'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 commences shortly after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy as our heroes are tasked by an alien race of supremacists, the Sovereign, to guard some big ticket batteries from a ferocious beast known as the Abilisk. The Guardians defeat the monster, receive their bounty, and are on their way. At least till they discover Rocket snatched a few of the batteries and the Sovereign are hot in pursuit. After a series of events I won't go into, the group stumble across Peter's father and Quill begins to learn the truth behind his ancestry. I won't delve into any further plot details because that sums up the first fifteen/twenty minutes of the movie, which is almost everything that's been showcased in the marketing material.

James Gunn returns to write and direct Vol. 2, taking the unconventional sequel approach by providing meaningful character exploration as opposed to substantial spectacle. If the first was about bringing the team together, this installment's more about fleshing out the dysfunctional family. The characters you've come to adore are back and the team dynamic is as enjoyable as ever, but I found it interesting how Gunn paired characters we hadn't really seen together and utilized those respective dynamics to bring out their subsequent backstories. 

One example being the role reversal between Rocket and Groot. Where Groot was Rocket's muscle in the first, this time it's the opposite as Rocket (and the team to some extent) really have to watch out for Baby Groot seeing as he's just a little sapling. While this may not be one of the new pairings, it's something familiar that feels fresh thanks to the spin Gunn employs. Of course Gunn has more hilarious zingers up his sleeve and just about every scene featuring Baby Groot had me laughing my head off, one in particular left me chuckling for a good minute or two. I was most impressed that Gunn and his crew didn't exploit Baby Groot to be the sole provider of the film's levity or charm like I was expecting. 

Every character has their time to shine with a few stepping up to the plate as standouts I didn't see coming. The story of Vol. 2 navigates plenty of surprise twists and turns and creeps up with some intensely emotional moments that certainly had me welling up unexpectedly. Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of Vol. 2 though was that the story being told was never compromised to set-up another Marvel entry down the line. If you're hoping for some Avengers: Infinity War groundwork to be laid, you're going to be woefully disappointed. However, the traditional Stan Lee cameo arises with some insane implications for those of you who read Marvel comics and there are five post-credits scenes so you know the drill, stick around till the screen fades to black one last time. 

The cinematography captures the neon-florescent aesthetic to paint a breathtaking backdrop composed of hauntingly marvelous hair and makeup, professional production design, and vibrant visual effects. The tracks wound in the Awesome Mix Vol. 2 cassette tape and Tyler Bates' sensational score play just as well as the tunes featured in Vol. 1 and Bates'  prior compositions. There's a fair share of toe tappers on the mix tape like "Mr. Blue Sky," "Fox on the Run," and "The Chain" and Bates' "Dad" is epic and emotional, making the ideal accompaniment to the film's third act showdown. 

The enlightened ensemble returns and successfully elevate everything you came to love about their prior portrayals. Chris Pratt brings the star power to Peter Quill, projecting the guise of a confident criminal with an underlying tenderness. Kurt Russell... Well... He does his Kurt Russell thing... I don't want to really talk about him to stray from spoiling anything about his character but Russell's Ego the Living Planet is as charming as you'd expect Kurt Russell playing a humanized planet could possibly be so you see where Peter gets it from. Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan have far more to do this time around with the sisterhood between Gamora and Nebula further explored. Both actresses prove up to the task of kicking butt, taking names, and occasionally wearing their hearts on their sleeves. 

Dave Bautista's Drax lets out his hearty chuckle and some self serious one-liners that bode well when juxtaposed with the naive nature of Pom Klementieff's Mantis. Their interaction is incredibly amusing because neither characters truly grasp social norms, leading to the film's funniest moments. 

As for the rest of the crew, Bradley Cooper imparts all the sardonic sarcasm to Rocket you can possibly imagine and Vin Diesel projects a soft-spoken sapling as Baby Groot that's absolutely adorable. Gunn's brother Sean Gunn not only lent himself to Rocket Raccoon's motion capture portrayal but returns as the Ravenger Kraglin and served as an amusing source of comedic relief in a larger capacity. It was also awesome to see Sylvester Stallone pop up in a minuscule supporting capacity that shows promise for future outings. Elizabeth Debicki's Ayesha and her Sovereign race were more a nuisance than actual threat as supposed antagonists and Chris Sullivan's Taserface is as big a joke as you'd imagine someone with that name to be. 

The surprise standout though was undoubtedly Michael Rooker as Yondu. Rooker's performance puts forth more of Yondu's heart and explains the gruff, hardened exterior with such a delicate balance between the two that plays out beautifully in the film's conclusion.

I'm sure it will be a source of contention to decide whether Vol. 2 reached the heights of its predecessor but I personally enjoyed it more. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a blast! Vol. 2 amplifies everything you loved about the first; the characters, the sights, the sounds, and most importantly, the story. Vol. 2 rocks and rolls its way into your heart with the cheeky charm and ostentatious enjoyment of the original, deepening your love and appreciation for these characters along the way.

Film Assessment: A-

Recollection Reflection Review: 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is nearly upon us and while I won't have a review for that installment up till later this week, I figured this would be an appropriate time to revisit the original. Keep in mind this review will be include some spoilers though considering it's been nearly three years since the film's release. The review's a bit long but I promise it's a significant improvement over my last attempt.

'Guardians of the Galaxy' Review

Nominated for: Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Recollection- Guardians of the Galaxy Review

Reflection- I remember around Guardians of the Galaxy's initial release when it was predicted to be Marvel's first flop yet caught the world unawares, bursting onto the scene and becoming an instant pop culture phenomenon! I love the first Guardians but I'm admittedly not over-the-moon on it as many other people I know seeing as it's not quite my favorite MCU film (read more about this at my most recent Marvel Cinematic Universe Ranking). That's one of the reasons I thought it would be fun to revisit this one on-top of the fact I reviewed it back in 2014 when I was relatively new to blogging. Really, the most interesting part of these Triple-R Reviews, as I like to call them, is that I can show how much I've improved and grown as a writer and critic. I plan on introducing other new review formats soon that will be more akin to short essays on behalf of a detested film and against ones I consider over-rated.

Review- Guardians of the Galaxy opens in the year 1988 as a young Peter Quill must watch his terminally-ill mother pass away and is immediately abducted by a crew of space pirates known as Ravengers. Fast-forward to 2014, Quill now goes by the monicker Star-Lord and has stolen an ancient intergalactic artifact resembling an orb for an intermediary broker. Quill soon discovers about half the galaxy wants the orb, including the militant Kree fanatic Ronan the Accuser, and winds up working alongside a rag-tag group of misfits to save the galaxy when the orb ends up in the wrong hands.

Guardians of the Galaxy was something no-one expected to succeed, making it all the more exciting when it was launched to interstellar heights at the box office for a property practically no-one was familiar with. For starters, the team included a talking raccoon and a tree whose vocabulary consists of the three words "I am Groot." Writer-director James Gunn had to sell audiences on these obscure characters if he was going to pull this off, and fortunately he did. Gunn understands that these characters are weird and kinda messed up but finds touches of humanity within them all so that these characters can not only be likable but relatable. Gunn succeeded in spades on delivering Marvel's most outlandish property yet by trusting in the unconventional nature of the cosmic characters.

The script penned by Gunn and co-writer Nicole Perlman focused first and foremost on bringing out character and succeeded in making the most of a roguish outlaw, an assassin, a vengeful maniac, a smart-aleck raccoon, and a walking, talking tree. Every character has his or her own arc that plays out beautifully, the only flaw lies in Ronan the Accuser coming across as yet another forgettable baddie. However, I must credit the duo for crafting heaps and heaps of quirky quips and hysterical one-liners, resulting in Marvel's consistently funniest entry to date. I've seen Guardians of the Galaxy countless times yet still find myself chuckling at just about every single joke the Guardians have at their disposal.

Another element that makes Guardians of the Galaxy so great is that Gunn and Perlman never lost sight of an emotional through-line when striving for a light-hearted affair, I'll even admit to welling up at the film's devastating outset and towards the stirring conclusion. Not only are the characters and story in the far reaches of Marvel's cosmic space interesting but the sights and sounds of Guardians of the Galaxy are simply out of this world! The visual effects remain among Marvel's best-to-date with stimulating space battles and motion capture that's probably the closest you can get to bringing a talking raccoon and amiable arbor to life. The unique production design meshes with the visual effects seamlessly to make numerous wacky worlds plausible and the hair and makeup team responsible for the looks of Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Yondu, Nebula, and Ronan the Accuser do an exceptional job.

That's not even to mention the stunning cinematography capturing all the cosmic craziness, the aesthetic is astounding from start-to-finish, and I absolutely adore the full aspect ratio that enlarges during some of the film's key action sequences. On that note, the action to be found in Guardians is a stirring spectacle that's only enhanced by the film's rocking Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack and Tyler Bate's incredible score. The Awesome Mix Vol. 1 has plenty of retro-hits that will get your mouth moving and your toes tapping like "Hooked On A Feeling," "Spirit in the Sky," "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)," "Cherry Bomb," and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" to name a couple. Don't count out Tyler Bates' sensational score though, because none of his compositions miss a beat!

While all the aforementioned components are crucial to the film's success, none of it would have worked if it weren't for the correct cast. Chris Pratt lends the ideal mix of charisma and space swagger to Peter Quill that makes his Star Lord alias click perfectly with his personality. Pratt's leap to stardom basically began here and he exhibits all the qualities of a memorable movie star audiences have come to appreciate. Pratt's able to serve as the unlikely hero, but simultaneously exhibited roguish charm that made it seem like it couldn't have happened any other way. Zoe Saldana brought the right mix of sentiment and grit to Gamora that makes the claim she's a killer with a conscience seem all the more real. I appreciate that her character doesn't fall into the camps of being subservient sex appeal or the conventional love interest but rather something in-between that stands apart from the archetypal heroine. My one gripe about Gamora is that her character doesn't come across to be nearly as complex as the source material, but I guess that could change in Vol. 2.

Dave Bautista hits it out of the park in his feature film acting debut, I truly believe he will stand alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as one of the best wrestler-turned-actors in Hollywood. Bautista's got the bulk that you'd imagine would accompany someone going by the designation Drax the Destroyer and gets so much mileage out of being the moronic muscle. Bautista's blunt, straightforward line delivery matches Drax to a tee and allows some of the film's funniest dialogue exchanges to occur.

Bradley Cooper's snarky demeanor matches the wisecracking Rocket Raccoon eloquently, while Vin Diesel lends his oaky voice to Groot. If it weren't for these two, the entire enterprise would have fallen apart, but luckily Marvel's casting department haven't floundered yet. On that note, I've gotta credit Sean Gunn and Krystian Godlewski for providing the motion capture element to the portrayal of these two character.

Among the supporting ensemble, Micheal Rooker injects a sleazy, roughness to Ravenger captain Yondu Udonta, Benicio Del Toro lets loose as the eccentric Collector, Laura Haddock will bring tears to your eyes as Meredith Quill, and John C. Reilly, Peter Serafinowicz, and Glenn Close play straight laced space cops known as the Nova Core. Lee Pace's Ronan the Accuser makes for another vaguely-motivated Marvel menace with Djimon Hounsou and Karen Gillan by his side as cyborg Korath and the inscrutably freaky Nebula.

Oh, and Josh Brolin sits in Thanos' throne for a bit as the Mad Titan. Maybe we'll see him get up from that chair in a little indie called Avengers: Infinity War coming next May but only time will tell.

To sum it all up, none of the individual elements of Guardians of the Galaxy could work independently and they actually rely on one-another to collaborate as one grand, booming superhero space opera that's forever fervent fun. Guardians of the Galaxy may not be the best Marvel Studios release in my eyes, but for the time being stands as their most amusing and entertaining effort yet!

Film Assessment: A-

'The Fate of the Furious' Review

The Fate of the Furious flips the Fast & Furious franchise on its head when Dominic Toretto suddenly betrays his team in the midst of a non-sanctioned operation. The crew then are assembled by Mr. Nobody and must partner with an unexpected ally, former foe Deckard Shaw, if they have any hope of stopping Toretto and the cyberterrorist organization behind his shifted alliance. 

If you told me that Fate of the Furious was directed by Michael Bay, I'd probably buy it due to Straight Outta Compton filmmaker F. Gary Gray's decision to switch gears into full Transformers territory. The two franchises might as well cross over at this point because they've both got slo-mo, explosions, choppy editing, and shaky cam galore! 

Gray and his technical crew absolutely deliver on piecing together ridiculous action set pieces comprised of a standard street race in Havana harkening back to the roots of  The Fast and the Furious, an absurd chase through the Big Apple involving thousands of remotely controlled auto-driven cars, and the gang casually skidding over the frozen tundra and a nuclear submarine in efforts to stop World War III to name a couple. 

Despite Fate of the Furious' best intentions at delivering a commercialized blockbuster, the film feels devoid of the energy that bolstered previous entries (possibly due to Paul Walker's absence). Now I can suspend my disbelief of nonsensical action and overlook the bad dialogue provided I'm reasonably entertained, but Fate of the Furious never quite found that niche. I can't fault the film itself for this but Universal's marketing department plastered the coolest moments everywhere on the internet so Fate of the Furious never took me by surprise. I occasionally laughed at the senseless situations the crew found themselves in or the cheap one-liners but I was rarely invested in the insanity. 

Furious 7 tied up all the loose ends of the series nicely with a neat, little bow but veteran F&F screenwriter Chris Morgan returns to unravel that with his sixth consecutive F&F screenplay. Fate of the Furious can't help but feel like an extraneous extension of the saga because of how nicely Furious 7 wrapped things up, especially when minimal character growth occurs over the 136 minute runtime and the ending seemingly leaves little room for anywhere I could conceivably see the franchise headed. One thing that especially bothered me was that there were no lasting consequences or any aftermath from choices made by these characters. It doesn't help that the characters are virtually invulnerable either, these people are practically superheroes at this point. 

On top of that, the formulaic nature of these F&F movies is becoming more and more apparent with each new installment and I'm convinced the last four or so practically have the same ending. However, two things I can credit Morgan for are writing decent hamstrung one-liners and constructing a convincing motivation for Toretto to turn on his family (probably the only surprise in the movie). Aside from that I was awestruck at how easily entertained the people around me were, they audibly gasped and aw'ed at predictable clichés I saw coming from a mile away. 

For the most part, the cast fill out their prescribed duties but it's noticeable the material they're given is rather lackluster. Vin Diesel gets to tread new waters as Dominic Toretto explores the inherent internal conflict that accompanies betrayal. Diesel demonstrated more range in this film that I feel was missing from some of his previous performances in this franchise and lent itself well to the precarious position his character found himself in. Michelle Rodriguez's scenes opposite Diesel provides the soap opera-esque relationship drama for Letty and Dom, which is incredibly melodramatic and over-the-top but somehow works thanks to the chemistry between the two. 

Amongst the supporting roster, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hams it up as Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham's Deckard surprisingly steals the show now that he's on the good guy's side (watch out for his plane sequence that's an absolute delight and demands a spin-off). Statham and Johnson's verbal sparring turned out to be a highlight as both get a few good insults while Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson serve as supporting comedic relief with their characters Tej and Roman competing for the affections of Nathalie Emmanuel's Ramsey. Emmanuel gets to spout technical know-how and hack plenty of databases in the same vein as her role in Furious 7 but sadly has little else to do. Kurt Russell returns as the franchise's Nick Fury, Mr. Nobody, and he's brought Scott Eastwood and accomplished actress Helen Mirren along with him because clearly the ensemble wasn't crowded enough already. 

In the antagonistic department, Charlize Theron enters the fray and you'd expect a certain level of gravitas to accompany an Academy Award winning actress like Theron in a villainous role. However, Theron absolutely phones it in as Cipher, making her the blandest foe the team have come across yet. Cipher doesn't ever trade blows with the crew, which is incredibly disappointing when you take her stint as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road or the trailers for her upcoming action flick Atomic Blonde into account (both of which serving as sufficient evidence she can handle an action sequence). It's probably worth mentioning to keep an eagle eye out for cameos since there were a few familiar faces I didn't expect to see and there's no post credits scene so you can race out of the theater once it's over. 

When it's all said and done, I'm not really sure Fate of the Furious was a necessary addition to the franchise. It feels driven towards financial rewards rather than furthering the characters or story in a meaningful way. Legitimate fans and casual viewers of F&F who have loved each installment and are simply seeking a good time will be more than satisfied with Fate of the Furious, but anyone hoping for an interesting continuation of the F&F family story will probably be let down. The Fate of the Furious has just about everything longtime viewers of the series have come to expect; outrageous vehicular stunts, cheesy quips, and a strong focus on family, but it fails to deliver an engaging adventurous atmosphere for our characters.

Film Assessment: C-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Fast & Furious'

Sorry for the delayed review but I decided to instead just knock two birds out with one stone and continue my series of Fast & Furious reviews by releasing my thoughts on The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Fast & Furious. Films I hope to see and review in 2017 that I didn't get around to in 2016 include Collateral Beauty and Passengers.

'Fast & Furious' Review

Fast & Furious is the fourth entry into the Fast & Furious franchise refocusing on the core cast from
The Fast and the Furious as Brian O'Connor, now with the FBI, must reteam with Dominic Toretto to bring down a drug lord. While Fast & Furious doesn't exactly revolutionize the franchise, it does begin the transition to more watchable entertainment.

Justin Lin returns to direct and the step-up in production value is evident as the stunts are crazier, the acting's slightly improved, and the cinematography is competent. Not that this will surprise anyone but there's little substance or story in Fast & Furious. It's all about the number of fast cars and attractive women they can stuff into one production.

I'm convinced this about the time that the Fast & Furious franchise found it's niche: ridiculous stunts involving cars. It's not till the subsequent entry that they find an adequate balance between that and a suitable story. The action is much more exhilarating than previous installments as the cars are faster and I guess the characters are more furious?

Chris Morgan's screenplay builds some generic character arcs but these are much better than those found in the last three entries. Morgan also throws in some nice twists and turns that show some characters at their most vulnerable and just managed to better dress ongoing events.

The performances are improved for sure as Vin Diesel gets to showcase some range, Paul Walker has some charisma to him now, and Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez make the most of what they're given. Gal Gadot makes her debut to the franchise, making a convincing hench-woman of sorts, and John Ortiz is an evil drug lord and does what he can to make an impression.

Again, Fast & Furious offers up everything you expect from the franchise but everything's slightly more refined than usual.

Film Assessment: C-

'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' Review

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk accompanies Bravo Squadron, a group of Iraqi war heroes, as they're honored at a special Thanksgiving halftime show in Dallas. Academy Award winning visionary director Ang Lee experiments shooting with a 4K 3D camera in 120 frames per second, and while I saw the film in standard frame rate but could still notice subtle differences in the camera used. Lee's known for his incredible visuals but I found Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk to look a little stale.

The cinematography and story are both bland and Lee's direction's somewhat lacking this time around and pales in comparison to his work in flicks like Life of Pi. Jean-Christophe Castelli makes his screenwriting debut adapting Ben Fountain's best selling novel and I'm not sure if the reason the story was so uninteresting was due to the source material or lackluster transition, since I haven't read the novel, but either way Castelli's responsible. I will however commend Castelli for building authentic brotherhood among Bravo Squadron, but outside of that Castelli has difficulty interweaving the major themes and juggling the various storylines.

Joe Alwyn makes his acting debut as Billy Lynn and handles the role well, balancing the more emotional material with a nuanced quiet personality. Kristen Stewart plays Billy's concerned sister and brings passionate sentiment to her limited screen-time. Vin Diesel and Steve Martin both have small supporting roles and are decent stand-ins for the caricatures drafted up. There's some pretty awful acting to be found in Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk just about everywhere else though.

If you ever want to experience approximately two dull hours of U.S. soldiers at a football game, I'll just say that three of the six people in the theater left within the first thirty minutes, then maybe this is for you. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk because it lacks a compelling story, interesting characters, any notable performances, or engaging direction.

Film Assessment: D

Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Fast and the Furious'

Sorry for the delayed review but this week's Throwback Thursday Review is over The Fast and the Furious and I realize it makes absolutely no sense why I would be reviewing this in December. However, there's a lot of major blockbusters coming out next year including Fast 8 (The Fate of the Furious) and I'm trying to review a majority, if not all, of their predecessors and figured I could cram in the first few Fast & Furious films in the slow weeks of December. Next week I will be reviewing West Side Story to coincide with La La Land's minuscule limited release that weekend, I managed to get passes to a screening on December 13th that I'm absolutely thrilled to be attending and will get my thoughts on the film out on the internet ASAP because La La Land is surprisingly one of the films I've been most excited for this year. Reviews you can expect for the remainder of the year include Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (Sorry for the delay on this one), Rules Don't Apply, Miss Sloane, La La Land, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Collateral Beauty, Passengers, Sing, Assassin's Creed, Fences, and Throwback Thursday Reviews over West Side Story, 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and Fast & Furious.

'The Fast and the Furious' Review

In The Fast & the Furious, Los Angeles police officer Bryan O'Connor must go undercover in the street racing arena to discover the culprits responsible for a series of big-rig heists. Rob Cohen directs and had to be somewhat aware of how cheesy this blockbuster is because he let it persist among the silly screenplay, awful acting, and hip-hop heavy soundtrack interchangeable with a racing video game like Need For Speed or Grand Theft Auto.

Director of photography Ericson Core does a great job capturing the cars as they speed away but Cohen's decision to utilize slow motion and shaky cam is outright laughable in some moments, with neither really necessary for the dramatic or emotional impact intended. Also, The Fast & the Furious has not aged well because a lot of the pump and circumstance comes across as a little outlandish and the 2000's sheeny filter covering it all certainly didn't help.

BT offers a pop synth heavy score that sometimes makes for decent accompaniment to ongoing events and races but other times feels a tad ill suited and almost inappropriate bursting in after a tense moment, it's really not at all surprising to see that he actually later went on to work on the soundtrack for Need For Speed: Most Wanted. The screenplay penned up by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, and to my surprise David Ayer, based on magazine article "Racer X", has some of the campiest dialogue I've ever heard and spotlights a nonsense story at its core.

The performances are almost a joke as Vin Diesel delivers dialogue with a steely gaze as Dominic Torretto, Paul Walker is burdened to carry the heavy handed emotional arcs as Bryan O'Connor but honestly can't handle it as he simply can't act (at least not decently yet). Chad Lindberg plays a squeamish wimp, Johnny Stone and Matt Schulze are the muscle and Michelle Rodriguez, Jordan Brewster, and a host of street race babes are the pin-up sex appeal. Rick Yune makes an okay villain that has at least one good interrogation scene but gets swallowed up in the cheese of the franchise.

The Fast & the Furious is loud, proud, and kind of obnoxious, making it synonymous with street cars and that audience but it's somewhat of a guilty pleasure. Undoubtedly, The Fast & the Furious is one of the cheesiest entries in the franchise and that's probably why many people like it but I'm personally more into the action-heavy later installments that embrace the over the top outrageousness so the original pales in comparison. The high octane street races and heists are amusing, but nothing compared to what the franchise's future has to offer in terms of upping the ante of ridiculous stunts involving Diesel & diesel.

Film Assessment: D+

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Saving Private Ryan'

This week I'm reviewing Saving Private Ryan because this weekend's big release is Sully, another film starring Tom Hanks helmed by a well known director. Next week I will pick up where I left off on my Harry Potter reviews leading up to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with my thoughts on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The following week I will review The Magnificent Seven (1960) to tie in with the release of it's reboot The Magnificent Seven (2016). Till then you can expect reviews of Sully and Snowden, the number of reviews on new movies per week will dwindle for a while since it's September now.

'Saving Private Ryan' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Steven Spielberg, Best Actor; Tom Hanks, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Art Decoration, Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Original Score.
Won: Best Director; Steven Spielberg, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing.

Saving Private Ryan is Steven Spielberg's foray into war films depicting the invasion on the beaches of Normandy and the 2nd Ranger Battalion's mission to rescue one soldier. I'll daresay it, Steven Spielberg is the best film directors of our time despite missteps like Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull or The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Spielberg wasn't afraid to accurately depict how gruesome war was with Saving Private Ryan, brilliantly executing large scale battle scenes with stakes, innovative camerawork, great practical effects, and most importantly an investment in character.

One of Saving Private Ryan's greatest triumphs is the screenplay's emphasis on character, the characters all feel like fully fleshed out human soldiers rather than plot devices or one note caricatures that can be found in many lousy scripts to this day. Robert Rodat's screenplay has memorable dialogue that is deeply rooted in character, everything that happens matters in some form or another. The film's visuals aren't always gorgeous, if you take into account the grotesque depiction of battle, but there are some incredible shots amidst the insanity. The film's sound is also quite the achievement, as I never felt I was watching fake gunfights, and John Williams composes yet another moving score.

Saving Private Ryan features a massive ensemble cast, and to discuss them all individually would be nightmare, but Tom Hanks' Captain Miller was a particular standout. Other great turns within the 2nd Ranger Battalion included Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, and Jeremy Davies. Matt Damon and Paul Giamatti also perform excellently in their militaristic roles as the gold-hearted Private Ryan and a snippy Sergeant Hill.

In summary, Saving Private Ryan is just about the perfect war film showcasing superior efforts in all areas, redefining the genre, and remains to be one of Spielberg's greatest films to date!

Film Assessment: A+