4 posts tagged “superhero”
Another superhero movie. This one wasn't based on a comic book though. I was interested in the concept but unfortunately it delves into conventionality at the end.
Basically, Will Smith is Superman who drinks and has a bad attitude. He is drunk all the time. He curses. He tries to stop crimes but usually ends up causing more damage than he prevents.
All that is good. That bit is entertaining. Then Smith's character meets Jason Bateman's character who tries to straighten him out and make him respectable and it goes lame. Then someone else with powers shows up and it gets really lame and conventional. Had the film ended with Hancock rejecting respectability and basically saying, "I'm all powerful. If I wanna be drunk all the time I'm going to" it would have been much more interesting.
There are some interesting part, however. His backstory isn't entirely filled out. We are given hints as to why he exists but it isn't spelled out for us which is kind of a good departure from most superhero origin films. There also isn't really a strong central villain either. There is a bad guy but he is more a mechanism for moving the plot forward rather than the whole point of the story as in nearly every other superhero film. This is also kind of nice to see. It is good to see a superhero story which isn't all about triumphing over evil.
three thumbs up
it's hard to hate him
should have gotten a real ass.
Busey is Hancock
Basically, Will Smith is Superman who drinks and has a bad attitude. He is drunk all the time. He curses. He tries to stop crimes but usually ends up causing more damage than he prevents.
All that is good. That bit is entertaining. Then Smith's character meets Jason Bateman's character who tries to straighten him out and make him respectable and it goes lame. Then someone else with powers shows up and it gets really lame and conventional. Had the film ended with Hancock rejecting respectability and basically saying, "I'm all powerful. If I wanna be drunk all the time I'm going to" it would have been much more interesting.
There are some interesting part, however. His backstory isn't entirely filled out. We are given hints as to why he exists but it isn't spelled out for us which is kind of a good departure from most superhero origin films. There also isn't really a strong central villain either. There is a bad guy but he is more a mechanism for moving the plot forward rather than the whole point of the story as in nearly every other superhero film. This is also kind of nice to see. It is good to see a superhero story which isn't all about triumphing over evil.
three thumbs up
it's hard to hate him
should have gotten a real ass.
Busey is Hancock
Some folks are saying this was too long. I didn't feel that way seeing it. There were some parts that seemed unneeded or that could have been handled in more concise ways but I didn't want it to be over or anything.
One of the things that I've hated about a lot of other superhero films and the pre-Bale Batman films was the multiple villains. Starting with Batman Returns it seemed like every superhero movie had to have multiple villains in it. Even Spider-Man 3 had Venom and Sandman for no real reason. While having Ra's al Ghul and the Scarecrow in Batman Begins worked fairly well I was worried when I saw pictures of Two-Face. I didn't think having the Joker and Two-Face in the same film was needed. I was really surprised when not only they but the Scarecrow appears and the film actually works. I liked it better than Batman Begins.
The reason why it works is that a) the Scarcrow is barely in it and b) the Joker is tied directly into Two-Face. The two of them just don't happen to show up. There is a reason why both Two-Face and the Joker are in this. In fact, there's a pretty good reason why all this stuff had to be in it. Now, as I said, some of it could have been done differently and more quickly, but it all had its reason to be there.
The storyline is the best part of the film. The direction, on the other hand, isn't all that great. I've seen Memento and Batman Begins and I've never been impressed with his actual direction. He is a good writer. he might get good performances from the actors. When it comes to cinematography and camera shots, however, he is wholly uninteresting. He has no visual flair. If a director with some real style and energy had been behind the camera this really would have been over the top. As it is the film is just better than average. The death of Heath Ledger casts a shadow over the film and he might be award worthy. It isn't worthy of any non-technical awards though.
three thumbs up
Better than Begins
It ain't no Iron Man, though
Nor is it The Hulk.
One of the things that I've hated about a lot of other superhero films and the pre-Bale Batman films was the multiple villains. Starting with Batman Returns it seemed like every superhero movie had to have multiple villains in it. Even Spider-Man 3 had Venom and Sandman for no real reason. While having Ra's al Ghul and the Scarecrow in Batman Begins worked fairly well I was worried when I saw pictures of Two-Face. I didn't think having the Joker and Two-Face in the same film was needed. I was really surprised when not only they but the Scarecrow appears and the film actually works. I liked it better than Batman Begins.
The reason why it works is that a) the Scarcrow is barely in it and b) the Joker is tied directly into Two-Face. The two of them just don't happen to show up. There is a reason why both Two-Face and the Joker are in this. In fact, there's a pretty good reason why all this stuff had to be in it. Now, as I said, some of it could have been done differently and more quickly, but it all had its reason to be there.
The storyline is the best part of the film. The direction, on the other hand, isn't all that great. I've seen Memento and Batman Begins and I've never been impressed with his actual direction. He is a good writer. he might get good performances from the actors. When it comes to cinematography and camera shots, however, he is wholly uninteresting. He has no visual flair. If a director with some real style and energy had been behind the camera this really would have been over the top. As it is the film is just better than average. The death of Heath Ledger casts a shadow over the film and he might be award worthy. It isn't worthy of any non-technical awards though.
three thumbs up
Better than Begins
It ain't no Iron Man, though
Nor is it The Hulk.
There's a comic book out now called Kick Ass that is about a normal kid in a normal world without superheroes who one day decides to become one and naturally gets beaten up.
I'd heard about Robot Ninja for a few years. It is by the same guy who made Dead Next Door which is a favorite of mine and so I wanted to see it. So it is a coincidence that after reading Kick Ass I see the similarly themed Robot Ninja.
The movie is about a guy who writes and draws the Robot Ninja comic book. The character has been licensed to a television producer that has made it more like the Batman television show than the serious project the creator intended.
On the way back from arguing with the television producers, the creator sees a crime occurring and tries to stop it. He gets his ass kicked. So he has someone make a real Robot Ninja outfit for him and he gets his ass kicked again.
Although the acting is laughable, the movie is pretty good. Rather than have the story be some simple revenge movie it looks at what would happen if one unarmed guy were to take on a gang of people. The end is a big muddled and the creator's final actions aren't quite clear but it is certainly not what I thought would happen.
four thumbs up
Don't try to fight crime
Unless you have a big gun
and the bad guys don't
Finally arriving in the Five buck Club, I wasted no time going to see this film. It was much better than the last one. However, that still doesn't mean it was all that good.
So as any comic book geek knows the Silver Surfer arrives (at no point does he really rise. False advertising!!!!) and signals that the world will soon end. The Surfer is convinced to turn on his boss and the world is saved. The End. Unlike Lone Wolf and Cub, the last film I reviewed, this is a really simple story. And that is part of the problem. All the rest is just basically filler to make the film long enough.
There's the framing device of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman trying to get married. There's the complication of the Surfer somehow making the Human Torch swap powers with one of the other Fantastic Four members whenever he touches one of them. And there's the totally unexpected and by unexpected I mean expected, return of Doctor Doom. For some reason Hollywood seems convinced that superheroes have to have more than one villain.
Without Doom complicating things the movie would be about 20 minutes long. And it isn't as if Doom really is menacing in this because we know that Doctor Doom will betray them because he's frickin' Doctor Doom! Of course being Doctor Doom he somehow doesn't care that the world will end and they have to defeat him. yawn. I suppose that you could argue that Doom doesn't know that the Surfer isn't the one who will destroy the world and so thinks that the world is safe for him to take over but it is still just stupid to have him in the film.
The Surfer does look pretty cool. Surprisingly Jessica Alba was one of the most enjoyable actors in the film despite the fact that Mr. Fantastic is just horribly uncharismatic. Alba's scary white hair is distracting though. It wouldn't be the end of the world if they just let her have darker hair.
two thumbs up
Alba is the best?
Isn't that umpossible?
No. Just fantastic.
So as any comic book geek knows the Silver Surfer arrives (at no point does he really rise. False advertising!!!!) and signals that the world will soon end. The Surfer is convinced to turn on his boss and the world is saved. The End. Unlike Lone Wolf and Cub, the last film I reviewed, this is a really simple story. And that is part of the problem. All the rest is just basically filler to make the film long enough.
There's the framing device of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman trying to get married. There's the complication of the Surfer somehow making the Human Torch swap powers with one of the other Fantastic Four members whenever he touches one of them. And there's the totally unexpected and by unexpected I mean expected, return of Doctor Doom. For some reason Hollywood seems convinced that superheroes have to have more than one villain.
Without Doom complicating things the movie would be about 20 minutes long. And it isn't as if Doom really is menacing in this because we know that Doctor Doom will betray them because he's frickin' Doctor Doom! Of course being Doctor Doom he somehow doesn't care that the world will end and they have to defeat him. yawn. I suppose that you could argue that Doom doesn't know that the Surfer isn't the one who will destroy the world and so thinks that the world is safe for him to take over but it is still just stupid to have him in the film.
The Surfer does look pretty cool. Surprisingly Jessica Alba was one of the most enjoyable actors in the film despite the fact that Mr. Fantastic is just horribly uncharismatic. Alba's scary white hair is distracting though. It wouldn't be the end of the world if they just let her have darker hair.
two thumbs up
Alba is the best?
Isn't that umpossible?
No. Just fantastic.
