Review - Star Trek: Into Darkness

At The Theater - "Star Trek: Into Darkness" - Although it moves at too fast a pace for it's own good and there's a few notable logistical flaws to pick at, "Star Trek: Into Darkness" is mostly what BIG, fun summer movies should be all about. The movie LOOKS expensive- grand-scale action scenes are impressive to the say the least, with some of the sharpest, most detailed effects work you may see this year (courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic).  A sequence involving a free-falling Enterprise is absolutely thrilling. The film borrows a highly memorable scene from "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" (still my favorite of the franchise), the nature of which may divide fans- some may recognize it as an homage, while others may feel it's a blatant ripoff (I thought it worked and effectively tugged at my nostalgic side). Get used to the name Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC's Sherlock)- you've seen him before in other films, but not like this. 

Director J.J. Abrams continues to display a firm understanding of the necessary ingredients for a quality, involving adventure film- he's in tune to what works for the genre and it's audience, something that escaped George Lucas entirely for all three of the most recent Star Wars films.  I'm pleased that Abrams has taken the reins of that franchise, as well, and find myself confident that fans can expect a return to greatness. He handles the action scenes with respectable clarity (lens flares, be damned) and verve while utilizing some awesome, tangible/practical set pieces- those involving the interior of the Enterprise are absolutely stunning. I do believe the script-by-committee for this film (Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof) could have used another polish with special attention given to fixing a few glaring plot holes that a youngster could point out.  I wish this particular story had been more centered and straight-forward- it's a little too layered and contrived, possibly too expansive for one film.  In contrast, the dialogue is first rate- expect a wealth of sharp, quick-witted and outright funny give-and-take exchanges.

The cast portraying the primary crew of the Enterprise in 2009's Star Trek reboot returns, with Chris Pine's (Unstoppable) "Captain Kirk", Zachary Quinto's (NBC's Heroes) "Spock" and Simon Pegg's (Shaun of The Dead) "Scotty" being this particular entry's standouts. Zoe Saldana's (Avatar) "Uhura" is given a bit more to work with than the first film and does a commendable job. I was a little disappointed to find Karl Urban's (Dredd) "Bones McCoy" relegated to little more than several one liners (however true to the nature of DeForest Kelley's long-running turn of the pessimistic Doctor), while other popular characters have been updated, so to speak. Urban's considerable presence goes largely underutilized here, he's as athletic and as capable an action star as anyone in the film, so why not take advantage of that?   Anton Yelchin's (Terminator: Salvation) "Chekov" and John Cho's (the Harold & Kumar films) "Sulu" fall victim to the film's overly complex story- their respective characters are given painfully little screen-time or purpose in this sequel.  Strangely, Scotty's vertically challenged alien engineer/sidekick, "Keenser" (played by Deep Roy), conspicuously disappears from the film's third act with no explanation. 

I'll go ahead and let the Mountain Lion (or Gorn) out of it's cage- Benedict Cumberbatch plays "Khan" here- fans of Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) should find themselves pleased with Cumberbatch's commanding villainous performance and how the character is handled.  The British Actor is making more of a name for himself with every role he takes on and he's excellent here.  That said, Ricardo Mantalban's Melville-quoting Khan in the '82 film remains firmly amongst my all-time, top 10 favorite screen villains. 

It's cool to see Peter Weller (Robocop) back in a larger-budgeted film and in a substantial role as "Starfleet Admiral Marcus".  Bruce Greenwood (Below) is back as "Rear Admiral Christopher Pike"- he's often referred to as one of the nicest guys in Hollywood and it comes across onscreen.  Brit Actress Alice Eve (MIB 3) is "Dr. Carol Marcus", a potential love interest for Kirk- fans know where their relationship is going...

Leonard Nimoy once again provides a cameo while Trekkies should be delighted with one helluva confrontation involving those nasty Klingons.  Overall, this is an excellent Summer crowd-pleaser that delivers the goods- needless to say, it's Highly Recommended.  It's a notch below the 2009 reboot but still well worth checking out in theaters.  Those inclined should shell out several more clams to see it at the IMAX.  The visuals are just that good...

8.0 out of 10

***Of Note*** It would help to have seen Wrath of Khan beforehand as those who have not will probably miss out on the many references to that film which add to the overall dramatic effect of Into Darkness.

FWIW-

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - 6.5
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - 9.0
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock - 6.0
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - 8.0
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier - 4.5
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - 7.5
Star Trek: Generations - 5.5
Star Trek: First Contact - 8.5
Star Trek: Insurrection - 5.5
Star Trek: Nemesis - 6.0
Star Trek (2009) - 8.5

Review - Iron Man 3

At the Theater - "Iron Man 3" - Essentially a patchwork of half-baked ideas pulled from the cutting room floors of the first two volumes of this franchise- it's subplot heavy and often difficult to follow, all barely held together by Robert Downey Jr.'s performance and Co-Writer, Director Shane Black's signature witty dialogue.  It's a rickety, merely passable sequel that had me asking questions and picking at plot holes in it's script throughout, with most going unanswered or unresolved.  The whole affair, and it's many problems, reminded me of Spider-Man 3- too many villains, too much "face time" for it's lead and outright too "layered" for it's own good.  Oh yeah, the Mark 42 armor's color scheme (primarily gold) just plain stinks.

This post-Avengers entry is strangely devoid of other Avengers- I understand it's a stand-alone Iron Man flick, but none of the other team members making so much as a cameo when our hero is immersed in so much conflict is a bit ridiculous and short-sighted. So much for having each others backs.

It appears the entire Shield Agency was also too busy, off filming a new TV show for ABC with no time or concern for the world-wide reach of a maniacal, terrorist/bomber killing indiscriminately and making personal threats against the President of The United States. Not one of their agents (not even a fresh-faced newbie) is to be found here.

For better and worse, there's far more Robert Downey Jr. as "Tony Stark" than there is the suited hero, Iron Man here- it's primarily a more character-driven, personal tale as Stark battles some form of PTSD that's befallen him as a result of the events of the Avengers scuffle, all-the-while trying to piece together the mystery of "The Mandarin" in some kind of MacGyver meets Bond fashion.  It's a bit of a tonal shift for the series and I couldn't quite buy into it's reasoning or execution.  Downey is as game and as entertaining as ever, the strongest aspect of the film being his often hilarious dialogue- that said, I'm one of those simpleton knuckle-draggers who went to see Iron Man wreak kick-ass havoc.  The nature of the conclusion of this film coupled with an end-credits montage of scenes pulled from the trilogy leads one to believe that this may be the final stand-alone Iron Man film featuring Downey in the titular role- I'm thinking the overwhelming box office returns might force Marvel/Disney to reconsider that...

Ben Kingsley's (Gandhi) "Mandarin" is by far the biggest misfire of Marvel's current crop of celluloid super-villains, obviously a victim of Disney's highly publicized effort to secure (and not offend) a highly coveted Chinese market.  I was fine with Kingsley being cast (a British Indian) as he's a great actor and highly capable, though the ultimate nature of his role and how the character is "utilized" should be considered some kind of shameful, cinematic crime.  Marvel/Disney had a chance to do something special and highly memorable with the character and they promptly shit the bed, so to speak. It's PC garbage.

Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential) is solid as "Aldrich Killian", a fellow scientist and rival of our hero that has co-created Extremis, a virus with regenerative healing qualities.  Expect a substantial turn for the Australian actor that has been successfully kept under wraps by the many trailers.  The lovely British Actress Rebecca Hall (The Town) is "Maya Hansen"- a botanist and former flame of Tony's that suddenly pops back into his life.  Hall is good in an underwritten role- I've got a "thing" for her...

Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) returns as "Colonel James Rhodes", though fans may find themselves disappointed to find that his War Machine, now a repainted Iron Patriot (complete with red, white and blue color scheme), is given literally nothing to do in the way of action.  Cheadle is once again fine as Rhodes, and it would be cool to see him in a spin-off.

Gwyneth Paltrow is back as "Pepper Potts"- expect a more "hands-on" Pepper, with the actress displaying a bit of heroic girl power late in the film.  I still don't see her as "The World's Most Beautiful Woman"...

John Favreau (Swingers) ditches Directorial duties yet returns as Tony Stark's security chief, "Happy Hogan", while James Badge Dale (HBO's The Pacific) is Killian's right hand man and enforcer.  French Actress Stephanie Szostak (The Devil Wears Prada) makes a memorable appearance as a scarred, super-powered assassin.

William Sadler (Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight) makes a few appearances as the POTUS with Miguel Ferrer (Robocop 1987) portraying the Vice President. 

Highlights of the film include a sequence where our hero's cliff-side pad is destroyed by helicopter gunships (it's sharp stuff) and a story arc where Stark crash-lands somewhere in rural Tennessee and befriends a young fan. The stripped-down nature of that aforementioned segment is a welcomed diversion that I wish would have comprised more of the film.

A considerable portion of this installment is shot in darkness, with many of the rapid-fire, effects-heavy action sequences rather numbing and nearly incoherent.  This is by far the most CGI-reliant installment, and I couldn't help but wonder if Director Shane Black was either a little out of his element or wasn't given the go-ahead to tweak Screen Writer Drew Pearce's script.  The climactic, shipyard showdown was just plain gaudy with "anything goes" special effects that play out so fast and edited so choppily that it'll make your head spin while you're trying to scratch it. Black's only other Directorial effort was 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (highly recommended), which had a relatively low $15 million budget-  Iron Man 3's budget = $200 million.  Black is a talented writer (Lethal Weapon) when he's in his element and I look forward to a more restrained effort from him in the upcoming Doc Savage film.   

In my opinion, Iron Man 3 is a letdown that will probably please most casual movie-goers while disappointing the living hell out of comic book "purists".  Many segments contradict the rules and groundwork laid out so nicely in the first two films- sticklers for detail will have a field day. The Extremis aspect of the story should have been featured as the primary conflict here- it's the subject of my favorite Iron Man graphic novel and I couldn't help but be majorly bummed with how it unfolded onscreen.  It seemed poorly conceived and slapped together haphazardly. Remember the Venom character and story-line  from Spider-Man 3?  Yeah, what could have been...

For those interested, there is a post-credits scene that die-hard fans might want to stay for.

Iron Man 3-   6.5 out of 10



FWIW-

Iron Man - 8.5
Iron Man 2 - 8.0
Captain America: The First Avenger - 8.5
Thor - 7.5
Hulk - 5.0
The Incredible Hulk - 6.5
The Avengers - 9.0

Review - Oblivion

At the Theater - "Oblivion" - Although it's a pastiche of a myriad of ideas from a host of past Sci-Fi films, it's a very well made one. Excellent effects work, gorgeous cinematography, a pulsing OST from M83 and Tom Cruise giving it his all highlight this Asimov-esque tale of a post-apocalyptic maintenance man questioning his mission on a shattered Earth. Of the (relatively) limited amount of films I've seen at the theater this year, it's thus far my favorite. 

Director Joseph Kosinski's eye for striking visuals is once again on par with the best effects-heavy auteurs in the business, with Oscar-Winning Director of Photography Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi) providing consistently stunning work of his own. The film features a multitude of excellent set pieces and impressive props while the human aspect of the story is substantially warmer to the touch than Kosinski's previous effort, TRON: Legacy. I had a difficult time finding anything involving the FX work that I didn't like- there's nothing gaudy or excessive to speak of.  Furthermore, there wasn't any moment throughout the film that I second-guessed the logistics at hand- it's one of the more efficient films of it's nature that I've seen in quite some time.

I don't mind Tom Cruise- I actually believe he's putting in some of the best work of his career and could care less about the offscreen baggage that seems to interest and rankle so many others. Comparatively, I also believe he's currently amongst the very best leading men in film. He's terrific here as "Jack Harper" (generic name, I know), the sole drone repair tech working to harvest a war-ravaged Earth's remaining resources for the benefit of an orbiting space station harboring the planet's remaining survivors.  Cruise exhibits the presence and charisma of a seasoned vet with nary a false note to speak of.  He's not one of my favorite actors, but I struggled to think of someone who could have done a better job in the role.

Andrea Riseborough portrays Harper's base coordinator and love interest, "Vicca"- I've honestly never seen the actress before but felt she was pretty damned good throughout.

Olga Kurylenko (Quantum Of Solace) is only a baby-step better than the last time I saw her in a film- she's decidedly uneven as a figure from Harper's past who throws events into motion. Morgan Freeman is as dependable as ever in a limited supporting role, while Nicolaj Coster-Waldau (HBO's Game Of Thrones) isn't given nearly enough to do.  Melissa Leo (The Fighter), as the space station's mission control agent who's constantly checking in for status updates, sports a Texan accent that I found annoyingly phony and wholly unnecessary. My biggest disappointment was finding that Kiwi Stuntwoman/Actress Zoe Bell (Death Proof) has somewhere less than a minute's worth of screen-time- there's no good reason for that.

I'm guessing most who've had the pleasure of watching Duncan Jones' Moon will recognize a substantial plot development and feel that this film copies it- I do seem to recall that Oblivion's story was a long-gestating graphic novel from Radical Comics which preceded the release of Moon by a couple of years, though.  Expect certain other parts of the story and visual design to emulate other films of the Sci-Fi genre like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet Of The Apes (1968) and Independence Day. I actually enjoyed the many similarities and references.

Although the narrative is at times familiar, Oblivion is an entertaining, logistically sound and aesthetically pleasing bit of escapism featuring some impressively sharp production values, fluid direction and a fine lead performance from Cruise. Highly Recommended for fans of the Sci-Fi genre- it deserves a viewing in a quality theater.

8.5 out of 10

Photo - The Midnight Hour

Photo - Got Darkness?

Review - The Sweeney

On Blu Ray and DVD - "The Sweeney" -  Solid production values and a smoldering performance from Ray Winstone can't quite save this British cops-n-robbers flick from a garbled, cliched-to-a-fault script.  Based on a popular UK TV show of the same name that ran from 1975 to 1978, it feels like Cliff's Notes for a more substantial, fleshed out work. A few shockingly stupid moments and a woefully miscast Ben Drew (a British Rapper known as "Plan B") as an up and coming supercop doesn't help matters in the least.

Taken from Wikipedia.org - "The film's title derives from "Sweeney Todd", which is Cockney rhyming slang for "Flying Squad", a real life branch of the Metropolitan Police force specializing in armed robbery and violent crime in London."  -  That this special police force shows up to an armed robbery in progress with the majority of it's officers armed with only axe handles and baseball bats will boggle the mind.  This bit of ridiculous nonsense occurs twice in the film and I must admit that I was done with it as a serious bit of entertainment from there on.  Whoever dreamed this kind of crap up shouldn't be allowed to write in the genre ever again.  It's just that stupid.

Ray Winstone (The Departed) plays Detective Inspector "Jack Regan"- the kind of grizzled, old-school, hard-nosed cop we all love to watch beat the hell out of and ultimately blow away the bad guys. The veteran actor is very good here and I found it increasingly frustrating that his character wasn't featured in a better script- it's a missed opportunity in the grand scheme of memorable ass kickers.

Ben Drew is Regan's sidekick and protege who never fits the part in any way, shape or form.  He's a blank-faced bit of worthlessness that I hope never gets a serious role again. 

The lovely and talented Hayley Atwell (Captain America: First Avenger) portrays a member of the squad and Regan's love interest while Damian Lewis (HBO's Band Of Brothers) is wasted as the Chief Inspector of the force- Lewis is barely in the film and his character's motives and alliances are often difficult to follow when he does pop up.

Steven Mackintosh (Underworld: Evolution) is a determined Internal Affairs Agent looking to bring down The Sweeney- although his character is unaware that Regan is sleeping with this wife (Atwell), he's hell-bent on nailing the crew for no apparent reason other than that's what Internal Affairs agents are expected to do...

A mid-film bank robbery should have been rearranged to end the film- you'll be amazed at the overall poor marksmanship of the so-called professionals on both sides of the law.  There is a decently staged car chase to close out the picture, though too many characters and situations are of the cookie-cutter variety in between the action segments to give the narrative any kind of pulse or momentum.  The musical score does get a bit unnerving, almost forcefully trying to make you to care.

Winstone chews scenery with the best of 'em, the film is nice to look at and a couple of action sequences are rather impressive, though I couldn't quite get past the overwhelming feeling of "been there and done that" that permeates the entire film.  Only those desperate for a quickie action fix should check it out- others should skip it.

5.5 out of 10

Review - Olympus Has Fallen

At the Theater - "Olympus Has Fallen" -  The makers of "Olympus Has Fallen" are desperately hoping that you haven't seen a little flick from 1988 entitled, Die Hard. I'm fine with action films using the formula; Die Hard on a Battleship (Under Siege), Die Hard on a Train (Under Siege 2), Die Hard at a Hockey Game (Sudden Death), Die Hard on a Bus (Speed), Die Hard on a cruise liner (Speed 2), Die Hard on a Plane (Executive Decision, Passenger 57, Air Force One, Con Air), Die Hard on Alcatraz (The Rock), Die Hard in a Tunnel (Daylight), Die Hard in the Rocky Mountains (Cliffhanger), etc., because some of these "variants" have resulted in some quality entertainment able to stand on their own two legs. Olympus Has Fallen, Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), goes so far as to rip off specific scenes in their entirety.  Not cool. Mix in a few large-scale action scenes marred by 3rd rate CGI effects (courtesy of Ghost VFX) along with a generic main villain plucked from the token section of Hollywood's bad-guy stockroom and you've got a middling actioner that's only able to tread water in Guilty Pleasure territory due to the well-utilized presence of Gerard Butler (300) and a Hard R approach. 

Although I'm generally not a fan of computer-aided effects in action films grounded in reality, they can be fantastic when used as an assist by quality crews (see True Lies).  This particular film appears to have either undershot the effects portion of the budget or simply employed a substandard FX group- a car accident in the film's prologue, an early segment featuring a C-130 vs two F-22's and a final act siege of the White House by 6 Black Hawk helicopters are just plain gaudy. There's no excuse for an entirely CGI rendered car in a $70 million movie- it's just plain ol' bad decision making.  Anyone remember the awful plane crash at the end of Air Force One?  Yeah, some of the effects shots in this film are that kind of bad...

Gerard Butler settles back into action star mode quite nicely.  He's a likeable actor with believable presence to spare.  I'm a fan who has hoped the Scot would ditch the ill-advised, half-hearted, rom-coms he's been settling for, though I hope his next action role is in a sturdier production.  Most will notice his accent bleeding through now and then but it's a worthy effort.

Aaron Eckhart (Battle Los Angeles) does commendable work as the Commander In Chief taken hostage, though I wasn't buying for a second that the remaining American Cabinet would place the lives of billions at risk in an effort to save him.  Eckhart's got a starring role in the upcoming I, Frankenstein, yet I can't help but wonder if the actor's one misfire away from spending the rest of his career in supporting roles.  Given the material, he gives the best pure performance in the film.

Rick Yune (The Fast And The Furious) takes his rightful place amongst the more forgettable main villains in action movie history.  His work here as the terrorist mastermind, "Kang", is every bit as uninspired as his turn in 2002's Die Another Day- what a difference a decade doesn't make.  Midway through, I couldn't help but picture Choi Min-Sik (Oldboy) in the role...

Morgan Freeman's always solid, even in paycheck mode as the Speaker of the House. With the President and VP being held hostage, the decisions of his acting Commander In Chief are decidedly ludicrous.  Angela Bassett (What's Love Got To Do With It) is the Secret Service Director while Radha Mitchell (Man On Fire) is our hero's wife- both talented actresses are underused.  Melissa Leo (The Fighter) isn't very believable as a rather defenseless Secretary Of Defense while the great Robert Forester (Alligator) is painted as the obligatory, war-mongering General.

Dylan McDermott (ABC's The Practice) and Cole Hauser (Pitch Black) are U.S. Secret Service agents-one's a stand up guy while another harbors treasonous intentions.  McDermott might be a helluva guy in real life, but there's just something about his face that cries "TURD"- I don't believe I've ever liked him in anything he's done.

Ashley Judd (Kiss The Girls) has little more than a cameo here as the First Lady, featured in no more than 2 minutes of total screentime.  Anyone who's seen the trailer for this film probably already understands that.

Try as I may, I still can't remember seeing just what the hell happened to the Vice President here- although I'm sure his departure was covered at some point, it's extremely brief.

With all that I disliked, Olympus Has Fallen isn't awful- the opening ground level siege of the White House is appropriately bloody and very well staged, there are a few legitimately tense moments throughout and Gerard Butler back in kick-ass, zinger-flinging mode is most agreeable.  See it at the theater only if you must (I'll recommend it as a rental), but be forewarned that another Die Hard in the White House comes out in late June in the form of Roland Emmerich's (Independence Day) "White House Down"...


5.5 out of 10