A solid contribution to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Strong performances and a solid yet unique approach to establishing the character.
I thought it fell flat in the 3rd act, and not even a strong performance from Michael B Jordan was enough to make me overlook the Panther vs Anti-Panther climax, so overused in Marvel films.
Iron Man vs Iron Monger, Ant Man vs Yellowjacket, US Super Solider vs Nazi Super Soldier. Hulk vs Abomination. Its part of what I think makes Loki Marvels best villain. He isn’t just an evil version of Thor. Thor is bravado and strength. Loki is cunning and guile. Makes for a far more interesting villain.
Something that could have been achieved with the Mandarin. Mysticism vs technology. But that let down is why Iron Man 3 is probably my least favourite Marvel film.
Black Panther features an unexpectedly fresh car chase scene that alone makes the film worthwhile. But backed up by several strong acting performances throughout the core cast, goodies and baddies both, just a little too much reliance on predictable tropes hold Black Panther from challenging for the best of the MCU family.
Avengers Infinity War trailers abound. The next great question. Can a Marvel film cram in dozens of name characters under the one movie title and not regret the result?
The Last Jedi was a good film. Not a great film, but enjoyable enough if you are prepared to selectively ignore certain aspects.
Where the orginal trilogy were amazing and groundbreaking, and the prequel trilogy broadly disappointing, the latest instalment joins The Force Awakens somewhere in a middle tier. Paying enough homage to the established franchise, while also introducing new characters.
The Last Jedi continues in creating scenes that draw imagery from the original films, from a ground assault by imperial walkers, to the young force-strong trainee being brought before the evil mastermind by the dark figured villain. But The Last Jedi takes manages to avoid being completely predictable, with some unexpected turns in places.
The characters introduced in The Force Awakens continue being developed. Yet also continue to suffer the same flaws they had in the first film. Rey is too conveniently good at everything unless doing so would be inconvenient to the story. Kylo Ren remains conflicted and angst-ridden. Finn remains single minded and fixated completely on Rey.
One character who does enjoy some strong development is Poe Dameron. His character benefits from the attention it gets in this film.
And added to the cast of heroes is Rose Tico played by Kelly Marie Tran. An actress who came from obscurity to eclipse the current generation of key characters to quickly claim the titles of most likeable, and most relatable character added to the post-Disney franchise.
Benicio del Toro appears as only he can. With a character that is both uniquely his own, and yet is still unique amongst the characters he has portrayed. Yet, unfortunately, playing a character that did little in terms of serving the story.
The other new face Vice Admiral Holdo, played by Laura Dern added another generally forgettable face.
The Supreme Leader Snoke scene took an unexpected turn, leaving another new character failing to reach their potential. But was nonetheless an enjoyable twist and one of the better fight scenes involving lightsabers.
The Finn / Phasma battle was good. Though if stormtrooper armour can be laser proof, why aren’t they all wearing it. Hopefully, not the last we see of Phasma.
The use of Luke was enjoyable. His finale was not unexpected. Other original characters like Chewbacca, R2D2 and C3PO given minor and relatively inconsequential roles.
But this leaves what is to me the gaping hole in the current films. The villains really aren’t all that intimidating. General Hux is almost comedic in his ineptitude. Kylo is an emo teenager on constant tantrum setting that everyone is too frightened of to spank. Not exactly making for a galactic force of darkness. Yet they somehow have control of the galaxy.
Development of the bad guy team would really serve the franchise well. Build them up as intimidating. Perhaps some mentor of Phasma or a relative of Hux explaining how that twit got to be general, taking control of the faction.
It will also be interesting to see what the next instalment holds. Will Disney look for a climactic film to wrap these into a trilogy, or will it be treated as just another instalment in an ongoing franchise?
Netflix has demonstrated its ability to generate quality original content. Indeed, much of their market strategy now seems to be built on its original shows.
I have watched many of these Netflix originals and rarely been disappointed.
One such show is called The Good Place. A light comedy with seemingly short episodes and a progressive plot. It began as something I would just have on in the background while doing other things. But over time, the light humour and interestingly different premise began to build.
Avoiding any spoilers, the show begins with one of the central characters, Eleanor Shellstrop (Kirsten Bell) being welcomed to the afterlife by Michael (Ted Danson). Beyond that premise, I will say nothing of the plot, because its development is worth experiencing first-hand.
These two are the only actors in the cast I have encountered before. And the characters they play are both unlike any previous roles I’d seen, and yet so well suited that it is easy to become comfortable with them in little to no time.
Yet, it is the broader cast, Tahani (Jameela Jamil), Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Jianyu (Manny Jacinto), and Janet (D’arcy Carden) whose various interactions create depth. In a premise that I felt could not possibly have the scope to remain fresh and appealing over time, the development and insights into each character as the series progresses have quickly made The Good Place one of my favourite shows.
Now with a 15 episode first season under its belt, and counting down to episode 8 of the second season, the series has far exceeded my expectations for it and seems to have the talent driving its writing and development that could continue to deliver a quality show for further series in the future.
Yet, very few people are talking about this show. Indeed, it is difficult to say much without giving away some of the development that make the show enjoyable.
I put it on in the background while my sister was visiting recently. Last night she binge watched to the end of the first season and now shares my enthusiasm for the show.
A show I do recommend. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been.
Same Sex Marriage is a hot topic in Australia right now. With the survey well in progress, and campaigns from both sides in full swing, almost anyone stepping forward to offer a public opinion on the topic has come under attack. An unfortunate, yet entirely predictable outcome of the way this topic has been handled.
Our so-called leaders, who are elected to represent the interests of their constituents, could have taken the lead on this subject. But fear of backlash from sizeable segments of voters led them to instead push the responsibility back on the general public.
The result, is a divisive, often emotional, and bitter argument that will leave its imprint on Australia’s communal consciousness long after the survey’s results are published. And I would characterise it is an argument instead of a debate, as the emotional and often irrational tones from both camps are set to leave emotional scars that will take a long time to heal.
And I would question the value of the debate. I would suggest that most Australian’s held a position on same sex marriage before any campaigns were launched. I wonder how many Australians have actually changed their position based on those campaigns. Or whether the main outcome of the campaigns has been to create a rift in our society and pry it wider and wider.
I have watched long time friendships tested to breaking point over a topic where none of those friends are directly impacted by the outcome. Arguments becoming so heated that the topic is now banned from discussion in some social circles. Relegated to the dark corners reserved for subjects like abortion and euthanasia.
The only ones whose opinions these campaigns might affect are those who are not directly impacted by the result, and as such are not invested in the outcome.
And I am concerned about our nation’s ability to move forward regardless of the final outcome.
Eventually, one of two things will happen. Same sex marriage will be permitted, while some who were against it continue to oppose through protests and hashtags, causing conflict to continue.
There is no scenario where those strongly opposed to same sex marriage will stop being vocal in that opposition. Protestors are found outside abortion clinics in countries where it is legal, even years after the laws were passed. Is it unrealistic to imagine similarly oriented groups wont protest weddings with same sex couples, citing the same right to have their voice heard? Making same sex marriage legal is just a first step, and is far removed from ending discrimination against same sex couples.
The other outcome is that same sex marriage will fail. Which will not be the end of the debate. Those seeking same sex marriage rights will simply assume that our country was not ready to support it yet. And that in time, with further long-term campaigning, we will return to the same debate over and over and over and over until same sex marriage rights are finally awarded.
There is no scenario where proponents simply give up on seeking same sex marriage rights.
I don’t have a conclusion.
This piece is in part to vent about the failure of our leadership. Part to address the poor form being demonstrated in both sides of the debate. And part to raise the concern about the way forward for our society – if there is one.
I was pretty slow off the mark getting to see Doctor Strange in the cinemas, events conspiring against me. But having finally gotten to the cinema, yesterday, am now adding my thoughts on this latest inclusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I should manage to avoid any significant spoilers, though there are few that I would think could genuinely spoil the experience. Though there are some who are more sensitive than I in that regard, so with that in mind, proceed at your own risk.
Doctor Strange is an origin story. Many superhero movie watchers are a bit tired of origin stories. However, given that Doctor Strange lacks the general familiarity as characters like Batman or Iron Man, I think that this is acceptable.
Doctor Strange has enjoyed a better than expected run at the box office, at least in early weeks. I imagine this is driven by the presence of Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character. Indeed Cumberbatch manages a strong performance. As an Australian, I lack the sensitivity to critique the British actor’s American accent. It worked okay for me. Doctor Stephen Strange begins in his origin story as an arrogant, self centred, brilliant, individual. Given his run on Sherlock, that was hardly a stretch for Cumberbatch who fit the role like a glove.
In fact, I will state outright that the performances of all the key characters were of excellent quality. Controversy raised its head when Tilda Swinton was cast in the mentor role of The Ancient One, under headings of ‘whitewashing’. The Ancient One being a character that in the source comic book material was born in the Himilayas. I can empathise with minority actors struggling to find roles, let alone roles that are not themselves sterotypical. At the same time, Tilda Swinton is one of those remarkable actors with a filmography including such an incredibly varied range of roles that were she announced to play the lead role in a biopic on the life of Barack Obama, I would be equal parts confused by the casting as I would be intrigued to see what she would do with the role.
Rachel McAdams joins the cast as the love interest for Doctor Steven Strange. Her character was played well, though her character’s reactions to some of the situations in which she is placed was perhaps a bit too accepting. Still, I would prefer that than a hysterical female character screaming every time some she encounters some of the magic that becomes ubiquitous as the movie progresses. Her character is, unfortunately, largely only used to drive dialogue with Strange who otherwise avoids opening up to anyone.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, a magnificent orator and often underrated actor, works brilliantly with Cumberbatch. Saying no more here.
Benedict Wong, playing the character of Wong, is also excellent. Though there is one scene with some laughter that feels more than a little forced that didn’t quite work for me. I will talk more to that shortly. Otherwise a near perfect casting and performance.
Finally, Mads Mikkelsen creates a villain that will rate as one of the better Marvel villains. An aspect of the MCU that I have been critical of previously. Apart from Loki, many of the MCU antagonists have been poorly used to the point of being disposable. As an actor, he has an extensive filmography, but my initial reaction to his casting was tentative. He has rewarded those that put their faith in him in remarkable fashion.
On to the film itself. The character of Doctor Strange is a comic book character based in magic. One of the things that most impressed me with the film is that magic was never used purely as a duex ex machina. Rather, the film took time to develop a form of logic to how and why magic can and cannot be used in certain circumstances. Creating sets of rules and explanations that while fantastic, managed to ground magical mechanics that could easily have simply fallen into funny hand waves and latin words creating convenient effects. In this regard, the MCU did exceptionally well in the way they explored their world of magic. Building on the concept introduced in Thor that magic is merely new forms of science that humans have yet to understand.
Visually, Doctor Strange is spectacular, to the point of being overwhelming. With an opening scene demonstrating special effects that I will broadly describe as something like what you might expect to see if you got the SFX guys from Inception and force fed them amphetamines (you can get an idea of what I mean just from the trailers). In a couple of places throughout the movie, the effects dialed up by a few degrees. They WILL be too much for some viewers. Eyesight that has begun to deteriorate (I began wearing prescription glasses last year) combined with poor previous experiences in 3D movies prompted me not to see the film in 3D. However, my sister with whom I saw the film has said that when it comes out as buy-to-own, she will purchase the 3D version as some of the visuals in this movie could replace Avatar as the go-to movie for showing off 3D technology.
Now, perhaps the weakest part of the film. MCU films are often characterised as fun and humorous. In this area, I fell that Doctor Strange fell short. Neither I nor the audience I shared the cinema with found much if anything to laugh at. Attempts at humour scattered throughout the film either fell completely flat, or extracted only the most feeble of responses from the audience. It is to this I alluded to when I spoke of forced laughter from Wong. The film just could not capture the snappy repartee that so many other MCU films seem to hang their hat on. With orators of the quality of Cumberbatch, Ejiofor and Swinton, trying to replicate the banter of Downey Jr, Johansson and Renner would not seem the way to go. Perhaps this was a deliberate shift in tone to set the film apart from other MCU instalments. But this shortfall for me was the difference between Doctor Strange being a good film, and competing to be one of the best films in the MCU.
For those that care about such things, the film has two credit sequences. A mid-credit sequence tying it to the upcoming Thor:Ragnarok, and an end-credit sequence which is by no means a throwaway, but rather a set up for a probable sequel.
TL;DR version: Well acted. Some SFX eye candy that many will need to rewatch a few times just to appreciate in full. Lacking in humour compared to other MCU films. Still an enjoyable enough film in its own right and a worthy addition to the MCU.
Since Downey Jr, Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman all with roles in the MCU, all that remains is to find a slot for Jude Law (hero, villain or supporting) and the Sherlock puns can flow.
I sit down to this post tentatively. I am not a fan of politics and there are clearly many who incredibly emotional at the moment.
I am writing this as an Australian, who does not normally pay close attention to US politics, and whose exposure to such is primarily through media exposure that has long since left behind any pretense of impartiality.
I have a series of mixed feelings, and thought I would work through them here.
Had I been part of the election, I would not have voted for Trump. I do not endorse policy that targets race, gender, belief system, sexual orientation or any other demographic that assumes all individuals of a group are the same. So often, innocents suffer injustices brought on by other members of whatever demographic they are part of, who do or say things that those individuals would never endorse.
I would rather face the challenges of treating people as individuals, than victimise those who are undeserving. Recognising that in a world where the threat of terrorism is real, such a position leaves me vulnerable.
Having said that, I fully understand why Trump is appealing to anti-establishment voters.
In Australia, I cannot remember voting in an election where I did not feel like I was choosing between the lesser of two evils. I have stated many times that our own two party political system is plagued by representatives that ultimately do little to differentiate themselves from their opponents. Both sides invest horrible amounts of time attempting character assassination of each other instead of focusing on policy.
This is the absolute height of insanity. Character assassination does not just undermine your opponent. It undermines faith in the entire political process. It becomes the reason you get protest votes, or donkey votes as Aussies often call them. And it opens the door for individuals to enter in to politics on platforms of hate, purely because voters feel like they can trust those individuals do represent a set of values that wont change before the end of their term. In Australia, it has caused the last few election outcomes to be Governments that only hold power through deals made with independent representatives in order to have enough votes to have a majority. An outcome that ultimately compromises the positions of all parties, otherwise nobody could hold power.
Then, there are the rabid voters who do not vote individuals or on the basis of policy. They vote for brands. Die-hard party zealots who consider anyone that doesn’t support their party blasphemous. We aren’t voting who is best out of Coca Cola and Pepsi here. We are trying to determine whose policies represent the best way forward for our respective countries. Blind devotion is dangerous. If anyone wants your vote, demand that they convince you why, first, based on their intended policies. If you vote for anyone and cannot list off the specific policies they stand for, then what did you really vote for?
Next, the “Not my President” crowd. In every election, there are those whose candidate wins, and those whose candidate loses. Threatening to leave the country because you didn’t get your way, or refusing to accept the outcome of an election because you don’t like the outcome also undermines the entire process of electing a Government. Throughout his tenure as President, hatred against Obama remained.
Debate his effectiveness in implementing policy. Raise your voice to remind the leaders that they represent the entire country, not just the ones that voted for them. But this puerile sulking attitude because the result wasn’t the one you voted for only creates further division and conflict within a nation. The one thing every political representative, winner or loser, will agree on is that after the result is known, the only way a nation can move forward is to come together under its Government and forge a future united.
But it is also the message that is increasingly going unheard. With race riots having taken place in the US even before Trump announced he would run, I fear the US could become a nation divided against itself.
This year I have watched Brexit and the US election result go differently that I might have hoped. Both with campaigns featuring anti-immigration policies and sentiments directed against racial minority groups. Not necessarily for all supporters, as the motivations of many are anti-establishment instead of bigoted. But these campaigns have emboldened those whose agendas are bigoted, and
It is sad that messages of hatred are being not only embraced, but validated on such a scale.
But perhaps what scares me the most is that I can see similar rumblings happening here in Australia as well. Comments sections on news articles on these subjects are scarily vitriolic, and not just on matters of race. Matters of gender, marriage equality and, unsurprisingly, the US election as well. I like to think that Australia might be a bit more tolerant on such issues, but I do not doubt that those on the losing end of Brexit and the US election probably thought the same thing.
What if ideologies like equality are actually the minority position?
In closing, I sincerely hope President Trump proves me wrong, and proves himself a strong leader. But also fear that should he prove at all competent, it will fuel racist and sexist attitudes for years to come.
I have seen a lot of unfavourable reviews for the X-Men Apocalypse movie recently. But when I went and saw it for myself, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the movie. It wasn’t without its flaws, but I think has been unkindly treated.
I will drop spoilers ahead, so if you are sensitive about such things and have not yet seen the movie, please come back after you have. Oh, there is a post credit scene. Unless you are fanboy enough to recognise obscure X Men villains by their civilian name, it wont be worth waiting around for.
This latest instalment to the X Men franchise was enjoyable to watch. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender continue to prove worthy successors to Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan in their respective characters, Charles Xavier and Magneto. Providing a strong core for the rest of the cast.
Jennifer Lawrence was a bit flat to me in this performance as Mystique.
Nicolas Hoult is largely wasted as Beast. His character mismatched in a psychic telekinetic ninja vs furry strong jumpy dude matchup. I’m not sure they really thought that one through. Rose Byrne as Moira Mactaggert was similarly underused.
Oscar Isaac does a respectable performance as En Sabah Nur (aka: Apocalypse). The liberties added to his powers and origin were okay. His ultimate apocalyptic plan was tired and his motives difficult to understand.
Evan Peters, the centre of many peoples’ favourite scene from Days of Future Past, plays Quicksliver. A performance that in no way aligns with any version of the character I have seen in the comics. Yet it works well, keeping a lighter character to the movie. He has another big sceen that is likely to again be many’s favourite.
Sophie Turner does a fair job as Jean Grey. Her ultimate release of her powers didn’t work for me. A scene where everything is falling apart, Mystique is dying, and you slowly walk … step… by… step…. into ….. battle…. The attempt at being dramatic was a bit clumsy for me.
Tye Sheridan does a good job playing Cyclops, given the first decent development the character has seen in an X Men movie to date.
Kodi Smit-McPhee delivers a fair performance of Nightcrawler. His powers used predictably, but still a good representation of Kurt Wagner.
Alexandra Shipp as Storm was a good casting choice. While suffering a little from how crowded screen time for each character got, I really like what Shipp did with her.
Lana Condor as Jubilee was barely present, so yeah, pretty much a fair representation of the character. BURN! Actually, totally wasted, though again, I am pleased that this film isn’t one getting accused of whitewashing its international characters. Though one might argue Alexandra Shipp as Psylocke against that. Shipp had a couple of cool scenes, but again had to share the screen with so many.
The franchise does look to be in reasonably strong hands. There are minor clues or easter eggs scattered throughout that could allow the franchise to pursue a number of different major X Men story arcs.
The climactic final battle just lacked suspense for me. Magneto was doing something bad that I didn’t really understand or understand why he was doing it. But it was definitely bad. Everyone hung around and took turns fighting so the camera could capture all the action instead of reacting to an urgent situation the way they should. The characters that don’t seem to survive the movie are discarded pretty weakly.
But despite these shortfalls, I would rate this movie, and the X Men franchise, as the second strongest behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but ahead of DC.
What was that post credit scene all about?
Reinforcing – here there be spoilers.
In the post credit scene we return to Stryker’s Weapon X facility. Survivors are cleaning up as some black suits with a black briefcase stride through the rubble and carnage purposefully. They reach the room where Wolverine was held and open a cabinet next to his cell, taking a blood sample marked Weapon X. They place it in the briefcase and close it, revealing a corporate logo that reads Essex Corp. End Scene.
This scene appears to set up the next X Men movie’s villain, Nathaniel Essex, aka: Mr Sinister. A pretty cool villain, overall.
So what next?
I mentioned a number of possible story arcs. Here are my thoughts on some of the options.
House of M
Unlikely. Too large a cast to really drive home the impact behind that alternate reality. And if you were going to delve into alternate realities, I’d be doing Age of Apocalypse first.
Brood
Weak Xenomorph knock-offs? A classic villain, I agree. But not one I think could translate well to the big screen.
Phalanx
Heavily dependant on CG animation, again I think there are better options.
Dark Phoenix Saga
After X Men: The Last Stand was for so long rated the least of the X Men movies, I think they would be afraid to revisit this story. The window for success is pretty narrow. And given that they have already used the Hellfire Club in First Class, they wouldn’t be able to hold close to the original comic story.
Fatal Attractions
The bone claws thing was kinda done in The Wolverine, but a confrontation so climactic that it forces Charles to mindwipe Magneto, an event in the comics that then led to the events of Onslaught, I could get behind that.
Inferno
A classic story centred around Mr Sinister, though also around the mutant Magik, who has yet to make an appearance in the XMen movies.
Proteus
A classic early X Men battle, centred around the son of Moira Mactagger, who was briefly mentioned in X Men: Apocalypse.
As usual, while I will always avoid any major spoilers, if you are sensitive about such things, bookmark this post and come back after you have seen it for yourself.
Batman vs Superman is intended to link the previous Superman movie Man of Steel to the upcoming DC Cinematic Universe movies, culminating in Justice League movies.
With the box office success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, it was always going to look like DC were trying to earn a share in that success. Anything DC did was going to be compared to the success of Marvel’s franchise.
The establishing movie, Man of Steel did well enough at the box office, though it was not without criticism from a number of quarters including the comic book fandom.
At first blush, Batman vs Superman also suffers from many of the same issues as Man of Steel. There were good moments, but the overall effect for me was a decent movie, but far from being a great one.
Kicking off with Ben Affleck. When the Batfleck was first announced, I was skeptical. Flashes of the movie Daredevil surfaced, and despite the time and success Affleck has enjoyed since then, I questioned the casting. But he held down the role well. The version of the Batman, one well progressed in his own timeline with years of experience and loss under his belt, also gives me hope for his planned stand-alone movie.
Henry Cavill is physically impressive, but fails to resonate as a character. His turns as Clark Kent failing to differentiate the secret identity from the costumed one other than in outfits.
Gal Gadot does exeptionally well. She could easily have earned equal billing to the male characters. Her stand-alone movie is also full of potential. Howeverm her presence is poorly explained and in places seems tacked on to the core story. But her performance is remarkable.
Jesse Eisenberg was the single biggest disappointment to me. He was completely and obviously insane. Donald Trump aside, it is unbelievable that someone so utterly unhinged could be the head of a successful multi-billion dollar company. Completely failing to come across as a scheming mastermind, performing more like a coke-fiend that just finished off his stash in a single hit. Luthor was not a worthy adversary of the man of steel.
I didn’t care for Amy Adams performance in Man of Steel. It felt dispassionate, detached. Her role in Batman vs Superman was greatly improved.
Excellent supporting minor roles from Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Holly Hunter as Senator Finch, and Laurence Fishburne as Perry White rounded out the core cast.
The entire tying in of the other future Justice League members in Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) was heavy handed. It felt superfluous to the movie storyline and I would question whether there could not have been a better way to introduce them. None of their appearances helped the immediate story, was remotely compelling, or achieved anything more than eating up minutes of screen time.
I think of these additional Justice League characters, it is Ezra Miller who has the most difficult task ahead of him. He is recreating a character with a current incarnation that is both successful and popular.
The titular battle itself, Batman vs Superman, was fairly good quality, though it took too long to get to for what it ultimately delivered.
The ultimate villain that the heroes band against was called Doomsday though it looked more like it had escaped the Mines of Moria or Peter Jackson’s Weta workshop. Possessing pointless energy powers that had no basis in comics. Lacking the only physical traits that gave the comic book character an identity, his large facial bone protrusions. The combat scenes were similar to Man of Steel in that they are very fast and crazy powerful. While I know that this is simply meant to portray what combat at those power levels would be like, I found them inaccessible and pointlessly destructive. The story was ended with a completely impotent plot development regarding Superman’s fate. With both a Man of Steel sequel and expectations around appearing in the planned Justice League movies, it was a hollow finale.
Side point, a single shot during this final battle saw Batfleck positioned in a beautiful homage to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight series. As a long time fan of that comic book series, this was a highlight for me.
Ultimately, Batman vs Superman felt like two different movies mashed together. One telling the core story arc and bringing the DC trinity of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman together. The second building the platform to introduce the Justice League. I would have been happy with just the former, and I feel that the whole suffered as a result of trying too much to follow Marvel’s footsteps.
The individual performances and nuances of the Batman and Wonder Woman characters still give me hope that the DC Cinematic Universe still has potential. But from these early chapters, I fear it is doomed to live in the shadow of Marvel’s achievements.
One last thing. I stuck around on the rumour of a post-credit scene. No such scene appeared. Don’t waste your time on it.
I saw Star Wars Episode VII a bit over a week ago, but wanted to hold off putting up my thoughts not wanting to spoil anything for fans that hadn’t gotten to see it yet.
Now, the bulk of fans will have gotten around to seeing it. I will include potential spoilers but will try and give the heads up before I go in to that section.
Showing my age, I saw every Star Wars film in the cinema except A New Hope (I was just a bit young). I even saw Return of the Jedi in a Drive In.
The prequels (episodes I-III) built up excitement for new chapters in such an iconic cinematic universe on the big screen. On viewing, the overall disappointment was a huge come down. Episodes II and III had redeeming features, but just try going back and watching the 3 prequel movies as a marathon. For such a beloved universe, they are hard work.
So when JJ Abrams got tapped to take on the Star Wars universe, the memory of the prequels reminded me not to get my hopes up too high, because ultimately, it is almost impossible for anyone to create a film worthy of the imaginations fueled by its predecessors. I like JJ. I first noticed him when watching Alias. I had plenty of good things to say about his relaunch of the Star Trek universe. I even liked Cloverfield.
But seeing him move from Trek to be tasked with Star Wars was in itself a concern. How do you continue such an established Sci-Fi universe twice without disappointing large numbers of fans or effectively reusing what worked in the first film?
So, I walked in to The Force Awakens filled with reservations. And walked out happy. It was a good, enjoyable film. Most people I know rank it up with the original trilogy films (Ep IV – VI). Personally, I would currently rank it fourth after the original trilogy. However, until we see how this film sets up and builds on the Star Wars universe in the subsequent films, I wont lock that in.
From here, I am going to discuss the new film in more detail, so potential spoiler warnings. If you haven’t seen it yet, bookmark and come back to this post afterwards. The movie does include things that can be spoiled so if you care about such things, go watch first. The production crew did a great job keeping major spoilers out of the media.
For all the positives in The Force Awakens, there are some things that I found detracted from the overall result.
The focus on the original cast appearing in the film was good. Some of the more obscure original actors (Tim Rose, the puppeteer who put on the Admiral Ackbar suit for example) reprising their roles is kind of cool, without needing to take focus away from the new central characters. Also Mike Quinn, one of the actors involved in bringing Nien Nunb came back for The Force Awakens. But at times it did feel like the original cast were the focus, not the next generation.
When John Boyega landed a part as Finn, I had only seen him in Attack the Block. I was dubious about the casting. But of all the next generation characters introduced, he impressed me the most. His character had the most depth and demonstrated ability on the actor’s part I did not realise he possessed.
Daisy Ridley landed the role of Rey as an unknown. At the time of getting the role she apparently had no IMDB bio, no Wikipedia article and just a few hundred Instagram followers. She is clearly central to the next couple of movies in the series. In fact, she appears to be the pivotal character of the next trilogy. Episodes 1-3 were Anakin’s story. Episodes 4-6 were Luke’s story. 7-9 could be Rey’s story, though it will be interesting to see how that works with the spin off movies planned. She is an interesting choice. Her character was very guarded so I think it will be a matter of how she develops over time to get a feel for her casting and the character she plays.
Oscar Isaac picked up the role of Poe Dameron. Perhaps a significant factor in the success of Han Solo and Chewbacca is their swagger. Poe Dameron is the only next generation character (thus far) to demonstrate that king of swagger. I think he is an important part of the film series future success. Demonstrating his piloting skills in some of the battle sequences were some of the best visuals. I am now keen to see how he does with the role of En Sabah Nur in X-Men Age of Apocalypse.
The focal villain for the film is Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver. A capable actor who I have seen in a few different things. I thought him to be an excellent casting choice. But was less impressed with his performance. Perhaps it is the vagueness of his motivations, or the variability of his abilities, but I hope this character builds. He just doesn’t feel like a menacing powerful villain. More like a troubled rebellious teenager trying to be menacing and powerful, while angsting the entire time.
Last character is played by Lupita Nyong’o, who was part of bringing life to the CG character Maz Kanata. I did see reports that Lupita struggled with acting a CG character. While I am unsure wither Maz Kanata is a fair reflection of Lupita’s ability as an actress, I think the character’s performance was fine.
Special mention for the droid BB8. The ball droid successfully captured the same vibe as originally was addressed by R2D2.
The bits that bugged me:
In A New Hope, the baddies build a giant battle station that gets blown up as a result of a minor design weakness. In Return of the Jedi, the baddies build an even bigger battle station that gets blown up as a result of a design weakness. In The Force Awakens, the baddies build an even bigger battle station that still has a design weakness. I mean, these things are supposed to range from the size of a small moon to a small planet. The Starkiller base being around 10x the size of the original Death Star. Who builds something that size that is so easy to blow up? I mean, I could see Supreme Commandeer Snoke being a proponent of the philosophy that size does matter. But still, think of how many baddy troops total have been vaporised in the destruction of these battle stations alone and what those numbers could have meant to their ultimate outcomes.
The pivotal death. This was clearly looking to replicate the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope in that it creates a key dramatic moment that goes on to motivate our heroes to kick butt. It just didn’t resonate emotionally with me. Perhaps the foreknowledge that Ford has wanted to be killed off in the original movies detracted. Perhaps it was the discordant choices of Kylo and his unclear motivations.
The ongoing success of this series of movies will, I think, hang on the progression of Kylo Ren and the unravelling of the enigma that is Rey. I really don’t want her to end up being Luke’s long lost daughter (unless it triggers a spin off movie centered around Mara Jade anyway). Too many blood relations going on.
Also recognising that as yet, Luke Skywalker has yet to have any material impact. A fantastic Ace to be keeping up your sleeve, JJ.
Side note, for an army that is notorious for its poor aim, having a lone Stormtrooper badass popping up was cool. Expecting big things for Captain Phasma in future films.
Like many others, I await the next instalment eagerly. I am interested to see how the spin off movies fit in. The most problematic being the Han Solo focus film. Any actor that can pull that off will earn cred that could make or break a career.
The only question now is whether I buy the Blu-Ray as soon as its released, or maybe just a basic DVD until the eventual box set gets released.
Artificial Selection is a term used when humans interfere with Natural Selection. Natural Selection is the term often associated with Charles Darwin and speaks to the relationship between the surivial of the fittest, and how that effects the way a species adapts to its environment over generations.
So, in nature, plants and animals tend to gradually adapt to better survive. Then humankind figured out a way to manipulate those adaptations so that they gradually adapted to serve humankind’s purposes. Artificial Selection.
As an example, farmers allow the plants and animals with desirable characteristics to reproduce. The prize stud gets the breeding duties. The best crops were nurtured to create higher quality produce.
Another example is breeding dogs. Breeders are careful to mate their precious poochies with only the highest quality partners in order to breed puppies with the most desirable qualities. Some breed for hunting dogs. Some breed sprinters for racing. Some breed dogs for protection. Some breed them for sheer cuteness. And unfortunately, some breed them for fighting (I’m a big advocate of blame the owner not the animal).
Did you just picture a breed of dog for each of those five examples as you read them? Care to quickly scroll down until you see more text the same colour as this section to see the breeds I visualised? You will be able to use the colour change to find your place when you come back. If you thought of different breeds, leave a comment with the breed that you associated with those breeding categories.
However, when it comes to selecting desirable traits, humankind still tend to leave things up to Natural Selection.
With many species, the female selects her mate based on the attributes that are most important to survival.
With other species, the female selects her mate based on looks.
With humans, it seems to be looks and money. So are we going to adapt over time to see males become increasingly narcissistic, self centred, and greedy? Don’t you suddenly wonder if we can already see signs of these adaptations taking place?
Imagine what we could become if women favoured intellgence and respect in their men? What that future could be like? Doesn’t that sound exciting? Placing our future as a species genetically in our control and designing the direction we want our future to go?
(Article continued after some dog pictures. Just process everything so far for a moment before continuing. Plus – cute puppies!!!)
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Dog breed answers here:
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Are you ready for the scary part?
There is a word for this concept of Artificial Selection in humans. Eugenics.
A philosophy whose principles have been tracked way back to Ancient Greece.
Eugenics has two aspects based on how Artificial Selection is encouraged or enforced. Positive eugenics, encouraged through things like financial and political reward, fertility programs, and cloning to select preferred breeding characteristics.
The second aspect is negative eugenics which may include methods such as sterilization of those with undesirable traits, segregation, forced abortion for undesirables, or making abortion illegal for those with preferred characteristics.
Both aspects of eugenics can be coercive. The word eugenics is frequently thought of as being closely associated with the Nazi Final Solution and the word genocide.
Nazi Germany used both aspects, negative and positive eugenics in pursuit of their preferred breeding characteristics.
Does the idea of Artificial Selection amongst humans seem as exciting now? To imagine that a variation of what the beginning of this article discussed may have once been used to sway people toward the Aryan race ideology?
This isn’t to say the concept of Artificial Selection is wrong or evil. But we humans do like to mess with nature to make things the way we like them. We don’t always take the time to consider whether that is good idea, or just a convenient one.
Science opens many doorways. But we must never forget to consider whether we should before opening them.