Movie Review: PROMETHEUS

PROMETHEUS

2012

R

"Big things have small beginnings."
-- David

Prometheus is a 2012 sci-fi horror film directed by Ridley Scott that serves as a quasi-prequel to Scott's 1979 film, Alien. After archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discover a string of clues to the origin of human life on Earth, they enlist the help of the Weyland Corporation to make their way to a distant planet where they believe they will find the alien species that created humanity. Once there, they find the remains of what looks to be an old colony, but as they continue to explore the caves, they start to realize that there may be a menace amongst them that's more powerful and more terrifying than they could have ever imagined.

Those of you who follow my blog will know just how excited I have been for the release of Prometheus. As a huge fan of Scott's original Alien, I waited (im)patiently for his return to the franchise after thirty-three years. And for most of the film, I have to say that I was filled with an awkward giddiness that kept me engaged from start to finish. It's only in the time after the movie ended that I've started to realize that Prometheus wasn't all it's cracked up to be.

The first major issue with the film is its place as a "quasi-prequel" to 1979's Alien. In recent months, Scott had claimed that while the film would not directly precede the events of Alien, it would take place within the same cinematic universe and would explore the mythologies behind the creatures and events he created within that universe. And so, I was prepared for a film similar to Alien but not necessarily connected to it in any way, shape or form. Where the film goes wrong is in its execution of this idea. Rather than steering clear of the Alien storyline, Prometheus acts as though it's going to answer all the questions left resonating by its predecessor. It has all the pieces to do so, but it's only in the final act that it becomes clear that the situations aren't exactly the same. In a way, the film hypes up the story as a direct prequel but then ungraciously reminds the viewer that it isn't by taking the story in a different direction right at the end. Perhaps I was just put off by this idea, but it took me out of the film and made for a bit of a disappointment.

The second issue is the screenplay itself. While the story proves to be inventive, and it does manage to channel some familiar plot pieces from previous Alien films, it doesn't seem as though the situations are interconnected or plausible. We go from one scene to the next, but we're never quite sure why anyone is doing any particular thing at any given time. I suppose the real issue is that we're never given a clear sense of any character motivation. In past Alien films - especially in the original flick - we always had a great sense of character development. We knew who was doing what, and why they wanted to do it. In Prometheus, however, these things prove to be a bit clouded. Our two archaeologists seem straight-forward enough: they want to learn the origins of human life. But it's some of the ancillary characters who act in strange and peculiar ways, and there really isn't a reason given for some of their actions. And aside from Michael Fassbender's David (an android), we never really get to know any of the characters on an intimate level. Maybe that was the idea, and the joke. Let's make the audience know the most about the only non-human character on board the ship. My biggest issue with the screenplay, however, is that it tried to force emotion onto the audience in blatant and over-the-top ways. Because we couldn't establish any real connection to the characters, it seemed as though tiny plot pieces were added here and there to make us feel some sort of emotion to a given character from time to time. Unfortunately, these moments just seemed gimmicky and proved annoying after a while.

What's sad about all this is that the screenplay actually spoils some rather fine attributes about the film. For starters, I thought the special effects were incredibly well-done, and although they're nothing ground-breaking, it definitely looks realistic, and for that, Prometheus should be applauded. We're also getting a slew of decent performances from the cast. Rapace is good as our apparent lead, although I know she's capable of stronger work (see: 2010's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). Fassbender offers the best performance in the film, bringing forth an android that is both the most and least human-like in the franchise. That's quite a feat considering we've gotten some great android performances in past films in the franchise from the likes of Ian Holm and Lance Henriksen. I also thought that Charlize Theron and Idris Elba played their parts well, but both were a tad bit under-utilized, in my opinion. Also be on the watch for a fine supporting performance from Guy Pearce, who you may not recognize under all his makeup.

Still, despite everything I've just said, I have a strong desire to return to the theaters to give this one another chance. Part of me thinks that the only reason I'm so put-off by the film is because it hyped itself up to be a direct prequel then left even more questions unanswered. It's almost as though Scott wanted to leave this film open-ended for a potential sequel, and I can see where they might have the possibility. I suppose we'll have to wait and see about that, but I very well may give this one another view, and should I do so, my thoughts and opinions could very well change drastically. But as it currently stands, I'd go into this one a little wary because, despite all the issues I have with its "quasi-prequel" status, there are still a few negative aspects that simply cannot be overlooked.

Movie Review Summary

Grade: B-

Should You See It? Maybe

Movie Review: HAYWIRE

HAYWIRE

2012
R


"You shouldn't think of her as being a woman. That would be a mistake."
-- Kenneth

Haywire is a 2012 action film directed by Steven Soderbergh that features women's wrestling star Gina Carano in her first starring role in a feature film. After completing a routine mission, special ops agent Mallory (Carano) hopes to come home and take a break from her job as a type of hitman-for-hire for the government. However, Kenneth (Ewan McGregor), the head of her firm, comes to her and pleads her to take a simple, two-day mission in Dublin and accompany a British agent (Michael Fassbender) and pose as his wife. Mallory soon realizes that the entire mission has been a set-up, and she quickly tries to make her way back to the United States in order to determine how she got caught up in the mess.

When I first started hearing about Haywire, I thought it might be another experimental venture for Soderbergh after he had some moderate critical success with his 2009 film, The Girlfriend Experience, which featured former porn star Sasha Grey. This time, he decided to take women's wrestling star Gina Carano and create a film around her ability to fight rather than her ability to act. Perhaps you can see where my initial reservations may have lied. Despite this, the film opened to fantastic critical reviews - it currently holds an 80% approval rating on Rottentomatoes.com, where it has received the following consensus:

Haywire is a fast and spare thriller, with cleanly staged set pieces that immerse you in the action.

So, with such high accolades, I figured I'd give the film a shot of my own.

I have to say, I'm a tad bit disappointed with the final product. While Carano's acting ability, albeit shallow, is not enough to slow this movie down on its own, there's definitely something lacking here. A lot of the positive reviews I've read have cited a strong and clever screenplay, but I'm not really getting that from this particular film. All I see is your basic plotline: great covert agent is set-up by their agency, and they have to fight their way for survival and for revenge. How many films can we list that have the same basic storyline? I feel as though I've seen it a dozen times before, and while we do get a couple of interesting twists and turns here and there, we don't get enough to set Haywire apart from any other film in the genre. At the same time, the film just seems to move relatively slowly. While the action sequences are well-choreographed and prove to be fast-paced, each individual scene ultimately drags on much longer than is necessary. The movie started out as quite a bore, and it never really revved its engines for me. And considering the action is where the real treats should have lied, I'd have to say that the film's screenplay is one of its biggest detractors.

We have a very interesting cast list for this particular film, and I have to chalk it up to Soderbergh's name to have brought in some of the talent here. There isn't much to say about Carano's performance except that, with a little bit of time, she might make a decent action star. However, some of the big-name stars in this film just seem a little out of place. McGregor is pretty good as one of the central characters, and I thought Fassbender was decent with the time he was given, even if it was much less time than he deserved. Also be on the lookout for the likes of Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas and Michael Angarano, all of whom fall victim to the less-than-stellar screenplay. It's interesting to see them in a film like this, but their presence doesn't necessarily enhance or detract from the movie in any way. It almost feels like they were only there as a favor for Soderbergh himself.

At the end of the day, the reason Haywire fails is that it proves to be a bit of a bore when it could have been a high-octane, action-packed thrill ride. Sure, the acting's a little shoddy, but I think a lot of that is the result of a lackluster screenplay that didn't offer the actors any room to expand on their characters. Still, if you're looking for a couple good fight scenes, this might be right up your alley. Just know that the fights are few and far in between, so you may just want to look somewhere else.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: D-
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Movie Review: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

2011
PG-13

X-Men: First Class is a 2011 superhero action film directed by Matthew Vaughn that serves as a prequel to the 2000 film X-Men and its subsequent sequels. The film opens in the mid-1940s, giving a little exposition for our two male leads: Charles Xavier (to be played by James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (to be played by Michael Fassbender). We then fast forward nearly twenty years to the early 1960s, where Erik has spent the majority of his life looking to avenge his mother's death by the hand of a man named Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon). Meanwhile, Charles is finishing his doctoral dissertation about genetic mutation in humans while living with his seemingly-adopted "sister" and friend Raven (Jennifer Lawrence). On the night of his dissertation presentation, Charles meets a woman named Moira MacTaggart (Rose Byrne), who tells him of a matter of major security: Shaw is dealing with the Russians in order to start what looks to be a third World War. Charles and Raven accompany Moira to stop Shaw's plan and meet Erik in the process. After learning that each of them is a mutant, the three agree to join forces with the CIA in order to put a stop to Shaw's plans. By recruiting a number of mutants from around the United States, Charles and Erik assemble a crackpot team to do battle against Shaw and his loyal followers, all in the hopes of preventing a massive nuclear war that could wipe out the face of humanity.

When I first heard about plans to produce a prequel to the X-Men franchise, I can honestly say that I was a little unnerved. I had never been a huge fan of the X-Men films, but I had thoroughly enjoyed all of them (the Wolverine spin-off included, if only for Hugh Jackman's charisma). As the cast list slowly started to trickle through the grapevine, however, I found myself becoming more and more anxious for the film's release. With stellar actors like McAvoy, Fassbender and Bacon headlining the cast, I assumed we'd be in for a pleasant treat. Still, taking a story back to its roots can be a daunting task, and I've seen some "origin" stories simply crash and burn. Fortunately for us, First Class is, as one of my readers so blatantly put it, "a first class movie."

Let's start with the acting since I've already mentioned it a little bit. McAvoy proves to be the perfect fit for a young Charles Xavier, in my opinion. He brings the grace and the attitude that Patrick Stewart brought to the role in previous films, and he doesn't forget to turn on the charm now and again. It's a different look at Xavier, however. We get to see him as a young man who, despite all of his ambitions, desperately wants to fit into society as a normal individual. Fassbender was an equally good choice to take over the role of a young Magneto. His character is benefited by one of the larger character arcs in the film, giving Fassbender the opportunity to strut his stuff a little bit more than the rest. Although his Irish accent starts to slip out a little bit towards the end of the movie, he mostly stays on an even keel and provides a strong and surprisingly emotional performance. Recent Academy Award nominee Lawrence gives a decent performance, but having seen her in Winter's Bone makes it a little difficult for me to believe her as Raven/Mystique because the characters are so glaringly different. It took me a little while, but I finally fell into her character and could believe her in that role. And what can I say about Kevin Bacon? If anyone's stealing the show here, it's him. He and Fassbender work their multilingual magic throughout the film; the difference, however, is that we all knew that Fassbender could rock it. When Bacon started spouting in German and Russian, I was simply blown away. He gets a lot more screen-time in the first hour of the film, but he makes the most of what he's given. Kudos, Mr. Bacon. I tip my hat to you.

Now, I could go on and on about every character in the film, but we're really being given a solid performance from every featured actor. And boy do we have a laundry list on our hands, folks. There's so many recognizable faces in this film that it was difficult for me to wrap my head around it all. Be on the lookout for the likes of Oliver Platt, Zoë Kravitz, January Jones, Olek Krupa and Michael Ironside. Oh, and there is one cameo that I'd rather not mention because it's probably the funniest part in the film. I'll leave it for the people who've already seen the film to know what I'm talking about.

In addition to the stellar acting ensemble, we're also getting a solid screenplay to bring the story to life. As I said earlier, it's almost like an origins story, in that we're getting a lot of the back story on our two main leads, and it's telling us how we get to the events that take place in the original X-Men film. I personally have always been rather fond of films that take true historical events and warp them a little bit, twisting them into an alternate reality (i.e., the entirety of 2009's Inglourious Basterds). This time, we're getting a crack at the Cuban Missile Crisis, a moment in U.S. history that could have easily spelled the certain doom of America. Fortunately, it never panned out extremely violently, but this screenplay takes a look at how it might have turned out had mutants been involved. It's a clever twist on history, and it makes for an interesting concept. That being said, the real meat of the screenplay comes in the exposition and the back-story for both Charles and Erik. While Erik's is a little grander and more drawn out, getting the in-depth look at the driving forces behind their personalities is quite a treat for the viewer.

Now, there's been a TV spot running around with a review that said that X-Men: First Class is better than 2008's The Dark Knight. I'd like to quash that right here and now: First Class is a great film, but it doesn't come close to touching the brilliance exhibited by Christopher Nolan's second Batman flick. So please, let the comparisons stop there. I'm not saying that First Class isn't good - it just doesn't reach the bar set by The Dark Knight. Still, I personally believe that First Class is the best X-Men film to date. As I said earlier, I was never huge on the previous films, but I always found them entertaining. This one, however, is another another plane entirely, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Movie Review Summary:
(I'm going to start giving my "score" for each film I review in addition to its grade. For a breakdown of how I "score" films, take a look at my grading system.)
Score: 8.5
Grade: A-
2 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: JANE EYRE

JANE EYRE

2011
PG-13

Jane Eyre is a 2011 drama directed by Cary Fukunaga. It's an adaptation of the 1847 Charlotte Brontë novel of the same name. The film mostly plays through flashbacks as the titular character (Mia Wasikowska) remembers how her life progressed and how she found herself in the stead of a young priest named St. John Rivers (Jamie Bell) and his two sisters. The audience learns that Jane was placed in an all-girls home after her aunt accused her of being a liar, and the time she spends in the institution hardens her resolve. Upon leaving the home, Jane finds work as a governess at Thornfield Hall, home to a mysterious Edward Fairfax Rochester (Michael Fassbender), where she takes to teaching Rochester's French-speaking daughter. Eventually, Rochester returns home and meets Jane; he soon takes a liking to her, and the pair go back-and-forth with their affections and their loyalties. As time progresses, however, the feelings they have for one another cannot be withheld. Unfortunately, it turns out that Rochester may have a secret or two hidden deep within the walls of his eerie mansion estate...

I was originally drawn to this film for two reasons. The first reason stems from the fact that I actually acted in my high school theater department's rendition of Jane Eyre during my junior year. Although I only had bit roles here and there, I still remember my few scenes on-stage (although I never could tell you the storyline for the life of me). The second reason I wanted to see this film was for director Cary Fukunaga. It's only his second feature-length directorial effort, but I absolutely loved his first one (2009's Sin Nombre), so I figured I'd give him another shot and see if he was just a one-hit wonder, so to speak. While Jane Eyre doesn't quite reach the power than Sin Nombre possessed, I'd have to say that Fukunaga could be a director to watch in the future.

I had a couple of issues with the film, but nothing was terribly pressing. The screenplay works well, and it offers a good look at the ups and downs of the love between Jane and Rochester. I wouldn't say it provides twists and turns, but there's definitely little tweaks here and there for those unfamiliar with the storyline. It's a very effective dramatic romance, but I felt like the story moved a little too slowly for my personal tastes. The two-hour flick seemed like it dragged on for a lot longer than that, and it was difficult for me to maintain my interest throughout its entirety. One of my biggest beefs with movies is when they can't hook me from the start, and Jane Eyre never entirely hooked me. I've seen snails move faster than this one.

That being said, we actually get a pretty good acting ensemble in the flick. Wasikowska is starting to stamp herself as one of the better young leading ladies on the Hollywood scene. If you haven't seen her work, you don't have to look far: she starred as the titular character in 2010's Alice in Wonderland and played a semi-lead in 2010's The Kids Are All Right. Look for her to make a splash with awards season in the coming years. Michael Fassbender, who has quickly become one of my favorite actors, also does well with his role as Rochester, but I think he's a little upstaged by Wasikowska. We've also got a decent performance by Dame Judi Dench in a supporting role, but she isn't given much reign with the character. Overall, the acting is quite good - at least, it's better than the average fare you'll find in cinemas at any given time.

At the end of the day, Jane Eyre is a decent dramatic romance flick that will definitely appeal to my female readers more than it did for myself. Up until the minute before the movie started, I was the only guy in the theater, so you can tell who the target demographic probably is. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it; it's a good movie that just moved a little too slow for my own tastes, but that doesn't mean you won't love it (if you're into some romance).

Movie Review Summary:
Grade: B-
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