The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - Review

Aka: Cliche 60s American and Cliche Russian Team Up

Does anyone find it ironic that this film has an English actor playing an American and an American actor playing a Russian? I guess Guy Ritchie knew the irony behind this casting, and well it works perfectly well.

The Plot

After suave American Agent, Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill), rescues Gabby Teller (Alicia Vikander), a mechanic and daughter of a Nazi Scientist, from Communist East Berlin, he winds up being partnered with a Russian Agent, Ilya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer), to stop Nazi Radicals from forcing Gabby's father into creating an Atom Bomb. Their only lead is Victoria Vinciguerra (Elizabeth Debicki), a Nazi sympathizer who is connected to Gabby's family. As tensions between America and Russia escalate, can Solo and Ilya put aside their differences to accomplish the mission and possibly save the world? 

Review

Guy Ritchie may not necessarily be one of my favorite directors, but he is definitely someone I always give a chance. He won me over with his two breakout films, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, but although I found his later films entertaining, mainly the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes series, he hasn't exactly solidified himself as someone who I need to watch immediately. And unfortunately for him, this film still gives me that feeling. However, fortunately for him, this film also maintains my stance of always giving him a chance.

Based on a classic 60s TV Show, Man from UNCLE is the very definition of an old fashion spy movie. Kingsman may have been a love letter and throwback to old spy films, but this one IS an old spy film. Which works well for it as well as against it. What definitely works for it is keeping the film in the 60s setting. The time was perfect as the backdrop for spy movies as you have America and Russia waiting to go to war with each other at any given moment. It also helps that the fashion is that midpoint between the suave sophistication of the 40s along with the sexiness that will over take the 70s. It just sells you with classic spy imagery, and it helps that Cavill and Hammer are playing stereotypes that fit in this setting.

Cavill has been on Hollywood's radar for YEARS and finally gets his chance to shine in the spotlight as Superman. Unfortunately his dour performance made people question why was everyone so impressed by this guy? Luckily here, Cavill exudes the charm and suave of Napoleon Solo extremely well, showing audiences why this guy was sought after for several high profile roles in the past before his big break. He shows he could be charismatic and lively, which will definitely help him in the long run, but it won't be enough to turn naysayers around to his side. Still, his cliche 60s American accent works really well for his character, especially given he is actually English...or Welsh...or...something not American. The one who is American though is Hammer, who also plays a cliche role in the film: the brutish Russian Spy. His turn as Ilya is not exactly ground breaking, as many people were already convinced this guy can act from the Social Network. However his cliche performance works hand in hand with Cavill's cliche performance as two stereotypes having to team up to fight a common enemy. At least no one can complain about casting problems, because they're both ironically casted.

But despite ironies in casting, the word cliche will come up a lot because in the end, this movie is definitely a cliche. Everything about it is a cliche because it is a cliche 60s spy movie that feels like it came out decades too late. Smart audiences in tune with how spy movies work will know how Vikander's Gabby and Debicki's villainous Victoria will operate before it happens in the story. There are no new twists to the genre, nor can there be because spy movies have done everything, and it doesn't try to claim it has one. This is probably the most pure 60s spy movie we'll ever get, and that is completely fine for me. But it does say something if the most exciting part of the film is the first half when the two agents meet for the first time and how they have to eventually work together. The second half is where things start heading to predictability and the fun feels forced rather than natural as it did in the first half. Nevertheless, the film still feels entertaining and engaging enough to keep you through. And it also doesn't hurt that all the leads in this movie are ridiculously sexy. Eye candy for ladies and gentlemen. 

Final Thoughts

In the Year of the Spy movie, this may so far be the weakest entry. It may not be the worst, as the year isn't over yet, but it definitely won't be the best. But what it is the best at is bringing back the old 60s spy movie flavor. However it may have done so a little too literally. There are some modern filmmaking techniques and Guy Ritchie-isms in the film, but overall it still feels like a movie that came out decades too late. The cast is magnificent, particularly Cavill and Hammer, but their characters are exactly as you think they're going to be all the way up to the end. No real surprises, but still a great time.

SCORE: 7/10 - A decent time for a film that feels like its from a different time

Fantastic Four (2015) - Review

"Say that again?" .... "Fantastic!"

Oh God, why? Why? WHYYYYYY??????????

The Plot

After nearly perfecting a teleportation device that he and his friend, Ben Grimm (Jaime Bell) have been working on as a child, Reed Richards (Miles Teller) is recruited by Dr. Storm (Reg E. Cathey) to join Baxter, a facility for the gifted to build a better future. To aide Reed on his quest to be the first to crack inter dimensional travel, Dr. Storm brings in his children, Sue (Kate Mara) and Johnny (Michael B. Jordan), along with a former gifted student, Victor (Toby Kebbell), to complete the machine. But once completed, their facility's advisor and government liaison, Dr. Allen (Tim Blake Nelson), decides to send a team of selected astronauts to be the first to use their invention. Not wanting to be sidelined for their success, Reed, Johnny, Ben, Victor and Sue highjack the first mission and successfully travel to a place they dub Planet Zero. But what they discover there, will not only change their lives, but their physical bodies as well.

Review

Let me just go right off the bat and say this... I love Chronicle. Love it. It is one of the best found footage movies I've ever seen. And I was highly impressed that director Josh Trank broke the record of being the youngest director to generate a blockbuster film at the age of 27. The last person who held that record? Steven Spielberg for directing JAWS at the age of 28. But JAWS was Spielberg's third film, whereas Chronicle was Trank's first film. Which makes it even more impressive. Though a lot of credit definitely should go to screenwriter Max Landis for crafting Trank's vision into realistic dialogue between young boys, it is still Trank's original vision. Which is why I was so heavily interested in his take on the Fantastic Four. From his interesting casting choices, to the fact that he was basing it heavily on Ultimate Fantastic Four, even all the way down to him stating it was going to be more like David Cronenberg's body horror films. I was hooked, and defended this movie against anyone who would say that it is nothing like the comic books.... then I saw it.

I wouldn't go down and say this is the worst movie I've ever seen. That title for me belongs to Transformers: Age of Extinction. But the feeling I had while walking out of this film was more than just disappointment. It was pity. I felt sorry for everyone who is involved with this movie. I felt sorry for the cast, I felt sorry for the studio and I even felt sorry for the director. It was like watching a car crash happen in slow motion with people you like in the vehicle managing to survive to live another day. That's how it felt, and I could probably use the car crash metaphor with how this movie goes.

Think of it as a road trip. At the beginning of the journey, you're all getting ready and feeling excited. That's what it was like at at the beginning of the movie involving the child versions of Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. It was filled with hope and optimism about how youth can accomplish great things if their minds are in the right place. Or in the case of the cliche parents, the wrong place. But cliche parents aside, it was a nice intro to a friendship. A friendship that should've carried over to when Teller and Bell took over as the present day incarnations of the characters. And while it does for a while at the beginning, it abruptly disappears later. More on that in a bit. But again, with the beginning of the road trip, that's when you're meeting up with all your friends who are coming along for the ride. That's where Mara, Jordan and Kebbell come into play as Sue, Johnny and Victor. It is cool seeing all of these young geniuses work together in order to accomplish creating something that could possibly change the world. But once the drive begins and the car pops a tire with a nail, that's when things start to go downhill.

The first act of the movie is brilliant, but the second half of the movie is when it becomes really clear that whoever was driving the car at the beginning is no longer in full control. Once the main four gain their powers, it is clear that there was suppose to be an entire body horror sequence that should've lasted the entire second act. But unfortunately, choppy editing makes it clear that whatever the second act was suppose to be has been trimmed down for the sake of getting faster to the superhero action. Which happens after abruptly time skipping midway through the movie to one year. That one year time skip completely destroys any sense of team building amongst the characters, which has been the central thrust of their comic stories. In here there is no sense of relationships being solidified by any of the team members. They are first horrified by what happens to them, one of them escapes government captivity, then skip one year later to see everyone seems to efficiently know how to use their powers now and suddenly are friends with everyone again. It is so jarring and not executed well that it is obvious several scenes are missing. And if you've seen the trailers, then you'll know most of the scenes in the trailer are missing from the movie.

But while the second act feels like there are scenes that could've been extended or added to make it flow better, the third act completely derails any hope you will have of things getting better. The best way to put it? Remember my road trip metaphor and how I left off with the tires blowing out? Well what if someone on the road tries to help you by trying to drive your car to the nearest town at full speed? With the tires still busted. And not even bothering to use the spare tire you have in the trunk. Because you are only a few miles away to your destination. And against all your gut instincts that tell you this is a bad idea, you still allow it to happen. That's what happened to the third act of this movie, and that's where the car crash happens. 

Kebbell's Victor, who was barely developed at the beginning of the movie, yet there are clear hints as to who he is as well as his philosophy, is rescued after being left on Planet Zero for a year. And what happens when he comes back? He is now Doom and blah blah blah blah blah, wants to destroy the world all of a sudden. We don't get any incite as to why he suddenly believes he wants to do this. And also it was painfully obvious that everything involving Doom before and after the hallway Akira sequence was re-shot entirely. Because I have a strong feeling that his was not how Josh Trank wanted the movie to end. It is clear that his vision for this was definitely more like a Cronenberg face-off ala The Fly or Scanners, but that doesn't happen. It just turns into a cliche superhero battle that lacks any punch, despite having a lot of punches, and strange cheesy interactions between all the "heroes" who suddenly know how to work together. It's just so... so.... You know. A car crash. That thankfully everyone lived, but still have to be hospitalized in order to recover.

Final Thoughts

I want to say this is the worst superhero movie ever made, but the first act genuinely made me believe that I was watching something different than the standard superhero mold. It made me feel like I was watching a science fiction movie that abruptly shifts into a horror film then abruptly crashes and burns into a superhero film. I know there have been reports about Trank being unruly on set, but I can tell what kind of movie he wanted to make. He wanted to make a sci-fi horror movie that just happened to have superheroes in it. And unfortunately for him, the studio wanted a standard superhero movie. These two ways of thinking clash so severely that the end result is a muddled mess that starts off with so much promise, especially from the cast and crew, that then dive bombs into oblivion, especially when the cast appear to stop caring about what movie they're in by the end. I wish I could've seen the sci-fi horror epic I know this movie was suppose to be, but I guess we never will. And that's sad.

SCORE: 4/10 - 1 for Potential 2 for the Cast 3 for the Tone and 4 for a Pity Point

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - Review

It's official everyone...

Tom Cruise is completely insane... AND I FREAKING LOVE IT!

The Plot

After amassing a record of "wanton acts of mayhem" over the years, CIA Director Hunley motions for the dissolving of the Impossible Missions Force and have their assets absorbed into the CIA. As IMF Analyst, Brandt (Jeremy Renner), tries to stop Hunley, IMF Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) finds himself targeted by a shadowy organization called The Syndicate, led by the even more mysterious Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). To prove that the IMF is still a viable force for good, Ethan makes it his mission to prove the existence of The Sydnicate while being the number one rogue fugitive on the CIA's list. He'll need help from Benji (Simon Pegg), Brandt, Luther (Ving Rhames) and the mysterious Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) in the ultimate cat and mouse game against an enemy that has been secretly causing them trouble for years.

Review

Once the now infamous "Tom Cruise is strapped to the side of a plane" scene takes off at the very BEGINNING of the movie... I suddenly had no idea what I was in for. Usually a scene like that would've taken place in the middle or at the end of the movie. But no, the infamous scene is what starts this movie off with a bang. It is a shot of adrenaline that prepares the audience for the insane ride that will follow. And if you believe nothing in this film can top that opening scene, then you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I have to give a lot of credit to director and writer Christopher McQuarrie. Mainly because for the first time, I believe he's the director who completely nailed what this franchise is suppose to be. Him and his co-writer, Drew Pearce, took all the best parts from the Mission franchise along with an examination of how summer blockbusters are suppose to operate and doesn't try to reinvent the formula but resuscitates it into something that can truly breathe. The concept of having the big money shot at the beginning of the movie was done to ensure that audiences will no longer be waiting for it to happen, but instead be focused on the movie and its story. It is a brilliant move that just elevates this film above its predecessors and its peers.

But one thing that definitely makes this movie stand above its peers is the utilization of the action within the story. Usually action happens for the sake of action. But good action is used to accelerate the plot. And in this film, every single action scene was warranted for the sake of progressing the plot further as well as developing character motivations. All of them, from Hunt's first fight with the Syndicate to the Opera House battle to the underwater scene that escalates to a car chase that then escalates into a motorcycle chase all keep building momentum towards the finale which has surprisingly not been spoiled in any of the trailers or commercials. Which makes the third act of the film even more impactful in that everything that has been used to promote the film has been from the beginning and middle, but never the end.

Tom Cruise proves that he is still in peak physical condition at 50, and is probably THE action star of this current generation. His charisma and dedication to this franchise continues to shine with incredible results. And thankfully his team behind the camera has finally found out who Ethan Hunt is suppose to be. He is not James Bond, which they tried to make him like in the second film, but a team leader who prioritizes the safety of his team first over himself. That combined with making him someone who can get hurt is what makes him such a compelling character. And thankfully he is surrounded by equally compelling teammates, with one literally outshining him.

Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames return as Benji, Brandt and Luther: Hunt's loyal friends. What truly makes them standout is how they're all utilized in the story at the most appropriate times. Pegg's Benji may have the most screen time of the three, and the most comic relief, but Pegg continues to prove that he is more than just a comedy actor. He is well rounded and looks right at home standing side by side with the likes of action men such as Cruise, Renner and Rhames. Speaking of the latter two, both of them are more utilized in a subplot that doesn't collide with the main plot of the movie till the third act, but Renner and Rhames were still utilized efficiently for the story. However, there is one person who is not a returning veteran, but a newcomer into the franchise.

Rebecca Ferguson will soon be the talk of the town, as her performance as Syndicate Agent (or is she?) Ilsa Faust is the biggest standout of the film. I always get irked by women who get cast as Bond Girls in James Bond films claiming they're "not your typical Bond Girl," then wind up being the typical Bond Girl with a little more to do. Thankfully in the Mission: Impossible franchise, there is no "Mission Impossible Girl." But if there had to be one to define that term, it would be Ferguson's Ilsa. She is probably the most well written ambiguous female spy character in a Hollywood blockbuster film while being extremely sexy and extremely efficient. What makes her so incredible is that you could easily take out Ethan Hunt and all the Mission Impossible characters, and still have an incredible spy film with her as the lead. She is so good that I hope she breaks the norm of female agents in previous Mission films never returning in the next one, because I want more of this incredible villainous/heroic (?) character.

But what about The Syndicate? The "Rogue Nation" of the title? What about their mysterious leader, Solomon Lane played by Sean Harris? Well, to put it simply, they are the best antagonists for the franchise so far. In fact, I believe them to be better than SPECTRE in the old Sean Connery Bond films. They are essentially a reboot of the IMF's original nemesis from the TV show (yes if you didn't know, Mission: Impossible is based on an old TV Show), and they are rebooted in the best possible way. Here, they are actually a legitimate threat as a completely evil incarnation of the IMF. Credit definitely has to go to Harris for his portrayal of Solomon Lane, who is believably more cunning and frightening than any villain in the Mission: Impossible franchise. The only downside I can come up with for him, as well as the whole movie, was wishing Lane was in the movie more, but again the amount of time he was present was utilized perfectly.

Final Thoughts

If you haven't figured it out yet, I really loved this movie. LOVE IT! And the more I think about it, the more I like it. And if you happen to be a fan of the original 60s TV Show, and have gotten bitter because the movies are nothing like the show, then this is the movie you've been waiting for because it finally has the elements of the TV show the original fans loved. Mainly the mind game aspect that is the real conflict between Hunt and Lane. There are callbacks to previous films as well as a complete reinvigoration of what a blockbuster should be. I'm hoping for the success of this movie, because it proves that you don't need Superheroes to make a good blockbuster anymore. Furious 7, Mad Max Fury Road and Jurassic World proved that. But this film proves it even more.

SCORE: 9.5/10 - The best Summer Blockbuster of the "Year of the Spy" so far