Gone Girl

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
 Gone Girl
Released 10/3/14

Adapted from Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel, director, David Fincher, returns to the mystery thriller genre.  Fincher has directed some of my favorite thrillers of all time in classics like Seven and Fight Club.  At the same time, he’s directed a couple of thrillers that left me flat in The Game and Panic Room.  I’m sure I’m in the minority there, but, I like to buck the norm.   So, I wasn’t sure if I would get "good Fincher" or "bad Fincher" going into Gone Girl.   But, I was more than intrigued by the trailers. 

Our story begins with Nick and Amy Dunne (Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike).  They’re the all-American couple.  Both are very attractive, upwardly mobile people.  He’s an aspiring writer working for a men’s magazine.  She has been the subject of a popular series of children’s books created by her controlling parents since she was a child herself.  After they meet at a party and later marry, their romance appears to be the stuff of storybook legend.  On the surface, that is.

Through a clever rendering of present day and flashback sequences, the audience is introduced to the real relationship between this cover model couple.  Through an unfortunate set of circumstances including Nick being downsized by his employer and the couple moving from New York to his hometown in Missouri to care for his ailing mother, the magic slowly fades. 

On the afternoon of the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary, Nick returns home to find a broken coffee table and his wife missing.  Amidst the manhunt for Amy, the remainder of the first half of the film unfolds from two points of view.  The present depicts Nick struggling against overwhelming public opinion that he has murdered his wife while he vehemently proclaims his innocence.  The other half is told from Amy’s point through diary entries.  As her story unfolds, Nick is painted in a very different light.  He’s moody, aggressive, and volatile.  And, she’s very clearly afraid for her life.  But which version of this story is the truth?  Nick may not be the salt of the Earth he outwardly projects to the world, but is he a killer?  Is Amy really the “poor victim” of Nick’s anger, or is she far more manipulative than anyone has guessed? 

Gone Girl excellently examines dishonesty, the effects the media has on appearances, and the economy’s effects on marriage.  It’s a taut thriller filled with good to great performances, particularly by Rosamund Pike.  In addition to the main characters, Tyler Perry actually gives a more than credible performance outside of one of his Madea roles as Nick’s high-priced, hotshot defense attorney.  Neal Patrick Harris gives a positively creepy performance as Amy’s wealthy first boyfriend who has never gotten over her. 

Gone Girl is really a hard film to describe with any great detail without giving away the punchline, and there are several.  It’s a long movie at 149 minutes, but it did keep me riveted for much of this time.  With nice performances by the cast and an intricate, engrossing plot, you would think this is easily a four-star review, right?  Not quite.

Gone Girl has the trappings of a great movie, but doesn’t quite reach that height for one reason alone.  I’ve said this in previous reviews.  An ending can make or ruin a movie.  You all know that I tend to like endings that dive headlong into the bizarre.  This ending left me flat.  I found myself saying “Whaaaa?” instead of “Wow!”  Sleeping on it for a day, the ending does make a bit of bizarre sense, but, the payoff just isn’t there.  It’s not satisfying given the roller coaster you’ve been riding for 145 minutes.  I thought that maybe Fincher had taken some liberties with the story.  Reading a synopsis of the book on Wikipedia, I can sadly say that he didn’t.  The book ending is just as unsatisfying.  And, it’s not because evil ends up winning.  You also know that doesn’t bother me.  But, I couldn’t help but feel this was a light ending for a film with a heavy theme.

Gone Girl is an entertaining thriller that I won’t say is ruined by its ending, but it is impaired by it.  And, that drops the score significantly.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

*** stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
   Guardians of the Galaxy
Released 8/1/14

The penultimate chapter of Marvel Studios Phase Two project marches into theaters this week with the release of Guardians of the Galaxy.  Directed by James Gunn, this saga about a ragtag group of space adventurers was a bit of a stretch for Marvel and Disney.  These are not well-known characters from the Marvel Universe even for staunch comic book fans.  I have to admit the trailers for this film left me lukewarm, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  With Marvel Studios on such a high after The Winter Soldier earlier this year, this was a very dubious movie to release indeed.

For those of my readers who are sports inclined, have you ever heard of the term of "being in a major groove?"  That's how I would describe Marvel Studios at the moment.  Right now, only they could take a group of B-list, no, make that C-list or even D-list characters, and blow your mind with an incredible feature film.  No, I don't know how they did it with Guardians of the Galaxy, but, they did.  So, how do you make a coherent story about a Han Solo wannabe, an assassin, a revenge-driven psychopath, and two mercenary thugs uniting for a universe-saving cause?

After the death of his mother in 1988, a young Peter Quill is abducted from Earth for unknown reasons by a group of space pirates known as the Ravagers led by Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker).  Twenty-six years later finds an adult Quill (Chris Pratt), now a master thief for hire (calling himself Star-Lord), on a mission to steal a mysterious orb on a hostile planet.  It's a theft that proves more than problematic for Quill as he is immediately intercepted by agents of the fanatical Kree terrorist, Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace).  Barely escaping Ronan's goons, Quill travels to the planet Xandar to sell the orb for a huge score.

On Xandar, Quill runs afoul of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), an assassin in the employ of Ronan, who was sent to retrieve the orb.  It turns out that Star-Lord's former abductor/mentor, Yondu, is not pleased with him either as Yondu was looking to cash in on the sale of the orb before his pupil stole it.  He expresses his displeasure by placing a bounty on Quill's head.  It's a bounty that two rough-and-tumble hunters can't resist.  Looking for their own score on Xandar, meaning perps with the highest prices on their heads, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), a genetically engineered raccoon with an affinity for battle tactics and large guns, and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), a seemingly simple-minded treelike alien who serves as Rocket's muscle, coincidentally discover Quill.  The ensuing melee lands Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot in the maximum-security prison, the Kyln, after they are all apprehended by Xandar's resident police/military force, the Nova Corps.   It's in the Kyln that the four prisoners meet the tough and powerful Drax (Dave Bautista), an alien with a serious grudge against Ronan. 

So, why is this orb of the utmost importance?  The orb casing houses one of the all-powerful Infinity Stones, a coveted object by some very unsavory beings in the galaxy.  And, where there are Infinity Stones, you can bet the mad Titan, Thanos (not seen since the end credits of The Avengers), isn't far behind.  He and Ronan have formed a destructive alliance.  In exchange for finding the stone for Thanos, Ronan gets to use it for the destruction of Xandar.  The Accuser is not very keen on the uneasy treaty his native Kree have with the Xandarians.  To aid him in his quest, Thanos has loaned  his "daughters", Gamora and Nebula (Karen Gillan), two women the Titan has trained to be living weapons from a very young age.  Unknown to both power-mad villains, Gamora has her own agenda and reluctantly needs her new "team" to complete her objective. 

Marvel has always attempted to inject humor in their movie releases.  Guardians is a departure from the norm as it is as much a comedy as it is super hero adventure.  And, it's hilarious from beginning to end without being overly corny in its humor.  Seriously, there's a walking, talking sardonic raccoon.  The film obviously has the ability to laugh at itself. 

Lee Pace chews the scenery very well as Ronan.  He's a truly evil being who cares nothing about the destruction he leaves in his wake.  So, in other words, he's an excellent big bad.  Although as the true comic geek that I am anticipating what is to come, every villain is in some way going to feel like "filler" from Marvel Studios until Thanos is ready to fully grace us with his presence. 

There were very good performances all the way around.  Even WWE star, Dave Bautista, had his moment in the sun a few times.  And, of course, the vocal stylings of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel steal scenes more than once.  But, I have to give credit where it's due to Chris Pratt.  Honestly, I thought from the trailers he was going to be "Tony Stark lite", and I would find him more annoying on occasion than humorous.  When I'm wrong, I'm wrong.  Peter Quill is very much his own unique character and Pratt has a lot to do with that.  He's roguish and manipulative without ,as he so eloquently states it in the movie, being a total d!@&. 

There was one thing in Guardians of the Galaxy that struck me as a little odd, and I'm not entirely sure why this was done.  I think there was a lost opportunity to introduce the Nova Corps as a powerful intergalactic force.  The Novas are Marvel's equivalent to the Green Lantern Corps at DC.  Here, they are just sort of...ordinary. 

Watching Guardians of the Galaxy made me realize that I've been very generous to some movies this Summer that didn't come close to this one in terms of entertainment value.  I gave Amazing Spider-Man 2 a four-star review, and, while I think it's gotten a bit of a bad rap, it did admittedly have some warts.  X-Men:  Days of Future Past?  Good movie, but there are a few continuity issues there that will make your head explode.  Neither one holds a candle to GOTG.  And this is coming from one of the biggest Spider-Man fans on the planet Earth. Only The Winter Soldier edges it this year in terms of the super hero genre.  And, it doesn't edge it by a wide margin either.  I was thoroughly pleased by how much this film clicked on just about every cylinder possible. 

So with Marvel on the roll that it's on, it makes me even more eager to see them regain all of their properties.  I would love to see what they would do with Spider-Man and the X-Men after seeing what they've done with this little-known group.  Hopefully, they'll get the Fantastic Four back shortly (boy does that need a shot in the arm).  Marvel Studios has made me a believer.  Bring on Ant Man!!!  OK, I have to lay down now.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

****3/4 stars


Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
   Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Released 7/11/14

In 2011, a new addition to the Planet of the Apes saga was introduced.  Not only was it a new chapter, it was also felt like a reboot of the franchise itself.  Some old school POTA fans I know were not very pleased by the idea of a reboot thinking you can't improve on a sci-fi classic.  Tim Burton sure didn't inspire anyone with his rendition (although I'm one of the few who actually liked it).  Not being a huge fan of the original or the sequels it spawned, I went into the theater with a more open mind about Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but still felt a little "meh" about the whole thing.  And, I got one of the biggest shocks of my moviegoing life as ROTPTA made me care about the franchise for the first time.  It made me want more.  So, this time, it was with a great deal of excitement when I made my journey to see this week's sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.  But could the sequel really capture the magic of Rise?  Most fall well short of their original source material.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the rare sequels that successfully and logically continues the narrative from its predecessor.  DOTPOTA picks up 10 years after Rise.  Super smart chimpanzee, Caesar, leads a large community of apes in the woods of ruined San Francisco.  They are thriving in an apocalyptic world following their own moral code of "ape not killing ape" and living in relative peace (or so Caesar believes).

Humans on the other hand have not fared nearly as well.  In total disarray after the viral epidemic that began at the end of Rise, packs of human survivors are scattered across the globe.  One such group has created a settlement within the San Francisco ruins.  But, quickly running low on fuel stores, they need an alternate power source to generate the electrical power they so desperately need.  The dam in ape territory would fit the bill nicely.

When a small scouting group from the settlement travels into the woods to look for the new power source, they are  discovered by two young chimps.  Thus, both ape and human become aware of each other's presence within the region for the first time.  At first reluctant to assist the humans and become involved in their problems, Caesar consents to assist the small party to avoid conflict.  But, there are factions within both the ape and human communities that distrust each other so much that war will become inevitable despite Caesar's wishes. 

Dawn is not quite as heartfelt has Rise was, but it feels like a logical progression from that film.  In Rise, Caesar learned the treachery of humans.  In Dawn, he learns the treachery of his own kind.  By the end, with his resignation to the imminence of war between ape and human, it will be interesting to see the direction his character is taken in future sequels (which I'm sure are coming).  He doesn't hate humans, and he knows that some are as opposed to conflict as he is.  But, depending on the direction the story is taken, he will have to become more of a dictator in the future to fit an ape conquering of the planet.

Even if these two films and upcoming films chronicle events leading up to the original, I applaud the efforts of fleshing out the story.  Although my hope is the powers that be take the story in a different direction because the original never made much sense to me.  I know it's classic sci-fi, but that's always been my opinion.  Another thing I'm grateful for is the focus of this series on the ape community itself and the society they've built.  It's not based on a pseudo-ape religion, but on the natural survival of the species.  It all feels much more organic this time.

Dawn continues the excellent CGI work that was introduced in Rise.  The apes are still very much apes with a few human qualities (many in Caesar's case) as opposed to human actors clearly wearing make-up.  The latter was good for its time, but would definitely not work today.  Andy Serkis deserves special consideration for his motion-capture work for Caesar.  He puts so much emotion in the ape's facial expressions that it's uncanny.  I guess I should expect no less from the actor who did the same for Golem, right?

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hits all the right notes for a sequel and is everything you would expect from a follow up to a great film.  It's visually stunning and has intelligence to boot.  I wouldn't necessarily say it's the greatest sequel ever made as that honor still goes to The Empire Strikes Back in my eyes. But, Dawn is in the team photo of one of the better ones that have been produced.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

****1/2 stars


Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
  Transformers:  Age of Extinction
Released 6/27/14

Michael Bay's fourth installment of the highly successful Transformers franchise thunders its way into theaters this weekend.  Bay, long known for being a director who favors style over substance, isn't a favorite among critics, and, as follows, his Transformers franchise has suffered the same fate.  But, no one can fault the gobs of cash these CGI spectacles draw.  Age of Extinction should be no different.  As for quality, while I've always liked the series as a whole, even I have to admit the quality of story has declined since the first movie was released in 2007. 

The beginning of the film furthers the Transformers mythos by verifying the robots' "Creators"  came to Earth millions of years ago during period when dinosaurs still roamed the planet.  The purpose was to "terra-form" the Earth into a mechanical world.  It's a concept that will be a catalyst for the film's ending.  This process caused the extinction of the entire species.

Flash forward to the present day a few years after the "Battle of Chicago" that wrecked the city back in the third installment of the franchise.  The time hasn't been kind to Optimus Prime and his Autobots.  Since the near destruction of Chicago, they have been hunted by the U.S. government under the direction of the CIA's Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer).  Under the public pretense of hunting the remaining Decepticons (the Autobots' sworn enemies) on Earth, the CIA has developed an elite hunter/killer group, Cemetery Wind. 

Attinger has an ulterior motive aside from his extreme patriotism.  Working with a Transformer bounty hunter, Lockdown, who claims to work on the behalf of the "Creators", both Attinger and Lockdown are on a desperate hunt for the missing Prime.  Little do they know Optimus has been found by an unlikely source.  Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), a struggling robotics inventor in Texas, purchases the deactivated leader after finding Prime in an abandoned theater while the robot is in his transformed semi-truck form.  Hoping to strip the semi down for its parts, Yeager, inadvertently reactivates Optimus who has developed a logical distrust of humans thanks to the ambush that deactivated him and the hunts that have destroyed most of the Autobots remaining on Earth. 

When Attinger is alerted that Prime has been spotted, he sends Cemetery Wind and Lockdown to Texas to acquire him leading to a confluence of events that forces Prime and Yeager to work together to uncover Attinger's endgame.  Optimus is forced to call in the only surviving Autobots (Bumblebee, Drift, Hound, and Crosshairs) in hiding to infiltrate the mega-techno conglomerate, KSI, operating out of Chicago.  KSI has been conducting experiments on slain Transformers under the guidance of its CEO, Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci) who has a nefarious alliance with Attinger.  Unknown to all, an evil presence from the past has been manipulating everyone from behind the scenes for his own sinister reasons. 

After AOE, I can still definitively say, the first Transformers film remains the best of the group.  There are leaps and holes galore here.  Mark Wahlberg as an eccentric, inventive genius doesn't quite work.  He looked much more comfortable when he was shooting Decepticons with an alien gun.  There's just about every family cliché imaginable from Cade's daughter wanting to leave the uneventful, road-to-no where rural life she feels trapped in to the daughter rebelling and dating a guy her father doesn't approve of in the beginning.

 There are plenty of sappy, eye-rolling "rah-rah" moments including one from Optimus Prime himself.  The film is loud, frenetic and an overall full assault on the senses.  Not to mention that it's overlong to a fault.  A good 30 minutes could have easily been trimmed.  Some action sequences just felt like they would never end. 

All of that said, AOE is great, mindless fun.  You know the kind I mean.  It's a perfect Summer spectacle.  While the action sequences can be unbelievably long, they are spectacular.  I defy you to find a more magnificent shot in 2014 than the slow motion transformation of Prime and Bumblebee as they go from car to robot flipping through a semi-trailer and over a bridge while catching/protecting their human allies.  It's an eye-popping standout in a film that is filled with visual eye candy.

And, for those of you nostalgic types, your heart will leap at the introduction of the Dinobots to the series (finally).  Even with a convoluted story about the Dinos being a group of legendary robotic knights being held captive on Lockdown's ship, the 10-year old in me was giddy when I heard Grimlock roar!  For those not familiar, that's the Transformer who becomes a mechanical T-Rex.  And, the sight of a sword-wielding Optimus Prime riding into battle on Grimlock's back left me speechless. 

While the acting is nothing to write home about (and what do you expect from a movie like this), I will note that Kelsey Grammer does make a convincing villain.  It's a far cry from Dr. Frasier Crane.  There's also some great, if somewhat corny, comic relief from John Goodman as the voice of the cigar-chomping Autobot commando, Hound.  The best comic scene comes from Bumblebee getting a monster-seized 'tude when he discovers a man-made Transformer that is supposedly a better version of him.  Classic comedy. 

Transformers:  Age of Extinction is not always a smooth ride, but it's an entertaining one.  Like the other films before, the human element sometimes interferes unnecessarily and serves only to prolong the film with useless, contrived drama. But, for an action junkie, it delivers its share of thrills and robots beating the Hell out of each other.   And, in the end, isn't that why you watch these movies in the first place?

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***1/2 stars


Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
 X-Men:  Days of Future Past
Released 5/23/14

BRYAN SINGER IS BACK!!!  Now this statement can be considered good or bad depending on which side of the aisle you fall on regarding the X-Men franchise (one I'm sure Marvel Studios is salivating to get their hands on).  While it's widely considered that Singer's first two X-Men films have been the best in the series, he hasn't been without his detractors for the lack of character development or the liberties he has taken with the material itself.  Of course, fans have seen how the franchise can spin out of control without Singer at the helm with the much maligned X-Men:  The Last Stand (which I didn't think was awful, by the way), X-Men Origins:  Wolverine, and the somewhat tepid fan response to last year's, The Wolverine. 

With Days of Future Past, Singer has combined characters from the first two X-Men films along with characters from 2011's critically acclaimed X-Men:  First Class from director, Matthew Vaughn (and, hey, Singer was a producer on that one).  Based on one of the most popular stories in X-Men lore, DOFP stars Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Shawn Ashmore, Ellen Page (one of the few links to The Last Stand), and Halle Berry reprising their previous roles as our favorite heroic mutants (well, Magneto is debatable as far as being heroic).  For those not in the loop, that's a human being born with extraordinary abilities.

In a dystopian future, hunter/killer robots known as Sentinels have all but exterminated the mutant population and have also turned their attentions to normal human beings who are considered mutant sympathizers.  Barely surviving and still fighting the good, if hopeless, fight are a small band of X-Men who are cornered in Moscow.  After putting up a valiant fight, Colossus, Iceman (Ashmore), Warpath, Blink, and Sunspot prove to be no match for their invincible foes.  One X-Man, Bishop, is able to project his consciousness into his younger body in the recent past with the assistance of fellow X-Man, Kitty Pryde (Page, and how did she get this power suddenly?), to warn the group of the upcoming attack. 

The group rendezvous in China with Professor Xavier (Stewart), Magneto (McKellan), Storm (Berry), and Wolverine (Jackman) before the attack happens in Moscow.  There a plan is formulated. Since this present-day nightmare of mutant resentment and destruction can be traced back to one tragic event in the past, someone in the group must have their consciousness projected back decades in time to inhabit his/her younger body to try to stop the event from occurring.  It's decided that Kitty will send Wolverine back to 1973 to seek out a much younger Charles Xavier (McAvoy) and Magneto (Fassbender) to assist him in stopping the fateful occurrence.

 Said occurrence was created by the mutant shape changer, Mystique (Lawrence), after she fatally shoots military contractor and mutant experimenter/tormentor, Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage).  His execution fuels anti-mutant sentiment and breeds the creation of Trask's Sentinel program with an added bonus.  The Sentinels have proven to be almost impossible to defeat due to Mystique herself as the shape shifting adaptability of her DNA is captured and used to make the robots adaptable to any mutant power used against them. 

So, a battle is waged on two fronts. One in the future where the Sentinels have located the X-Men again and the ragtag band must hold them off long enough for Wolverine's mission to succeed (and the audience is already privy to how well the mutant offensive played out in Moscow).  The other battle is waged in the past where Wolverine has to not only convince an emotionally broken Xavier to help, but also to work with the man he deems responsible for both his emotional and physical condition, his former best friend.  Even getting to Magneto in this time period will prove difficult as he has been blamed and captured for committing another tragic event in world history. 

The one thing that struck me about DOFP is that it was an X-Men movie with Wolverine that wasn't solely devoted to the characterization of Wolverine.  Don't get me wrong.  I love Wolverine, and I'm a huge fan of Jackman playing the character.  However, I will admit the focus on Logan has been at the detriment of the rest of the cast more often than not.  DOFP is clearly an opportunity that both Singer and the franchise have taken to capitalize on the current success and popularity of Jennifer Lawrence.  It's mainly Mystique's movie.  And, as has mostly been the case, Lawrence is up to the task and more than carries her weight as a conflicted soul torn between two ideologies (Xavier's and Magneto's). 

I was also intrigued by the young Charles Xavier speaking of a mutant in conflict.  James McAvoy does a fantastic job depicting a man with so much self doubt and self loathing that he's pretty much given up on life itself.  He's a sharp contrast from the sure and decisive older version of Xavier played by Stewart

An unexpected strength of the film was the introduction of Peter Maximoff (Evan Peters) to the series as a supersonic mutant with no code name as of yet (although comic fans know him as a tweaked version of the sometimes X-Men ally/foe, Quicksilver).  He added some much needed comic relief to an otherwise bleak-toned movie.  I have to admit the still shots I first saw of the character and the snippets revealed in the trailers didn't have me expecting much from him.  But, Peters has arguably one of the best scenes in DOFP during the Magneto breakout.  It's such a clever and brilliant scene that you'll be applauding both the actor and director.

For those wishing for a tighter continuity between the events in the franchise, you can rejoice.  DOFP effectively reboots the X-Men timeline.  So, if you have a bad taste in your mouth from X-Men Origins, The Last Stand, or even, The Wolverine, let's just say they didn't really happen (although I'm still trying to wrap my head around if The Wolverine should be included in this list).    You can now watch the X-Men movie saga through four movies (First Class, X-Men, X2, and X-Men:  DOFP).  And, this brings me to one of my problems with DOFP.  Not so much a problem as an observation really.

As a continuity buff, it's just a little too messy to say, "Here, audience!  Remember these good things that Singer did/has done, but not the bad things that he didn't touch."  In some ways, it's better to make a clean break and reboot the whole franchise a la Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy or Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man series (although that one hasn't been as well-received as hoped for), and the reboot of Star Trek.  A new director with a new set of ideas and a tightly-woven story can do wonders for an ailing franchise.  What Singer is attempting to do is reset on the fly. 

I particularly have trouble reconciling where/if The Wolverine fits into the current continuity at all having just been released a year ago.  Wolverine has bone claws at the end of that film, yet he has adamantium claws again in DOFP.  We also know that Professor Xavier and Magneto seek him out in the mid-credits scene advising that they need his assistance to stop a grave threat to the mutant race.  Logan is understandably shocked to see Professor X as he remembers him being obliterated in The Last Stand.  So, how much time has actually passed between the end of The Wolverine and DOFP?  We know the world isn't in ruins in The Wolverine, yet, everything has gone to Hell when DOFP begins.  When/how did he get the metal claws back?  Why does the Professor exist in his own body again?  Okay, that last part can be explained away if the Last Stand never happened, but it was still a story I would have liked to have seen pursued.  Also, Professor X and Magneto are two of the smartest men on the planet.  They couldn't have come up with a plan to stop this mess before the near-obliteration of mutantkind?  Wouldn't Mystique have killed Trask before X-Men and X2 took place?  Yet there was no mention of this in the first two films.  And, on a smaller note, just how did Magneto gain control of Trask's experimental Sentinels anyway when the robots supposedly "don't have an ounce of metal in them."  No metal?  It kind of defeats Magneto's power wouldn't you think?  It's almost as if the powers that be are trying to make the pieces fit where they don't. 

I know these are inherent problems when dealing with time travel and, it appears in this case, alternate timelines.  It doesn't always make a lot of sense and you can give yourself a migraine trying to figure it out.  It's not that these questions kept me from enjoying what DOFP was.  It's just that I would have liked for the pieces of the puzzle to fit a little more perfectly than they did.  It's something I'm really going to have to get over when the next Star Wars movie is released next year. 

I've mentioned this before, I believe, but given what Singer is attempting to do with the franchise, it bears repeating.  If The Avengers franchise has done nothing else, it has forced movie studios to look at this genre of film as more than stand alone, special effects extravaganzas.  Rich movie universes with strong storytelling are being mined from super hero material that was once considered to have fringe fan bases.  In addition to the aforementioned Spider-Man franchise under Marc Webb, we have Warner Brothers/DC Comics ready to do the same thing with the Justice League in a couple of years.  Continuity makes for tighter storytelling and endless possibilities from these characters' long histories.  Super heroes have gone mainstream.  It's the Golden Age for someone like me who grew up with the material.  And, fortunately, there's no end in sight.

Days of Future Past is a strong outing for Singer to get the franchise back on its feet and rolling in a clear direction.  With the reset button pretty much being pushed, the director has also given himself access to a few more pieces on the chessboard.  Pieces that had perished previously.  He has done the best he can to right certain things that happened when he wasn't in the driver's seat short of truly starting over from scratch.  Since he will be in charge for the next X-Men film in 2016, I'm sure Marvel's mighty mutants will be in good hands yet again.  Hopefully, there will be some development of other characters that haven't been given a chance to shine as of yet (Storm, Rogue, I'm looking at you).

As with most Marvel-related movies, there is an additional scene after the end credits that introduces the next "big bad."  It's not a jaw-dropping scene by any means, but it is an important one when you hear the chant, "En Sabbah Nur."  Yep, just let the Apocalypse out of the bag there.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***3/4 stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
 The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Released 5/2/14

It's now here!  The start of the 2014 Summer movie season officially begins this weekend with the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the sequel to the somewhat maligned 2012 reboot of the Spider-Man franchise.  Marc Webb returns as director.  Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Sally Field reprise their roles from the first film with some notable additions to the cast, including Oscar winner Jamie Foxx and Dane Dehaan.  Reviews I've read of the movie have been very mixed to this point.  Then again, they were mixed for the first Amazing Spider-Man (to a lesser extent) which I loved.  As a lifelong Spidey fan, this is one I've anticipated since the beginning of 2014, especially after seeing the insanely action-packed trailers.  In this Avengers-laden movie world, can anything capture the imagination of moviegoers quite like Marvel Studios has in recent years? 

Let's get this out of the way early.  ASM 2 is not the near masterpiece that Captain America:  The Winter Soldier was, but, it's pretty...spectacular (thought I was going to say "amazing" didn't you).  It's a nice blend of comedy, action, and sadness.  If you're a longtime Spider-Man fan, you probably already know what I'm alluding to with that last word.  But, more on that later.

In ASM 2, we find Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) becoming more comfortable in his role as the amazing wall crawler and defying the promise he made to his girlfriend's, Gwen Stacy's (Emma Stone), dying father to keep his distance from her.  It's a promise the responsibility-conscious Peter finds to be a heavy burden as he does secretly agree with Captain Stacy despite his love for Gwen.  Add to this his continued bewilderment of his parents' abandonment many years earlier and Peter is an emotional mess despite the happy-go-lucky visage he has as Spider-Man.

Peter's emotional well-being isn't destined to improve as an old friend has returned to New York.  Harry Osborn (Dane Dehaan), who has been stashed away in boarding schools abroad for a decade, has come back to New York to pay his respects to his dying father, Norman (Chris Cooper), the CEO of the infamous Oscorp Corporation.  Never any love lost between father and son, Norman advises the same disease that is killing him is genetic and will also kill Harry unless he continues to develop the experimental research at Oscorp.  Part of that research is experimentation started by Peter's late father, Richard.  Despite past friendships, Peter and Harry will reunite in a deadly way. 

Meanwhile, an electric engineer at Oscorp, Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), has grown an unhealthy attachment to Spidey after the web slinger saved his life.   Dillon's fragile mental health is taxed even more when an accident at Oscorp transforms his body into pure electric energy.  Hero worship turns to hatred after a misunderstanding between Dillon and his idol in Times Square which gives Spider-Man a new, powerful enemy and gives Harry an instrument of destruction that can be used to his advantage. 

I think the best way to complete this review is to separate what worked as opposed to what didn't (or maybe could have been done better).  Let's start with the negative.  This is the one thing that worried me when I first knew of the reported cast of ASM 2.  Multiple villains in movies such as this rarely work.  The inherent problem is that each character's motivations aren't clearly defined and origin story seems rushed.  Although Webb handles this issue better than most I've seen, the same problem still exists.  I wish movie studios would learn this lesson.  Super Hero movies are better when you focus on one protagonist vs. one antagonist.  The only time multiple combatants don't feel contrived is when there is supposed to be a team concept behind the characters as with the Avengers.  Another reason Avengers worked so well is because Joss Whedon didn't have to deal with origin stories.  Marvel Studios had already taken care of those in previous movies so he could devote adequate screen time to each character.  I think this would work with villain team-ups that aren't naturally reliant on a group setting.  Introduce them in one movie and then bring them back in later ones as fully realized characters whose evil shenanigans can be focused on. 

Max's/Electro's transformation from lonely hero worshipper to murderous villain seems rushed.  It may not be as off-putting as Anakin Skywalker's harsh transformation into Darth Vader, but there wasn't much chance for development of Electro's character to make the transition very meaningful. His rage seems like a tantrum from a petulant child more than truly being angry at Spider-Man.   Ol' Max has just about the neediest personality in reality or fiction.

Harry Osborn is a more fully realized character whose motivations are clearer and more understandable as a desperate young man driven to insanity by internal and external factors.  Yet, even his transformation deserved a little more than the three minute screen time it received (anyone remember Venom from Spider-Man 3).  What makes this transformation memorable is the impact it delivers.  Harry maybe should have just been the mastermind behind Electro in this film or should have been the only villain.  His villainy could have been more fully developed in either of these scenarios. 

There is a small segment featuring the Rhino where Paul Giamatti is chewing up the scenery in a mechanized battle suit.  Fortunately, this segment is very brief and exists only to see some great scenes of Spider-Man in action.  The suit doesn't work as it's just a big, loud clanky thing.  It's a bit of a waste of a classic, if minor, villain.

As for what the film gets right, there's much to be excited about.  ASM 2 is first of the five Spider-Man films made where I can say Spidey felt completely like Spidey.  On the one side, you have Peter's vaunted sense of responsibility on display which causes as misery to him as any beatdown he may receive from the villain of the week.  It's no different here as defying his promise to Gwen's father weighs heavily on him and he denies himself happiness out of his desire to protect those he loves. 

This time, however, Spider-Man is back to his old wisecracking self.  Attempts at this have been made before, but this time, it's fully realized.  Even Webb's first ASM depicted Peter as more of an angry, smart-ass teenager than the funny wise guy he normally is. What Webhead fan wouldn't have a mile-wide smile when he refers to Electro as "Sparkles?"  Some of Peter's interactions with his Aunt May (Sally Field) are the funniest in the film.  The whole chimney scene is short, but packs an amazing comedic punch.

While I do wish that someone could figure a way to give the audience a more classic Green Goblin look, I will admit that Marc Webb handling the issue as a physical transformation for Harry was far better than the silly bodysuit and mask from Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man film (boy that thing was awful).   The transformation was creepy and a full representation of Harry's descent into madness.

Speaking of the Goblin, I would be remiss in not mentioning Dane Dehaan's performance as Harry Osborn.  Dehaan plays Harry with charm and smarminess at the same time.  You feel for his plight, yet you are always aware of an underlying maliciousness inside of him.  It's an intricate mix that Dehaan pulls off quite well.  He's a very good young actor who can definitely do justice to angst-ridden characters (see Chronicle if you haven't).

The movie's heart comes from the relationship between Peter and Gwen.  A problem with most super hero films is the lack of chemistry between hero and love interest.  Think about it for a minute.  Have any of the Batman movies had a strong leading lady as the hero's love interest outside of Catwoman who really is an antagonist in those movies?  Jane Foster in the Thor movies?  Not really.  Mary Jane in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies? Meh.  Pepper Potts from Iron Man?  OK, but not spectacular.  Any of the Lois Lanes?  Margot Kidder maybe.  Kate Bosworth not at all.  Amy Adams, too early to tell.  Garfield and Stone have an easiness and timing with each other that is unparalleled in this movie genre.  It probably helps that they are a real-life couple, but, it's a refreshing change to see two actors that do act like they should be together.  And, without trying to give too much away, makes the climax all the more gut-wrenching. 

The action scenes which is the meat of any super hero movie are absolutely insane.  Again, Spider-Man's movements, while always handled very well previously, felt more like Spider-Man with all the inhuman movements a character like this should have.  Webb also added a very nice touch in the Times Square scene with Electro where the wallcrawler detected all the potential dangers in his immediate area in a slow-motion sequence.  For someone who can move as fast as he can, I'd imagine that's how the world would look much of the time. 

While there are some weaknesses to ASM 2, the good far outweighs the mediocre.  While not my favorite Spider-Man film overall, it deserves more than a dismissive look.  In addition, you're introduced to the first stages of a contained Spider-Man universe that Sony is attempting to create, a la Marvel Studios' Avengers universe.  You're going to see some familiar objects when Oscorp opens its "Special Projects" vault.  There's also an allusion to something very "Sinister" coming Spidey's way in the future.

ASM 2 was a great way to kick off the Summer.  I hope it has a good fate at the box office.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says: 

*** 1/4 stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
 Captain America:  The Winter Soldier
Released 4/4/14

Marvel Studios releases have become spectacles of late, especially since the release of the Avengers in 2012.  This week's release of the Captain America sequel is no exception.  Marvel has set the bar fairly high in recent years.  Speculation is that The Winter Soldier is arguably the studio's best release ever.  What?  Better than the Avengers?  Could it really be that epic for the picky comic connoisseur like myself?

Well, I don't know if I would call it Marvel's best release yet, but, it's pretty epic in its own right, easily in the team photo as one of the best movies of its genre.  It's a perfect mix of action, comedy and political intrigue.  And, it has the feel of a game changer in the Marvel movie narrative (and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on the television side for that matter).

We find Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) still a stranger in a strange land since he was unthawed from his decades long sleep a couple of years ago.  Aside from the occasional clashes with international peacekeeping force, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), regarding trust, he's still fighting the good fight on Fury's behalf performing highly important and classified missions for him.  At least, that's what he thinks until Fury let's him in on something he finds highly disturbing. 

S.H.I.E.L.D. has adopted the philosophy of neutralizing threats from the vast stores of data they have on just about every living man, woman, and child on the planet before they become uncontrollable.  To do this, three experimental and heavily armed Helicarriers connected by satellite link have been designed to take out anyone who fits this profile, by the thousands, if necessary.  As Fury states, "S.H.I.E.L.D. views the world as it is and not how they would like it to be."  It's a philosophy the good Captain has a big issue with.  But, with Fury's friend and senior S.H.I.E.L.D. director, Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford), in lockstep with him regarding "Project Insight", Rogers is outvoted.  And, that's when everything in The Winter Soldier hits the fan in a big way.  Fury becomes compromised (or does he?) and events are manipulated to make Captain America an enemy of the state.  And, who is this mysterious super terrorist codenamed The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) making The Captain's life difficult?  Who is he and who does he work for?  Rogers is sure not to like either answer.

What I like most about what Marvel is doing here is the way they are interconnecting their stories in the "Phase 2" stage of their films.  And, they're often very subtle interconnections.  In The Winter Soldier alone, we're reintroduced to Loki's spear from The Avengers (albeit during the end credits), Iron Man's repulsor lifts on a very large scale through the Helicarriers, and a serum developed by Bruce Banner that slows the heart rate to almost nothing. 

As with most movies of this genre, the action and death-defying stunts are amped up to amazing levels.  But, this one is done in a more organic way if that makes any sense.  It's not like Thor, Spider-Man, or Iron Man where you expect fights and adrenaline-rushing sequences to be on a grand superhuman scale.  Directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, have taken care to scale back the CGI on this one.  While Captain America does most things that most humans couldn't do, what he's doing still feels decidedly human and anchored somewhat to the real world which fits the character exactly. It's different, but just as exciting to see on-screen.

There are some familiar and new faces in The Winter Soldier.  Scarlett Johansson and Cobie Smulders return as The Black Widow and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill, respectively.  Two characters are introduced who are very important to the Captain America mythos.  Anthony Mackie is brought into the fold as Cap ally, Sam Wilson (The Falcon), an ex-paratrooper highly trained in aerial combat using a specialized flight pack with wings.  Emily Van Camp is introduced as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, Sharon Carter, a woman who becomes very important in Cap's life in the comic.  We'll see if the powers that be follow suit with that in the film adaptations. 

Another thing that sets The Winter Soldier apart from many super hero movies is the direction of the storyline itself.  It's as much a political thriller as it is a super hero movie with deceptions and intrigue galore.  I said earlier that this movie will have far-reaching repercussions within the Marvel movie universe.  Seeds from this movie have even been planted in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series.  There's something very rotten happening in this group.  I won't give much more away, but, a certain counter organization is rearing its ugly little head (or should I say heads) again in the 21st century that's bad news for everyone. 

I also don't know why I feel the need to say this, but, I will say it again anyway.  Unless it's of absolutely no interest to you, you do not get up and leave the theater from any Marvel movie whether it's from Marvel Studios, Sony, or Fox before the last end credit has rolled.  Two segments are provided here during the end credits.  The lesser one (in my opinion) is at the very end of the credits that likely has more to do with the next Captain America movie than it does with the Marvel Universe as a whole (depending on where they take the story) involving a character on the verge of remembering some important things.  The first post credit scene happens about mid-way through that will have ramifications for next year's Avengers:  Age of Ultron movie.  You've been told.  Leave the theater at your own risk. 

Captain America:  The Winter Soldier is well worth the wait and hype.  It's an excellent piece of movie making by all parties involved and keeps the bar raised high for the genre.  This is the golden age for the comic book geek.  I've heard some say super hero movies are ruining Hollywood.  All in the eye of the beholder I guess.  If you have no interest in this type of spectacle, it's not going to be your cup of tea.  For someone like me who grew up on comic books, it's Candyland and Disney World rolled into one.

Oh, and P.S.  Marvel.  Nice touch that Cap has crossed Star Wars off his "To Do" list!

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***** stars (been a couple years since I've given this one)

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.