Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review

(There are minor spoilers particularly with giving background to where the story takes place in but no major elements of the plot including character specific developments will be discussed or mentioned here. I will only talk about my reaction to these characters story arcs and how it works or doesn’t work for me in general).

It seems like only yesterday when a Star Wars film would come out every once in a while and would seemingly land with a thud (the prequels specifically) that to have a new film come out about a decade after the last one, it is amazing how it has become the most hyped and anticipated film of 2015.  The reason for this is quite simple, with a new creative team behind it, new cast, the old characters coming back for another adventure, and jumping off from Disney’s acquisition of the property, you have the signs for a major comeback in motion.  That is what we got with the seventh film in the beloved sci-fi/fantasy film series Star Wars with the new entry called The Force Awakens jumpstarting a new trilogy to follow a new/old cast of characters changing, growing, and fighting in a galaxy that has changed over the past 30 years since the last film, Return of The Jedi.  J.J Abrams brings his skills as an action director and makes one of the most vibrantly, energetic and exciting entries akin to the original films as well as bringing back the importance of character development and capable, emotional performances that were sorely lacking in the previous entries.  Let’s dive into a story that has happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away and examine how this film shines and falters as the official film follow up from about a decade ago.

The story takes place approximately 30 years after the events from Return of The Jedi with the Empire vanished into the shadows as the Republic is now formed again to slowly reconstitute its democratic power over the different systems again.  However, a new army has emerged from the ruins of the Empire called The First Order as they systematically invade planets, destroy them with fear and intimidation, and kidnap young kids to indoctrinate them into their army at an early age.  To combat this new threat, a deterrent force was formed in secret by the Republic called The Resistance is set up to fight against The First Order’s reign of terror.  While the conflict rages on for years, all of the characters from the previous films have moved on or simply vanished without a trace such is the case with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). 

We enter this story as the conflict reaches its critical moment as a young, headstrong Stormtrooper named Finn (John Boyega) and the adventurous, skillful scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) come to a crossroads in their lives that may very well set them on a path to turn the tide of this shadowy war as well as themselves.  They are being hunted down by cold, ambitious General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and the mysterious, ill-tempered Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) throughout the galaxy as Finn and Rey come across strange new worlds, aliens, allies, enemies, and familiar faces that come out of hiding to guide our protagonists through a galaxy that has truly changed since the defeat of the Empire all those years ago. To sum it up in general, this plays out like the first entry in the film series A New Hope redux with a modern update and changes to the formula.

That is the general gist of the story without really going into the specifics, but there is plenty of fan service to the original trilogy of films as well as story ideas and threads from the now defunct   expanded universe of books, comics, and so on to be probably introduced in this film trilogy differently.  While it can be a bit overbearing at times with its nostalgia trip down memory lane, it is quite effective in reminding us of the old films but allowing for the new storylines to be developed throughout the film.  The story is fast paced, exciting, and feels like a galaxy expanding adventure that the prequel films failed to embody all those years ago.  All of the new characters have compelling, well-thought out character arcs that makes it easy to root for and against them, creating a new cast to follow easily while paying respect to the older, returning cast members as they weave in and out of Rey and Finn’s journey.  If there is a notable flaw to mention, the worlds and lore surrounding this storyline was not as refined or developed as it was in previous films including the prequels, making it hard to really grasp how the story beats on each world relate to each other.  However, it is a fun, entertaining, and emotionally satisfying entry in the series that truly brings back the fun and grandiose scales of the original films in a unified, organic way in regards to the character stories despite the little details and narrative structure not really connecting as well as it did in previous adventures.  

The last discussion that can be made regarding the story is the tone of the entire story as it happens to be quite different from the original and prequel trilogies altogether.  While the original films were rather grimy, dangerous, and grounded in its dramatic beats with a dash of dark humor thrown in there and the prequel tends to be unintentionally funny at times as well as suffering from tonal shifts between brutally dark to lightly comedic, this film finds a happy balance between being genuinely funny and dramatic when the moments call for one or the other.  This is also due in part to the great, character driven direction given to the exceptional cast to really flesh out the characters even if the plot/storylines aren’t cohesive.  Does it get a bit heavy handed with self-referential jokes to the previous films akin to a Marvel film? Yes, but it is done with a well meaning, respectful attitude to the material that makes it work.  While the plot/story riffs on the past glories of the previous films, it is the character moments, arcs, and relationship chemistry that truly shines above a well-intention, if familiar retread of the very first film of this series. 

Where the film truly excels is in the performances from everyone in the main cast as well as some cool yet underutilized supporting characters.  Rey played by Daisy Ridley is absolutely magnetic in her role as the hopeful, adventurous scavenger looking to discover her true place in the galaxy which she handles with finesse despite feeling like her character might have been rushed writing-wise in her development and arc to get from point A to B in the storyline.  John Boyega as Finn has a fun, energetic presence and charisma to him that makes his character interesting and relatable, having to find a purpose and reason to fight in this war even though his character suffers the same rushed approach for his character development as well.  Another standout that does grow on you despite being a bit timid and anguished at times is Adam Driver as Kylo Ren who really embodies the emotional struggles and turmoil of a fallen Jedi that is consumed with anger and confusion over his true purpose in this war.  

Now, the last truly memorable performance to come out of this film is Harrison Ford as Han Solo who truly brings not only credibility to this story but embodies the character with confidence and reverent fun that seem to be absent in his other performances.  He is a blast to watch as this character again and really serves the character stories well both in the action and dramatic beats of the film.  

Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Issac is another memorable new character who steals the scene comedically and action wise from everyone when he is present.  Despite having a very limited role in the film, he makes this character into his own and exciting to watch which we can only hope will be expanded upon in future installments.  Everyone else from the original cast to the new supporting cast were in top form as they made their bit roles truly memorable and fit into this over-arching storyline that will be developed over the next 2 films.

It is time to get to the technical aspects of this film from the action set pieces, effects work and designs of the world/costumes/aliens, and the musical compositions from the famous composer himself, John Williams.  We start with the action choreography and set pieces themselves where the editing is fast, sharp, and effectively tense for each sequence.  Anytime the ships were flying around in combat or in a chase sequence, it was riveting and exuded a sense of energy and excitement that is enhanced immensely by the likeability of the lead characters.  As for the lightsaber battles that take place, they are quite engaging and exhibit a sense of weight and purpose to the story, harking back to the way the original films handled these lightsabers duels.  Overall, despite one ship sequence drawing heavily on the first film’s climax a little too heavily that makes it a bit ridiculous and way on the nose, each action set piece was exciting and quite spectacular in their scale and execution.

There is a reason some time has to be dedicated to the work that was put into the effects for this film from make-up, costumes, and aliens to the overall look for the galaxy portrayed in this film as it is a marriage of both old and new methods of creating effects coming together here.  Each world seems to be another visual nod to the original trilogy as well with a desert, forest, and ice created planet all there for the nostalgic reasons above.  All of the aliens were really amazing in their look and design along with the fact that a good chunk of them other than 3 of them (2 supporting characters/villain and an obvious monster is CGI) are practically made and look quite believable.  It does make the CGI apparent when you combine the methodology for those characters but it works magnificently with the action sequences and seeing the pilots communicate as the kinetic, intense dogfights happen.  It is good to see filmmakers utilize the strength of both styles of visual effects and create a unique, exciting feeling of suspense and adventure for this new trilogy of films that I hope continues in the next 2 major episodes as well.

Every Star Wars film has had compositional work done by none other than John Williams himself and it was quite a surprise to hear that he was composing this film which is both a compliment and criticism I have for the overall musical score for this film.  He utilizes every familiar, memorable theme from previous films (both the original and prequel trilogy) and does variants of them with only at least 1 or 2 new themes for the character of Rey and a truly remarkably effective theme for the end of this film.  Unfortunately, his work suffers the same issue that is prevalent in most big, action driven blockbusters (an issue that is present in Marvel films as well) and that it is mostly background music at times which means it works to the visuals but not on its own.  It lacks any real standout themes and the new ones do fit in relations to the character Rey but it really doesn’t impart any memorable melody that the other entries were able to have in their films.

Does this seventh entry in the series truly live up to its subtitle The Force Awakens? Yes, it certainly does despite some growing pains in certain parts of this film that I can only hope will be corrected and improved upon in future installments.  The performances are fantastic from everyone in the cast as well as some truly exciting, dramatically engaging character story arcs to really carry the film forward despite the narrative structure and plot feeling thin, disjointed, and relies too much on the same overall story beats of the very first film, A New Hope.  Each character from old to new were quite memorable and were developed wonderfully to the story being told here despite a few other great/cool looking characters relegated to the side or even as a glorified cameo to hopefully have a bigger role in the next film.  The action is fast, intense, and eye popping amazing, bringing in a sense of fun and adventure to the film series again.  It is technically proficient and phenomenal to see both styles of effects in work together quite well despite one or two CGI effects looking a bit out of place in this return to the grounded, grit feel to the world.   While the score is not the most memorable aspect of this film, it does the job sufficiently to keep the action going without feeling too slow paced despite lacking a truly memorable theme to call its own.  This is Star Wars in all of its amazing qualities and its flaws, coming back with confidence and a renewed energy that makes looking forward to the next episode exciting again.

Score: **** out of *****

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an exciting film revival of the long running series that needed this new jumping point in cinema for a very long time.  With truly charismatic, energized performances from everyone involved as well as some truly effective character drama and story arcs to them that will keep even the most jaded fans entertained and on the edge of their seats.  While it does create compelling new characters and their own stories to follow in the next outings, it is unfortunately tied to the major call backs and plot threads to the original films specifically A New Hope.  This means that the film is not too friendly with new comers as it relies on nostalgic respect and knowledge of the original films to really understand the importance of fan service moments and some truly important character arcs that utilized those moments to drive the story forward.  This means it is relying on the other films to lay the groundwork for the more interesting sequels to come by over the next four years.  It does not allow for some of the new characters to truly be introduced or developed for this world other than the lead characters Finn, Rey, and Kylo Ren.  Despite the narrative structure and plot feeling muddled and disjointed, it is the superb character writing and performances that carries the film through and elevated the material immensely thanks to J.J Abrams ability to really bring out the best in every one of the actors.  The action set pieces are magnificent in their design and creativity with only one ship based sequence near the end that was a bit lackluster overall and was not as exciting as the character driven moments that dominated the last act of the film.  Despite all of these issues, it was still a fun, exciting, and engaging Star Wars film to grace the cinema a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Creed Review

With some time passing after Rocky decided to bow out of the lime light, it was only a matter of time before someone would give the old reboot method a shot for such a long running sports drama film series.  However, with new creative forces helming this along with a younger cast of new characters and a different approach to a familiar formula, we have here the seventh entry in the series that not only revitalizes the aging film series but makes it relevant and uplifting in the veins of the original film back in the late 70’s.  The sharp, energized writing from director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) and Aaron Covington along with the skillful direction of the film from acting to cinematography makes this unique and memorable enough to be separated from the cartoonish but dumb fun entries that came before it.  Every actor has fully realized arcs and personality come to life by their confident yet expertly delivered performances with standouts being the leads and supporting cast.  It is also the most hard-hitting, brutal film in the series with its exceptionally crafted fight scenes and the big, bombastically memorable score that give the film such vibrant energy and strong identity to be a formation of both Rocky and this new character’s story.  Let see how this film surprisingly came out to be a knockout winner.

During the 90’s (and Rocky dealing with that fifth entry that no one likes to talk about), a young black boy gets into fights and Juvenile centers until Apollo Creed’s wife Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad) takes him in as her surrogate son.  Many years have passed, Adonis "Donnie" Johnson Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is a young man now drifting through life to fight in underground clubs in Mexico and working a 9-5 job in the office in California.  However, the desire to fight still resides in his very being which motivates him to seek out Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) in Philadelphia to train him to be a boxer as good as his father and to become his own man despite others looking down on him as being the illegitimate son of a boxing champion that lost his life in the ring.  This time, Creed has more to prove by becoming a fighter that would honor both the old and new traditions of boxing, allowing him to forge his own path in the face of adversity.

It is essentially a soft reboot of the series by taking the plot structure of the first film and rearranging events as well as giving a much needed update to fit with this present day tale of the underdog rising above the odds despite being seen as a mere shadow of his father’s days as a boxer.  It would be easy to make something as silly as the other entries but this film opts to be as real and grounded as the first and sixth film in the series by making it about the characters themselves rather than how ridiculously campy and fun the fights can be.  There is a uniquely balanced tone of both sentimental and exciting here that even the original films never could do as we see the characters change gradually into who they end up becoming such as Jordan as the brash yet determined Creed and the old, familiar character traits we love to see from Stallone as Rocky.  While it does have some slow bits regarding the repeats of familiar beats near the end of the film, it is still a winner and will absorb you into the drama and struggles of a character that is both relatable and charismatic, thanks to the powerful performances from everyone involved.

Michael B. Jordan continues to surprise audiences with his fantastic performance in the lead as Adonis Creed, a young prideful man trying to prove to himself that he can be a great boxer without relying on a name that shadows his very existence in this world.  Then, you have Sylvester Stallone returning again as Rocky Balboa and he provides the most vulnerable, humane performance we haven’t seen in a long time.  They are developed in a mentor/father and son pairing that not only provides the emotional arc of the story but their character arc as well, allowing for the story to have a purpose to be told.  Everyone else fit their roles accordingly whether it be villainous, roguish, or the prerequisite love interest for this story.  With the great, capable actors and inspired, emotionally charged script, the performances with the writing bring a relatively simple story to grand, epic heights that a good sports drama is able to do with the right creative force behind it, as is the case with this film.

Now for the main event, the boxing/action set pieces with about a total of 4 of them throughout the film.  It is worth examining since this film handles the boxing matches differently from the other entries in the series with an emphasis on the brutality and effective sound design to make each punch, hook, and uppercut feel raw in their delivery to a face.  The most effective use of these elements is the one shot, one take boxing match in the middle of the film where they never stop the scene with one visible cut (there may have been digital manipulation for certain cuts in the veins of the film Birdman) and the fighters get progressively wounded and weary from each round.  It was clear to see and absolutely harrowing to watch which is why the last fight might not be as technically impressive but it still combines the emotional arcs, great and meaty sound design, and the powerfully made orchestra/synth score that makes each fight feel as painful and exciting as you would expect a boxing match to be in this series. This is all enhanced even more by the cinematography for the film.

The camera work in this film is nothing short of amazing that it is inspiring to see upcoming talent utilizing the camera in ways that set this apart from the other entries in this series.  The use of that long take is absolutely stunning to watch despite that fact that it does lessen the technical qualities of the final bout but the use of wide angle lens and natural grit of the place really makes this world come to life.  The use of set dressing and design for certain places (Rocky’s home for one and the Gyms Adonis trains in) are all distinctive and matches the character’s journey into becoming a fighter that will instill the values of his father and his friend in his boxing.  This also allows for the pacing to be pretty brisk for the most part other than the downtime that occurs in the middle for character development.  This film is astounding on a technically level and deserves some recognition for making this different from the Rocky films especially in its musical score and style for this spinoff.

There is a fusion of the grand, classical orchestra with a mish-mash of synth based hip hop music instilled into both the score and the use of the licensed music to project a different identity and theme for this character in particular.  It is quite successful, thanks to the efforts of composer Ludwig Göransson as well as the emphasis on portraying a different yet familiar view of Philadelphia from a new character’s perspective musically.  It is catchy, bombastic, and quite effective in being inspiring and exciting to listen especially during the fights and Adonis’ training.  It is also effective on its own to listen to as that should speak volumes to the quality of music writing and composition to make it stand out from the Rocky films and other sports dramas.

This was quite possibly one of the bigger surprises to come out of cinema as Creed not only breathes new life into the long running series but it works on its own as an effective reboot to the entire series with a new, relatable character to root for as well as the old guard passing the touch in a dignified way for a new generation of stories to be told.  This handles the development of a bitter, angry character smoother and engaging than other boxing films that came before (Southpaw).  This is a reboot handled quite well in the hands of a creative team that respects and evolves the original premise and film for a new audience.  CREED is a truly amazing, exciting return of a beloved, fun sports film series that bring backs the familiar underdog story and uses the ideas of old and new to create a memorable film that will be looked upon with love and respect for the film that inspired it to be made, Rocky.

Score: ****1/2 out of *****
CREED is a resounding winner of a film with wonderful performances from the leads, a fantastic musical direction from Ludwig Göransson as well as hard hitting sound design, exciting boxing scenes (that one take boxing match and the final bout being a satisfying yet less grand way of ending the story), and the film being able to inspire and entertain at the same time, makes this one of a boxing film.  It’s good to have a good boxing film again that can stand on its own without having to be a part of an established series but it ties into the other films with Rocky so well that it feels like a natural evolution/sequel to move the story forward.  Despite some pacing issues in the middle and the final battle being a bit anticlimactic as well as being a bit campy/cliché at times with the character arcs/development, this is still a crowd-pleasing film that will surely win over anyone who has doubts about this film’s quality.

The Stanford Prison Experiment Review

What would happen if you were thrown into a prison for 2 weeks and how would you change to survive an environment of ridicule and fear? This is what Stanford Professor Philip Zimbardo, Ph.D. (Billy Crudup) had done in conducting an experiment back in 1971 that changed young boys/men and showed their true characters in shocking, horrifying ways.  The film The Stanford Prison Experiment is a dramatization directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez of an actual experiment that took place but has inspired other films that have utilized this psychology study for other fictional/exaggerated story.  The young cast of indie actors really showcase their ability to morph into their characters exceptionally well as they become the roles they are told to become as the film progresses.  This is emphasized even more by the claustrophobic, hypnotically dull looking cinematography along with a script that provides the actors with tons of dramatic heft to the event and a synth based, haunting score that creates this enclosed world of power and fear that envelopes the viewer gracefully into the story and never lets up for its brisk, absorbing 2 hour run-time. Let’s get into what made this study compelling enough for a film to be made and where the line does get blurry with its flaws.

We follow Professor Zimbardo as he conducts a 2 week long experiment of a prison environment and how it can have an impact on their behavior be it as a guard or prisoner of their made up quarters within the halls of Stanford’s Psychology department.  A group of young men are drawn to the experiment for financial reasons and believe that what they have do is worth the $15 dollars a day they would receive by the end of this experiment.   What they didn’t anticipate was what this experiment would bring them into and so for the next few days, they would become something far worse than average human beings…but animals encaged by fear, power, and control.

While the story is presented in a matter of fact tone, it is the tense, slow burning editing with the antiquated look of the film coupled with the powerful performances from the ensemble cast that makes this film such an astounding realization of an event that truly exposed the weakness present in human nature when it is given or devoid of power in various degrees.  The power plays that are exhibited throughout between the guards and prisoners are handled with palpable tension that would have made these moments cliché but it comes across as terrifying from the assured, skillful direction from Alvarez.  It does seem slow on the buildup because of the huge size of the cast to establish and develop for the majority of the film but as soon as the experiment is fully underway, it grabs a hold of your attention and it never ceases to be boring from the terrific, harrowing performances from many of the young, promising actors in this film.  The story follows the familiar beats you expect in a biography film but it adheres to the genre troupes of thrillers it pays homage to with an actual story that invokes those emotions in real life but at times are exaggerated in certain plot elements as you would expect for this kind of film.

Which leads to the overall theme and ideas the story explores regarding power and the inherent authority and abuse it comes with it.  It seems like a joke at first but as it goes along, it becomes astoundingly frightening to see how given the chance, we can become just as cruel and mentally far out there with a god complex as to the hold we have over people with no means to resist.  This had to be mention as the way it is portray is quite disturbing and really comes through from the fine skills of the director shaping the performances gracefully without feeling disingenuous.  This is also accompanied by a tightly woven, sharp screenplay that makes all of the lessons, morals, and dialogue feel earned in expressing the awful, chaotic nature of this experiment through the claustrophobic visual direction of the story to go with it.  It always feels appropriate to what those people went through even if there are some exaggerations done for dramatic purposes (there were no physical abuse but the verbal abuse and degradation did happen if slightly different from the actual archival footage).

This brings up the main reason for this film being as profound as it was in making this real life event believable and intense, the cast of actors themselves. The standout of the young cast members were Ezra Miller and Michael Angarano for their respective roles of Daniel Culp/Prisoner 8612 and the leader of the guards called “John Wayne”/Christopher Archer.  Miller really displays his fragility with confidence and pain that you start to really become haunted by his agony as he becomes the most rebellious of the prisoners only for him to start a chain reaction that showcases his ability to make viewers care about his plight despite only being in half of the film.  As for Angarano, he really is a revelation in the entire youthful cast that plays his part with such glee and vibrant energy that it is a surprise to see him truly shine in this film despite being in some forgettable roles in previous years before this.  Another standout of the cast is Billy Crudup as Professor Zimbardo who really gives a truly understated, emotionally driven performance that makes him really empathetic in what he is trying to achieve despite the actions he takes to push these students to their limits.  These were the standouts of the cast in a sea of really outstanding mix of actors giving their best in this film.

It should be worth mention the other standouts in the supporting cast before we get to the technical elements of the film starting with Nelsan Ellis as Jesse Fletcher, yet again showcasing how versatile he is in playing different roles with him being a former prisoner that gives the experiment a certain kind of authenticity to it.  The mix of unknown/character actors from Tye Sheridan to Johnny Simmons give tremendously memorable performances in the scenes they were featured prominently. There wasn’t really a performances in this cast that really was lackluster other than the ones that were glanced over since it focused on only a few of the subjects that were to be the anchors that carried the story through to its inevitable, real life conclusion.  Despite some of the actors being underutilized for a decent chunk of this film, they gave their finest performances so far in their careers within this film.

The technical elements also shine bright and clear in this film on top of the stellar cast for this film with the cinematography, editing, and musical score with each adding to the strength of the film’s emotionally tense journey.  For the cinematography, there are extensive use of close ups throughout on a number of the shots to establish the claustrophobic nature of the prison from the student’s living and guarding it.  It had only a handful of wide shots and that was near the beginning, a few in the middle, and at the very end of the film.  The compositions of these shots really created this enclosed quarter that made the viewer feel entrapped by this world the professor created.  This is made even more uncomfortable by kinetic, shifting editing in both energy and structure as well as a synth based score by Andrew Hewitt that really creates this unnerving ambient vibe to the setting that feels like a throwback to 1970’s thrillers.  Its use of the bland, generic office setting only further emphasize the despair these characters undergo through during the days the experiment really took place.  It is the careful use of the shot compositions and lighting of that location which adds to the dreary, harsh nature of the story being told.

David Patrick Alvarez’s biography film drama The Stanford Prison Experiment is quite a tense, riveting tale of what power and authority can do to people and reveal what they are capable of in terrifying ways.  The performances from the entire cast is fantastic all around thanks to the intelligently crafted screenplay from Tim Talbott with the help of 2 other writers (Christopher McQuarrie and P.W. Hopsidor) as well as the confident, hard hitting direction for both the acting and visual style for this film.  This is not only a modern, relatable adaptation of a true story but one that really invokes a certain truth about human nature that can be applied in regards to how we perceive power and authority as well as its abuse of it today in our culture.  Despite some slow plodding issues in the middle act along with some exaggerations given to certain aspects of the story (the physical abuse being the major one that was done for the film only but it does work well enough to forgive this dramatic choice), this intense drama will sure to linger with you after the credits roll.

Score: ****1/2 out of *****
This is a film driven by the engaging performances and the skillful direction present throughout this entire production.  It serves as a great showcase for young talents in the industry to tell a story that happens to still resonant and inspire conversations about the human nature with power and authority.  There are some issues of pacing particularly with its middle act as well as some exaggerations made to the actual story that might be considered inaccurate but at least they are only minor when the acting as well as the visual choices made through the effective direction/editing.  This is one drama that will grab you and hopefully inspire some conversations about the abuse of power and authority among humanity.    

Vacation Review

Oh boy…if you thought things couldn’t get worse for the summer, it does with this recent comedy sequel/reboot that no one really asked for.  Back in the 80’s, you had comedy classics and fan favorites with National Lampoon’s Vacation being one of them.  That film did a great job making fun of the crazy, wacky yet inventive mis-fortunes of a road trip serving as a template for road films for years to come. Now, with old time franchise or fan favorites of a time period we cannot move on from like Terminator or Jurassic Park, it seems like the 80’s comedy classic starring Chevy Chase, written by John Hughes, and directed by Harold Ramis is now next on the block for remaking to profit off of the work of the original property. It is John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s first film to direct with writing credits in Horrible Bosses and Cloudy With A Chance With Meatballs 2 as well as duties to write the Spider-Man reboot for the established Marvel Film Universe.   Does it succeed in updating the roughly 30 year old film that really defined the ideal comedic adventure story for road based stories or is it another botched remake that lacks any creatively funny writing inspirations and direction to really bring out the best in the actors and character/comedy gags? Let’s get started with the gist of the film’s story and everything else after that.

We follow the troubles and misadventures of a now grown up Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) who is a low level continental pilot to support his family life back at home with his wife Debbie Griswold (Christina Applegate) and his two sons starting with the older brother James (Skyler Gisondo) and younger one Kevin (Steele Stebbins).  Their lives have become dull at home as well as their trips to the cabin along with the disconnection that Rusty feels from his wife and boys. So he decides to shake up their vacation time by going to the revamped Walley World that he went to 30 years ago with his father Clark (Chevy Chase), mother Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) and his sister Audrey (Leslie Mann).  This simple little trip becomes a landmine of misfortunes and wackiness that has the Griswold family go through state to state on a road trip to make this a vacation to remember for better or worse.

That was the main plot and if you have noticed, it is literally the original film set in modern times now and with more low brow crass / sex jokes than you can wash on you when the humor wasn’t about that and more about the crazy, ridiculous misfortunes the family dealt with on the road which is where the original film is still looked upon fondly and has good comedic talent as well as timing to its writing and direction.  This “remake” has none of that and really lays it thick with the gross out humor to hide its bland, thin structure of the plot together for 90 minutes.  The characters are unlikable, moronic stereotypes of the genre and parodies as well with pointless, shoehorned cameos thrown in to get some humor from the types of characters/personalities these actors played in other films/shows that reeks of desperation.  Even the climax of the story really feels like a non-event and just feels uninspired to have nothing more than a beatdown with the characters that is literally unfunny and dumb to the extreme.  There is a vague sense of a plot but none that comes through as interesting since it is to service its “funny” gags throughout its run-time.

Seeing as it is a comedy, this section will look at the theme of the jokes, how it was executed, and whether it is funny or not so we start with what did work. The actors were game at least with the humor and it seem like they were doing their best to make it work so some kudos is deserved more or less.  There are some pretty clever humorous visual gags that did get a chuckle out of me (car function jokes as examples) as well as “some” of the nostalgia, meta humor that reared its head in throughout the film at times.  However, the majority of the humor is (it will get offensive now so see this line as a warning in advance) dick, poo, vomit, and sex both legal and illegal jokes throughout its run-time.  In fact, this is about as raunchy as it gets with a comedy film that it makes the original films look quaint by comparisons.  So if you are not a fan of low brow humor to the extreme degree, this is going to really not click with you which is what I noticed as I saw the same joke get thrown in and beaten over the head repeatedly for 3-5 minutes straight to illicit some kind of laughter no matter how minor or huge it may be (This film makes a ton of dick jokes, so yes that gives me a freebie!).  It just reeks of desperation and lack of creative objective as to the point of this humor to the story which is why it felt very dull by the time they hit the road and the jokes were littered with low brow content that kept getting hammered into us over and over again.

It seems there need to be examples of these jokes to get an idea of what to expect but be forewarned, it will get a bit offensive and gratuitously crude in this section.  There is a joke they beat into the ground with the beginning of the film where Rusty argues with his sons about the young Kevin calling James a pussy by writing Vagina on his guitar followed by Rusty countering this with his writing Penis on top of the crossed out Vagina.  It gets even better with mutilation jokes as they meet up with Audrey and her husband Texan cattle rancher/weatherman Stone Crandall (Chris Hemsworth) as well as him flexing his muscle and huge package down below for 3-5 minutes straight.  There is also a lovely pedophile jokes throughout as well as puking jokes from a fraternity sequence that was grotesque and just meh.  Yeah, these are the kinds of jokes you have throughout the entire film.

So what you are left with are characters that are quite unlikeable, humor with the sensibilities of a juvenile delinquent, and does not attempt to make this vacation unique as it utilizes the original film’s main plot with some variations that fail to really be funny or seem to not be well thought out in the direction/scripting process.  It feels about as torturous as it gets with this vacation road trip and that’s a shame since it had a reliably funny cast members in the lead and the actors including the cameo ones were game to poke fun at the concept and themselves but those moments are very few in between the excessive use of crude humor to hide their inability to be witty or charmingly smart with their writing.  These are the same guys in charge of writing Spider-Man too so that should be some cause of concern if this is the kind of writing we can expect from them in that film.

Vacation is a cruder, brutally violent film that beats the very core meaning of the word “Comedy” to death with its disgusting dick, balls, and vomit jokes as well as lacking any of the original film’s charm, innocently humorous take on the zany, weird events that occur on a road trip with your family.  This film reeks of being nothing more than a cash grab reboot to get an old property back from limbo but it suffers from the same issues as other 80’s films being revived.  It has nothing new to say in its execution of those same ideas and themes which has to really stop but as long as it makes money, then this trend will continue until another collapse occurs with this industry.  This is one vacation you should save your money on and just watch the original film, you will have more fun and it happens to be creative with tremendous amount of effort put into it than what the creative hacks of this sequel/remake put into their attempt to revive it.

Score: ** out of *****
Vacation is a clear representation of what is clearly wrong with modern day comedies today in the film industry.  Morally bankrupted in creativity and skills behind/front of the camera as well as feeling like a slog to get through pacing wise due to the over-reliance on the crude humor to carry a thin structure of the story.  There is nothing else I can write but state that this film will only appeal to the lowest common denominator of audience who can find humor in childish, crude jokes for 90 minutes straight. Hence the reason the score is that high because there is a clear effort from the actors to bring out the funny qualities of the script but lacks a satisfying execution due to the terrible script and weak, inexperience direction from first timers.  For Marvel fans, be very concern that these guys are going to be in charge of writing Spider-Man for 2017.        

Terminator: Genisys Review

After the less than stellar performances of the last two films in this series (critically panned and financially underperformed), it seem like this once beloved Sci-Fi Action Thriller was six feet under.  Until, it was dug up again with the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger on the big screen with another attempt to reboot The Terminator series from its slumber.  It has finally returned after 2-3 years of teasing and advertising of this project with Schwarzenegger returning as the T-800, the cybernetic robot we all love as the good guy teaming up with Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese this time to save the world from Skynet in Terminator: Genisys (Really? Clever…) directed by Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones, Thor: The Dark World) as well as notable actors from other films and TV shows such as Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, and Jason Clarke in the lead roles.  Now that this film is a reality, the main question is if it can be a fun, worthy follow-up to the classic films of the past or serve as a dull, painfully dumb re-thread of the previous films before in an attempt to reboot akin to Star Trek from J.J Abrahms?  Let’s dive into it and really start with the most crucial component of any film.

We start with the story or stories being told in this entry of the series with the end of the Future War within sight as John Connor and Kyle Reese are about to deliver the final blow to Skynet with the central core destroyed and Skynet sending a T-800 back into the past as a last ditch effort to prevent the birth of John Connor by killing Sarah Connor in the year 1984.  This seems like a modified rethread of familiar story arcs from the very first film with John sending Kyle back to protect Sarah from the Terminator but not without something going wrong both in the past and future.  Even though Kyle makes it back to 1984, it seems like somebody had sent a few Terminators all over the timeline and has radically change the lives and fate of everyone in the series now.  This time, Sarah Connor has been protected and trained to be a soldier ready for the future war by a modified T-800 known as Pop and programmed as her bodyguard.  This commences an adventure that has our intrepid heroes jumping from place to place to stop Skynet from being born into all of our technology in the year 2017 before it could cause Judgment Day with old familiar clichés and troupes as well as new threats coming along for the ride.

If that sounds like moronic nonsense, you are not the only one to feel that way after leaving the theater from watching this monstrous creation of a film.  It juggles with so many plot threads and explanations as to why this conflict exists that it comes across as contrived and hollow throughout the entire time this story continues to roll forward, causing a mess of twists and generic action/dramatic beats that make very little sense overall.  It doesn’t help that all of the characters lack any real sense of change or personality to them which is a fault of the direction and script literally having no sense of creative meaning to it.  This is about as confusing as it gets with time travel films along with toss away characters that come and go when the plot needs them to be there (wondering what the hell was the point of J.K. Simmons and Matthew Smith in this film).  There is really no sense of pacing or rhyme to the 2 hour runtime of this film making it feel like a slog to get through, systemic of a very messy, mediocre screenplay. It is very much a rethread of the same plot beats and conflicts we have seen in about 4 of these films with very little to no interesting elements to contribute to this story making it feel like fan-fiction that happened to have hundreds of millions of dollars to make it into a reality.  This is only the start of the problems this film exhibits throughout the production.

There is also the matter of the acting talents behind this film featuring quite a few notable names that are undertaking the roles we have come to know as fans of this series would.  The standout is ironically and shockingly Arnold Schwarzenegger as Pop the T-800 guard for Sarah Connor who exhibits a ton of great humorous moments and brims with such weathered humanity that he really provides an anchor for the dramatic moments while everyone else struggles with the sloppy script and half-hearted direction/acting efforts put into their roles.  While Arnie really shines in this film as an actor and action hero, the same cannot be said for the main leads of Jai Courtney and Emilia Clarke as Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor respectively.  They seem to be very bland in their roles as well as having zero chemistry between each other that it comes across like cosplayers trying to act like the characters from the 80’s film and doing an unconvincing job of it.  While that is not the case for Jason Clarke as John Connor, he chews up the scenery as the film progresses making for a very unthreatening, cookie-cutter performance that fails to give the film that tense momentum that made the first two films exhilarating to watch.  As for everyone else, they are either stereotypical to the max or just eye candy filler to give us an action sequence to wake up the viewer from a comatose state of boredom this film projects from the script and direction, giving the actors little to work with to make it fun.  This lame, awkward attempt to be hip and cool for today’s audiences with its cast and setting to revolve around our technology within present day is also evident in the action sequences.

The action set pieces are examples of the shoddy pacing and lack of tension/excitement that is evident throughout the whole film.  They are ambitious in scope and scale but they are also poorly imitating the superhero action styles of Thor way too much that it is hard to really feel any sense of danger to the action.  Plus, it doesn’t help that the CGI really feels too weightless for the machines making it ridiculous that these heroes could survive hand to hand combat with these human killer robots.  Think of it this way, this film is trying to be a Marvel film with the corny jokes and one liner humor as well as the larger than life action set pieces that you would expect from that genre of films along with a forced, will they or won’t they romance that aims to infuriate you entirely but for the wrong reasons.  That wasn’t what made the Terminator films great and exciting in the first place since they were about the human drama that comes from having to fight against a weapon that aims to change our fate and the dramatic consequences that comes from that conflict.  This film really feels manufactured for the Superhero fans rather than fans of Sci-fi or the series creating a disconnecting, insulting feeling of pandering that this film exhibits throughout its runtime in the delivery of the plot points and character development.  It seems like there are very little redeeming qualities to this film but maybe in the technical side of this film, it might have a few spots of inspired creation.

We are now in the home stretch with the technical aspects of the film on display now through the artistic look to the editing and of course, the special effects since the score from Lorne Balfe is just generic, Han Zimmer knock off work and not really worth discussing it in details.  The look of the film is a pretty inspired upgrade (future war) to just typical over design of the settings that missed the point of the original film’s atmosphere to having no sense of character to the setting (2017 world).  I will say that the future war looked cool and a pleasantly intrigue upgrade that was artistically interesting instead of the drab, grimy world that Salvation failed to establish in its film.  However, the look of 1984 from recreating the shots from the original film to fit with their new plot to aesthetics from costumes, lighting, and place are all wrong since it seems cleaner, sleek looking and less scuzzy, grimy looking which the original film had, giving that world such a distinguished look for that time period and atmosphere to the story.  It doesn’t get any better with the way the film is edited in its entirety.

The editing of the film is really disjointed and absolutely has no sense of rhythm or connection within scenes.  There is a clear indication that a character is cut out almost entirely and shows up out of nowhere to be the main, supposedly over-arching villain for this trilogy (I hope not) with no indication of building up to that plot point.  That is just one main example of the editing failing to really allow the viewers to connect the narrative beats clearly but it also spills into the action set pieces as well.  They feel overly long, stretched out, and ludicrously destructive to a comical effect that it is hard to fathom how they could commit the same cardinal mistakes as the last two films in the handling of the action sequences.  So the technical qualities are lacking as well leaving us with the special effects and how they hold up.

Well, the special effects are not as lopsidedly negative as the other elements of this film but it is clearly a mixed bag with some effects working in the practical action beats and the CGI driven ones really look fake, plastic, and ridiculous in contrast to the previous efforts.  There are some cool-looking effects in the action beats that might get the eyebrows raised but not enough to make the gunplay, fisticuffs, and villains look exciting or dangerous seeing as how they spend a majority of the film getting beaten over and over again.  The effects are typical clean, sleek look akin to Star Trek in the views of the future today as in being overused to handle the action and effects driven look to the machines making it feel fake and phony to watch.  While it was stated that there are times that the effects do help make the action set pieces tolerable in its insanity, it does not hide the deficiency within the acting talents, script, and direction that bring this film down into the abyss of mediocrity.

    

This whole film really reeks of studio mandate that was also evident in Jurassic World but at least that film did deliver on what it set out to do as well as being restrained and clever with its nostalgia fan service call backs while this film is more of the same with a different coat of paint.  The main issue with Terminator: Genisys is the purpose for even existing in the first place and the simple reason is name recognition with actor but the series in general.  This was the film series that gave a darker edge to Sci-Fi during the 80’s (Alien started that trend in the 70’s) and to see the film get a cleaner, superhero makeover is just disheartening and completely misses the point of the first two films.  In fact, this film really negates and tarnishes the first two films with its disjointed yet damaging continuity in the plot, horribly bland acting and generic character stereotypes that serve no purpose in the film, and action scenes that fail to really capture the raw, intense danger that those films provided at the time.  Terminator: Genisys is a black spot on this beloved series that will do more harm than good for it as well as providing a nonsensical, moronic reason for this story to even exist in the first place.  It is a re-tread that should have stayed in the past where it belongs now.

Score: ** out of *****

This entry in the series causes more WTF moments than it deserves with its inane plot, bland and generic characters, and anemic action scenes that lack any sense of tension or excitement instilling a superhero style to the whole film that really does not suit this series at all.  It comes across like really wishful, bad fan fiction that somehow got traction to be made for around $180 million dollars and makes one wonder, if anyone even bother reading a script.  This is one entry you should blank out of your mind and ignore the insipid yet inevitable 2 sequels that could be coming around the corner…soon.