ROUGE ONE, A STAR WARS STORY; Full-Tilt Review

“Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director...”

Darth Vader

Possibly the most ethnically diverse crew ever assembled in a Star wars film.

Well, this will make a change- 

I'm reviewing a film that's actually still out at the cinema! 

Check me out.

 

Synopsis:

Felicity Jones stars as Jyn; a renegade haunted by the murder of her mother and the abduction of her father during her childhood. Having become disenchanted with the rebellion, they come seeking her help on their latest mission. Jyn's reluctance fades however when she discovers the nature of their task- to find Galen Erso, the architect of the Empires newest weapon, who also happens to by her father.

 

Script: 1/2
An inspired idea let down by insipid storytelling. 

Pace: 1/2

After a jarringly disjointed start it moves along nicely.

Acting: 1/2

Mostly good, although some of the cast are taking things more seriously than others.

Aesthetic: 2/2

The distinctive retro aesthetics of the classic trilogy remain, bolstered by some cutting-edge effects, although some of the CGI characters never quite convince.

Intention: 1/2

A bold if flawed entry into the Star Wars cannon.

Final Word: 6/10

Jyn, Rouge One's heroine, heads up a team comprising of; Diego Luna's conflicted rebel assassin Cassian, martial arts legend Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang as two Force-worshipping priests (the later having lost his faith while the other is still very much a devout believer) Chrrut and Baze, Riz Ahmed's reformed Empire pilot, and Alan Tudyk's K-2SO, a droid with a good line in dead-pan wise-cracks, a sort of C3P0 meets John McClain. With the exception of Felicity Jones, every one of the above plays their roles brilliantly, and their approach is pitched perfectly, offering character and drama while never at the cost of light entertainment (this is Star Wars after all, not Citizen Cain). Special recognition for Donnie Yen who, despite his impressive real-world bulk and history of playing phenomenal arse-kickers, here plays a surprisingly charming and gentle character. They're a dynamic group, these principal heroes, it just feels like such a shame that the film takes up about half it's run-time bringing them together (especially how, even after all that time, I'm still not entirely sure why they all stick together when the chance comes up for them to part ways). Forest Whitaker also chews the scenery playing unhinged rebel leader Saw Gerrera.

Sadly, Felicity Jones never quite convinces as Rouge One's lead. Her attempts to pull off ‘icy and hardened’ come across as impertinent, and while a flawed character is all well and good, Jones is a total vacuum; no presence, no charisma, and despite her rough orphan-esque upbringing Jyn somehow retains the prim English accent usually reserved for the upper ranks of the Empire (a point that never sits right in the ear). But the biggest stumbling block with Jyn is not so much Jones herself, although she hardly helps matters, but rather how the character of Jyn is written; the latest in a now long line of 'Mary Sue' characters to plague mainstream action cinema. She can brawl like the monk, she can shoot and sneak like the rebel assassin, and she can hack computers like the droid, and despite being 'a nobody' (not even really a rebel for that matter) she attends the high-ranking rebel meeting to discuss the most important decision of the war, and as if that's not enough, the rebel leaders actually hear her out! This contrivance undermines all those around her, their talents no longer so unique or necessary. Why not allow Cassian be the gunfighter and the spokesman at the rebel meetings (he is a Captain after all), let the blind monk be the close-combat specialist, let the droid do his thing- don't take that away from them! But that's a post for another day... Jyn's only real ‘flaw’ is an easily forgotten reluctance to join the rebellion, and that's it. Oh, and we never see her fly a ship, although I assume she's a fucking ace at that as well.

Mads Mikkelsen shoulders the bulk of the drama in Rouge One as the tortured engineer Galen Erso, Jyn's father and the architect of the first Death Star, but as you'd expect from someone of his caliber he convinces utterly and commands every scene he's in. Aside from Felicity Jones, who really isn't up to the task of sharing screen time with Mikkelsen (although she hardly convinces anywhere) the unenviable task of 'thesbing-off' against Mikkelsen falls on Ben Mendelsohn, here playing the villain Krennic. However, Mendelshon holds his own while pomping and sneering his way convincingly, bringing a surprising depth to a rather one-note villain. In fact, the relationship between Galen and Krennic is one of the more intriguing; while no longer fiends, there's still something present that suggests more than the simple hostage / captor scenario. It's not written, but that's just how the characters are played; while the majority of the cast of Rouge One are playing 'parts', here Mikkelsen and Mendelshom are playing 'characters', and while that's commendable and demonstrates considerable talent, here it seems, well, somehow amiss.

And on that note, it's here, among the shades of grey, the compromised characters and the blurred lines that Rouge One somehow becomes more, and so much less, than a Star Wars film. Cassian is a rebel who thinks nothing of shooting an unarmed ally in the back so he cannot be captured, while Gerrara's methods are so extreme they include the torture of prisoners (who have yet to be proved guilty). Galen may have quit building the Deathstar, but that doesn't change the fact he was initially on the side of the Empire of his own free will before a moral crisis, and Bodhi is yet another reformed storm-trooper, which begs the question “how many other poor people in the employ of the Empire are being killed out there, who are probably decent enough people caught up on the wrong side of a war?”. Moral ambiguity doesn’t sit well in the Star wars universe. The first Star Wars trilogy, and I feel this was always part of the charm, was a fairy tale. Good meant good and bad meant bad, and that’s as complicated as it got. Even smuggling rouges like Han Solo and the underhand Lando, while self-serving, were still clearly “good”. That's probably one of the reasons the inclusion of Commander Tarkin worked so well here; Krennic may have been ruthless but his behavior was born of ambition, not evil. Tarkin, however, was cruel, calculating and an utter bastard, and he shines more greatly here than he ever had a chance to in A New Hope. He was bad through and through, no ambiguity there. Elsewhere in Rouge One, the rebel alliance have seemingly got serious, and are as fractal and dangerously unhinged as any Middle Eastern uprising; 'the cause’ is all that matters. It’s easy to see why many have deemed the film as ‘political’. I came to watch Star Wars; if I’d wanted to see a rabble of religious desert fighters defending their holy lands from an invading military force bent on plundering their natural resources I’d have stayed at home and switched on the news. It’s a very uncomfortable comparison, especially seeing how my instinctive reaction is to cheer for al-Qaida, sorry, no, the rebellion (my mistake- I definitely mean the rebellion) and one that seems bizarrely intentional. I mean, narratively speaking, these scenes could have played out anywhere, and in a film series already heavily populated with desert locations, it would seem odd to favour such a well used troupe rather than go for something new (a snow-town could have been a nice addition?). Instead, the film-makers have gone full-on desert and turban chic. When you invoke a sense of realism you also invite (encourage) a greater critical thought. For this reason your story, if you’re going for realism (all be it a realism in the established ‘world’) needs to hold up under close scrutiny. Broad strokes and plot holes are far more noticeable here than when encountered in something more innocent like, say, a fairy tale...

Final, final word:

And that single sentiment comes to the core of how I feel about Rouge One; it may look like a Star Wars film, and sound like a Star Wars film, but it doesn’t feel like a Star Wars film. Guillermo del Toro astutely observed that, if you want to reinvent a fairy tale, you can only askew the characters OR the story, not both, or what you're left with is not a fairy tale. Rouge One, for better or worse, is not a fairy tale. It’s an interesting experiment, bringing maturity and politics to a child-like universe, but I hope that’s all it is- an experiment. A one time thing. I’d hate to see subsequent Star Wars films following the same suit. Present fashion seems to favor ‘dark and brooding’ (even the new bloody Power Rangers film is trying laughably for ‘edgy’); Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy certainly has a lot to answer for! While it would be easy (and probably correct) to call the theory of 'A Star Wars Story' a shameless cash-in, kudos for at least trying something different, ditching the Jedis and the Skywalker legacy to tell what is essentially The Dirty Doezen in space. Would it be anywhere near as enjoyable if you stripped away the Star Wars setting? Most likely not, but hey, it is what it is; certainly not the worst Star Wars film, but still a crushing disappointment given how all the right ingredients were present for a true classic. However, the explanation of  a plot-hole that has long been a point of contention in the original Star Wars film (why build a space base with such an obvious flaw) is finally laid to rest in what has to be Rouge One's defining and most inspired achievement.

"I WANTED TO PORTRAY VERY, VERY DARK SUBJECT MATTER..."

I wanted to portray very, very dark subject matter and a deceptively complex story in the brightest colours and simplest lines possible to leave the readers reeling.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_millar.html

Cont'd "...and a deceptively complex story in the brightest colors and simplest 

lines possible to leave the readers reeling"

Mark Milar

I wanted to portray very, very dark subject matter and a deceptively complex story in the brightest colours and simplest lines possible to leave the readers reeling. Mark Millar
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/markmillar248660.html

I wanted to portray very, very dark subject matter and a deceptively complex story in the brightest colours and simplest lines possible to leave the readers reeling.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/markmillar248660.html

I wanted to portray very, very dark subject matter and a deceptively complex story in the brightest colours and simplest lines possible to leave the readers reeling.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_millar.html

I wanted to portray very, very dark subject matter and a deceptively complex story in the brightest colours and simplest lines possible to leave the readers reeling. Mark Millar
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/markmillar248660.html

Again, I'm hardly on the cutting edge of culture, but since when as that ever stopped me having my say?

Don't worry, this is only a short article.

The man himself, Mark Millar.

Recently, off the back of us talking about the Captain America film of the same name, a good friend lent me the Marvel Civil War graphic novel. I read it, and as much as I enjoyed it (and I did enjoy it) something about it I found troubling. Not that it cost me any sleep, but in some way that's hard to explain I felt like there was something unpleasant starting me in the face. It got me to thinking about the book's writer, Mark Millar, whose work has had astounding influence over the modern comic industry, and whose works have inspired a number of blockbuster superhero films- including the soon to be released Logan, Kickass, Kingsman, and Wanted.

So here's the thing. While many writers and artists may have had a hand in bringing realistic sensibilities into mainstream comics (and I stress the distinction of mainstream), including the divisive Frank Miller and Alan Moore, it is Millar whose bought in the unease of contemporary American politics. That in itself isn't a problem, but unlike his peers, Millar seems less interested in exploring the issues he pulls into frame, or offering any sort of insight, than he is simply dredging some serious real-world issues, simply for the thrill of bringing his characters into conflict. 

I hear the make-up sex is fantastic.

Take Civil War as the prime example; it's a story born from the still glowing ashes of 9/11, yet it offers no real condemnation, it simply acts as a means for bringing heroes against heroes. It feels wrong to invoke something real like 9/11 simply as a plot device, and on top of that it paints it's major cast (with perhaps the exception of Spiderman) as pretty unsympathetic- everybody makes their own personal 'deal with the devil'. And, if indeed that was the point Millar was making, which I doubt, at best it's nihilistic and at its worse, ignorant. Hell, it's saying pretty much the same thing as Team America, except without anywhere near the satire or self-awareness.

I won't deny Millar has his finger on the pulse of what sells comics, and there can be no denying his writing is solid, but he reminds me of Quentin Tarantino's more recent output, in as much as I feel like he's simply serving up the darker underbelly of the world simply for the sake of giving it a damn good leer, rather than to expose any uncomfortable truths (watching the Hateful Eight is akin to watching a bucket filled with scorpions, waiting to see which order they sting each other in- there may be death, but you won't learn anything from it). Compare that to, say, Paul Verhovan, whose work is often hideously violent, but while Verhovan flirts with the notions of evil, and our society's obsession with sex and violence, you feel like he's always making a valid point. Tarantino (and Millar in same fashion) feel less like flirting with the insidious, and much more like a back street blowjob with it; and by way of that analogy, it left me feeling sordid. Sure, I'd had my fun reading Civil War, but afterwards I felt hollow, and after it was done I realised how much simply wasn't there; cheap thrills had taken the place of anything deeper or more rewarding.

Grisly, but is it more than its surface brutality?

There's an argument to be made that, if I'd followed the entire Civil War arc and spin-off comics, then perhaps I'd have been rewarded with some epiphany, that the greater subtext would make itself apparent, but I doubt it. I've read Kickass, and that was similarly grimy, while Kickass 2 was so leery and spiteful I sold both that and Kickass because I'd done with it. Sure, Maillar's bang-on with his dissection of a warped media-obsessed society, and the malicious under-culture of desensitized modern youths, but ever rape and child murder felt like a Daily Mail headline that offered no reward beyond the grim details, and it sat very jarringly with what I guessed was an attempt at humour. Conversely, both the Kickass and Civil War films offered far more than their comic source material. And, as if to solidify my every point, when asked if Mark Millar enjoyed Kickass on it's release, he answered flippantly “yeah, but they turned my comic into a chick-flick”.

In short; I'm glad Millar is out there somewhere writing comics. Without him, better writers would be less inspired. Millar's influential legacy will, in the fullness of time, be far greater than his own work, because what started with him will be taken on by people with far more to say about the world around them, than those who simply thrive on it's unpleasantness like crows on the dung heap.

Because that's what every comedic story needs; a rape scene.

“THE WORLD IS NOT THE SAME AS IT WAS, CHARLES...”

“...Mutants... they're gone now.”

Logan  

Maybe you've heard (ha!) but there seems to be a new Wolverine film coming out... 
Or is there?

 

I'm guessing that vest's not the result of a messy hotdog-eating contest.

Enigmatically named 'Logan', the film seemingly follows in the footsteps of other single-name franchise-finishers by changing tact and reaching for something a little more serious. You have only to see the moody black-and-white photography of the press releases, or catch the first few sombre chords of Johnny Cash's 'Hurt' in the trailer, to know that Logan is aspiring to be a different beast entirely. Just how different remains to be seen, because we all know that looks can be deceiving (Prometheus- I'm talking to you!), but what we do know is Fox have finally allowed Jackman's feral character to push past the constraints of the usual 12a superhero fodder. A higher age rating alone is nothing to be particularly excited about, gore and violence won't necessarily make for a better film. However, of all the superhero films in an over-saturated market, it's the character of the Wolverine who feels like he could truly shine in a more mature film; whose always felt like he's holding something back for the family-audience. Wolverine is, after all, when push comes to shove, a berserk and unstoppable killer, complete with razor-sharp claws.

Let's take a look at what we know about Logan. As you're probably aware, I'm not much into speculation, so the following is based on facts alone.

The Setting:

Any link with the image below? You tell me...

Set in a bleak dystopian future where mutants are seemingly now on the verge of extinction, the films sees the remaining mutants persecuted by a highly militarised global corporation led by Nathaniel Essex. It appears that most of the X-Men have already perished, with only Logan and Charles Xavier leftover, living an impoverished existence while in hiding. Logan himself is no longer the near-invincible Wolverine of previous adventures, his body now ravaged with age and insurmountable wounds, while Xavier is now a frail old man attempting to cope with his dilapidating Alzheimer's. So far, so dark.

“Nature made me a freak. Man made me a weapon. And God made it last too long.”

Logan

In The Making:

 

Armed or unarmed?

This will be the character's third solo film after 'X-Men Origins' and 'The Wolverine', and Hugh Jackman's final portrayal after having played this part for seventeen years (Christ, finding that out that made me feel old). James Mangold, the director of 'The Wolverine', one of the more highly regarded of the X-men cannon, returns to direct this final installment, itself only a "loose continuation" of the previous two films- seeing how it's set in an alternative timeline established by 'Days Of Future Past' and 'Apocalypse' (which still allows the studio to take the remaining X-men films in yet a different direction to the dead-end presented in this setting).

Logan's failing health finally means we, as an audience, don't have to keep overlooking this (strikingly handsome) man is no longer as young as he once was. Stewart will also finally be playing the part much closer to his own age, and it's worth noting a prosthetic needed to be used to make the sprietly-looking Stewart look “believably” haggard (nobody would ever believe he's actually 76).

While in no small part 'Logan' takes it's inspiration from Mark Millar's 'Old Man Logan' comic run, the project has it's roots in a more innocuous and innocent observation made by Hugh Jackman himself, who, when asked what his next Wolverine film would be about, light heatedly referred to the character being a grumpy old man, a self referential swipe at his own age. Little did Jackman know that Old Man Logan was actually 'a thing' and the nerdier corners of the internet went into melt-down. And much to his credit, Jackman is a man who listens to his fans.

Comic Mythos:

Not your average pensioner.

Mark Millar's 'Old Man Logan' series sees the titular character, now decrepit and defeated, rising to the task of one final, bloody adventure in a post-apocalyptic future. Although the source material has been thankfully toned-down from the garish grotesqueness of Millar's imaginings (including but not exclusive to gigantic dinosaur carcasses, a world carved up between super-villains, and incestuous hill-billy Hulks), the overall conceit remains unchanged: Logan is now a shell of his old self, and the world around him has turned bad...

In all likelihood Laura, the girl protected by Logan during the film, is the cinematic incarnation of the comic character X-23, a female clone of Wolverine. Judging by the trailer, Laura is pursued by the military, including the Essex corporations' relentless head of security Pierce.

“She's like you... she's very much like you...”

Charles Xavier 

Scowling villain? Check.

 

Pierce is also a character ripped straight from the pages of the comics, although his portrayal here is obviously a little more gritty. In the comics he was a mutant-hating cyborg, and among his affiliations were the Reavers, a group dedicated to the destruction of mutants (a match forged in Hell). In the film 'Logan', both the Reavers and Pierce seem to be the muscle for the 'sinister' Essex Corporation.

Nathaniel Essex in the world of the X-Men is the alias of one of the most dangerous of their enemies, Mister Sinister- himself a powerful mutant with a penchant for genetic experimentation. The comics draw him as a sort of cyber-goth Eddie Izzard, yet how he translates to film, and who will go on to play him (assuming he makes an actual appearance) remains to be confirmed. Some believe  English thesp Richard E. Grant will play the role.

Liev Schriber expressed an interest in returning to the role of Victor Creed, aka Sabourtooth. Creed is Logan's half-brother and fellow mutant, a role Liev first portrayed in Wolverine Origins. Liev was a stand-out highlight in what was otherwise a mess of a film, although how (if at all) his portrayal links with the Sabourtooth seen in the first X-men film has never been made clear. It would be nice to see Liev bring the character back so the Logan/Creed relationship/rivalry can finally be bought to a (likely bloody) ending.

To add to the growing list of confusing cast changes and character reboots within the X-Men movie-universe, Stephen Merchent will be portraying the underground-dwelling mutant Caliban, who has previously been played by someone else. Again, what relation the two portrayals have to do with each other has not yet been made clear, and could well be another case of “don't think too hard on this and move along”. In the new film, Caliban appears to be, at least in some way, helping Logan and Xavier keep a low profile.

This does not look like it's going to end well...

So, with the rest of you, I now wait with bated breath for the release date of 'Logan' in March, and for the first time in over ten years I'm actually pretty excited for an X-men film, if this still qualifies as such? Let's hope Jackman, Mangold and company don't disappoint.

“YOU CAN'T BUY LOVE, BUT YOU CAN RENT IT FOR THREE MINUTES!”

Strip Club DJ (Deadpool)

Has to be said, I lead a fairly busy life. When I'm not actually AT work I feel like I'm simply commuting between home and the office. It's a long old bus ride, believe me. And when I'm not having 'fun' pressed against strangers on the bus (in a sardine fashion, not a chikan type thing) I'm spending time with my family. It doesn't leave a whole lot of 'me' time. As a result, I rarelyt get to watch many new films. I can't complain though, I'm a lucky man and I wouldn't change a thing, save for maybe the length of my commute, but c'est la vie.

I'd been meaning to watch Deadpool for a number of months, before an exasperated friend lent it to me on a firestick. Now, to those who don't know me better, I don't have much tech in my life; the TV couldn't support the firestick, and neither would my portable DVD player. The only way I was going to see that film play was on my laptop. So, after having the firestick sitting on my writing table for about 5 weeks, I finally decided I better watch it. Now, my better-half may be many things, but tolerant of action films? No, least of all action films of the superhero variety: In short, Deadpool was unlikely to be a film we watched together. My son is only 4, which ruled him out (although I confess I did consider it). So, when was I meant to actually sit and watch this bloody film? I considered my options and hit upon what, at the time, felt like a clever use of my time...

I took my laptop with me to work, booted it up on the bus and plugged in my headphones, and I watched Deadpool...

A deceptively innocent smile, believe me...

So I was aware of the violence and the profanity, but people (you all know who you are) neglected to mention the rather explicit sex scenes in Act 1. There I was, shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of school and college kids, desperately trying to tilt my (hugely bulky) laptop away from anyone who might see it, desperately trying to skip forward to another scene, all while making damn sure people could see both my hands. Needless to say, it was pretty embarrassing...

Did I learn from my mistakes? Clearly I didn't because I watched the second half on the bus ride home. And low-and-behold, a strip club scene! And again, I twisted and sweated while trying to move the laptop from sight, and just when I thought I'd managed to do just that, I realised the reflection of the laptop screen was enlarged onto the darkness of the window over my shoulder; projected  to more than double size, my very own little cinema of perversity. So there I was, for all the world looking like the village pervert on a packed bus. And I'd like to think of these people as strangers, and they sort of are, but I still see these fucking people 5 days a week!

Learn from my example, it's too late for me but save yourselves: be careful what you watch in public. Expect to see my face in the newspaper any day now.

“Look away! LOOK AWAY CHILD!”

Wade Wilson (Deadpool)

On a different note, one slight and final criticism of the film; I don't think Wade was disfigured enough by his torture- considering as Deadpool Wade is intended to be so disgusting to behold (and as such this is often the subject of some of the jokes) yet he STILL looks like friggin' Ryan Reynolds. I know it can't be down to the 15 certificate, because The Dark Knight's Harvey Dent was far more disfigured, and that's a 12a. But considering one of the major plot points is concerning how ugly Wade is supposed to be, to the extent he feels like he can't even approach his love interest, these scenes never convince; the startled crowds and the cruel jibes ring hollow. The most honest response comes after the films climax where Vanessa finally sees his face and decides it will simply take “an adjustment period”. I had worse acne in high school, and far less sex.

DEADPOOL: Full-Tilt Review

“You're probably thinking, 'My boyfriend said this was a superhero movie but that guy in the suit just turned that other guy into a fucking kabab!' Well, I may be super, but I'm no hero. And yeah, technically, this is a murder...”

Wade Wilson

Deadpool plays out like Punisher by way of Southpark, which is no bad thing...

Synopsis:

Wade Wilson is a down-on-is-luck ex-mercenary who finds love with the equally plucky prostitute Vanessa. But a 'happy ever after' seems off the cards when Wade is diagnosed with untreatable Cancer. However, when Wade is approached by a shady organisation that agrees to 'cure' his condition in return for him becoming a 'super hero' he reluctantly agrees... However, all is not as it seems, and Wade soon releases his saviors are actually using him and others like him as test-rats under torturous conditions. He escapes the confines of his prison, now hideously scarred but almost indestructible, and dedicates his life to hunting the man responsible and watching over Vanessa.

Script: 1/2

There can be no disguising the by-the-numbers plot format.

Pace: 2/2

The film starts off at a run (with the jokes as well as the violence) and doesn't let up.

Acting: 1/2

There's good, there's bad, and then there's Ryan Reynolds...

Aesthetic: 2/2

A good-looking film all round, cast and production.

Intention: 1/2

While it does feel like a cynical production, there's no denying it's a fun ride.

Final Word: 7/10

So, the first thing that struck me was just how many jokes the films throws at the audience. They literally start with the credits and come thick-and-fast till the film closes. While some of these may fall a little flat, the sheer number of them means you're never far from another chuckle. It has to be said though, some of the gags are much smarter than others; for every one genuinely intelligent joke there's probably another 4 or 5 that, how best to put it, are slightly more juvenile. That said, somehow even the bluer and more swear-tastic moments of the film still managed to retain some charm, including but not exclusive to a debauched “my God, can they say that?” verbal sparring of astonishing perversity when Wade and Vanessa first meet. I laughed despite myself... Which leads me onto Ryan Reynolds. Now, I say this as someone who can't exactly claim to be Reynold's biggest fan, but, this is truly the role he was born for; the jokes simply wouldn't work without his boyish blue-eyes and cheeky smile, and his willingness to send himself up at any given opportunity is second to none. Put simply, without Reynolds nothing in the film would hold together- the film owes it's success to him and him alone. Sure, he may not have written the jokes, put together the screen play, or directed the film, but actually, when considered separately, most of the jokes aren't all that great, while the screenplay, while it has the odd little flourish here and there (covered later) it's nothing all that special, and the directing in the film is so unobtrusive as to be missing entirely. And while I can't necessarily fault Reynolds here, I can't exactly call it a master class in acting either, since regardless of how fun he is, you feel he's pretty much just playing a more high-octane version of himself. Morena Baccarin on the other hand (who some eagle-eyed viewers may have spotted from Serenity / Firefly) as Vanessa, the love interest, is equal parts sweet and sultry in a nothing-but-by-God-I'm-gonn'-make-something-of-it type role, while T. J. Miller gets some decidedly snarky deadpan moments as Wade's sort-of-not friend. What let's the side down here in fairly spectacular fashion is the “English villain” of the piece, Ed Skrein, here playing a character named Ajax, possibly the most unlikely mad-scientist to have ever graced the silver screen. Even when Ed loses the science shtick and reveals himself as a muscular assassin, he's never fearsome (or memorable) enough to be truly frightening or hate-worthy, and it's not like the character didn't have enough chances to make something of himself. All in all, a poorly played part, and poorly written- it's not like that character didn't have enough opportunities to do something memorably nasty- considering he passes up an opportunity to torture Wade's captive friend in retaliation for the hero's continued disobedience, or obliterate a bar-full of his mercenary chums... On the subject of writing, while the plot is fairly standard, the film was at it's most dementedly creative through the first half, with narrative skipping gamely between the past (setting up the back-story) and the present (an action scene seeing Wilson/Deadpool battling Ajax and his cronies)- such a shame that the film ditches the format too soon. And while I appreciate the film makes it's fair share of jokes at the expense of the by-numbers plot, it's not simply enough to point out the contrivances and cliches, the real skill is in doing so while subverting them- a trick Deadpool never fully manages to realise. What you're left with is a film that wants to be Kickass, but couldn't quite make itself quite as subversive, anarchic, witty or heartfelt. Perhaps a better comparison would be South Park, especially in relation to the tone of most of the jokes, which are certainly more vulgar than anything in Kickass. Still, a ballsy attempt at greatness at any rate, especially when you consider how safe big-name studios like 20^th Century Fox usually like to play things. In fact, by pure association with 20th Century Fox, some of the jokes at the expense of the X-Men franchise come across as more cynical rather than sincere, trying too hard to play off past failures; “hey kids, we know we screwed up Wolverine Origins, but we can joke about it because we're, like, totally rock and roll!”. So, Kickass this may not be, but it's still diverting fun wile it lasts. Perhaps Colossus sums the tone of the film up the most astutely;

“I've given Deadpool every chance to join us but he'd rather act like a child. A heavily armed child.”

Colossus

PREDATOR 2: Full-Tilt Review

"Pussy face": what kinda' girls is Glover spending time with?!?

“This is Tony Pope, live from L.A., the city of fear, where the psycho vigilante killer continues his daily diet for murder. Bodies strung out. Bodies with the skins ripped off. The hearts torn from the cadavers...” Tony Pope


Synopsis:

Los Angeles is in the grip of a bloody turf war between Columbian and Jamaican drug cartels, and the only thing standing between them and total anarchy is the LAPD, among them the hardened and seemingly unstoppable Lieutenant Mike Harrigan. However, Harrigan finds his investigations hampered by the arrival of a secretive Federal task-force, and soon discovers that the cities most recent spate of brutal killings is the work of an alien creature that hunts for sport...

Script: 1/2 – Fun, if by-the-numbers.

Pace: 2/2 – Starts fast and doesn't let-up.

Acting: 1/2 – Characters are painted in broad strokes but played well.

Aesthetic: 2/2 – The creature and gore effects all all top-draw.

Intention: 2/2 – Not content to re-hash, it builds on what has come before.



Final Word: 8/10

Directed by Stephen Hopkins (who's career has never exactly bloomed beyond B-movie fare), Predator 2 caught a lot of flack on it's release; often thought of as a bitter disappointment to Schwarzenegger's 1987 monster-flick, and even today is considered controversial for scenes of gratuitous violence and questionable racial stereotypes. Despite that, as a blood-thirsty teenager I was more than satisfied, and even now as a (slightly) better-adjusted adult I think most of the criticism directed against the film is totally unfair.

Sure, it IS bloody, but then, it IS a horror movie, and no more gory than the first Predator film. While this sequel may play-up the ethnic-drug-dealer stereotypes, it's not as if gangs like these don't exist, and one should also consider that three of the four heroic leads in Predator 2 are of either black or Latino heritage.

While Predator 2 isn't exactly high-art, it provides all the genre thrills you could really ask for in a film about an intergalactic alien slaughtering its way across the city, and in my honest opinion it's a worthy successor to the original. It does more than simply serve up more of what's come before, shifting the action into the 'concrete jungle' of Los Angeles, giving the titular creature a new hunting-ground to explore, and a whole bunch of new tools to mangle his victims with. Danny Glover makes a suitably ballsy successor to Arnie, chewing and smashing his way from scene-to-scene with gusto. His opening scene, in which he is introduced as a gun-toting loose-cannon, is hilariously super-charged to the point of derangement- and in a nice bit of writing that askews expectations, this crusading super-hero is given a humerus fear of heights, which is more than a simple throw-away joke as Harrigan's pursuit of the Predator will see him in a number of lofty locals. Gary Busey (who also starred with Glover in Lethal Weapon) makes the most of his scenes as Agent Keys, the human antagonist, while Maria Conchita Alonso and Bill Paxton swagger and fight alongside Glover as his crime-fighting LAPD partners through an urban nightmare populated by sleazy journalists, sweating gang-bangers and ruthless government agencies.

There's a number of entertaining scenes throughout the film's 95 min run-time; the massacre on-board a moving subway is a particular stand-out moment of inventive carnage and dark humor (with the LA commuters packing some serious heat), as is a cat-and-mouse pursuit through an old slaughter house that sees an attempt to apprehend the Predator go quite badly, and the final reveal on-board the creature's hidden shuttle...





All in all, Predator 2 is just a fun film, with all the dials turned up to 11, and like the original before it, it's bloody, uncouth, quotable (“this is not about money, this is about power”) high-octane and ridiculously macho.