Three Blockbusters- 2 Worth Seeing, 1 Total Disappointment

Film 180
"Man of Steel"
starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Christopher Meloni, and Kevin Costner and Laurence Fishburne
written by: Stephen S. Goyer (the Batman films)
directed by: Zack Synder

I must admit two things from the very beginning: 1) I have not seen a single one of the earlier incarnations of Superman movies, even the ones with Christopher Reeves, and especially not the most recent one, "Superman Returns," because I heard it was awful, so I decided to consciously avoid it like the plague and 2) when I heard that Christopher Nolan was going to be head producer in charge of rebooting a dead franchise, I was extremely excited, because I knew he would probably bring in the same team that helped him create perhaps the best trilogy of films in a very long time (re: Batman). He did work with writer Stephen Goyer and the darkness that they brought to the Batman story is definitely present here as Superman, aka Clark Kent aka Kal-El (his Krypton name) struggles with his superhero identity and superpowers as well as remaining optimistic in a troubled world where evil exists.

Here's what disappointed me as news of the reboot unraveled. Zack Synder was set to direct the feature film. He seems to ruin every decent movie that he puts his director touch on. He relies heavily on loads of action sequences and slow-motion editing techniques. He is technology-happy to a degree that distracts from the story. (Re: "Watchmen," easily the greatest graphic novel or "Sucker Punch"- his original thought baby or "300"- his take on Spartan revolution) And it's really too bad, because I want to genuinely like his films, and to be honest, I did actually enjoy "Watchmen" and I did enjoy "Man of Steel" to a certain extent, but this film left me with a void of fulfillment when I left the theatre, a long, too long, in my opinion 2 and a half hours later.

There is an extremely long prologue that takes place on Krypton that explains in full detail where Superman came from and how he came to Earth. Visually speaking, Krypton is a beautiful piece of art, perhaps the penultimate sci-fi planet creation in film, way better than say "Total Recall's" updated version. But, I just don't understand why so much time is spent explaining the history. Comic book readers already know the history. Why not just jump into the present day action. Give Superman his dilemma and build the story from there.

Without boring you too much, here's the gist, there's genetic archiving and unnatural births (Kal-El is the first naturally conceived and birthed child which leads his parents to believe he is the savior of their people and all people, he will lead the redemption, if they can only get him out of the deteriorating Krypton planet). Kal-El's father is played by an always boring Russell Crowe who provides a lot of background story throughout the film, as he appears as a ghost once Krypton has been destroyed and he has been killed. There is a warlike and moral struggle between Crowe's character and General Zod (the villain here, played by Michael Shannon) in terms of what is right for Krypton, because Gen. Zod makes it to Earth eventually and battles Superman over the right to decimate Earth and start Krypton all over again in its place. I am always a fan of the moral struggle in films, especially in comic book movies, but this one seemed overrun with the morality play and I even picked up on a lot of religious undertones, perhaps because it is a Superman story, but to me, it just seemed like too much. Henry Cavill (who plays the superhero) looks like a beefed up version of Jesus Christ and he portrays Superman as Him, too. (Re: the beard, the turning-the-other-cheek against bullies, saving children from drowning in a bus, the way he floats in the air as Superman  looks very Christ-on-the-cross-like, the sacrificing himself for mankind, his overly moral ground which he stands upon)

There are also a lot of (unnecessary) flashbacks structured to help move the story along and also help explain Superman's character trait developments (why he feels the need to help everyone and why he cannot just save everyone all the time, thanks Earth-adopted dad, played by Kevin Costner). His Earth-adopted mother is played by Diane Lane, too, by the way. I understand that Superman had to deal with a lot of adolescent torment and confusion, surrounding his gifts and powers, but don't all adolescents suffer through torment and confusion as to who they are and where they come from? Perhaps that's one of the characteristics that helps make Superman more human. He's just like any other teenage boy struggle to know himself!

As he discovers himself, his heritage, his costume, and the I'm sorry, bogus explanation for the "S" on his chest (a symbol of hope), Superman becomes a martyr right before our eyes. And Lois Lane (played well by Amy Adams, whom I'm convinced cannot do wrong in any film- here she is tough and gritty, not like the bumbling idiot from the "Lois and Clark" television series in the '90s) is sort of his Mary Magdalene. She knows his secret from the very beginning. This was a strategic move on the filmmakers part. There's no silly romance between Superman and Lois Lane and their shared secret kind of reveals itself in the end and it will be interesting to see where they take the story in the next film (of course there will be a sequel). I like that they avoided the romance part of the story, but unfortunately with Zack Synder, "Man of Steel" plays into every summer blockbuster action cliche with lots of things blowing up and even a lot of deaths.

This reboot left me wanting so much more for the franchise and perhaps I had too high expectations given the Nolan and Goyer connection, but I must say I will see the next one when it comes out, perhaps because I'm a glutton for punishment (hopefully Synder is not chosen as the director).

See this blockbuster if you want to see perhaps waht Michael Bay would have done with the Superman story, because there are a lot of action sequences and things blowing up. If that excites you, this is the film for you.

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Film 181
"Star Trek Into Darkness"
starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho, Alice Eve
directed by: J.J. Abrams

Let me be honest, from the start, yet again, I have to admit to never watching any of the original Star Trek (television or movies). My introduction to it all came with J.J. Abrams reboot of the franchise back in 2009. And I absolutely loved it, being a complete novice to Star Trek. And this sequel was absolutely awesome, too. Visually stunning. Tech savvy. Story, well-crafted. Great acting- especially Quinto as the half-human, half-Vulcan, Dr. Spock, who struggles with what is morally right (always telling the truth, and always doing the right thing). Chris Pine also does a great job channeling his best grimaces as Capt. Kirk. Benedict Cumberbatch is the newcomer to the franchise and he plays a secretive role, as a Starfleet officer who has gone rogue for specific reasons I don't want to give away here. Cumberbatch comes from the BBC show "Sherlock," which I've been told I must watch in my spare time. He is an absolutely perfect addition to the strong, tight-knit cast and he plays the most complex character who is struggling with moral complications between his people and the Starfleet crew.

All I want to say about "Into Darkness" is that it far surpassed my expectations as a film-goer. This is exactly the kind of summer blockbuster I expect to see when I want an escape from the Maine summer heat for a couple of hours. It moved along quite well, except for the last 20-30 minutes, which to me seemed unnecessary. And the beginning of the film seems rather unnecessary except to set up the moral conflict between Spock and Kirk. I feel like Abrams just wanted to introduce us to another visually stunning planet in his Star Trek universe. Pointless, to me. If anything, I feel like he should've spent more time on the Klingon planet, because that is a storyline that has really yet to have been explored, and as a novice, I would like to know more about those relationships- between the humans and Klingons.

That being said, I understand where the criticism for this new version of the old is coming from. J.J. Abrams is taking the old storylines and just regurgitating them with a fancier, more visually pleasing update, thanks to technology upgrades. I am hoping that as Abrams continues to redevelop the franchise, he allows himself to take liberties and invent things for us to enjoy as additions to an updated version to an already well-developed story in a futuristic universe. I don't want to see him just throw the new technology advances in our face. When it first came out, "Star Trek" stood out for its own technological advances (at the time). I think one of the great things about "Star Trek" and science fiction in general is the ability for the stories to connect and almost act as metaphors within the world we actually live in. There is so much that could be related to the world we live in now and I hope Abrams and his team of writers recognize that a little more and decide to dive a little deeper as the franchise rediscovers itself.

All in all, this is a wonderfully exciting film.

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Film 182
"This Is the End"
starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson

This is Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's baby all the way. This is perhaps the funniest movie I've seen since watching Rogen and Franco become best buds in the fantastic film "Pineapple Express" and maybe even "Anchorman." The thing about the latter that made it such a great film is that, yes there were quite a few big named actors in the ensemble cast that could've fought for our attention individually, but instead they decided to play off each other and play nicely with each other. And it worked so perfectly well that I was literally rolling on the floor laughing in the theatre.

Enter: "This is the End" which almost had the same effect on me. Yes, I definitely laughed out loud, but I refrained from rolling on the floor, this time. It is another ensemble cast that works so well together, you can pretty much tell these guys are truly friends outside of making films. And apparently a lot of the film was improvised, which makes it even funnier. The beginning of the film is filled to the brim with pretty much every and any comedic actor/actress that you can imagine. And they all play extravagant versions of themselves. Michael Cera, for example, plays a coked out version of himself who is a complete tool and has a three-way in James Franco's bathroom during the party. R & B singer Rihanna even makes an appearance. Pretty much everyone at the party ends up meeting their end once sinkholes begin opening up and we can only assume they are being sent to Hell for the abundance of sins they've no doubted committed thanks to their celebrty status. Only a few people, non-celebrities, receive the invitation to Heaven and are carried up by large blue beams of light. The Rapture. Who knew the end of days could be so fucking entertaining and hilarious? Well, I did, once I knew who was involved in this film. The only celebrities left, by the end of the apocalypse is the crew of Franco, Rogen, Hill, Robinson, oh and Danny McBride makes an appearance as well (and he is fucking brilliant in this role as the spoiler to the party) and Baruchel (who is only at this party to acquiesce his best friend, Seth Rogen. Rogen wants to merge his oldest friend with his new, outlandish crew of Hollywood friends. Nobody really likes Jay Baruchel because he's become a douchebag, hipster, to everyone else.

So, this crew of funnymen and what I've seen described as Judd Apatow's Justice League of Actors are left holed up in James Franco's house, which is apparently built like a fortress and is one of the only houses able to sustain the damage of the apocalypse with minimal damage. We are invited to partake in the crews antics of scary-yet-so-funny lunacy as they wait out the end of days and pray for their survival. As the world ends around them, though, we get a peek into their sweet, yet bitter platonic relationships with each other. Now, yes, I know, each one is a caricature of their true selves (one can assume), but the fact that they play themselves allows them to mock and be mocked. All the conversations are hilarious, for the most part, even when they try to get serious, you're still laughing, and since most of the film was improvised, it leaves me to wonder how the hell each one made it through the lines without cracking up. I cannot wait for the DVD to watch the outtakes, because I'm sure the blooper reel has some great gems for hilarity. Craig Robinson is comedic gold and unfortunately I think he was held back during his tenure on "The Office." Here, his gift really shines. Danny McBride also plays a great version of himself, as the guy left out, that no one wanted to invite to the party so he had to sneak in.

What makes this a complete film, for me, is the sweet side that Rogen and Goldberg decide to inject into the film, because ultimately it is about friendship, hope and redemption. It's not just about raunchiness for the sake of it, to only shock the viewer (although there are a few moments where you look at someone and ask "Really?!" because you cannot believe they decided to add certain things- think well-endowed demons). The film serves a greater purpose than to just shock because it actually has a heart behind it. This team of filmmakers proves they're smarter than perhaps anyone is giving them credit for, but you need more proof go watch "Superbad" as well.