The summer blockbuster season is on! And so far it has seen the surprisingly good continuation of one franchise, the meteoric rise of another, and a spectacular fall from grace of a movie icon.
If you enjoyed “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe,” book one of the Narnia Chronicles, you’ll want to check out the second entry in the series, “Prince Caspian.” There’s not a lot of real characterization in either flick, but the heroes are likeable enough that you root for them to succeed, and the effects and scenery are both beautiful to see. Caspian is the darker of the two, dealing with the trials of growing into adulthood, family betrayal, and death. It’s a long one, and probably not for the kiddies, but for fans of fantasy/adventure films, it’s well worth the time.
Then there’s the movie based on a comic book about a man who saves the world wearing a suit made of iron. Oh, and it stars Robert Downey, Jr. When I first heard about “Iron Man” I laughed my ass off, and not in that good way- it sounded like a terrible concept, and the trailer looked boring and stupid. Then it showed up on Rotten Tomatoes at 94%...holy shit! But I’m happy to say that Mr. Downey, Jr. is in fine form, and this is the most fun I’ve had at the movies in quite a while. It has an interesting story, great performances, amazing effects, and it moves along at the speed of…well, Iron Man himself.
Last, and certainly least, is the long-awaited (?) Indiana Jones sequel, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” This just sounded like a bad idea from the beginning, and had too much going against it even before it got started; it’s been 19 years since the last Indy flick, which means a 19-years older Harrison Ford. Spielberg hasn’t had a great track record as of late. And George Lucas is…well, still George Lucas, unfortunately. Crystal Skull is deadly dull.
Where this movie should be light, fun and fast, it’s dull, uninvolving and slow. I found it a bit jarring to see a Raiders flick set in the mid-50’s, complete with Elvis music. A major character from the original film is back, and the characterization is so wrong that it no longer feels like the character we once knew and loved. The riddles and clues that lead us to the final outcome are lame and poorly thought out. At least one character is completely unnecessary (if I hear “Jonesy…” one more fuckin’ time…), and Cate Blanchett? She looks great and does the accent really well, but all I kept thinking was, “Wow, Cate Blanchett looks great and does the accent really well.” Even the John Williams score sounds like a tired rehash of the classic original. Where, oh where, is John Rhys Davies’ Sallah when you need him??
The biggest disappointment for me, though, is the turn from the occult interests of the original films to something that is…well, not to give anything away here…completely alien to an Indiana Jones tale. It was obvious from the very beginning, and not very original at that. A HUGE misstep, in my opnion.
Kudos all around, though, to Shia LaBeouf, for giving us a character that at least provides some energy and fun; to the photo of Henry, Sr. (Sean Connery) on Indy’s desk, for reminding us what a good Raiders movie really looks like; and for the production designers who at least managed to make this film look like the originals in tone and style. It looked great…and that’s the only thing it has in common with its predecessors.
To quote Indiana Jones himself, “It ain’t the years, honey, it’s the mileage.” Here’s hoping that Indy and company can finally retire, and fade away gracefully into the sunset.
If you enjoyed “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe,” book one of the Narnia Chronicles, you’ll want to check out the second entry in the series, “Prince Caspian.” There’s not a lot of real characterization in either flick, but the heroes are likeable enough that you root for them to succeed, and the effects and scenery are both beautiful to see. Caspian is the darker of the two, dealing with the trials of growing into adulthood, family betrayal, and death. It’s a long one, and probably not for the kiddies, but for fans of fantasy/adventure films, it’s well worth the time.
Then there’s the movie based on a comic book about a man who saves the world wearing a suit made of iron. Oh, and it stars Robert Downey, Jr. When I first heard about “Iron Man” I laughed my ass off, and not in that good way- it sounded like a terrible concept, and the trailer looked boring and stupid. Then it showed up on Rotten Tomatoes at 94%...holy shit! But I’m happy to say that Mr. Downey, Jr. is in fine form, and this is the most fun I’ve had at the movies in quite a while. It has an interesting story, great performances, amazing effects, and it moves along at the speed of…well, Iron Man himself.
Last, and certainly least, is the long-awaited (?) Indiana Jones sequel, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” This just sounded like a bad idea from the beginning, and had too much going against it even before it got started; it’s been 19 years since the last Indy flick, which means a 19-years older Harrison Ford. Spielberg hasn’t had a great track record as of late. And George Lucas is…well, still George Lucas, unfortunately. Crystal Skull is deadly dull.
Where this movie should be light, fun and fast, it’s dull, uninvolving and slow. I found it a bit jarring to see a Raiders flick set in the mid-50’s, complete with Elvis music. A major character from the original film is back, and the characterization is so wrong that it no longer feels like the character we once knew and loved. The riddles and clues that lead us to the final outcome are lame and poorly thought out. At least one character is completely unnecessary (if I hear “Jonesy…” one more fuckin’ time…), and Cate Blanchett? She looks great and does the accent really well, but all I kept thinking was, “Wow, Cate Blanchett looks great and does the accent really well.” Even the John Williams score sounds like a tired rehash of the classic original. Where, oh where, is John Rhys Davies’ Sallah when you need him??
The biggest disappointment for me, though, is the turn from the occult interests of the original films to something that is…well, not to give anything away here…completely alien to an Indiana Jones tale. It was obvious from the very beginning, and not very original at that. A HUGE misstep, in my opnion.
Kudos all around, though, to Shia LaBeouf, for giving us a character that at least provides some energy and fun; to the photo of Henry, Sr. (Sean Connery) on Indy’s desk, for reminding us what a good Raiders movie really looks like; and for the production designers who at least managed to make this film look like the originals in tone and style. It looked great…and that’s the only thing it has in common with its predecessors.
To quote Indiana Jones himself, “It ain’t the years, honey, it’s the mileage.” Here’s hoping that Indy and company can finally retire, and fade away gracefully into the sunset.
