'Creed' Review

Nominated For: Best Supporting Actor; Sylvester Stallone.

I finally found time to go see Creed, and can say I was very impressed! I had heard plenty positive buzz, but avoided allowing that to affect my perception. However, I can say I whole-heartingly agree with all of the love for the film.

Creed is the seventh installment in the Rocky franchise that references events from the previous films while managing to invigorate the franchise. It pays homage to the original while viewing it through the lens of more modern filmmaking. Ryan Coogler directs the film and does a phenomenal job. There have been rumors recently that Coogler may be up to direct one of Marvel's upcoming films Black Panther, and I really hope he lands the gig after seeing Creed.

Coogler effectively works with the cinematographer to create some incredible shots. The fighting sequences were very well shot, with one lengthy fight done in one-take to great effect. The very tightly knit camerawork matches the fighting choreography for the film and remains very focused on the action effectively. Coogler utilizes slow motion, POV shots and some very tight frames to really add to the intensity of the action.

The film also takes full advantage of the classical musical score from Rocky subtly inserting it in small doses throughout the film till the training sequence that rivals that of the original while paying homage to that classic scene as well. When the film reaches this training scene that clearly parallels the original classic scene, it no longer holds back. The iconic score and the trumpets begin to blast and it really adds to the experience of the film.

The performances in the film are limited to a few key characters, in particular Jordan and Stallone. Michael B. Jordan brings a feeling of intensity to the film and proves he is very capable as the leading man portraying Adonis Creed.

Sylvester Stallone provides what may just be his best performance ever in revisiting the role of Rocky Balboa. Stallone is able to bring the character back while adding new layers of depth to the character with a new air of sagely wisdom, and gives a performance I think could be deemed worthy for awards consideration.

Tessa Thompson brings a more interesting love interest to be paired with Adonis and had some great chemistry onscreen with Jordan, maintaining a presence for the character with an interesting story.

The film's antagonist is played by real life boxer, Tony "Bomber" Bellow, who is serviceable as the villain, but doesn't really bring anything special or much to the role aside from the intense climactic fight.

Overall, I can say that this is one of the best films I've seen all year! Now, I'm going to give it an A+ and I've done that quite a bit with some of my more recent reviews, but be aware that I do hold this score back and only give it to films that I believe deserve it and earn the rating. I can't recommend this film enough and can say I feel it holds up to Rocky and is just as great if not better!

Film Assessment: A+

'Fantastic Four' (2015) Review

I will admit I have been concerned about how this film would turn out from the beginning with rumors of very troubled production, the fact that they were changing tradition and cast a black actor as Johnny Storm but failed to make his sister Sue Storm the same ethnicity instead saying she's adopted, the look of Doctor Doom, and the fact that this is the only incarnation of the Thing not to wear a pair of pants. So I went into this film with very low  expectations, especially after seeing the dreaded reviews but tried to remain optimistic since sometimes I don't agree with the majority of critics but sadly that is not the case here. This reboot is a jumbled mess but the sad thing is that it's apparent the trouble comes from behind the camera. The story is incoherent with no theme or central message, the tone of the film proved to be very inconsistent, and the script was ridiculous at times. This movie is very boring and almost entirely chocked full of exposition with little to no action. It also takes a team who are usually depicted in a light setting and tries to mimic the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy by having a darker tone but this proves to be very unsuccessful. There are specific scenes or gags in the film that you can tell screen writers wrote to be intentionally funny but it doesn't really come across in the dark setting. I'm unsure if 20th Century Fox or Josh Trank is to blame for what has occurred because there are various conflicting reports. Trank even tweeted last evening that a year ago he had a great film in mind that was ruined due to studio interference. This does seem likely since he was practically removed from the project and there were many reshoots done but in the end it does't matter since it's very unlikely there will be a sequel. I will admit there are a few aspects I enjoyed about the film. There were many great concepts that just seemed to be developed poorly, the cast was terrific, and the visual effects looked amazing. The cast is very talented and each gave admirable performances with what they were given. I particularly enjoyed Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, Michael B Jordan, and Kate Mara in their respective roles. Miles Teller made a very convincing Reed Richards and had great chemistry with Jamie Bell who did quite well in the role of Ben Grimm. One of my biggest complaints about the film prior to seeing it was the look of the Thing and I must say that I have changed my opinion for the most part. I did like the CGI look of the Thing that was much more expressive than the 2005 adaptation but I still think it's ridiculous that the Thing didn't have pants. All of the other team members were given some form of a suit except the Thing. Unfortunately Michael B Jordan and Kate Mara, who played Johnny and Sue Storm, didn't have much to do in the film and there was so much potential to explore their adoptive sibling relationship in this adaptation that was simply ignored. Despite the good performances almost none the the actors really had good chemistry or worked well as an ensemble cast like for example The Avengers cast as these actors seemed to work better independently other than off of one another. Toby Kebbell portrays the film's villain Victor Von Doom, a while back it was reported he would be an internet blogger with a different name but I assume they reverted back after fan backlash, and he does a decent job but once he is transformed into Doctor Doom the character is ruined. He has absolutely no motivation, looked ridiculous, and is simply a stereotypical powerful villain that must be stopped because he wants to destroy everything. I did really like most of the visual effects though, especially the effects used for the Fantastic Four's power set. Throughout the film there are many cool conceptual ideas that weren't quite able to flourish for some reason that might work more effectively in a sequel. Overall, I will admit the film wasn't awful but it wasn't good either, it was just "alright". I do believe that with the proper guidance a successful sequel could be made thanks to the talented cast but I doubt it will even be greenlit. If you were remotely interested in the Fantastic Four at all, I'd advise that you go see either Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation or Ant-Man as better substitutes for a fun action film. 

Film Assessment: F