Okay, so I am a low life that takes advantage of unique viewing opportunities, and, as it turns out, an incomplete version of the new movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine was leaked onto the internet sometime late last week or early this week. I was unaware of it, but an internet scouring friend of mine was able to find it and download it. The version I watched last night was incomplete in the sense that a bunch of the effects were incomplete - which was kind of cool. It was like seeing the step before production; having an insight into the movie-making process.
Anywho:
I am pretty sure this will come with an R-rating; I could be wrong, but, in my opinion, the violence might be past the PG-13 guidelines.
On the whole, the movie was great, but I say this with-holding my own, informed opinion which I will go into here:
There is a character in the Marvel Universe by the name of Deadpool who is far-and-away my favorite Marvel character. Ive read everything he has ever been in. That being said, I know my Deadpool, and what the movie offered made me extremely mad on so many levels.
SPOILER ALERT! (IF YOU READ THE FOLLOWING ITALICIZED TEXT, THERE IS A SPOILER. SKIP DOWN TO THE REGULAR TEXT IF YOU WANT TO AVOID THIS)
I thought they nailed Deadpool in the beginning. He was awesome! I was even okay with him not wearing his trademarked mask. But then they kill him off, which is crazy. Deadpool doesnt die. His healing factor is even more advanced than Wolverine's and he is a tactical genius on top of his near-unrivalled physical combat skills.
THEN they bring him back, but, in standard Hollywood fashion, they COMPLETELY mess with his storyline by giving him adamantium plating, patching his mouth so he cant talk, he can shoot optic-beams like Cyclops, and inserting his trademarked katanas into his arms so they unsheath much like Wolverine's claws. They also gave him teleportation, which is not too far off of the comic path, so I leave that power of his alone. He is the "MERC WITH A MOUTH" for gosh sakes. How are you going to mute the man, let alone the other atrocious additions?! And, of course, they kill him again in the end which means they probably wont have a Deadpool movie which makes me doubley-upset.
Im extremely upset. Truly, I am.
Okay, apart from all of that insider information, you will think the movie is just fine. Its action packed and it has its fair share of emotional moments surrounding Wolverine and his lady-love.
As usual, Hugh Jackman does a good job with his role. There are a few moments when he slips a bit, but who knows? Maybe we will get lucky and they will edit those moments out. Plus, Leiv Schreiber makes a much better Sabretooth than that poor excuse for an actor they cast in the first X-Men movies. Although I am not 100% sure that I like Danny Huston as a better William Striker than Brian Cox; in fact, I am going to go ahead and vote for Mr. Cox on this one.
You also get to meet the Blob and Gambit just to name a couple of the more exciting mutant cameos. I thought they did a terrible job of explaining who was who and who could do what throughout most of the movie. If you dont read comics fairly often or, in the very least, read the wikipedia articles, then you will be completely lost when it comes to relating to and knowing who most of the mutants in the movie are. That is sad, too, because a large part of my enjoyment of the film came from recognizing the mutants they never named!
The movie does a great job of giving you a glimpse and a greater understanding of who Wolverine was, who he is, and how he came to be. They most certainly deliver on all of that.
All things being said, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a great action film that will please most anyone who sits down to it. Its slated to be a summer blockbuster, and rightfully so. In fact, I will probably pay to see the finished product when it hits theaters in early May. Its easily the best of the X-Men franchise movies, and there is more to come - including an origins story for Magneto, the magnetic baddy from the first three films.
Here's looking forward to that!
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Apr 3, 2009
Mar 22, 2009
Three Quick Movie Reviews
Okay, so part of my postings here will be reviews of media forms; books and movies, most notably. I do this for a couple of reasons:
1) It serves as a sort of cultural education making you, the reader, more aware of the goings-on of our present day culture.
2) My offerings will serve either to warn you of the bad stuff or turn you on to the good stuff.
With that in mind, I saw three movies this past week:
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
If you have not seen either of the first two Underworld movies, the basic premise is that vampires and lycans, or, as they are more commonly known, werewolves, are at war with one another. This movie served as a prequel - effectively answering the big question: Why are the vampires and the werewolves hating on one another?
Personally, I found this installment to be the best of the three, but take this with a pinch of salt, for it is most certainly not a movie for children or those who cannot stand the sight of violence. The story is well-told, but the cinematics make it difficult to recommend.
Twilight
I finally broke down and saw this one. I had promised myself I wouldnt get sucked into the next teeny-bopper craze, but my friend Jason and I caved because it was the only movie showing during the time frame in which we were looking to watch one. If you arent aware, the movie is based off of a series of books by author Stephenie Meyer named Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.
The movie wasnt bad and comes with a PG-13 rating for mild violence and what is called "sensuality" by IMDB. Basically what that means is that there is a lot of tension between the two characters in the film that are romantically interested in one another. Too much for this guy.
The movie completely messed with the traditional vampire characteristics, and that bothered me. For instance: Vampire lore dictates that they cant be seen in mirrors and that is clearly not the case in the film. And according to mythos, they cant encounter sunlight without essentially turning to ash. In the movie, when they are exposed to direct sunlight, they dont burn...they dont even sizzle a little. Instead, they sparkle. Yeah, SPARKLE. As if they had been rubbed down in body glitter. Lame.
Some of the special effects were cheesy, too. Like blurring when the vampires jump or fall. Yeah, somehow vampires defy physics in such a way that gravity, itself, somehow exercises its forces on them more intensely - causing them to fall so fast they blur. Also lame.
The story wasnt bad - as I said: a little too creepily seductive. Best part of the film is watching the vampire family interact. Funny if you think about it. The part of Edward Cullin was played well by an unknown by the name of Robert Pattinson who made Edward extremely creepy and just enough unlikeable to give his character some dramatic depth.
Recommended? If you read the books, sure. Otherwise, pass.
I Love You, Man
I must preface this review with a very necessary warning: This movie is not for kids. Its rated R for a host of good reasons.
That aside, for what it is - an adult-oriented comedy - this movie is fantastic. It mixes outright humor with more subtle humor and keeps you laughing throughout. Basic premise is that a guy is going to get married and realizes that he doesnt have any male friends to fill out his side of the wedding party, so he starts going on "man-dates" to try and meet his potential Best Man. He inadvertently meets a guy by the name of Sydney, they hit it off, and onward goeth the plot.
Most of the humor in the movie is harmless, but when it does get into the PG-13/R range with the humor, it goes all in. Language is also an issue in it, with curse-words being uttered, it would be safe to guess, in every scene.
The movie did a great job of getting you to fall in love with the characters and making you pull for them 100%. When the times are good, you are happy. When they get a little rocky, you hope to see a quick return to the good times. You dont see that dynamic too often in comedies.
I dont hesitate to say that I believe this movie was made for my age range (the 18-25 range). Everyone will laugh during the film, but that doesnt mean it is a recommendation for all.
________________________________________________________________
I usually will talk about some sort of teachable moment from the movies I watch, as well, but opted out to keep things shorter this go around. I dont usually see three movies at a time! Oh, and if you are curious about a movie (whether it be for your sake or you are wondering whether or not to let your children go see it in the theaters), shoot me a line and I will scope things out for you and let you know.
Hasta.
1) It serves as a sort of cultural education making you, the reader, more aware of the goings-on of our present day culture.
2) My offerings will serve either to warn you of the bad stuff or turn you on to the good stuff.
With that in mind, I saw three movies this past week:
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
If you have not seen either of the first two Underworld movies, the basic premise is that vampires and lycans, or, as they are more commonly known, werewolves, are at war with one another. This movie served as a prequel - effectively answering the big question: Why are the vampires and the werewolves hating on one another?
Personally, I found this installment to be the best of the three, but take this with a pinch of salt, for it is most certainly not a movie for children or those who cannot stand the sight of violence. The story is well-told, but the cinematics make it difficult to recommend.
Twilight
I finally broke down and saw this one. I had promised myself I wouldnt get sucked into the next teeny-bopper craze, but my friend Jason and I caved because it was the only movie showing during the time frame in which we were looking to watch one. If you arent aware, the movie is based off of a series of books by author Stephenie Meyer named Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.
The movie wasnt bad and comes with a PG-13 rating for mild violence and what is called "sensuality" by IMDB. Basically what that means is that there is a lot of tension between the two characters in the film that are romantically interested in one another. Too much for this guy.
The movie completely messed with the traditional vampire characteristics, and that bothered me. For instance: Vampire lore dictates that they cant be seen in mirrors and that is clearly not the case in the film. And according to mythos, they cant encounter sunlight without essentially turning to ash. In the movie, when they are exposed to direct sunlight, they dont burn...they dont even sizzle a little. Instead, they sparkle. Yeah, SPARKLE. As if they had been rubbed down in body glitter. Lame.
Some of the special effects were cheesy, too. Like blurring when the vampires jump or fall. Yeah, somehow vampires defy physics in such a way that gravity, itself, somehow exercises its forces on them more intensely - causing them to fall so fast they blur. Also lame.
The story wasnt bad - as I said: a little too creepily seductive. Best part of the film is watching the vampire family interact. Funny if you think about it. The part of Edward Cullin was played well by an unknown by the name of Robert Pattinson who made Edward extremely creepy and just enough unlikeable to give his character some dramatic depth.
Recommended? If you read the books, sure. Otherwise, pass.
I Love You, Man
I must preface this review with a very necessary warning: This movie is not for kids. Its rated R for a host of good reasons.
That aside, for what it is - an adult-oriented comedy - this movie is fantastic. It mixes outright humor with more subtle humor and keeps you laughing throughout. Basic premise is that a guy is going to get married and realizes that he doesnt have any male friends to fill out his side of the wedding party, so he starts going on "man-dates" to try and meet his potential Best Man. He inadvertently meets a guy by the name of Sydney, they hit it off, and onward goeth the plot.
Most of the humor in the movie is harmless, but when it does get into the PG-13/R range with the humor, it goes all in. Language is also an issue in it, with curse-words being uttered, it would be safe to guess, in every scene.
The movie did a great job of getting you to fall in love with the characters and making you pull for them 100%. When the times are good, you are happy. When they get a little rocky, you hope to see a quick return to the good times. You dont see that dynamic too often in comedies.
I dont hesitate to say that I believe this movie was made for my age range (the 18-25 range). Everyone will laugh during the film, but that doesnt mean it is a recommendation for all.
________________________________________________________________
I usually will talk about some sort of teachable moment from the movies I watch, as well, but opted out to keep things shorter this go around. I dont usually see three movies at a time! Oh, and if you are curious about a movie (whether it be for your sake or you are wondering whether or not to let your children go see it in the theaters), shoot me a line and I will scope things out for you and let you know.
Hasta.
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