'Captain Marvel' Review

Synopsis: Captain Marvel is an extraterrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the shape-shifting Skrulls. Living on Earth in 1995, she keeps having recurring memories of another life as U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. With help from Nick Fury, Captain Marvel tries to uncover the secrets of her past while harnessing her special superpowers to end the war with the evil Skrulls.

Runtime: 124 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive language)

Who should see it? Marvel fans of all ages.

Carol Danvers is finally making her cinematic debut in Captain Marvel a month before the long-awaited Avengers: Endgame. Co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck with a script from Boden, Fleck, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Nicole Perlman, and Meg LeFauve, Captain Marvel is the twenty-first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first female-lead feature from Marvel Studios. Thus far, I'm getting the impression that the film is being held to a higher standard by certain critics and audience members than most Marvel-fare due to this and outside controversies. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, bless your hearts as you've done well avoiding the toxic discourse. 

Getting back on track, the Avengers: Infinity War post-credits scene teased that a powerful ally would soon be joining the Avengers to help defeat Thanos and reverse the ensuing chaos which resulted from the dreaded snap of the Mad Titan's fingers. Therefore, Captain Marvel had the responsibility of introducing Danvers as someone whom audiences would consider a powerful asset for Earth's mightiest heroes. I'd go as far to say it exceeded my expectations in that regard. While it may come at the cost of audience members slinging the dreaded words "Mary Sue" and "over-powered" towards the titular character, Boden and Fleck fulfilled their duty for the most part. I believe those specific criticisms towards the character could have been avoided if she'd faced more powerful adversaries though. This isn't to say that she didn't struggle at all over the course of the film, but I wish the villains had been in the same league as her concerning her powers. Carol needs a suitable opponent, but I suspect Endgame will rectify that issue.

Though the action was somewhat standard for Marvel, the cinematography, visual effects, and production design were visually-appealing when rooted in the cosmic aesthetic established by Guardians of the Galaxy. I particularly liked the stark contrast between the dark environments and Carol's bright display of her abilities. Otherwise, I was very engaged in the core-narrative and taken aback by some surprising plot twists. It was quite refreshing that the story didn't unfold as expected. Since this is a spoiler-free review, I'm steering clear of story details, but I'd like to highlight a few aspects I appreciated. I particularly liked the narrative framing device, approach to showcasing memories, and I felt the film's female-empowerment angle was incorporated tastefully. While there were undoubtedly characters and story threads that could have been expanded upon, the script serves its purpose and the charming cast wins you over.

Leading the charge, Brie Larson captures the go-getter, spunky attitude of Carol Danvers incredibly well while we see an unfamiliar, free-spirited side to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury who's twenty-five years younger thanks to some remarkable de-aging CGI! In their shared screen time, Larson and Jackson have an effective rapport that's best described as a delightful buddy-cop dynamic. Clark Gregg is also de-aged to reprise his role as familiar S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson, albeit with substantially less involvement than Fury. I really wish he'd been in it a bit more!

Filling out the supporting cast, Lashana Lynch and Akira Akbar play the mother-daughter pair of Maria and Monica Rambeau as Annette Bening takes the form of the Kree's Supreme Intelligence. Lynch and Akbar's mother-daughter duo are endearing additions thanks to their connection to Danvers while Bening seems not to be used to the fullest. 

Concerning "key" Kree characters, I was underwhelmed by Jude Law's Yon-Rogg and the militant Seal Team 6-esque Space Force as a whole. They're absent for large chunks of the film, so when they're suddenly pivoted as being more important, it's not an effective shift. Law plays the mentor role as best he can, but lacking screen time and development cripple the character. I held out hope there'd be exciting developments and much-needed backstory surrounding the return of Lee Pace's Ronan the Accuser and Djimon Hounsou's Korath who were last seen as the bland baddies in Guardians of the Galaxy, but alas, they were hardly onscreen for maybe ten minutes. On the contrary, Gemma Chan's Minn-Erva had some cool moments of action as the Space Force's sniper though.

It's almost impossible to discuss the Skrulls at length without spoilers, but I'll say that Ben Mendelsohn's Talos is surely a stand-out character. Caked in make-up, Mendelsohn chews up the scenery like no-one else, and it's quite glorious! I also really appreciated that the Skrulls were more complex characters than the trailers would have you believe. 

Lastly, Goose is a stand-out in its own right, with the feline providing much of the film's levity. Since Captain Marvel is set in the '90s, there's also plenty of opportunity for connective narrative tissue and nostalgia, so keep an eye peeled for references, easter eggs, and familiar characters. Not to mention Stan Lee, who gets a lovely tribute at the start of the film in addition to another trademark cameo. And there are two post credit scenes, so stick around afterward! 

Captain Marvel's unique spin on Marvel's origin story formula also serves as a satisfactory introduction for Marvel's most powerful superhero. It's not a genre game changer, but did it really need to be? I don't think so, and I give it a glowing recommendation nonetheless. Higher, further, faster baby!

Film Assessment: B+

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'

Sorry for the delay on this review as it was originally supposed to be uploaded last Fall and was then set to be published last Thursday... Anyways, the initial intention of reviewing Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was to review all of Edgar Wright's films. My planned reviews for the rest of the month include Throwback Thursday Reviews of Blade and the 1990 It miniseries and reviews of recent/upcoming releases Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Early Man, Black Panther, Mute, and Annihilation. Some 2017 films I missed out on that I'll be reviewing in the near future are Colossal, The Boss Baby, The Lost City of Z, Wonder, and The Florida Project.

'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' Review

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Scott Pilgrim is a shy, awkward Canadian bass guitarist who plays with his friends in their rock band called Sex Bob-Omb. His current girlfriend is a seventeen year old Chinese Catholic School student named Knives Chau, and the two don't do much together aside from riding the bus, browsing CDs in a music store, and playing Ninja Ninja Revolution at the local arcade. Needless to say, Pilgrim's not content with his lackluster love life. It's then no surprise that he falls head-over-heels for the mysterious and alluring new girl on the block, Ramona Flowers, only to discover that he must defeat her seven evil exes in order to win her heart. 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a film based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series, directed by Edgar Wright. Wright was also responsible for co-writing the screenplay alongside Michael Bacall, and the eccentric nature of the source material resonates throughout the film thanks to their contribution. Everything from awkward character interactions to the delightful dialogue feels in keeping with something you'd find in a graphic novel or a video game, which is something that's only further accentuated by the film's unconventional aesthetic. 

Visually, the film draws a lot of inspiration from video games and comic books with digitized sound effects and illustrated onomatopoeia accompanying every punch. This hyper-stylized approach lends itself well to the well-choreographed, energetic action, as it enables the fight sequences to stand apart from everything audiences are accustomed to. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World moves at a breakneck pace so the action sequences are quick and quirky, and this in large part to the frenetic editing from Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss. While I consider the lightning fast pacing to be a detriment to the story, I can't deny that it enhanced the action sequences. 

Where Scott Pilgrim vs. the World falls short of Wright's other work is that it moves by so quickly that the characters don't feel fully realized. Therefore, I've always found it difficult to completely invest myself in them because you hardly get to know them. For the most part, they're portrayed as one-dimensional individuals due to the constraints of the source material, and so you're more likely to be enraptured by the personalities than anything else. 

Front and center, Michael Cera plays Scott Pilgrim to be an incredibly awkward protagonist, and it works perfectly because it's the Michael Cera schtick. The role was tailor-made for an actor as intrinsically uneasy as Cera, so naturally he knocks it out of the park. Opposite Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead imbues Ramona with a tough attitude and enough intrigue to justify Scott's initial infatuation. However, when it's all over, she's still a closed book and you're left wondering exactly why Scott would think she was worth risking his life. I understand he's fascinated by her and the two have fostered a physical connection, but in reality, it seems like they hardly know one another. Ramona feels far more removed and less interested in the relationship than Scott is, and it really puts a damper on their chemistry. Meanwhile, Ellen Wong does an excellent job depicting Knives Chau as an obsessive, over-protective girlfriend. 

When it's all said-and-done, Kieran Culkin is the stand-out, as he probably steals every scene he's in with his sensational sarcasm. It's impossible not to laugh anytime he's putting down Scott. Scattered among the remaining ensemble are an interesting mixture of recognizable faces and actors I'm otherwise unfamiliar with including Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Alison Pill, Mark Webber, and Johnny Simmons. 

Ramona's seven evil exes, also referred to as the League of Evil Exes, are composed of Matthew Patel, Lucas Lee, Roxy Richter, Todd Ingram, Kyle and Ken Katayanagi, and Gideon Graves who are portrayed by Satya Bhabha, Chris Evans, Mae Whitman, Brandon Routh, Keita Saitou, Shôta Saitô, and Jason Schwartzman respectively. Each ex has their time to shine, but Evans and Routh are easily the most memorable of the bunch. 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is undoubtedly Wright's wackiest and wildest film to date, but I can't help but consider it to be one of his weakest films as well... I'm well aware that most cherish it as their favorite Edgar Wright film, but I've never quite latched onto it like others have. Either way, it's still an absurdly entertaining arcade-esque experience.

Film Assessment: B+

'Free Fire' Review

Free Fire follows the break-out of a fervent firefight once an arms deal goes awry. Straight from the get-go, writer-director Ben Wheatley establishes a Tarantino-esque tone, premise, and setting inhabited by tough wisecrackers who could've walked straight off the set of Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction. Even though the plot and setting of Free Fire calls a few of Quentin Tarantino classics to mind, Wheatley manages to distance his film enough that it never retreads familiar ground.

Free Fire is very much it's own thing, a quirky hour and half crossfire. I'll let you know now not to expect much beyond the shoot-out and preceding set-up because there's little to no traditional plot structure in Free Fire once the insanity ensues. The constant crossfire does grow tiring in some moments but as soon as you're about to check out, you'll be brought back in by the outrageous antics these characters carry out. The cinematography employed also involves a number of cool camera tricks to make up for the lower budget and maintain the intense energy throughout the firefight.

Due to the film's smaller budget and the confines of the space allowed, there aren't any particularly memorable stunts or action beats but the captivating characters more than make up for this. The screenplay penned by Wheatley and co-writer Amy Jump doesn't explore the characters too deeply and that actually works in the film's favor because you're not quite sure who'll make it out alive when everything's all said and done.

The script quickly takes a turn towards over-the-top ridiculousness and Free Fire becomes an outright comedy when the aim of these characters is so poor that they can't hit one another from ten feet away. There's something sadistically entertaining about watching these characters confined to close-quarters conflict because the characters are charismatic scoundrels. You dislike them because who they are or what they've done, but you won't be able to help but enjoy every minute they're taunting and shooting at one another. Free Fire's got quite the arsenal in terms of its accomplished cast featuring the likes of Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, Jack Reynor, Cillian Murphy, and Sharlto Copley. Everyone puts forth a commendable performance but Hammer and Copley stood out for their particular personalities as the levelheaded and kooky individuals respectively.

There's not really much else to say about Free Fire due to the simple, self-explanatory premise. If this sounds interesting to you, then I say it's worth checking out. If not, then this simply isn't for you. I'd say Free Fire took its shot and hit its mark because Free Fire turned out to be exactly what I wanted; a delightful over-the-top self-contained shoot-em-up.

Film Assessment: B

'Kong: Skull Island' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.

In Kong: Skull Island secretive government organization Monarch sets off to explore the uncharted Skull Island, dropping bombs to map the island's terrain, only to have their expedition brought to a screeching halt when a 100 foot ape trashes their helicopter convoy. That ape is Kong of course, who happens to be the largest incarnation of the raging gorilla yet.

Kong: Skull Island is the second entry in Warner Bros. and Legendary's MonsterVerse which kicked off with 2014's Godzilla and is headed towards a monster showdown between these two versions of Kong and Godzilla (the reasoning behind Kong's size-up), and there are plenty of breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout the film hinting towards that confrontation including a post credits scene I highly advise you wait for afterwards. Kong: Skull Island is unique when contrasted to the other Kong flicks, its set in 1973 and takes place almost entirely on Skull Island once the crew arrives (Don't be hopeful for an Empire State Building standoff because you'll be severely disappointed).

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and cinematographer Larry Fong soak Kong's cinematic resurgence in 'Nam napalm to evoke Apocalypse Now's vibrant color palette, leaving Kong: Skull Island's stylistic aesthetic to be one of the film's highlights. On that note, Kong: Skull Island's quite impressive from a technical standpoint. It's got superb sound design and a rousing rock soundtrack but I found the score to be lacking. None of the arrangements from Henry Jackman were particularly memorable, something I found disappointing since I hold Jackman in high regard for his scoring of X-Men: First Class, Big Hero 6, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Captain America: Civil War.

The various creatures brought to life by the team of visual effects artists assembled for the feature are absolutely incredible though, with the great ape standing chief among them all as the film's crowning achievement. Kong manages to simultaneously exhibit inspiration from cutting edge motion capture animation work showcased in recent Planet of the Apes films while paying homage to the look of the model utilized in the 1933 King Kong production composed of rabbit fur, rubber/foam for muscle structure, and a metal mesh skeleton. It obviously looks much better than that original model but I noticed a few similarities when looking at Kong from a distance that I'm sure were intentional. One thing that annoyed me to no end about 2014's Godzilla was how long it took for director Garth Edwards to show the King of Monsters in his full reptilian glory, I understand the visual effects required to render the beast are expensive but consistently playing with your audiences expectations by teasing the beast's emergence only to cut away was downright cruel.

Thankfully, Kong: Skull Island doesn't suffer from this issue as it doesn't take long for Kong to trample onto the scene and Vogt-Roberts lets you back in his glory once he shows up. Kong's fight sequences against the other monsters are magnificent to say the least. My screening was in IMAX 3D and I can say in these moments the experience payed off, largely due to the larger screen and fuller sound, but overall I'm not quite sure it would be worth the uncharge. However, Kong: Skull Island does have story and character vulnerabilities that somewhat drag it down. Admittedly, that's not exactly what one would come to a monster movie like Kong: Skull Island to see but it doesn't hurt to have characters the audience will actually care about. I legitimately can't remember a single character's name and couldn't tell you any character traits beyond their corresponding skill set, appearance, and occupation for a vast majority of the characters.

This largely derives from the screenplay penned by Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein, and Derek Connolly featuring a story from John Gatins. The script just has too many characters to juggle so the result is that virtually all the characters are underserved. On the flip-side, I was pleasantly surprised how the screenwriters toyed with genre conventions and cliché moments leading to some fantastic situational humor (I'm not even sure I was supposed to laugh at these moments but I relished in the irony). Otherwise, the plot of Kong: Skull Island is fairly paint-by-numbers so don't expect anything too abrupt.

Kong: Skull Island's cast is stacked with plenty of prestigious talent as well as names you may recognize from a genre film or two. Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, and Shea Whigham all do the most with what's provided to them but but it's Samuel L. Jackson and John C. Reilly who were able to flip things around and make the most of meager caricatures. Oh and Tian Jing shows up out of nowhere and literally adds nothing of significance to the story just so Warner Bros. and Legendary could shoehorn in an Asian actress and cover all demographics I guess?

Really just about every cast member but Jackson and Reilly are wasted space, something I'm disappointed to say considering their show of talent elsewhere. Something interesting to note though is that Tobey Kebbell has a small live action role and provided the motion capture performance for Kong, along with Terry Notary, similarly to how previous Dawn of the Planet of the Apes costar Andy Serkis was utilized in King Kong (2005). It's funny how the two were rival characters in the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and have become the pillars of motion capture acting today. I rarely see motion capture performance driven films today that don't take advantage of all Serkis and Kebbell have to offer.

If you're looking to take a trip to the theater this weekend, I'd prioritize seeing Logan over Kong: Skull Island. However, if you're looking for a dumb popcorn blockbuster then Kong: Skull Island should suit your mindless monster movie needs. Sadly, the vague strokes of characterization hold Kong: Skull Island back from its true potential but the impressive effects work, adrenaline-fueled action sequences, and stylish visuals help position it to be an entertaining monster flick.

Film Assessment: C B-

'Room' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Lenny Abrahamson, Best Actress; Brie Larson, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Won: Best Actress; Brie Larson.

Room is one of the final films I needed to see of the Best Picture nominees, and fortunately, my local AMC Theaters brought it back into circulation this week along with a few other awards contenders. Now that I've seen Room, I have two Best Picture nominees left to review so you can expect reviews on The Big Short and Brooklyn relatively soon. The premise of Room is that a five-year old boy named Jack and his mother Joy Newsome have been isolated from the world, held captive in a shed, to which is referred to as"Room". I found the film's plot to be very front loaded as my main interest was captivated in learning about "Room" and how the two could possibly escape.

After the first act of the film, the plot got bogged down and I was slowly losing interest as the film progressed. However, that's not to say that this isn't a great film because in many ways it's a brilliant piece of art. One of the best parts of the film is that it's mostly from the perspective of a child, and this allows the film to delve deeper into the novel upon which it's based. What makes this so fantastic is that the viewer much like Jack are left in the dark and very curious as to what exactly is occurring throughout the film. now of course the audience understands a bit more since they're older and are more knowledgable than young Jack who thinks that all that exists outside of "Room" is outer space. Now this is huge credit to the screenwriters and the director Lenny Abrahamsson who manages to execute the film quite well.

Abrahamsson is primarily assisted by his wonderful core cast of Jacob Tremblay as Jack and Brie Larson as Ma. Jacob Tremblay was a wonderful discovery and probably one of the best child actors I've ever seen in film. Now for Brie Larson, she is stellar and makes the relationship of mother and son between her and Jacob Tremblay quite convincing. I can say with the upmost confidence, without having even seen all the other Best Actress nominees, that she deserves to be awarded the Oscar.

One other thing to note regarding Room is that it's very depressing at times, but as the film progresses, the oblique setting brightens both literally and figuratively. I can't quite say I loved room but at the same time I didn't walk out of the film regretting having watched it. It fits perfectly in that "enjoyable award contender film I probably won't feel compiled to watch again" and for me that doesn't quite diminish the film.

Overall, I enjoyed it and thought Brie Larson is one of the best female performances I've seen onscreen in a long time, and aside from her phenomenal performance, the film bolsters a great script, directing, and cinematography.

Film Assessment: B+