Gods and MonstersWhen James Cameron proclaimed his latest cinematic behemoth Avatar a "game-changer", I don't think he quite imagined the real consequences that would ensue. Instead of technological filmmaking being pushed further beyond the boundaries he pushed them, every studio is instead looking at the big bucks it earned and equating it to the high ticket price of 3D screens. Of course that's why the film made over two billion dollars; it had nothing to do with the level of storytelling, entertainment or the fact that Cameron shot it in 3D. Nope, it was just the price of the ticket. This has led to an outpour of new 3D movies, with the main problem being that most of these movies were shot in plain old 2D and later converted. An example this year was Alice in Wonderland, an okay movie not enhanced at all by the 3D. This is another one. Thankfully I skipped the 3D and probably saw a much better film.
Remade from the cheesy 1981 classic, this film tells a similar tale about Perseus and his battle against the gods. Sam Worthington, of the aforementioned Avatar fame, plays Perseus is his trademarked "everyman" quality. Perseus is part god, the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) who along with his brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) plots against man after one city declares war on the gods. In order to get revenge against Hades for killing his family, as well as save the princess before the dreaded Kraken destroys the city, Perseus has to face many obstacles in order to save the day.
This was one of the films I was significantly looking forward to in the new year, and for my taste, it doesn't disappoint. Director Louis Leterrier has given us films like The Transporter and The Incredible Hulk, and of his entire filmography, this is without a doubt my favorite from him. His speciality has always been the action sequences, and here they all find the right intensity to strike. The action is very engaging and fun to watch. Even though his direction has to suffer through a very clunky script, I still found Leterrier's method of delivering action to be surprising to say the least.
The acting is an element that is give or take in this film. Apart from Worthington who delivers yet another similar performance in his arsenal, nearly everyone here is devouring the scenery. Neeson and Fiennes ham it up in their godly personas, and other players like Mads Mikkelson as an antagonistic hero and Gemma Arterton as an ageless beauty who assists Perceus in his quest are obviously reaching a bit far. But even that is an element that makes the film fun. It's a grand spectacle with an extra help of cheese, but that's what I like about it.
Now, don't get me wrong, this movie does have problems and most of it lies within the script. The story is poorly drawn out, the characters are flat (Arterton especially feels like a cheat in the script), the dialogue is corny and there are plenty of slow spots. But I know that these elements were present in the original film, and Leterrier and company do their best to try to improve them as much as possible. I feel that they've succeeded, and even though I can cite the major faults, I still can't deny I had a hell of a time watching it. And if you can, please see this film in the regular 2D. You'll have a better movie going experience and save money at the same time. Thank gods for that. *** / ****; GRADE: B
Hipster Replacement For the last couple of years now, movie theaters seem to have been bombarded by new kind of anti-hero film. Batman is without a doubt the most famous kind, but the indie crowd seems to specialize in protagonists that murmur about as if they don't want to be the center of their own stories. Noah Baumbach might seem like the kind of director who specializes in this, but Ben Stiller might not be the first name to come to mind. Yet their collaboration has occurred for yet another anti-hero indie film, and the result for me is less than stellar.
Stiller has the title role of Roger Greenberg, a forty-year-old construction worker who's gone back to L.A. after living in New York to housesit for his brother while he is on vacation. Greenberg isn't that much of a likable guy, but he wanders about his listless life trying to develop while simultaneously not develop a relationship with his brother's assistant Florence (Greta Gerwig). His biting personality also tries to reunite love with an old flame (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and hold onto a shaky friendship with an old friend (Rhys Ifan).
I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan of Noah Baumbach, as I have only seen one film in his career. However, that one film I have seen, The Squid and the Whale, is one of my absolute favorites for capturing the dysfunctional while also providing wonderful characters to explore. For some reason or another, Baumbach never reaches that level here, and the characters he creates are flat, boring, meaningless and a little too whiny for my taste. Baumbach is a talented artist, but his actions feel too deliberate which makes for a meandering pace the degrades any momentum the film could build up.
Stiller I am less a fan of, though Tropic Thunder tried to restore some faith in him. The limitations of his character get in the way of Stiller to fully flesh out Greenberg, but there are several moments when Stiller can use his more quiet sensibilities to showcase real drama. At the same time, Still also handles the more energetic outbursts quite well. A blunt epiphany from a cocaine influenced Greenberg is the main highlight of the film. Gerwig is perhaps given the greatest character in the film, and I was impressed by her performance as one that feels very grounded, and I look forward to what she can do in the future. Ifan and Leigh are nice additions but wasted under limited screentime.
I was mildly looking forward to this film, but despite Michael Phillips's four star rave, I just can't get on board. All the pieces that make up the film are more than capable to deliver, but at the end of the day, not a single interesting character crosses our path, and that means more than watching some respectable actors perform against a few well executed, but sparse moments. Indies will never be without their anit-heroes, but I could do without this one. **1/2 / ****; GRADE: C+
