A Dinosaur, Cartel Assassin, and Superhero walk into a bar - Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, The Incredibles 2 Review
It had been a busy week of movies for me - three in a week, namely Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, and The Incredibles 2. So let's try cram them all into one blog post. Enjoy!
Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom
First on the list was the latest Jurassic Park film, classily subtitled Fallen Kingdom. Full disclosure, I really wasn't much of a fan of Jurassic World. I found the characters dull, Chris Pratt is well a prat, the major hook for the film (a fully functioned park overrun by dinos) is completely underused and plays such a minor role, and the fear factor present in the original was all but absent for the majority.
In preparation for seeing Fallen Kingdom, I rewatched Jurassic World and I admit my initial criticisms on first viewing were a bit much but I still left it thinking it lacked bite. Thankfully, Fallen Kingdom brings back some of that horror that I felt was missing. The film opens with a brilliantly shot, rain slicked, horror tinged opening, echoing the first film and particularly Dennis Nedry's ill-fated escape from the park. The director of the film, J.A Boyena (director of the fantastic The Orphanage) brings a stylish look to the film and underpins a lot of the scenes with a sense of dread (it isn't anything too hardcore but it is certainly more in line with the family friendly terror of the original).
The plot also nicely uses a moral dilemma as a backdrop to proceedings: after the fall of the Jurassic World park, the volcano on the island has become active and without intervention all the dinosaurs on the island will die, effectively becoming extinct again. Do the creators of the park, or even just humanity in general, have a duty of care like we do with other endangered species to save them? Whilst this is merely window dressing for the over the top action and horror to follow it serves its purpose to bring back Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard to the island for a rescue mission. Chris Pratt does his regular Pratt macho antics whereas Bryce Dallas Howard has had the hard edges smoothed off her character from the first film and gained some humanity. Whilst her character arc of the film is subtle it is certainly more present than Pratt's who just hums along as "action jock" for the whole picture.
The film also plays a neat trick in providing a game of two very different halves, moving from epic disaster film in the first, through to gothic horror of the second. The switch in genres does result in a lull in the middle as the plot has to creak and groan changing gears but the change is well worth it. I enjoyed both halves with the first boasting a few fantastic big screen treats and the second playing the Jurassic Park tropes in an unusual environment. Boyena again brings his horror experience with some creeping camera angles and zooms elevating the new cruel dinos as they stalk their prey.
If there is any real negatives about the film it is that the supporting characters don't really elevate themselves beyond archetypes. I know this is very much within the summer blockbuster model but looking back at the original film, character's like Nedry and in particular Jeff Goldblum's whacked out chaos theorist Ian Malcolm Jurassic Park didn't suffer for lack of interesting side characters. Also, whilst the film ends with a strong moral quandary putting the series into an interesting place but one that isn't quite as disastrous as the film seems to be making it out to be.
Sicario: Day of Soldado
Now any of my Facebook pals would already know that this review isn't going to be the most accurate appraisal of the film's merits due to the fact that the screening was ruined by a mob of yobs providing their own commentary throughout the film. And weirdly enough, when I saw the original Sicario it was ruined by people on the back row snoring throughout. But with that disclaimer out of the way (lots of disclaimers today) I'll do my best to be objective.
Sicario was a real surprise great film for me. The original is by Denis Villeneuve (hasn't put a foot wrong with Prisoners, Arrival, and Blade Runner: 2049, shame he turned down the next Bond) was a fantastically murky thriller with a fair bit on its mind when it wasn't clenching its hand around your throat until you were delirious with tension and confusion before a gut punch of an ending.
For better or worse, Sicario: Day of the Soldado doesn't try to match the twisty turny deliberately murky story of the first one. Instead it provides a more straight forward story, with a few predictable turns, but it keeps the context morally grey and the tension wound tight.
Emily Blunt is out for the sequel and instead Josh Brolin's flip flop wearing utilitarian agent is back, with his dark avenger Benicio Del Toro taking centre stage. The film opens with what now feels like, in a post-Trump world, as a too close to home scene of Mexican refugees crossing the American border. The following scene portrays an all too common place terror that we see on our screen at distressingly regular intervals, which managed to elicit a gasp from this jaded writer's mouth. This opening gives Brolin's higher uppers carte blanche to treat the Mexican drug cartels as a terrorist organisation. This allows Brolin to effectively let Del Toro off the leash in Mexico to cause a war between the various cartels, with the aim being for them to destabilise themselves without the US intervening in an official capacity.
Like the original, tension is kept wound tight through brutally quick shootouts, and highway pursuits, but unfortunately you always have to compare this back to the original, of which no set piece matches the intensity of the best parts of that film. Furthermore, towards the end, the plot twists in predictable, although not unsatisfying, ways, which was something that was entirely absent from the original, who's twists, whilst you knew were coming, had no idea of what they were until they hit..
Brolin and Del Toro are on top form as always, with Del Toro in particular embodying his grim reaper of a character, with a dead eyed stare. Unfortunately, Emily Blunt's presence is sorely missed, as without her, the world lacks an anchor of good moral quality for the viewer to follow and truly empathise with, and instead we are left adrift in a world of bad people and worse people.
Notwithstanding these shortcomings, this is still a thriller that is a cut above the usual fare, and if we get a final chapter to make this a trilogy, it will be a trilogy up there with cinema's best.
The Incredibles 2
And finally. When the original Incredibles came out, it passed me by. I think I was in an awkward teenage phase of thinking it was just a "kids" film. I was wrong and when I finally got round to seeing I saw a subversive take on the superhero (and at times, Bond) genre with fantastic animation and action scenes, scene stealing supporting characters (Syndrome and Edna Mode) and a subtext that keeps adults engaging whilst also providing the whizz bang fun that everyone should enjoy.
When Incredibles 2 was announced, I was sceptical. I've tended to stay away from Pixar's sequelitis, only having seen Toy Story 3 and avoided Monster's University, and getting bored half-way through Finding Dory (sorry). I wasn't sceptical that Pixar couldn't deliver a quality story, I just didn't feel it was necessary and wanted Pixar, a once truly creative company, to continue making one off originals rather than play on the nostalgia of past glories.
So it is with some relief that for the most part Incredible 2 is a worthy sequel. It does not reinvent the wheel or provide any commentary on the tidal wave of superhero films that have come since the original but it hits all the original's beats, and whilst it rarely matches the quality of the original it is still highly entertaining.
Picking off right where the original ended, with the Underminer's attack on the city, the Incredibles opens with a bombastic action scene which climaxes with the central plot of the film being made clear: superheroes are still illegal and are causing more damage than they are worth. Enter two wealthy entrepreneurs with a love of supers (one played by Bob - Saul Goodman - Odenkirk) who have a plan to get the law changed - a PR campaign. However, their pick for a frontman, is not a man, but Elastagirl. Mr Incredible is deemed too destructive and so he is relegated to home duties, trying to manage his teenage daughter, Violet, going through the aches of first love, his young son, Dash, and his maths homework, and baby Jack-Jack (who steals every scene he is in).
What is surprising about the film is the patience and focus spent on developing the family dynamics and providing what is a worthwhile kitchen sink drama about the tensions of parental responsibility and what is expected of a parent.
If anything is to be gleamed for the fidgety, chatty brat next to me who was clearly bored about 40 minutes in I wouldn't say it is 100% successful in Pixar's normal way of keeping kids and adults entertained.
Although, I do sympathise with the brat to some degree as the film did feel long. The big bad's plot is very much a minor element for the majority of the film, really only becoming a primary plot point in the final third. Compounding this is the fact villain does not have the scene-stealing quality of Syndrome but their motivation is interesting, and so for a large portion of the film you are left with quality scenes but scenes with a strong driving force pushing the plot forward.
I do hope this marks an end for Pixar rehashing the greatest hits and making original big hitters again. Although, having said that...Edna Mode is still as brilliant as ever.
Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom
In preparation for seeing Fallen Kingdom, I rewatched Jurassic World and I admit my initial criticisms on first viewing were a bit much but I still left it thinking it lacked bite. Thankfully, Fallen Kingdom brings back some of that horror that I felt was missing. The film opens with a brilliantly shot, rain slicked, horror tinged opening, echoing the first film and particularly Dennis Nedry's ill-fated escape from the park. The director of the film, J.A Boyena (director of the fantastic The Orphanage) brings a stylish look to the film and underpins a lot of the scenes with a sense of dread (it isn't anything too hardcore but it is certainly more in line with the family friendly terror of the original).
The plot also nicely uses a moral dilemma as a backdrop to proceedings: after the fall of the Jurassic World park, the volcano on the island has become active and without intervention all the dinosaurs on the island will die, effectively becoming extinct again. Do the creators of the park, or even just humanity in general, have a duty of care like we do with other endangered species to save them? Whilst this is merely window dressing for the over the top action and horror to follow it serves its purpose to bring back Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard to the island for a rescue mission. Chris Pratt does his regular Pratt macho antics whereas Bryce Dallas Howard has had the hard edges smoothed off her character from the first film and gained some humanity. Whilst her character arc of the film is subtle it is certainly more present than Pratt's who just hums along as "action jock" for the whole picture.
The film also plays a neat trick in providing a game of two very different halves, moving from epic disaster film in the first, through to gothic horror of the second. The switch in genres does result in a lull in the middle as the plot has to creak and groan changing gears but the change is well worth it. I enjoyed both halves with the first boasting a few fantastic big screen treats and the second playing the Jurassic Park tropes in an unusual environment. Boyena again brings his horror experience with some creeping camera angles and zooms elevating the new cruel dinos as they stalk their prey.
Sicario: Day of Soldado
Now any of my Facebook pals would already know that this review isn't going to be the most accurate appraisal of the film's merits due to the fact that the screening was ruined by a mob of yobs providing their own commentary throughout the film. And weirdly enough, when I saw the original Sicario it was ruined by people on the back row snoring throughout. But with that disclaimer out of the way (lots of disclaimers today) I'll do my best to be objective.Sicario was a real surprise great film for me. The original is by Denis Villeneuve (hasn't put a foot wrong with Prisoners, Arrival, and Blade Runner: 2049, shame he turned down the next Bond) was a fantastically murky thriller with a fair bit on its mind when it wasn't clenching its hand around your throat until you were delirious with tension and confusion before a gut punch of an ending.
For better or worse, Sicario: Day of the Soldado doesn't try to match the twisty turny deliberately murky story of the first one. Instead it provides a more straight forward story, with a few predictable turns, but it keeps the context morally grey and the tension wound tight.
Emily Blunt is out for the sequel and instead Josh Brolin's flip flop wearing utilitarian agent is back, with his dark avenger Benicio Del Toro taking centre stage. The film opens with what now feels like, in a post-Trump world, as a too close to home scene of Mexican refugees crossing the American border. The following scene portrays an all too common place terror that we see on our screen at distressingly regular intervals, which managed to elicit a gasp from this jaded writer's mouth. This opening gives Brolin's higher uppers carte blanche to treat the Mexican drug cartels as a terrorist organisation. This allows Brolin to effectively let Del Toro off the leash in Mexico to cause a war between the various cartels, with the aim being for them to destabilise themselves without the US intervening in an official capacity.
Like the original, tension is kept wound tight through brutally quick shootouts, and highway pursuits, but unfortunately you always have to compare this back to the original, of which no set piece matches the intensity of the best parts of that film. Furthermore, towards the end, the plot twists in predictable, although not unsatisfying, ways, which was something that was entirely absent from the original, who's twists, whilst you knew were coming, had no idea of what they were until they hit..
Brolin and Del Toro are on top form as always, with Del Toro in particular embodying his grim reaper of a character, with a dead eyed stare. Unfortunately, Emily Blunt's presence is sorely missed, as without her, the world lacks an anchor of good moral quality for the viewer to follow and truly empathise with, and instead we are left adrift in a world of bad people and worse people.
Notwithstanding these shortcomings, this is still a thriller that is a cut above the usual fare, and if we get a final chapter to make this a trilogy, it will be a trilogy up there with cinema's best.
The Incredibles 2
And finally. When the original Incredibles came out, it passed me by. I think I was in an awkward teenage phase of thinking it was just a "kids" film. I was wrong and when I finally got round to seeing I saw a subversive take on the superhero (and at times, Bond) genre with fantastic animation and action scenes, scene stealing supporting characters (Syndrome and Edna Mode) and a subtext that keeps adults engaging whilst also providing the whizz bang fun that everyone should enjoy.
When Incredibles 2 was announced, I was sceptical. I've tended to stay away from Pixar's sequelitis, only having seen Toy Story 3 and avoided Monster's University, and getting bored half-way through Finding Dory (sorry). I wasn't sceptical that Pixar couldn't deliver a quality story, I just didn't feel it was necessary and wanted Pixar, a once truly creative company, to continue making one off originals rather than play on the nostalgia of past glories.So it is with some relief that for the most part Incredible 2 is a worthy sequel. It does not reinvent the wheel or provide any commentary on the tidal wave of superhero films that have come since the original but it hits all the original's beats, and whilst it rarely matches the quality of the original it is still highly entertaining.
Picking off right where the original ended, with the Underminer's attack on the city, the Incredibles opens with a bombastic action scene which climaxes with the central plot of the film being made clear: superheroes are still illegal and are causing more damage than they are worth. Enter two wealthy entrepreneurs with a love of supers (one played by Bob - Saul Goodman - Odenkirk) who have a plan to get the law changed - a PR campaign. However, their pick for a frontman, is not a man, but Elastagirl. Mr Incredible is deemed too destructive and so he is relegated to home duties, trying to manage his teenage daughter, Violet, going through the aches of first love, his young son, Dash, and his maths homework, and baby Jack-Jack (who steals every scene he is in).
What is surprising about the film is the patience and focus spent on developing the family dynamics and providing what is a worthwhile kitchen sink drama about the tensions of parental responsibility and what is expected of a parent.If anything is to be gleamed for the fidgety, chatty brat next to me who was clearly bored about 40 minutes in I wouldn't say it is 100% successful in Pixar's normal way of keeping kids and adults entertained.
Although, I do sympathise with the brat to some degree as the film did feel long. The big bad's plot is very much a minor element for the majority of the film, really only becoming a primary plot point in the final third. Compounding this is the fact villain does not have the scene-stealing quality of Syndrome but their motivation is interesting, and so for a large portion of the film you are left with quality scenes but scenes with a strong driving force pushing the plot forward.
I do hope this marks an end for Pixar rehashing the greatest hits and making original big hitters again. Although, having said that...Edna Mode is still as brilliant as ever.
Comments
Post a Comment