'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Review

Synopsis: The crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super species rise, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance.

Runtime: 131 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of monster action, violence, and destruction, and for some language)

Who should see it? Godzilla fans.

Serving as the gargantuan sequel to 2014's Godzilla, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is directed by Michael Dougherty and features a screenplay co-written by Dougherty and Zach Shields with an additional story credit for Max Borenstein. Aside from furthering the exploits of our favorite gigantic lizard, King of the Monsters is tasked with setting the stage for next year's epic kaiju showdown between Kong and Godzilla. And the filmmakers sure do want audiences to know that Warner Bros. and Legendary's MonsterVerse is headed in that direction, as there are plenty of references to the fabled Skull Island and its towering primate. Occasionally, the nods happen too frequently, but the cinematic universe craze isn't slowing down anytime soon. On that note, stick through the credits for hints concerning this franchise's future. 

Most audience members flocking to the theater are seeing Godzilla: King of the Monsters due to the promise of grand kaiju action, and they'll be delighted to witness plenty of monstrous mayhem. Unlike the 2014 Godzilla, the titular titan is front-and-center more-often-than-not. The spectacle doesn't always match the grandeur and majesty of the trailer presentation, but Dougherty delivers some satisfying kaiju brawls full of striking imagery. Though these fights aren't without flaws. Sometimes, it's challenging to follow the action due to the weather, fluorescent lighting effects, shaky-cam, and quick cuts. It'd be a stretch to call the action incomprehensible, and these attributes didn't detract from my enjoyment, but I feel they're worth noting nevertheless. One detail which compensated for this was the varied color scheme for each monster and their abilities which assisted in differentiating the creatures from one another.  

As glimpsed in the trailers, there are some magnificent effects-heavy wide shots which I'd gleefully frame and display in my home. King of the Monsters touts impeccable creature design for its wide array of mythic monsters, and these beasts are wonderfully realized through breathtaking visual effects and Lawrence Sher's stunning cinematography. Lending additional gravitas to the grand spectacle, Bear McCreary's score contains many percussive, choral-heavy arrangements, and I'd be remiss to neglect the sound design which enabled the kaiju to roar their way onscreen.

Of course, there's more to this movie than monsters... The human component and narrative are severely lacking in comparison to the kaiju confrontations, but honestly, what else would you expect? I've seen King of the Monsters heavily scrutinized for that whereas I'd consider the characterization in this sequel to be an improvement over Godzilla (2014). The central splintered family dynamic presented here is far more compelling than what unfolded five years ago, largely thanks to the performances which I'll touch on momentarily. I was invested in the fate of the core family as well as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa, which already outweighs merely caring about Bryan Cranston in the first film.

Kyle Chandler's Mark Russell is the most prominent character in this super-sized sequel and Chandler does a fine job with the material given. Amongst the ensemble, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ziyi Zhang, Aisha Hinds fill the stock scientists and military personnel while Bradley Whitford and Thomas Middleditch provide a decent dose of comedic relief.

Depicting the two carry-over characters from Godzilla (2014), Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins are utilized in vastly differing capacities. Watanabe is granted a poignant scene and continues to invoke a sense of gravitas for the franchise while Hawkins is sadly wasted with minimized contributions (she mostly delivers expositional dialogue). 

Separated from the rest of the cast for plot-related reasons, Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, and Charles Dance each are sufficient series additions. It was nice to finally see Millie Bobby Brown transition to the big screen after her breakout turn as Eleven in Stranger Things, and her feature acting-debut offered a role befitting of her talent. Despite sharing the screen with so many seasoned actors, Brown holds her ground and manages to be a stand-out when all is said-and-done. Meanwhile, Vera Farmiga leaves a favorable impression in spite of her character's complex motivations, whereas Charles Dance's malevolent presence felt underutilized in the grand scheme of things. 

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is an unabashedly stupid popcorn flick that will surely rule the box office this weekend, but awe-inspiring kaiju confrontations compensate for its narrative shortcomings. Long live the king!

Film Assessment: B B-

'Pokémon: Detective Pikachu' Review

Synopsis: Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, the wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Detective Pikachu. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with each other, Tim and Pikachu join forces to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Rhyme City, they uncover a shocking plot that threatens to destroy the peaceful co-existence between humans and Pokémon.

Runtime: 104 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG (for action/peril, some rude and suggestive humor, and thematic elements)

Who should see it? Pokémon fans of all ages.

Directed by Rob Letterman with a script by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Derek Connolly, Nicole Perlman, and Rob Letterman, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu carries the distinction of being the first live-action Pokémon movie. The pop-culture phenomenon began in 1996 with the Japanese release of Pokémon Red, Blue, and Green, and the franchise has since spawned countless video games, anime television series, animated feature films, manga, and trading cards. However, Detective Pikachu adapts neither the anime or main series video games which are already familiar to Pokémon fans. Instead, Detective Pikachu takes its inspiration from a spin-off Pokémon game of the same title. 

The decision to adapt Detective Pikachu as the first live-action Pokémon film stemmed from The Pokémon Company and Rob Letterman's desire to center the story around a new character rather than Ash, Red, or another familiar series protagonist. The change-up proved to be refreshing for the sake of differentiating from what came before, but it simultaneously enabled the substitution of a more generic narrative. The plot's quite predictable because Detective Pikachu observes genre tropes to a tee. The story's simple, but let's be honest, nobody's going to see Detective Pikachu for the plot. Fans are excited to finally see their favorite Pokémon fully realized with digital effects. 

And what a wonderful job the visual effects artists have done! There's a degree of photo-realism in the CG-rendering, but the animators have remained incredibly faithful to the cartoonish designs of these creatures. Though you can distinguish the Pokémon as digital, they are believable inhabitants of their real-world surroundings. Growing up, I played the games, watched the anime, and accumulated quite a bit of merchandise, so I often found myself scanning the frame in an effort to catch them all. There's somewhere around fifty Pokémon featured in the film (though there could be more), whether they be prominent characters or background set dressing. After a certain point, I noticed that there weren't any new Pokémon and the animators were mostly reusing the same models. This was likely to conserve the vfx budget, which is totally understandable because I'd rather see top-notch Pokémon than subpar renderings, but I was admittedly disappointed not to see many Pokémon beyond those prominently featured in the marketing material.

I also would have liked to see more battles beyond the brief teases shown (audience never see a complete battle), but I recognize the story didn't call for that and future sequels/spin-offs could fulfill that desire. Concerning casual fans and those unfamiliar with the world of Pokémon, Detective Pikachu doesn't require a compressive understanding of the franchise's lore. You really just need to know the basics to follow the story. Pokémon are creatures of varying types that have specific powers and abilities who co-exist with humanity. Got that and you should be good to go!

In the titular role of Detective Pikachu, Ryan Reynolds provides plenty of star voltage and a charged vocal performance. Reynolds' wry wit and silly self-awareness surprisingly pair well with the yellow fellow, generating plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and some endearing beats as well. Reynolds' personality not only sparks the super sleuth to life but jolts the film and supporting cast surrounding him. Opposite Reynolds, Justice Smith embodies Tim as an everyman and grounds the character in a tender vulnerability due to his distrust of Pokémon. He's the straight man to Reynolds' eccentric, caffeine-addicted Detective Pikachu, and their back-and-forth dynamic is an undeniable highlight. 

All the while, Kathryn Newton is a likable addition to the cast as enthusiastic, aspiring journalist Lucy Stevens. Distinguished actors Ken Watanabe and Bill Nighy also lend the flick some gravitas, respectively portraying Lieutenant Yoshida of the Rhyme City Police Department and the city's primary philanthropic billionaire Howard Clifford.

Though not quite a game-changer, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu effectively translates the franchise's expansive world and characters, proving they've been suited for the big screen all along! It may not be "the very best," but Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is still an electrifying blockbuster that Pokémon trainers ought to catch in theaters!

Film Assessment: B

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Inception'

Sorry for the extreme delay in publishing this review. Before I begin, I'd like to update my readers on what's been going on behind the scenes. First off, I came up with an interesting idea for this review, but it just never took off, so that got abandoned. Secondly, Hurricane Harvey struck the Houston area back in August. This threw me off, of course, and I scarcely had time to sit down and work on reviews, much less any of my delayed ones. However, a sense of normalcy has long since established itself so I'm getting on to publishing these dreadfully delayed reviews online ASAP. Reviews you can expect to see in the near future include a Triple-R for Interstellar and Throwback Thursday Reviews over Stand By Me, The World's End, The Shining, the 1990 It miniseries, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and Risky Business (1983).

'Inception' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Score.

Won: Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

Inception follows Dom Cobb, a thief who utilizes shared dream technology to enter people's minds and steal secrets from their subconscious. This skill makes him incredibly useful in the world of corporate espionage, but has also been accompanied by substantial personal consequences for Cobb. While on an assignment, he's offered a chance at redemption so that he can finally return home and see his children again. All Cobb has to do is assemble a team to infiltrate the mind of a CEO and implant an idea in his mind. The task seems inconceivable, but the reward far outweighs the risk for Cobb, so he accepts and the quest to pull off the most impractical mind heist begins.

Inception was written and directed by auteur filmmaker Christopher Nolan, standing as his seventh feature length film and first follow up to the massive success of The Dark Knight. I think every successful storyteller has a defining point in their career where they prove themselves capable of more than just making remarkable movies, but also expanding exceptional, original ideas into fantastic feature length projects. For Nolan, I believe Inception is his quintessential film. 

I'm not necessarily stating Inception is his best work, but I believe it to be one of the defining points of his phenomenal filmography. I still haven't seen Following, Memento, Insomnia, or The Prestige so I can't quite speak on how those films impacted his career trajectory, but I do believe Inception exemplifies all the aforementioned points. 

For starters, everything originated from one of the most unique ideas ever brought to film that presents infinite opportunity for elaboration and development. What if people were able to infiltrate one-another's dreams? What would the implications of that be? What are the rules? Nolan knows all, and the fact he thought this all up still astounds me. It's wonderful world-building from the group up, and Nolan realizes he's gotta break it down for the viewer so he cleverly incorporates exposition in an incredibly interesting way. He shows as he tells, explaining the fundamentals clearly and concisely for those providing their full attention and willingness to think.  

Nolan doesn't forget that the human mind is complex though. He remembers that the past haunts us and our personal trauma will always trail behind, so he brilliantly pushes that idea forward as the driving narrative for our protagonist. The base premise of Inception centers on a heist, but at its core the film is all about letting go of the past. The way Nolan integrates this thread with the overarching story is utterly exceptional. The stakes in Inception remain personal in spite of elevated spectacle. Rather than focusing the film's climax entirely on the heist at hand, Nolan pits Cobb against the personal demons of his past, and forces him to confront them in an intense, emotionally charged resolution. 

Like nearly all of Nolan's other films, Inception is a masterpiece on a technical level with splendid cinematography, impressive editing, proficient practical production design, absolutely authentic visual effects work, superb sound mixing and editing, and a booming score from Hans Zimmer. There's not a single technical category that slouches amidst Nolan's especially ambitious magnum opus, and absolutely all of these involved elements have gone on to be incredibly influential (just look to last year's Doctor Strange for evidence of that).

Time is a reoccurring element in virtually all of Nolan's work. Though the way Nolan compounds time within the layers of dreams in Inception's pivotal dream-heist is simply astounding. Every talked-about technical technique accentuates the tension and importance of the cerebral stickup, but the sense of urgency is only emphasized and amplified by these filmmaking instruments, not fabricated by it. This perception that time elongates within each layer is best communicated through the slo-motion sequencing and tempo fluctuations in Zimmer's score. 

As for Inception's illustrious ensemble, the all-star talent bring their A-game. Accomplished actors including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, and Michael Caine each provide sufficient substance to their respective roles and make especially favorable impressions with every moment onscreen. 

However, it's Leonardo DiCaprio and Marion Cotillard who practically run away with the movie. DiCaprio absolutely authenticates Cobb's struggle to distinguish fiction from reality, and the fact his mind is constantly responsible for undermining his plans only strengthens the struggle. One outburst from him, in particular, is so powerful that you can feel Cobb's pain resonate through the screen. It's one of DiCaprio's few performances that exemplifies such a poignant balance between intellect, emotion, and subtle nuance. Cotillard is able to match him emotional beat-for-emotional beat though, demonstrating a strengthened resolve and etherealness to play Mel as a faint shadow of the woman Cobb remembers loving. She finds a strange sweet-spot between seeming real and unreal, so the viewer (like Cobb) will also have difficulty differentiating the hallucinations from flesh and blood.

Aside from expanding audience's minds in 2010, Inception stretched the limits of efficiently executing and innovating a director's most inconceivable abstraction. I realize I've used adjectives like "brilliant," "exceptional," and "astounding" quite often in this review, but there's simply no other way to describe Nolan's craftsmanship. He continually pushes the boundaries of every element of filmmaking to consistently deliver intellectually-stimulating entertainment. Inception remains to be ample evidence of just that, and so much more!

Film Assessment: A+