Monday, May 7, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Marvel's "The Avengers" is Marvelous
The Avengers (2012)
Running time: 142 minutes (2 hours, 22 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference
DIRECTOR: Joss Whedon
WRITERS: Joss Whedon; from a story by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon (based upon the comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCER: Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Seamus McGarvey
EDITORS: Jeffrey Ford and Lisa Lassek
COMPOSER: Alan Silvestri
SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/FANTASY/DRAMA
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany (voice), Alexis Denisof, Powers Boothe, Jenny Agutter, Harry Dean Stanton, and Stan Lee
The Avengers is a 2012 superhero movie from Marvel Studios. The film, which is based upon the comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, stars Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, and Thor, all of whom have been featured in their own films. Other characters appearing include Nick Fury (who has appeared in several Marvel Studios films), Black Widow (appeared in Iron Man 2), and Hawkeye (who made a cameo appearance in Thor).
These superheroes come together to battle Loki (the villain in Thor) and his alien army that are bent on conquering Earth. The result is The Avengers, one of the best movies of the year, thus far, and a marvelous superhero spectacular that rivals the best action movies in recent memory. The Avengers more than lives up to the pre-release hype.
Exiled Norse god, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), attacks a remote research facility in order to steal the Tesseract, an energy source of unknown potential. In response, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the director of the espionage agency, S.H.I.E.L.D., reactivates the Avengers Initiative, a program that will bring together individuals with extraordinary powers. There is Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor the Norse God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth), Agent Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).
There are problems and complications, however, the biggest being that these people don’t get along. Meanwhile, Loki has made a deal with the Other (Alexis Denisof), an alien conqueror that wants the Tesseract. In exchange, the Other gives Loki an alien army, the Chitauri, to help him conquer Earth. Can the heroes become the Avengers in time to save the world?
There is no point in waiting, so I’ll just come out an admit it. I loved this movie. I loved how the CGI Hulk has more personality in The Avengers than the character had in the two Hulk movies. I loved how when S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarrier (a flying aircraft carrier) emerges from the sea, I felt overwhelmed and frightened, because it is such an enormous edifice and that moment in the movie is so gigantic. I love how truly frightening and menacing the Chitauri are.
The Avengers’ visual effects extravaganza and wall-to-wall action remind me of the second and third entries in the recent Transformers film franchise (Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon), but The Avengers’ mass of sound and CGI is more purposeful towards the story than what went on in the Transformers. Still, as is the case with the Transformers movies, The Avengers’ visuals can be overwhelming.
Of the five films produced by Marvel Studios, beginning with Iron Man back in 2008, The Avengers’ is most like the two Iron Man films directed by John Favreau (who is credited as an executive producer on The Avengers). That means high production values, quality storytelling, good villains, and excellent performances all around.
There are a lot of people that I can praise for making The Avengers a movie I want to experience through repeated viewings, but I will focus on writer/director Joss Whedon. Although he has been a screenwriter and script doctor for over two decades, Whedon’s best known work has been in television, most notably the long-running TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This movie could have been too big for him, but his enormous and fertile imagination crated a movie that is actually too big for a normal-sized movie screen.
Whedon, however, emphasizes the heroes’ humanity, and how the best of them can overcome individual pettiness, as must be the case with a true superhero. Whedon manages this behemoth because he is the one who built it, keeping the weight of the film buoyant through sparkling wit and humor. But Whedon never forgets the power, the spectacle, and the all-things-awesome that make superheroes marvelous entertainment. It is not perfect; for one thing, it is a little too long, but I give Whedon credit for making The Avengers such a smash-up sensation.
8 of 10
A
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
"Ultimate Avengers 2" Keeps the Fun Going
Ultimate Avengers 2 (2006) – DVD release
Running time: 73 minutes (1 hour, 13 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense action violence
DIRECTORS: Will Meugnoit and Richard Seabast
WRITERS: Greg Johnson; from a screen story by Greg Johnson and Craig Kyle (based upon Marvel Comics’ The Ultimates created by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch)
PRODUCER/SUPERVISING DIRECTOR: Bob Richardson
EDITOR: George P. Rizkallah
ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/ACTION/SCI-FI
Starring: (voices) Justin Gross, Grey DeLisle, Michael Massee, Marc Worden, Olivia d’Abo, Nan McNamara, Nolan North, Andre Ware, David Boat, Jeffrey D. Samb, David Fennoy, Fred Tatasciore, James K. Ward, Susan Dalian, and Kendre Berry
Ultimate Avengers 2 is a 2006 direct-to-DVD animated superhero film. Featuring Marvel Comics’ The Avengers, this film is a sequel to Ultimate Avengers, which was also released on DVD earlier the same year. The film is loosely based on The Ultimates, a comic book series writer Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Wanted) and artist Bryan Hitch.
The alien invaders from Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, the Chitauri, are back, and this time they’re plaguing Wakanda, the mysterious jungle kingdom ruled by the Black Panther ( Jeffrey D. Samb). Unable to stop them, Black Panther reluctantly searches out the help of Captain America (Justin Gross), who is familiar with the Chitauri and their leader, Herr Kleiser (James K. Ward), who wears the guise of a Nazi officer.
However, the rest of the Avengers: the Wasp (Grey DeLisle), Iron Man (Marc Worden), the Black Widow (Olivia d’Abo), Giant Man (Nolan North), and Thor (David Boat) aren’t going to stand by while alien hordes threaten the earth. General Nick Fury (Andre Ware), Dr. Betty Ross (Nan McNamara), and Dr. Bruce Banner (Michael Massee) and his monstrous alter ego, the Hulk (Fred Tatasciore) are also in play as the Avengers fight an intergalactic menace in the remote domain of the Black Panther.
After the enjoyment of the original DVD (direct-to-video) animated feature, Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, earlier this year, I was anxious to see the sequel, Ultimate Avengers II, and, for the most part, I wasn’t let down. The follow up takes a bit of time to get going because of all the backstory about the Black Panther, his land of Wakanda, and his customs, as well as backstory about Captain America’s battles with Herr Kleiser. There’s also more character drama – lovers’ quarrels, teammate squabbles, and intra-tribal disputes.
Once it gets going, Ultimate Avengers II is a treat because it’s still fun to see beloved comic book characters transform from still images on the comics page into fully animated characters soaring and battling across the small screen. Except for not getting to see another massive Hulk battle, Ultimate Avengers II is a fun second serving.
7 of 10
B+
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Ultimate Avengers: The Movie is Quite Groovy
Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006) – video/animation
Running time: 71 minutes (1 hour, 11 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for action violence
DIRECTORS: Curt Geda and Steven E. Gordon
WRITERS: Greg Johnson; from a screen story by Greg Johnson, Boyd Kirkland, and Craig Kyle (based upon Marvel Comics’ The Ultimates created by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch)
PRODUCER: Bob Richardson
EDITOR: George P. Rizkallah
ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION with elements of drama
Starring: (voices) Justin Gross, Andre Ware, Olivia d’Abo, Michael Massee, Nan McNamara, Grey DeLisle, Nolan North, Marc Worden, David Boat, and Frank Tatasciore
Marvel Comics formed a partnership with Lions Gate Film to produce direct-to-video (DVD) animated films for the home entertainment market. The first, Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, was released to DVD in late February 2006. Although the movie is entitled Ultimate Avengers, it has its origins in the long-running Marvel comic book series, The Avengers, which debuted in 1963 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
This particular animated movie is based upon and takes its story, characters, and concepts from the comic book, The Ultimates, a popular updating, re-imagining, and reworking of The Avengers by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, which was first published in late 2000. It also features a character created in the 1940’s by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Captain America.
At the close of World War II, super soldier Captain America (Justin Gross) leads American soldiers behind enemy lines to destroy a Nazi atomic weapon aimed at the United States. The Captain’s heroics, however, cost him his life as he falls from the sky after destroying the missile and plunges into the ocean depths… or does it? The American secret agent organization, SHIELD, finds Captain America frozen beneath the oceans, and the agency’s scientists, led by Bruce Banner (Michael Massee) and Dr. Betty Ross (Nan McNamara), are able to revive him.
Nick Fury (Andre Ware), the head of SHIELD, then, recruits Captain America to lead a team of surly superhero recruits, including Iron Man (Marc Worden), Thor (David Boat), the Wasp (Grey DeLisle), her husband Giant Man (Nolan North) in an all-out war against sinister alien forces that have been threatening humanity for decades. Now, the monsters are making their big aggressive move against Earth. However, as the Captain’s new team struggles to defeat their enemy, The Hulk (Frank Tatasciore) is about to crash the party.
I liked Ultimate Avengers. It’s a rollicking, high-octane adventure that rivals big budget Hollywood live action adventure movies. The visual look of the film, especially in the character design will remind some viewers of the old “G.I. Joe” animated series from the 1980’s or the “X-Men Evolution” animated series that ran for four seasons on The WB television network. The character animation is occasionally clunky – especially during quiet dramatic moments. When the characters are moving quickly and fighting, they look good. When they walk, they move awkwardly. This isn’t feature animation on the level of Disney, DreamWorks, or any of the big Hollywood studios that still do hand drawn animated features, but who would expect that level of animation from a direct-to-video cartoon?
But the film still looks quite good; except for some moments, I thought the animation was just fine. In the end, the important thing is how good this is at being superhero entertainment, and Ultimate Avengers wildly succeeds; action, adventure, fights, explosions, superhero melodrama, and cool CGI flying craft: this is good stuff. When The Hulk makes his long-awaited appearance in the third act, Ultimate Avengers hits the ceiling. Just the Hulk tearing across the screen taking on everyone is an amazing spectacle. You have to see him take on his teammates to believe how awesome a great superhero slugfest can be when it’s given the movement of film and Guy Michelmore’s near-perfect comic book movie score.
People who read comics long ago will find much in this in which to delight, although some hardcore fans will not be pleased that the film strays from the comic books in some aspects. Still, Ultimate Avengers recalls that old feeling of what it was to kick back and enjoy reading a comic book.
7 of 10
A-
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Review: The Hulk is Incredible in "The Incredible Hulk"
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Running time: 114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content
DIRECTOR: Louis Leterrier
WRITER: Zak Penn; from his screen story (based upon the comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCERS: Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, and Gale Anne Hurd
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Menzies, Jr. (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Rick Shaine and John Wright
FANTASY/SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, Christina Cabot, Peter Mensah, and Lou Ferrigno
After the box office and critical disappointment that was the 2003 film, The Hulk, directed by Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain), the people at Marvel Entertainment, which publishes Hulk comic books through Marvel Comics, believed that they could make a more successful Hulk flick. Five years later, Marvel Studios is making its own films from its comic book characters (like the recent box office smash, Iron Man). Now, Marvel finally has the chance to do the Hulk right, and Marvel certainly gets it right with The Incredible Hulk, a movie that offers a raging good time.
Hiding in Brazil, scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) desperately hunts for a cure for the gamma radiation that has not only poisoned his cells, but when he becomes angry also transforms him into that unbridled, green force of rage, The Hulk. Banner lives in the shadows, cut off from the life he knew and the woman he loves, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). Banner has been secretly corresponding with another scientist back in the U.S., but he accidentally alerts the U.S. military to his whereabouts. Soon, Banner’s old nemesis and Betty’s father, General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), is leading a special operations force to capture Banner. Ross wants to dissect Banner until he learns the secrets inside him that turn him into the Hulk.
This time around, General Ross has the assistance of a Russian-born, British mercenary, Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth). When Ross and Blonsky find Banner upon his return to America to meet Betty, it starts a confrontation that leads to Banner becoming the Hulk. Determined to match the power of the Hulk, Blonsky agrees to submit his body to the same kind of weird science that created the Hulk. Now, Blonsky has turned himself into an “Abomination,” and heads to New York City for a final showdown with The Incredible Hulk.
The Incredible Hulk is an incredibly entertaining film… when the Hulk is onscreen. In that way, this movie is a bit strange. The dramatic bits – relationships, conflicts, dialogue – are very slow. There are times when The Incredible Hulk elicits neither interest nor disinterest. I found myself sitting in the theatre watching a movie, and I felt the same as if I were merely watching eggs boil.
Then, Mr. Hulk shows up, and The Incredible Hulk just freakin’ explodes with energy. When this green behemoth is onscreen, this movie is so much more fun. I could feel the power; it was as if the angrier the Hulk became, the more I enjoyed the movie. That’s scary, but maybe the secret to making a good Hulk movie is to make it scary. The Hulk is monster; unleashed and angry, he’s is destruction, damage, and devastation.
This untamed and fierce force of nature is the result of some great special effects and CGI work. They got it right. When the Hulk rages, flexes, and roars, we should be scared, and the visual effects guys gave the movie just what it needed. Yes, this CGI Hulk steals the show from the actors – especially Ed Norton, who is such a fine actor. Yet Norton doesn’t really get much traction in this film – especially considering that we’re here for the Hulk show. Evidence suggests that Norton is indeed upset that too much of his thespian magic was left out of the final cut of this film, so he can’t shine and has to take second place to a computer created character.
But The Incredible Hulk is really about… the Incredible Hulk. Boy does this green monster make the most of his onscreen time. The action is big, violent, and not so dumb that it can’t figure out a way to smash your head in.
7 of 10
B+
Sunday, June 15, 2008
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Review: The First" Hulk" Movie: I Like it More Now Than When I Wrote This Review
The Hulk (2003)
Running time: 138 minutes (2 hours, 18 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, some disturbing images and brief partial nudity
DIRECTOR: Ang Lee
WRITERS: John Turman, Michael France, and James Schamus, from a story by James Schamus (based upon the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCERS: Avi Arad, Larry J. Franco, Gale Anne Hurd, and James Schamus
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Frederick Elmes
EDITOR: Tim Squyres
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman
SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA
Starring: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliot, Josh Lucas, Nick Nolte, Paul Kersey, Daniel Dae Kim, Lou Ferrigno, and Stan Lee
The subject of this movie review is The Hulk, a 2003 superhero science fiction and action movie from director, Ang Lee. The film stars the Hulk, a Marvel comics superhero character created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962). The film explores the origins of the Hulk.
So is The Hulk a good movie, you might ask? And my answer is simply “no.” The film doesn’t even cut it as a second-rate summer thriller. This is not a joy ride. It’s a ponderous, lumbering…well, lumbering hulk of a picture, full of sound and fury signifying nothing – nothing on the screen and nothing left in the space in your wallet where that money was you spent to see this junk. There are a few good moments, emphasis on “few.”
The story goes thusly. Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) and his on-again/off-again girlfriend/scientist Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly) are scientists working on a method of using nano-technology to cure injuries. Banner and Ross use gamma radiation to activate their so-called nanomeds once they’re inside the injured test subject, but one day Bruce is accidentally exposed to the gamma rays. To make things worse, Bruce is the byproduct of his father David’s (Nick Nolte’s) bizarre experiments when he was a child.
Combine the radiation with whatever weird crap Bruce’s father put in him and whenever Bruce gets mad (you won’t like him when he’s mad), he becomes the behemoth force of nature, The Hulk, a big green brute with a muscular body cut along lines any bodybuilder would kill for eight days a week. Of course, there’s the obligatory greedy scientist, Talbot (Josh Lucas), who wants to study the Hulk DNA for possible military applications. Talbot is also Bruce’s rival for some of Betty’s booty. And one more thing, Betty’s father General Ross (Sam Elliot) has to hunt the Hulk – keep it in the family.
Director Ang Lee and his cinematographer Frederick Elmes from Lee’s great film, The Ice Storm, turn the film’s photography into a series of kinetic moving pictures. They happily cut and divide the screen into multiple pictures and frames that mimic the panel grid of a comic book; sometimes the movie looks like a photo album or a photo collage. At best this is purely superficial, adding nothing to the story.
The most ironic thing about The Hulk is the tagline, “You wouldn’t like me when I angry.” It’s quite the opposite. The only time we really like the Banner character is when he is the Hulk. That’s the only time this morose, sullen, humorless picture has any life. Lee literally buries his film in the rubble of boring psychological struggles amongst the characters, in particular between the Banners. I was literally climbing the walls of the theatre. No one gives a damn about Banner’s evil daddy! Show us the Hulk. Lee races through scenes of The Hulk madly and wildly destroying his environment almost as if he were embarrassed to be making a monster movie. It’s as if actually showing a rampaging CGI Hulk is an unpleasant thing Lee had to do to appease his studio; then, it’s back to the real people and their mental and emotional baggage.
Dammit, we came to get down on some mindless fun. Who’s gonna like this? The kids? Hell, no. Even adults are going to be bored. If we wanted this much therapeutic confession and angst, we’d rent a Woody Allen movie. The Hulk comic book concept was a metaphor about the inherent and potential dangers of the atom bomb, not about bad daddies and emotionally distant sons. It’s like going to see an Austin Powers' film and discovering that Freud’s really the star this time.
I’ve seen three of Ang Lee’s films (Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and they were brilliant. This effort is beneath him. I can’t believe that the director who had so much fun with Crouching Tiger couldn’t have fun with The Hulk. Even the effects are only okay, but in an age when the SFX is supposed to “blow you away,” the Hulk effects just blow. The most interesting and exciting scene isn’t until the end of the film, and the final battle is so beyond being ridiculous that I’m not articulate enough to tell you just how lame it is. I can understand Lee’s desire to do a big budget, Hollywood, effects extravaganza, but that doesn’t mean he should let the film do him.
4 of 10
C
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