Movie Review: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1

One of my biggest guilty pleasures has always been DC comics animated features, which made me the prime demographic (despite my age) for The Dark Knight Returns Part 1. I understand this film came about a year ago, but for some reason I failed to pick it up until now.

Based on the prestigious comic book of the same name written by Frank Miller. The Dark Knight Returns tells the story of an aged batman, whose last appearance was 10 years ago. Though completely out of the game the nightmares of his parents death continue and Gotham begins its descent into darkness. The streets are now controlled by a gang known as The Mutants and some of the most notorious Batman characters are near the end of their glory days. Commissioner Gordon is  retiring from the police force, and Harvey Dent/Two Face has received plastic surgery to fix his face. Batman's most admirable foe The Joker is nearly a vegetable in Arkham, and only the thought of Batman gets any reaction out of him. The biggest hit for Bruce was his former partner Robin's (The Jason Todd version) death, leaving his faithful butler Alfred as the only part of his life. Struggling with the loss of Jason and the state of Gotham, Bruce decides that he is nothing without Batman, and Gotham is doomed without him. Does Bruce have enough to take back Gotham even at his aged state? Or will The Dark Knight only return to fail?

This animated feature is what I would consider top tier entertainment. I am a firm believer that DC animated films are just as good as 90% of the animated features release in theaters. However, besides Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, they are all straight to DVD films. Which makes it easier for fans to pick them up as soon as they are released. With a pg-13 rating The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 focuses on telling a dark story with enough violence to please any comic book fan. It's twisted and gritty and offers the mature viewing experience that DC fans have come to love. Not to mention it still offers brutal fight sequences and beautiful animation, that reaches any standard set by the company. There was many times throughout the movie where a sequence made me smile from ear to ear. Hopefully one day someone considers using the action techniques used within this animated film. I love the way Batman snuck around the shadows, and used his grappling hook effectively, it is something that has never been done in a live action adaptation. Batman Begins definitely achieved it the best, and I hope to see that kind of Batman again soon. Not to mention the story had a brisk pace, and offered a series of character arcs for all the big players within the film. Though not every character struck home for me (Female Robin), the character who did made it a tremendous viewing experience.

I will admit, I miss Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill's Joker but isn't that to be expected? I love Batman Year One and Brian Cranston voicing Commissioner Gordon but I had to accept the other voice actors. While never reaching the untouchable bench mark set by the classic voice actors, each person did their character justice. Which is really all I can ask for in this situation. The mutants may not have been a strong villains, but they were the stepping stone for bigger and better things. This is indeed Part 1 and all the story and build up is certainly there. It leads me to believe that Part 2 will be no holds bar throw down, couple with many familiar faces. Other than minor gripes, this was a really good film and any fan of DC comics should check it out. In my opinion, The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 fits nicely at the bottom of the top 5 Best DC animated films. I can only assume Part 2 may knock it off.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

Movie Review: Elysium

Neill Blomkamp busted onto the scene with the 2009 hit District 9. The film garnered a best picture nomination and gave Blomkamp the opportunity to direct a big budget adaptation of the Halo video game series. While the film never surfaced do to a lack of creative control in Blomkamp's court, we were given an original sci-fi film in the form of Elysium.  While my mind still swirls around the potential of master chief on the big screen, I gladly went to a theater to see Blomkamp's next effort.

In a not so distant future, the earth is slowly crumbling due to the overpopulation of the planet. The solution was to build a orbiting community known as Elysium that is inhabited by the wealthy. If you aren't wealthy you are stuck on earth, with whatever is left. Elysium is equipped with medical pods that can cure anything in one sitting, and due to its orbital location it's near impossible to get into unless your a citizen. Earth is full of crime and poverty, and is given little to no medical attention and are patrolled by a robotic police force implemented by the leaders of Elysium. Our protagonist is Max (Matt Damon), and due to a freak accident is in need of medical attention to survive. In turn his childhood friend Frey (Alice Braga) has a daughter who is also in need of medical attention that can only be found on Elysium. With a metal exoskeleton attached to his body giving him heightened abilities; Max must get onto Elysium, overthrow its leader Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and avoid the bounty hunter hired to kill him (Sharlto Copley's Kruger).

While the premise of the film is very interesting and Blomkamp is extremely talented, this film felt very flat to me. The world building that Blomkamp does is spectacular and the film has very good special effects and above average action sequences. However the liberal side of Blomkamp is ultimately this films downfall. I am not a political person, I don't enjoy politics and I can't stand the debates in which some people get into. However, I love a director that has something to say and implements some intriguing ideas throughout their films. It needs to be done tastefully though and for me this film was very heavy handed in its approached. Elysium is preachy, and intense body explosions every 5 minutes doesn't cover it up. The fact that the California area of poverty was 99.9% Latinos, and the inhabitance of Elysium was 100% Caucasians is enough to feel heavy handed. However, we are also given a obvious sci-fi boarder hopping scene and the all rich people are terrible theme. I love what your trying to do Neill but lets be subtle about it and make a good film first, there is no need for such battery. It was also severely disappointing to see someone get his first shot at big budget film making and deliver such a conventional story. He was given the money to do something special, and instead turned what could have been a complex and thought provoking story, into a conventional action flick. Its in a way a very polished film, that teeters within the realm of unimaginative action story telling.

What Elysium does do well is give us technology we haven't seen on film, despite every death being in the form of a body explosion. It felt like it could have fit well with a Halo movie. Acting wise Damon did an solid job and that is where my compliments will end. Sharlto Copley is a great actor and he has an undeniable presence in the film as a villain, unfortunately his accent was enigmatic, and had me often leaning forward in hopes to understand better. His high pitch voiced just wasn't intimidating and that hurt him. As for Jodie Foster I couldn't stand her regal accent. She was extremely poor throughout the entire film and I patiently waited for her to be off the screen. The end was also extremely disappointing and felt like a cop-out to me. I will not go into detail because it is a spoiler free review. I appreciate the effort and this film won't tarnish his reputation (which has been announced as Chappie), I just feel a big budget film is not what he is ready for.

Verdict: 2 out of 5

My Thoughts on Ben Affleck as Batman

Though I am late to this party, id like to give a brief opinion on the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman. I want to start by saying that Ben is a fantastic director and can be a very good actor at times. I am not by any means against this casting but I felt it could be a missed opportunity for Warner Brothers with this choice.

Pros

The biggest pro in this situation is that you keep an incredible director with a company that will allow him to make his own films. I would be shocked to hear that Affleck accepted this role without any agreement between him and WB allowing him to direct some "pet projects" that he has in his mind. He also would be given the opportunity to direct his own Batman solo outings, and he is a much better actor in films he is directing. Also Zack Snyder the director of Superman vs. Batman is known for being a fantastic collaborator and Ben Affleck may be one of the best options to collaborate with. He could help refine the story and the script which could result in a better film. If anyone is a better to collaborate with than Ben it would be Chris Nolan, who could also have a hand in Superman vs. Batman. Snyder's visual style should work well with the fundamental skills that Affleck can bring to the table. I am also very confident he can pull off the role of Bruce Wayne, since a billionaire playboy fits within the realm of Ben's acting. Also the picture above while photo shopped makes me believe he could be solid. However...

Cons

Though I have confidence with him as Bruce, I lack confidence in him as Batman. Nothing about Affleck has ever struck me with fear, and that includes his impressive and somewhat tough performance in The Town. He is recognizable and his presence at times lacks, which could take me out of his performance. Unlike Cavill as Superman who was relatively unknown and benefited from that. Affleck is a well known face and even with a cowl I will always know its him. He very well could pull it off, and I will be the first to admit that if he does. However, right now I don't see him as Batman because he lacks the edge that Bale had. I have noticed that often in big budget productions that Ben doesn't direct, he just phones it in and fails to strive above an average performance. Its very possible that if his head is elsewhere, he won't bring his A game. The argument that I commonly see is, "we all hated the Heath Ledger casting as the Joker and look how that turned out". That is completely irrelevant, because there are as many bad castings as good castings.

The best things we can all do is wait and see. Nobody knows how things will turn out, everyone should try and stay neutral until the first footage is released.

Movie Review: The World's End

 

When going to see the final installment of the "Three Flavors Of Cornetto" trilogy (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz), my expectations were through the roof. I am glad to report this film surpassed my expectations and capped of this non-conventional trilogy perfectly. In this film, five friends return to their childhood homes in hopes to complete The Golden Mile, something they previously attempted after their final year of high school. The Golden Mile, a pub crawl which consists of a pint of beer in all twelve bars that occupy the town of New Haven. While nostalgia runs through everyone veins, the seemingly normal town is everything but, and the journey to The World's End is the least of their problems when humanity is on the brink of extinction.

The core of the film is the performances given by each member of the group. Their is the fearless leader Gary King (Simon Pegg), who lives in the past and brings the group together for one last run at The Golden Mile. His past wingman Andy Knightley (Nick Frost), who after an accident swore off drinking and shunned his would be best friend. Peter Page (Eddie Marsan) the odd man in the group who was bullied throughout high school and used the group as protection, Oliver Chamberlain (Martin Freeman) the straight laced leasing agent, and Steven Prince (Paddy Considine) another middle aged man with his fair share of problems. There is no need for me to say much, because the film begins with a monologue introducing all the characters. What impressed me the most was the range shown by both Frost and Pegg. The later of the two had a very strong emotional scene near the films finale, while the other showed a side unlike what we have seen in the previous two films of the trilogy. As the other three men they were all given distinct moments to differentiate themselves from the crowd, I also appreciate when a director gives everyone a satisfying arc and a moment to shine throughout the film. This can be credited to the writing of Pegg and director Edgar Wright, who have always been very character oriented in their work.

As for the story it is laced with every trick Edgar Wright has, resulting in a film that may have similar shticks to Shaun of The Dead or Hot Fuzz. Its extremely witty and the dialogue is shot out like a bullet, particularly from Simon Pegg. This should supply enough chuckles to please the crowd for the majority of the run time. Like in most situations the more alcohol consumed the funnier it gets, because in all honesty drunk people are funny. If you are lucky enough to have avoided the trailers you are in for a pleasant surprise on what may be threatening humanity, and the films wraps up their mytho's rather well. While some may feel the end may get silly or preachy, I found it to be really funny and fit the overall characters well. Not to mention with all the laughs you are provided with high class fight choreography for these older gentlemen. It was funny and clever and executed extremely well by every man, it really kept the film from slowing down at any point.

All in all it's a fast paced riot that I have seen 3 times without any change of opinion. It's easily in my top 3 films of the year so far and I can't wait to add it to my Blu-Ray collection. If you are lucky enough to have a theater that provides alcohol, feel free to buy a cup and raise a glass as you embark on one hell of a ride. Drink Responsibly.

Verdict 4.5 out of 5