindy Kaling , Lewis Black 

Original Release Date: June 19th, 2015

(Please excuse the brevity , doing this from the car ) 

Pixar , normally pioneers in amazing film craft , have been in a bit.of a slump of average quality sequels and cliched ideas in the past few years.  I can happily say that Inside Out is great because it once again shows the world a fresh world filled with great characters and story like they remember. Because this this time its a sort of film within a film.

       There's uniquely two plots to this film that literally influence each other .  On one level there's  young Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) who finds her pleasant Minnesota life uprooted as she moves with Mom (Diane Lane ) and Dad ( Kyle Maclachlan ) to San Francisco .  She struggles with the impact of this .

       This informs the plot "inside " her mind where Joy ( Amy Poehler) , Sadness (Phyllis Smith ),  Disgust ( Mindy Kaling), Fear ( Bill Harder ), and Anger (Lewis Black ) exist as little colorful people who control the stare of her mind in a whimsical mind control room ala Star Trek.  Ruckus occurs and Joy and Sadness, nornally totally at odds with each other , have to traverse the crazy surreal lands of Rileys mind as the outside world affects them.
     There's several wonderful aspects of the film.  The writing is top notch with even minor characters giving great chuckles .  Of note is Boing Boing ( Richard Kind ) who helps the main duo on their quest.   The humor is slapstick and bizzare to match the world around them but it just all works very well.    
      The movie aesethically stands apart so much from Pixar's other works and film.worlds in general. The animation style hearkens back to Looney Tunes and UPA-films of the past than a copy and paste from their other works.  Places like " Imagination Land " and " Abstract Thought " show their creativity .  It all pops with color and life .
     But as with any great animated Pixar experience, its not just laughs and color. Its about moments of sad feelings and. a great plot, and that's here.  The story has some great twists and turns and is guaranteed to fill one with surprising amounts of somberness and excitement .    Though of course there's likely a good ending......

     With Inside Out this time they've remembered what makes their movies great. The mind shennagins may make it hard to swallow for some but its worth it for one who likes a enjoyable experience .   8.75 out of 10

Jurassic World Review

Jurassic World

Director:  Collin Trevorrow

Cast Headliners: Chris Pratt, Bryce-Dallas Howard

Original Release Date: June 12th, 2015

   When one sees the word “Jurassic”, in this case with “world”, on a movie poster they know what to expect. A situation goes wrong and dinosaurs cause shenanigans in the modern world.  Jurassic World doesn’t deviate very much from this formula but offers a fun blockbuster doing exactly what it says on the cover.

            The film smartly serves as a direct successor to the original film (sorry 2 and 3 fans ) by showing what has happened to the park twenty years after the original. Jurassic Park is now Jurassic World and it is a hopping tourist attraction since they must have done a dang good job convincing the public things would be ok this time.  Children ride baby triceratops as rides and guests kayak peacefully down rivers next to herbivore dinosaurs. Things are going great which is a first for this franchise.   To this park comes brothers Zach (Nick Robinson) and Grey (Ty Simpkins) to see their aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) who runs the park’s divisions.

            Clare has to deal with the experimentation done to make a new attraction in the fearsome D-rex genetic mutant. She enlists the help of velociraptor trainer Owen (Chris Pratt) when things begin to go awry as they often do.   Clare and Owen are a pretty solid main cast and especially it’s Pratt who brings his trademark charisma and even a special level of awesome to this role.  There’s a fair share of other great humor from side characters like Jake Johnson as a tech support member of the park who loves dinosaurs in a hyper fan way and Vincent D’Onofrio as brutish security lead Vic Hoskins.

            But while as witty and savvy the dialogue is and shiny the titular creatures are it is admittedly more of the same . The roles of the original film are all filled in this and even similar sequences appear at times.  It cashes in on references and nostalgia to a mostly good but definitely noticeable effect.

            There’s laughs and scares and cool moments but it could have used with some more of the sense of mystery it tries to capture from the original. It appears at times in somber moments but isn’t here enough. Regardless, the action sequences and especially the final battles are thrilling and it’s overall a fun and well crafted movie. 8 out of 10

Tomorrowland Review

Tomorrowland 

Director:  Brad Bird

Cast Headliners: Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy

Original Release Date: May 22nd, 2015   

            One always feels an interesting feeling when at the Tomorrowland section of Disneyland or Disney World. It’s an idealized version of the future as seen in its day filled with some great rides (Star Tours) and some lame (Stitch).  But one can’t help but think we are only a part of the way to the future as seen there. We have a long way to go. That’s the theme of this film of the same land. Like Pirates of the Caribbean before it, Tomorrowland is a film that capitalizes on the ambience and theme of that attraction area and turns it into a live action film.

            After a bizarrely 4^th wall breaking intro where Frank Walker (George Clooney) and Casey Newtown (Britt Robertson) argue how the actual film should be told we are brought to the 1960s. A young inventor Frank goes to Disneyland’s Tomorrowland (how meta!) and makes the acquaintance of the mysterious David Nix (Hugh Laurie) and the equally smart as him Athena (Raffey Cassidy).  Shenangins transpire that leads to him stumbling upon the titular city of the film where skyscrapers rise into the sky and robots fly around.  

            After its all too brief appearance this great world is dropped for a while to show how Casey gets involved in affairs. If I were to share specifics would spoil it and since this movie’s prime strength relies upon the element of exploration. When they do appear, the technology and enviroments brought upon by Casey’s mysterious pin are great. There is a wonderful optimistic sense of things.

            However, Casey’s performance falls into times cheesy and Clooney as the adult Frank isn’t too far behind though it fits with his trademark charisma.  The dialogue feels a bit hammy and some scenes drag out. Action is good but only in the few instances when it appears. But that’s to be expected from a Brad Bird live action film; his snappy style is evident at least.

            While it’s a fun (and mostly family friendly adventure despite the use of “hell” a lot and disingrating robots) and bright burst of optimism it is stopped from greatness by two main things. The pacing is kind of weird and builds up very slowly to be something unique. Then once the crazy other world of science that is the titular city is reached, things take a hard dip into some hard science and a villian’s motivation that is very unclear.  A lot of bang and boom happens, but it’s consequence is not really felt. 

            It’s got some rough spots, but the visuals and unique setting make it not a waste of time by any means. There’s some fun sequences and if one can deal with the stars and story it’s a decent experience.  You are better off taking a trip to the park for something truly magical however. 7.85 out of 10

Mad Max: Fury Road Review

Mad Max: Fury Road

Director:  Gerorge Miller

Cast Headliners: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Hugh Keays-Byrne

Original Release Date: May 15th, 2015     


     When the original creator and director of franchise comes back for more years since the last entry in a film series there can be some mixed results.  Star Wars and Lord of the Rings did their prequels to mostly fun effect but could not live up to the originals fully. However that is not the case of Mad Max: Fury Road since George Miller has matched and even perhaps surpassed what made the original films so excellent.

            The movie has a unclear point of existence as to where it falls in the time line. It’s definitely after his debut but it’s not really clear if Max (Tom Hardy) as seen in this film is the one’s whos been the road warrior and travelled to Thunderdome as well.  The film is greatly enjoyable even to one who has never seen any of the other’s since it is covered in a brief narration/prologue segment. All one needs to know is that it’s a messed up world.

            In fact messed up is a gross understatement.  The far-future Australian outback desert wasteland is gorgeously realized. This is a seriously well thought out and unique world. From the terrifying hellish domain and attire of the War Boyz enemies to the stunning color scheme and vistas of the wasteland the film is like an exotic fruit flavor one never knew they wanted till now. 

            From the massive Citadel of the vile overlord Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byne) and its dark chambers to every rusted death trap of a car and vile mutant villain the film sings with life and personality. Even minor minions are memorable (that  guitar player!!) and it truly evolves the wacky raiders of the old films into something not even imaginable before.

            It’s also interesting that Max is tossed around by the plot for a first large portion of the film. He is captured and used as a human blood bag by the Way Boy Nux (Nicholas Hoult) by being strapped to a enemy car.  It’s wonderful that a film is so entertaining even while its titular hero is a speck on the violent backdrop is occurring.

            The cause for the conflict which takes up the majority of the film is the  Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) who has betrayed the War Boyz by smuggling the Immortan’s
“breeder” wives away to bring them to a  better life. Theron and Hardy eventually unite and they are also both mostly silent in their roles but totally awesome.  Dialogue is mainly reserved for the minions like Nux and for the wives.

            This isn’t a movie that needs much dialogue since it screams loudly at the viewer through its action scenes. Essentially, the movie is an almost a non-stop string of action. The previously mentioned gritty feeling is helped by the amazing fact that pretty much every moment and prop was physical.  This aspect raises the violence and excitement tenfold.

            Miller has used these interesting puzzle pieces to make an exciting, epic, thrilling, and at times even beautiful symphony of dark post-apocalyptic violence.  While it’s story never really moves above “get chased from spot to spot” and sometimes the spectacle on display is much to handle the film is a expert putting a lot of love into the world he created while still pushing the medium forward in ways like he once did. It certainly is a lovely day. 9.5 out of 10

Avengers: Age of Ultron Review

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Director: Joss Whedon

Cast Headliners: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlet Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo

Original Release Date: May 1st, 2015

When reviewing the Marvel Cinematic universe, where can one possibly begin?  There’s been so many years and installments in this meta-tale that to even judge its value is a colossal task that only grows with each new entry in this epic of epics.  Avengers: Age of Ultron has some of the highest stakes in blockbuster history by having to be number two to the amazing reality breaking crossover excellence that was 2012’s film. Joss Whedon and the folks at Marvel Studios give it their best, and oh my what a crazy ride that turns out to be.            

 One knows that said crazy ride is coming by the sheer amount of spectacle that occurs before even the title name pops up on screen. In a perfect breakneck lead-in from Captain America 2, the intro finds the core Avengers team of Steve Rogers/“Captain America” (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Tony Stark/”Iron Man” (Robert Downey Jr), Bruce Banner/”Hulk” (Mark Ruffalo), Clint Barton/ “Hawkeye” (Jeremy Renner), and Natasha Romanoff “Black Widow” (Scarlet Johansson) on a mission to take down Hydra once and for all (?!?) at mountain fortress of Baron Von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann in a role that is basically a spec of a  blip on the massive radar that is this film). Explosions pop off the screen and there’s superheroic team up moves that will blow one’s mind. There’s hilarious quips intense stakes, and deep mysteries. This is an event that sort of rivals the finale of the last film in scale and it’s merely just the appetizer round.

There’s several aspects that give this film a slightly different identity to the first film and that great aspect can be found in its additional characters. Fringe-morality siblings Wanda Maximoff/”Scarlet Witch” (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro Maximoff/”Quicksilver (Aaron-Taylor Johnson) are dually interesting whether they are henchmen or conflicted rookie heroes. Their powers are quite a fresh sight to behold as well; with SW’s magic and illusions and QS’s faster-than-visible superspeed giving a whole new angle to action scenes.  To get into his specifics would be a major spoiler, but mention has to be made of   Vision (Paul Bettany) as well who steals the scenes he’s in whether it is through minor action, deep words, or mind-blowingly great powers….

The Avengers wouldn’t have to come together without a ultimate threat and this time there’s something incredibly chilling. Tony’s usual experimentation shenanigans with Loki’s old scepter and his drone suits lead to Ultron (James Spader), a fast learning and utterly evil robotic overlord.   Spader performed the voice and motion capture for Ultron and it’s excellent from visual to performance. No matter what “stage of sentience” he’s in there’s always a deep  nuance to how this robot is characterized. Even though he’s a vicious killer who has a plan that makes Loki seem tame; he’s far from cold. Spader delivers lines that make one laugh, make one afraid, and even at times make one feel a slight bit of empathetic understanding. He’s a thrilling villain who is more than a worthy match for the Avengers totally deserving of the title. It makes sense he’s a dark spawn of Iron Man; the heroic charismatic dynamo driving these films.  

While these and other (Andy Serkis as other, other humorous villain Ulysses Klaue in a small bit foreshadowing 2018’s Black Panther!!!!) additions get large chunks of the spotlight there is great improvements to the veterans as well.  Captain America and Iron Man have some of the best dramatic moments as their relationship is tenuously tested which may have future ramifications in addition to the chaos seen here. Black Widow has more insight into her past shown, and a surprisingly natural romance with Hulk. Chilling hallucinations courtesy of the Scarlet Witch are some of the best scenes for those and aid to the film’s darker tone than most in the MCU.  Of course, Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), Maria Hill (Cobie  Smulders), and James Rhodes/”War Machine” (Don Cheadle) all show up and do their usual support actions. Yes, it’s a a bit of a lot to handle as all the appearances mentioned so far isn’t even absolutely everything!

The one veteran who has been given his big shot in this is Hawkeye. This was an amazing choice to have been made for prior to this he existed only as a cameo or a brainwashed villain for the majority of its predecessors.  Renner has a lot of hidden talent that is shown in this movie. He’s funny, he’s got moral lessons to rival Captain America’s, he’s got mindblowing awesome archery skills. Between his much larger( near main-protagonist reaching) levels of focus, some of the best jokes in a movie filled with millions of them, and insights into his past Clint Barton is a wonderfully memorable part of the experience.

A good effort is made to differentiate this film from its previous incarnation through its focus on new characters and dramatic elements. However, it is still a Avengers film through and through.  Asides from the intricate tone the main directorial response from Joss Whedon comes through as “more.”   Instead of basically one extended epic action chunk of the film, there’s over three or four. Things tend to be “extremely crazy” instead of “really crazy.”  The humor comes nearly every line but luckily the writing and pace of it makes it blend seamlessly into the action as is to be expected.   Despite it’s insane ride of awesome, it loses some slight points because there’s the occasional feeling of “been there.” Hulk gets angry again and has to fight his teammates. Nick Fury defends the SHIELD helicarrier control room again.  Team members get into fights that involve more than just words again. There’s scenes of them arguing in a small room again.  While the word “formulaic” is inappropriate considering the excellent blockbuster spectacle that is most of the film it can be said that this is “more of the same.”  

And that trait will end up deciding its spot on the overarching tier of Marvel film quality in the long run. That’s a totally fine thing, as how could one complain about the comics-to-life masterpieces that are this and Whedon’s otherwork. But while it raises the stakes, scale, roster count, and visual quality it just 1% shys from perfection because it isn’t that first time again.  Overall, thank you Whedon for making Marvel dreams come true, and I think new hands will give a fresh perspective as the scales go further on even higher levels. We’re looking at a world beyond just a bickering adventuring family, and I’m so ready.  Make it even fresher.  9.4 out of 10