From less oil on the body of Megan Fox to less “Special” Forces soldiers running about. Fans of Transformers will no doubt feel short changed on all fronts. What’s missing is the cheesy charm and in its place is a more child friendly toy advert, shrink-wrapped in an impenetrable series of events that attempt some semblance of a story.
Revenge of the Fallen deviates from the benefits of a simple plot and embraces a dozen different threads, which never tie up. With this lack of an easy-to-follow story the film starts and stops throughout. The whirlwind pace so necessary for this kind of blockbuster is gone. While critics of the first Transformers claimed the MacGuffin-fuelled plot was ridiculous (Find the cube. Protect the cube. Destroy the cube.) It worked well to move the story along and showcase the special effects. It would have been wise to replicate that formula for the sequel.
The two things I really enjoyed were, firstly, the Transformers. Admittedly they are more important to this film’s progression and they interact with the human characters far more effectively, something the filmmakers should be commended for. The effects are still stunning, certainly the best element in the film.
I also enjoyed seeing Shia LaBeouf’s Sam go to university with his parents. The scene manages to recapture some of the charming stupidity of the original and for a moment, as Mrs. Whitwickey (the superb Julie White) eats a space cake I thought the film itself was about to transform. Sadly it gave way to an “old” teleporting (and thus plot-hole creating) Decepticon defector – Jetfire – who will no doubt be adored by eight to ten year olds.
The factor that would have helped the film (other than a better script) was sound related. Transformers was nominated for two Oscar’s in both Achievement in Sound and Sound Effects Editing. It sounds real – a hard thing to achieve when half the characters are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from Cybertron. The credibility leant to the visual effects by the sound team, coupled with the super-charged atmosphere of the soundscape really had me glued to the screen. Nice to see studios making artistic efforts with commercial cinema. Revenge of the Fallen lacks this scope inherent in the original’s sound mix.
The film could have also ended with a much more punchy climax as Sam attempts to save the world, again. Instead we mess around with un-established talk of destroying the sun and so on. Drivel.
Revenge of the Fallen is a fun ride but doesn’t deliver in the same way Transformers did.
By D.F.I
Monday, 29 June 2009
Monday, 8 June 2009
Anything for her
Anything for Her opens on a black screen and the sounds of distorted breathing and anguished cries. When a picture finally appears we are greeted with the face of Julien (Vincent Lindon) staring into the backseat of his car looking dismayed. We have no idea who this horror-struck man is, let alone what has just happened. It is a long time before we are caught up. It is this sense of the unknown that helps Fred Cavaye keep us hooked into a story that is somewhat clichéd and plodding.
Ever since the success of Tell No One (2006) the French have been dabbling in the realm of the suspense thriller. Anything for Her is their latest offering to the genre. The story concerns Lisa (Diane Kruger), a woman wrongly accused and incarcerated for murder, and her husband who hatches an elaborate plot to bust her outta the clink. What is quickly established through the scenes depicting Julien planning the break out is that he is clearly way out of his depth. A softly spoken French teacher and a sensitive father to the couple’s young son, this is not a man you would imagine has the stomach to “dispatch bystanders.” An early meeting with an escaped criminal delineates what is needed to capture freedom, and retain it. This supplies the throbbing pulse of the film. We watch intently as Julien grows ever more haggard and determined, silently wondering if he will ever have the guts to carry out his plan.
The story itself, however, is the least believable aspect of Anything for Her. An ordinary husband going to criminal lengths to free his wife, still radiant despite being in prison for years, just doesn’t ring true. Another aspect of the plot which just doesn’t make sense is not only the ridiculous ineptitude of the police force, a spot of blood on the back of Lisa’s coat is enough to convict her despite the fact that the victim took a blow to the face from the front. But also its incredulous efficiency, a bit of a headlight is found, sent to the lab, identified as belonging to Julien’s car and Julien’s plot found out in less than three hours. Never has police activity been so on the money. Despite all this the chemistry between Kruger and Lindon has us wanting Julien to pull it all off. We care for them as a couple and want them to get away with it. Achieving that in a film so riddled with plot holes is an accomplishment in itself.
By revealing the truth of Lisa’s supposed crime so early on in the film, Cavaye rids himself of an obvious point of tension but not only this he leaves himself without an ending that would lend itself better to a satisfying conclusion. As it is there is something deeply unsatisfying about Anything for Her.
Ever since the success of Tell No One (2006) the French have been dabbling in the realm of the suspense thriller. Anything for Her is their latest offering to the genre. The story concerns Lisa (Diane Kruger), a woman wrongly accused and incarcerated for murder, and her husband who hatches an elaborate plot to bust her outta the clink. What is quickly established through the scenes depicting Julien planning the break out is that he is clearly way out of his depth. A softly spoken French teacher and a sensitive father to the couple’s young son, this is not a man you would imagine has the stomach to “dispatch bystanders.” An early meeting with an escaped criminal delineates what is needed to capture freedom, and retain it. This supplies the throbbing pulse of the film. We watch intently as Julien grows ever more haggard and determined, silently wondering if he will ever have the guts to carry out his plan.
The story itself, however, is the least believable aspect of Anything for Her. An ordinary husband going to criminal lengths to free his wife, still radiant despite being in prison for years, just doesn’t ring true. Another aspect of the plot which just doesn’t make sense is not only the ridiculous ineptitude of the police force, a spot of blood on the back of Lisa’s coat is enough to convict her despite the fact that the victim took a blow to the face from the front. But also its incredulous efficiency, a bit of a headlight is found, sent to the lab, identified as belonging to Julien’s car and Julien’s plot found out in less than three hours. Never has police activity been so on the money. Despite all this the chemistry between Kruger and Lindon has us wanting Julien to pull it all off. We care for them as a couple and want them to get away with it. Achieving that in a film so riddled with plot holes is an accomplishment in itself.
By revealing the truth of Lisa’s supposed crime so early on in the film, Cavaye rids himself of an obvious point of tension but not only this he leaves himself without an ending that would lend itself better to a satisfying conclusion. As it is there is something deeply unsatisfying about Anything for Her.
By R.M
Terminator Salvation
And so the world’s most eagerly awaited sequel has finally hit the screens. But was it really worth the wait? One thing that has to be remembered about the Terminator franchise is that it is endlessly complicated. People go forward and back in time as though they have their own personal DeLorians. Terminators start off as human murdering, bike and jacket stealing uber robots and come back as protectors. The fourth instalment of the tale of the ghost in the machine (Skynet) and those trying to bring it down (the resistance/ John Conner) is no less complicated. However, it does hold well with the original time line, so hard core fans will not be left agitated and screaming death to McG. (Though it has been remarked that the T 800 is seen being built 9 years too early. But I wouldn’t know anything about that and I’ve seen all of the Terminator films.)
Visually he’s done an amazing job. It cannot be stressed enough how amazing the robots, or machines, are. When chasing pesky humans or just generally milling around, they whirl and move as though they were props in the latest urban ballet. This fluidity of movement does not mean that they are pansies though. They make a lot of noise. The landscape ripples with the force of their existence and ears need to be covered when they’re on the warpath.
So what of the story? It’s pretty good. Skynet develops its very own fly in the ointment in the form of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) a death row inmate who donates his body to medical science before being executed. Without giving too much away, what Marcus goes through when trying to come to grips with why he is alive years after he’s been executed and what his new purpose is; can be read as a treatise on the nature of humanity. On the other hand, as with all films there has to be a downside and what Terminator: Salvation lacks is a clear engagement with a lead character. Much of the story splits its time between John Connor’s (Christian Bale) eternal quest to take out Skynet and Marcus’ quest to find himself. As a result it is unsure who is the main focus of the story. Christian Bale as John Conner also seems to be a bit miscast, more Batman takes on the robots than anything else.
Even with the negatives Terminator Salvation is a good film. Enough action film to keep fans of blow ‘em ups happy and just enough science fiction to keep the computer nerds discussing the possibility of machines taking over the world for years to come. Even better this isn’t just one for the boys, the presence of Christian Bale and new hot boy Sam Worthington are enough to keep any girl more than occupied for two hours. Man versus machine has never been as fun, or as goddamned handsome.
Visually he’s done an amazing job. It cannot be stressed enough how amazing the robots, or machines, are. When chasing pesky humans or just generally milling around, they whirl and move as though they were props in the latest urban ballet. This fluidity of movement does not mean that they are pansies though. They make a lot of noise. The landscape ripples with the force of their existence and ears need to be covered when they’re on the warpath.
So what of the story? It’s pretty good. Skynet develops its very own fly in the ointment in the form of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) a death row inmate who donates his body to medical science before being executed. Without giving too much away, what Marcus goes through when trying to come to grips with why he is alive years after he’s been executed and what his new purpose is; can be read as a treatise on the nature of humanity. On the other hand, as with all films there has to be a downside and what Terminator: Salvation lacks is a clear engagement with a lead character. Much of the story splits its time between John Connor’s (Christian Bale) eternal quest to take out Skynet and Marcus’ quest to find himself. As a result it is unsure who is the main focus of the story. Christian Bale as John Conner also seems to be a bit miscast, more Batman takes on the robots than anything else.
Even with the negatives Terminator Salvation is a good film. Enough action film to keep fans of blow ‘em ups happy and just enough science fiction to keep the computer nerds discussing the possibility of machines taking over the world for years to come. Even better this isn’t just one for the boys, the presence of Christian Bale and new hot boy Sam Worthington are enough to keep any girl more than occupied for two hours. Man versus machine has never been as fun, or as goddamned handsome.
By R.M
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)