The Divide (2011)

I wouldn’t usually do full reviews for movies like this, but a friend requested this one and I owe it to her 🙂  As always, this may contain spoilers so don’t read ahead if you haven’t watched it yet.

Well to start off, this film spans 4 different genres:  sci-fi, horror, action and thriller.  It never really succeeds as any of them, but there are enjoyable moments and some take-aways. I’ll talk about the major shortcomings further down, but let’s start with the positives. I think the cast all did a good job. The script itself is very much your average horror movie script, but it was nice to see a serious commitment from everyone in this. It is important to note it because this is the only reason I would give to someone for watching this: watch how each character ‘develops’.  We are in Lord of the Flies territory within the first 5 minutes, but the mix we are given is interesting to see.  Every character descends into madness and insanity, gradually getting more damaged and broken as the movie goes on; except for one.  Eva is the only who goes in the other direction, the only one whose mental capacity either stagnates or increases. This is shown, rather brilliantly, by their physical portrayal on screen. As they sink further and further down, their appearance worsens or they take on bodily damage. Mickey gets his finger cut off, Adrien gets shot, Sam is splattered with blood, Marilyn degrades herself into a promiscuous sad-to-see object. Then we have Bobby and Josh, the opposite spectrum of Eva. Stepping outside the room, having to cut the body, getting Mickey to give up the code, indulging into gang rape, becoming power hungry and declaring themselves the on-site dictators…every reflects how they look, from well dressed with the slick hair cut, to dirty, half-naked and shaved heads.  However, Eva goes through several trials, and always seems to keep it together, if not better afterwards; becoming more vocal, changing clothes and still looking sexy as hell, having the courage to attempt getting the gun, devising a plan and getting Sam to agree to it. She practically drives every interesting part of the movie.  The only other character I felt had an unfair death/role was Melvyn. He’s a sensible, logical, medically-knowledgeable person and he is booted out fairly early, but in retrospective, the madness in which they are about to go through has no place for him. He wouldn’t allow it, so yes, he has to go first.

Unfortunately that’s about it for good things. The movie is entertaining to a certain level, but there are major flaws, the biggest one being the overall plot.  There is one thing missing and it turns out to be crucial:  purpose. If you’re gonna make post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, there has to be purpose. What’s in it for them to survive? Why was the girl taken and what the hell are they doing to her? Who are the people on the other side of the door?  I was rather pissed that by the end, nothing outside made any sense. If the blast took out the whole of NYC, first of all who the hell has that kind of nuclear power and what’s their motivation. Not my business? Okay fine. What about the hazmat suit guys?  They make ZERO contributions to the plot. There is nothing that connects them to the story. Take them out completely and the movie doesn’t change at all. The girl could die/disappear another way, and the door can be locked/blocked another way. So the writing is absolutely piss poor in that aspect. The idea was there, briefly explored and then completely ignored.  So there you go, there is no purpose to what we are watching, but that’s hard to take as a viewer.

The technical stuff such as sound, editing, cinematography are all average and reflect the low budget. I don’t hold things like that against them.  Make-up and costume are notably above average however, because they contribute to the psychological degradation of the characters and their mental states so having their make-up and costume reflect that, was pleasing. The supposed romance involved is non-sense, forced and not even worthy of more than a line.  The conclusion is a very lazy. I understand Eva’s motivations, being the strongest one mentally, the so-called ‘fittest’, she does survive, but then again, to what end?

What would you do?  How would you fare in that situation? What choices would you make? How evil would you get, or how much could you lead?  If you enjoy exploring these questions pertaining to the human condition, then a one-time viewing of this movie should not bother you. Any more than that is unnecessary, as the genre has plenty of other and better options.

 

6/10

Michalex Jackson.

Knives Out (2019)

Alright, waited quite a while to be able to finally watch it, but it was worth the wait. I absolutely LOVED it. A winner on all fronts. Honestly, there are very very few things that can be counted as bad points here. The whole thing is very reminiscent of Murder on the Orient Express, so if you enjoyed that, you will definitely enjoy this as well.

To me, Knives Out is a thriller, filmed, scored and told as a drama. So the tone of the movie can feel quite heavy for some, but nonetheless, it is superbly engaging. I was hooked from the very first scene and was kept on edge till the very last second. Contrary to other murder mysteries or mysteries in general, this one hides nothing (or so you think) and unravels the murder very quickly. But the story is so well written that it still manages to keep you in suspense and surprise you. Hats off to the director and especially to the editing team. The pacing of the film is flaw-less! The cuts were well-timed and the use of close-ups is an irresistible invitation into this crazy story. I loved the roller-coaster feeling it brought depending on which crucial piece of info was coming to light as we watch every character deal with 1) the death itself, 2) the implications it would bring for each of them, 3) the expression of their true nature as they are progressively exposed and 4) the outsider that holds pretty much every piece of the puzzle. It is a joy to watch and magnificently entertaining.

Besides that , the movie has 2 very big things going for itself: the script and the cast.  I prize good scripts and this one has a fantastic one. Every character is so different and you can see that the death of the one thing that links them all, brings about a thunderstorm of ugliness, greed and selfishness. Naturally, you need proper actors to delivers those lines and I am so happy, SO happy, that we have an all-star cast here. I think it was crucial to have this because it really does feel like a team effort to bring the complexity of the situation to life and allow the audience to feel that complexity.  With that being said, the one choice with which I am not 100% on board is Daniel Craig. Now don’t get me wrong, he did a wonderful job. But it seemed a bit forced but also a bit unnatural. I think we didn’t need the accent or the backstory, and at the same time, there a few other names that could have done just as good a job.  But really, it is an insignificant and biased opinion and it does not drag the movie down in any way.  It was also quite nice to see Chris Evans take on a bad guy role. I’m so used to seeing him as Captain America but this was refreshing and actually a very good opportunity for him to break the typecast image. As for the others, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon…well these are seasoned actors and their on-screen presence is just irreproachable. Then comes the main protagonists, Christopher Plummer as the Harlan and Ana de Armas as Marta, his caregiver, friend and nurse. Wow…What a pleasure seeing this combo. Plummer is absolutely radiant. He is as good a Harlan, as Bryan Cranston was a Heisenberg. Yes, that’s a mighty reference but he deserves it; and Ana portrayed such a range in this film I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets several more offers in the future.  Marta’s guilt in the matter, juxtaposed with her kind and caring nature was so wonderful to witness. It raises so many moral questions and when the truth comes out, it is impossible not to feel for her.

What more can I say?  The few twists we get along the way are unexpected, well crafted and immensely satisfying. The lack of loose ends at the end has got to please the majority and in the end, it’s safe to say everyone got what they deserved, including Marta. The ending shot by the way, is brilliant, another directorial win.

So if you want to hold the tone and pace of the movie against it, sure, but I won’t. To me, it’s more of a personal preference than an actual talking point. It would be like saying a scary movie was bad, because it was too scary.  It’s very unfortunate that the competition was mad this year at the Oscars, because this could easily have been a contender and winner in multiple categories. Either way, amazing brilliant superb film.

9/10. Case closed.

Michalex Jackson

Ford vs Ferrari (2019)

It’s been the longest while. I’d really forgotten about this blog but thanks to a real bright someone whom unbeknownst to me was an avid reader of these posts, I’m back at it; and happily so. You know who you are, you should probably be doing work :), but anyway, Thank you!

Now, Oh my what a movie to come back to.  Massive spoilers in this so don’t read if you haven’t seen it yet.

This was absolutely phenomenal! Just pure movie magic, but shining brightest, ever so brightest, was Christian Bale. I’ll get to him further down but let’s remember that for action/thriller movie like this one, you need a strong screenplay, proper actors to deliver them, good direction of course but also, and what I think was significantly above the rest here, was the editing and sound mixing.

Clocking in at 2 hours 30 mins or so, while some parts can feel a bit slow, I think it was rationed to perfection. The build-up was engaging, leaving enough time for a bit of character development, time for the audience to understand the issue, even time for the audience to understand why they will be (inevitably) rooting for Bale- Ken Miles and the American team. Yeah, whole thing stinks of American pride, but you know what, it happened and it is a story that must be told; might as well celebrate the achievement.  The climax was incredibly well paced and after waiting what did feel like a long time to get there, we really are treated to a high quality, high octane, exciting (fast-and-furious-wish-they-were-still-making-movies-like-this) action. The final race is just sublime is all aspects, maybe it be the set design, the camera work, the score, the close-ups (cant remember the last movie that had such amazing use of close-ups), and the story covers everything with harsh reality keeping us all focused on what’s at stake, and how cruel the world is.

Quick moment to talk about directing here. I’ve seen his other movies but I think this will be James Mangold’s milestone achievement. I do hope the film gets the praises and awards it deserves because it is pure art. The story is told very simply and the events unfold as you would expect them to. Lately, I have been getting quite emotional over 2 things: incredible acting and incredible directing. And there are a few moments in this film where the angle of the shot or the mise-en-scène is so good and so gorgeous that it moved me to tears. Hats off to him there, amazing job.

The sound effects, sound mixing and editing team are also to be praised. I felt connected, at all times, to what was happening on screen and it just embellished the picture. It truly did. Watching a racing/racecar movie can easily become repetitive and predictable. Thankfully, the events of the film are nothing but. The engine sounds, the wheels, the speed that we can only fathom, they all contribute to such a beautiful harmony and we have that incredible team to thank for that.

Okay. Now. Bale.

Magnificent, spectacular, larger-than-life Bale.

Christian Bale gives the performance. of. his. ca. reer.   I haven’t seen a character depiction that majestic since Will Smith as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness.   I didn’t know the real Ken Miles but I’m sure he’d be honoured. Bale, as is now a staple of his talent, completely morphs into his role. He becomes Ken Miles in such a pure way that it just places him beyond our comprehension of his talent and skill as an actor. The man radiates life, energy and personality in every single scene and it is a complete priviledge to sit back and watch it all. Beyond his flawless accent, his perfect delivery and his emotional range, he is the sole reason the climax, the close-ups, the races, the in-car shots and pretty much everything else in the movie are what they are. Incredible acting. The rest of the cast is solid. Matt Damon is consistent and a great choice as well. But every one else simply cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Bale. I mean I could write a whole paragraph just on him. Oh wait, I just did. 😛

As for the screenplay, I think it shows us enough elements and enough perspective so avoid losing ourselves in the story.  It tells a story of a challenge and the people who were there to overcome it. Most of all, it builds up an intensity which cannot be ignored. And as someone who knew nothing about the events or the people presented here, it hit me really, really hard. Among the many disappointments, and cruelties Miles faced, losing out on the La Mans title because of a totally infuriating technicality, on the back of one of the most hate-worthy and disgusting people I’ve ever seen on screen, was heartbreaking. Really heart-breaking. It was such a slap, such a stab, such a snap back into a cruel and repulsive reality.  The powerlessness in that moment was just as heavy and ever so hurtful. Wow, I couldn’t believe how much I cared and how unjust I felt it was.  And it didn’t end yhere… what happened next totally broke me.  Nothing else to add.

As far as racing movies go, Ron Howard’s Rush was excellent, but this, this is a perfect lap.

10/10

Michalex Jackson.

A Star Is Born (2018)

Okay. This one ain’t gonna please everyone.

Here’s the end result, I don’t think I liked it very much. I liked many things about it, but if I have to resolve myself, I don’t think I can say I liked it.

Let’s begin with pros. Bradley at the camera was good. Many scenes were vivid thanks to the close-ups and the use of light. I could have done without the shakiness but let’s overlook that. The acting was great; not in oscar territory but very solid. Lady Gaga’s singing ability was simply breathtaking. Wow. How I wish I could sing half as good as her. I would commend both actors for their on-screen chemistry and presence. It was definitely enjoyable seeing them interact with each other. I think it ends there for me.

So many things that were on track for something great, fell so short. The plot. We are treated to a nice pace, and a proper look into how “a star is born.”  It was a pleasure to watch till there. And then, it stagnates, zigzags, flips and just never really lands. I had no idea where they were going with any of it. I was interested to see how Ally fares in stardom and everything that comes with it, how it changes (or doesn’t change) her, how she becomes something grand or not. Yeah no, none of that. Instead, we get a excessive load of how much of a drunk Jackson is, how destructive he becomes and how it affects both Ally and him. The movie turns into a story of one man’s journey through alcohol addiction until the circumstances and the ruthlessness of show business (and the people therein) lead him to his demise.  Not what I signed up for.

I actually got quite upset at how it all went down. Really? We can’t have this movie titled “A star is born”  be about the actual star? It focuses more on her drunk husband, the man in the picture, rather than on her itself. Which leads me to the next point: character development. So the movie goes to good, important and truthful lengths to show us how much of a gifted singer/songwriter Ally is; and then, a considerable amount of b.s. takes place. I mean, Jackson tells her “If you don’t dig deep into your soul, you won’t have legs.” and I thought it was a movie-defining line. Far from it. It is ignored, pushed aside, disregarded, made irrelevant. Ally turns into the most mainstream and commonplace artist singing meaningless songs. “Why did you do that”  Wow. Just wow.  We went from Shallow, to that piece of garbage. Blame it on the manager all you want, Ally was clearly a strong woman with character, she allowed herself to become that. So for me, this whole film falls apart as soon as the star is actually born.

I really couldn’t care less about Jackson and his addiction. That’s how flimsy his character was. One moment he’s not drinking and he can control it, the next he can’t control his bladder. Come on. I also felt a significant bit of surrealism with the sequence of events taking place. But you know what, that too, could have been overlooked had the story not taken such a wrongful turn.

So I’m sorry. It had great potential but the writing needed to bring a full circle of the WOMAN protagonist, not the damn supporting MAN sidekick. Yeah maybe that’s what pissed me off most. Anyway, a star was born, but not a great movie.

6.5/10
Michalex Jackson

 

Deepwater Horizon (2016)

This movie was such a pleasant experience that I wanted to write a critique.

From the first few minutes, there was an ease and smooth flow to the movie that made it superbly easy to watch. It was incredibly beautifully shot. If you forget the story, the characters and the setting itself, the movie provides a great viewing experience regardless. I would give the credit to director Peter Berg.

Side note here, I’ve known about him since “Lone Survivor.” After watching that, I went and saw “The Rundown”. With Deepwater Horizon now, I can definitely say he’s on my list of favourite/most respected directors.

The man does a great job there of not getting tangled in the politics, the backstory, the aftermath or extravaganza. This is a movie about what happened in 2010 and a little bit of how and why. It is well written which added to how easy it was to follow, even to someone who had no previous idea of the oil spill disaster. We dive into core of those fateful hours pretty quickly and then unfolds an amazingly realistic reconstruction of what went down on the Deepwater Horizon. The picture quality was so vivid that I am still questioning whether it was CGI’ed or a built-up set. True to his talent, Peter Berg makes you feel the danger, the reactions and the imminent sense of trouble as if you were there. It’s thus no issue to relate to the characters.

Mark Walhberg is very solid as Mike Williams. Kurt Russell and everybody else as well form a very adequate cast to carry this tragic story. There isn’t much character development because it isn’t needed. Their actions are truly representative of the people they are and the movie does a great job, a very respectful job of honoring them, especially those who lost their lives. By the end of it, it’s impossible not to feel for those families, as well as for the survivors who went through this tragedy.

When it comes to the action, it is top-notch. Not because it is epic or sensational or over-the-top. This isn’t Michael Bay. It’s top-notch because it is done right. It’s grandiose but it shows you what you need to see to truly understand the scope of what’s happening. The sound mixing was completely on point and added a poignant angle on the experience. I can only imagine how great this must be in IMAX. Peter Berg has a unique eye and a unique way of showing you what he wants you to see and so far, I have zero complaints.

Very entertaining. Emotionally heavy at some points and morally loaded as well, this movie is a must-see. For anyone who cares about what happened, for anyone who enjoys good story-telling, for anyone who appreciates proper cinema. Can’t wait for Berg’s next film.

8.5/10

Michalex Jackson.

 

Batman V Superman (2016)

Hello.

I’ve been neglecting this blog due to work constraints and the fact that I dedicated my time to another website. But it’s been 40 days without a movie, and I chose Batman V Superman was my first trip to a cinema in 7 weeks so I thought I’d write. I also really like to weigh in on movies like these where the hype is both positive and negative. Oh, I recently found out that my students (6B) are also reading these reviews so if any of you are on this blog right now, get off and go do your homework!

Now to it.

I am so happy to say I was right! From the very beginning, which was the announcement of Ben Affleck as Batman, I was never sold on the idea. From then on, with first stills to teasers, then trailers, people started getting really excited for it, placing their faith in visionary director Zack Snyder. I never moved from my position, I never got excited and I expected a slightly above average movie, which it is. Affleck isn’t a disappointment and whatever shortcomings he has in this film isn’t his fault, I’ll explain why later. At 2 and a half hours, it feels a bit long. I’ve watched longer movies which felt shorter because they were better written and had much better plots. This one tries to do too much, starting which Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot is definitely not irreplaceable or the best choice for the role but she was fine. However, I disagree with the whole idea of having Wonder Woman in this movie at all. She has about 5 short scenes in the entire picture, before the final battle where she makes a meaningful contribution. Now that’s just disrespectful and bargaining for more than you can pay. I found her presence distracting and irrelevant of the outcome of the movie. She either should have had a bigger role, or none at all (with none at all being the better choice.)

This movie has some big names attached to it but for me, Jesse Eisenberg stands out. As much as I wanted Bryan Cranston to be Lex, Jesse is just as awesome. He brings life to many moments that left the film empty and flat. He too, should have been given more development and screen time to be the villain he deserved to be. But for what he got, it was great and it satisfied the need for danger. Unfortunately, his character falls victim to unoriginal writing. I wasn’t a fan of him pitting Superman against Batman with the premise that if he failed, a bomb would blow up his mother. It was reminiscing of the two ships asked to bomb each other by the joker in The Dark Knight. In a film of that scale, they should do much better. But maybe that’s what the comics say and if so, well it’s still not good enough. Of course, I’m critiquing the movie here, regardless of what the story is in the comics. Another thing is the rating. Keeping it at PG-13 was a mistake I believe. We could all have been given better entertainment if the studio or director had been given the extended freedom and lenience that come with an R rating. Oh well, I guess having the younger audience was important.

Henry Cavill, formidable as Superman just as in Man of Steel. He is the best to ever play the role on screen and why they would bother with killing him off and having 15 minutes of movie mourning and sadness at the end when everybody knows he’s gonna end up returning at some point is beyond me. That’s just wasting my time. Of course he’s not dead, you’re a fool if you ever believed otherwise. The film is about him. It is a sequel to Man of Steel, and at the same time an origin story for the justice league. (Hence the title :D)

Batman. Like I said, he didn’t disappoint but he wasn’t better (by far) than Nolan and Bale’s Batman. Affleck portrayed a robust, sometimes dark and at times confused Batman. His arc in the movie is just not good enough, his lines don’t match the epicness of the character they tried to portray and I blame it all on subpar screenwriting. I can get onboard with the new modern techie Alfred, but what’s with lack of purpose? Batman was there just to provide a rival for Superman? Certainly seems that way. His beef with Superman the entire movie is, to me, totally unjustified and feels more like an overreaction of someone who had the needs to act on something of which he didn’t approve. Superman has the potential to destroy humanity if he wanted to, yes. So, let’s not take the chance and kill him?  He never did anything to remotely incline anyone to think he would turn one day on humanity. This is so stupid and even more so when you realize that whatever he felt against him dissipates when he finds out their mothers share the same name. If something that trivial turns blood-lust into instantaneous partnership and understanding, then the first 2 hours were clearly built on something weak and under-thought.

On the whole, it was entertainment. I enjoyed it and thought it was beautifully shot. Not surprising coming from Snyder. The angles were well taken and it was great to see it in 3D. Now the action sequences felt a bit lifeless to me, but there were risks taken and the resulting shots were quite pleasing to the eye. For that much, I can applaud the team. Shout out to Hans Zimmer and his co-scorer, because this movie has the sensitive score it needs.

Batman V Superman sets it up nicely for the Justice League but that’s about it. It’s definitely not the grandiose match-up everybody thought it would be. On the other hand, I expect Suicide Squad to be a magnificent addition to the DC cinematic universe. (You read it here first.) That one, is the DC movie you’re not gonna wanna miss.

7.5 / 10

Michalex Jackson

Ant-Man (2015)

Well I loved it, let’s get that straight.
It doesn’t have the appeal of an Avengers or Iron Man movie, definitely not as popular as other Marvel characters and surely didn’t have too much of an epicness factor, but it most certainly succeeds as a superhero movie.

I must say I am gutted not to have been able to watch it in 3D as I’m sure it would amplified what was already very well-crafted action sequences. There weren’t much of them but they were placed appropriately and culminated towards the final portion of the film. The robbery sequence itself establishes Scott Lang as a very skilled person, which will later justify his ability to become the Ant-Man.

Hats off to the special effects team. Not the best CGI, but definitely the best use of it. They actually made ants looks very damn cool. The screenplay helped as well with Scott having to work with different types of ants for his mission to be successful. The slow-mo shrinking was beautifully done and the transitions from “ant-view” to “normal size-view” were all seamless and simple to follow.

What is probable this film’s biggest strength is its story. It’s engaging from beginning to end. Thanks to a great cast, (although I could have seen someone like Jennifer Garner to play Hope), you immersed yourself in the story and understand the danger threatening them. Michael Douglas was absolutely phenomenal in his role and completely takes over the screen. You feel his worries about the formula falling into the wrong hands, his pain about his broken family and his resolve to stop Cross. As for Paul Rudd, I’m very happy he’s the one they chose. He is relatable, likable and you find yourself rooting for him. (Especially compared to the obligatory douche bag his daughter has as step-father.) May it be the Ant-Man training, the science behind the suit, the plan to retrieve the yellow jacket or the fight against Cross, they all make for one very entertaining piece of cinema.

I must mention the genius behind the comedic twist the film takes on. I am not familiar with the comics and don’t know if Scott is supposed to be that witty or if the entire series has this gentle humour to it but it definitely works in the movie. Not just for comic reflief but for pure enjoyment. Whether it’s Scott’s crew, the relationship between the characters, the Ant-Man/Falcon fight, they all made the movie lighter and more fun to watch. While we’re at it, the references to the MCU were tasteful and well integrated.

In the end, it’s a superhero movie about a guy who shrinks and fights with an army of ants. For it to become this great piece of entertainment, Peyton Reed surely did his job right. Ant-Man accomplishes everything it sets out to do and has the right mix of all the right components.
Marvel, you’ve done it again.

9/10

Michalex Jackson.

Furious 7 (2015)

 Long time since I last critiqued anything. This definitely needed one, after all the hype, the buzz and unfortunately, the disappointment.

Well how good or how bad was it? I would say it’s neither of either extreme but a rather above average middle ground. Paul Walker’s passing did create much hindrance to completing the film the way it was meant to, but besides the ending, James Wan had shot enough material for most of the original story.  Now, since Saw, my respect for James Wan is absolute and after the ending scene in Fast and Furious 6, I was hyper-excited to see this. However, I’ve got to say there is no element of genius here that was present in Saw.

I enjoyed the action sequences, because let’s not forget that this is what every viewer wants to see: the stunts, the action and the epicness. But ultimately, I only enjoyed them as what they were and as isolated scenes, not part of a grand picture. There wasn’t much effort to link them and the plot holes they left behind were enormous. How do they transition from the Abu Dhabi Towers to a peaceful lake, especially after the chaos they created by robbing a billionaire? How in the world does Vin Diesel or Dom get out unscratched from a series of crashes on what looked like a very unforgiving mountain side?  I’m all for action, even for brainless action, but this franchise has distinguished itself from the fine line that produced scenes which left people accepting and awed, rather than those which has everyone questioning its probability or plain denying its capability. Unfortunately, Furious 7 delivers more of the latter than the former this time.

As for the actors, they’re all established into their roles. We know what to expect and that was probably the problem. Action movies do not usually indulge into character development too much, and after 6 sequels, all development has been exhausted. The effort was there to give the movie some life by including what to me was below par sub-plots such as the struggle of Walker’s character into domestic life or the relationship between Letty and Dom affected by her memory loss. Honestly, they had potential but the script wasn’t written well enough to make me care and 5 mins spent talking about how switching from a life of high-thrill rides to fatherhood is not enough. Either commit to it or don’t include it, because it (poorly) distracted the viewers from the real plot: Deckard Shaw.

Jason Statham was probably the only good consistent thing in this film. His evil persona is felt and his ghost-like abilities to show up at specific times is well planted into each scene. He was a good vilain, capable of doing real damage. However, he did NOT do any damage. Yes, he destroyed a house, a few cars and injured Hobbs (whose absence is missed and cannot be un-missed by a gatling gun scene), but Dom’s crew is intact if you consider killing Han as part of FF6. I believe a 1 vs All plot (like FF6) would have been much more entertaining than taking a detour with the God’s Eye project. Statham’s defeat is also poorly done. The fight with Diesel is alright, but feels repetitive and longer than it should, and the missile hitting the parking lot and cracking around Shaw’s feet with Dom finishing him by a foot stomp accompanied by one of the stupidest punchlines ever is total rubbish. Statham’s character (and the film) deserved more.

So in general, the action sequences if unquestioned and taken in isolation do contribute to the entertainment. The performances do not engage the audience and the wild line-up of additions such as Tony Jaa, Djimon Hounsou and Kurt Russell fail to make any noticeable impact. Ultimately, that’s where Furious 7 fails: it’s forgettable. Fast Five left me amazed and happy for the crew for having pulled off a beautiful and creative heist, FF6 left me satisfied of the outcome of the hunt for Shaw but Furious 7 leaves nothing of the sort besides an absolutely beautiful tribute to Paul Walker and a touching monologue from Diesel.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t save the film from a slightly above average feeling.

A fitting 7/10 for Furious 7.

Michalex Jackson.

Trancendence (2014)

It’s been a long while. Good to be writing again. I had a great time watching this and
since it did not make any sort of noticeable impact at the box office, I thought I’d help set the record straight and give it my stamp of approval.

Trancendence is a very well done film, with the right mix of intrigue, drama and fiction.
The plot carefully evolves into what you’re led to believe as a modern-day catastrophe.  Will Caster, played excellently by Johnny Depp, is the leading expert on the decades-old fantasy of transferring your neural patterns and connections into a computer so that you can live on as a machine. The movie takes it even further by transferring consciousness itself and thus taking A.I to a whole new level.

A.I blended from the human mind adds the terrifying factor that it has the emotion, creativity and adaptability at which humans excel. Transcendence explores this idea with a lot of realism by having Dr. Caster, now part of the WWW, being able to push through years of innovation by simply having the machines at his control execute his ideas.  Although it served as part of the story, I couldn’t help but notice that one of the very first thing he does is give a big boost to his wife’s bank account. Certainly a dream for all of us, it reminds the audience that this A.I is very human and understands that when running away from authorities and when trying to hide, having no financial limitations is a must.

I very much appreciated the tone and atmosphere created in the film. As an audience, you can fully immerse yourself and still feel like you belong. The level of science is extremely high, but the filmmaker does not leave you as an outsider and certainly does not take you for granted. You are not simply told the story, you are seeing it as it happens. For example, you get a comprehensible look at Evelyn Caster and Max Waters’ efforts to transfer Will’s consciousness into a computer.  The process is beyond my comprehension, but the pace and dialogue involved allows me to believe it is possible, as opposed to me being told that Will is now in a computer and that it is fact I should accept as part of the movie.

Will certainly masters his new “self” quickly and learns to fully exploit what he can do. From the first few moments, we see that he is “rewriting his own codes” to be better able to talk to Evelyn and Max. His image on various screens are a progression of his control over the system. At first, it reflects his sickly and electrode-infested skull, but gradually we see him with hair back, then with clothes and glasses, and finally back to a well-dressed and healthy looking Will. However, it doesn’t stop here. As his power grows, he is now able to project his consciousness on other humans and ultimately, he is able to recreate himself, both physically and mentally, thus achieving the God-like capacities that were hinted at the beginning of the film.

His innovations are developped in parallel and definitely would make anyone dream of the possibilities of nanotechnology. From creating forests in the blink of an eye, to curing blindness or any other disease for that matter, it sure tells us that our brain power when given the ultimate freedom to think and imagine, is capable of many wonders.  Nonetheless, we are given constant reminders that Will is no simple A.I. His human edge is feared by all of his surroundings to the point of making it a national security matter. As Max says himself, “humans fear what they don’t understand.” When this is in the context of A.I and at the scale this plays on, the human capacity for evil is reason enough to justify everyone’s worries. What we only are given to realize at the end however, is that Will was always Will. His love for Evelyn and his desire to make her happy was the only thing behind what he did. He was not a corrupted mind nor a power hungry maniac. He understood that bigger things were achievable by bigger facilities and a steady power source.  We can almost dare to say that he was the perfect A.I.

Transcendence is, by far, one of the best A.I movies to come out in recent years. The performances were all strong and the plot was an entertaining ride into a futuristic world where neural signals and connections are now malleable. Nanotechnology is scary, but it’s also full of possibilities. Transcendence tells us that we should stop looking at the evil in everything, and maybe start accepting that humans are capable of sanity, even in the most insane of situations.

9/10

Michalex Jackson.

Elysium (2013)

Neill Blomkamp‘s second movie. Neill Blomkamp’s second success.  I don’t wish to compare Elysium to District 9 but  in some instances, I will refer to it. Now, both weren’t big performers at the box office. Both didn’t create the biggest hype, or any hype for that matter. But without a single doubt, both are masterfully directed, with the wildest originality and a true testament to Neill’s undeniable talent.

Elysium takes your breath away from the very first few minutes with an opening sequence that’s both awe-inspiring and eye-opening. The contrast with Earth is powerful and underlines a deeply embedded message. It also offers an introduction to the amazing visual effects that we’re about to experience throughout the movie.

Like District 9, everything about the movie feels real, and that on two main levels. (i)Story-wise: you don’t get to question much. You accepted the presence (and even existence) of aliens on Earth in D9, and in Elysium, you accept the possibility of an immense body floating in space as a second habitat for humans. No one really thinks about whether Elysium is orbiting something (the Sun or Earth?) , whether it has a centre of gravity that makes it able to keep water in pools, etc. It is so well-done, and so well-presented to you that you appreciate it to the point of allowing it to be true.
(ii) Emotions-wise: You could watch World Vision documentaries and you wouldn’t feel the intensity of the desolation going on on Earth as you do when watching this.  Every scene seems natural and Blomkamp adds emotional depth to them as easily as though it was through the push of a button.  Even the fight sequences had palpable tension in them, but that’s also thanks to Copley’s acting.

Very entertaining title, and very well put together. The sound effects were just right, and if you were lucky enough to see it in an IMAX theatre, you really got to feel every moment.  Elysium has a number of innovations which were really eye-pleasing. The exploding bullets: an absolute delight in slow-mo, the guns and technology: imaginative and fun,  the third-person shooter camera: not completely an innovation but always a pleasure to watch. In fact, more of that would have been very well received. And last, a special nod to killing off the main character. 🙂 Long gone are the days where the main character was not allowed to die. It made sense, it was the perfect conclusion and it authenticated the tragedy.

The one, and possibly only weakness Elysium bears is Sharlto Copley‘s accent. I don’t remember having that much trouble understanding him in D9. He stayed true to himself and that’s great, but in some scenes, it really was a decoding game and unfortunately, neither a fun one nor an easy one. It didn’t affect the entire picture in any major way but it definitely didn’t do it any good. His acting was however, dead on. A perfect villain, a true killer with the scary edge of being military-trained and with access to some crazy exploding devices. Very well done!

With District 9, Neill Blomkamp had my respect. With Elysium, he has my complete admiration. Cannot wait for his next film.

9/10

 

Michalex Jackson.