MOVIE REVIEW: PROMETHEUS

By Scott Tre

In the year 2089, archeologists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) make a startling discovery. The couple uncovers a star map which seems to lead to a mysterious Alien race on a far off moon. They believe the map to be an invitation, and become obsessed with the idea of making contact with these strange beings. Elizabeth suspects they may be the architects of life on earth. Multibillionaire Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) agrees to fund the expedition, which includes the construction of a scientific space vessel called the Prometheus.

Four years later, the Prometheus finally completes its two year journey across the galaxy. Its crew is awoken from stasis and given its mission. Upon touching down on the seemingly barren moon, they begin to explore a massive structure on its surface. Once inside, they encounter something wholly different than what expected, though no less amazing. Their awe soon turns into abject horror as the true intent of the Star map’s makers in revealed. Instead of unearthing the origins of mankind, the crew of the Prometheus may very well have sealed its fate.

As everyone surely knows by now, Prometheus is a prequel to Alien. It’s also a standalone science fiction epic meant to be the first of a trilogy. It tells its own story, and is not an Alien movie in the standard sense. While Xenomorphs and facehuggers are never shown, director Ridley Scott means to explore the origins of such creatures. He also means to probe a number of philosophical questions. Unfortunately, his reach ultimately exceeds his grasp.

Ridley Scott is first and foremost a visual stylist. Even his worst films are usually quite beautiful to look at. Prometheus is no exception. The images are startlingly crisp. The sight of the Prometheus penetrating the storm laden atmosphere of LV-223 is breathtaking. Billowing grey clouds roll in the background as though part of an animated matte painting. The production design of the “vase chamber” is neither as foreign nor as hypersexualized as that of Alien. It looks like a cross between an Alien civilization and an ancient earthbound one. That compromise helps ground the story in a certain reality. It’s clear that Ridley Scott has given considerable thought to the look of this film.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for its story. The screenplay, by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof, fails to provide coherent explanations for much of what transpires onscreen. Things happen inexplicably, yet matter-of-factly. The characters are woefully underwritten. Some are initially cautious, yet suddenly become bold and overly adventurous. Others are miraculously able to interact with alien technology despite never having encountered it before. Meredith Vickers is clearly meant to be a stand in for Sigorney Weaver’s character. Two scenes featuring her echo similar moments from Alien. Unfortunately, like everything else in Prometheus, they function on a mostly superficial level.

Prometheus owes perhaps even more to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 than to Alien, though it lacks the ambition of either. The film raises a number of challenging questions that it can’t be bothered answer. Is it possible for science to debunk religion? If so, would mankind be foolish for maintaining religious faith in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary? What if the God that so many humans worship is revealed to be both malevolent and wantonly destructive? What then? In a braver and more intelligently written film, such questions could provide the basis for a truly enthralling sci-fi epic. Here, they merely play like an arousing tease.

The film’s unfulfilled potential is doubly frustrating in light of its more tangible assets. The set pieces and sight gags elicit a visceral response despite the ineptitude of the storytelling. They provide both great visuals and palpable tension. The sight of living and animate engineers (formerly known as Space Jockeys) is a marvel to behold. This film has a Hell of a lot going for it, yet still manages to be surprisingly less than the sum of its parts.

Prometheus is all foreplay with no climax. Where Alien was deceptively complex, Prometheus is deceptively shallow. It’s also a much more problematic work than both Alien 3 or Alien Resurrection, either of which could be simply be written off as bad movies. Prometheus has too much going for it to dismiss it in such a way, yet it has too many problems to recommend it to anyone but the converted. Fans of the Alien films and ponderous sci-fi will find a lot to like. Everyone else will simply stare at the screen in a state of bemusement.

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MOVIE REVIEW: RED TAILS

By Scott Tre

As their white counterparts wage war with the Nazis over the skies of Europe, the Tuskegee Airmen wait patiently in the wings. Uncle Sam, however, apparently sees them as something of a nuisance and would have them permanently sidelined as World War II rages on. However, this particular band of brothers flat out refuses to let their talents wither and die on the vine. With the help of powerful allies in the upper ranks of the military, the airmen eventually earn the right to fight and possibly die for a country that hardly values such a noble sacrifice.

Supposedly having finally put Star Wars behind him, George Lucas can now focus on his other enthusiasms. Red Tails has the distinction of being the first Lucasfilm release in 19 years that isn’t related to either Star Wars or Indiana Jones. After 24 years in development Hell, it’s finally ready for exhibition. The shadow of the well-received HBO original film The Tuskegee Airmen looms ominously overhead like a dark cloud. Red Tails looks to distinguish itself from made-for-cable competition by offering pulpier and more thrilling take on the material.

As has been well documented, Lucas is largely responsible for the various forms of baby boomer nostalgia that dominated pop culture in last quarter of the 20th century. Red Tails continues down that same path, albeit without the unflagging energy of the original Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark. WWII as imagined by Lucasfilm is a dreamland of heroic daring-do and mustache twirling villains. Despite such dated touches, Red Tails falls right in line with the kind of ultra-serious Black military dramas that have become common since A Soldier’s Story. That’s not to say it attempts the same level of depth and resonance, only that it plays everything very straight faced.

The cast of characters featured here mainly function as stock character types, defined entirely by personality traits and physical ticks. Ne-Yo plays Andrew “Smoky” Salem as a snuff chewing hick. He comes off as more of a cartoon than an actual human being. Terrence Howard’s usual shaky voiced shtick serves him well here, though he isn’t asked to do anything outside of his particular skillset. A bit of House Negro vs. Field Negro tension is allowed to play out between David Oyelowo and Nate Parker, but it’s mostly shown as an occasional flare up in their otherwise close friendship.

The film mostly treats the adversity faced by the airmen as fodder for a story about a group of scrappy outsiders looking to prove themselves to the powers that be. Racial confrontations are handled in a superficial manner. The indignities that were suffered by the airmen in real life probably ran deeper and darker than anything Red Tails would be willing to show. To the films credit, the characters are never passive victims, even when attempting to build bridges with the otherwise antagonistic white fighter pilots. The film has no pretensions about itself, though a much more substantial entertainment clearly could have been crafted from this material.

Convert the galactic dogfights in Star Wars to the skies of WWII Europe, and you have an idea of how the air combat in Red Tails plays out. Fighters slip in and out of tight squeezes like thread through a needles eye. In some instances, they charge headlong into the camera itself with guns blazing. The film’s opening titles evoke the sensibilities at work. This is an old war comic come to life, or perhaps even a pulp novel. It’s all rather quaint, but not offensively so.

Red Tails populates the same cinematic universe as Indiana Jones save for the latter’s supernatural elements. However, even Indy’s outings showed a bit more willingness to explore the dark side. To be fair, Lucas never had such intentions for Red Tails. Unlike his playmate Steven Spielberg, he sought not to make the grittiest and most harrowing war film imaginable. He opted instead to make the kind of film that he would’ve liked as a boy. While that might not be in line with modern tastes, in its own way it’s sort of fitting. Though I would have preferred something more along the lines of Spielberg’s approach, I have a bit of affection for the lighthearted, cornball sentiments of Red Tails.

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MOVIE REVIEW: BOY WONDER

By Scott Tre

The very concept of a “realistic” superhero film would seem to be a gross contradiction in terms. The fantastical conventions and tropes of the genre seem irreversibly resistant to such iterations. This has not stopped a plethora of filmmakers from offering pseudo realistic takes on the caped and costumed set. Kick Ass, Watchmen, and Christopher Nolan’s Batman films all purport to be the genuine article in terms of grit and realism. All of the aforementioned address the various implausibilities and impossibilities of the genre in a myriad of ways. Though these films can in no way be considered artistic failures, none of them ever has ever been completely successful in accomplishing their goals. Writer/Director Michael Morrissey has attempted to remedy this problem with his gritty vigilante film, Boy Wonder.

Sean Donovan is a seemingly ineffectual teen leading a seemingly uneventful existence in Brooklyn. He’s a severely introverted young man who scores straight A’s in all of his classes. However, his meek and unassuming demeanor disguises a huge propensity for violence. At night he prowls the streets of Brooklyn, brutally assaulting and sometimes murdering any violent criminal he happens upon. His one man campaign of vigilante justice is the result of a horrible childhood tragedy. As a young boy, he witnessed the brutal murder of his mother by a carjacker. He hopes to one day exact vengeance on her killer. Until that point, his crusade will continue indefinitely.

As one can easily assert by reading the plot synopsis, Boy Wonder Is not film about Batman’s brightly costumed sidekick Robin. Michael Morrissey, an avowed comics fan, has taken the origin stories and revenge fantasies inherent to the form of comics and allowed them to play out as a brutal urban drama. The results are at times uneven, but nonetheless intriguing. The stripped down approach essentially turns the film into an unrelentingly dark character study of a young man who could be considered a blue collar version of Bruce Wayne, sans the “no killing” policy.

There are no huge set pieces or lavish special effects. The drama is not punctuated by constant or relentless action. The set pieces are mostly low key, centering on brutal one-on-one confrontations that end fairly quickly. Though the hero is obviously trained and proficient in combat, the fights unfold in a rather messy and spontaneous manner. Caleb Steinmeyer’s size and weight are surprisingly taken into account. Larger, stronger opponents are able to fling him around like a rag doll, yet he is able to turn the tables on them through resourcefulness and use of various weapons. One wishes that these scenes could have been filmed more clearly, but the muddled aesthetic is in line with the tone that Morrissey is aiming for.

The film has some slow moments, but the movie soldiers through on the strength of the performances and character relationships. Caleb Steinmeyer is the darker version of Peter Parker that Spider Man 3 ineptly tried to bring to life, only here it’s not played for laughs. Steinmeyer elicits sympathy despite his emotionally distant performance and brutal nature. As detective Teresa Ames, Zulay Henao exudes both ambition and sex appeal. Her motherly concern for Sean seems genuine and even suggests a feint hint of sexual attraction to him. Of course, the characters consummate professionalism would prevent such a thing from ever coming to fruition. It’s that kind of complexity that keeps the film from feeling as routine and mundane as it might have otherwise played.

Boy Wonder won’t appeal to everyone. It lacks the obvious and vulgar thrills of traditional action pictures and modern superhero films. It is not in the same mold as either Spider-Man or Death Wish. It holds the viewer’s interest through more subtle and cerebral means than either of those films. Though the execution isn’t flawless, it is nonetheless a thoughtful film with a lot on its mind. It actually seems interested in what might really happen should a psychologically unbalanced teenager actually decide to take the law into his own hands. Boy Wonder is worthy viewing for anyone who has ever wanted to see the concept of superheroes taken deadly serious.

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MOVIE REVIEW: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE GHOST PROTOCOL (THE IMAX EXPERIENCE)

By Scott Tre

After being sprung from a Moscow prison, IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team infiltrate the Kremlin in order to acquire information on a target known as Cobalt. The mission ends in unmitigated disaster, and the Kremlin is decimated. The President of the United States enacts “Ghost Protocol,” effectively turning Hunt and his team into international fugitives. Unable to operate in an official capacity, the remnants of the IMF must pool their resources and talents to clear their names and avert a nuclear holocaust. Intelligence Analyst William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) is along for the ride, as he hopes to find redemption at missions end. Failure is most definitely not an option.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the fourth entry in producer/star Tom Cruise’s 17 year old spy franchise. Each one has been helmed by a different director, who in turn applies his own sensibility to the material. This time out, Brad Bird takes his first plunge into live-action filmmaking. His credentials up until this point include well received animated fare such as The Iron Giant and The Incredibles. Fortunately, he proves as adept at working with real actors and locations as he is with cell and computer animation.

What is most surprising about Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is that it visually recalls the animated offerings of Brad Bird from a visual standpoint. The framing and composition of certain scenes is oddly reminiscent of The Incredibles, particularly the shot of Tom Cruise sprinting from the exit of the Burj Khalifa as a massive sandstorm looms overhead. Tom Cruise’s stiff, slightly comical running posture calls to mind that of Mr. Incredible in the jungle. That particular brand of déjà vu occurs throughout each and every action sequence. Though the medium of expression has changed, Brad Bird’s eye has not.

That sensibility transfers over to the staging of the action set-pieces, which are outlandish indeed. Ethan Hunt would have to have adamantium bones and rubber skin to endure the many falls and scraps he does here. The film treats such otherworldly endurance casually. After all, it’s named Mission: Impossible for a reason. Hunt and his counterparts may as well be superheroes the way they bound from one insane stunt to the other. The plethora of clever gadgets and inventive scenarios goes a long way in smoothing over the obvious implausibility. Brad Bird, in accordance with his stunt people and FX technicians, keep the audience too caught up the excitement to focus on the details. Under his guidance, the films adrenaline never lags.

Some chinks begin to show in the films proverbial armor in the department of story and character. As before, the plot is impenetrably labyrinthine. It seems purposely designed to leave the viewer in the dust, making it hard to keep track of the particulars during important moments. Tom Cruise makes for a sturdy protagonist, though his ability to shrug off emotional and bodily damage of any sort makes him a bit of cartoon. The incomprehensibility of the plot, coupled with the lack of character depth makes everything seem just a tad superficial. As a result, the film comes off as simply a visceral tour de force. Ethan’s the mouse sent charging through the maze while being chased by a ferocious cat. The details don’t matter, so long as he gets the cheese and makes it out alive.

Brad Bird steers Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol as if he were driving a Mack truck. He aims it like a weapon, barreling over anything in his path. By the time it’s over, victims and bystanders alike will be wondering just what hit them. They might also find themselves hoping that Bird turns around for a second pass, as such danger is amazingly exhilarating. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol has a pronounced hint of desperation that manifests itself visually and sonically. One wonders how long James Bond or Jason Bourne would last in the imagination of Brad Bird, as he would surely put them through the trials of job. Mission most definitely accomplished. The director of the next Mission: Impossible film has his work cut out for him.

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