REVIEW: EDGE OF TOMORROW

What is science-fiction? How would you define the science-fiction genre? Allow me to write me own definition. Science-fiction is the challenge of our mental and physical strength in order to create a better self for a better society by exploring situations we never thought possible. Okay, some might argue with me on the account of the word ‘fiction’. The word itself has a very straight-forward meaning; make-believe, fake, imagination, unreal, and whatever word belonging within those context. However, my argument is, by believing what is unreal in the future, we can create goals and targets for ourselves to achieve and aspire.

For a moment there, I sounded like a college professor or a philosopher, but I believe it does have some truth to it. These themes and values are explored in the film I am about to review.

The two leads; Emily Blunt as Rita Vratask and Tom Cruise as William Cage

The film is titled Edge of Tomorrow. This science-fiction drama is directed by one of the most underrated and often reclusive directors in Hollywood, Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Jumper, Fair Game). The cast comprises of Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, and Noah Taylor. The film is written by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects), Jez Butterworth, and John Henry-Butterworth. The script is an adaptation from the Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka.

Will another science-fiction film be ridiculous to watch? Or will it be good and requires a repeat viewing? Do read on…

William Cage (Tom Cruise) waking up in unfamiliar surroundings

SYNOPSIS:

Somewhere in the near future, our planet Earth has been invaded by aliens and slowly colonizing our world. Meanwhile in London, an American military officer named William Cage (Tom Cruise), is stationed to the British army. Cage’s duties involves public relations and has never experienced a day of combat in his life. Against his wishes and very reluctantly, Cage is thrust into combat action against the invading aliens. After being killed by one of them, Cage mysteriously finds himself repeating the day over and over again in a time-loop. As the process repeats, he discovers a war hero named Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) who might help him to be a better soldier. Together, they discover that they can defeat the alien invaders.

William Cage (Tom Cruise) reluctantly thrust into battle

SCRIPT:

Clever and entertaining. The story has been and will draw similarities to a comedy classic Groundhog Day (1993). Despite the script being adapted from a previously published material, it felt original and fresh as we don’t often get to see a time-loop as a story. It came as no surprise to me how predictable the film’s plot was as the marketing made it quite obvious. Despite the predictability, it slowly became unpredictable which makes it fun and engaging for the audience. The dialogue doesn’t bore you with futuristic science-fiction word jargon which was great for it makes it more understandable. It felt slick and intelligent and keeps you wanting more. There was great addition of comedy and it came the right moments of the film. However, ending climax felt a little incomplete and could have been improve even better. It is not so much a cliffhanger but even films with cliffhanger gives some sort of resolution of the entire film’s plot. This is the only drawback about the film. Characterization of roles were focused a lot on William Cage. I don’t find it surprise as Cruise headlines the movie. I would have loved to see a little more back-story on Emily Blunt.

William Cage (Tom Cruise) about to battle some alien invaders

ACTING:                                                                                                                                 

I think this one of Tom Cruise’s best acting performance. The role he plays required multi-faceted emotions such as confusion, angry, frustration, determination, and many more. He did well in balancing the action hero persona and the comedic outcome stemming for his awkward repetitive state of being. Emily Blunt is billed (credited) as the lead actress but her character was more a supporting role. She also did well when she was on screen and was convincing as the rugged female military hero. It was nice to see underrated Bill Paxton in there to provide some comic relief. I think he was good but his character could have expended even further. Brendan Gleeson and Noah Taylor were reasonably good.

William Cage (Tom Cruise) attempting to escape from death

FILMING:

Director Doug Liman doesn’t have a particular filming style but his past films are known to contain that sleek and smooth ‘attitude’ in them. He does this by making his movie scenes short and compact while his actors deliver short lines and avoid long dialogue delivery. In addition, some slight upbeat musical score plays in the background to enhance the mood. He brought this trademark again in this film but kept more to a minimal. The focus was more on the visual effects and editing. The editing was quite good as the cuts were quick and exciting from scene to scene. The visual effects were not too bad but mostly quite brief. I would have liked to see more of the alien villains of the film. I particular liked the sound design and sound effects editing. Anyone who are enthusiasts in the world of sound might like this film. The production design, in particular costume and props, managed to capture the ‘look’ of a future not so far away from now.

Doug Liman (holding camera) directing Tom Cruise on set

PACING:

The pacing was not too bad. It didn’t feel too long and built up quite well to the ending. There was brief slow pace in the middle but it was more to establish relationship between William and Rita. For a futuristic action-packed science fiction movie, it had a very decent pace.

TONE (MOOD):

Two unlikely heroes collaborate to fight alien invaders by using unfamiliar methods in a futuristic setting where all hopes of winning seems to be depleted.

Bill Paxton as an army sergeant for new recruits

DOWNSIDE:

I didn’t like the ending so much. It was just okay. It felt unresolved. It can or cannot be a cliffhanger but to me it had that feeling of “Is that all?” to the whole movie.

UPSIDE:

Great action sequence and stylistic filmmaking. Fresh choice of story among many other science fiction films. Good underlying “If at first you don’t succeed, then try and try again.” themes throughout the film.

Brendan Gleeson as a British Army General

OVERALL:

This film might just be a surprise hit this summer for Hollywood and for Tom Cruise after several misses from his last few films. The story may be a little bit predictable but the technical aspects (especially editing) is very commendable. My thoughts on the ending won’t destroy the exciting experience you went through from the beginning. It is worth a watch in cinemas with all the big ‘bangs’ and ‘booms’ but you won’t feel like gripping the edge of your seat like there is no tomorrow.

William Cage (Tom Cruise) waking up in unfamiliar surroundings

William Cage (Tom Cruise) reluctantly thrust into battle

William Cage (Tom Cruise) about to battle some alien invaders

William Cage (Tom Cruise) attempting to escape from death

William Cage (Tom Cruise) waking up in unfamiliar surroundings

William Cage (Tom Cruise) reluctantly thrust into battle

William Cage (Tom Cruise) about to battle some alien invaders

William Cage (Tom Cruise) attempting to escape from death

William Cage (Tom Cruise) waking up in unfamiliar surroundings

William Cage (Tom Cruise) reluctantly thrust into battle

William Cage (Tom Cruise) about to battle some alien invaders

William Cage (Tom Cruise) attempting to escape from death

William Cage (Tom Cruise) waking up in unfamiliar surroundings

William Cage (Tom Cruise) reluctantly thrust into battle

William Cage (Tom Cruise) about to battle some alien invaders

William Cage (Tom Cruise) attempting to escape from death

William Cage (Tom Cruise) waking up in unfamiliar surroundings

William Cage (Tom Cruise) reluctantly thrust into battle

William Cage (Tom Cruise) about to battle some alien invaders

William Cage (Tom Cruise) attempting to escape from death

RATING:

8.0 out of 10

REVIEW: X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

 If you are a regular reader of my movie reviews or you know me personally, you would know that I am a fan of comic book superheroes, especially those adapted into film. For nearly two decades, Hollywood movie studios have released many comic book film adaptations almost every year. Some have criticized these productive efforts, saying Hollywood studios are lacking churning out original ideas and depending too much on stories that have already been told. It is true, adapting already known materials can restrict original ideas to the public but for the movie studios, this would generate ‘guaranteed’ income from those who are familiar with the adapted material. Over the years, many writers, directors, and producers have tried to conceive stories that would interest fans and non-fans of comic book heroes. The evolution of creating and writing these stories over the years has ranged from being silly and corny, to being more mature and relatable.

This evolution is evident in the film adaptations of Marvel’s X-Men, a group of comic book superheroes with advance genetics and mutant powers. There have been six X-Men themed films released; X-Men (2000), X2 (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and X-Men: First Class (2011). There were also spin-off films X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and The Wolverine (2013). This is the seventh X-Men themed film and comes to cinemas titled X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Bryan Singer returns to the director’s chair to helm X-Men: Days of Future Past (From here on, I will shorten the title to DOFP). Singer previously directed the first two X-Men adaptations and was producer on X-Men: First Class. He co-wrote all three films. For DOFP, screenplay duties went to Simon Kinberg who wrote X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men First Class. His co-writers from X-Men First:Class, Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman, are credited as story writers on DOFP. This film reunites almost all of the cast from previous films and introducing some new actors. The ensemble cast is a combination of the first three X-Men films and X-Men First Class. Actors returning from the first three films are Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Daniel Cudmore, and Anna Paquin. Actors returning from X-Men First Class are James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, and Lucas Till. DOFP introduces Peter Dinklage, Evan Peters, Omar Sy, Fan Bingbing, and many others. Now, that is a pretty large and expensive cast.

Can the film withstand such a powerful ensemble cast or will the story drown amongst all of them? Do read on…

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) travels back to the 70s and encounters danger

SYNOPSIS:

In the not too distant future, mutants from both the good and bad sides, are hunted down by government-sanctioned robots called The Sentinels. These robots are fully equipped to destroy all mutants who are helpless when attacked by them. The two opposite factions of the mutants which are led by Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) decide to join forces to fight these robots. It is learnt from both leaders that Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) was indirectly responsible in convincing the government to sanction The Sentinels to a military scientist named Boliver Trask (Peter Dinklage). Their solution is to time travel to the past and stop these robots from ever being created. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is the only capable mutant that can travel through time and with the help of Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), he is transported to the 1970s. From here on, he has to convince a younger Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) and a younger Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to assist him in hunting down Mystique and prevent the creation of The Sentinels. Will they succeed in the race against time on their mission or will they jump at the chance of altering a different course for mutant and human history?

L-R: Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Magneto (Michael Fassbender),
Professor X (James McAvoy), Quiksilver (Evan Peters)

SCRIPT:

Solid and organized. Despite the film’s plot centered on the concept of time travel, the script did not bore us with many details about it (as most movies with time travel storylines always do). The plot and character motifs are outlined pretty well. We know what exactly the characters are looking for and where the story heading. The story doesn’t sidetrack to other subplots. The entire plot is focused on a singular theme which is to prevent The Sentinels from being created. The dialogue is understandable and it does not overload with technical jargon. The story pretty much goes back and forth between the past and the future. We see two separate scenarios simultaneously, what is happening in the past is affecting the future. Alternating back and forth can be tiring to follow but for this film, it wasn’t. Both scenarios, past and present, was blend seamlessly into the film. There were some humour in the film but I felt there should be more. Characterization is not focused too much as it is assumed that the audience would know who the mutants are. DOFP is a stand-alone and does not have any continuity from previous film. However, I like the fact that many scenes paid tribute to moments from the previous films. Genius writing!

Professor X enters Cerebro accompanied by Wolverine and Hank McCoy a.k.a. The Beast (Nicholas Hoult)

ACTING:                                                                                                                                 

This is a tough one to review. DOFP has such a huge ensemble cast. The film is led primarily by Hugh Jackman as the success of the story’s mission hinges on him. Jackman has more screen time than the rest and he did well in his role. Sharing some screen time with Jackman is James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Both actors brought some different dimensions to their roles as younger versions of Professor Charles Xavier and Erik ‘Magneto’ Lensherr respectively. When I say different dimensions, it means showcasing another side of these characters which we didn’t see in the previous films. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence was excellent in her role but I felt she should have been featured more in the film. Peter Dinklage was alright as the new villain. Big name actors like Halle Berry, Shawn Ashmore, Anna Paquin, and Ellen Page were reduced to small supporting parts. However, Ellen Page’s role as Kitty Pryde was important to the plot.

Jennifer Lawrence as Raven Darkholmme in the 1970s

Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique in the 1970s

FILMING:

Director Bryan Singer does not have a particular style to his direction. He has directed films with great stories like The Usual Suspects (2005) and visual effects driven films like Jack the Giant Slayer (2013). Sometimes, his visual effects decisions from previous films are questionable where some were overdone and does not serve the story properly. Well, that’s my opinion. For DOFP, the visual effects are more stylistic than previous X-Men films especially when showcasing new characters. The production design also did a terrific job in setting the film in the 1970s, when most of the film’s story takes place. The cinematography also gave the 70s feel to it. The editing was fast and snappy, which brings me to the next topic regarding pacing.

Director Bryan Singer on set with Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)

PACING:

Surprisingly, DOFP had a very good pace from start to finish. The film begins very strongly as we are quickly thrust into the dilemma of the characters. It did not feel boring and it did not feel draggy. It builds up to a good climax at the end. The film’s duration is about 2 hours and 10 minutes and it did not feel long when I watched it. Now, that feeling is a strong sign of you watching a good movie.

Peter Dinklage as Boliver Trask, the main villain and antagonist to the mutants

TONE (MOOD):

Everyone mutant puts aside their differences to come together and try to save themselves from extinction by doing the impossible as a solution.

Chinese actress Fan Bingbing plays Blink. She is so pretty.

DOWNSIDE:

The film only establishes new characters but rarely touched on the old ones. This might be a problem for those who are unfamiliar with the X-Men characters.

Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr a.k.a. Magneto

UPSIDE:

The film has a very good script and story. It kept me locked to the screen and the story pulled me in deeper as the film progresses. The film kept me interested as often as possible from scene to scene. This is very rare for a comic book adaptation film.

When Professor Charles Xavier from the past (James McAvoy) meets his future self (Patrick Stewart)

OVERALL:

DOFP is a very good film adaptation of a comic book superhero. It focuses less on showcasing superpowers and more to developing story. It borrowed a lot of elements from previous X-Men films. If I tell you what they are, I might spoil it for you. The film felt like a ‘Best Of’ compilation album which musicians usually release. DOFP is now ranked number 3 behind The Avengers (2012) and top choice The Dark Knight (2008) as my personal favourite film adaptations of comic book superheroes. Stay tune to after all the end credits for an extra scene. 

RATING:

9.0 out of 10

REVIEW: GODZILLA (2014)

 The iconic movie monster from Japan, Godzilla, returns to the big screen in another adaptation made by a Hollywood studio. This would be the second Hollywood adaptation after a Roland Emmerich directed Godzilla in 1998. The 1998 version was met with much negativity and was not favourable among critics and fans. This year’s Godzilla film has been labeled as a reboot in order to reignite the franchise again.

At the helm of the director’s seat is Gareth Edwards, who is just making his second feature film effort with Godzilla. The film cast include Aaron Taylor Johnson (Kick-Ass), Elizabeth Olsen (Red Lights), Ken Watanabe (Batman Begins, Inception), Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bourne Legacy), Juliette Binoche (The English Patient), and Bryan Cranston (Argo, Drive, and TV’s Breaking Bad). The new adaptation is co-produced by the company Legendary Pictures who last year gave us Pacific Rim, another movie involving giant monsters. Legendary Pictures is also famous for producing all Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, the Hangover films series, and Man of Steel just to name a few. Warner Bros. Pictures is the other co-producer.

How will this film fare up after a disastrous adaptation 16 years ago? Do read on…

Bryan Cranston and Aaron Taylor-Johnson play father and son in the film

SYNOPSIS:

In 1999, a pair of scientists (Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins) discovers a monstrous egg-shaped capsule hatched in the Philippines. At the same time, an American engineer (Bryan Cranston) working at Japanese nuclear power plant suspects that some unusual pattern of earth tremors may not be earthquake related but are dismissed by his colleagues. The nuclear power plant is hit by the tremors and the American engineer loses his wife. 15 years later, army personnel Ford Brody (Aaron-Taylor Johnson), the son of the American engineer, heads to Japan to bail out his dad who has been chasing for clues as to what happen on the fateful day his wife died. After both Ford and his father were caught trespassing at the town of the ill-fated power plant, they encounter the pair of scientist who have been monitoring another hatched egg near the town. Soon, they all discover that an ancient creature has awoken and could potential threaten society. To fight this ancient creature, they depend on another monstrous creature named Godzilla which was awaken during nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s and his existence has been covered up by various governments.

Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins as scientist who are aware of the existence of Godzilla

SCRIPT:

Thin and light. The script is not too strong. There were several plot holes and unfinished storylines. However, I find the script understandable and it does not try to confuse the audience with too much scientific or military jargon. There were many weak points to the storyline but as soon as the film progresses, the plot really functions as merely connecting the dots between one major act to another major act. A little too much drama and talking but I feel this was to explain the origins of Godzilla and his purpose as a creature. Characterization was not strongly developed for the lead roles but the supporting roles were reasonably good. Don’t expect an intelligent script but it is still okay and relatable.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen as husband and wife

ACTING:

Aaron Taylor Johnson who plays the lead Ford Brody and Elizabeth Olsen who plays his wife did not show their true potential, They were merely there just for bit and pieces. Their characters were not really put through horrible obstacles as I would expect a disaster film would do. I feel this resulted in the acting being showcased less to the public. On the other hand, the supporting roles played by Ken Watanabe and Bryan Cranston brought some balance to the film as their performance were not too bad. In this case, the veteran actors triumphs over the younger generation.

Award-winning actress Juliette Binoche plays a small role in the film

FILMING:

I feel director Gareth Edwards did a great job in creating the look and feel of the movie. He made the film dark and slightly mysterious. When it comes to depicting monsters on screen, it is important to showcase the scale of how big a monster would look like. In this case, I feel Edwards has achieved in making the monster look gigantic compared to its surroundings. The visual effects were really good and did not disappoint. I would have loved to see more action scenes of the monsters but I understand that this in an ‘origin’ story which could potentially set-up future sequels. For a director who is only making his second feature film, he should be commended. However, Edwards still needs to work on developing a good story too.

On set with director Gareth Edwards and actor Bryan Cranston

PACING:

Slightly draggy from the beginning but gradually ascends to a nice climax in the end. The film focuses on the human element so aspect more talk.

TONE (MOOD):

Various factions of human civilization come together to battle ancient creatures threatening cities in the United States under time constraints while being helped by an unexpected ally.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Ford Brody

DOWNSIDE:

Poor script but one can’t expect much from a Hollywood summer movie. Too much talk and less action overall might be a turn-off to some.

UPSIDE:

When the action sequences and CGI appear on screen, they look awesome! 

Ken Watanabe as a scientist with David Strathairn as a military commander

OVERALL:

A pretty decent adaptation that honours the Godzilla in its true character. Despite a poor script, it is an enjoyable popcorn movie. The film might satisfy those who are fans of monster films. When Godzilla appears, he does not disappoint. I intentionally did not upload pictures of Godzilla so you can see it for yourself on the cinema screen. By the way, in case you are wondering, this film is much more better than the 1998 adaptation directed by Roland Emmerich.

RATING:

7.5 out of 10

REVIEW: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2: RISE OF ELECTRO

It is that time of year where Hollywood releases big-budget blockbusters for the summer season. The summer movie season officially kicks-off with the movie I am about to review. It is a much anticipated sequel to the movie adaptation of popular comic book superhero Spider-man.

The sequel is titled The Amazing Spider-man 2: Rise of Electro which is a sequel to 2012’s The Amazing Spider-man. Once again, the film is directed by Marc Webb from the previous film. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone returns as the two leads, Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-man and Gwen Stacy respectively. Other returning cast members include Sally Field as Aunt May, Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz as Peter’s parents, and Denis Leary as Gwen’s father. Joining this ensemble cast is Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon a.k.a. Electron, Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn a.k.a. Green Goblin, Paul Giamatti as Aleksei Sytsevich a,k,a, Rhino, and Colm Feore. The film is written by famed writing duo Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (The Legend of Zorro, The Island, Transformers, Star Trek) together with Jeff Pinkner.

How will this sequel fare up to expectations? Do read on…

Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-man

SYNOPSIS:

After the events from the last film, Peter Parker is still juggling the life between being the city’s superhero Spider-man, being the nephew to his aunt, and being the boyfriend to Gwen Stacy. While helping the police during a heist, Spider-man saves a gentleman named Max Dillon who is a big fan of Spider-man. The following day, Dillon was involved in a freak accident at his workplace in Oscorp which resulted in him being electrocuted by electric eels. Meanwhile, an old school friend Harry Osborn seeks out Peter Parker for help in saving his life but Parker refuses. Osborn, an heir to a billion-dollar business empire Oscorp, soon finds out that the company he is about to inherit have been conducting unethical scientific experiments. Fueled by revenge because of Parker’s rejection, Osborn teams up with Dillon to destroy Spider-man.

The two returning lead characters; Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy

SCRIPT:

Scattered and unorganized. I noticed that the writers tried to tell three separate perspectives from three different storylines and all of them intersect at certain points of the film. Such writing technique can be great but it can also result in a messy film. Unfortunately, the film looked like it tried too hard to explain multiple plots. There were some good comedic moments but the story lacked motivation for me to explore further. There were many Easter Eggs (trivia) to satisfy the hard core comic book fans in terms of potential characters in future Spider-man films. Characterization of new roles were thinly written and there was not much back-story about them. There is a surprise twist at the end which most audience might not see it coming but hardcore comic book fans of Spider-man might expect to happen.

Jamie Foxx joins the cast as Max Dillon a.k.a. Electro

Jamie Foxx as Electro

ACTING:

Garfield and Stone were great in the lead role of romantic couple. Garfield’s portrayal of Peter Parker was just as good as the first film. I felt the casting of Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn didn’t fit the role. Though he tried to bring some intensity and determination to his role as the villain, I felt it wasn’t too convincing.. Jamie Foxx’s acting ability were under utilized but I guess this is because he was covered by heavy make-up.

Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield have pretty good chemistry

FILMING:

This is where the film really excelled. The shots has gotten more creative compared from the previous film. More action means there was more budget for this film. The visual effects were pretty good and stylistic. There were many scenes and shots created to showcase a 3D feel for the audience. There were some scenes which felt like it was overdone. When it comes to set design, the production designer did well in conveying the comic book ‘feel’ to it while still stay grounded in some form of realism. The stunts were pretty well done too.

Filming of The Amazing Spider-man 2

PACING:

It started of well. Straight into the action with fast paced adrenaline. Then it slowly got draggy as the film tries to tell the multiple story plotline. It got okay towards the end.

TONE (MOOD):

A teenager on the brink of adulthood who has to balance between his super heroic gifts, the love of his life, and unforeseen enemies who seek out vengeance.

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) meets his old pal Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan)

Spider-man and soon to be The Green Goblin have a discussion

DOWNSIDE:

Quite a lackluster and weak script. The storyline and multiple plots were not engaging enough and in my opinion, uninteresting.

UPSIDE:

Good visual effects, stunts, and action sequence.

Spider-man, protector of New York City

OVERALL:

I know most summer blockbuster films or even superhero films rarely give focus towards having a good script, but this one was a little disappointing to me. The first film had a really good story and this second film just did the opposite. It is not necessary to see the first film in order to see the second. Maybe doing a comparison is unfair but if I evaluate based on me not seeing the 2012 film, I would have said the same thing. Good action but messy story.

RATING:

6.5 out of 10