Avengers: Age of Ultron - Review

"There are... no strings on me."

This is it... Finally! A Villain that can finally go down in comic book cinema history as one of the great ones! A Villain that will finally show that MARVEL knows how to create credible threats!............... Or so I thought.

The Plot

The Avengers are back! Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) are now a fully functioning team operating on their own terms in taking down the remnants of HYDRA! But when Iron Man, Tony Stark, discovers a method of creating an artificial intelligence that can police and protect the world, he enacts on his desire to create a "suit of armor around the planet." But that program calculates that the only way to save the world, is to cause humanity's extinction. That program is Ultron (James Spader)! Aiding him in his vendetta against the Avengers are enhanced twins, Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), who have a bone to pick with Tony Stark, but unaware of Ultron's true intentions. Can the Avengers stop this robotic threat?

Review

I'm just going to flat out say this. The movie is....good. Maybe even okay. But it is not the excellent game changing film that it was expected to be. There are a lot of things this movie does good, but there are a lot of things that the movie.... doesn't do wrong but horribly executes with bad editing. The pacing is completely all over the place and doesn't have the build up the previous film had. However in this film's defense, the opening of this film is a thousand times more exciting than the previous one.

Okay, I shouldn't compare it to the first one. But the problem is, because of how the Marvel Cinematic Universe functions, you not only have to think about the first one but also the third and fourth Avengers movies coming in the future. The film suffers from cramming in too many story lines from previous films as well as setting up what is going to happen next. This hurts the main plot of the Avengers going up against Ultron, because there are so many things in the mix that wasn't really necessary to the plot. And while those seeds are necessary going forward, I didn't feel like they were warranted to the story, which should have been about developing this ultimate threat: Ultron.

James Spader can do no wrong as far as voice work goes. This Ultron's personality is a far cry from his comics counterpart, mainly because he does have a personality in this film. I loved that director Joss Whedon tried to do something different with the robot villain archetype by not having him be robotic, but rather more human. He is portrayed as a dark mirror to Tony Stark, but lacks the menace that was displayed in the trailers. His actions are, but his personality just doesn't fully match up. He is still one of the best villains ever put on screen in the MCU. But he is nowhere near as good as Tom Hiddleston's Loki in The Avengers.

But speaking of Tony Stark, let's talk about The Avengers! You know them by name, and you know who play them. They're all great. Hemsworth amps up the comedy as the outlandish alien god, Thor. Evans does great as Captain America. And while Ruffalo does a good job playing Dr. Banner and the Hulk, it feels like his character devolved instead of evolved. Last time we saw the Hulk, he was in full control of his anger, but in here, he still has a problem with his anger and devolves back to the character he was in the Ed Norton Incredible Hulk movie. His character has a small progression with Johansson's Black Widow, whom we finally learn her backstory, but the romance aspect between them wasn't handled too well. The only two characters who really feel like they've grown are Downey Jr.'s Stark and Renner's Hawkeye.

Stark is still reliving the trauma of what he experienced in The Avengers and the fallout from Iron Man 3. It is his paranoia about not wanting to experience such trauma ever again that causes him to create Ultron, which works brilliantly well for him. But the real standout of the team is Hawkeye, because in here we not only get to see him as the sarcastic character he is known to be, but also get a sense of who he is and why he wants to be an Avenger. He is pretty much the most developed character among the original core team, but there are new kids on the block. And one of them steals the show.

Paul Bettany is probably best known as voicing JARVIS in the Iron Man films, but in here he appears in full physical form as Vision, a fan favorite who is directly linked to Ultron. He is arguably one of the best parts of the movie, despite being quickly developed, it felt appropriate and well handled. Which is more than Ultron's enhanced human henchmen, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Johnson and Olsen do what they can with what they're given in bringing the iconic twins to life. There is the stigma of Evan Peters playing a far superior and effectively used Quicksilver in X-Men Days of Future Past that completely downgrades Johnson's portrayal of Quicksilver. Still, Johnson does fine, but it definitely is not a highlight. Neither is Olsen, who does a good job playing creepy, but comes off really campy with her fake Russian...Sokovian accent.

Final Thoughts

All in all though, despite lacking a sense of development for all the players on the board, as well as rushing way too many plot lines in a mad dash to the finish line, the film still works fine. It is an entertaining piece of cinema that will probably go down as one of Joss Whedon's weakest film outputs, unless something else he directs comes along to take that title. But even though it is not the strongest film in the Marvel catalogue, it still delivers the promise of spectacular entertainment with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. I don't know if I'm willing to watch this movie again in theaters, but I'll definitely be buying the Blu-Ray. And hopefully, just hopefully, Whedon's original 3 hour Director's Cut makes its way on Blu-Ray to clear up all the mess wrought upon this film. Still good though.

SCORE: 7.5/10 - This was not easy to do...and it really shows in the final product

Snowpiercer - Analysis and Review

Find it and Watch it. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes...

It is unfortunate that this film had to premier the same day that Transformers: Age of Extinction because it is obvious which one will make a lot more money. It is also unfortunate that this movie is only showing in 10 cities all over America instead of the wide release it is getting overseas because of what the Weinstein Company did. So even if people wanted to see it, they couldn't. The catch for a wide American release is if the film does extraordinarily well at the box-office with the 10 cities that it is being shown at. This movie was just set up for failure in America from the start. And that is really sad.

The Plot

After an attempt to stop global warming goes horribly wrong, the world gets sent into a new Ice Age. The surviving humans only chance of survival is the Wilford Train that was designed to circle the globe in one year. A train with an eternal engine and the capabilities of surviving the most harshest environments. The survivors are divided into classes. The Rich occupy the front of the train, and the Poor occupy the tail. In a desperate move to seize control of lives they have forgotten from being on board the train for 17 years, Curtis (Chris Evans) rallies the passengers of the tail in a revolt to take over the front of the train! Their mission will take them through a long path of violence and discovery as the ones left standing will soon learn why The Powerful chose to keep The Poor alive. And in the end... what does it mean to ensure World Order.

Analysis

The Best Science Fiction Movies are the ones that ask the hard questions or put a mirror on society. This is an example of one of those films. Unfortunately it is not a film that will succeed in America. I remember watching a trailer reaction video of people who immediately declare it a Hunger Games rip off but on a train. Which fascinated them but they just keep seeing an R-Rated Hunger Games on a train instead of a different dystopian Sci-Fi movie. And because of the trailers being very vague around the premise of the movie other than there is a clear separation between the rich and the poor, the average American Movie Going Audience will just groan at the thought of Hunger Games on a train. When it is clearly not.

The problem is dystopian futures are everywhere these days. Whether it be in The Hunger Games or in X-Men: Days of Future Past or in TV Shows like The Walking Dead, the genre for post-apocalyptic future is everywhere. While The Hunger Games offered a new take on for an audience not familiar with other types of post-apocalyptic futures, any other new take would just be looked at as a Hunger Games rip off. I'm sorry, but it is true. Even if people want to call Snowpiercer a new look and a much better high quality science fiction examination of the post-apocalypitc future, it will always be viewed by an American audience as R-Rated Hunger Games on a Train. 

Most viewers don't even ask: why are they on a train? Why is it snowing outside? Instead what I see from youtube comments or trailer reaction videos from people who don't know anything just think: Oh so they stick some poor people  and some rich people on a train then kill each other and whoever is left standing wins. In other words Hunger Games on a Train. They don't ask, why is the whole world on a train. They don't even think its the whole world, just a few people and maybe the rest of the world is watching. They don't even ask why is it snowing outside? No one even seems to question that part. So in the end, while it is not good to have youtube comments or commentators to be the basis for the representation of the general movie going public the sad truth sometimes is that it is.

I'm aware that both The Hunger Games and Snowpiercer have the class war similarities and the same reasons as to why class war is integral to maintaing a balance in society. But The Hunger Games takes three books/four movies to get that point across. Snowpiercer gets it done in one movie. 

Review

Director Bong Joon-Ho is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. He is probably best known in the states for creating The Host (2006) the Korean monster film that was a universally praised by critics all over the world as the best monster movie and political thriller made in years. The Host was definitely Korea's biggest worldwide big budget blockbuster and his take on Snowpiercer will be his second foray into the big budget arena. Though in comparison to American big budget movies (100-200 million) this one is only a medium budget movie in the states (60-70 million). But that is still a lot and he handles what he has with extreme care and precision.

He does what directors used to do a long time ago, and if some were to do this now they would automatically be ousted. He took inspiration from a graphic novel and turned it into a film. He didn't adapt the graphic novel to the screen, he took the idea and made the idea into a movie. That is something that would be looked down upon if an American director tried adapting a comic book these days. But because the comic was not too popular even in its native country of France, one can see how easy it would be to create a film off of a pre-existing text without getting any flack for inaccuracies. It was the smartest decision to make and one that won't restrain him from having to follow the story beat by beat. Because the ideas are what resonate with people, not the story in the graphic novel. Him and his American co-screenwriter, Kelly Masterson, handle it well.

But enough about the behind the scenes guys, lets talk about the people in front of the camera. Chris Evans, better known as Captain America, plays a reluctant hero named Curtis who does not want to be a leader and does not use grand speeches to sway his fellow passengers but rather actions of bravery that speak louder than an motivational speech. This is a distinction that makes him different from most character put in this situation. He is not a leader, yet people look to him as if he is just because he's taking the lead without have to lead anyone. This may sound like incompetence but it is the way friends would follow one of their friends. These people know each other and will follow each other till the end. That is shown by the loyal Edgar played by Jaime Bell, the desperate mother played by Octavia Spencer, the silent assassin played by Luke Pasqualino, and the man who inspired them all played by John Hurt. Their plight is driven mostly by the odd character of Mason played by Tilda Swinton who is the supreme example of someone who is passionate about their job but is not evil. The job just makes her look evil. Which is a common theme in this movie: the need for there to be a class struggle to maintain balance. Then of course caught in the middle of this power struggle is someone who once worked for the rich, played by Song Kang-ho, and his daughter played by Go Ah-sung (who played father and daughter in The Host) who were placed in prison for being drug addicts. They prove to be integral to the success of Curtis' revolution as well as shades of who the rich really are in this train.

There is a small appearance by Allison Pill who plays a pregnant teacher with an extraordinarily high positive attitude while wielding an uzi. But then there is a small role played by a well known actor that really brings all the pieces together. And when assembled it shows that in order for there to be order, there has to be temporary chaos to remind people of the horrors of chaos. Without a moment of chaos, order means nothing. It is the same as saying that without the existence of the poor, then there would be no distinction of who is rich or any need to want to do better. The film delves into what these concepts mean and funnels it into a film that literally has the whole world on a train. And on that train that circles the globe, the world is still the same.

Final Thoughts

I'm not going to discuss how I saw this movie. But I'll say that the reason why I had to see this movie through illegal means is because there was no theater anywhere near me that was showing it. And even though there is one in the next city away from me, I'm not willing to drive to a city that is only showing it for limited time in one theater. This contributes to the problem of film piracy and unless the wide release happens then result to any means necessary to see it. It is a great film and I would've gladly contributed my money to it. I will even buy it once it hits the home markets. But for now, if you're lucky enough to have it playing in a theater near you, go see it. For those of us who don't, I should say wait, but knowing the drama behind showing this movie in America: Waiting is no longer an option.

SCORE: 9.5/10 - One of the best Sci-Fi films this year that will never be seen.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Analysis and Review

One of the best outings by Marvel since Iron Man

I remember seeing this film at the "midnight" (11:00pm) showing at my not so local theater with a group of friends. That night would've been awesome if we didn't hang out at a nearby coffee shop/pub (weird those thing exist) that had nonexistent parking resulting into my car getting towed. Fortunately the film was an hour away and lucky for me and my good friends, the impound lot was just 20 minutes away. So I wound up spending 245 dollars that night (movie ticket included), to which my friends joked after watching the movie, "So, was that movie worth $245?" Well.........

I said it's one of the best since Iron Man, right?

The Plot

Comic book fans will know this famous Captain America story, but for the general public they're in for a treat:

After saving the world with The Avengers, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) joins the international intelligence agency S.H.E.I.L.D. to continue to serve as the legendary Captain America. Under the orders of Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) Rogers discovers that the America that he is fighting to protect is not the America he originally believed in. With the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) showcasing the darker side of their missions he starts questioning the organization that is suppose to be protecting the world but instead tries to submit it into fear. But when a dangerous threat known as The Winter Soldier emerges, enemies from outside and within are revealed causing Cap to put his faith in a new ally, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) to take on the battle head on.

Analysis

The statement I make in the headline is a personal belief of mine. Iron Man to me stood as Marvel's one true movie that was obviously created as not only a testing ground for their properties but as a nice balance with The Dark Knight. The subject matter was serious and the drama felt more real in the film than any other Marvel movie to date. Some still praise The Avengers as Marvel's greatest achievement, which it rightfully is, but I do not believe it is their best film. It is definitely a better movie than the others made post Iron Man but what i always hoped for was that sense of drama and real intensity. It is easy to argue with me that it is there, and I saw it was there the first time I watched it. But repeated viewings made me realize I did not care about the movie until the big battle finale, something that I should never be feeling for a movie other than a Transformers sequel. 

Even after The Avengers with Iron Man 3 they definitely had the right direction of how to bring back that dramatic effect like the first one did. However that film fell apart despite being filled with the right elements. And yes, I will contend that Iron Man 3 was a better third film than The Dark Knight Rises. But at least The Dark Knight Rises doesn't fall apart halfway through. It falls apart at the end. 

I do like Captain America: The First Avenger because I love retro pulp heroes and the film references that genre. But I would also like to point out that I like to call the film "Montage: the movie" because it really was a big montage of cool events. I get that they were trying to cover ground with WWII but it really made it seem like there was so much more happening that's being left out. Which is one thing I always wanted to point out: SET STORY FOCUS. Iron Man, Thor, The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, Thor The Dark World, and Iron Man 3 had set story focus in that the story was within a short time period and only moved through a few locations. The First Avenger moved around too much despite having a story in place.

So come my surprise when I see a film that not only has the drama that I felt was missing since Iron Man and the set story focus of the other Marvel films (except Iron Man 2). 

Review

This is not a superhero movie. This is a spy thriller. And I'm not talking about the James Bond or Bourne films, this is an actual espionage spy thriller. Well... having superheroes in it does make it kind of like a Bond film but nevertheless it feels like an American conspiracy spy thriller. Which works so well for the next step in Captain America' evolution as a character. Or rather enforcement of his character rather than evolution. The one attribute that I like about this film is that it enforces the boy scout superhero who obviously lives in a dark world yet still believes in it. This is a criticism many people have with Superman but people tend to forget that Captain America was created at a time when Superman existed. So moral wise he is the most "DC moral" hero compared to the flawed Marvel heroes that populate it. He does have some flaws, but that flaw is perhaps his optimism for a better future. This is where I commend Chris Evans for playing a man who believes in the good in people but knows that there is evil in the world yet still hopes for better things. This isn't the story of a hero who finally realizes how messed up the world is but more of a test of how strong his morals are. And they are strong.

The cast of the film do a great job with their performances. The standout being Anthony Mackie who plays Sam Wilson aka The Falcon. He has the same optimism as Cap and also unwavering in his beliefs. In a world surrounded by lies it was perfect to have Cap America find an ally who is not only a veteran but shared his beliefs. Scarlett Johansson does a great job with the evolution of Black Widow from being a person who takes orders to someone who questions them. I'm still bothered by lack of a Russian Accent, but oh well.

The silent villain The Winter Soldier is definitely a terrifying villain. While he is not Loki level of having a lot of depth and memorable lines, the action set pieces between him and Cap America are by far one of the best superhero combat ever filmed in a Marvel film. I'm not joking. The combat is the best superhero combat film ever put in a Marvel Studios film And to think that this was directed by the guys who made episodes of the comedy show Community. Bravo Anthony and Joe Russo! However, the final showdown was lackluster. Like most superhero movies it builds to the world is at stake and has a big finale. It really did nothing for me compared to the other action set pieces in the film which have been excellent. 

Final Thoughts

So no, to me this movie does not surpass or equal the first Iron Man in my eyes. And for those who compare it to The Dark Knight, there is no comparison because The Dark Knight is a legit movie. This film could've been but that final battle as well as the firmly established Marvel color palette really prevents it from being seen that way by me.

Having seen this film twice, I know my answer to the question asked above. This movie is not worth seeing for $245. But it is still awesome.

SCORE: 8.8/10 - The best film Marvel has made since Iron Man post Avengers