Gene Splicing (X3:The Last Stand, 2006)

X-2 was how you build upon a decent movie to make a great second film creating excitement for your franchise. Annnnnnd this one is how you screw it up.

It all starts with Warner Brothers deciding that their superhero films were missing a vital link to making their movies awesome. Getting the guys who made those good X-Men movies. And Bryan Singer answered their call-swayed by his love for the first two Superman movies and he took his major players with him.

Fox and Marvel started to work on a replacement. Darren Aronofsky, Alex Proya, Joss Whedon, Rob Bowman and Zack Snyder were all considered before setting up a deal with Matthew Vaughn (Stardust). After a brief time, Vaughn felt he could not be away from his family for the length of time making the film would require, so he dropped out.

Which leads us to Brett Ratner. Funny enough, before Singer, Ratner was considered for the original X-Men film. Since then he had a string of moderate successes in the Rush Hour films and Red Dragon. I am not going to lie…I cringed at the announcement.

So, the film starts out in the past, with Charles Xavier and Eric Lehnsherr (Magneto) going to meet with young Jean Grey and her parents. Both Xavier and Lehnsherr are taken aback by the latent power house within the child Jean Grey. I am more amazed at the some what humorous digital de-aging of Stewart and McKellen which makes them look kind like…they are made of plastic.

The scene then switches to a young boy in a bathroom. His father is pounding on the door for him to open up… honestly, this is one of the most solid scenes in the film as the young boy is attempting to keep a secret from his father. But his father manages to break in and we see the reveal that he was using a razor blade in an attempt to hack off bird-like wings. There is a real sense of heartbreak, and the actor playing young Warren Worthington is terrific.

We jump to the “near future” with what looks to be a city in ruins with young X-Men under attack. In the end, it is revealed to be a Danger Room training exercise. This is a first, as the Danger Room has not been seen until this film. We also see a Sentinel head in the simulation .

The film draws from Joss Whedon’s “mutant cure” storyline in Astonishing X-Men and the Phoenix Saga…minus pretty much everything from the Phoenix Saga. Cyclops is really broken up, he has stubble, so you know it is bad. Marsten was in Superman returns, so they get rid of him quickly. The story is an interesting idea, the cure for mutant abilities, allowing mutants to no longer be mutants. but it is second fiddle at times to the Phoenix storyline. In the comics, the Phoenix Saga is a large and dramatic storyline that spanned several issues. But here it is compressed into two small hours, lacking much of the

The strongest point of the film is the cast. Along with the cast of regulars, we get Ben Foster as Angel, Kelsey Grammer as the Beast (inspired casting if there ever was) and Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde. While Foster is not as pretty as I pictured Angel to be, he is a solid performer.

Ian McKellan is terrific as usual. He is able to seem dangerous and cruel, yet can seem generous and wise at the turn of a hat. At one point, Pyro makes mention that he would have killed Xavier for him…and Magneto stops and looks sternly at Pyro and defends the greatness of Xavier. McKellan has always done a wonderful job of selling the idea that Magneto truly loved and cared for his friend-in spite of being on opposite sides of the issue. His delivery of the Magneto speeches are poetic.

The problem is…the film is a mish mash of ideas. It has great moments, but it is filled with lazy writing. The resolution of the Phoenix story is troubling. Rather than letting her sacrifice herself what we get is depressing and problematic. The character could not just “get better”, she had killed to many people to come back from that. And she is so powerful, that letting her go forward would be hard to defend and there is no way to “imprison” her. The original story was grandly cosmic, and I realize that it was unlikely that we would see that version on film. Brett Ratner is clearly trying to go big, but it tends to fall short. Characters get short changed and used without much thought of their potential. It is by the books, taking interesting ideas from the comics and executing them badly. Professor X is basically reduced to Professor Exposition, leaving Stewart to fend for himself in a massively reduced role. I realize some of this may have been related to actors schedules and the like, but there is little effort to deal with the absences in a way other than to hope you forget they are not there. And what is the point of de-powering Magneto if you are going to end on him getting his power back right before the credits roll?

Rogue should be the real heart of this story. Her struggle is easy to connect to. She wants contact, but her powers prevent that. Yet, the character disappears for large swaths of the film. She misses the final battle entirely.

The film has some good effects, and often the actors overcome stiff or lazy dialog…but in the end, after the powerful and exciting X2, this movie just trips over itself.

This is the Alien: Resurrection of the franchise. And yet, it was better than Superman Returns. Go figure.

July 27, 2016 0

Gene Therapy (X2:X-Men United, 2003)

While it had it’s flaws, X-Men was a solid enough success to warrant a sequel. X-Men 2 went into production under Singer’s guidance. You do not fix what is not broke after all. And Singer got people excited by suggesting this was going to be his Empire Strikes Back.

Picking up pretty much where we left off, mutants are still feared, Magneto is in a cell of plastic, receiving visits from Professor X, who is trying to win his friend back.

In an excellent setup, we are introduced to Nightcrawler. He has infiltrated the White House with a band of tourists and takes off to assassinate the President. It is a really thrilling sequence that sets the film into motion. Professor X and the X-men start trying to locate this mutant who tried to kill the president.

The President is holding meetings with his advisors and General Stryker (played excellently by Brian Cox) . Stryker is the very type of person Magneto fears coming to power. He distrusts and despises mutants, and seeks to eradicate them. And part of that is to put an end to the threat he sees in the Xavier School for Gifted Children. He has been collecting information using as ort of “truth serum/mind control” on mutants.

That evening, with only Wolverine to watch over the kids, Cyclops and Professor X go to see Magneto, while Storm and Jean Grey track down Nightcrawler. Magneto has managed to set up an elaborate and exciting escape. At the same time, Jean and Storm have located Nightcrawler hiding in a church that is under renovation. They are surprised to find a somewhat timid and fearful mutant, not the hardened terrorist one might expect.

While this is going on, Stryker launches an assault on the school. It is here that he is surprised to discover Wolverine, suggesting Stryker may have answers to Wolverine’s past. Wolverine escape with Rogue, Bobby/Iceman and John/Pyro.

Ultimately, the mutants all meet up, knowing they must fight together to stop Stryker’s madness. He plans to use tech and Xavier to destroy all mutants. This leads Magneto and the X-Men to work together in an assault on Stryker’s underground bunker. They save the Xavier, Cyclops and the students but Magneto has no intention of trusting Xavier’s lofty goals and takes off, Pyro in tow. In their attempt to get out safely, The X-Men find themselves suffering another loss.

X2 really set the bar for Super-hero films. In describing it as his Empire, Singer really hit the nail on the head. It is a bit darker than it’s predecessor, the stakes seem higher and the losses more painful. Oh yeah, it ends on a cliffhanger of sorts. All the things that the X-Men comics excel at are present in Singer’s film.

The story functions both in allegory and straightforward adventure. There is humor, heartache, mystery and excitement. The writing really capture the characters, giving the performer and director a solid road map.

Nightcrawler is played to perfection by Alan Cummings. He is the sensitive and compassionate spiritual soul, but also the free-spirited swashbuckling showman. As I mentioned, Cox really hits it out of the park as Stryker. A menacing zealot, willing to sacrifice the dignity of his own child in his thirst for vengeance.

Not shockingly, of course, McKellen’s portrayal of Magneto is top notch. Bringing depth and thoughtfulness to the character. He has many great moments both exciting (his clever escape scene) and quiet (he has a nice moment where he discusses what it is to be a mutant in the world with Pyro. It is seductive in it’s emotional appeal).

Jackman shows a real affinity for the character of Wolverine. He’s able to bring together both the gruffness and genuine protectiveness that has long been a part of the character. And he still managed to pull off crazy “berserker rage” with Wolverine. This is also some terrific moments of humor for the character.

The pairing of Rogue and Iceman works real well in the film. Their attempts to navigate a relationship without touch is nicely handled. Both Sean Ashmore and Anna Paquin have a sweet chemistry that sells the relationship.

Some complain about the heavy handed-ness of the mutant=gay subtext. But the thing about the X-Men is, they address the “subtext of the times”. There was a time when mutant=race was the primary read…but the gay subtext is a pretty natural fit.

Like I said, the film raised the bar. X2 is easily still one of the top five super-hero films. It manages to both be enjoyable for a newer fan with plenty to reward the die-hard fan. This is a solid film that still holds up.

July 26, 2016 0

First Mutations (X-Men, 2000)

X-Men kind of set a template for Marvel films that they have stayed fairly close to and it has served them well. Get a director with some real film cred, and the rest will follow. X-Men is certainly proof that it is an effective approach.

Really, it was the hiring of Bryan Singer (then most recognized for the Usual Suspects) that got actors to take notice. Most of the actors admitted no familiarity with the comics, and Bryan was not a fan of the series when he came on board. While having a non-fanboy running the show ruffled some feathers (especially when it was revealed that none of the X-Men would be wearing costumes), it really seemed to miss the point.

A good storyteller need not be a fan to tell a great tale about these characters. Patrick Stewart’s lack of interest in Sci-Fi did not stop him from becoming a beloved Star Trek Captain or Professor X. And many of the actors opted to research their characters by reading the comics. Sir Ian McKellan devoted an extensive section of his website to Magneto, he found simple ways to connect the characters to real life.

Of course, the big issue was Wolverine. Hugh Jackman was way to tall to play the runt. Oh, the frustrations comic fans are forced to deal with. Along with the previously mentioned news that Singer was ditching the costumes in favor of leather uniforms. So, things were stacking up against it in the eyes of fans and creators.

The film begins in the early 1940’s. A concentration camp to be specific. Weakened and fearful Jewish families are herded through an iron gate. The Nazi soldiers begin to separate out children. One young boy and his parents reach for each other, and as the young boy becomes more frantic, we notice little things. The metal in the gates starts to reach back towards the boy-and he and the soldiers holding on to him are dragged towards the warping gates. After knocking the boy out, the soldiers stare in confusion at the mangled gates before them. Next is an introduction to Rogue (Anna Paquin). She is in her room with a young man and they start to kiss…suddenly, he starts to appear sickly, veins seeming to grow across his face. She starts screaming as the boy convulses before her. These are dramatic starts for a very ambitious film. A few years earlier Batman and Robin crashed the comic book movie boom. And yet, Singer was taking the X-men seriously.

The film quickly works to bring all the characters together. and there is little time wasted in creating the team, tying it around Wolverine and Rogue.

The film, despise an easy premise, suffers from the problem from so many first films for a franchise…”Introductoritus”. It is a large ensemble, and I get wanting to put in all sorts of stuff for the die hard fan to get excited over. But it is a big cast and that means some folks will get glossed over. Halle Berry’s Storm is flat and pretty lifeless. Some of it is the writing, some is the performance. Hugh Jackman does a terrific job as Wolverine. He is convincing as a loner, yet the (sibling like) bond with Rogue is believable. As his his friction with Cyclops and the magnetism with Jean Grey. Unfortunately, Marsten’s Cyclops is often kind of boring when not interacting with Wolverine. Their verbal sparring is definitely a highlight of the film. It often feels like the film really is not sure how they want to portray Storm and Cyclops.

But in the end, Storm gets the biggest shaft in character development. Some of the film’s worst lines come from Storm. There is the scene where she and Wolverine are discussing the coming war between mutants-those who wish to peacefully co-exist with homo sapiens and those who wish to rule as homo-superior. She tells Wolverine at least she has chosen aside. As if merely choosing a side gives you some nobility (hint-it does not). I mean, yeah, she chose Professor X’s side…but what if she had chosen Magneto’s side? There is also the infamous “what happens to a toad when struck by lightning” gag. It falls flat. It was a contribution of Joss Whedon, who swears that it was all Halle Berry’s delivery that resulted in it being so ridiculed.

Both Patrick Stewart and McKellan give rousing performances, while Hugh Jackman proved that he could embody Wolverine even though he was of average height. Stewart and McKellan really provide a sense of a longstanding friendship that is needed as the foundation of the story. The effects were solid for the time, many mutant powers from the comics really came to life.

On the other hand, the film is so busy introducing the concept and the characters, the plot seems under developed. It is a pretty herculean task to try and bring a single character with over forty years of backstory to a finite two hour movie. Trying to bring the X-Men-full of hundreds of characters together cohesively? You have to choose who you want to focus on, knowing you will deal with complaints either way. Singer, Tom Desanto and David Hayter struggle valiantly to bring together character and story, but really, it fell mostly on the side of character development. Understandable, as the X-Men have a rich cast to choose from.

Toad and Sabertooth come off as pretty bland and one dimensional for most of the film, not contributing much until the end.

For Singer, this was easily his most ambitious film to date. Not so much in story, but in cast size, and general scale. But he does a pretty solid job with the film overall. He seems to understand the sense of scope a film like this needed-in spite of his background in smaller films, he seemed to transition quite well to the grand scale needed for the X-Men.

The film’s overall plot is probably less memorable than it’s various character moments, and in that sense, the movie is hurt. What could have been a terrific film is simply a good start…it is just a set up.

July 25, 2016 0

No Fear (Ghostbusters, 2016)

The moment it was announced that instead of Ghostbusters 3, we were getting a rebooted film with an all-female team there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. Never mind that much of the original cast would have been less than convincing at their ages…never mind that in the time it would have taken to get made Harold Ramos passed…and the original cast without Egon would feel off. But what really seemed to drive the anger was the notion that this was feminism out of control, trying to take away someone’s toys.

It was never that, mind you. But that did not stop folks from screaming to the hills that this would never be a good film. Throw in the severely low Youtube rating for the trailer (which is suspicious as the trailer fared much better pretty much everywhere else) and you had an overflow that made people skeptical.

What we have received from Director Paul Feig and his cast is a pretty funny film. The team is brought together pretty organically. Erin Gilbert is approached by a man hoping she can help him with a ghost problem. She is a Physics professor at Columbia University and has hoped noone ever discovers a book she wrote with a friend. She finds out, however, the book is available on Amazon. Going to confront Abby for releasing a book she promised to never release. It does not go as expected and soon (along with Abby’s associate Holtzmann) they are chasing ghosts. They end up hiring dumb as a post Kevin and adding subway worker Patty to their ghost hunting team.

The film is a lot of fun, and strong comedic performances. The film devotes a lot of time to them learning to use their equipment, but often to very funny results. Admittedly, Kate McKinnon steals the show as Holtzmann, often able to inspire laughs with ease and a wink. Hemsworth is almost adorable as the handsome but very stupid Kevin.

I was a bit disappointed that Leslie Jones character Patty was not a scientist after the first trailer, but it turned out okay. And Jones never devolves into racial stereotypes that comedies lean on, such as Loud Black Lady. No, her character is a blue collar worker who finds herself facing the super natural. I enjoyed her performance.

Rounding out the cast, McCarthy and Wiig have good chemistry as a pair of estranged friends. Also, the cast is full of seasoned and talented character actors. The cameos from original cast members are fun and the “fan service” is rarely intrusive.

This film has a different type of villain…a young man who feels walked over and is bitter at the human race. But he is not the only problem. As with the original, they face bureaucratic interference as well. Unlike the original, the Mayor is well aware of the ghosts, just trying to keep it all hidden from the public.

I walked out of the film with a smile, and laughed throughout the film (as did the rest of the audience I was with). This film does not ruin anyone’s childhood. It is not quite as good as the original (though it has far more good roles for women…the original had two major female roles)…but it is far better than Ghostbusters 2. Feig and the cast should be pleased with the product, which overall is effective and funny.

July 24, 2016 0

To Infinity And… (Star Trek Beyond, 2016)

In the third film since J.J. Abrams rebooted the Star Trek Universe, we get an original story. And really? It is quite a bit of fun. It begins a bit shaky with attempts to give us brief character moments that are not entirely effective. It is nice to see McCoy taking a bigger role then the last film, and more of a focus on the friendship of he and Jim. And hey, they are actually in the midst of their five year mission of exploration! The previous two films were set before that.

We find James T. Kirk having lost his way in the far reaches of space. Not literally, but spiritually. He is not alone, Spock is having a personal crisis regarding his role on the enterprise versus feeling of obligation to his fellow Vulcans. While visiting a space station, they are contacted by an unfamiliar species, a captain who begs for help for her stranded ship. The Enterprise takes her out only to be attacked and (in the long standing tradition of Trek) destroyed. To be honest, this sequence gets a little boring as it seems endless and kind of confusing. But when the crew lands and is dispersed on a nearby planet, the film kicks into gear.

I was skeptical of bringing a director of the Fast and Furious (admittedly director of some of the best films in the franchise) in to direct. But Justin Lin shows a lot of skill at making an energetic sci-fi film. The villain’s full motives are mysterious at first, but when revealed it all falls into place.

Everyone’s performances are true to form and this feels like an action packed version of the original crew. It is not that much deeper than the previous two installments, but it is far more effective in it’s story telling. Personally, I found the interaction between Spock and McCoy tremendously enjoyable. they had nice moments of expression of concern and admiration as well as some entertaining banter. Kirk’s “ladies man” persona is downplayed in this film, he never even hits on Jaylah, the pretty alien girl.

If ranking the Altered Timeline films, I would say Beyond is easily the best as it hits it’s marks. The villain is a strong and compelling threat (something the previous entries suffered at) and the villains plan at least makes sense and is not entirely dependent on complete coincidence. Okay, maybe a slight coincidence. But I enjoyed Star Trek Beyond, and enjoyed it very much.

July 23, 2016 0

Superman’s Infinite Rage (Vandetta, 2015)

Dean Cain is known for playing upright and noble types. He played Superman for four seasons on Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman. He has played police officers, angels and generally good guys. The Soska Sisters (Jen and Sylvia) are known for gritty horror films. Together (and with comic book writer Justin Shady) they give us a dark tale of the noble hero who walks away from his nobility and seeks revenge, going to great extremes.

Mason Danvers (Cain) and partner Joel (Ben Hollingsworth) capture Hardcore Criminal Victor Abbot (wrestler Paul Wight) and his brother. They are released on a technicality, and Abbott cannot help himself and kill’s Mason’s pregnant wife. Mason engineers to get himself into the prison where Abbott is serving his time for murder…by murdering Abbott’s brother. In lesser hands, this would be a dreadfully dull and typical revenge flick set in prison (and there are a few).

The Soska sisters have a great eye and use perspective to great effect, and make the most of Cain visually. He gives a strong performance as well. Cain seems to relish this opportunity to be so out of character. He is intense, and as he works his way through the prison inmates, he just gets more and more intense. Wight’s performance is decent enough as a heavy, but what really stands out? His size. And the Soskas know how to frame him in camera to look like a house compared to Cain. Seriously, there are time where Dean looks like an action figure next to Wight.

The standout performance, to me anyways, is Michael Eklund as Warden Snyder. Snyder has mutually beneficial working relationships with the inmates, and he does not appear to be intimidated by them at all. Unlike the Warden in Shawshank Redemption, he has no illusions of moral high ground over the inmates. And this makes him a dark and creepy dude.

Make no mistake, while this is not a horror movie, it is a very bloody bloody and intense film. But for action fans who are not to squeamish should really enjoy this.

July 5, 2016 0

War Comes Home (Rambo, 2008)

After Rocky Balboa started Stallone on a comeback trail, he sought to revisit John Rambo. This seemed a bit more far fetched and almost funny. And yet, choosing to Direct John Rambo for the first time, Stallone managed to marry the different tones of the franchise. Not only did it work? Rambo is a pretty solid action movie.

Opening with Rambo yet again in a self imposed exile (this time in Thailand). He is approached by some missionaries who are looking to get some associates out of Burma. Initially he refuses, but when they try without him, he ends up being unable to ignore them.

Stallone is so buff in this film (20 years after Rambo III) it almost challenges the very serious tone of the film. He was muscular in the previous films, here he is immense. But Stallone really brings back the shattered John Rambo who is struggling to find peace. And it is quite well done.

This is an ultra violent film, to the point the previous films seem somewhat soft. Rambo still manages to be a one man army, blowing through the opposition with little effective resistance. And yet, in spite of the extensive violence, Stallone give us a Rambo to root for. He manages to do so in a way that makes you forget just how implausible his actions are, instead you can sit back and just follow Rambo on his adventure, hope he saves the missionaries and gets away. The film mostly ignores the two prior sequels (as Rocky Balboa did with the Rocky films) and works nicely as a direct sequel to First Blood.

July 1, 2016 2

A New War (Rambo III, 1988)

The directorial debut of Peter MacDonald (whose had a bigger career as a second unit director, part of films such as Guardians of the Galaxy and the Empire Strikes Back), Rambo III brings us a Rambo once again in a self imposed exile. But he is brought back out of this “retirement” because the Soviets have captured Trautman (Richard Crenna).

Rambo goes into Afghanistan and teams up with the Freedom fighters. He also becomes a father figure to a young Afghani boy. Ticking off the tropes again. Rambo earns the trust of the Freedom Fighters, so that they are willing to help him, but Rambo needs very little help. He is going to solve the cold war the old fashioned way…bullets.

Rambo is full on super hero here, unstoppable by even missiles. This is not surprising, there had already been a Rambo cartoon on in the afternoons back in 1986. In the cartoon, he was fighting a terror group called S.A.V.A.G.E. (Specialist-Administrators of Vengeance, Anarchy and Global Extortion) all over the globe. I am not joking. It may surprise you to hear that neither Stallone or Crenna reprises their roles. So the fact that Rambo III is the most cartoonish take on the character should not be a surprise.

Like Part 2, this film is enjoyable and amusing for what it is, even though it lacks the emotion of First Blood. It is not for lack of trying. Both sequels tried to approach heavy subjects related to war, but their simplified approach to Stallone’s Rambo is far more angry than broken. The character suffers for it overall, and the action is pretty by the numbers, but still make for an enjoyable Stallone action film.

June 30, 2016 0

Forget the War (Rambo: First Blood Part 2, 1985)

Three years after First Blood, John Rambo came back. This time he was freed from Jail to go on a secret government mission in Vietnam, saving POWs. He is brought in by Richard Crenna’s Col Trautman at the request of Marshall Murdock (Charles Napier). Directed by George Cosmatos (who went on to direct fan favorite Tombstone as well as Stallone’s Cobra) we get a shift in the type of character and story.

This film ticks off all sorts of tropes, such as a tragic love story, betrayal by the government who hires him and so on. This film really pushes Rambo towards being a super hero. He is not merely highly skilled as a fighter…he is unbeatable. Bullets will miss him, but he will never miss.

First Blood Part 2 revs up the action and general violence, while toning down the tragic aspects of his character. The focus on POWs, of course, allows some of it to remain, tying it to the first film. But, tonally speaking, this feels unlike our introduction in First Blood.

The cast is good, though some of the characters are just gun fodder, meant to motivate Rambo. In some ways, this is the film that moved forward the Stallone Action Era, that made him into the character we think of Stallone as today.

June 29, 2016 0

The Unwinnable Fight (First Blood, 1982)

John Rambo, or as we tend to all call him, Rambo, seems like an unstoppable force. A Vietnam veteran who never really left the war and finds himself pulled into a never-ending series of conflicts. But his beginning was far simpler. in the early 80’s we saw Hollywood starting to explore the conflict known as the Vietnam War and especially it’s impact on American Soldiers.

First Blood (adapted from a novel by David Morrell) tells the story of John Rambo…he is wandering America, trying to come to terms with his experiences as a POW. There is a deeply ingrained mythology of how when soldiers returned from Vietnam they were greeted at airports by being spat upon and protested. Some research has disputed how much (if any) of this happened. But it is true that the soldiers returning from Vietnam were not greeted as war heroes. There were no parades.We did want to just kind of ignore them.

John Rambo begins the story wandering into the small town of Hope, Washington. He is in town for all of three minutes before being noticed by Sheriff Teasle (Brian Dennehy) who invites him for a ride. Teasle drops him off at the city limits. But John is not so quick to give up and walk to the next town. But after returning he is quickly arrested and brought into the local jail. There he endures humiliation and disrespect at the hands of officers with no respect for our military men.

John reaches a breaking point and fights his way out of the police station and escapes into the woods. This creates a standoff, where John Rambo hides in the forest and mountains, crafting weapons and traps until his commanding officer (Richard Crenna) comes into the picture.

This film plays strongly to Stallone’s strengths as a gruff guy searching for healing and respect. In some ways, it is not a stretch to see similarities to Rocky. The film is a solid collection of established performers (Dennehy, Crenna and Jack Starrett) and up and comers (Chris Mulkey and David Caruso). Everyone delivers performances that keep you in the story.

Director Ted Kotcheff (who would go on to Direct Weekend at Bernie’s) shows a solid handle on the action, always keeping a fast pace. The film manages to be sympathetic to Rambo, while not presenting his actions as being right. He is a victim who reacts far to swiftly and violently, setting off a chain reaction. First Blood is a powerful action film with a heart behind it.

June 28, 2016 0