Get Smart

Director: Peter Segal
Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway & Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

An entertaining comedy adapting the 60s Television series which also serves as a good vehicle for Steve Carell to demonstrate his comedy style.

Based on a 60s TV series starring Don Adams which regularly spoofed the conventions of the spy genre, Get Smart the film sometimes feel like it is late in arriving. Having already seen many 60s and 70s TV shows adapted for the big screen and coming years after the Austin Powers films had already spoofed the spy genre, Get Smart really shouldn’t be as entertaining as it is. Some of the gags involving gadgets and sophisticated covert operations seem plainly obvious while the film’s plot and its twists and turns likewise feel familiar and are somewhat predictable. However, what Get Smart does have is good casting.

Steve Carell, having been popular as the star of the US version of British TV Comedy The Office, is ideal as the choice to play Maxwell Smart, the earnest, if inexperienced Agent put out into the field for the first time after years working as an analyst. His inexperience and the mistakes it causes and even the solutions it brings work well with Carell’s nervous manner, especially as Carell chooses to avoid caricature by playing the role straight rather than consciously acknowledging the conventions of the spy or spoof genres when they present themselves. Performed somewhat seriously means Smart’s reactions to his situations feel fresh even if the situations and solutions themselves are not.

Carell is not the only smart casting choice in Get Smart. As fellow agents we have Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as the ultra-skilled Agent 23 who is both the perfect secret agent yet also a nice guy but is also, for most of the film, played seriously and therefore avoids becoming a spoof version of James Bond. In addition to Johnson, and the partner to Carrel’s Maxwell Smart, is Anne Hathaway as Agent 99 who manages to make her agent both confident and capable in skills yet vulnerable enough emotionally to be won over by Smart’s good nature and desire to prove himself. Alan Arkin also appears as Smart’s boss, a smart, likeable, if grumpy character whose deadpan delivery of his character’s seen-it-all weariness is yet another flavor of comedy that work well. The only slightly disappointing performance comes from Terence Stamp as leader of the villainous group CHAOS, whose performance, while not over-the-top, lacks any real depth.

While the casting is good, the plot is fairly standard and quite predictable but the action sequences are well paced with some above average CGI and helped by Carell’s performance and the film moves briskly from one action sequence to the next with many gags littered in between that you rarely have time to notice some of the plot holes or acknowledge the familiarity of some gags and scenes until much later. Get Smart’s story also benefits from fleshing out the characters of Smart and Agent 99 where lesser comedies would satisfy themselves with caricatures.

Overall, the lack of originality in some areas prevent Get Smart from being a great comedy but it is still entertaining thanks to a strong leading performance by Steve Carell and several smart casting choices in the supporting roles.

Rating: 3/5

You Don't Mess With The Zohan

Director: Dennis Dugan
Starring: Adam Sandler, John Turturro & Emmanuelle Chiriqui

What starts off as a comedy version of Spielberg’s Munich by way of Austin Powers quickly loses steam early on resulting in Adam Sandler’s most inconsistent, and unsatisfying, film to date.

Adam Sandler is not an actor who is known for producing or starring in sophisticated comedies but he can sometimes deliver comedies that entertain beyond the usual toilet and sex humor that often dominate his films. The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, Happy Gilmore; these are Sandler films that have included either sharp observational humor, genuine humanity or madcap lunacy to the standard Sandler template and succeeded in entertaining more than expected. You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, Sandler’s latest effort, starts out strong. Sandler plays Zohan, a top Mossad agent who, while fighting terrorists and seducing women, harbors a secret desire to become a hairdresser. Sandler makes Zohan the Israeli equivalent of Austin Powers while poking fun at dated Western influences in Israel (80s fashion and 90s Mariah Carey being shown current trends 10-20 years after their height of popularity in the US) and also adding some broad gags at Jewish culture from the region (a running gag throughout the film involves the various uses of Hummus).

However, Zohan wishes to escape to America to pursue his dream of becoming a hairdresser so, during a fight with his main rival Phantom (Turturro), Zohan fakes his death and flees to America. Once Zohan gets the opportunity to realize his dream, the story and the jokes begin to run out of steam. What starts as a mildly amusing gag involving Zohan’s ‘hands on’ hairdressing style and its popularity with his older female, grows less amusing as it, along with other running libido gags and appearances by Rob Schneider, become part of the limited running gags employed too frequently at the expense of fresher, more effective humor. The plot too, once Zohan gets his chance to cut hair, stumbles trying to justify its extended running time by throwing in a predictable love interest in Zohan’s boss and a sub-plot involving a greedy developer wanting to replace the community with shopping centers before Zohan’s enemy, Phantom, arrives to end Zohan’s life for good. The latter conflict improves the film towards its conclusion as old gags are dropped for more action and some, not too subtle, statements about the differences between the Arab/Israeli relationship in US communities but it does not quite make up for the overlong mid-section.

Performances in You Don’t Mess With The Zohan are a mixed bunch. Sandler’s performance as Zohan, while one-note, fulfills its purpose as the naïve, yet likeable hero while Turturro is entertaining as Zohan’s nemesis. Emmanuelle Chiriqui is wasted as little more than likeable boss/love interest and Rob Schneider merely annoys with yet another of his poorly performed supporting roles consisting little more than putting on a funny accent and spouting catchphrases.

Overall, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan is too long and disappoints too often to be more than mildly entertaining. It’s early energy and over-the-top action gives the film a strong start and there are some good jokes that hit their mark later but many don’t and the potential it had to be better is wasted resulting in a lower than average comedy.

Rating: 2/5

The X-Files: I Want To Believe

Director: Chris Carter
Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson & Billy Connolly

Six years after The X-Files television series finished its nine year run, Mulder and Scully return for their second big screen adventure. While The X-Files: I Want To Believe offers some satisfying moments and performances for longtime fans of the show, there is little present to justify its presence as a big-screen film.

The X-Files television series, a cult phenomenon, ended in 2002 after nine years of the investigations of Agents Mulder & Scully into supernatural and extra-terrestrial phenomenon. While the stars of the show had moved into supporting roles during the series final two seasons and the edge of the show losing its effectiveness towards the end, The X-Files was still one of the best received and remember television shows of the 1990s. So, six years later, creator Chris Carter reunites with show stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson for a new case. The storylines of the television show usually focused on either government conspiracies involving extra-terrestrials, the supernatural (including ghosts and monsters) or serial killers (often with an unusual/supernatural element). Having satisfied its overarching storyline involving aliens and the government within the television series, Chris Carter has wisely chosen not to revisit that conspiracy and focus the plot of this film on more human horrors involving the supernatural, this time represented by a psychic ex-priest.

The storyline, involving a kidnapped FBI Agent, dismembered body-parts discovered in ice and an ex-priest having psychic visions regarding the Agent and her captors is interesting and generally well presented and feels right at home amongst similar storylines from the television series’ history. However, its strengths as the storyline worthy of the television series is also one of its weaknesses as a film as the plot and events are developed as an episode of the show would be developed without fully taking advantage the big screen format. Unusual since the advantages of the big screen were used effectively in 1998 when The X-Files was first adapted for the big screen half way through the television series’ run. Had this been released as a movie for television it would likely be better received as expectations in terms of budget, action and scale for a big screen adaptation would go unsatisfied by this film. Instead, Carter adds an unnecessary sub-plot involving a dying boy at a hospital Scully works at distracts from the film’s central storyline whilst serving to separate Scully from Mulder for lengthy segments throughout the film. This sub-plot itself is ultimately left open ended and is only tangentially related to events elsewhere in the film. This sub-plot is more suited for a television episode that can afford to indulge in soap-opera drama but slows the film down too much which is a problem given that this film is also our first adventure with Scully and Mulder in six years.

On the acting front there are many good performances. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson slip comfortably back into the roles that made them famous and deliver solid performances in spite of the film continuing the romance between the two that was better served in the early years of the television series as a more platonic romance than the relationship it inevitably became. Duchonvy leads the cast well, receiving most of the spotlight (though sporting a terrible beard during the first third of the film) but is supported well by Billy Connolly who delivers a restrained and tortured performance as the ex-priest with an unsavory past who is receiving visions that can help solve the case, and Amanda Peet is likeable as an FBI Agent leading the investigation whose commitment to covering all angles brings her to involve Mulder and Scully in the investigation.

Overall, this would stand as a better than average episode of the television series but an extended sub-plot, an anti-climatic resolution to the main storyline and little use of the big screen format leave The X-Files: I Want To Believe somewhat unsatisfying as a film, especially as a film that reunites us with the cast of the television series. A film mostly for long-term fans of the show but not recommended for new or casual fans but don’t expect big things, just an extended episode of the series.

Rating: 2/5 for film fans or 3/5 for X-Files fans

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Director: Rob Cohen
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello & John Hannah

After a seven year absence, The Mummy franchise is revived but despite adding new elements, it fails to make good use of them or to include the sense of fun from the previous installments.

2008 would feel like an appropriate time to return to The Mummy franchise. With Indiana Jones returning to the big screen after a 19 year absence, this would be a good time to return to the 1999/2001 The Mummy franchise that was, in spirit, Indiana Jones-lite with a bigger budget. Following on from Indiana Jones’ lead, this new installment fast forwards the action and characters to a post WWII period with them older, wiser and looking for the glory of their earlier years. On paper, the plot and ideas within sound good, taking to action from Egypt to China and bringing in Martial Arts legend Jet Li as the villain.

Unfortunately, director Rob Cohen (known for action but new to this franchise), fails to make good use of the new locale, or of Jet Li. In what begins as an interesting back story to the legend of the Dragon Emperor and how he becomes a Mummy leaves the Emperor (Jet Li) as a Mummy encased in stone. A walking special effect with little visible emotion for most of the film, we don’t get to see the Emperor in the form of Jet Li again until the film’s climax which itself includes several poor CGI transformations that recall the poor visualization of The Scorpion King from the end of the second Mummy film. Also, considering Jet Li’s considerable Martial Arts skills and the inclusion of star Michelle Yeoh as one of the Emperor’s enemies, actual use of Li and Yeoh’s skills in this manner is limited to a few short sequences near the climax and are often sidelined to focus on hordes of CGI rendered undead soldiers. The storyline too quickly becomes too predictable and lacks and real depth into the personalities of its new cast members or in developing any new motivations for its villains or in how to defeat the villains.

Returning cast members Brendan Fraser and John Hannah as hero Rick O’Connell and his brother-in-law Jonathan are the most entertaining elements in this new installment. However, both get less opportunity to impress on screen as they share the screen-time with less interesting characters. With Rachel Weiss choosing not to return to the franchise to play Evelyn O’Connell, the film suffers from Weiss’ absence. Choosing to replace Weiss with American actress Maria Bello unfortunately leaves the character uninteresting. Lacking to the perky charm of Weiss and simultaneously struggling with a bad script and a bad English accent, Bello fails to breathe any real life into the character of Evelyn this time around and Bello’s performance also lacks the chemistry with Brendan Fraser’s Rick O’Connell that was present before when the role of Evelyn was held by Weiss. Another poor performance comes from actor Luke Ford, who plays the role of, now older, Alex O’Connell, the son of Rick and Evelyn. For a role that has been built up to share equal screen-time with Fraser’s Rick and set up also as a possible inheritor of the franchise for possible future installments, Ford plays the role too serious, too straight and lacking the energy and enthusiasm that Fraser has brought to his own leading man/action hero.

As if a CGI Mummy/statue, a recast wife/love interest and a charisma free heir to the action hero throne weren’t enough of a distraction from the films best feature of Brendan Fraser, Fraser also shares screen-time with CGI Yeti’s, two-dimensional henchmen and a climax that sees a huge battle between hundreds of undead soldiers battling the Dragon Emperor’s own army that, while showcasing some decent CGI, offers nothing new to compete with similar battles seen in blockbusters since The Lord of the Rings films raised the standard. The choice of locale is similarly underdeveloped with the director happy to have the environment look like China or Hong Kong without making the effort to make it feel like China and Hong Kong.

Overall, there are too many errors in judgment in the development of this installment of The Mummy franchise to make the film enjoyable. Fraser and Hannah do their best but some poor CGI, bad casting and plotline choices and failure to make better use of its China locale leaves The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor too unsatisfying not only in competition to Indiana Jones but also in comparison the rest of The Mummy franchise.

Rating: 1/5

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair & Doug Jones

Hellboy returns, along with director Guillermo del Toro, for a sequel that improves on the original. However, what Hellboy II lacks in plot it more than makes up for on character and lush visual design.

It is satisfying to know that the first Hellboy film achieved enough success to warrant a sequel. The film, like its hero, always seemed like a harder sell for non-comicbook reading audiences to like. Unlike other superheroes or superhero films, its star is not human nor has any human alter-ego for when he isn’t battling the forces of evil. Hellboy is a freak, a demon and ugly but he also has charm and is certainly human in personality. It is this charm that helped win over readers and audiences to Hellboy. That and plenty of action and impressive visual design.

Much has changed this time around. The first film was a satisfying introduction to the character of Hellboy and his friends. However, while a good job was done to help audiences get to know Hellboy, the story demands of delivering an origin story in addition to a plot for Hellboy to foil meant we didn’t get to spend quite as much time getting to know Hellboy as we’d have liked. That changes with Hellboy II, as director Guillermo del Toro spends as much time getting to know and love Hellboy and his friends as he does advancing the plot. So good are the moments we spend with our cast between battles that the plot suffers somewhat as a result yet it will be the character moments you will remember most and talk about after the film has ended. Drunken escapades involving a musical interlude between Hellboy and his friend Abe are just one of the highlights in this regard as is a hilarious argument between Hellboy and new cast member Johan Krauss that results in a memorable, locker room, fight scene.

In addition to more personality and character development in Hellboy II, director Guillermo del Toro returns to the Hellboy franchise following the recent critical success of his fantasy film Pan’s Labyrinth. While Hellboy II won’t win over many of the intellectual crowd that praised Pan’s Labyrinth, it will certainly win over fans of del Toro’s visual style. Dealing with creatures of fairytale in the storyline of Hellboy II, del Toro builds a beautiful world of fantasy that co-exists alongside our own. Creatures such as the troll Mr. Wink and the menacing Tooth Fairies arrive fully realized like the twisted cousins of their Pan’s Labyrinth counterparts and more unique creations such as a Plant Elemental that attacks Hellboy in the film’s halfway point set-piece are as beautiful as they are dangerous. New locations are similarly well designed such as the Troll Market that is full of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it details and feels like the fantasy film equivalent of the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars while an increased budget allows for Hellboy’s government headquarters to now bustle with life reminiscent of the headquarters of Men In Black.

What Hellboy II has in terms of strengths however, sometimes puts a spotlight on the film’s weaknesses such as its plot and villains. The storyline of on elfin prince wishing to regain control of his realm and wage war on the humans that have forced his people into hiding seems fine at first glance and the legendary ‘Golden Army’ which he intends to revive to accomplish this feat seem threatening enough, the manner in which this feat is achieved is fairly standard. To revive the Golden Army requires the collection of pieces of a crown and locating the home of the army, as such it is fairly predictable that some pieces fall into the hands of our heroes and they then need to prevent the prince, Nuada, from obtaining them. While this results in some impressive action sequences and special effects, the route the storyline will take is still somewhat predictable and the solution to stopping the ‘Golden Army’ in the finale is a little anti-climatic. Also, with such well-developed characters as Hellboy, Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman, the film’s villain, Prince Nuada, is underdeveloped and feels little more than a one-note villain. Luke Goss delivers a decent performance as Nuada, but given the lack of material to work with; his performance and his character still stand out as amongst the weakest in the film with even more personality given to the Tooth Fairies than to Nuada.

Overall, Hellboy II is still great entertainment. While its actual storyline is not much of an improvement over the first film’s, the attention to detail, the action and, most of all, the character development in Hellboy II not only improve upon that of the first film but also make’s up for Hellboy II’s own shortcomings. Hellboy II is well worth your time and enjoyment and while it might not achieve the critical or commercial success of other superhero films in 2008, it is certainly stands out as one of the most fun.

Rating: 4/5

The Dark Knight

Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger & Aaron Eckhart

After a strong beginning for this new franchise in Batman Begins and following months to hype and expectation and even tragedies, The Dark Knight lives up to all expectations becoming a film that rewards on many levels.

To start, since it is what most people will be talking about, Heath Ledger is excellent as The Joker! It is an excellent performance and it is certainly Oscar-worthy (Oscar winning though? I guess we will see. We still have the rest of the year to go). After well received early footage of his performance and following his unfortunate death, this is a performance that Ledger will be remembered fondly for.

I am not sure it is Ledger's best performance (some people panned it, but his performance in Brokeback Mountain was incredibly strong and full of nuance) and, while his Joker dominates the screen when he's on it, Aaron Eckhart's performance as Harvey Dent is the film’s strongest performance (helped by his character having an arc to follow where The Joker is a straight villain, though a thrilling one). Ledger's Joker is twisted, mean and funny, full of little nervous ticks. I am a big fan of Jack Nicholson, but this is the best live-action performance I’ve seen of The Joker. It will be hard to accept anyone else in the role if they bring the character back for future installments.

As for the rest of the film, there is much to recommend. Never trying to dumb things down as some blockbusters do, Nolan delivers a gritty, intelligent crime film. It has been said that The Dark Knight is almost a superhero equivalent of Michael Mann's Heat and I think I have to agree. The multiple characters and sub-plots and the decisions characters have to make and whether their choices will force them to change their principles is deftly handled and weaves together satisfyingly. Christian Bale’s Batman/Bruce Wayne isn't sidelined to focus on the villains and gets plenty of drama. Michael Caine is great as usual as Alfred. Gary Oldman delivers a strong performance and his character Gordon is perhaps a bigger hero than Dent (remaining less likely to be corrupted) and Maggie Gyllenhaal makes me wish they'd cast her in the role of Rachel all along bringing added humanity to her role.

Aaron Eckhart, however, delivers the best performance. Eckhart always been a good actor though had yet to have any material to really challenge him and allow him to live up to his potential but he gets the chance to do so here. Harvey Dent has always been a tragic character and Eckhart manages to make Dent a character we really care about, we hate what he becomes without hating him for becoming it. In a film with Bale as Batman and Ledger dominating the screen as The Joker, that Eckhart can hold his own in the film and make an even stronger impression is very impressive. He deserves as much attention as Ledger though will likely be overlooked come Oscar season.

There are some, minor, complaints about The Dark Knight that sometimes distract. The Batman costume suit still looks bad early on in the film (I hadn't been keen on the look of the suit in Batman Begins) but the improvements made later are an improvement and the amount of advanced technology used by Batman was somewhat excessive. The sonar/surveillance system was a step too far eventhough it perhaps made a statement about the appropriate use of surveillance technology. There were a few sub-plots that didn't seem to be going anywhere until much later (the accountant for instance was one sub-plot was distracting and took too long in revealing its relevance to the overall plot). Also, while Maggie Gyllenhaal is good as Rachel Dawes, her character is over shadowed by many other characters. These are minor issues and this is still a near perfect film superhero film.

Overall, The Dark Knight has raised the standard of quality for superhero films like its predecessor, Batman Begins, had done before it. The story, pacing, characters and action are all very strong. I do believe that the standard set here will make it difficult for a third film to equal or surpass The Dark Knight in quality but if Nolan returns to direct then anything is possible. A fantastic film and the best blockbuster film of 2008.

Rating: 5/5

WALL-E

Director: Andrew Stanton
Starring (voices): Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight & Jeff Garlin

Pixar’s latest animated feature is not only its most daring film to date but is also it’s most charming and entertaining since Toy Story.

Having revitalized and revolutionized the animated film industry in 1995 when they released Toy Story, Pixar Animation Studios (under the Disney umbrella) have consistently lead the pack ever since in not only pushing the boundaries of what can be accomplished with computer animation but also delivering the finest in story and characters. Being so critically and commercially successful might lead other companies to become too comfortable in their success, stick to a winning formula and just rake in the rewards but not Pixar. Forever wanting to experiment and find new ways to tell stories, WALL-E is their riskiest film to date and also their most charming in years.

It is hard to imagine another studio producing a film that barely has any dialogue and starring a robot that communicates mostly in a series of beeps and half-formed, computer garbled words. Not only does Pixar do this, they make it work and for his lack of speech and human features, the robot WALL-E (pronounced Wally) is more human than you might believe. Set in the far future, Earth has been abandoned and is now uninhabitable due to rubbish and pollution. While the humans are away, they have left robots to clean up after them and WALL-E is the last. Years alone (the ‘bodies’ of old, defunct roots occasionally seen strewn amongst the waste piles), WALL-E has developed a personality of his own. Going about his duty everyday, he collects random items of interest for his collection suggesting that even the things we throw away are of use to someone else. His only company is a cockroach (who has his own running gag throughout the film of being ‘un-killable’), WALL-E longs for company spending his time watching and old VHS copy of the film Hello, Dolly! and looking for love.

Company then arrives. A ship landing nearby leaves a shiny new robot named EVE to scan the planet for proof that the planet can support life again. Initially uninterested in the lonely WALL-E, his persistence forms a bond between the two until life is found (a plant WALL-E discovered) and EVE goes into standby mode to await retrieval. WALL-E’s attempts to revive her are touching and his commitment to protecting EVE while showing EVE his world in spite of her being unable to respond are incredibly touching and more romantic than many a live-action human romance. So full of personally is this little computer-generated robot, we find ourselves rooting for him when EVE is taken back into space with WALL-E hitch-hiking along to protect her.

Once in space, and with our star firmly established, the plot speeds up. WALL-E finds himself on a ship where the last of the human race reside, only now they have become fat and lazy, living their lives in floating chairs with their attention barely shifting away from the television/computer screen hovering in front of them. With the human race’s condition and a living environment that is a monument to big industries taking over all aspects of our lives, the messages in the film are very clear. It is, perhaps, a little disappointing considering how clever the characterization of our robot cast, that the messages of waste and consumerism being harmful to society are so blatant but they do work so it is a minor complaint at best. Another minor complaint is that the human characters introduced at this stage are less interesting than our robot cast but again they serve a purpose and send a more subtle message than the humans have become such a lazy, uninvolved, ‘robotic’ society that the actual robots have more individuality than the humans.

WALL-E becomes an unlikely hero, his personality rubbing off on everyone and everything around him (distracting humans from their screens to look at the world, distracting robots from their daily tasks to wave and have them realize they can do more than what they are programmed to do). Along with EVE, the human captain of the ship and a ragtag bunch of malfunctioning robots, WALL-E becomes a savior of the human race in a frantic race to the finish that still manages to fit in plenty of charming moments and the slapstick comedy that Pixar is well-known for (WALL-E himself is a Charlie Chaplin-esque figure).

Overall, WALL-E is a great character and a great film. Pixar’s risk taking pays off. The film is funny, dramatic and manages to make you care about a computer animated robot as much as you could care about another human being. The film might occasionally stray from being fun and clever to just being fun but that is hardly a major criticism. WALL-E will win over adults and children alike and has raised the bar for quality higher, not just for Pixar, but for all-ages animation and storytelling.

Rating: 4/5

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Director: Eric Brevig
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson & Anita Briem

An enjoyable action/adventure film suitable for all ages enhanced on the big screen by the use of 3D which is utilized to deliver effective thrills.

There is something about seeing a film in 3D that brings out the child in any audience. It is the feeling of experiencing something new on the big screen, of films reaching out to touch you, the audience. As such, Journey to the Center of the Earth is very enjoyable and is, perhaps, more enjoyable that is should be. There is nothing groundbreaking in the film’s plot, or dialogue, or acting, or even CGI, but Journey to the Center of the Earth is the first live action film to be released in full 3D (previous films, like Beowulf, being all CGI affairs). The filmmakers and actors know that this film is intended as a fun romp with a 3D gimmick and they play to this fact with relish.

The story revolves around a scientist, Trevor (Fraser) and his nephew Sean (Hutcherson) finding evidence that a volcanic event that occurred 10 years previously that lead to the disappearance of Trevor’s brother, and Sean’s father, Max. Heading off to Iceland to investigate and bringing along reluctant guide Hannah (Briem), the trio find themselves discovering that the world described in Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, is real. Their adventure then leads them to encounter many wonders such as flying fish, carnivorous plants, dinosaurs and more. It isn’t hard to predict whether our trio will get through safely or not, or when a creature appears on screen that it’ll will come flying out towards the audience through the use of 3D, but somehow that does not distract from the enjoyment of it all and some scenes are plenty entertaining (a mine-cart ride like that of an Indiana Jones film) even without the 3D enhancements.

The performances, while nothing spectacular, are nevertheless enjoyable and charming. Brendan Fraser brings an infectious feeling of warmth and excitement to his role as a scientist that always believed that such wonders could exist and is excited at the prospect of experiencing them outside of a lab. Hutcherson has a fairly standard character arc of sullen teen that discovers his own inner strength and to find himself opening up to care about those around him after years of feeling abandoned by the loss of his father and Anita Briem is mostly believable as a guide who seems exceptionally capable of handling almost any situation.

As mentioned, the plot is enjoyable if fairly predictable in places but it manages to still provide several compelling character developments especially upon a discovery that is made halfway into the film that has strong, personal consequences for Trevor and Sean that proves that the film is capable of surprising you beyond its use of 3D.

Overall this is highly watch able. See it on the big screen if you are able to so that you can benefit from the 3D experience. Even if you don’t, there is still much to be liked and it’ll be great for the younger audiences either way.

Rating: 4/5 if seen in 3D, 3/5 if seen otherwise.

The Mist

Director: Frank Darabont
Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden & Toby Jones

Frank Darabont, acclaimed director of The Shawshank Redemption, returns to the big screen with another Stephen King adaptation. This time, Darabont replaces prison drama with old fashioned Stephen King horror.

In 1994, when Frank Darabont adapted a short, non-horror, Stephen King story The Shawshank Redemption, it gained positive reviews but made little money at the box office. However, on video, the film became a big hit and has since become one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time, constantly appearing in the Top 5 of Top 100 Greatest Films lists. Darabont followed this up with another critically acclaimed prison drama called The Green Mile, also adapted from a Stephen King tale. Then Darabont made The Majestic. No Stephen King adaptation this time, and though not a bad film, it neither made money nor achieved any critical success that even closely approached Darabont’s earlier films. Darabont has now chosen, with The Mist, to return to adapting Stephen King. However, with no more prison dramas or similar to adapt, Darabont has adapted one of King’s horror stories and, in doing so, puts his film up to comparison against, not only Darabont’s own earlier adaptations, but also against the huge number of Stephen King horrors already adapted into films and for television. The result is a film, while good, suffers somewhat from early entries into the Stephen King genre and from other horror films in general.

Frank Darabont’s strengths are in characters, developing them and in getting strong performances from the actors cast to play them. Darabont succeeds in that regard here by again casting character actors rather than big names. Thomas Jane delivers a solid performance as David Drayton, an artist and father who just wants to protect his child when a strange mist envelops a small town, a mist containing unseen creatures that pick anyone left stranded in the mist. In support the are strong performances from Tony Jones (Infamous) as a supermarket worker who struggles to overcome his fears, Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street) as Drayton’s brash neighbor and Marcia Gay Harden, usually known for playing dutiful wives but her playing the town’s religious fanatic, a cold and manipulative individual.

In addition to the performances, Darabont is effective in creating a mood of dread. As the mist descends on the town, a group of survivors barricade themselves inside a supermarket. Initially they fear the mist to be some chemical or gas but soon coming to realize its danger is darker than they imagined. Mostly unable to see what lie within the mist and with only glimpses of the dangers, most of the danger and fear in early scenes is achieved through sound and sometimes the absence of it. A sense of dread is effectively built up; exploiting old fears of things you can’t see in the dark to produce chills. It is a method of achieving scares that is rarely seen in current cinema which relies frequently on gore.
However, when attacks do come and creatures are seen more clearly, it lacks the impact of scenes where we could see very little. Some of this is due to CGI. While not exactly poor, it stands out especially when CGI comes into contact with actual actors. Darabont is not a director experienced in using CGI and sometimes it appears obvious that his actors are reacting to things that aren’t there, the use of CGI often not meshing well with the live action. One type of creature in the mist, a type of spider, is more effective seen in short glimpses and in the shadows than once fully revealed.

The film’s finale however is one that has impact. Foregoing the enigmatic ending of King’s original story, and opting against a happy mainstream ending, Darabont goes for something altogether bleaker. It might upset audiences but it does not go where you expect and that helps set it apart from many other horrors, going for emotional impact rather cheap scares.

Overall though, there are better Stephen King adaptations, better horrors and certainly better Frank Darabont films. While there is plenty to recommend this film, the ineffective use of CGI and its effect on the film’s atmosphere undermines some of the film’s better qualities making it feel as though The Mist might have been better served as a mini series for television than on the big screen.

Rating: 3/5

Hancock

Director: Peter Berg
Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman & Charlize Theron

Will Smith turns in another audience pleasing performance in this promising superhero action/comedy.

Superheroes are big business in Hollywood and so is Will Smith so it seems only natural to pair the two to produce a summer blockbuster. The result is Hancock which is an entertaining blockbuster even though it does not quite live up to its potential. Hancock is a superhero film that begins with a lot of promise and several smart choices. The first smart choice is that, instead of adapting an established superhero franchise for Will Smith, they create an original hero with his own back story and motivations. The next smart choice was to make this new hero a jerk.

Hancock is a drunk and a nasty drunk at that. When he does choose to use his powers to help, then he does so with little care or effort leaving damage in his wake and he is labeled less of a hero, more of a menace. Hancock is most enjoyable when its lead character is less likeable, the end results of his attempts at heroism being as humorous as the kind of stunts seen on internet sites like Youtube (in fact it is mentioned that many of Hancock’s rescues end up on Youtube including an incident where Hancock saves a beached whale by flinging it into the ocean). Will Smith also relishes in the opportunity to deliver some hilarious and acerbic insults at the many members of the public who choose to criticize him for his failures.

Hancock’s life and attitude starts to change though after he rescues a well-intentioned public relations specialist Ray (Bateman). Stopping a train, while causing a mile long pile-up, to save Ray results in another round of complaints, but Ray who is grateful that Hancock has saved his life offers to do Hancock a favor and work on improving his image to the public. Not used to such kindness, Hancock struggles with how to react and while the gags still continue, an injection of drama into the plot helps make Hancock more rewarding. Getting glimpses into Hancock’s past helps provide insight into his character and the mystery surrounding Hancock’s origins are more interesting at this point when neither Hancock, or the audience, have answers to the mystery. Claiming to have awoken in a hospital 80 years ago, with no memory but equipped with super-powers, we find Hancock is a man alone. Unable to find others like him and unable to remember his past, he has become a loner and one who hates himself (saying no one ever came looking for him when he awoke in the hospital and wondering what kind of person he must have been to be abandoned like that).

Ray manages to convince Hancock to serve time in prison for the property damage he has caused by his heroism insisting that by doing so, he is showing the people he is willing to change and be a better hero while making the public miss him when crime begins to escalate in his absence. When Hancock is called upon for help at last it is to an excellent action sequence which also mixes some well placed humor at the expense of the superhero genre (Hancock having to wear a superhero costume whilst offering words of support to police officers in the nervous manner of someone unaccustomed to doing so before). It is, however, shortly after this scene that the film takes a turn towards a less original, more standard superhero direction. A big plot twist involving Ray’s wife and her attitude towards Hancock (built up during the first half) seems unbelievable (even for a film about a man that can fly) despite a few obvious hints earlier in the film, and had already been revealed in the trailers for Hancock prior to the film’s release. From here the comedy is sacrificed for an explanation of Hancock’s origins which is less interesting than the mystery surrounding them suggests and the final third of the film becomes fairly standard melodrama and action, though the action sequences still look good and entertain.

Despite a less interesting second half, Hancock is still an entertaining film overall and this is also due to a trio of enjoyable performances. Will Smith, as mentioned before, relishes in the chance to play a hero, whether it be the boozy foul mouthed version at the beginning of the film or self-sacrificing hero of the second half. Smith delivers the kind of wise-cracking performance he is often loved for. Supporting him is Jason Bateman who’s even more capable than Smith at delivering a witty one liner (as evidenced in his TV series Arrested Development) and is also able to make Ray an incredibly likeable, and believable, nice guy who is, perhaps, the real hero of the film. Finally we have Charlize Theron. Theron playing Ray’s wife reveals there is much more to her character, and her reason for being cast in the role, at the film’s halfway point and despite the contrivances in her character and the plot from this point, Theron handles the character’s personality well.

Overall, while slightly disappointing and predictable at the end, Hancock remains and enjoyable film with plenty of comedy, some intriguing drama, enjoyable action and solid performances by the cast throughout. You will come away wanting more but, as with all superhero films; there will no doubt be more Hancock on the big screen to come.

Rating: 3/5