Wonder Woman Review

After the last few films in the DC cinematic universe failed to click with audience and divided them in the middle with their merits, the latest release from DC films was being hyped by many as the one that could turn out alright despite the production issues with making it.  That film is the origin superhero film for the Amazonian Warrior Princess, Wonder Woman and her first solo outing in live action, feature film form helmed by Patty Jenkins (Monster, TV Episodes of The Killing, Entourage, and Arrested Development) despite appearing in the previous DC film Batman V. Superman and countless animated TV series/films.  However, it has been an uphill battle for quality filmmaking for these comic book characters for some time now especially as this film along with Justice League were going through extensive rework via post production to get them fixed and ready for release.  With Wonder Woman being the first of these revamped film productions with new executives overseeing it and its relevancy for today’s changing societal values, does it succeed where other superhero films fail to overcome or does it fall for the same trappings as most of these films do in this genre?  Let’s suit up and find out what this film does right and wrong, starting with the story.

In this universe, the gods existed in our world as they created all things in life including man with the power of Zeus but also corrupted by the influence of Aries The God of War.  Zeus would defeat him, allowing for man to prosper along with the creation of the Amazonians through Athena but that union would not last for long as men would take advantage of women and embattle them in struggle and suffering until Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) and her sister General Antiope (Robin Wright) would unite the women and break free from the world of men into another world, separated through dimensions and space called the Themyscira.  It is through freedom and revolution that they formed their own kingdom and world away from men for centuries until Diana was born into their world by the powers of Zeus into a clay statue where our story truly begins proper with our protagonist for the film.

Diana Prince (Young-Lilly Aspell and Emily Carey, Adult-Gal Godot) is royalty in her kingdom, forbidden by her mother to train as a warrior yet that instinct and desire to fight evil is embedded within her being so, her aunt trains her in the ways of the Amazonians, akin to Spartan training from Greek legends.  This was her life in general until a mysterious WW1 plane crashes into the oceans with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) in it but is rescued by Diana despite an armada of German soldiers and ship chasing after him through a portal.  This brings to Themyscira The Great War (as it was called) to their doorsteps with the possibility that Aries is not only alive but influencing Germany to wage war with the world.  Diana decides to act and traverse into the world of men to fight an evil that resides in the shadows as well as learning to understand, appreciate, and revile in how our world is.  It is a race against time to stop the evil forces of the war from inflicting more harm to the world of men and to stop the God of War from wiping out the planet as we know it.

This is a pure, straightforward origin story that takes it time to develop the character proper and genuine without missing too much of a beat for most of the film.  It does start off slowly to develop the world Diana comes from and glimpses of her world and time as a child before Trevor eventually crashes there to drive the story forward.  When the two characters meet, it is done organically and comedically cute enough that you really enjoy the time the characters interact with each other especially with the use of the “fish out of the water” plot that is used to effective measure for Diana’s naiveite to the world of men.  It further develops her heroic traits and personalities to greater effect than even the other two so called “heroes” from the previous outing (she wanted to help people and all around wanted to understand the world like an actual hero would unlike emo, angsty Superboy with his daddy issues along with sociopathic, third degree killer Batboy traumatized by his mother issues – it is only a critical joke about the characters, so put the pitchfork away and try to see my perspective regarding the portrayal of those characters).  Thankfully, the good stuff doesn’t stop there at all especially with the stellar chemistry of the supporting characters and ultimately a consistently constructed film until the third act. 

The film does shine with its supporting cast who further the development of Diana Prince as a character even more and the use of WWI is clever as well as suitable for the story here.  However, the film does stumble when it comes to its own set of villains as well as the rushed yet contrived climax of the film that brings it down a few pegs, the unfortunate component that was not remedied by the reshoots or extensive post work to fix it.  You have a set of villains with General Erich Ludendorff with a drug problem (Danny Huston), a mad scientist hell bent on creating a destructive gas that renders masks useless called Doctor Poison (Elena Anaya), and the omnipresent but heavy CGI power house Aries (David Thewlis).  The first two are just stock characters, expected for this type of film and then Aries suffers the same issue as the previous film where he just shows up for the sake of explosions, an equally contrived match up of the hero and villain, and a bit of a rush to get to the present near the end instead of staying in this interesting world any further.  Thankfully, much of the film does work but it stumbles in its own climax as well as feeling a bit too much like a déjà vu of another superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger in quite a few plot/character beats including the ending of the film.  The film succeeds though in establishing this hero within its own film and it copies the quality aspects of that film despite cribbing a bit too much on the weakness of that film as well.

There is another aspect of the film that is well done and oddly flawed are the action set pieces for this film.  Most of these set pieces are fun to watch and really demonstrate the power of the Amazonian warrior visually especially in regular motion.  However, there tends to be too much use of slow motion that undermines the choreography and power of the action throughout the film especially in the iconic action set piece of No Man’s Land in the middle of it.  This feels like a combination of the stuff we saw with Captain America and every single action scene in a Zack Snyder film and the combination is a bit of a mixed bag to be honest.  It does provide the excitement and scale of the superhero genre well enough in its action set pieces but it gets diluted with the over use of slow motion to the impressive choreography on display here.

Let’s get into the cast themselves starting with the leads themselves before getting into the supporting cast and villains proper, along with a few thoughts on the dialogue here.  The one who really gets to shine visually and dramatically with other actors at least is Gal Godot as Diana Prince AKA Wonder Woman.  Her striking figure and athleticism is on display here along with her ability to be charming and charismatic in the character role.  It also helps that she has dynamite chemistry with most of the cast including Chris Pine is where she shines better as an actor than in her previous roles in the past.  She had a lot to prove and Godot was more than up to the task to really become the iconic character many of us had doubts she could be, which is a good thing for sure.

There are just a few issues present in her performance, mainly in her dramatic moments either by herself or with another villain character.  She tends to have some problems with displaying the hardships of the character when it occurs in certain parts of the film.  While she has been in many visual roles, it is still clear that her ability to emote at times is questionable for certain moments of the film (the trenches and some of the big character moments with Trevor).  This is not to diminish what she was able to do as Wonder Woman in this film but it does undercut the drama of the scene when she is unable to convey the right emotions of the scene.  Overall, Gal Godot has proven to be a good choice as Wonder Woman and one of the few actors to improve with more roles that challenge her dramatically.

The real standout of the cast is Chris Pine as Steve Trevor whose enigmatic, comedic performance really provides the film’s heart and soul in a fantastical story as well as really strengthening the performance of Godot as a result.  His ability to be seamless with the moments of comedy and drama are on display here with understated subtly that allow those moments to work effectively.  The moments with Diana and Steve are made believable through their refined chemistry that it becomes integral to their growth as characters.  The romance also works because of the direction of Jenkins and having it drive the characters forward instead of feeling like a prerequisite for these types of films.  Chris Pine continues to show his versatility as an actor and really shines brightest in this film from the rest of the cast.

The rest of the supporting cast fit their roles well enough in being part of a special forces unit or comic relief for the leads throughout the film without being too obnoxious or annoying.  The “not Howling Commando” mercenaries Sameer (Saïd Taghmaoui), Charlie (Ewen Bremner), and Chief (Eugene Brave Rock) are played by character actors and fit their respective characters quite nicely with the leads.  Trevor’s secretary Etta Candy (Lucy Davis) has a few funny moments as well, mainly with Diana Princes’ naivety to the customs of the world for women.  The Amazonian characters are doable to watch despite the forced in accents to fit with Godot’s nationality but they play their parts admirably despite the somewhat leaden dialogue they all must speak at times.  The kid actors for Diana are meh at best and fail to even do the accent, but they are thankfully limited in their screen time.  As for the other characters particularly the villains, they are either dull to watch or overacting to the point of extreme camp and not in a fun way unfortunately, that also contradicts the tone of the film at times from being dramatic to stylized comic book story of the day.  That should cover the talents in front of the camera and the cast overall which are good and fit their respective roles.

Now for the technical aspects of the film from the CGI effects to art direction of the setting and costumes and finally, the composition score itself for this superhero outing.  The CGI effects are decent at times to look at but they still suffer the same issues as the previous film in that they have this dirty rubbery look to it that lacks any sense of real impact in the action scenes or for some of the backdrops.  It is used effectively in establishing the world of the 1900’s as well as Themyscira which has a ton of color to display (to be honest, it was hard not to marvel at the use of color in this film and appreciate its presences after suffering through previous films with dark, grimy color/lighting palettes).  It is near the third act where the CGI gets a bit ropey with its effects and movement that feels like an overly extended video game cutscene and not in a good way.  This film’s use of CGI is very mixed overall from being effective in establishing the worlds the characters inhabit but it does undercut the sheer power of the action set pieces at times.

However, the artistic direction and look of the film is an impressive achievement in of itself especially with the setting of WW1 as well as Themyscira, the Amazonian kingdom beyond the realms of Earth.  First off, the look of the 1900’s is magnificent as well as the look of the period spot on in both its visual design and the grim, serious tone of the war present here in a respectful manner.  It is a clever deviation to set the story in WW1 instead of WW2 despite the villains themselves feeling out of place due to the nature of their comic book incarnations made during the Nazi regime and not just for Germany during WW1.  As for the Themyscira, it has this exotic yet regal quality to it that feels like a blend between Vikings and Greek cultural styles to really make them standout from other fantasy versions to it.  A quick note regarding the iconic Wonder Woman costume is that it looks great on camera, visually colorful, and just really feels memorable for this interpretation.  The artistic work here is fantastic to look at and really deserves some accolades for getting the period right but also making the outlandish elements work for this world.

Finally, we have the composition score for the film that has undergone some drastic changes now that it is dedicated to the character’s story and not as a part of another film.  The composition is done by Rupert Gregson-Williams this time around and he incorporates some of the recognizable theme of the character from the previous entry Batman V. Superman.  It is the type of theme that does grow in recognition and is used in the main score effectively with more natural, acoustic sounds to really showcase how ingenious the theme is in comparison to the electric cello, synth sounds of Han Zimmer’s work.  It has enough dramatic, action swells and movements to keep the film moving forward and it makes those memorable moments standout thanks to the assured musical identity present in this film.  This is one of the better musical composition scores for a superhero film in that it fits the story here and changes the instrumentation of the theme to really fit evenly with the tone and style of the character here.

For a female superhero film directed by an award winning female director, there was a ton of money along with hype and expectation riding on this film to succeed.  It is safe to say that Wonder Woman succeeds in many ways despite stumbling in a few areas, that seem to be a reoccurring problem with the superhero films in general.  It is a miracle that we got a competent quality film despite the reports of post-production problems which is a testament to skilled filmmakers working on the production as well as the power of editing and post work to fix the fundamental issues of the film to what we ended up overall.  Wonder Woman is a surprisingly good, satisfyingly enjoyable superhero war film that solidifies Diana Prince as a hero for our generation and is exceptionally well acted, maintains the ideals and origins of the character with a modern touch to it, and the action set pieces are enjoyable when we see it in full motion.  This is one hero to look up to and see for yourself how she rises to the challenge in theaters.

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

Wonder Woman is a rousing success of quality filmmaking, highly spirited and talented acting on display, some truly thrilling action set pieces, and the fundamental core of this character made engaging and understandable to comic book fans and film viewers alike.  Gal Godot is Wonder Woman for this generation and rightfully so on a visually/athletic level as well as showing improvement as an actor despite still having some issues with certain big dramatic moments on her own.  She is supplemented by a fantastically nuanced performance from Chris Pine along with a great supporting cast that truly work well with our leads despite the villains being an afterthought and a bit hammy for this viewer’s taste.  The art direction is truly stellar in recreating the time of WW1 as well as the Themyscira is truly a wonder to look at and explore.  What knocks it down a few pegs is its inherent similarities to Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger in both its positives (period adventure, enigmatic chemistry among cast, etc.) and its flaws (rushed and contrived finale, stock villains with little to no personalities, etc.) which it can’t shake upon repeat viewings.  This is still one hero that rises above the issues and has become the first superhero of the DC universe that feels established and ready to see more adventures from her.

(Credit to Entertainment Weekly and Just Jared for Photos)

Alien: Covenant Review

(SPOILER ALERT: Forewarning, I will be going into plot details and character actions/motivations to better explain the critiques made to this film.  If you want to know my overall thoughts, skip to the very end that gives a summary, score, and recommendation on the whole film.  Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the read!)

It seems like a long time within cryo-sleep since the last review but it is time to awaken during the fervor of Blockbuster season with the stellar, fun sequel Guardians of The Galaxy: Vol 2 and the mediocre offerings that come with it in fantasy, comedy, and action.  Now, we have the latest sci-fi action horror sequel/retread from veteran director Ridley Scott, with his 5 year follow up to the visually stunning yet divisively hollow sci-fi adventure horror Prometheus.  This is Alien Covenant and it is being considered as a proper return to the series since the first two films from him and James Cameron with its tone, visual aesthetics, and ultimately its genre clichés/troupes that it defined for years now.  We have a new cast of characters, familiar character actors, and a desire to bring the creepy, survival atmosphere of the story back into a series that had veered off the familiar path with its last outing.  Does this film bring back the terror in a series this long in the running or has it gone back to its roots and brought the same problems that have plagued this series for a few decades now?  Let’s travel into the surface and see where the story takes us this time around.

A decade has passed since the Prometheus ship and crew ventured out in search of humanity’s creators and disappeared into the vastness of space.  A new ship called the Covenant, a colonial expansion ship is venturing out to Origae-6, a remote yet habitable planet near the fringes of space.  It is not too long before the journey hits a bumpy road with magnetic waves that awakens our crew to repair and prep the ship for another trip.  That is when they receive a transmitted message from an unknown yet viable planet for colonization that is closer to them in a manner of weeks, instead of 7 years of cryo-sleep.  The defacto captain Christopher Oram (Billy Crudup) decides to scout the planet out with the crew: Tennessee Faris (Danny McBride), Sergeant Lope (Demián Bichir), Karine Oram (Carmen Ejogo), Maggie Faris (Amy Semetz), Ricks (Jussie Smollett), Upworth (Callie Hernandez), Sergeant Hallet (Nathaniel Dean), Ankor (Alexander England), Ledward (Benjamin Rigby), Rosenthal (Tess Haubrich), and Pvt. Cole (Uli Latukefu ) and Android worker Walter (Michael Fassbender) while Oram’s second in command Daniels “Dany” Branson (Katherine Waterston) protesting this action to no avail.  They head down to the planet to not only discover what lives on the surface but are thrust into a fight for survival that may birth the galaxy’s darkest nightmare.

When it actually attempts to answer the questions Prometheus left unanswered, the film is at its most engaging and intriguing to watch but when it becomes a rehash of every entry in the Alien series, the film hits with a resounding dull note.  It repeats wholesale major plot points that were seen in the first two films but with a feeling of cynicism and forcefulness that comes with a film series being continued to bring back familiar elements for the sake of nostalgia and profit.  This film kind of feels like the later Halloween sequels after the 3^rd one, bringing back Michael Myers for the sake of fan service type genre expectations.  Alien: Covenant falls into that same trapping with its plot and reasons for existing.  So, it is still a competently made film with enough set pieces and action to keep the viewers glued to the seats for this outing despite the character/plot elements leaving a lot to be desired other than the character arc with David (Michael Fassbender) as the most fleshed out of the cast of characters.

Before getting into the plot spoilers as it relates to how this film ultimately falls flat at least with this review, David is the most compelling character in this film yet again with tragedy and dark intentions surrounding his actions.  His interactions with Walter were the most intriguing of the scenes but it does diverge into a homoerotic-hilarity especially with the line “You blow into this, I’ll do the fingering” as they play the flute for 6-8 minutes.  Does it develop these characters, yes but it feels like unnecessary filler to a film that is trying to be a modern version of Alien.  As for the other cast of characters, they are thinly developed in the most crude and basic way to elicit cheap emotions to care for their deaths when their careless, dumb actions are responsible for their own fates.  The most developed is Katherine Waterston as Daniels "Dany" Branson, who just feels like a carbon copy of Ripley, so she goes through the motions with most of her development as a character and eventually a survivor against the Xenomorphs.  That should cover the non-spoiler moments of the story that were decent to watch but now, for where this film ultimately fails to not only answer questions or payoff of the story from Prometheus but a complete mash up of both that film and the first Alien film that does not combine well as a result.

Now, for the spoiler issues I had with this film and it starts with David and his overall plan/vendetta against humanity.  It is established in this film that David is responsible for creating the iconic Xenomorphs we know and love from the previous films through genetic engineering of the Space Jockey’s bioweapons and experimenting on the flora and fauna of their world.  He also commits genocide on the entire civilization of Space Jockeys and kills/experiments on Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) to finally create the Xenomorphs we know and for some reason, he can communicate and control them like a mad scientist, seriously.  Ok, this clearly changes the motivations of David completely, which feels like Prometheus was an afterthought of a film by not even answering questions regarding the origins of the Space Jockeys and why they wanted to destroy Earth/humanity in the first place.  It was basically an answer to a question nobody wanted answered about the origins of the Xenomorphs and the questionable choices don’t stop there at all.

The switcharoo of Walter and David that was totally “subtle”, was handled carelessly and comes across as too obvious with how the finale plays out.  It doesn’t help that the last act copies the original film, right down to the airlock finale of the first two films.  This is compounded upon with the overall quality of the film regarding the infamous shower scene that feels like it belongs in a Friday The 13^th or Halloween film, pushing the proceedings into unintentionally parody based hilarity.  They also shortened the time it takes for Aliens to grow into full sized creatures as another continuity retcon that does not match up with the original films at all if the point of these prequels are to match up with the Nostromo finding the vessel with these eggs in later sequels.  The biggest problem of the story though is that most of the context and explanations are relegated to YouTube videos regarding the crew and the relationship between David and Shaw, crucial scenes that are played off like homework because the filmmakers didn’t bother to put those scenes into the film.  This is a clear mess of a story that comes across like a dumb yet proactive B/C grade monster film with some talent and a bit of production value for the most part behind it.

Now, we should get to the technical elements of the film from cinematography to music and the SFX/creature designs along with the CGI artistry applied to them as they are a wealth of mixed results from good to just shoddy and cheaply done at worst.  The camera shots and views in this film are still magnificent to look at as well as the design of the world/Covenant ships that feel like a blend between the post modernist technology of the previous film along with the worn, gritty look of the tech, seen in Alien.  While it doesn’t quite have the same memorable look and shot composition of Prometheus, it is still quite a good looking film to watch with creating the world through practical locations and skillful use of sets/green screens to really showcase the scale of this uninhabited world.  Credit needs to go out to Dariusz Wolski, cinematographer who worked with Scott before on his other sci-fi/drama film The Martian as he continues to really convey the stories visually with artistic power especially in the vista moments and the horror moments of the film.  On a cinematography level, this film is masterfully shot and expertly composed as it should with a veteran on the production and the blend between the look of Prometheus with Alien working quite well together despite not being as visually unique or inspired as the previous entry in this series.

The creature designs for the Xenomorphs and also Neo-Morphs (called Deacons officially) are suitably designed and creepy to see along with H.R. Giger’s actual conceptual drawings/designs used as a way to showcase David’s study and experiments to create the perfect weapon.  However, the SFX and CGI on them are very shoddy at times, due in part from the lowered production cost of $96 million compared to the estimated $140 million from the previous film.  It gives a reason as to why the CGI does not have the same level of polish and believability as the previous film, making for some goofy moments near the end as the Alien bounces around too smoothly along with seeing its vision which feels out of place and dips too close into horror film troupes.  This was done by effects house Odd Studios and CreatureNFX and their work looks a bit wonky in this film with the vista shots and world looking spectacular but their creature movements and placement feeling a bit too jarring, with no sense of weight to them when they pop up on the screen.  It clearly shows that they try to keep cost down this time around and the results are relatively mixed in the efforts and budget put into bringing these creatures to life.

As for the music, it also had a bit of a bumpy road in solidifying who would eventually give it the audio identity for the film but eventually Jed Kurzel composed this entry in the Alien series.  It is a mixture of what Jerry Goldsmith had done to the original film as well as Marc Streitenfeld’s work on Prometheus, making a hybrid between the dark, industrialized sound of Goldsmith’s work with Streitenfeld’s mysterious, adventurous sound.  It does feel like an homage but distinctive enough to be a part of this film’s world without feeling too familiar or pandering towards fan service.  It is ambient music that works in the context of each scene and hits its goal of creating the necessary emotions well despite the issues with the screenplay. This is a technically well made film with the oddities and lack of polish present in the effects themselves, making for some jarring goofy moments with the creatures but the world feels lived in and believable in its designs and shot compositions.

It has come down to this, did Alien: Covenant succeed or fail in revitalizing a long running series that has had its shares of clunkers? Yes and No.  It has brought horror back into this series in a big way with enough thrills, blood, and gore to satisfy those looking to enjoy a campy, B/C grade monster schlock film in cinemas.  However, it fails in continuing the storylines and answer questions left hanging in Prometheus as well as wiping the slate clean to have the Xenomorphs yet again for a rehash of the previous films with nothing new to bring to the series.  The characters are yet again written thinly and commit questionable, dumb actions that get them killed like in a generic slasher/horror film while the antagonist/android characters David and Walter are the only ones that have proper character development and go about their goals sensibly.  It is ironic that the most human character is the robot as Fassbender is clearly the standout of the cast despite the other cast members doing admirably well in their roles especially with how stupidly written their characters tend to be.  The answers to questions we wanted answered are disappointing and it raises more questions in regards the Xenomorphs origins as well as David’s vendetta against humanity.  This is clearly a misguided, haphazardly made sequel to make the series go back to status quo with no regards to proper storytelling or capable direction to make it work.  Alien: Covenant delivers on the monster, horror action thrills but at the cost of quality writing, believable characters we care for, and a major retcon of the series iconic ideas and moments that will yet again split people in the middle with critical reactions to this film.

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

Alien: Covenant returns to the iconography of the series we loved and were disgusted by in the first place with the return of the xenomorphs and a simpler, modern update of the original film.  It is still a great looking film in its cinematography despite not matching the scope and scale of Prometheus in its visual look.  The action and gore is plentiful enough to satisfy those looking for a traditional monster film to enjoy in cinemas but as a sequel and continuation of the previous films and the series itself, it fails to be any different from the original films and changes it up to the point where it will divide even more fans of the series than the previous film with the plot/character choices made in this film.  It suffers the fatigue, unimaginative issue that plagues many horror series but mainly Halloween and even Friday The 13^th in finding convoluted, moronic ways to get back to the status quo.  For fans, this is going to be either a love or hate it film with the changes made to the continuity but also to going back to basics with the series while everyone else, it is disposable entertaining horror film fodder that will be forgotten and vilified before we even reach October.  

Saban's Power Rangers Review

(Minor Spoilers – I will get into some minor details regarding the setup but nothing about the specific character moments and development that were present in the film.  I will discuss only my thoughts on each character as a whole as well as the execution of the script on screen)

As a child of the 90’s, it was a good time to be watching TV shows both in live action and animated with the American/Japanese Super Sentai show Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers being popular at the time.  There are fond memories to be had with the show from a Spartan Pig terrorizing the city to a rapping Pumpkin King stopping a trivia show game with our heroic teens in it, this show really was goofy as hell but had a charming innocence to it that grab our attention but like any show, we grow out of it or it grows up and surpasses our expectation to a point.  That was the extent of my memory for the show as it ended for me after Power Rangers In Space, that had some really intriguing story elements and compelling character moments as well as bringing an end to the Zordon era of the show.  This is brought up to give context to the overall thoughts on this cinematic revival of the iconic, kids action show simply called Saban’s Power Rangers as both a filmmaker viewing the film on its own merits and as a former fan of the series that has some precursor knowledge of the show that is referenced or setup for future sequels.  Let’s get into and see if these teenagers with attitudes are the Power Rangers for our modern times.

About 65 million years ago, the Power Rangers of that period, led by Zordon (Bryan Cranston) are betrayed and killed by Rita Repulsa as a Green Ranger (Elizabeth Banks) to possess the Zeo Crystal but Zordon buries the power coins and embeds a directive into the morphing grid to grant the power of the Rangers to those that are proven worthy before being buried and frozen in ice along with Rita.  Cut to present times, we are introduced to our teenagers with attitudes and problems with Jason Scott (Dacre Montgomery), a former Football star that is trying to find where he fits in this world, Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott), a disgraced cheerleader looking to atone for her mistakes, Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler), an autistic genius that has trouble clicking with people, Trini (Becky G), a conflicted outcast that is trying to find acceptance in who she is, with others, and Zack (Ludi Lin), a caretaker for his sick mother as well as an outcast to society in a mining camp.  Each of them eventually meet up with each other to investigate a mysterious dig site the holds the buried Dino Coins and a passage to a ship based command center that holds the life force of Zordon and the faithful, sarcastic robot assistant Alpha 5 (Bill Hadar).  However, Rita Repulsa awakens from her slumber and causes havoc in Angel Grove for possession of the Zeo Crystal with her dark magic and use of creatures called the Puttys.  The Team must band together and learn to trust in each other to master the ability to morph and fight evil as the Power Rangers.

This is pretty much an origin story beat for beat that develops the characters before we get to the action and story/visual characteristics, most people came for with the Power Rangers.  As a teenager drama, it is surprisingly engaging and appreciated to see the characters develop and interact with each other.  This is due in part to the passionate, focused acting of the actors picked for these characters apart from one character that was not quite as remarkable as the other team members.  It is at its best in giving us time to develop this team, the threat Rita imposes on the city, and the inner workings of the morphing grid as well as how being in sync as a team is the only way for morphing to work.  It allows for the viewer to really like these characters and really get behind their journey from being outcasts to becoming heroes to the world as Power Rangers.  Therefore, the film works in regards to character development, world building, and set up before it kind of falters when it comes to committing to its inherently goofy source material for the climax.

Where the split with critical consensus among fans and critics occur for this film is ironically the climax, when they get to the Power Rangers action that no doubt will please fans but will come across as a drastic change and underwhelming pay off for the dramatic film that it was for 2/3^rd’s of it.  The action becomes CGI heavy and it is weightless for most the Ranger fight with the Puttys which is not assuring to see, especially if the battles should get complex in the sequels.  While the Zords are discernable and look better than anticipated in the film as recognizable, they become a blurry mess near the end when they fight together to stop a generic big monster villain called Goldar, a big faceless gold Oscar Statue looking to be loved but really sticks out in the small town of Angel Grove.  This is pointed out because it stands in stark contrast with the grounded, gritty tone for most of the story, only for the film to switch gears fast but never quite pulling it off with only a modicum of success.  It is evident in the way Rita transforms from a vengeful, bitter Ranger to the cackling, hammy witch that the Rangers contend with in the series that conflicts harshly with the other actors giving their best in this film in regards to acting.  This was ultimately a mix bag as it was cool to see them go into the campiness of the series but never quite feeling honest about it due in part to the assured dramatic tone of the first half of this film. 

As for the actors, they are surprisingly good from everyone involved starting with the main cast themselves.  Dacre Montgomery handles the leadership role of Jason well, displaying some natural chemistry with Scott as Kim and Cyler as Billy.  Naomi Scott does pretty well as Kim especially with her character moments throughout the later parts of the film with Jason.  RJ Cyler as Billy is the standout of the cast and becomes the heart of the team especially since he is continuing to prove his acting prowess after his stellar supporting role in a previous Teenage drama film Me, Earl, And The Dying Girl.  Ludi Lin is pretty much the comic relief and has some suitable moments of humor and character development that makes him fit well with this cast.  The only weak link would have to be Becky G as Trini as she seems to be coasting through most of the film as well as her somewhat snarky, edgy attitude of the character never really clicking with the other characters or cast members.  The whole cast is relatively good outside of one member that was personally not as interesting as the other characters but they truly carry the entire film despite the issues regarding the script and direction when it’s morphin’ time. 

The rest of the cast are suitably apt for the role mainly with the supporting cast and villains.  There are at least one or two character actors that are decent in their respective roles for the little time they are on screen mainly Jason’s dad Sam Scott (David Denman).  Bryan Cranston as Zordon provides a capable, steely performance to what is a flawed version of the Rangers’ mentor.  Bill Hader as Alpha 5 was a bit annoying but not so much that he was grating to watch and pulled off the bumbling assistant well enough.  The one standout of the supporting cast is Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa who is having a blast just hamming it up, delivers cheesy as hell dialogue, and is ultimately an over the top cartoon villain that does fit into the Power Rangers formula but is a stark contrast to the mature, grounded tone for the first and second acts.  That should cover the acting on display here along with the story itself.

It's time to get into the technical aspects of the film mainly with action set pieces, editing/cinematography, costume designs, and finally the score itself to round out the overall opinions on this film.  The action set pieces are actually few and far in between for most of the film as it settles for more of character drama rather than the fast, kinetic action adventure tone of the show in general.  When the Rangers get suited up and fight the Puttys (big, oversized golems, not a very creative design), it is just a CGI, sloppy toss up exchange between visibly cool to weightless and generic.  As for the big battle at the end, it does tend to be convoluted at times with moving parts, building destruction, and eventually the blandest, transformer inspired design of the Megazord, which was a very lackluster reveal with only a brief time to fight and more time given to slapstick/crass humor.  The action was set up just fine for what you expect from this series but the delivery of it, left a lot to be desired for in another sequel.

As for the suits, they are perfectly fine and a timely update to the traditional outfits from the TV show all those years ago.  It is a blend between practical and CGI applications for their off visor look and the suits move surprisingly well in action.  Even Rita’s costume design looks great as well with a mix between her scantily cladded witch with the shiny, menacing sharp look of the Green Ranger armor on her.  However, the need to show their face in the battle was kind of annoying and really feels forced so we do not get scenes that would remind us of other, better superhero films.  It would not have been difficult to discern who the Rangers are with the visors on especially since they established who each of the Rangers are in colors.  These are well made suits that are cool to look at but are implemented questionably at times during the climax of the film.

The cinematography and editing of the film is a bit of a mix bag in generally especially in the way the camera is utilized and how the cuts flow together specifically in the action set pieces.   There are times when it feels like the director and Camera Operator or DP really wanted to have a cool shot in there for the sake of it and it shows at times since it kind of undercuts certain character moments at the worst time.  It also doesn’t help that the DP seems to favor too much of the shots in dark color palettes, drowning out whatever composition the shot was going to be on the screen.  Also, the action tends to be quite frantic at times and a bit too closed into the action that makes the Putty’s CGI too apparent and the fight choreography lack any form of style to it.  It seems a bit uninspired in the way it is shot and is driven mainly by the actors who really give it their all in their performances.

We finally get to the score itself as well as the callbacks to the original theme that was catchy and memorable to hear even for a new fan of the series.  The music score is very generic and bland which is a shame since this is a superhero styled series that was known for some awesome, fitting music.  It has its moments and is mainly fine in an incidental way but really lacks any distinctive characteristics to it especially when it uses popular music at the most inappropriate time in the climax.  The theme song does kick in during the Dino Bots rushing to Angel Grove’s rescue and it was amazing to hear it but it only last for a grand total of 15-20 seconds before a Kayne West song kicks in, which is a perfectly encapsulation of the film itself.  A ton of build up for a lackluster commitment to its own source material.  The score is nothing memorable and you only hear the theme song at one point in the film and mainly in the end credits.

So, does it succeed in bringing this long running, beloved kids action show that dominated the 90’s in TV back into the big screen or does it feel too much of the same old in its execution and its confused nature of the tone for this film really hurts its chance at a comeback?  The answers lies in the middle regarding the overall quality for Saban’s Power Rangers.  It succeeds in making us feel invested and care for the teenager team behind the mask, which makes for some surprisingly compelling, coming of age drama throughout most of its run-time.  However, it also has to be a Power Rangers film as well and it kind of falls flat with the modern day execution of its inherently goofy elements feels hollow and it is also a bit shameless at using product placement as a plot point at the worst possible time.  The cast is fantastic, outside of Becky G whom I felt was just phoning it in as Trini but the whiplash in style and tone of the film along with the questionable direction of the last 30 minutes, makes this a somewhat enjoyable yet uninspired superhero action film that does not do enough in updating its source material to stand out from the plethora of comic book styled/superhero films being released currently.

Score *** out of *****   

Saban’s Power Rangers is a timely yet cautiously made adaptation of an action kids show that was at the peak of its popularity way back in the 90’s.  It confidently gives the characters’ layers of drama and development in the interactions and traits to feel properly invested in them as they grow as a team and finally come together as the Power Rangers.  However, the only weak link in the cast is Becky G as Trini but the drastic change in tone from Rita Repulsa going from scary witch to cartoonish villain not only feels out of tune with the rest of the film but it feels rushed and noncommittal to its goofy shift in the climax.  The action scenes feel weightless and hollow to watch at times and the big battle at the end is a bit of a letdown in how short and anticlimactic it was as a conclusion.  Outside of the cool looking suits, it feels too darkly lit, lacks any inspired shot compositions to be cinematic, and it never feels comfortable to embrace the outlandish, cheesy source material in art design for the film.  This is a prime example of just mediocre but could be improved as the foundation for a sequel, since it is still tied to the show and it can be interesting to see where they go next with the sequels on the horizon. 

Get Out Review

(This is going to be tricky but rest assured that I will have no major plot/character spoilers in my review as this is one film worth seeing on your own but I will go into the basic details as well as the performances from the cast to really convey my thoughts on the whole film. Enjoy!)

With the success of the sketch comedy show Key & Peele, the sky was the limit for both Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele for whatever they pursued next for their projects.  This leads to Jordan Peele’s directorial debut film called Get Out, a psychological/mystery horror film that owes a lot to those classic genre films in the veins of Hitchcock but modernized for today’s culture.  The confident, steady direction, tense build-up to the revelations, strong performances from the entire cast, likeable character writing/tight scripting on display, a clever blend of satire and societal humor regarding race/social norms of the suburbs, and another technically refined film in sound design make for quite the combination for a debut film.  It is one of the few horror films that feels well rounded and balanced in when it establishes its world but also to turn up the creepiness in all the right places. Let’s get into it with the main gist of the story.

We follow a young, talented Black photographer named Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), who is dating Rose (Allison Williams), his white girlfriend living together in an apartment in New York City happily for a few months now.  They go on a home visit trip to Rose’s family home out in upstate New York just as his buddy from TSA Rod Williams (Lil Rel Howery), takes care of their home and dog while they are away.  As soon as they arrive, Rose’s parents Dean Armitage (Bradley Whitford) and Missy Armitage (Catherine Keener) are quite friendly yet off along with the Black house/garden keeper Georgina (Betty Gabriel) and Walter (Marcus Henderson) despite the idyllic setting of the place.  However, the more of the people Chris sees around the neighborhood, the more off-putting it gets as he discovers the mystery behind their family, their black servants, and a strange technique that could reveal a nightmare too horrible to imagine or remember.

That’s the general gist without going into details but suffice to say, this is a well-paced and cleverly structured horror story on display here with a love for the genre and implemented with a blend of satirical dark humor along with a genuine sense of dread and creepiness that is present throughout this whole film.  All the characters are writing wonderfully and feel like believable yet flawed human beings that make sensible choices to their characters especially when their own set of quirks or traits are flipped into the extremities as the horror component finally takes over gradually.  It really felt like a great genre blend of the social thriller with a family drama/comedy which Peele made it work for his story as well as the characters living up to but subverting those character troupes you would expect from this type of film.  The story is compelling, creepy in all the right ways, engaging, and satisfyingly enjoyable from start to finish.

It is also worth noting how this film approaches racism with its social commentary without diluting it or being arrogantly pretentious about it.  The humor is absolutely spot on when it clicks especially with that feeling of cringe like embarrassment when dealing with people that do not understand another person and his/her ethnicity.  It is also tied into the main mystery of the film and felt very organic in its reason to be a part of the motivation for this story.  Thankfully, it never felt like it must poke fun at racism for the sake of it but really when it matters to the story and the characters’ discomfort about it.  It had to be mention as that will be the main pre-conceived contention with this film when it is clearly unwarranted.  While it does have elements of racism, it is handled with subtlety and intention behind it as well as tying in well with the comedy and horror elements smoothly.    

Now, for the performances of the cast starting with the leads then the supporting cast themselves.
Daniel Kaluuya as Chris is an upcoming star in the making especially after turning heads with his passionate, powerful performance on the BBC/Netflix show Black Mirror.  He gives the right amount of charisma and vulnerability to make the audience root for him to survive without feeling the need to see him bite the dust.  Another surprise is Allison Williams as Rose, who really showcases her charming personality and magnetic chemistry with Kaluuya which makes the romance believable and impact the most when it takes its turn for the worse.  It is also worth noting Lil Rel Howery as Rod Williams as he provides legitimate, well written comedy relief in the most appropriate places in the story that allows for us to really be a part of this mystery without detracting from the main story itself.  The notable leads were fantastic in this film along with a strong, memorable supporting cast to really set this apart from most directed horror films.

Each of the family members with all their quirks and character traits that feel well defined and add to the atmosphere of the setting as we learn more about their home as well as their family history.  With Rose’s father Dean, Bradley Whitford really plays up the dutiful yet friendly father nicely to ease the characters into the setting before it gets flipped upside down.  Catherine Keener as Missy, the psychologist with a knack for hypnosis really provides a steady, surreal performance to go along with some of the most subdued, yet unnervingly psychological moments in the film. Even Rose’s Brother Jeremy Armitage (Caleb Landry Jones) really starts to get the uneasiness going early especially with his dialogue even though he is not as developed or quite memorable compared to the other cast members in the film.  It is also worth mentioning the housekeeper Georgina (Betty Gabriel) and groundskeeper Walter (Marcus Henderson) as they both do an exceptional job with the scenes given to them as well as providing for some of the creepier, surreal moments in the film.  Overall, the cast fit their roles perfectly with charisma and passion for the material at work here.

Let’s get into the technical aspects of the film starting with the cinematography and editing of this film.  This is a wonderfully shot film with a great use of the location and lighting as well to shape it to the intention of the scenes.  It is admirable to see how much it relies on those long takes with minimal cuts to it, effective in establishing and maintain the atmosphere with such confidence and patience that has not be seen in many horror films these days.  That ties into the evenly paced speed of the film’s story through the editing as it allows for us to really absorb the setting, family, history of the place, and the characters’ interaction to never truly feel slow or fast in the way the narrative moves in this film.  The script was already good to begin with but the technical aspects of the editing and cinematography really allow for it to flow so well that it is worth commending it for keeping the audience intrigued and focused on where the story will go next.

Lastly, there is the sound design of the film from the use of the sound effects as well as the minimalistic soundtrack at work here.  This is another horror film that utilizes sound effectively to create tension and moments of unease in the right places.  It never felt like it was used for a cheap scare at all and really adds to the film and its atmosphere instead of detracting from it.  As for the soundtrack, there is a clever use of low key blues music at times but more of that 70’s low-key orchestra that really plays well to the idyllic yet isolating nature of the setting.  The sound design is effective at its implementation and use to really create this ominous yet scary soundscape to the film.

While Split was a good start to this year of horror, Get Out is truly a surprisingly effective, creepy psychological horror film that really plays with the genre expectations and delivers on that feeling of dread that many films of this genre have difficulty achieving.  It is worth noting that it really comes across like a tale that you would expect out of a The Twilight Zone or even Tales From The Crypt episode in how it combines elements of genres to tell a story with purpose and intention behind it.  That is what this film accomplishes with great success from the sharp screenplay on display here as well as the amazingly good direction from Jordan Peele to really get the finest performances out of his talented, phenomenal cast here.  This is going to be one for the books with horror films and that alone is quite the debut for a filmmaker who was finally given a chance to really make the kind of genre driven film he wanted to make.

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

Get Out is a fantastic, expertly crafted horror film debut for Jordan Peele as a director and writer, who continues to showcase his ability to craft a structured story of a genre with care and passion for it on a dramatic and comedic level.  This also features a stellar cast that fit each role perfectly and play up each of the well-defined characters quirks so well that it feels naturally scary and creepy when the horror elements kick in.  It also handles racism and the social commentaries with such surprisingly subtlety and care to make it fit with the comedic/horror moments of its story.  The technical aspects are no slouch either with some truly inspired cinematography with some tense yet patient editing of the story as well as another film with an effective sound design at work here.  This is one family home trip worth paying a visit to in theaters.