Okay folks, first-pass rules apply. I'll be keeping this brief because a) it's late (actually early) and I have to be up in the morning but still want to commit my thoughts to the aether before grabbing not-enough-sleep, and b) as is so often the case with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this movie is far too much to take in on the first go; not least because Civil War is two and a half hours of superhero goodness with basically no downtime. Although this review is free of spoilers, it does assume you've watched the trailers and know at least who is going to be in the movie.
So, with Joe and Anthony Russo back on directing duty, it's safe to say that this is a spiritual successor to The Winter Soldier as well as a chronological one. Furrowed brows and earnest exhortations are the order of the day once more, and the occasional quips that surface through the script might ease the tension, but they certainly don't break it. The larger thread about the Infinity Stones takes a back seat as the world's governments become increasingly nervous as to the accountability of the Avengers. This film manages to be a direct sequel to both TWS and Age of Ultron at the same time. Steve Rogers' ongoing quest to redeem Bucky continues, but characters introduced in the last movie(s) also come into play. And there are also the new faces, of course.
Young Mr Parker makes his MCU debut here, and while his introduction feels a little offbeat, he soon fits in like a natural once things heat up. Of course the character is in very safe hands, and I'm feeling a lot more assured about his Homecoming standalone. We also meet T'Challa for the first time in Civil War, in a more subtle callback to Age of Ultron's Vibranium subplot. As his super-alter-ego isn't quite as mainstream as Parker's, T'Challa's backstory feels a little more crammed. He pans out well, and if the intention is to pique the audience's interest (rather than just not having enough time to get to know him), then it succeeds admirably.
On more familiar territory, it's great to see War Machine back in the thick of it, and Ant-Man is a welcome (if seriously under-used) inclusion. William Hurt's (ex-general, now Secretary of State) Thaddeus Ross makes a relatively low-key return, and a couple of 'slightly-more-incidental' players from Winter Soldier are given a bit more fleshing out. But if Civil War has a major stumbling block, it's just too many characters. In its defence, at least all those characters are pulling in the same direction, but this really feels like a cinematic geek soap-opera. Any viewers new to the franchise (and statistically, there will be some) will have no idea what's going on, such is the narrative price of entry.
One for the fans? Absolutely. But Civil War is a fantastic ongoing installment in its own right, rather than just an extended trailer for the next movie. The actions in this film have consequences which will be felt throughout the MCU, which is precisely how it should be...
The business-end:
• Is there a Wilhelm Scream? See below.
• Is there a Stan Lee cameo? Yes.
• Is there a mid-credits scene? Yes.
• Is there a post-credits scene?Yes.
…previous Captain America films?
For maximum effect, absolutely.
It does.
The Russo brothers can be proud, as can the expansive cast.
No, because I know that this won't be the carefree movie a lot of audiences want.
…I didn't hear one. Although sleep-deprivation could have been kicking in by that point. If you caught one in there, let me know.
Level 2: …I think this is the first MCU movie to not have a member of the Star Wars cast on-screen, somewhere. Plenty of behind-the-scenes folks, but let's level-2 it by going for Don Cheadle, reprising his role as War Machine here, and he turned up very recently in Miles Ahead alongside Ewan 'Kenobi' McGregor.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
You've got to feel a bit sorry for ol' Cap. After a cinematic debut in which he was centre-stage, it almost feels like he's been told to stop showing off and play nicely with the other kids. While The Winter Soldier directly references and continues Steve Rogers' story, the inclusion and heavy usage of Black Widow and Nick Fury (characters both introduced elsewhere in the MCU) makes the Captain America sequel feel more like a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie. And given that Civil War seems to be an extension of the Avengers internal-politics, you almost wonder if he'll manage to get that spotlight back again.
But this struggle is also reflected within the story of his second installment. Captain America is no longer the idolised poster-boy of the free; he's a government agent with a shield instead of a briefcase, and has a job to do. Like it or not. Gone are the sepia-infused tales of bravado and derring-do, replaced by retinal scans and a desaturated paranoia. The culture-shock of Steve's rude awakening in the digital age is heightened by new threats which were inconceivable when he first battled a crazed Nazi scientist over the Atlantic ocean (ah, that was a simpler time). Lines are getting blurrier with each mission and danger now comes from within.
And I think it's this tonal-shift that singles out The Winter Soldier unfairly as 'the one which wasn't as good' in general conversation. Not quite as sure of itself as the previous films in the timeline, yet it relies heavily on the audience having watched them. Each victory is more hard-won and painful than the last, raising questions that the characters don't really want answered (because when you can't trust Robert Redford, you're really in trouble). The film also begins and ends in uncertainty, which is anathema for a blockbuster (even one with sequels to follow) and Henry Jackman's Dark Ominous Tones™ contrast sharply with the occasional refrain of Silvestri's soundtrack from the previous outing.
But each corner that's turned and truth revealed brings Steve Rogers nearer to closure; not of his future, but the past which has followed him here. If Rogers can just fix everything, maybe he can start to feel at home. We're not here to watch Captain America win, because the world no longer works that way; we're here to watch him not giving up, and there's a lesson in there for us all.
The Temple of Doom of the MCU, The Winter Soldier is more fun than you remember. It just leaves you exhausted rather than than exhilarated.
Well, Marvel movies, really…
If you can.
It struggles more than most in the canon, but it manages in the end.
The Russo brothers are in charge of Civil War, so we'll find out…
Probably not.
Yep.
Level 1: Like I said, Mace Windu's in it.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Ah, a chance to separate the hardcore filmgoers from the opportunists, a test of theatrical endurance, that rarest of treats in this modern age: the triple-bill. To usher in 2016's blockbuster season*1 and Marvel's Captain America: Civil War, a back-to-back screening of Super-Soldier adrenaline kicked off tonight at 18:30. The First Avenger, followed by The Winter Soldier, leading into a midnight screening of the newest installment. For a viewer who's resolutely Team Iron Man*2, I'm unaccountably happy with this ;)
Now I've written about Steve Rogers' first outing on several occasions in the past. It's a film I absolutely adore, therefore it's one that I have no problem watching again. One of those movies I'm always in the mood for, in fact. A lot has changed since I started reviewing here, and I find I watch films differently now. In fact, that was very much the point. I didn't want to be using my Unlimited card several times a month and just letting each screening wash over me, leaving no impression as I sat glazed in the cinema*3. Writing about each film I see, including repeat viewings, helps me build a framework by which I can appreciate and enjoy them more. And generally speaking, by the time I've picked apart what I did and didn't like about the thing I've just watched, I arrive at a conclusion I'm happy to commit to the blog.
Now people's tastes change over the years, which is entirely as it should be. Watching a bunch of old movies for the first time, I know that I wouldn't have enjoyed many of them had I seen them when I was younger (and likewise there are a few entries which young-me might have enthused about, but which I now realise are dreadful). But I do find that my opinion on a specific movie doesn't really change once I've watched it. I'll find new details to love (or new bugbears to hate), but the work as a whole will sit in pretty much the same slot.
And it's with that in mind that I'm going to do something I wouldn't normally do. Because I read back my previous mutterings on The First Avenger and I appear to have repeatedly scored it six out of sevenwhen it's clearly a bloody seven. So I'm changing that from this point onward. I also make a point (okay, occasionally) of saying that the number attached to a film doesn't necessarily make it comparable to another one with the same score. My final ratings are more a measure of the film's potential versus its actuality. But y'know what? The First Avenger actually can be compared directly with The Winter Soldier, even though the former is a far more enjoyable movie (although more on the second shortly). In short, Cap gets ramped up to full-marks, this outing.
Against the collective stories which have followed it (and that I still love, remember), I genuinely believe that this might be the perfect Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Bolstered by Alan Silvestri's score, director Joe Johnston captures the uncynical spirit of adventure which made the Indiana Jones movies so much fun. This is a science-fiction tale which is relatively light on the unexplainable 'magic' it needs to fuel the plot. A classic underdog origins story, Steve Rogers is the archetypal hero, empowered by science and morality, but completely unbound by ego and with an innate understanding of everything he's fighting to protect, pitted against a supernatural villain who feels like a genuine threat because he's a complete psychopath and a macguffin which could destroy everything. And from the sure-footed roller-coaster of a movie comes a victorious ending laced with an agoraphobic melancholy which hasn't been matched before or since. The 1940s setting separates the film both chronologically and tonally, and sets up (and ret-cons) events to come, while owing nothing to them. With the exception of the final five minutes, this is a true standalone feature and it still encapsulates the essence of Marvel.
So yeah, I've changed my mind. The First Avenger isn't a great film, after all.
It's a brilliant one.
Indiana Jones, The Rocketeer.
If you can.
Absolutely.
It may well be.
I very well might.
There absolutely is.
Level 1: Mace Windu's in it. And Richard Armitage from off of The Phantom Menace.
*1 Sorry Clark and Bruce, you don't count. I wish you did, but there we go.
*2 Yup. Style over righteousness, I'm afraid. Every time.
*3 Although some movies just have that effect anyway, to be fair. But I try.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Writer/director Jeremy Saulnier's anticipated follow-up to disingquiet revenge thriller Blue Ruin gets off to a similarly low-key start, with a colour-palette stripped of all warmth and with a faint air of restless dissatisfaction. And that's the way it'll stay throughout this nihilistic road-trip movie...
Young garage-punk band, The Ain't Rights are gigging their way across America, trying to build enough funds on the way to pay for some studio time. An interviewer who owes them a favour sets them up with a show in backwater Oregon, which turns out to be a neo-Nazi hangout. When the group witness a murder after their set, it becomes apparent that the venue's owner has no problem in ensuring they won't tell anyone about what they've seen.
Anton Yelchin and Alia Shawkat quickly take the lead as the band's two primary members, their affectation of post-modern lethargy giving way to adrenalised naivety as Patrick Stewart roams around outside giving orders*1 to his own private army of shaven-headed goons. This will get messy. It should also be said that this film is an 18 certifcate for a reason. The BBFC title card warns of "strong bloody violence, gore" and that's not an exaggeration. Saulnier doesn't rely on the effects and they're fairly sporadically used, but when it's time to release the dogs (literally as well as metaphorically), he doesn't hold back.
The strongest point in the film's favour is that it doesn't build to the climactic showdown which any other movie would go for. Instead we get a relentlessly grim dusk-'til-dawn tale of uncertain survival horror where all bets are off when it comes to who'll see the credits roll. As a story, Green Room has all the urgency of Blue Ruin, but not the emotional desperation. As a result, it doesn't feel as focused as its predecessor. Although as cinematic odes to punk go, I suspect that's all entirely intentional.
For anyone who's winced and face-palmed throughout a 'music based' movie like Begin Again, Green Room is the dirty, overdriven antidote...
Loses a point for mumbled dialogue, though. Come on sound-department, it's not difficult.
Blue Ruin, maybe even a bit of Hostel (although nowhere near as exploitative, obviously).
The shootings and stabbings will look meatier on the big screen, but it's not essential.
It does.
Cast, possibly; director, not quite.
I won't.
There isn't.
Level 1: Ironically enough, the sound department for this film (yeah, the one I've just had a pop at) features Justine Baker and Tyler Newhouse, both of whom worked on the audio for The Force Awakens.
*1 With, it has to be said, an accent that comes with a self-deprecating sub-heading of "New York • London • Huddersfield". It's never at Colin Farrell-level, but I was having a hard time working out if his character had moved to the States from the skinhead scene in the UK, or he just had a multiple-personality disorder…
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Infinity may be referenced in the title and the script, but this film is anything but, positively constricted by its 109 minutes. There's the feeling in the opening act that this is a story which has been butchered to fit a standard run-time as we meet Ramanujan (Dev Patel), a lowly clerk for a British-run firm in Madras, shortly before the first world war. His intellect is anything but lowly, of course, although we only learn this by having almost every other character openly refer to him as a genius, without actually showing us how or why he's so special. Because how do you break things down to a potentially "non-mathematical" audience without losing them completely? Well, in TMWKI's case, you don't, really.
By which I mean that it's largely not demonstrated, not that the film loses its audience with complicated explanations of numerical brain-aches. Now I'm no rocket-scientist (no, you shut up), but even I was wanting to 'see the working out' as much as Ramanujan's mentor in old Blighty, Hardy. The main problem (for me) is that the prodigy's early schooling isn't even mentioned, much less shown. I bought that he was an intuitive mathematician, and I accepted his frustration at being 'slowed down' by the establishment wanting to fully test his theories. But the fact that his apparently self-taught skills manifested themselves in the Western form of written equations, that the staff at Cambridge University could understand at a glance yet still not fully comprehend? Not explained. Even a duck has to be taught to swim.
As well as powering through the five-year timespan as if it had invented a time-machine while it was on, the film also has to deal with an Indian academic living in England during a global war, when emotions are at a high and ethnic diplomacy isn't. This delicate subject is addressed rather indelicately, as is the more institutional xenophobia of the 'old guard' of the time. Director Matt Brown's script takes a very button-pushing approach, which would be more forgivable if its resolution wasn't handled with equal naivety in the film's final throes.
The humorous lines intended to lighten the mood don't fare too much better, often feeling contrived. Although to be fair, the largely senior audience around me merrily chortled their way through gags which evoked little more than a wry grin from myself, leading me to think that maybe this film is perfectly fulfilling the task for which it was created, and that I'm just a massive film-snob. But then, I know I'm a massive film-snob, and even accounting for this, the film isn't that funny.
Most typical scene:
INT. Hospital. Day. Hardy (Irons) stands by the hospital bed of Ramanujan (Patel), quizzing a doctor, Muthu (San Shella) on the TB-ridden patient's condition.
Hardy: …is it bad?
Muthu: I'm afraid so, sir.
Hardy: Well, can't we do anything?
Muthu: I'm afraid not, no. This is the worst case of Second Act Screenwriter's Cough I've seen in some time, and with a protagonist as virtuous as Ramanujan here, it's unlikely he'll make the credits.
Hardy: Well, I'm sure his inevitable moral vindication at the film's finale will temporarily remove the conspicuous-looking dark patches under his eyes so that "poorly film-makeup man" isn't the lingering image in the memory of the audience as they file out of the auditorium…
Both Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons give it their all, but they're let down by the kind of script that makes a callback (the "1729" reference) to a setup which occurred less than five minutes earlier, and which is less than five minutes before the end of the film. Either the writer is to blame for this structural faux pas, or the editor.
Where is the wonder, where is the awe? Where is the titularly-implied infinity?
With the best will in the world, this is a poor man's Theory of Everything; a great story let down by an awful screenplay which doesn't do its subject justice. And shoehorning in Stephen Fry and Toby Jones won't change that…
Level 2: Many level 2s to choose from here, but let's go for Jeremy Irons, who starred in 1995's Die Hard With A Vengeance alongside Sam 'Windu' Jackson.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
