The four
films I am reviewing today each rely heavily on special effects; two of them
tell stories that require specific effects, one is a strange heartfelt tribute
surrounded by illogical excess, and the last is simply a jumbled mess of ones
and zeros colliding onscreen.
Let’s start
with The Avengers 2, a movie that
does little to establish its purpose for existence. It tries to include a moral lesson; ‘the road
to hell is paved with good intentions’, but no one seems to learn the
lesson. Towards the end of the movie Captain
America gives Tony Stark a stern lecture about his failed attempt to
single-handedly try to protect the world… Moments later the Captain is right
back at Iron Man’s side, apparently doing it Tony Stark’s way is the ‘lesser of
two evils’. A better film would focus on
the contradictions, acknowledging the impossibility of a flawed man’s ability
to balance power with goodness.
Unfortunately The Avengers 2
was not this film, rather it was a mess of special effect – beautiful special effects,
but a mess nonetheless. I know that I’ve
used this Jurassic Park reference
before, but the special effects wizards on The
Avengers 2 were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they
didn't stop to think if they should.
Furious 7 was an interesting tribute to Paul
Walker. This movie was just as
convoluted and unnecessary as parts 2, 4, 5, and 6 in the series have been, but
then some of my favorite films of all time are convoluted and unnecessary (see Star Wars, Casino Royale, and Ferris
Bueller’s Day Off). I wish that
sequels could all follow in The Godfather
Part II’s footsteps – logical continuations of captivating stories. Alas, that is not the world we live in. Furious 7 is just what would be expected for
a seventh installment of a franchise, with a heartwarming farewell to a
character that we liked a long time ago, but had gotten lost in the crowd .
Chappie is the third Neill Blomkamp film
that I’ve seen, and it suggests that his best is yet to come. I say this because I really liked his
approach to District 9, but thought
that he took somewhat of a step back in Elysium. With Chappie
he corrected the errors of Elysium,
and refocused his attention on story and character. Special effects are extremely important in
the stories that Blomkamp is telling, yet he seems to understand which should
be the focus and which should be in the supporting role. I also liked that Blomkamp focused on
characters that are so unique; it seems to be a greater challenge to convince
an audience to care for such odd people, but it’s so much more
interesting. Hopefully Blomkamp is able
to keep his priorities in order and retain his style as he delves into the
Alien universe.
Mad Max: Fury Road is a wonderful spectacle of
cinematography. The art design, stunt
work, and the linear storytelling all combine to deliver an entertaining
experience. Hopefully, this simple,
to-the-point review is the best way to convey how I felt about this film.
