X-Men: Dark Phoenix Review

Synopsis
While the X-Men are on a rescue mission, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) comes into contact with an alien force, causing her powers to grow stronger and more uncontrollable. The rest of the X-Men must find a way to stop Jean without killing her.

Review
We’ve reached the end of an era. With Disney’s acquisition of 20^th Century Fox, X-Men: Dark Phoenix is the final entry of an era that started in 1999 with X-Men, one of the early films to kick off the current age of superhero film. How does Dark Phoenix bring the saga to a close? Unfortunately not as spectacular as the saga began, which is a shame because there are glimmers of what could have been a good movie.

Apparently, this second attempt at bringing Chris Claremont’s coveted Dark Phoenix Saga was supposed to be two movies. But with Disney’s acquiring of Fox’s movie division, it was condensed into one film. These edits can be felt throughout the film. It sets up the conflict nice and steadily. As the movie progresses, it slowly feels more and more rushed. By the end, the film gets to a climax it wasn’t prepared for. This creates an awkward pacing at times that, while not entirely jarring, is noticeable.

Many of the cast from the previous First Class era returns. James McAvoy returns as Professor Xavier. One thing I liked they did with his character this time was, despite his noble intentions and ideals, Xavier has made some questionable decisions to obtain them. This has been explored more recently in the comics and it was great to see some of that make it onto the big screen. McAvoy is enjoyable as always in the part.

Michael Fassbender returns as Magneto but with much less of a role than the previous films. This time around, he doesn’t feel as menacing and I’m not sure if that’s because writer/director Simon Kinberg wanted Phoenix to feel the most threatening or if because he’s had three films to be the strongest villain. Whatever the reason, his character clearly takes a hit in this film.

Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Holt are the last few to round out those who have been around since X-Men: First Class. In making way for the new class of X-Men, these two don’t get much time. You can tell that by this point in the series, they aren’t into their roles as they were in the earlier films. They don’t have the same charisma as before.

As for the new class, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, they all do fine but that’s it, just fine. I don’t think it is their fault. The script and direction wasn’t there to support them. Jessica Chastain, the newest member of the cast, can usually elevate a role beyond what is written. Unfortunately, she encounters the same problem as the younger cast members and doesn’t have the room to elevate such a one-dimensional villain.

Honestly, the one I feel most sorry for in this mess is writer and first-time director Simon Kinberg. He was one of the writers for X-Men: The Last Stand, the last film to attempt to adapt the Dark Phoenix storyline. From reading about the behind the scenes drama, he knew the mistakes of The Last Stand and had a plan to do the story right. However, when he was forced to combine his two Dark Phoenix movies into one, much of that went out the door. Now he is known as the writer who messed up adapting the Dark Phoenix Saga twice, which seems unfair given what happened.

I thought X-Men: Dark Phoenix was OK 😐 Most of the issues with this movie can be boiled down to the script. The pacing was off, the characters were flat, and the veteran actors of the franchise weren’t as dynamic or lively as the previous films. This was a much closer adaptation of the popular story line, and at times it showed hints of what could have been great moments, but it lacks the weight and heart that made the influential comic so popular.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Simon Kinberg – Director / Writer
Hans Zimmer – Composer

Sophie Turner – Jean Grey / Phoenix
Tye Sheridan – Scott Summers / Cyclops
Alexandra Shipp – Ororo Munroe / Storm
Kodi Smit-McPhee – Kurt wagner / Nightcrawler
Nicholas Hoult – Hank McCoy / Beast
Jennifer Lawrence – Raven / Mystique
Evan Peters – Peter Maximoff / Quicksilver
James McAvoy – Professor Charles Xavier
Michael Fassbender – Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto
Jessica Chastain – Vuk
Ato Essandoh – Jones
Scott Shepart – John Grey
Hannah Anderson – Elaine Grey
Summer Fontana – Young Jean Grey

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Last week I announced the Christmas in July 2019 Blogathon. To find out more, check out the post here.

Rocketman Review

Synopsis
A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. (via IMDb)

Review
It must be the time of the musical biopic. Last year saw the release of Bohemian Rhapsody, the story of Freddy Mercury, and now we have Rocketman, the story of Elton John. Both are about prolific rock singers and both are directed by Dexter Fletcher. Despite their similar subjects and shared director, Rocketman doesn’t feel like a BR clone. It takes a different approach to its story telling and takes advantage of its rating.

One of the highlights of the film was Taron Egerton as Elton John. Egerton captures a wide range emotions. He’s charismatic when he needs to be, he’s vulnerable when he needs to be, and he’s dour when he needs to be. It’s clear that Egerton is putting everything he can into the part and it really elevates the film, especially since it fails or succeeds on his performance. This movie doesn’t shy away from the darker moments of Elton John’s life and Egerton embraces it head first.

While this film has been touted as a “musical fantasy,” it leaned more heavily into the “fantasy” part than I expected. Montage-like sequences, often coupled with an Elton John hit, were used to move the story along. These sequences didn’t explicitly explain what was going on but rather implied it. At first I thought these were just ways to inject Elton John’s songs into the film. Not until after the montage finished and the next scene began did I realize the story was moving along during the previous sequence. It’s a rather unique implementation of a non-unique story-telling device.

When going into a biopic about a musician, you can expect their songs to be featured heavily. Rocketman did just that but the way it did it was interesting. Instead of being a movie with music like I was anticipating, it was more like a musical, with the characters breaking into song at random points. As different as this was, there were times it felt forced, with songs being used at weird times to make sure the film includes all of Elton John’s biggest hits. Sometimes only a few lyrics were used from a song making it feel more awkward. While I liked the approach, the execution was spotty.

I thought Rocketman was GOOD 🙂 Not knowing much about Elton John’s life, I can’t say how historically accurate it is. However, what I can say is that it lives up to its label of “musical fantasy.” A stand-out performance from Taron Egerton and unique musical sequences make this biopic rock to new heights.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Dexter Fletcher – Director
Lee Hall – Writer
Matthew Margeson – Composer

Taron Egerton – Elton John
Jamie Bell – Bernie Taupin
Richard Madden – John Reid
Bryce Dallas Howard – Sheila
Gemma Jones – Ivy
Steven Mackintosh – Stanley
Tim Bennett – Fred
Matthew Illesley – Young REggie
Kit Connor – Older Reggie
Charlie Rowe – Ray Williams
Stephen Graham – Dick James
Sharon D. Clarke – Counselor

Aladdin (2019) Review

Synopsis
With the help of the magical Genie of the lamp (Will Smith), Aladdin (Mena Massoud) becomes a prince to impress Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott). Meanwhile, the royal vizier Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) is also trying to get his hand’s on the magic lamp to use Genie’s magic for his own nefarious purposes.

Review
I’ve been feeling conflicted about these live-action remakes Disney has been releasing these last few years and plan to release in the foreseeable future. On one hand, I enjoy seeing these wonderful animated classics realized and interpreted into live-action versions of themselves. On the other, most of them are so beloved that it will be hard to top the originals for most audiences. For me, I grew up on the 1992 Aladdin, and is so ingrained in my history as a cinefile that I highly doubted this remake would do anything to surpass it. However, not one to dismiss a film before I watch it, I went into the theater with an open mind and ended up leaving pleased.

One thing that Disney has been nailing (mostly anyway) about these remakes are the leads. Firstly, Naomi Scott is absolutely stunning as Princess Jasmine. She updates the character to be more than just a damsel looking to escape the confines of the palace. Scott’s Jasmine is confident and determined, characteristics seen in her animated counterpart but Scott takes that foundation and elevates Jasmine to whole new heights. Her song, “Speechless,” perfectly captures Jasmine’s spirit and is nailed by Scott. “Speechless” is bound to become a classic Disney song belted at the top of their lungs by many.

The titular character is played by Mena Massoud. While he doesn’t capture the same spirit of his character the same way Scott captured the character of hers, Massoud plays the part well; he captures the charm of Aladdin well enough. He also has good chemistry with his co-stars, especially Scott and Will Smith. I’d say his biggest weakness is he doesn’t have the same singing chops as Scott or Smith. Songs like “One Jump Ahead” or his parts in “A Whole New World” lack the same energy of Brad Kane, Aladdin’s singing voice actor in the animated version.

Leading up to this film’s release, there had been a lot of talk as Will Smith as Genie. Robin Williams famously voiced Genie in the animated version and brought his unique energy and comedy to the character. Smith smartly didn’t try to emulate Williams. Instead, he played Genie in a very Will Smith way, creating a different kind of Genie that worked within the context of the film. Over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that Smith doesn’t become the characters, the characters become Smith. Smith’s Genie is still larger-than-life and zany but doesn’t have the pizzazz of Williams’ Genie. Instead, Smith’s Genie is infused with Smith’s hip-hop and brand of comedy you’ve come to know and love over the years. While it garnered some criticism when he was announced to be playing the character, Smith’s Genie, like Williams’ before him, is one of the most entertaining and exciting aspects of this film.

I don’t bring up a film’s production design much in my reviews but dammit was this film gorgeous. The streets of Agrabah were filled with all sorts of vivid colors. Most of the time here is spent following Aladdin as he travels and runs through it. Another viewing just to pick out more details in the streets and bazaars would be worth it. Then the palace is even more extravagant. The architecture and set design is unlike any other. Last but not least are the costumes. Like the rest of Agrabah, they are bright and lavish. Jasmine’s outfits in particular are dazzling and truly fitting of a princess.

As for the film’s villain, Jafar left me wanting. Marwan Kenzari wasn’t bad in the role, he just wasn’t the right fit for it. He doesn’t have the menace the animated Jafar is known for. Like Jasmine, Jafar’s backstory and character was expanded on but unlike Jasmine, his changes don’t add much to the character, only seeming have been added to make a scene in the latter part of the film work better. Kenzari’s Jafar simply lacked the iconography that made the animated Jafar such a great villain.

Like the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, and as this year’s The Lion King live-action remake appears to, Aladdin follows the animated source material pretty closely. Jasmine and Jafar are given more backstory and Genie gets his own love interest in Jasmine’s handmaiden Dalia, played by the humorous Nasim Pedrad, but if you’ve seen the Disney Renaissance version, then you’ll know exactly every story beat and exactly how the story plays out.

I’ve noticed a trend in these Disney live-action remakes: remakes of older films, such as Dumbo or The Jungle Book, don’t stick so closely to the story of the animated versions they are remaking. But for remakes of more recent films, such as Beauty and the Beast and this, they stay more faithful the the characters and story. I’ve said that for a remake to justify its existence, it needs to provide something new, either with the characters, story, or both. For example, Dumbo, tried to tell a similar but fairly different story as the 1941 Dumbo, or Maleficent told the story of Sleeping Beauty from Maleficent’s perspective. As my feelings on these vary, at least they did enough to warrant their presence. Aladdin, while enjoyable, doesn’t do enough to properly answer the question “why?”

I thought Aladdin was GOOD 🙂 I had mixed feelings about one of my favorite Disney animated movies being remade but I went in hoping for the best nonetheless. Even though it doesn’t do enough to distinguish itself from the 1992 animated classic, this film still manages to be entertaining. And really, for a remake of a film that is so dear to me, that’s the least I could have hoped for.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Guy Ritchie – Director / Screenplay
John August – Screenplay
Alan Menken – Composer
Benj Pasek – Lyricist
Justin Paul – Lyricist

Mena Massoud – Aladdin
Naomi Scott – Jasmine
Will Smith – Genie
Marwan Kenzari – Jafar
Navid Negahban – Sultan
Nasim Pedrad – Dalia
Numan Acar – Hakim
Alan Tudyk – Iago (voice)
Frank Welker – Cave of Wonders (voice)

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum Review

Synopsis
After killing on Continental Hotel grounds, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run from every assassin in New York City who is looking to collect his bounty.

Review
John Wick was a surprise hit back in 2014. The 2017 sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2, maintained the same energy that made its predecessor so exciting while also expanding on the assassin underground glimpsed at in John Wick. So what does John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum bring to the franchise? Guns. Lots of guns. Right from the opening, this movie let’s you know it will be the most brutal John Wick film yet. Wick killing with a pencil from Chapter 2 appears tame compared to some of the ways he kills in this movie. Something that makes this film unique amid other actions films is how darkishly funny it is. Throughout much film, the rest of the audience and I were constantly laughing, both at how comically savage the action is and at some genuinely funny moments. Director Chad Stahelski knows that Wick’s creativity and uniqueness among his fellow action heroes is what audiences love about the titular character and brings more of what has made him so popular.

John Wick introduced the assassin underworld and briefly touches on Wick’s previous assassin life, then Chapter 2 greatly expanded on the hidden world occupied by Wick and his fellow killers. In Chapter 3, there was some expansion on his past, and a smidge more about the assassin High Table. However, world building is where this films stumbles compared to the other films in the series. Since the last film explored the assassin world, this film would have benefited from going even more into Wick’s past and his beginnings than it did.

I thought John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum was GOOD 🙂 I’m afraid of Lionsgate trying to milk as much from this series as possible. Wick’s character isn’t expanded on as much and he isn’t left in much of a different position than we’ve seen elsewhere in the series. Nonetheless, the action is why we keep coming back to this universe and once again, Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski deliver on that front. Over-the-top, balls-to-the-wall action fills the movie from start to finish, never letting you catch your breath and constantly keeping you wondering what Wick will kill with next.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Chad Stahelski – Director
Derek Kolstad – Story / Screenplay
Shay Hatten – Screenplay
Chris Collins – Screenplay
Marc Abrams – Screenplay
Tyler Bates – Composer
Joel J. Richard – Composer

Keanu Reeves – John Wick
Ian McShane – Winston
Lance Reddick – Charon
Mark Dacascos – Zero
Asia kate Dillon – The Adjudicator
Laurence Fishburne – Bowery King
Halle Berry – Sofia
Anjelica Huston – The Director
Said Taghmaoui – The Elder
Jerome Flynn – Berrada
Randall Duk Kim – Doctor
Margaret Daly – Operator
Jason Mantzoukas – Tick Tock Man

Avengers: Endgame Review

Synopsis
After Thanos (Josh Brolin) successfully eliminated half of all life in the universe, the Avengers search for a way to defeat Thanos and undo his actions.

Review
And I thought Avengers: Infinity War was an event! Avengers: Endgame blows Infinity War out of the water in terms of spectacle and scope, which is saying a lot. Where Infinity War was the beginning of the end of the current Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) era (now dubbed the “Infinity Saga”), Endgame is the finite end of the era. Whether you’ve been with these characters since Iron Man in 2008 or jumped in somewhere along the way, if you’ve spent any time with these characters and formed connections to them, you will more than likely find this a gratifying conclusion to the tapestry woven over the last eleven years.

If you somehow have stayed away from the MCU until this point, this is not the time to jump in. From specific moments or plot points from previous films, the story is seeped in the history of the MCU. We are given reminders along the way of why we have fallen for and cheered for these characters over the years. If you have no idea of who the characters are, their story arcs and growth, or what they are talking about, the subtleties will probably be lost on you, and will potentially ruin those moments for you if you do decide to revisit the other films later on.

You might think that with a three hour run time this film would drag on. If you thought that, you’d be wrong. This film is three hours long but it never feels that way. Not once did I think “when will this end?” The pacing never felt too rushed or too slow. When movies run as long as Endgame does, you might think there are scenes that could be removed but every scene plays a part and serves a purpose. The entire three hours is needed to make the story feel complete. Also, each act feels unique, helping mitigate issues of repetitiveness.

The films of the MCU have been hit or miss in terms of balancing their signature humor with more dramatic moments. Endgame manages to balance the two more than most other films in the MCU. If you like the humor then there will be plenty for you to laugh at. The quips come fast and loose as you have come to expect from these films. However, when the drama needs to take front and center, it does. In other movies in the franchise, humor can undermine the quieter, intimate moments. While there are a few moments that feel weakened by an abrupt joke, for the most part, the dramatic moments are given the room they need to have the emotional impact they deserve.

Every movie in this franchise has been character driven to some extent but Endgame might be the most character driven film of them all. The entire first act is spent following the remaining Avengers and seeing how Thanos’ victory has affected them. Even during the second act when the film picks up momentum, there are still plenty of instances when the action steps back and lets the characters drive the story forward. The full three hour run time is used to satisfy those who want to see big action pieces as well as those who want the nuanced scenes as well.

As someone who sees Marvel and Star Wars films opening weekend (if not opening night), I have seen some pretty enthusiastic crowds. Yet I have never been apart of a more energetic crowd than the one I was watching this movie with. In the final act, we get the battle between the heroes and the villains that we have been waiting for. This battle is the definition of epic. It is up there with the the Battle for Helmes Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers or the Battle on Planet Doom from Ready Player One. This battle is filled with so many “hell, yeah!” moments that had everyone whooping and cheering and throwing their fists in the air. It’s events like these that makes me so happy to be a part of these fandoms.

I thought Avengers: Endgame was GREAT 😀 While I would love to go into more details, I want to stay away from spoilers on the off-chance you haven’t seen it yet. I applauded Avengers: Infinity War for its ability to bring together plot threads laid down over the previous ten years. Now, Avengers: Endgame should be applauded for its ability to give those threads a satisfying and fitting conclusion. There are a lot of emotions to be felt, particularly if you’ve kept up with the MCU since the beginning. Marvel Studios has been a Hollywood pioneer in world- and franchise-building and Avengers: Endgame is a magnificent payoff to what they have been creating all these years. Although there is still a future in the MCU, this chapter has come to a close with the biggest bang possible.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Anthony Russo – Director
Joe Russo – Director
Christopher Markus – Writer
Stephen McFeely – Writer
Alan Silvestri – Composer

Starring literally everyone

Hellboy (2019) Review

Synopsis
When Nimue (Milla Jovovich), a centuries old witch, is resurrected, Hellboy (David Harbour) and the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense race to find the fabled Excalibur, the only weapon capable of defeating Nimue, before she unleashes her forces on the Earth.

Review
As a cinefile, I can usually find something to appreciate in every film I watch. As a movie reviewer, I don’t like bashing any film. When I watch a film, I watch it for my own enjoyment, not to critique it or find its flaws. Unfortunately for this reboot of Mike Mignola’s popular comic book character, I found very little to enjoy in Hellboy. From the get-go, it’s clear that this is going to be a different Hellboy movie than the two directed by Guillermo del Toro. Which is good. When rebooting a series, some of the most successful ones are usually tonally different. While this iteration definitely feels different, it is also a mess.

One thing I actually did like about this reboot is that it just jumped right into the world of Hellboy. In a way, it reminds me of a movie like Inception where it drops the audience into the world without hand-holding the them. However, there is not much world-building in Hellboy. There is plenty of exposition sprinkled throughout the film to give backstory to protagonist and antagonist but it is the bare minimum. I didn’t feel like there was enough to care about Hellboy, the relationship between him and his father, or the villain, whose justification for wanting to destroy humans is because of reasons. The experience felt like watching a sequel when I didn’t watch the first film.

The plot also unnecessarily convoluted. Hellboy travels from location to location and characters appear and disappear seemingly on a whim, creating a whirlwind pace for the film. Hellboy feels like it’s moving along yet still somehow manages to drag on. As I mentioned before, there was a plot thread focused on the relationship between Hellboy and his father, Professor Broom, played by the criminally underutilized Ian McShane. There was very little time invested into this thread and as a result, when this thread came to a head, I didn’t feel any emotion. And this isn’t just limited to Hellboy and Broom but also Hellboy and all of the supporting characters. Since the story jumps around and characters come and go, no relationships are built. David Harbour does a good job as the titular character but it doesn’t matter when there is no one around long enough to work with.

This film is rated R (NC-17) and takes full advantage of it. Every shooting or stabbing creates rivers of blood and gore that would make Quentin Tarantino jealous. Now, I’m not one to criticize a movie for being violent. I revel in movies that aren’t afraid to be bloody and gory… as long as it works for the context of the film and it makes sense to do so. That isn’t the case here. It felt like it was being gruesome for gruesome’s sake. Of course, it didn’t help that the CGI was atrocious, which only made things look worse. To paraphrase Ian Malcolm, the movie was so preoccupied with whether or not it could that it didn’t stop to think if it should.

I thought Hellboy was BAD 😦 I wanted to like this film, especially as a fan of the del Toro Hellboy films, but this is just a mess of a film. Character relationships weren’t properly built, the story was stifled in favor of action, and the CGI is comparable to a late 90s or early 2000s film. If this is considered closer to the comics adaptation of Hellboy, I’ll take my further from the comics adaptation back, please.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Neil Marshall – Director
Andrew Cosby – Screenplay
Benjamin Wallfisch – Composer

David Harbour – Hellboy
Ian McShane – Professor Broom
Milla Jovovich – Nimue / The Blood Queen
Sasha Lane – Alice Monaghan
Daniel Dae Kim – Major Ben Daimio
Alistair Petrie – Lord Adam Glaren
Sophie Okonedo – Lady Hatton
Troy James – Baba Yaga
Emma Tate – Baba Yaga (voice)
Mark Stanley – Arthur
Brian Glesson – Merlin
Penelope Mitchell – Ganeida
Thomas Haden Church – Lobster Johnson
Markos Rounthwaite – Grigori Rasputin
Joel Harlow – Von Krupt