John Carter is not, as some would have it, an out-and-out awful film. There is one particular action scene that is both awe-inspiring and emotionally affecting, and it serves as a glimpse of what could have been. As a piece of epic sci-fi, it’s a good way to spend two hours.
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The critical acclaim surrounding the film leaves me wondering if it is purely the thematic content of the film that had such an impact. Hugo is a film that looks and sounds great, and it’s clear that a lot of love went into making it, but the humdrum storytelling leaves a lot to be desired.
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There’ve been pointed accusations suggesting that this is nothing more than titillating misogyny, whilst Snyder’s faint replies have been along the lines that the film is actually challenging or parodying male-created sexual fantasy stereotypes. To be honest, neither ring true for me.
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This is a really pretty film and it matches perfectly with Ritchie’s cinematic style. Hans Zimmer’s score is fantastic also – probably the best orchestral score of the year – and, of course, the performances are great. Everyone knew that Downey Jr. would make a great Holmes, and he does.
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Mired in the mess of editing cliches that betray this most modern version of the venerable franchise as ‘a Guy Ritchie film’, Sherlock Holmes features a confused and incomplete storyline and seems more like a preface to its inevitable sequels than a fully realised feature film in its own right.
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Whilst I was enthralled by their tale (and wowed by the action sequences), the experience was ultimately disappointing, particularly if one was hoping for a plot to match the intricate and gorgeous visuals. If the story telling matched the production values, then this would be a fantastic feature indeed.
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The enormous set makes it feel old fashioned in a good way – we’re not being inundated by greenscreened backgrounds. The costumes and production design are pretty also, leaning ever so slightly towards steampunk.
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Despite the glorious world on show, it all comes a bit too easily, so the film doesn’t feel as epic as it should. It deals with the nature of the greater good in its own simple way, and is quite effective in doing so, even if it pales in comparison to the complexity of other comic book movies.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Hellboy II: The Golden Army
In its haste to get to the big action scenes and battle sequences, it forgets that the audience needs to care about those fighting (and dying). The exposition in the opening half overwhelms the character information to the point that each is given rare moments to define themselves.
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Every time the characters refer to the alethiometer, they quickly follow it up with ‘golden compass’ (though tellingly off-camera), and this goes to show just how ‘careful’ people are when 180 million dollars are on the line.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading The Golden Compass
Christopher Nolan has a knack of making films that are extremely enjoyable in a popcorn-flick kind of way, and yet are also intelligent and worthy of deeper consideration. Batman Begins is close to the best comic book adaptation yet, and Continue reading The Prestige
Hayao Miyazaki’s new film is indeed a feast for the eyes. Drawing from Diana Wynne Jones’ book of the same name, Howl’s Moving Castle takes us to a wonderful steampunk-ish world full of huge, ungainly machines that belch smoke into Continue reading Howl’s Moving Castle