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Category Archives: Watch for the special effects
Moviegoers Assemble – Avengers: Age of Ultron is Worth Seeing
Posted by on May 1, 2015
May 1 marks the release of the much-anticipated second movie in the Avengers franchise. Comic book fans and non-fans alike should take the time to see this movie; it has action, it has humor, it has character development, it has an astounding plot with copious twists and turns, and it sets up for future Marvel movies, including Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity Wars. Without further ado, the good, the less good and the slightly ugly of Avengers: Age of Ultron
Starting with the negatives, few that they were, the movie starts out a little shaky, graphically. The first scene has a lot of movement and action, but it looks very fake, as if they did not spend as much time focusing on it as they did the rest of the movie. When opening a big movie that has a lot of computerized graphics, it is probably not the best idea to start sloppy. However, by the end of the fight, it comes together much more fully, and the rest of the movie is graphically gorgeous.
That was the strongest negative that could be found in this movie. This was an amazing film, far and away the best in the Marvel lineup, which is saying something, given the strong films they have been producing. The only other disappointment was the lack of an after-credits scene; there is still a mid-credits scene, but nothing at the end of the long lists of names and people thanked.
Turning to the good points of the movie, the humor by far stole the show. Every character had one-liners galore, and there were few scenes that did not at some point elicit chuckles in the audience. Even Ultron himself, the villain of the movie, had some light-hearted moments, mostly thanks to the incredible voice acting done by James Spader.
If there is one reason to go and see this movie, it is absolutely James Spader’s performance as Ultron. Spader has a way of bringing even the darkest and most malevolent characters into the light and giving them a unique sort of twisted humor. Ultron is no different. He finds just the proper balance between homicidal lunatic and smiling savior that makes him a joy to watch.
That’s not to say that the rest of the characters are not given their due time. Hawkeye, who got somewhat shafted for screen time and development in the first movie, became one of the most important parts of the sequel. He got significant plot points, the audience learned more about his background, and there were a number of surprise moments that he brought to the film. The other characters who haven’t gotten their own movies yet, Black Widow and Hulk, both got significant development themselves, making the team feel more whole.
It’s good to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe expanding, and the addition of the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and the Vision to the Avengers team certainly fleshes out the world significantly. Even though Marvel doesn’t own the rights to call the Maximoff twins “mutants” like they are in the comics, they did a good job of portraying them as superpowered individuals, and they got a backstory that matched well the actions they were taking.
Marvel is particularly good about peppering their movies with Easter eggs, and this film is no different. The film makes reference to Wakanda, the African country that is ruled by the Black Panther, and the Avengers go to speak to a black market trader off the coast of the nation, Ulysses Klaue. Klaue is better known in the comics as Klaw, an enemy of the Black Panther who can manipulate sound and who is constantly after the vibranium that is protected by the tribes of Wakanda.
Dr. Helen Cho, a friend of Tony Stark’s, is the mother of a hero in the comics named Amadeus Cho, who is an ally to the Avengers; though Amadeus does not show up in this movie, it does leave open the possibility for him to appear in the future. Thor discovers the purpose of the Infinity Gems, the major magical items that have been appearing in each of the phase 2 films, and warns the Avengers of Thanos’ coming war, which is a set up directly for the next Avengers films, Infinity War (which will be released in two parts in 2018 and 2019).
One other discovered secret has to do with some computer chips that Iron Man messes with late in the movie. Though the scene moves quickly, one of the chips is labeled “Jocasta.” In the comics, Jocasta is the name of a robot bride that Ultron makes for himself. This could hint at a return of Ultron in later movies – Ultron never stays dead for very long – with his wife at his side.
As mentioned earlier, aside from the first scene, the graphics of this movie are fantastic. The fight scenes have a lot of action, and they look realistic and massive. The battle between Hulk and Iron Man in the Hulkbuster armor is particularly wonderful, as they are destroying a massive city between the two of them. Iron Man manages to continue saving people while he battles, a protective side to Tony Stark that isn’t often seen.
I recommend this movie without hesitation to anyone and everyone. Whether in 3D, IMAX or on a regular screen, go see this in theatres. One of the great parts of this movie is hearing the reactions of others to events as they happen. Age of Ultron is one of the best movies of recent years, another big success for Marvel Studios.
Avengers: Age of Ultron is in theatres now. It was directed and written by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios. It stars James Spader, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor‑Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany.
Daredevil: Marvel’s Own Dark Knight
Posted by on April 11, 2015
Netflix and Marvel are teaming up to bring four new superhero shows to viewers, showcasing characters that are not as popular in the comics pantheon. The first of these shows, Daredevil, saw its digital premier this weekend, with all 13 episodes in the first season releasing at once. One 13-hour binge watching session later, it’s clear that this is a good show. Good, but not great. It has a lot of action, a lot of fighting and a lot of fantastic stunts, but it also spends a lot of time standing around talking. For this, the source material is to blame: Daredevil simply isn’t that exciting of a superhero. By day he’s a lawyer and by night he’s a vigilante who is simply human, with all the vulnerabilities that anyone else would have. Still, if you liked Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, this is a show that you’ll enjoy – only the names were really changed.
Matt Murdock, the main character, was struck blind in an accident as a child. He pushed a man out of the way of an incoming truck, and then got dowsed in the hazardous chemicals that the truck was carrying. These chemicals may have blinded him, but they also enhanced his other senses. As a result, he became incredibly sensitive to the smallest sounds, changes in air currents, the slightest fluctuations in temperature and the like. He developed a way to see the world around him without seeing it.
His father was an amateur boxer who was in on a scheme to rig fights, and he would often lose intentionally as a way to earn extra cash. After Matt’s accident, his father decides he wants to be a hero to his son for once, and wins a fight he was supposed to lose. The men rigging the fight lose a lot of money because of it, and have him killed, orphaning Matt. While at the orphanage, Matt meets a man called “Stick” who is also blind and who teaches him how to utilize his remaining senses as a fighting technique. Matt eventually becomes a lawyer and returns to where he grew up, the Hell’s Kitchen area of New York. He begins patrolling in the night, using his super hearing to listen for crimes in progress that he can stop. While he starts with petty crime, he soon ends up involved in a battle for the entirety of Hell’s Kitchen, thanks to a case he gets hired onto in the course of his day job. The Russian, Chinese and Japanese mafias are all working together under the leadership of a man named Wilson Fisk – known in the comics as Daredevil’s greatest adversary, “Kingpin” – and Matt is determined to keep his home safe.
Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin
The show does a good job of balancing Matt’s nighttime activities with his daytime life, as well as the lives of his friends and allies. His law partner and best friend Foggy Nelson, along with their secretary Karen Page and journalist Ben Urich, spend their days working to take down Kingpin using the legal system, not knowing that Matt is spending his nights working outside of the system to accomplish the same goal. At the same time, the show also gives viewers an in-depth look at Kingpin himself. It looks at his background being abused by his father, explores his motivations behind attempting to take over the area (spoilers: his motives are actually noble, though his methods are underhanded), and it even shows his warmth in dealing with those he loves. In many ways, Kingpin comes off as a more believable and likable character than the titular hero.
Matt Murdock, Karen Page, Ben Urich and Foggy Nelson
Normally, when a show has this many moving parts, it’s hard to keep all of the plates in the air at once. Daredevil manages to keep them aloft by not overreaching with any of them. The characters are not one dimensional by any means, but most do stop at two dimensions. This problem is likely due to the limited number of episodes, and will be corrected with a second season. The plot mostly revolves around the characters finding some new piece of information and then hiding from or getting roughed up by Kingpin’s men until that information can be put to use while Daredevil is either beating up gang members or getting beaten up badly himself. The show does shine during the action sequences, though, and anyone who is a fan of watching acrobatic fighting maneuvers as one man takes out an entire army of gang members will love this show for that. It just begins to feel formulaic and repetitive after a while.
The show is being praised by many for being darker and grittier than anything else in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it is at that. It is the first Marvel product to get a Mature rating on television. This fits with the tenor of the comics; Daredevil is more of an antihero akin to Punisher or Batman than he is a hero like the MCU has given audiences so far. This is a trend that is likely to continue in the upcoming Netflix/Marvel shows, as Jessica Jones has a rather dark history, as does Luke Cage. However, just because it is dark and gritty and mature does not mean that it is a great show. That’s not to say it’s bad, and it is, in fact, a good series. However, it is being overhyped due to its realism as stacked next to other Marvel properties, and that is praise it simply does not deserve.
Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Daredevil and Jessica Jones, coming soon to Netflix as the Defenders
I recommend Daredevil to anyone who likes the Dark Knight trilogy because that is the mental comparison I made throughout every episode. I recommend it for those who like shows based on comics, particularly if you plan to watch the other upcoming Netflix/Marvel shows leading up to the Defenders miniseries. I recommend it for anyone who just likes to watch action and violence. I do not recommend it for anyone who doesn’t like these things or who is just looking for a new crime procedural or cop drama. This is so much more and so much less than that.
Daredevil is a Netflix original series that began streaming on April 10, 2015. It stars Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Vincent D’Onofrio.
Kingsman: The Not-So-Secret Success
Posted by on February 22, 2015
Before reading any farther, know that I absolutely recommend going to see this movie. It is action packed, humorous, smart and funny, all rolled into one. It spoofs the whole genre of spy thrillers, but it has a cohesive and entertaining plot without too much overt mockery of other such films. “Kingsman: The Secret Service” deserves to be seen in the theatres, and these are just some of the reasons. Spoilers for the movie may follow, so be warned.
The movie focuses on a poor 20-something called “Eggsy” (played by Taron Egerton) who is leading a rough life. He’s had trouble with the law, dropped out of school and the military and his mother’s boyfriend is a violent brute who leads a gang of local toughs. After getting arrested for stealing and wrecking a car, Secret Agent Harry Hart (played by Colin Firth) offers to train him in the craft of being a gentleman spy. Hart belongs to the titular organization, and they are recruiting a new member to replace one of their organization who was killed early in the movie. Each remaining member – all of whom are codenamed for Knights of the Round Table out of Arthurian legend – is allowed to nominate one person who will compete with the other nominees in a series of trials to determine who is most fit to join the Kingsmen.
While Eggsy is undergoing these tests, Hart, codenamed “Galahad,” begins investigating the death of his fellow agent as well as the mysterious disappearances of world leaders and celebrities. He discovers that the Internet mogul Richmond Valentine (played by Samuel L. Jackson) is behind these events. Valentine believes he is trying to save the world from the threat posed by global warming. With so many people on the planet using resources wastefully, the risk is evident, to him, at least. He wants to reduce the population of the earth to only those that he has selected as worth saving – the smart, the powerful, the rich and the artists. Valentine comes off as a fairly happy-go-lucky guy, but what makes him truly terrifying as a villain is that he honestly believes he is doing this for the good of the world, and his reasoning is frighteningly astute for the state of the world today. Though, he is also aided by an assassin who has blades that extend from her prosthetic legs, so she adds to his status as well.
Since Eggsy is the main character, he, of course, ends up being involved in the climactic final battle, though the twists and turns of the movie to get him there are highly entertaining. A lot of tropes from classic spy and adventure movies are present in this film, which makes predicting the general plotline somewhat easy. What makes a movie like this shine, given that, is the use of detail to surprise or distract the audience from thinking about what’s coming next. “Kingsman” uses both comedy and action to this end, and it works in its favor. It’s not often that you get to see Colin Firth take out a room full of thugs with an umbrella, or watch Samuel L. Jackson get nauseated at the sight of blood while simultaneously plotting the deaths of nearly seven billion people. The movie even finds the right balance between drama and comedy, moving seamlessly from a scene where Eggsy gets caught trying to steal a grenade shaped like a lighter to one where Valentine and Hart face off as enemies.
The movie has a strong plot and a lot of star power (Egerton, Firth and Jackson are joined by Michael Caine, Mark Strong, and even Mark Hamill), but it also has a great soundtrack and some amazing cinematography. The music for each scene is well-chosen and well-choreographed, particularly when the fireworks start later in the movie, and the fight scenes are beautiful to watch. While the story revolving around the main character starts rather slow, and ends up being rather goofy, this is an uplifting and action packed movie that simply leaves the audience feeling good. It is well worth the price of admission, even if you only go to watch Colin Firth take out the movie’s version of the Westboro Baptist Church and then attend a private dinner catered by McDonalds.
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” is in theatres now. It is produced by Marv Films and distributed by 20th Century Fox, and stars Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson and Taron Egerton.
Hobbit: The Battle of Fantasy Fighting Action
Posted by on December 23, 2014
The final movie in the Hobbit franchise (at least until Peter Jackson decides to adapt the Simarillion into a three or more part epic) premiered last week to an opening weekend total of $90 million. It closed out the storylines of the previous Hobbit movies effectively, and it opened a few links to the Lord of the Rings movies that it precedes temporally. It had an all-star cast, great music, stunning visuals, and it will continue to rake in money over the next few weekends as people take time off during the holidays to finish out this epic series. It has many incredible parts to it, but do the pieces together form a cohesive whole? Let’s take a look at whether The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is worth seeing in theatres.
If you’re going to this movie expecting a lot of plot, you’ll be disappointed. This is the weakest part of the film. Since this is the third piece of a book that takes less time to read than it takes to sit and watch the movies, there is not a lot of story left to tell. Within 10 minutes of the film’s beginning, the largest cliffhanger from the previous movie is resolved, and whispers in the theatre begin commenting, “Well, that was a short movie.” The rest of the movie is spent concluding the quest of the dwarves and conducting the titular battle. Now, to say there is little plot is not to say that there is little action. The whole movie is action, as one would expect from a subtitle like Battle of the Five Armies. Even though we know how some of the action sequences will turn out thanks to the Lord of the Rings movies, that doesn’t detract from the excitement of the fight scenes.
What does detract from the movie is the insertion of two minor plots that steal from the action for no apparent reason. These plots come in the form of the wood-elf Tauriel and the human Alfrid Lickspittle. Tauriel is an elf woman who first appeared in Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. She’s the equal of (or perhaps even greater than) the ever-popular Legolas in terms of bow skills, beauty and general elven bad-assery. Then she falls in love with a dwarf. While this romance subplot does not diminish her skills, it does somewhat weaken her character. Her choices seem somewhat haphazard in relation to the other characters; whereas they are fighting for their homes or for revenge or for riches (no one ever accused their motives of being noble), she seems to totter into scenes just to shoot things in the pursuit of her dwarf. Her final lines in the movie even fall back on being a romantic cliché. This lack of direction of her character is likely due to the fact that she was created by Peter Jackson for the purposes of these two movies. Tauriel does not appear in the source material, and so she has no plot relevance. A weak personal ending and a lack of direction unfortunately hampered an otherwise impressive character.
Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel
Alfrid Lickspittle, on the other hand, was exactly what you’d expect from someone with the name “Lickspittle.” Long, greasy hair, sunken eyes under a unibrow, a pedophile-type mustache… he’s the quintessential “worm” character. He does everything he can to look out for his own interests, and clings to the person with the most power in the foolish belief that it keeps him secure and well-off. He seems intended to provide comic relief to a movie heavy with death, but he fails at that task. By his third appearance, groans can be heard from most moviegoers. Alfrid does come off as exactly the character he is intended to be, but he was not a necessary part of the film. He could have easily been removed, and no part of the plot would have been altered even slightly. He was another addition by Peter Jackson, though he was based on an unnamed advisor to the Master of Laketown that appeared in a single scene in the original book. Perhaps the movie character would have been better had he received the same treatment.
Ryan Gage as Alfrid Lickspittle
Though it may seem like I’m stuck on the negatives of this film, it does have some powerful factors in its favor as well. Most notable, of course, are the graphic elements. The scenery is gorgeous, with wide, sweeping shots that give a sense of scale to the battle sequences. The special effects and the CGI are expertly done, and no one can ever get enough of exploding walls and glittering elven armies and terrifying orcish hordes and flaming cities and swooping war bats… I mean, unless you’re living through it… There is no part of this film that is not visually stunning. It is well worth the extra money to see it in 3D or in IMAX, particularly when it comes to the battles.
Army of wood elves prepare for battle
The action sequences in the movie are well worth the price of admission. While the movie is mainly focused on the action, it is paced well so that the audience can catch a breath between scenes. The best examples of this happen when aerial views are given of the clashing armies, or when the melee is too hectic to focus on a single character. It’s ironic that the smaller battles have the bigger impact, the more intense fighting. Though, it also makes sense; when the audience can focus on a character that they know and have connected with in some manner, it drives the fight home more. Still, there is plenty of fighting to keep any action fan happy and bouncing up and down in their seat as hearts are stabbed and heads are rolling. On a side note, orcs seem to be the most easily decapitated characters ever created.
Army of Orcs heading into battle
Two other major highlights of the film were the actors and the music. The Battle of the Five Armies has an all-star cast, led by Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen and Richard Armitage. Even small roles had big names filling the part, such as Stephen Fry as the Master of Laketown, Christopher Lee reprising his role as Saruman the White and Sylvester McCoy as Radagast the Brown. This acting talent was backed by a gorgeous score composed by Howard Shore, who has won three Academy Awards for his work on other movies in the Lord of the Rings Saga. His music fills the air perfectly for each situation, and the scenes without music are made more sharply distinct by its absence.
The company of Thorin Oakenshield
Overall, this is a movie worth seeing. Go in expecting action and beauty, but not a lot of substance. See it in 3D or in IMAX to get the most out of it. While The Hobbit probably would have been better served by not being split into three movies, it’s too late to change that now, and the movie should not be faulted for decisions that can’t be changed. The Battle of the Five Armies fits nicely in its place as an ending to the Hobbit trilogy and an introduction to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And it is fun, pure and simple. So, go to your local theatre and experience The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. It’s the last Peter Jackson directed movie in Middle Earth… for now, at least.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is in theatres now. It is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and directed by Peter Jackson.
God, the Devil and John
Posted by on December 18, 2014
With the winter hiatus upon us and a lack of new episodes until mid-January at the earliest, now seems like a good time to take a look back at one of this season’s newest gems. Constantine premiered late in the season in the timeslot vacated for Hannibal’s season break. NBC didn’t stray far in swapping out the two shows – they’re comparable in terms of blood, mystery and number of gnawed on humans. Production on Constantine’s inaugural season halted after only four episodes had aired. However, right around the time of the fifth episode, things started picking up. Viewership increased, ratings went up and the plot began to truly resonate with the audience. Unfortunately, because the show hit its stride after the decision was made to halt production, we may only get to see the 13 episodes already made before this show is gone. That is, unless it picks up more in ratings and viewership. So, here’s why your date night on Friday, January 16th should involve a date with your couch and an NBC show about a British detective… who hunts demons.
Constantine – based on DC Comics’ Hellblazer series – centers on supernatural detective John Constantine and his companions as they fight the often referenced “rising darkness.” John’s core support team is his seemingly immortal friend Chas Chandler and the clairvoyant mystery woman Zed Martin, both of whom appear in the original comics in some form. Heaven’s support of the team arrives in the form of an angel named Manny, whose cryptic clues often frustrate John onto the correct path. How can a show get more interesting than when it has a spellcasting detective, a psychic, an immortal and an angel fighting evil? You add in a haunting backstory, powerful and threatening villains, and easter egg allusions to other DC properties.
Harold Perrineau, Matt Ryan, Angélica Celaya and Charles Halford as Manny, John Constantine, Zed Martin and Chas Chandler respectively.
Though the show is based on a comic book line, it’s not a direct port to the screen. John’s backstory in the show is from an arc that happened early in the Hellblazer run, but the detective’s introduction to the supernatural world happened differently in the comics and the show. Constantine opens with John in a mental hospital after a trauma from years before – the accidental casting of a young girl’s soul into Hell – finally caught up with him. The show has done a good job of building on this background with each episode while not rubbing it in the audience’s face. In these first eight episodes, John has teamed up with a number of others who were a part of that exorcism gone wrong, all of whom are dealing with the psychological damage in their own way, from drinking to drugs to joining a convent. Meanwhile, the mystery of Zed – who saw visions of John before they met and who is learning from him how to control her clairvoyant powers – is dangled tantalizingly both in front of the audience and in front of John himself, as Zed refuses to share any details about her past.
To counter such a crack team as this, the forces of evil moving against them have to be compelling and believably strong. While the show has started as a “monster of the week” type show, using the phrase “rising darkness” as a catch-all for the things going bump in the night, the individual villains don’t feel forced or out of place in this story. The only antagonist to show up more than once so far is a character named Papa Midnite, though his motives tend more toward personal gain and less toward outright evil. Papa Midnite is another character straight from the comics, and he’ll likely make more appearances in the back half of this first season. While remaining free of spoilers, it should be noted that the presumed cause of the “rising darkness” is introduced in the eighth episode, the cliffhanger episode that aired leading into the hiatus.
Michael James Shaw as Papa Midnite
One thing that makes tv shows based on comic books fun is the connection to the source material. With such a rich and extensive history to look at, fans who have read the comics have the opportunity to speculate on what might happen next based on what they know of the characters and plotlines already. Not only that, but the linked nature the DC universe allows for other popular characters to show up unexpectedly. While we likely won’t see Batman or Superman or any of the other big names of the Justice League on the show anytime soon, there have already been some hints toward the characters Dr. Fate (his helmet was in the first episode) and Swamp Thing (mentioned in a message if you call the phone number on John’s business card). Jim Corrigan, known to DC Comics fans as the man who becomes The Spectre upon his death, showed up in episode five; his return as The Spectre was hinted at through Zed’s clairvoyant visions. While this does give a little extra treat to those in the audience who have read the comics, not recognizing these add-ins doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the show at all.
Every show has its growing pains, but Constantine got them out of the way early. It has become a solid show that deserves more than one truncated season. With over 25 years of source material to draw from and a skilled cast to bring the characters to life, the only thing this show lacks is the dedicated fanbase and audience to keep it on the air. January 16th, the return from hiatus, will be a key night in deciding the future of this show. In the meantime, new viewers can catch up on Hulu and NBC.com. I highly recommend this show to anyone who is a fan of fantasy, science fiction, comics, horror movies or any good, character-driven dramas with witty and sarcastic humor.
Constantine stars Matt Ryan, Angélica Celaya, Charles Halford and Harold Perrineau and airs Fridays at 8/7c on NBC, at least for five more weeks.
