Chappie, Furious 7, Avengers 2, and Mad Max

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.