Jurassic World - Review

Welcome, to a place where nothing can possibly go wrong...

Right? Right? I mean seriously...right?

The Plot

After nearly two decades, John Hammond's dream of creating a fully functional theme park with living dinosaurs has come true in the form of JURASSIC WORLD. But over the years since its opening, the public is no longer impressed with seeing a dinosaur anymore. That is when corporate pressures the current Operations Manager of the park, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), to come up with new attractions to get attendance spiking again. The solution: creating a new, genetically modified dinosaur that is bigger, scarier, and with more teeth. This doesn't sit well with the park's raptor handler, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), who believes the creation and treatment of the new dinosaur could lead to disaster. And it proves right when the monstrosity outsmarts its handlers by escaping and killing everything in its path. Now Claire must team up with Owen to not only stop the monster she created, but to save her two nephews (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkons) who are visiting the Park.

Review

I know that plot synopsis seems long, but that is not even close to covering the other plots that are happening in this movie. And there are many, but the one I stated above is the clear plot. Which automatically brings me to my first negative. There are too many plots going on in the film when the focus should've been concentrated on the premise that was promoted in the movie. Now, don't get me wrong, what was promised is pretty prominent, but it gets weighted down by so many unnecessary plot points.

Don't take this the wrong way. I highly enjoy the film. But I find it necessary to disclose what bugged me in the first place. And the multiple plot problem stems mostly from the lack of characterization and focus on a central character for the audience to latch on to. This problem starts mainly because it opens the film with the two kids played by Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkons. Both of them are phenomenal actors... in other movies. Here they are passable child actors and set up to be the audience's point of view as visitors of the theme park. The problem is there isn't enough development for either of them to make us want to remain invested in their side of the story. Robinson's character comes off as too much of a bully and unfaithful to his girlfriend back home. Simpkons is just a child with no real personality other than a fascination with dinosaurs. Had they been handled like the kids in the first Jurassic Park movie as another obstacle for the clear main character to handle, then I would've been fine with their presence, despite it being a lazy throwback. But we didn't get a lazy throwback, just lazy character writing.

It takes a while before the movie really locks on to the film's true main characters, Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire Dearing and Chris Pratt's Owen Grady. The movie would've been a lot stronger had it began with both of them from the start, rather than the children who gradually become an after thought in the film. While Owen may be the most fascinating character, due to his ability to train raptors, and Claire has the clear character arc of the story, they are both still just as poorly underwritten as the other characters in the film. Pratt's Owen is the badass, grizzled hunk and Howard's Claire is a workaholic who has to learn to loosen up. Characters that literally could've been played by anybody, but we're just thankful that it's these two who are casted. If anything, Pratt's turn as Owen shows the world that he's very capable of becoming Indiana Jones, if a film is to ever be made. And Howard shows incredible endurance by going through this whole ordeal in High Heels. Again, these are stock characters who are more interesting than the others, but the talent casted as them seems wasted.

Stock characters is going to come up a lot if I keep going about the rest of the cast, so I'll just sum it up here. Everyone is a stock cliche character in this film. Irrfan Khan plays an eccentric billionaire. Jake Johnson plays a nerdy computer guy. Omar Sy plays the foreign sidekick. And Vincent D'Onofrio plays the evil military commander. All of them, including the main ones, are stock characters who could've been spun into far more interesting ways, but they aren't. Which is surprising because director Colin Trevorrow and writer Derek Connolly have shown they are fully capable of crafting interesting characters in their debut film, Safety Not Guaranteed, but for some reason here they are completely lacking. But where they both do excel at, is delivering the spectacle the audience desires.

Yes it takes nearly 30 minutes before a fully fledged dinosaur is seen. But once they are showcased, the movie suddenly gets a thousand times better. Nothing can beat the sheer spectacle of seeing these majestic creatures on the big screen once again. But even as the movie states, the audience wants more. And what Trevorrow and Connolly devise is definitely a worthy villain for this outing of the franchise. That villain being the Indominus Rex, a monstrosity spliced together from several animals, not just dinosaurs, in order to be exploited for the audience's enjoyment. Though the only audience who would enjoy such a thing is us, the viewers, not the park attendees who have to run for their lives from this monster. And in order to stop this monster, the Park managers require the utilization of a controversial story device that has been criticized by fans.

The training of the raptors has been constantly complained about by fans as a terrible way of destroying one of the best villains in the series. However those complaints prove to be ill informed, as it is pretty clear in the film that these things can't be tamed and are still extremely dangerous. They may have a relationship with Pratt's Owen, but it is only with Owen. They are not docile, they are still animals and will follow whoever is the alpha, which Owen has worked hard on becoming their alpha. What is even more surprising is that the relationship between Owen and his raptors, particularly the one named Blue, is probably the most compelling relationship in the movie. And come on, watching Chris Pratt hunt the Indominus Rex with his raptor pack is awesome! As is the rest of the dinosaur action in the movie, which gets pretty graphic more so than I thought it would. Particularly regarding Katie McGrath's character and her encounter with several dinosaurs standing out as the one that will stick in people's memories. Trust me, if you don't know who she is, you will remember her.

Final Thoughts

While that may sound like a mostly negative review, I really mean it by saying once the dinosaurs enter the picture, the movie drastically improves into a spectacle. Is it a worthy follow up in the Jurassic Park legacy? I believe it is. Does it surpass the first movie? No it doesn't. Does it surpass the second one? For me personally, no it doesn't. Does it surpass the third one? Yes it does by the power of a thousand. The dinosaur action is spectacular, the monstrous new villain is terrifying, and there is enough likability in the two leads to make this a completely watchable experience. The movie delivers what it promises: a damn good time in the theater! 

SCORE: 7.5/10 - Weak start, weak characters, extraordinary spectacle, terrifying villain

Guardians of the Galaxy - Analysis and Review

Hooked on a feeling. I'm high on believing!

Marvel Studios has reached the point where they can do whatever the hell they want. And by getting James Gunn to be the guy for their "whatever the hell we want" project... I'm so glad they did.

The Plot

After being abducted by aliens at a young age, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) has now become a notorious rogue feared across the galaxy... according to him. But when his latest job to steal a mysterious object brings his weird world colliding into even weirder territory, he finds himself joining forces with an assassin (Zoe Saldana) sent to kill him; a pair of bounty hunters (Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel) who want to collect him; and a psychopath (Dave Bautista) who...is along for the ride for his own reasons. They will collide against a religious racist fanatic (Lee Pace) and a cyborg with daddy issues (Karen Gillan) featuring an appearance by Djimon Hounsou in order to save the galaxy.

Analysis

The fact that this is the ninth movie made by Marvel Studios and their biggest risk shows that they are fully confident with their properties. But the greatest showcase of that confidence was getting a talent like James Gunn on board. Rarely have I ever wanted to see a director succeed in the business more than Gunn. I was a huge fan of Slither and Super, so I knew right away that he'd be the ONLY guy who could pull off something this insane. Especially since this is not a big name property.

It's true. I may have a lot of knowledge about Marvel and be one of the few people to know who the Guardians of the Galaxy are, but I never read their comics. I know that there was a recent reboot a couple of years ago in order to gain interest in the property, which is how I learned about it. But from what I've been reading about it, it's not that interesting. Which is a shame because these are interesting characters. Yet apparently you have to be a really big supporter of Marvel in order to get into these characters. However, by interesting I mean there is something unique about them that makes them stand out from the cliche characters they are. But that doesn't mean none of them aren't unique. Namely Rocket Raccoon, the only reason people would take an interest in picking up the comics. Just to see a Raccoon wielding a gigantic gun. But other than him and maybe Groot, there really isn't much to do with them. 

The fact that they're not well known or well liked (aside from Rocket and Groot) becomes a major advantage for Gunn. The chance to do something crazy, while at the same time show that these characters can be interesting. Does he succeed?

Review

The characters in this movie are the reasons to watch this movie. Literally. With the dialogue of James Gunn's writing flowing through these characters, they become some of the most interesting Marvel characters to inhabit this Cinematic Universe in a long time. The fact that I stated they're not interesting in my Analysis section says a lot about how much they are definitely the soul of this movie.

You have Star Lord aka Peter Quill played by Chris Pratt. The once chubby guy on Parks and Rec is now on the road to becoming a huge movie star. His devil may care charm will remind many of Harrison Ford's two legendary roles as well as a remembrance of the magic that Robert Downey Jr. brought to the role of Tony Stark. He played the role brilliantly with a lot of wit and flair. Then there is the now official modern queen of sci-fi Zoe Saldana who takes on the role of Gamora, daughter of the Mad Titan. While her character may be the weakest of the bunch as she's more subdued as being a violent person who wants to be a better person, it does not take away from the fact that Saldana can convince you that she is a monster (a sexy one) who wants to change her ways. Then there's a surprisingly great and funny performance by wrestler Dave Bautista as the crazy literal Drax the Destroyer. He may not be as great of an actor as his fellow wrestler Dwayne Johnson, but in the role of Drax he delivers as a psychopath with a singular goal. But all out honesty, the real stand out performances of the film are its two CGI characters: Rocket and Groot.

Rocket and Groot were not motion capture like the way Andy Serkis has been rolling, but that doesn't exempt their respective actors Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel from delivering great vocal performances. Cooper does an amazing job as the angry sarcastic raccoon who doesn't know he's a raccoon. He was definitely the scene stealer of the movie, along with his house plant Groot. While I'll never understand why Vin Diesel was chosen to play a role that only required him to say three words, he still did a lot with his voice to make sure the innocent creature in a bad crowd comes to life. Though it does seem like a waste to have Vin Diesel and not exploit what he's good at, he still does a good job. Which brings me to another point: This movie is a waste of talent.

By talent I mean the actors and actresses playing the villains and background characters feel like wasted opportunities. First off you have Lee Pace, an incredibly underrated actor who auditioned to play Star Lord but instead plays the film's primary villain. Did not care about him. Did not buy his political views. Did not buy his racism. Did not even buy his radical religious views. All I saw was a really talented guy that Marvel felt sorry for not giving him the lead role but instead put him in the movie as a rather dumb evil villain for the sake of being evil. Wasted. Then there's Karen Gillan from Doctor Who fame playing Nebula, Gamora's sister. Again. Do not buy her motivations against Gamora. Do not buy her need to betray her father. I do buy her as evil and easy on the eyes despite being half robot. Wasted. Djimon Hounsou plays Korath. Shows up for the opening scene. Shows up for the middle important scene. Shows up for the end battle. Does nothing impressive. Wasted. Then you have background (I'd call them supporting but eh) characters. Glen Close as Nova Prime. Could've gotten any woman to play that role. Wouldn't have made a single difference. John C. Reily playing a Nova Corps. officer. Anyone could've played that role. He does something important, but then again an extra could've played that role. Benicio Del Toro as The Collector. The most interesting thing he did was not in this movie but in the post credits scene at the end of Thor: The Dark World. Was he good in here? No. Was he important? Yes. Was he still wasted? Definitely. It seemed really pointless having all these talented people in this movie only to have them do small stuff that wouldn't have made a difference to the movie if not cast. The Winter Soldier had Robert f***ing Redford in the movie and he's not a waste of talent. This just feels like a bunch of famous or talented people wanting to be in the movie just because its part of Marvel. While it makes sense career wise, this just seems dumb.

The only supporting character (see that I said supporting) played by a talented actor who is not wasted is Michael Rooker as Yondu. He was definitely one of the many surprises of the movie and he's in the movie a lot more than one might think. Which is why he doesn't feel wasted, because he's given a lot more to do.

And the story is nothing new. It is a standard Marvel story. If you watch it then you'll notice a huge pattern in Marvel movies now. However that doesn't prevent it from being fun. Because believe me, the movie is really fun.

Final Thoughts

Despite my qualms with the waste of a talented supporting cast, I have to once again bring the praise back to the main cast. Pratt, Saldana, Cooper, Diesel, and Bautista are the main reasons you should watch this movie. Even though Saldana and Cooper are proven powerful actors, it is incredible to watch them with a rising star and two genre actors who are giving it their all. Sure, the story is not great. Sure, the villains are not impressive. But watching a movie about the interactions of these characters is way more entertaining than watching the interactions of The Avengers. Yeah, they're that good. So watch for these incredible characters brought to life by these great actors.

SCORE: 8/10 - The best cast of characters ever assembled, versus dull wasted talent

PS: The after credits scene is of Howard The Duck. Just saying that because if you're expecting something awesome, there isn't anything awesome. It is just Howard the Duck. Funny, but only to people who know who Howard The Duck is. If you don't know who that is, don't stay for the post credits.

The LEGO Movie - Analysis and Review

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME! 

Once this movie is over, that song will be playing over and over in your head.

The Plot

A seemingly ordinary construction worker mini-figure (LEGO person voiced by Chris Pratt) discovers that he just might be, "The Special," the one destined to save the Lego World from the evil Lord Business (voiced by Will Ferell). He will need the help of a powerful rebel (Elizabeth Banks), a wise hippie wizard (Morgan Freeman), an iconic superhero (Will Arnett), a magical cat (Alison Brie), a gigantic pirate (Nick Offerman), and a 1980s something space guy (Charlie Day) to take on the terrible power that Lord Business plans to unleash!

Analysis

If there is one thing that directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord excel at, it is the theme of "the absurd and the heart." What I mean by that is they have pretty much done films that borderline the absurd comedies during the era of Airplane and Top Secret! There have been many films that try to do the absurd reality comedy route these days but always seem to lose sight of what it is that made those comedies work: the heart.

This is what makes their comedy style so distinctive because they are able to have these absurd characters in these absurd realities yet not lose sight of what message they are trying to convey. And that message can be a simple one like brotherhood in 21 and 22 Jump Street to believing in one's self in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. While very simplistic in message, they are powerful if handled correctly. Especially with an absurd concept of food raining from the sky or an extreme satire of the reboot/remake craze that has been going on, it is important to always find simplicity to keeps the audience locked into the absurdity.

And The Lego Movie is even more absurd than anything that Lord and Miller have done, and I am counting their animated show Clone High. But like I said, they know where the heart of this story is and again it is simple. Which works well in what the film really is about.

Review

There are so many things that can go wrong with this movie and so many misinterpretation of what is this movie's purpose is. First, this movie can be seen as one big gigantic toy commercial (which in all out honesty let's face it, it is) that could easily be grouped with the likes of Michael Bay's Transformers or the G.I. Joe films. Also it sounds and looks like a silly kids film. The same thing can be said about Lord and Miller's other movies. Yet by some miracle, this "big gigantic toy commercial" is also a genuine movie!

Lord and Miller have crafted a story that definitely speaks to many generations, especially those who grew up playing with legos. They acknowledge the two kinds of people who buy legos: the creative builders and the instruction based builders. It is this acknowledgement of those who follow the instructions and those who revel in imagination is what proves to be a powerful essential theme of the film. The idea of revolving the movie around that dynamic alone is what makes this movie so brilliant. Not only do they have a product to convey large concepts, but the product is so heavily based in those large concepts without people realizing it. Though while it may be a large concept of creativity versus conformity it is a fairly simple concept that does not hurt the film for being to simple but empowers it.

The voice casting in this film is top notch. 2014 just might be the year of the Pratt because Chris Pratt is gaining huge momentum in Hollywood as of late. If this is the first film to define his career this year then it is a fine edition. He does so well as the lovable yet gullible hero, Emmett, who is so concerned about pleasing everyone that you really feel for the guy when he realizes that maybe he tries to please too much without thinking about what's best for him. Then there's Elizabeth Banks as Wyldstyle the rebellious "Master Builder" who displays a powerful front that hides an insecurity that Banks is able to convey so well just through vocal performance. Then of course you have Morgan Freeman playing the wise wizard Vitruvius who makes fun of the fact that he is always playing these wise characters as well as pokes fun of his iconic voice. Will Ferell does well as the evil President Lord Business but there is more to his performance that really makes him a standout in the film. Too bad I can't say what it is, but when you see it, you will know what I mean.

Will Arnett as Batman is hilarious, Alison Brie as Uni-Kitty is adorable, and Charlie Day as Benny the Space guy was just laugh out loud hilarious but the standout here has to be Liam Neeson as Bad Cop/Good Cop. That's right, Liam Neeson is in this movie with Morgan Freeman. And Liam Neeson finally shows a side that we don't often associate with him: a very high pitched almost squeaky voice as Good Cop. Of course his iconic gravelly voice is used for Bad Cop, but his ability to switch back and forth between the two characters is incredible and unbelievable that this is coming from Liam Neeson.

The animation in this film is gorgeous. The painstaking detail it took to ensure that everything in this film is created by existing lego pieces (except the ones used for original characters) is tremendous! Yes the film is CGI but it is the same CGI program used design the models for the actual toy company that was then transferred to Australian animation company, Animal Logic, to use as a tool for cinematic greatness. It is animated to be like a stop motion film and there is indeed some portions where it is animated in the classic "Brick Film" way, but the fact that it is dominantly CGI does not take away from it feeling real.

Final Thoughts

This is truly one of the smartest animated films to have come out in a long time. It is relentlessly funny. So relentless that you'll have to see it a couple of time to see all the jokes you might've missed the first time. It is truly a family film and a smart one that doesn't need to dumb things down for the kids to understand. This is definitely one of the best animated movies of the year so far.

SCORE: 9.7/10 - Relentless and heartwarming all at the same time