Review: Superman I & II(R. Donner Cut)

  

I recently read an article on comicsallience.com.  It was about Superman 2 and how it has become a template for many modern superhero films, 30 years after it's debut.  

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/06/25/superman-II-anniversary-legacy/

After reading this article and also learning about the recently released Richard Donner cut of Superman 2, I realized I never really watched this series as a whole.  So I have planned to view the full set of Superman films.  I will also try to review each one, as a personal challenge.

Superman follows the beginnings of Kal-El and his trip to Earth.  From there, he is adopted by the Kents and raised as close to a normal boy as anyone possibly could, given the powers of a demigod.  Soon, after leaving Smallville, we see Clark grow into a man and into a new role - protector.  

Superman 2 follows almost immediately after Superman.  At least it seems that way.  General Zod, a traitor to the Kryptionian government, manages to escape his 2-dimensional prison and seeks to rule planet Earth.  Superman finds himself having to choose between happiness or righteousness.

Likes - The main aspect of the movie I enjoyed was the acting.  I think that, overall, the actors stayed true to the original characters of the comic. There were some exceptions I'd say.  Other then that, nothing really stands out to me.

Dislikes - Before I begin this section, let me start by saying I am a avid comic book reader, fan, and enthusiast.   This means I already have a clear picture of what I feel Superman should be. Also, SPOLIER ALERT!

So I found a lot wrong with Superman.  Let's start out with Superman's powers.  Donner stuck with the basic set - flight, speed, strength, heat vision.  Near the end though, we see something new.  Without any explanation, Superman has the ability to time travel.  He does so by reversing the rotation of the Earth.  I find  so many things wrong about this.  Superman is fully capable of changing Earth's rotation.  The issue comes from the fact that Donner somehow thinks this will reverse time.  If this were even remotely true, I think Superman would have gone back even further in time and made sure Lex Luthor never even thought about his crazy plan in the first place.  This made me SO angry.  This move is commonplace when it comes to Superman.  Unlike other superheros, with clearly defined abilities, Superman's powers seem to shift to what the current write feels needed.  Originally, Superman could only jump really high.  Due to the laziness of some animators, Superman's powered were retconned.  Now he can fly.  For writers, Superman ultimately is whatever you need him to be.

Another problem I have are with the characterizations of Superman and Lex Luthor.  Superman is something that Clark Kent does.  While he will always be the farm boy from Kansas, Superman is the ultimate extension of his morals and values.  He is a rare man, fully capable of making sure the upright path is being followed, overcoming the many temptations and limitations we mortals face everyday.  The movie took the opposite approach, Clark Kent is the facade while Superman is the real man.  This may have been the view during the time this film was produced.  I feel this approach makes Superman feel so much further from humanity.  Thus, it makes more sense that Superman protects people out of pity rather then out of his morals.  For Lex Luthor, I feel a similar disappointment.  In comic book land, Lex Luthor does not see himself as being evil.  In fact, he sees himself as humanity's protector, being the only one able to make the hard decisions, the hard sacrifices.  Additionally, he is the only one to see the threat the Superman is.  In the film, as great as Gene Hackman is, we get a one dimensional character.  No person ever thinks they are committing evil.  Even Hitler thought he was taking the morally upright path.  So when we see a self proclaimed genius talk about being evil, it feels so unreasonable.  

Regarding Superman 2, I have the same feelings.  Zod is a would-be dictator with the power and support to control the whole world.  The film fails to delve into why he would even want to conquer Earth.  Personally, if I found a whole planet I could subjugate single handedly, I would get bored of it quickly.  We see that to a small extent in the film, I admit.  Ultimately, the audience is given absolutely no background to Zod's motivation other then ... no one likes to invite him to birthday parties.  Maybe? I don't know.

Also, the end was exactly the same as Superman! WTF? FUCK this random time travel bullshit!

Overall - Despite everything I find wrong with these two films, I still recommend you watch it.  Less for the quality and more for the history attach to this franchise.  These films are also a great example of what happens when you let outsiders take over a legacy they have no idea about.  Eventually, they take a revered brand and try to milk it for all they can.  They leave behind nothing but a shell of the greatness once there.  This film is fun for the non-comic nerd.  For those who really know and care about Superman, these film really pillage a great icon.  These films are not a great example of who Superman really is.  These films are a great example of what the Superman mythos goes through to reach the masses. 

Review: Sucker Punch

I was bored today.  I had gotten most of my errands done today and I wanted to relax and not exert myself much.  Against my previous vows, I walked into the local video place.  Yes, I know - they still exist!  I walked around and grabbed what looked interesting, which doesn't necessarily equate to good.  Of the batch I got, this was one of films I watched today.

Sucker Punch follows Baby Doll as she transcends different levels of conscious.  After thwarting her new stepfather from taking advantage her and her younger sister, she is sent away to an all girls mental ward...I think.  From there, Baby Doll enters into a world of brothels, sex trade, martial arts, guns, and sex appeal.

Likes - Visually speaking, this movie amazing!  This movie is a fanboy's ultimate wet dream and fantasy.  Young girls scantily clad wielding guns and knives fitting nazi monsters and robo-samurai.  I know it all sounds so over the top that it can't be true - but it is!!!  Zack Snyder did a great job capturing a look that you can't help fall in love with.  The music is spot on too.  Leaning towards the modern, it still packs the fast paced feel that this movie demands.  Also it enhances the action.  It feels less like a commercial for the soundtrack and more good use of a often overlooked peeve of film making.

Dislikes - This film is over-the-top in every way possible, which I find to both it's strong and weak point.  If I had seen this in the theatre, I think I would have been more impressed.  I am watching the Blu Ray and it looks gorgeous.  But my tastes in film and women are about the same - despite how good looking you are, in the end I need some intelligence included in the package.  Sucker Punch fails to deliver that.  The plot feels loosely connected.  In the end, the films feels like an excuse to play out a bunch of random fights with some hotties.

Overall - I wasn't very pleased with this film.  I was impressed by the visuals but the plot was lacking enough that I wasn't too thrilled.  If you're looking for some impressive eye candy, this will pay off in aces. But if you're looking for something with any depth at all, I would move on to another title.  I give this 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Review: Ceder Rapids

When I saw the trailers in theaters, I was kinda excited.  I've never been one to go to the theaters for a comedy though.  I feel it doesn't take advantage of the bigger-then-life presentation that the big screen offers.  So, away to my Netflix queue it went.  After hearing some friends of mine saying they enjoyed watching this recently, I bumped it to the top of my queue.  It took a few weeks, but I finally got to this.  Let's say that I didn't miss out on anything by waiting.  

Cedar Rapids follows Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) as he heads to an insurance agent convention, in place of a deceased co-worker.  His agency has won the prestigious Two Diamond award back-to-back and it's now his turn to make his agency proud.  The recently passed co-worker was the won making the wins, though.  Tim has to take his place and learn to play with the big dogs.  And quickly, I might add.  Unfortunately, he isn't even mature enough to handle seeing a black man.  Cedar Rapids is a heart-felt coming-of age film for those 40 somethings still seeing life thru the eyes of a 20 something.

Likes - I enjoyed this film. It was cute and charming but had enough bite to make me remember I was an adult.  Ed Helms does a bang up job playing Tim.  Frankly, it's not much of a stretch though.  Tim is a more sheltered and less pampered version of Andy from The Office.  But why fix something that isn't broken, right?  John C. Reily really stole the show.  He plays Dean Zeigler, the raunchy, party animal foil to Tim.  He is the total opposite of Tim, giving nicknames to everyone he knows, drinking every moment he breathes, and telling as many off colored jokes he can between sips.  We come to appreciate even Dean though.  He is the most honest character of the whole film.  We even see Meaby from Arrested Development show up!  That was a nice surprise.  All around, the cast makes this film, not just one guy.  Sure, the film is about Tim growing up, but he couldn't have done it without his cohorts in crime and mischief.  

Dislikes - Nothing in particular stood out that I didn't like.  That said, this film isn't that memorable.  Sure it was good but it didn't have any moments that made you blurt out "WTF?!?!".  There were no moments that people will be quoting to the point of annoyance.  At the time I watched this film, I wanted two things - to complete a movie viewing and to relax with something that wasn't too dense.  I got exactly that.  Cedar Rapids is definitely worth watching once.  But any more spins seems a bit excessive.  

Overall - If you have other movies you're waiting to watch (hopefully because I recommended them), watch those first.  If you're bored and want something that makes you chuckle and gives that feel good feeling at the end, watch this.  3 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

Being a fan of comic books and Captain America, I had to see this film. 'Nuff said.

Captain America: The First Avenger (CA:TFA) follows Steve Rogers from scrawny solider wannabe to a timeless national hero.  Thats pretty much it.

Likes - I enjoyed this film a whole lot.  I went into this film knowing they wouldn't get everything right.  Honestly, they never do with these comic films.  With this film though, you can tell they worked really hard to craft a story as close to the original as possible.  More so, they wanted to keep the characters the same at heart.  And they did that.  For all that Chris Evans has done, this is by far the best role I've seen him play.  You believe he is Steve Rogers.  That's saying a lot!  Bucky and the Howling Commandos are on par too.  With CA:TFA, despite Captain America being such a lone figure, he really is made by the people that support him.  Hugo Weaving also was a great pick as Red Skull.  He gives off the right amount of creepy and fear.  I even liked how they had a nice easter egg during the Expo scene.  

Dislikes -  Nothing in particular sticks out that I didn't like.  Mind you I saw CA:TFA on sunday and it's about Thursday.

Overall - I think it was a good film.  Great film even.  We really saw the trails that helped build the Captain America mythos.  The film really shows how Steve Rogers, not Captain America, is a true American hero!

Four and Half Stars out of Five.

Review: Forbidden Planet

I had added this classic sci-fi film to my queue a long time ago.  I feel if I am going to be any kind of movie buff, I need to see all the classics, this one included.  I must say, I was very pleased and impressed by this classic cinema.

Forbidden Planet follows a spaceship crew and their rescue mission.  They come to Altair 4 where they meet Dr. Morbius and his gorgeous, but naive, daughter Altaira. The brilliant doctor informs the crew about his time spent on the planet and the ordeals he had to endure to survive.  All done in the name of science and progress.  Eventually, we learn the true threat on the planet isn't what it appears to be.

Likes - I really enjoyed this film, much to my surprise.  My mind's eye had imagined this film is unimaginative, poorly conceived, and full of gimmicky scenes.  Instead, I was treated to a well developed story that delves into human nature.  I was really impressed how they tied things together.  I was also impressed with the sets and special effects.  A few scenes had me scratching my head, asking "How did they do that?"  Too often films simply phone it in with the CGI.  The mystery and awe inspired by this film is lost in so much of today's CGI fare.  Forbidden Planet is worth watching over again, just to figure out how they managed some of the special effects. The real star in this film though is the plot.  It really shows how our humanity will always remain, despite all our intellectual advancements.  I was impressed by the high brow story, how it didn't pander to the audience.  Instead it treated us as intelligent adults, something rarely found and felt today.

Dislikes - My only complaint about this film is the pace of the plot.  I felt like they could have skipped some dialogue, enough to shave 10 minutes off.  Thats it though.

Overall - Do yourself a favor and watch this film.  Despite it's age and campy reputation, it is a solid, thoughtful, well-crafted film.  I really enjoyed this film. 4 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Kill the Irishman

My friend Jaysen highly recommended this film.  I took his advice and was very pleased I did.

Kill the Irishman follows the story of real life thug Danny Greene.  Greene was avid reader and a hard worker.  He begin his career in crime but muscling his way into being the union president of this factory, trying to stand up for the people who work in the massive death trap.  His way of getting what he wanted, for himself and his crewmen, made him much loved and respected.  This wasn't enough for Greene though.  He continued down the path of power, greed, and respect

Like - I really like this film.  Much more then I was expecting.  Knowing the film is based on true life events makes it that much more interesting.  The acting is very strong with these B-listers.  I was really pleased.  The plot though ultimately drives this film.  In a strange way, it reminds me of Walk the Line, but for crime, not music.  Overall great.  I liked this film so much that I'm making sure to write about it, despite having seen it 2 weeks ago.

Dislikes - There wasn't anything overt that I disliked.  This was a solid film - solid plot solid acting solid cinematography.  But it lacks that certain edge that makes it amazing.

Overall - Great film.  For fans of Godfather, Scarface, or anything crime/mob film, you have to see this.  For those who are indifferent to the genre, still watch this because it's well enough to stand on it's own.  4 out of 5 stars

Review: Super 8

It's the 4th of July and I had nothing to do.  I decided to venture out into public for my usual movie fix instead of simply staying in.  I heard alot of good things about this one and it already had peaked my interest.  I'm glad I went but I wouldn't have missed out much if I didn't

Super 8 follows a group of kids.  We see them trying to film their entry into the local film festival.  They end up catching a train derailment in their small Ohio town.  Things spiral out into a massive conspiracy trying to cover up a discovery that would change the course of humanity.

Likes - I liked this film a fair amount.  The kids that comprise the main cast are cute and endearing.  I think it was a good choice to have the middle schoolers be our eyes and ears, witnessing the insanity that would unfold in this film.  I like the later half of this film a good amount.  A lot of the plot elements were finally coming together.  I also liked seeing how a small town became a massive war zone.  I also enjoyed how the lack of screen time for a key element gave the film a much more intense feeling

Dislikes - I didn't like how long it took for the movie to really evolve into the kind of movie it was meant to be.  I appreciated the effort to make a Sci-fi movie more human but I think a lot of the Sci-fi feel was lacking in the early part.  I know some might argue that its a sliding scale, as it became more Sci-fi it became less about the kids.  Still though, I think they could've done a bit more.

Overall - I enjoyed this film.  It's definitely one I wanted to see, whether in the theatre or on DVD.  I think I could've waited though.  I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars