Cast: Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, Garrett Hedlund, Adria Arjona
Release date: March 13th (Netflix) 2hr 5m
Triple Frontier is Netflix’s newest action/thriller that dropped this past week. It’s a heist movie which ultimately goes a bit deeper into a familiar premise: 5 special forces veterans band together to illegally take down a South American drug lord and steal his millions for themselves. Each of the main characters, played by Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, and Garrett Hedlund, feel their personal lives unraveling in various ways and convince themselves they deserve the money as repayment for years of service to their country will little to nothing to show for it.
For comparison, their motivation feels very reminiscent of the reason why soldiers take over Alcatraz in the 90’s classic, The Rock (probably my favorite Michael Bay film). It’s a very believable and human scenario; a great way to pull the audience in and sympathize with the characters even though they are in reality committing serious crimes. The star power also helps.
The movie starts slow as it honestly feels like every other heist movie you’ve seen: one guy has an elaborate plan to steal a ton of money (here it’s Oscar Isaac) and gradually assembles his crack-shot team by convincing them the payout is more than worth the risk.
Be patient though as things get much more interesting the 2nd half of the film. The heist itself is a tense moment of the film for sure, however the ultimate focus is more centered on how they get the money out of the country afterwards. Of course, the plan goes spectacularly wrong, and keeps the film feeling more original as it changes from purely a heist movie into more of a survival film. Triple Frontier is in fact a reference to the area in South America where the characters find themselves.
This movie is all about its characters, as it puts a huge focus on examining human nature and the consequences of our actions…no matter how “pure” we convince ourselves our intentions are from the beginning. It’s a slippery slope that goes downhill fast, and in the end makes for a compelling journey.
All 5 of the main cast members give spectacular performances, further blurring the difference in quality you would expect to see between a theatrical release and a straight to streaming film. I spent a good portion of the film conflicted between rooting for the characters while at the same time reminding myself they were responsible for their own hardships. The films that are the most memorable are the ones that allow you to see both sides of the characters’ moral dilemma and Triple Frontier does an excellent job with this.
The cinematography is also well done, with countless shots of the countryside and various terrains that are simply gorgeous. Without going into detail, the ending says a lot about the stubbornness of human nature and teases the possibility of a sequel which I wouldn’t mind seeing.
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Dylan O’Brien, Peter Cullen, Gracie Dzienny, Justin Theroux, Angela Bassett, Pamela Adlon
Runtime: 1hr 54min Rated PG-13
Release: 12/21
I will just go ahead and say it: Michael Bay absolutely butchered the good name of Transformers. The first movie was the most enjoyable for me, I think simply because it was the first and was just really exciting to see a fond childhood memory make it to blockbuster movie status. Each new film kept making enormous amounts of money and so naturally Bay kept spitting them out; which is where it went downhill. Despite some entertaining aspects, overall each new installment turned out to be even more disappointing than the last. The human characters became wacky cartoon caricatures and the stories stopped making sense. They became simply excuses to have bigger and more elaborate action set pieces filled with explosions and models running in slow motion.
It got to the point where I felt trapped in a never ending cycle. With each new movie I thought, “Well this one has to be better than the last one, right?” Nope, it was always somehow worse. I never bothered to see The Last Knight in the theater and to this day I still haven’t finished it. I made it three quarters of the way through and just couldn’t do it anymore. Right before I turned the movie off I think my last words were “I don’t even know what’s going on anymore!” Coming from someone who always finds a way to enjoy even the worst of movies, that’s an accomplishment.
“I’m done.”
When I first heard that a solo Bumblebee prequel movie was in the works I think I may have literally slapped my hand against my forehead. I thought the bleeding had stopped. But no, apparently the studio wanted to squeeze a little more money out of the franchise with more of the same over the top slapstick comedic characters, explosions in every scene, and models with fake tans who can’t act.
As more info started to come out though, I was surprisingly becoming more interested in the movie. First and foremost, Michael Bay was bumped from director to producer. Hallelujah! It was disappointing he wasn’t removed completely, but at least someone new was taking over as director. That someone is Travis Knight who has so far directed several children’s films including Kubo and the Two Strings, The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, and the upcoming bigfoot movie Missing Link.
Then the trailer came out, and it actually looked pretty good, especially the transformers. They clearly went with designs that were more inspired by the original cartoon. This is something that fans have been yelling for since the beginning, and was the last straw. I decided that maybe someone was finally listening and I should at least give Bumblebee a chance.
The best opening scene in a Transformers movie ever.
The first think I have to mention is how damn good the opening scene is. It takes place on Cybertron and instantly took me back in time to my childhood watching autobots and decepticons fighting each other. Several are immediately recognizable and even the voices and gun sounds reminded me of the cartoon. It is by far one of the best nostalgia moments, and I honestly would love to see an entire film that centers around this live action version of the war on Cybertron.
We get to not only hear what Bee’s actual voice sounds like, but also later on how he lost it. If I remember correctly I think he also spoke at the end of one of the previous films…maybe Dark of the Moon, but Dylan O’Brien as the voice is much more fitting here. O’Brien is probably most known for the book turned movie series Maze Runner.
The characters are still a little too “cartoony,” but nowhere near the level of previous films.
Some of the ridiculous comedy that overwhelmed all of the Bay movies still seeps in here in places, but it’s nowhere near the same level. I get that they’re marketing to kids, but I’ve never really understood why they felt the need to make all of the adult characters look like bumbling idiots or follow cookie cutter stereotypes.
John Cena is the prime example here. He plays a military guy that is so stereotypically macho it’s funny. I feel like he’s purposely hamming it up here though as I’ve seen him in other films and while he’s by no means an award winning actor, he still fairly decent…at least better than here. He never hits a level that ruins the movie, it’s just noticeable.
Hailee Steinfield by contrast was a fantastic choice for the lead. She’s probably know most recently for her role in Pitch Perfect, but I think the first movie I saw her in was the excellent remake of True Grit. Unlike previous Bay leading ladies, she’s attractive but isn’t constantly flaunting it in every scene with a low cut shirt and booty shorts. Oh yeah, she can actually act as well. The rest of the supporting cast is fine, but, like Cena, still a little more “goofy” than I think they need to be.
An interesting match up for the decepticon voice talent has Angela Basset playing Shatter and Justin Theroux as Dropkick, two transformers created specifically for the movie. They’re also fine: average transformer badguys. I’m guessing they’re saving the more well known decepticons for future films.
This is definitely a much smaller scale story which is a nice change of pace, however it did feel a bit too slow at times. I think the biggest stumbling block that these movies are still struggling with is that they spend far too much time focusing on the human counterparts. People want to see the transformers, not the humans. That’s what made the G1 cartoons of the 80’s so special. There were humans involved, but it was primarily the Transformers’ story.
The ending does set up the possibility of a sequel. According to news from last February, the plan seems to be to use Bumblebee as a “soft reboot” to release future transformers movies, with Hasbro having much more control over the franchise going forward. Now, having seen the movie, I think it’s a fantastic idea and hope they stick with it. The movie hasn’t been doing as well as it’s predecessors, but it’s at least surpassed it’s budget so far. Time will tell.
Final Verdict
Bumblebee still has some minor issues, and the pacing drags at times, but it is still easily the best transformers film to hit the scene in a long time. Using the popular character to breathe new life into the franchise turned out to be a smart decision after all. The G1 transformer designs look perfect and Peter Cullen is still the voice of Optimus Prime. At least for now, it looks like all is right with the world again. For the first time in a long time, I am actually looking forward to what the next film will bring.
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, John Malkovich, Trevante Rhodes, B. D. Wong, Tom Hollander, Danielle Macdonald
Based on the novel by Josh Malerman
Runtime: 2hrs 4min Rated: R
Netflix’s latest thriller/horror movie, Bird Box has gotten a lot of attention over the last week. Most likely if you haven’t seen it yourself, you’ve at least heard something about it. According to Netflix’s twitter page, the film has been watched by over 45 million user accounts in the first 7 days of its release.
Bird Box is set in a post apocalyptic world where unknown creatures have taken control of the planet with the ability to cause anyone who looks at them to see their worst fear and then immediately commit suicide. The name of the movie comes from the characters discovering that birds become agitated when the creatures are near, so they keep them nearby to act as an early warning system. It is never fully explained how this works or what the exact nature of the creatures are: aliens, demons, etc, but all of that doesn’t really matter.
Like many of these types of stories, the emphasis is less about the creatures themselves and more about the various character studies. The movie explores several meaningful themes such as: the definition of motherhood, the extremes a mother will go through to ensure her children’s survival, as well as how various individuals react to extreme life or death situations.
Bird Box’s similarities to other films hinders it from hitting its mark.
I love when movies have those extra layers of depth to their story; it makes for interesting discussions and often times allows filmmakers to take a familiar genre and give us an unfamiliar angle that feels new. However, while Bird Box is a captivating movie in its own right, it fails to reach anywhere near groundbreaking. The The story immediately reminded me of a cinema “cocktail” of various movie plots, a spoonful of The Happening, a dash of The Road. At one point I was even reminded of a particular season of The Walking Dead. However the most glaring similarities can be made to the 2018 John Krasinki film A Quiet Place.
To be fair, it is important to know that Bird Box is based on the 2014 novel of the same name and therefore actually predates 2018’s A Quiet Place, which to my knowledge only exists in movie form. I would be willing to bet that after the success of Krasinki’s movie, Netflix as well as other studios have been on the lookout for similar stories to adapt into their own films.
Having similar themes isn’t necessarily a bad thing as movies today are almost always a variation of something that’s already come before. The problem here is that Bird Box is too similar and not executed as well.
Both Bird Boxand A Quiet Place are about invading creatures who’s primary strategy for human extinction involves essentially taking away one of our senses. Both movies use their end of the world narrative to say something about the importance of family. The difference is despite Sandra Bullock’s outstanding performance with Bird Box, especially in the last act, A Quiet Place had more of an emotional impact for me. I do think it’s possible that A Quiet Place resonated more with me as a man as it focuses more on a father whereas Bird Box focuses on a mother. I did see some of my friends who are moms post on social media that Bird Box struck them for that very reason. However I still feel that with A Quiet Place, the cinematography, the use of the creatures, how the family adapts, as well as the overall emotional narrative is just better executed.
I think what will ultimately be the line in the sand as to how much you enjoy this movie is what you’ve seen or read first. If you haven’t seen any of the previous mentioned films, Bird Box will probably blow your mind and you won’t understand why there is anyone who doesn’t think it was superb. However, if you have seen the others (especially A Quiet Place) then you’ll most likely feel as I did: less like you’re treading through unexplored territory and something more similar to a well traveled path. Maybe that isn’t fair but it’s inevitable; there are too many similarities with films that have come before it.
I’m curious to know how in depth the book goes, because another problem I had is the film changes the creatures’ tactics halfway through, but never explains why. The creatures don’t have any type of physical form. They can’t go inside or seem to be able to physically hurt people themselves. Without spoiling, there are some individuals you meet halfway through the movie, and you never get anything more than these people exist and are roaming around. It just ends up feeling forced and that their only purpose is to create some type of physical danger to motivate the characters to leave the house in order to drive the story on to its conclusion.
What I liked.
Sandra Bullock is without a doubt the best thing about Bird Box. If this film had someone else in the role I don’t think it would have gained as much popularity as it has. You rarely see her in these types of thrillers that border on horror and it’s a shame because she’s excellent in them. She’s excellent in everything, honestly. Her best moments here revolve around her interactions with the children and the arc she has during their river trip as she thinks back on past events.
The rest of the cast is also a higher caliber than I would expect for a Netflix movie with some bigger names attached including Sarah Paulson, John Malcovich and B.D. Wong. The performances were overall great, but individuals do make the typical horror movie mistakes and I found myself saying out loud repeatedly: “You should have listened to John Malcovich!”
Even though I bashed the story earlier compared to A Quiet Place, by itself it’s still an entertaining movie and I enjoyed the way it was told through the two different timelines: the start of the “invasion” being told through flashbacks while the present shows Bullock and her two kids floating down a river blind folded. Their background and where they are trying to get to is slowly revealed through the flashbacks. From what I understand, this is how the book reads as well.
Final Verdict
Bird Box is carried by the talent of Sandra Bullock and is a decent movie. I wish it could be enjoyed in a bubble, however due to previous films it is hindered by feeling almost entirely unoriginal. The bottom line is if you haven’t seen movies like The Happening or A Quiet Place, you will love Bird Box. If you have then you can still enjoy it but the novelty of the plot won’t work as well as the movie wants it to. I’m glad I watched it, but I’m also glad I didn’t pay for tickets to see this in a theater. I would not have felt like I got my money’s worth. Netflix is the perfect place for this movie to live and is worth a view.
Due to the sheer number of movies, video games, and cartoons that have been released, Spider-Man is one of the most well known superheroes in pop culture history. Considering the huge success of the recent Tom Holland version of the character along with the excellent PS4 game, there wasn’t really a reason to expect an additional take on the character to come out any time soon.
Then, out of seemingly nowhere came Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse. My interest in this film started out moderate as I thought the trailer was pretty good and hoped it would be half way decent considering Sony’s hit or miss history with Spidey. By the time the movie released my excitement was building as I had seen all of the overwhelmingly positive early buzz. Even then I still had no idea how much fun this movie would actually be. Not only is this hands down the best animated movie of the year, but it’s also fair to throw it into the running as one of the best superhero films of the year, period. I would even go as far as to say that this is one of my favorite Spider-Man movies ever.
This movie is a blast for all ages.
Don’t let this being an animated film fool you into thinking Spider-Verse is targeted solely at kids; there is more than enough packed into the film to keep everyone thoroughly entertained. Even if you normally shy away from animated films, do yourself a favor and give this one a try while it’s still in theaters as the big screen is undoubtedly the movie’s intended format. (If you have kids just use them as an excuse to see it…I won’t tell).
Spider-Verse tells the story of Miles Morales, a fan favorite from the comics, who takes over the mantle of Spider-Man in an alternate timeline of the Marvel universe most people will be familiar with. In this version, things get out of control when an elaborate device used by the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk backfires and brings different versions of Spider-Man from other alternate universes to Miles’ timeline by accident. Once assembled together, the team of Spider-People have to stop Kingpin as well as a host of other villains in order to get back to their own timelines before it’s too late. This is a comic book plot through and through.
The animation is unlike anything you’ve seen before.
First and foremost though, I have to talk about the style of the animation; it’s unlike anything I’ve seen in a film before. The creative team actually created new techniques, taking inspiration from vintage comic printing methods to create a vibrant world that feels like a comic book come to life. No, actually it feels like several comic books being mashed together into one gorgeous story and then brought to life. The screen often divides into multiple comic book style panels, thought balloons and caption boxes appear in scenes, and sound effect words pop up such as the “thwip” sound of web swinging. We even get to see the famous squiggly lines that symbolize Spider-Man’s “spidey sense” going off. I recommend if you’re able to, see this on an IMAX screen. I rarely say that for a movie but having the largest screen possible will add to the visual scope of the movie.
Literally the only negative I can come up with for the entire movie is that as a side effect of the art style, there are some scenes where the foreground/background looks out of focus or distorted. It can make it difficult to see what’s going on at times but never actually ruined a scene for me. For a brief moment I did think I had accidentally stumbled into a 3D showing of the movie. I heard somewhere that the out of focus effect was intentional and meant to showcase the repercussions of multiple universes colliding. It all sounds cool, but it still takes a min to get used to and could be jarring for some.
This is 100% a comic book story, but better executed than many live action films.
The story is well executed and never failed to keep me entertained or engaged with what was coming next. The 2 hour run time flies by, and if anything I would have been fine if the movie was just a bit longer. This is Miles’ story and focuses on him growing into his unique powers as Spider-Man. We get a good look into his family dynamic and what that means for this Spider-Man. There are also creative twists on some of Spidey’s well known villains that helps to keep things feeling familiar yet new.
While the movie is entertaining for all ages, there are some very positive messages for kids and is a great family film. It also can’t be understated the importance of bringing an African American/Latino Spider-Man to the big screen. What I liked most of all about this was that no one made a big deal about it; actually I’m pretty sure Miles’ race is never even brought up by anyone in the movie. He just is. Miles becomes the Spider-Man of this timeline and it’s great seeing the hero from his unique perspective and personality.
The cast is an all star, stellar line up with literally everyone involved giving excellent performances. Nothing feels “phoned in” and each Spider-Man or Woman has their time to shine with their own distinct personalities that are enjoyable in their own ways. Each gets a unique version of the same introduction which is perfectly executed; giving the exact information you need to know for each. Much of the humor in the film comes from taking these very different Spider-Men and forcing them to temporarily co-exist. I’m not sure who thought of it but Nic Cage as Spider-Man Noir was a stroke of genius.
Speaking of humor, Spider-Verse is jam packed with intelligent comedy that will have you laughing from start to finish. So many moments do such a great job of subverting what you expect to happen in simple yet hilarious ways such as Miles’ reaction to being bitten. Jake Johnson as “Peter B. Parker” does a fantastic job delivering the quipy lines you’d expect from Spider-Man. Johnson isn’t really someone I would have thought of to play Parker, but he brings a wit and sarcasm to the role that reminds me of his character in the show New Girl and now I don’t know how I never saw the possibility before.
There are a ton of villains in this movie; each one is not only visually creative but also has a unique twist on how you may be used to seeing them. It would have been nice if the villains had a similar introduction to what the heroes received, telling the audience why the Green Goblin is a giant monster or who the heck is Hammerhead. The lack of these intros doesn’t hurt the movie, I just think those who don’t read comics will be interested to know more. Because this is an animated film, the fight scenes are also much more elaborate than what you might normally see in a live action film. The screen explodes in action and color in true comic book fashion.
The music score is fantastic and gives as much character to the film as the visuals; it not only fits with Miles’ overall style and personality but it also does an excellent job of building the excitement and tension of each scene. I enjoyed the overall sound so much that I’ve added it to my work playlist rotation.
A couple final thoughts.
Maybe it’s the fact that this is the first cameo I’ve seen since his passing, but the Stan Lee cameo is one of his most memorable; as heartwarming as it is funny.
There is an after credits scene at the very end, and while it may or may not have been hinting at a sequel, it was very funny and another example of how this movie subverts your expectations in hilarious ways.
Final Verdict
Spider-Man: Into the Spider verse is a near perfect superhero masterpiece, packed with equal amounts of humor, action, and heart. From the visuals to the music along with the exceptional voice acting and story, there is almost nothing negative I can say about this film. The only thing I can muster is the occasional “out of focus” look of some of the shots that may be annoying to some. There’s already talk of a sequel which I can’t wait for as I definitely want to jump back into this massively entertaining universe.
As a card carrying DC fanboy, I’ve been anxiously awaiting Aquaman, hopeful that it would be a home run for my favorite comic publishing house. The DC cinematic universe has been on shaky ground basically since it first began with Man of Steel in 2013. I have honestly enjoyed most of the films released, but Warner Bros just hasn’t been able to capture the hearts of the masses in a way that comes close to competing with Marvel.
Now, multiple rumors and reports that the studio may have officially killed the cinematic universe in its present form have left the future in question. Unfortunately, it seems like Warner Bros wants to continue making solo films, but is reluctant to make any promises towards continuing a shared universe of any kind for the time being.
However a big reason I was hopeful for Aquaman was the movie has had a lot of positive buzz from early screenings. If nothing else mobs of drooling women looking to stare at a shirtless Jason Mamoa for 2 hrs will hopefully help drive the box office numbers up. I don’t blame them at all…I get it. He’s dreamy…whatever.
Hopefully though, if the studio can get a couple wins under their belt like Wonder Woman, maybe they’ll put another Justice League movie back on the table down the road. They just desperately need a solid plan, take their time, and stick with it.
I got a chance to see the film about a week early, thanks to my incredible pregnant wife who saw the tickets go on sale through an Amazon Prime deal in the middle of the night while she couldn’t sleep. Yes, she is one of those drooling women I just mentioned, but I like to tell myself she bought the tickets thinking of me as well .
What you should know before watching Aquaman.
How the overall public will react to the movie remains to be seen, but I really had a fun time and enjoyed the heck out of Aquaman. It’s not a perfect film, but it is an entertaining over the top, fantasy adventure epic that is a worthy counterpart to 2017’s Wonder Woman.
I’ve seen people online trying to rank or compare these two solo films and now having seen both I don’t think that’s necessarily fair. Wonder Woman and Aquaman are polar opposite films that will resonate with people differently, depending on what they are looking for in a movie. I put them on equal footing; each for their own charm they bring. I will say though that I definitely had more fun watching Aquaman than I did Justice League.
To make sure you go into Aquaman with the proper mindset, make sure to check reality at the theater door. This movie is pure escapism with ancient under water civilizations and creatures who do fantastic things. I know that may be obvious from the trailer, but movie goers are used to Marvel heavily grounding most of their heroes in reality to make them relatable to the average Joe. DC usually takes the opposite approach and Aquaman is prime example.
This feels more like a comic book story with all the stereotypical comic book troupes you can imagine. That isn’t a bad thing; because frankly I don’t want all of my superhero movies to be exactly the same. Sometimes I want to watch a superhero figure out how he’s going to juggle paying his bills and fighting crime, but other times I’m just in the mood to watch Khal Drogo ride a giant seahorse into battle and kick some underwater ass.
While there are still some noticeable differences, Warner Bros has definitively changed the tone of their superhero films since Batman v. Superman, inching as close as possible to the lighthearted Marvel brand. Aquaman feels even lighter in tone than Justice League but still maintains a good balance of dramatic and comedic moments that I think more people will respond positively to.
Mamoa’s Arthur is quite different from the comics; with a personality closer to a surfer, bar hopping, biker bro than a royal king of the seven seas. He also has several one liners that are somewhat reminiscent of a Schwarzenegger movie; most are corny or only funny because of how lame they are such as the “permission to come aboard?” line from the trailer. That line has to win the award for most shameless double entendre in a comic book film.
Many of the film’s dramatic moments work but some are pushed so far over the top that I couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness. For example, you can tell that director James Wan really likes to use slow motion; it is used entirely too much throughout the movie. Often times you can tell the movie is trying to use slow motion to make a particular shot more dramatic, but it only succeeds in making it so ridiculously campy that you can’t help but laugh.
Another minor issue is the pacing of the movie and how it incorporates some of the flashback scenes near the beginning is a bit jarring. It’s a bit confusing how Arthur is trained by Willem Dafoe’s character when he’s clearly not allowed to have contact with Atlantis. Eventually enough scenes go by where you finally piece together that he’s been sneaking to the surface to train Arthur, but it’s just poorly communicated.
The sights and sounds of Aquaman.
Visually, the movie looks incredible and reminds me of an underwater version of Avatar in many ways. Colors are bright and varied and your eyes constantly roam the screen trying to take in all the details. Yes, the movie is about 90% CGI, which may be a turnoff to some, but it’s done well and there’s honestly just no way to do this type of movie with practical effects.
The most interesting visual elements are seeing how underwater animals have been adapted into mounts for the different armies to ride. It was an interesting mix of traditional animals such as seahorses and sharks along with more fictional creatures.
One effect that is slightly annoying is whenever someone talks underwater; the voice has a sort of muffled, distorted sound. I get why they did it, and hearing it sounds cool in theory, but it also made it hard to catch what people are saying at times. This is especially true for Patrick Wilson’s Ocean Master who has the most Shakespearean lines out of anyone by far. I can appreciate the “realism” of what talking underwater sounds like but in a movie that takes so many liberties with reality I don’t think it was necessary or maybe could have had a little less of a distortion.
The movie does a decent job “de-aging” a few of the characters for flashback scenes. I think Marvel has done a slightly better job using the technology, but it’s still very believable here.
The fight scenes look great and are convincing, especially the minimal CGI fights that take place on land. The movie does a great job of mixing CGI with practical that makes for some great visuals you might see in a video game or comic book. I also enjoyed how many of the scenes zoom out and pan around to let you see all the action in a single shot. There’s some particular scenes in Italy that come to mind that were really fun to watch.
I was pleasantly surprised at how comic book accurate the costumes were in the movie, especially Black Manta. That guy has a gigantic helmet in the comics and it’s spot on here. The movie hilariously tries to hint at a plausible reason as to why the helmet is so big, however the more you think about it, the less sense it makes. It doesn’t matter the reason though; I’m glad they kept the designs as faithful to the comics as they did. Hinted in the trailer, we also get to see Aquaman’s traditional orange and green armor towards the end and it looks fantastic. I’m sure they will change it, but I’d be happy if he kept this look for future films.
Check out pics of the costumes on screen vs how they look in the comics:
The music score throughout the movie was excellent and paired well with the scenes. However, there’s a couple times where artist recorded songs are mixed in, such as a weird version of Toto’s Africa by Pitbull and it just comes across as silly and forced. You can tell these songs are only in the movie because they were required to be fit in somewhere.
Casting
The casting choices were all excellent. I can’t think of anyone that felt out of place or stands out as a poor choice. The only performance that was borderline for me was Yahya Abdul-Mateen as Black Manta. It wasn’t a horrible performance, he was just playing a very 1 dimensional comic book villian who did comic book villain things. His killer Black Manta suit though more than makes up for it though.
Jason Mamoa is without a doubt the best choice to play Arthur and exactly what the character needed to go from the most “useless” Justice League member to a bad ass warrior king.
I liked Amber Heard’s performance as Mera. She looks spot on with the comics as already mentioned; the only slight negative is her red hair is very obviously a wig; it could have been done better. I can get past that though (wink wink). Dolph Lundgren also did a great job as Mera’s dad, King Nereus.
Patrick Wilson carried himself well as the dick step brother villian Ocean Master and Nicole Kidman was a nice surprise as Arthur’s mom Queen Atlanna.
On a side note, it’s funny to me how many times in Marvel movies the villains don’t go by their comic book names or don’t really talk about it. However 9 times out of 10 in a DC movie you can bet the villain is going to tell you their name: “Now I’m (dramatic pause) BLACK MANTA” or “call me (more dramatic pause) OCEAN MASTER.” The only thing missing in these moments is the dramatic music afterwards “dun dun DUUUN.” I think it’s ridiculous and corny and I love it.
The after credits scene is “meh.”
There is one mid credits scene, and while it does hint at the possibility of a sequel, there is absolutely no mention of anyone outside of Aquaman’s story. Actually, the only mention to anything in the entire movie is a quick mention of Steppenwolf at the beginning of the film.
The credits scene is fine and I won’t spoil it but it’s difficult not to be disappointed that they wasted such a great opportunity to further tease the “Legion of Doom” angle we saw at the end of Justice League. I really wanted to see something along the lines of Lex Luthor and Deathstroke meeting Black Manta and welcoming him into the fold.
Having the individual villains of each Justice League member slowly band together to form their own league over the course of multiple solo movies is not only a fantastic idea, it’s also one of the few plot ideas Marvel hasn’t brought to their cinematic universe yet and would give them the edge they’ve been looking for. It’s honestly further proof the Warner Bros execs have no idea what they are doing with the DC brand and are sadly still trying to piece together a game plan.
Final Verdict
Aquaman is a flawed but entertaining superhero fantasy adventure. This is a visually stunning popcorn movie where you can enjoy the ride as long as you take it for what it is and not over analyze its flaws. Most notably are the times the movie takes itself so seriously it crosses over into unitentional comedy. At the end of the day, this is a fun comic book movie that Warner Bros will hopefully be able to count as a successful step to getting the DC cinematic Universe back on its feet.
First and last spoiler warning. I have written this post assuming that everyone is caught up on all previous Marvel movies so I decided not to worry about mentioning spoilers.
The wait has been excruciating, but the Avengers 4 trailer is finally here…and it doesn’t disappoint. I’ve watched this thing more times than I care to admit today and thought I would break down everything I saw in the trailer.
You know it’s a big deal when a trailer for a superhero movie doesn’t show an ounce of action and still breaks the internet. That’s the hold that Marvel has over socirty right now, and I love it. Literally every single shot is someone standing, sitting, and/or talking.
We all know that there will at least be one more main trailer to get everyone hyped up before release, but I hope it’s a small one. I like the amount of story that’s revealed in this trailer – enough to make you excited but not enough to spoil the details of the overall plot.
It’s also worth noting that the clips we’ve seen in the trailer could be different from what we’ll see in the final film. Remember how the Infinity War trailers showed Hulk running with the rest of the Avengers in Wakanda? Yeah that never happened.
Let me know if there’s anything else you spotted that I missed or if you have any theories on what will take place. Ok let’s get to it.
Tony is in trouble.
The trailer opens with Tony drifting in space on his last leg. He appears to be in the Guardian’s ship, presumably with Nebula as well since they were the only heroes on Titan to survive Thanos’ finger snap. Tony records a final message for Pepper, but she could very well not be alive to listen to it…we don’t know yet.
The duo are undoubtedly trying to get back to a familiar corner of the galaxy, but have run out of fuel, food, and water and are only hours away from certain death. There’s no way though that this is how Tony’s story is going to end, especially if you’ve been paying attention to all the set photos that have leaked. I’m confident they’ll be rescued at some point, the only question is by who?
Scarecrow Thanos is a nice comic reference.
Next is a shot of Thanos’ armor hung up as a scarecrow in a field. This is a great homage to a well known moment from the comics. While it plays out a bit different in the cinematic universe the same idea applies. Thanos turns his armor into a scarecrow now that he has finished his “humanitarian” work of balancing the universe and is living life as a simple farmer. We also get a quick shot of him walking through some vegetation and his gauntlet arm still looks banged up good.
Cap is back to a familiar look – but why?
The first thing that is noticeable about Cap in this trailer is he’s once again clean shaven and has gone back to wearing his uniform from Winter Soldier. Cap is of course free to wear whichever star spangled costume he wants. However, there’s really no reason that makes sense as to why he would go back to this specific look, especially since this is what he wore while he was working with SHIELD.
This along with leaked set photos adds fuel to a popular theory that there will be some amount of time travel involved in Endgame to bring down Thanos and correct everything he wrecked. I absolutely love this idea and hope it’s true. There’s another reason it could be true a little further down. Keep reading.
Clint lives! But looks very different now.
Hawkeye was one of 2 Avengers noticeably absent from Infinity War. Ant-man and the Wasp revealed that Scott Lang had been on house arrest learning magic tricks and playing the drums, but we still hadn’t seen anything regarding Clint except for a brief mention that he had “retired” since the events of Civil War.
This trailer finally gives us our first official clue into what’s happened to him. Clint has a brand new look and appears to have gone down a darker road since the last time we saw him. He also seems to be half way across the globe hunting criminals and not taking prisoners.
All of this confirms that Clint has taken on the identity of Ronin, an alias multiple people including Clint have used in the comics. Why he’s taken on this persona is up for debate still, however the most likely theory is that Clint’s wife and kids were all incinerated in the snap which would have been enough to send anyone over the edge. Seriously, his family seemed really nice! Now with nothing left to lose, Clint has quite literally taken on the meaning of his alias, Ronin and become a warrior with no master.
Avengers mourn those lost at the end of Infinity War.
We see a couple seconds of the remaining Avengers going through a list of the presumed dead. Shuri, Scott, and Peter Parker are each shown. We know Peter is gone and Scott is alive but the jury is still out on Black Panther’s genius kid sister. I’m rooting for her to still be alive and would honestly love to see her taking on the mantle of Black Panther in T’Challa’s absence.
The end of the trailer is a funny bit where Scott arrives at Avengers HQ in his van; revealing to the Avengers he is in fact alive. 2 things are very important to keep in mind about Scott’s van that we learned at the end of Ant-man and the Wasp.
First there’s a miniaturized quantum tunnel that has been retro fitted into the back. This essentially is a mobile gateway into the Quantum Realm.
2nd, Hope’s mom warns Scott about the dangers of getting sucked into a “time vortex.” Remember that theory earlier on time travel? The Avengers could easily find a fake science way to harness the power of a time vortex to travel back in time to stop Thanos. Take that time stone.
That snazzy new title: Endgame.
“Endgame” was rumored to be the title of the movie for a while now, and it’s fitting for a couple reasons.
First, it’s a direct reference to the comment Dr Strange made at the end of Infinity War. Strange looked into the future and saw that out of the 14,000,605 possible scenarios facing Thanos, there was only 1 where the Avengers ultimately won. While things seem bleak right now, it will undoubtedly be revealed at some point that the heroes are still in that lone scenario and this is why Strange said:
The word end or endgame has been said before in previous Avengers films also, both times in Age of Ultron:
It’s interesting as a character how quickly Tony is ready to accept “the end,” and more so that he is the one chiefly responsible for causing it. He’s been doing this throughout the franchise and will most likely come to a head here.
Well that’s it for now! Let me know how excited you are for the movie and what you thought of the trailer!
Creed II is essentially the 8th film in the Rocky franchise and continues the story of Adonis; son of legendary boxer Apollo Creed.
After proving himself in the last movie as a boxer worthy to be taken seriously, Adonis has now quickly fought his way to the top of the boxing world. This gains the attention of an old family foe from Rocky IV; the Russian Ivan Drago who has been secretly keeping tabs on Adonis’ career. Ivan soon arrives in Philadelphia to challenge Creed to fight his son Viktor in an effort to exact revenge and and gain national redemption for losing to Rocky 30 years prior.
Even with this historic match up, Creed II isn’t quite able to land the same punch the first movie had. Unfortunately, Ryan Cooglar wasn’t able to return to direct the sequel and after watching Creed I think that could very well be the difference. The attention Cooglar gained from directing Creed no doubt helped him land the movie he is currently most known for; Black Panther.
However, despite its shortcomings (sequels are rarely better than the original anyway), Creed II still has a tremendous amount of heart that makes the movie enjoyable and worth watching.
Creed II’s biggest obstacles are in its pacing and story decisions. The movie feels painfully slow at times, making the slightly over 2hr runtime feel much longer. There’s nothing wrong with a slow burn story, as long as it keeps you engaged. Creed II only manages to do that part of the time.
The majority of the time the movie ends up feeling predictable, formulaic and anticlimactic as it fails to make you forget that this is the 8th movie and you know exactly how things will go.
That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad film; only that it breaks absolutely zero new ground…other than to maybe show a new perspective on the Drago family.
It also felt weird to me that the movie makes such a small deal out of Adonis becoming champion early on. This is what his goal has ultimately been since the last movie; to be like his dad, to be better than his dad. However the movie just wants to push past that moment to get to the main event: Creed VS Drago. Only Tessa Thopmson’s character seems to grasp the importance of the achievement, telling Adonis after winning his title fight; “Do you know what you’ve done?!”
Sure, Drago vs Creed is exciting and the revenge angle from Ivan works well enough. The movie puts more focus on the legacy Adonis’ will leave for future generations of fans as a champion, but the continued pressure from Viktor wanting to fight Adonis feels forced at times.
I think the scenes would have been much more dramatic if Viktor had already won the title and was literally the wall standing between Adonis and boxing greatness. Viktor would have been able to easily gain the title with his ability. The idea that Ivan had been training his son for 20+ years to be able to redeem the family name but could only do that by defeating Apollo’s son for the title is a bit far fetched. Why would’nt he seek redemption sooner? It’s not like he would have known that Adonis would eventually become champion. Hell, he wouldnt have even known he existed before the last movie. Alos, wouldn’t it make more sense for him to have a grudge against Rocky and his son? Oh well. What we’re given isn’t bad, but it could have been so much better.
Team Creed
Michael B. Jordan does an excellent job once again playing Adonis. It’s clear from watching him fight and train in the movie that he has put a lot of hard work into the role. He looks on par with Stallone’s physique in his prime.
The training montage in the desert, while a random location, is arguably one of the best montages of the franchise. It’s one of the most realistic and believable sequences in the franchises’ history. Maybe I’m crazy, but I swear I could tell a difference in Jordan physically by the end.
Tessa Thompson is equally great to watch as the pair continue to face obstacles and challenges together both inside the ring and out. She brings a beautiful balance of strength and vulnerability to the role.
Starting with the previous film, Rocky has now become more of a supporting character; continuing his role as trainer and father figure for Donnie.
Rocky’s personality as portrayed by Stallone is also still fun to watch after 30 years. He’s just a simple guy with a big heart and the movie does a great job of Rocky and Adonis pushing each other to get past their own obstacles.
Sly has said that Creed II is his last time playing Rocky Balboa. If it truly is then I’m happy with how the character has wrapped up. This movie succeeds in giving the character the best possible conclusion after everything he’s been through the last 40 years of Rocky movies.
Team Drago
Lundgren has noticebly more dialogue than in Rocky IV as we get to dive a little deeper into the Drago family’s motivation and what happened to them since Ivan’s defeat to Rocky. You can somewhat sympathize with them, especially Viktor; honestly I felt bad for them more than hated them as villians.
With all the ridiculousness in world news the last few years, I think the movie made a smart choice framing this as a Creed vs Drago matchup while mostly avoiding the US vs Russia themes Rocky IV conveyed. If anything there’s more of a Drago vs Russia story running through the film.
Florian Munteanu plays Viktor Drago and is actually an amateur fighter in real life. He doesn’t say much (The Drago men apparently don’t waste words when they’re boxing) but this guy is an absolute monster; 6ft 4in, 235lbs of pure muscle. He was the perfect choice for the role. Michael B. Jordan’s physique is top notch in this movie, but there’s this moment where Adonis punches Viktor in the gut and it looks like he had just hit a brick wall. It was a great unspoken signal that Creed was in trouble.
The fight choreography is top notch.
The hits taken in this movie look as real as I think I have seen in a boxing movie or in any movie in recent memory for that matter. The choreography and camera angles are accented with well executed CGI and it all looks very realistic for the most part. There are a couple punches that you watch a close up as they land (like the one above), and they look so good you can almost feel it.
Final Verdict
Creed II from start to finish is 150% predictable. Combine that with some pacing issues and this movie fails to surpass its predecessor. However the movie’s huge heart and style still makes it worth your time: watch when you’re in the mood for a classic underdog story. The movie also gives Rocky a nice farewell…provided this actually is his last film as the Italian Stallion.
Cinematic Quality: 4 out of 5
Fun Factor: 3 out of 5
Worth the price of admission: 3 out of 5
Re-watch Value: 3 out of 5
Overall Score – 3.25 high energy training montages out of 5
Crimes of Grendelwald is the next installment in the Fantastic Beasts corner of the Potterverse, and continues the adventures of “magizoologist” Newt Scamander during the 1920s as the sinister Gellert Grendelwald rises to the height of his power.
The Story – Not the film for newbies to jump on.
First and foremost if you’re new to J. K. Rowling’s wizarding world, this is frankly not a good movie to start watching. The story picks up after the events of the last movie and absolutely no time is wasted on recapping what has transpired so far. I am glad that my wife and I decided to re-watch the previous movie a couple nights earlier and recommend it as it definitely helped us stay on track with the sequel.
In addition to no summary, this movie makes enough references from previous Harry Potter movies to fill the Room of Requirement – see what I did there? So while it’s not required to enjoy the movie, I would say that it’s at least a good idea to have seen the Harry Potter films in order to get the most out of the Fantastic Beasts sequels – especially this one.
The story itself is entertaining, however you should be aware going in that it does move a bit slow through several sections. That’s not to say there isn’t a fair share of action, because there definitely is. The movie kicks off with a great action scene. However, there is a lot of exposition and dialogue through out the movie as well. I felt it was interesting and worked well, but not everyone wants that in a movie so just be aware. You will need to pay attention.
The reason for the slower burn is due most likely to the fact that Rowling is writing the screenplay for each film since there aren’t already published books to draw from. I think it’s awesome she’s able to do this, but when you have a writer who’s accustomed to telling a story over the course of an entire novel having to shrink that to a screen play for a 2 and 1/2 hour movie, it’s inevitable that it will feel more like watching a visual novel at times.
The movie isn’t perfect – but don’t let that spoil the fun.
One of the big criticisms for this film I’ve seen is that it creates multiple plot holes and timeline blunders as it seeks to expand and give depth to the universe. Most are fair issues, while others do seem more like the disappointed grumblings of super fans. It reminds me, on a much smaller scale, of the controversy that recently rocked the Star Wars fandom with the release of The Last Jedi.
When any universe is as beloved as giants like Harry Potter, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings, it’s going to get held to a higher standard by its fans. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, in fact it serves to keep pressure on the studios to continue making quality films.
However, the downside is that a fan’s expectations can also make it far more difficult to enjoy a perfectly good movie. It happens all the time. Fans envision what they want to happen in a movie before even seeing it. When those expectations aren’t met people start feeling let down or even cheated out of an experience they feel they deserve. The problem is, there are millions of fans associated with each of these properties; each with oftentimes drastically different expectations for how the franchise should continue. There is simply no way to please everyone.
My best advice for getting the most out of this film (or any film honestly) is two-fold:
First: go in with as little specific expectations on what you want the movie to accomplish as possible. Let the movie hit you, and then see how it makes you feel.
Second: Keep in mind that no matter how long you have been a fan of the movie or book series, it is not yours or my story. Let Rowling tell her story and realize that this is only movie 2 out of 5; anything can still happen. If something doesn’t sit well with you at first, ask yourself if it’s because it legitimately doesn’t work in the movie or is it more that you personally wanted something else to happen?
It is awesome that the creator of this universe is still getting to tell the story the way she wants to. So few authors get this much control over how their characters portrayed in film and I hope it continues.
My wife and I have read all the Harry Potter books and seen all the movies more times than I can count, and we both thouroughly enjoyed Crimes of Grendelwald. I went in blind and then afterwards reading other fan’s articles about plot holes, timeline changes, and other grievances after the movie was interesting but didn’t alter the fact that I enjoyed the movie.
I will say that the Fantastic Beast movies will most likely suffer the same fate as other franchises that have tried to continue the magic of their predecesors. They will be enjoyable and have their own place in the universe, but will never be quite as good as the originals.
Visually, this is the best looking film yet, and the opening scene does a great job of hooking you into the film with all its spectacle. There’s also something special and appealing about combining wizards with the style and flair of 1920’s. It worked well in the first film and it does so again here.
Characters
Newt Scamander – Eddie Redmayne
Eddie Redmayne continues to play the charmingly awkward Newt Scamander. It felt like he had just a bit more of an arc in this movie which was nice. By the end of the film, it felt like Newt had grown as a character.
Gellert Grendelwald – Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp has moved from that actor who plays wacky characters to something more of a controversial figure with accusations of domestic abuse against his ex, Amber Heard. And while those accusations seem most likely true, I have no interest in getting into that in this post. I’ll only talk about how Depp’s performance as an actor was in this film. As a general rule, I try to stay away from diving too deep into what’s going on in actors’ personal lives. If we knew every detail of what goes on behind closed doors there would probably be very few of them we could stomach.
That being said, just know that he will play a large role in the films from here going forward, so if you find him morally repulsive and have his picture up on a dartboard somewhere it may be difficult enjoying the rest of the Fantastic Beast movies.
Strictly from a performance standpoint, Depp is of course excellent as the sinister dark wizard Grindelwald. Somehow even in 2018 the look and style of the character feels original and unlike any movie bad guy I’ve seen.
The best villains are the ones that believe they are in fact the hero of the story and have motivations you can at least somewhat sympathize with. That fits Grendelwald perfectly. He believes he is fighting the injustice of the magical government and begins to win followers to his cause. He’s an interesting villain, but also manages to be evil while not just following the same steps we’ve already seen with Voldemort.
Jacob Kowalski – Dan Fogler
Jacob is still the goofy yet endearing muggle who’s just a couple steps behind everyone else. His relationship with Queenie (Alison Sudol) gets a fair amount of screen time as they struggle to make their “mixed” relationship as a muggle and wizard work. Dan Fogler adds a lot of personality to the character and makes you root for him.
Albus Dumbledore – Jude Law
I thought it was a puzzling pick at first, but Jude Law won me over and is actually an excellent choice for a young Albus Dumbledore. Maybe not so much the voice, but watching his expressions during his scenes looked like you were watching a a younger Michael Gambon – the actor who has portrayed the character the longest. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him in the upcoming sequels.
Credence Barebone – Ezra Miller
The only one I can’t seem to get past; Ezra Miller just doesn’t quite work in his role to me. Maybe I’m just still bitter over him being cast as the Flash in Justice League? He’s really hot right now in Hollywood, but I just don’t get it. The character has a big reveal in this movie and after I found myself wishing they had chosen someone, anyone else to be that person.
Leta Lastrange – Zoe Kravitz
I was also surprised and a little disappointed at the direction Leta went in this film. It is hard not to think she could have had more use in a different direction, but I guess I’ll go back and re-read my advice from earlier. Especially with 3 films remaining; anything can still happen.
Final Verdict
Crimes of Grendelwald is an enjoyable sequel to Fantastic Beasts, but in the end serves mainly as a setup for the films to come. There are tons of references to catch, and the movie looks spectacular visually. Ultimately, following and investing in the movie’s cast of characters, once again created by Rowling is the movie’s strongest selling point.
The pop culture world has been mourning the loss of Stan Lee this last week after he passed away on Monday at the age of 95. The internet is still flooded with social media posts paying their digital respects to the man who will be remembered for co-creating some of the most iconic comic book characters ever to exist. Stan’s influence had an immeasurable impact on my life as well, and I wanted to write about that briefly.
Avengers #1. Art by Jack Kirby.
I definitely read plenty of comics as a kid, but some of my earliest memories interacting with the Marvel Universe are actually from watching two of the most legendary cartoons of the 90’s: Spider-Man and X-Men. Cartoons like these played a key role in getting me hooked into comics and cultivating a love of art in general. I remember buying several books over the years from school book fairs that detailed how to draw the Marvel characters, and for a long time I even considered becoming a cartoonist or comic book artist.
The X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons of the 90s were the best.
If you were unfortunate to have missed these animated gems growing up, the animation in both were top quality while also doing a fantastic job of capturing the essence of the comics. Both shows had memorable opening themes as well, with music that screamed 90s. Once either of these two shows started, nothing else mattered until the episode was over.
Do yourself a favor and check out the opening titles to both Spider-Man and X-Men.
Honestly, whenever forced to choose I’ve always leaned more to the DC Universe. My parents named me after Superman actor Christopher Reeve (a tale for another day), which naturally made me gravitate to that side of the superhero aisle. That being said, I wholeheartedly believe there is enough geek love to go around for both companies’ cast of characters.
Marvel and DC have always offered 2 sides of the same coin for me, allowing me to jump back and forth depending on what kind of story I’m in the mood for. And who was the person responsible for differentiating Marvel from the rest of the superheroes at the time? In large part it was Stan Lee of course.
The DC Universe roster has been around longer and excels at telling entertaining stories that provide an escape from reality. These heroes live more in the realm of fantasy and mythology as the universe is crowded with super powered beings from other planets who always do the right thing to protect their imaginary cities from the forces of evil. They are truly larger than life.
Stan saw this even back in the 60’s and decided to tell his stories from a different angle. He created characters along side legendary artists Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and others who at their core were every day humans, based in real cities, dealing not just with bad guys wanting to wreck everything but their own real life dilemas as well.
This famous panel drawn by Steve Ditko was paid homage in Spiderman: Homecoming.
This artwork from iconic artist Steve Ditko was paid homage in Spiderman: Homecoming.
The Marvel characters don’t just provide entertaining escapism, they also resonate with readers. They’re not just tireless do-gooders who always do the right thing. They make mistakes. They fail. They give us hope that it’s possible to do great things while also struggling with every day life. I’m not saying these qualities are completely absent from the DC Universe; only that Stan set up Marvel to consistently do a far better job.
The X-men constantly face prejudice and racism from a world that doesn’t understand their mutant abilities. Tony Stark is his own worst enemy with a monster size ego and inner demons of alcoholism. Mathew Murdock, a nobody from Hell’s Kitchen, turned his crippling disability into one of his greatest strengths as a hero. Peter Parker is constantly forced to juggle the pressures of his personal life with crime fighting. The list could go on for pages.
The immense success of the Marvel movies over the past decade is also proof of how much these characters resonate with the world. I was 23 years old when Iron-Man released and now at 33, married, and a baby on the way the franchise is 20 movies in and still going strong. I, like so many others have been to every single opening weekend, and have collected each film as it came out on DVD/Blu ray. I absolutely love and am fascinated with how these movies all contect together and reference each other as every iteration builds the universe just a little deeper, just like issues of comic books.
President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige deserves a large amount of credit for crafting films that appeal to the masses, but the heart of the these characters wouldnt exist without Stan. Honestly, seeing Stan’s cameo in every single film is also part of the experience that will sadly end after his last cameo in the upcoming Avengers 4.
Despite all of this, I don’t find myself overly saddened thinking about Stan’s passing. He had a long and fulfilling life, and is now at rest after accomplishing more with his life than most ever think is possible. He has inspired countless artists and creators to leave their mark on the world and will continue to do so as future generations experience his universe for the first time.
My wife and I meeting Stan at Awesome Con.
I’m beyond grateful to have met Stan a year or so ago at Awesome Con in DC, but as incredible an experience as it was, I was surprised at how little he resembled the comic book rockstar from my childhood. He kept reminding me of someone’s grandfather that should probably just be at home, resting. I think it was in that moment that I knew and accepted this marvelous man (see what I did there) wouldnt be with us much longer.
However, this is not how he will be remembered. He will be remembered for all the things previously mentioned in this post; as the man that revolutionized not just comics but art, TV, and film as well. He will be remembered for his bombastic story telling, a knack for alliteration, and his trademark sunglasses and mustache.
Never fear true believers. Though he is no longer among us, his legacy on pop culture will continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.
What are your favorite movie genres? Action, horror, sci-fi, drama, superhero? Have you ever wondered where those genres got their start? With every genre there is an obvious beginning, a pioneer to blaze the trail and inspire future filmmakers.
I’ve had a book for a while that was recommended by a friend; 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Seems like a pushy title but sure. It’s actually a terrific book if you’re interested in film history or just discovering new movies. You can pick up the latest edition here. Flipping through the different era’s of influential film history, I realized I had no idea what these early trend setters were and it would be fun to learn and post about them.
I have the 2015 edition. If you love film history or just discovering fantastic movies, this is a great book you should consider picking up.
This post we’re going to take a broad overview look at the first entry in the book which showcases the beginning of the science fiction genre; one of my personal favorites. Try thinking back to the oldest sci-fi movie you can remember. For some memory may only go as far back as 1978’s Star Wars, others have seen 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still. However, to see the first, we have to go further back still. Much further.
The first known science fiction film was created in 1902 by the French cinema pioneer, Georges Méliès titled Le voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon). This was a time when cinema was in it’s infancy and dominated by short films showcasing people in the daily routines of life.
George Méliès and his impressive ‘stache.
Méliès made hundreds of movies over his career and revolutionized cinema in ways that we still enjoy today. He was the first to make a movie based on a fictional story, to incorporate special effects into his films including camera tricks such as splicing, multiple exposures and time lapse photography among others. He was also the first to create elaborate, often times hand painted, multi-scene sets. All of these characteristics define A Trip to the Moon and made it one of the most famous films of the era.
Unfortunately, he was not able to keep up with the much larger competing film companies and retired broke in 1912. Many of these rival companies (including Edison’s in the United States) pirated and sold Méliès films without paying royalties back to Méliès company, Star Films. I guess it’s true what they say after all; “piracy is not a victimless crime.”
A theatrical poster for A Trip to the Moon.
A rough sketch of a movie poster design Méliès created himself.
A Trip to the Moon is only 14 mins long which was actually far longer than the standard 1-2 min films that were common in his day. Many were even shorter than that. This “extended” run time allowed Méliès to create a surprisingly complex story totaling 30 different scenes in all. His budget for such an elaborate endeavor was unheard of; 10,000 francs which would be roughly the equivalent of $50,000 US today. This film was the summer blockbuster of the time period.
A Trip to the Moon had un-paralleled set design for it’s time.
A brief summary of the plot: a group of scientists headed by Professor Barbenfouillis (played by Méliès himself) travel to the moon in a bullet shaped rocket, shot from an enormous cannon. While exploring the surface, they encounter and are captured by a race of moon aliens known as Selenites. The group manages to escape and fight their way back to the rocket, successfully traveling back to Earth with a captured Selenite. The group is celebrated as heroes and receive a parade in their honor.
The cannon that blasts the rocket ship towards the moon.
Méliès drew from multiple sources for his film including the literature of his time such as Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and H. G. Wells’ First Men in the Moon (1901).
“The idea of ‘A Trip to the Moon‘ came to me when I was reading a book by Jules Verne called ‘From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon’. So I imagined, using the same means as Jules Verne(shooting a projectile from an enormous canon), landing on the moon, in such a way that I could put together some arresting and amusing fairy tale images, show the outside and the inside of the moon, and some monsters that might live on the moon, add one or two artistic effects.”
Méliès also incorporated his knowledge from past careers as a magician and theater owner with elaborately designed sets and sensational special effects. I watched the film before knowing his professional background and various scenes in particular actually made me think of a magician such as when the Selenites disappear into puffs of smoke after being struck, Professor Barbenfouillis’ umbrella changing into a mushroom, or even the acrobatic showmanship of the Selenites (who were actual acrobats Méliès hired for the part).
Watch the first sci-fi movie:
Being that this movie is in the public domain, it’s easy to find on YouTube. Here is the original black and white version. When it was originally released, the film was silent, and a live orchestra would play various pieces while the scenes were narrated.
There is also a color version that was thought to be lost but has since been found and restored over several years by a group called Lobster Films and showcased at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. The French electronica duo known as Air also created an “official” score to accompany the film. If I’m being honest the score is creative and fun to listen to, but I can’t help thinking that it doesn’t fit with the music of the time period. At the very least it’s interesting how much impact music has on the tone of a film.
After watching A Trip to the Moon, much of it will seem completely absurd. In fact, you could probably turn the number of scientific laws broken during the film into a fun drinking game. One of my favorite moments happened when to travel back to earth, all that was required was pulling the rocket over a cliff and then gravity took over. The movie is littered with moments like this.
The statue erected to commemorate Professor Barbenfouillis’ return. Most historians believe this scene is part of the political satire Méliès weaved into the film.
Film historians believe though that much of the ridiculousness is because the film was intended to be satirical in nature. Méliès was mocking the scientific community of his day as well as injecting the film with strong anti-imperialist themes. So not only is Méliès the first movie maker to bring a fictional story to life, he’s also the first to use that story to convey a larger message to his audience.
It’s also fascinating how the basic themes of sci-fi movies haven’t changed much in last 116 years. Sure things are more elaborate now, but A Trip to the Moon has all the major story beats still seen in movies today: Flying through space in a rocket ship, landing and exploring the moon, encountering an evil alien race, bringing an alien back to Earth. Méliès technically even setup the possibility for a sequel with the aliens coming to earth for revenge! Think of the franchise possibilities! Just kidding.
The most famous scene of the film; the scientists’ rocket lands on the moon…or more like shoots the moon in the eye, sending blood or some kind of weird moon juice squirting from the point of impact. Gross.
Next time you go to watch your favorite sci-fi movie, think about this first example; how far the genre has come and how much the themes honestly haven’t changed too drastically over the years. Also don’t forget the name George Méliès. He was extremely influential to cinema and will be popping up again in a future genre posts.
Sources:
Schneider, Steven Jay (2015), 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Hauppage, New York. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. p. 20.
