movie night

Movie Night [00-Heaven]: Dr. No

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To celebrate the release of this movie, the first of many filmic outings for James Bond, October 5th is officially recognised as “Global James Bond Day”. Today, 007 is one of the most recognised and popular movie icons of all time so I’m dedicating some time to revisiting some firsts in the long-running franchise.

Released: 5 October 1962
Director: Terence Young
Distributor: United Artists
Budget: $1.1 million
Stars: Sean Connery, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, John Kitzmiller, and Ursula Andress

The Plot:
After an MI6 liaison is murdered in Jamaica, suave spy James Bond/007 (Connery) discovers a plot by malformed mad scientist Doctor Julius No (Wiseman) to disrupt an American rocket on behalf of the Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion (SPECTRE).

The Background:
Super spy James Bond was the brainchild of writer Ian Fleming in 1953, heavily inspired by Fleming’s years as a Navy intelligence officer. 007 first came to life not through Sean Connery’s immortal and iconic performance or even the bizarre comedy loosely based on Fleming’s first Bond book, but a one-hour CBS television adaptation of that same book that was heavily altered for American audiences. Bond was next adapted into a South African radio drama in 1958 and Fleming’s books became a long-running series of comic strips starting in 1957, before Casino Royale (1953) finally came to the big screen in 1967 after years of Development Hell and rights disputes. Though initially reluctant, Fleming eventually sold the rights to all his Bond novels (except Casino Royale and, most infamously, 1961’s Thunderball) to producer Harry Saltzman. Saltzman partnered with Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli to spearhead an adaptation of the 1958 novel of the same name, bringing in director Terence Young to define the onscreen portrayal of the super spy for decades to come. Though hampered by a paltry budget, Young chose to innovate and spend what little money had had wisely, while the script included many alterations from the source material, including painting Dr. No as an agent of SPECTRE. While the producers initially envisioned Cary Grant as Bond, Richard Johnson claimed to have been tapped for the role, and Rod Taylor rejected the pitch, former bodybuilder Sean Connery impressed with his devil-may-care attitude and cemented his career (for better or worse) with his now-iconic performance. Although Dr. No received a mixed reaction at the time, it proved a box office success that kick-started a cinematic franchise, with each subsequent film out-performing the last at the box office. In the years since its release, Dr. No has been critically re-evaluated in a more positive light, with the film named as one of the top 100 British films of all time and praised for delivering some of the most memorable moments in the series.

The Review:
I think it’s only fair to start off by admitting that I’ve never been a fan of Dr. No. While it’s easy to explain away a lot of its flaws by pointing to the era it was made and it being the first of a series, so many of the recognisable Bond elements hadn’t been refined yet (even if they make their debut here), I’ve just never been a fan of the pacing and plot. Indeed, one thing I often joke about is that, even now, I don’t really know what Dr. No is about or what the titular mad scientist is  after. Therefore, I went into this viewing really trying to pay attention and grasp what the plot was and what was happening. Surprisingly, Dr. No’s stakes are surprisingly low; the world isn’t at stake here. In fact, no nations, cities, or lives seem to be at risk at all, save those who venture to Dr. No’s private island, Crab Key, uninvited or those who stand in his way. The film’s events kick off when John Strangways (Timothy Moxon/Robert Rietti), a keen fisherman, poker player, and head of MI6’s Kingston station, and his secretary, Mary Trueblood (Dolores Keator), are murdered by, of all things, three assassins posing as blind beggars. After a few hours trying to re-establish contact with Strangways, the cantankerous and officious head of MI6, “M” (Bernard Lee), pulls Bond from a game of Baccarat and orders him to find out what happened, advising him to liaise with his Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) counterpart, Felix Leiter (Lord), and to not waste any time. Though Bond happily takes the assignment, he drags his feet a little by flirting with M’s secretary, Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell), and hooking up with the alluring Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson), firmly establishing that, while Bond is loyal to King and Country, he’s got a soft (well, more accurately a hard) spot for the ladies and the finer things in life, such as a good smoke and a stiff drink.

While Connery mesmerises as Bond, 007’s painfully mundane in his first outing.

Sean Connery immediately embodies the now-world famous super spy with a relaxed, confident poise and charm. He greets every situation, even admonishments from M, with a wry smile and a biting wit, seemingly fearless and maintaining his composure even when he’s being followed or clearly duped by enemy agents. While this is Bond’s first screen outing, it’s clearly not his first assignment as he’s been licensed to kill for some time (though M’s dialogue suggests Bond may only be a year or so into this career as a 00 agent) and is generally hyper aware of his surroundings. Even when he’s welcomed by Chief Secretary Pleydell-Smith (Louis Blaazer) and given lodgings at Government House, Bond checks for bugs and preps his room to alert him to intruders. Unlike later Bond movies, 007 is rather ill-equipped; Major Boothroyd (Peter Burton) simply furnishes him with the standard issue Walther PPK in place of his unreliable Beretta M1934 and that’s it. Not that Bond really needs any gadgets here, just a rental car and a working telephone suffice for most of the film. Bond’s first official big screen adventure is much more of an investigative thriller than anything else. Bond wanders about Kingston meeting with those who knew or saw Strangways last, piecing together what happened, knocking back vodka martinis (“Shaken, not stirred”) and other vices as he goes. After a brief misunderstanding, Bond meets with Leiter, visits a few more locations, and eventually suspects Professor R. J. Dent (Anthony Dawson), a geologist and one of the last people to see Strangways alive. Bond’s investigation alerts him to Crab Key, a forbidden island owned by the mysterious Dr. No, which Strangways regularly visited. It’s all very mundane and dull, sadly, with only Connery’s magnetic screen presence holding my interest as Bond simply stumbles upon breadcrumbs to discover that Dr. No obviously had something to do with Strangways disappearing.

Sadly, scene-staler Quarrel meets a toasty end when he insists on aiding Bond.

Bond’s eventually aided by Leiter, though Felix at first suspects 007 of being corrupt since Bond willingly allows obvious enemy plants to drive him around and lure him into bed. Bond does this in hopes of questioning and/or boning said agents, though his investigation is often frustrated since many of his would-be assassins choose death by cyanide over talking. Leiter reveals that he worked closely with Strangways to discover the source of a radio jamming signal that has been disrupting America’s space exploration rockets. Leiter’s also instrumental in cooling tensions between Bond and Quarrel (Kitzmiller), a Cayman Islander whose boat Strangways took to Crab Key and collect samples. Initially giving Bond the brushoff, Quarrel confronts him and knifepoint and the two scuffle until Leiter intervenes and they all get on the same page. While Leiter isn’t that interesting, simply being a friendly face to give Bond some intel and call out his womanising ways, Quarrel is quite an enjoyable addition, being an upbeat and friendly seaman who affectionately calls Bond “Cap’n”. Rather than rely on sea chats or coordinates, Quarrel follows his instincts but is extremely hesitant to go to Crab Key due to rumours of a fire-breathing “dragon” dwelling there. While Bond initially gives Quarrel the option of staying behind, his patience with these stories grows thin, especially when they bump into the beautiful Honey Ryder (Andress) and she echoes Quarrel’s fears. Still, Quarrel proves useful to Bond’s investigation and subdues Annabel Chung (Marguerite LeWars) when she spies on the trio. Bond seems genuinely distraught when Quarrel meets his horrifying (and ridiculously abrupt) end at the hands of Dr. No’s “dragon” (an armoured tank with a flamethrower) and adds the seaman’s name to the list of people he wishes to avenge.

Dr. No is sadly absent for most of the film and his scheme is very vaguely defined.

As if Dr. No wasn’t disappointing enough, the titular scientist is quite a letdown as well. Like Honey, Dr. No doesn’t fully appear until the final act, which is pretty incredible considering his unique affliction and his admittedly captivating screen presence. While I appreciate the fear and awe given to Dr. No throughout the film, with the locals scared of Crab Key and Dent terrified of his master’s reprisals, I think the film suffers from not including him at least once before Bond reaches Crab Key. A mysterious and isolated figure, Dr. No initially appears as a disembodied voice reprimanding Dent and ordering him to kill Bond using a tarantula (an effective means, to be sure!) Dr. No has agents all over Kingston, it seems, with him sending a driver (Reginald Carter) to try and kill Bond soon after he lands, placing Miss Taro (Zena Marshall) as a double agent, and employing some goons to try and run Bond off the road. Despite Dr. No voicing an explicit desire to have Bond killed, he does a complete 180 once Bond arrives on Crab Key. His loyal soldiers give Bond, Quarrel, and Honey multiple chances to surrender peaceful and end up roasting Quarrel alive when they disobey, but Dr. No treats Bond and Honey as distinguished guests and has them decontaminated and confined to a room that’s more deluxe suite than a dungeon. Dr. No is impressed by Bond’s repeated interference (even though I’m not sure what Bond did to cost him time and money…) and believes him an intellectual equal, only to be angered by Bond’s dismissive and condescending attitude. Although Dr. No claims his genius is as formidable as his physical strength thanks to his painfully limited artificial hands, he’s clearly a madman. So much so that neither the East or the West wished to employ his services and even SPECTRE seems somewhat embarrassed by him. This could be because Dr. No uses his vast and overly complicated nuclear-powered facility to disrupt Cape Canaveral simply for his own self-gratification as he issues no threats and demands no ransom, seemingly embodying only the “Revenge” aspect of SPECTRE as he wishes to prove himself superior to those who mocked and dismissed him.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Dr. No is obviously the blueprint which all future Bond movies were based, establishing many of the tropes, elements, and recurring themes for the series. Accordingly, we get out first gun barrel sequence (with stuntman Bob Simmons as Bond), first utterance of “Bond… James Bond”, and our first title sequence (though there’s no cold open here). Unfortunately, Dr. No fails to impress with its opening titles, which are simply a mess of colours, dancing girls, and “007” plastered over the screen while Monty Norman’s “James Bond Theme” blares. Bond’s iconic overture oddly crops up when he’s doing such exciting tasks as… walking, searching his room, or using the telephone. Rather than have an artist or group write a unique song for the film as would later become a key component of the franchise, Dr. No repeatedly falls back on renditions of “Under the Mango Tree”, a tune I’d happily never have to listen to again after sitting through this snore fest. The basic frameworks of future Bond films are established here, however, meaning it’s perfectly natural for M to simply show up to give Bond his mission and Miss Moneypenny to give Bond someone to flirt with in MI6 headquarters. Long-time Bond fans may be surprised that Desmond Llewelyn isn’t playing “Q” here (though Major Boothroyd is the same character). Consequently, there’s no visit to Q-Branch, no Aston Martin, and Bond’s even light on the quips, only dropping a couple of deadpan comments after outwitting his would-be assassins. Bond is a largely apathetic character, seemingly bored with the routine aspects of his job and preferring to be in the field, where he does his own thing regardless of his orders. This sees him getting a dressing down for carrying a Berretta and taking many detours in his investigation to get his end away or have a drink or smoke. Indeed, both M and Leiter comment on Bond’s lackadaisical attitude, though his methods always return to his primary mission one way or another.

While Bond’s women are attractive, it would’ve been nice to expand Honey’s role.

Despite getting second billing alongside Sean Connery, Ursula Andress only appears in the third act and has such a small role that it’s barely worth discussing. Of course, she makes a lasting impression on both audiences and Bond with her dramatic emergence from the sea, clad in a sultry bikini and inspecting her coveted seashells, but it might’ve been nice to include her a bit sooner to break up the monotony of watching Bond mingle around rooms. Though initially appearing naïve and almost childlike in her demeanour, Honey’s actually a well-travelled young lady, an accomplished diver, and has experienced by heartache (she believes Dr. No murdered her father) and strife. As a child, she was sexually assaulted (or possibly raped) and took her revenge by killing her attacker with a black widow spider (though oddly reacts in horror when Bond offs one of Dr. No’s henchmen). Still, she plays basically no role in the finale, with Bond successfully convincing Dr. No to send her away for their parlay and is simply there to have a pretty face onscreen at the tail end of the film. She’s nice on the eyes, for sure, and somewhat aids Bond with her familiarity with Crab Key, but her demeanour is a bit odd and it’s difficult to really care that much about her since she appears so late in the film. Similarly, while Sylvia gets a lot of play at the start of the film, she’s simply an attractive Baccarat player Bond seduces with his card game rather than an undercover SPECTRE agent like Miss Taro, Pleydell-Smith’s secretary. Indeed, it’s possible Sylvia and Taro would’ve been combined into one character in a later Bond film (and, truthfully, that would’ve made more sense here) to give Bond a tertiary threat while playing detective. Though she acts coy about listening into Bond’s meeting and the conveniently missing files on Dr. No, Miss Taro tries to lure Bond into a trap and then uses her body to distract him, only for him to effortlessly see through her ruse and simply use her for his own gratification (and to lure Dent into outing himself as another of Dr. No’s agents).

While I’m still not sure what Dr. No’s endgame was, he’s ultimately foiled by Bond.

After knobbing around Kingston for a few days, dodging death every other night and following leads on Strangways, Bond becomes very suspicious of Crab Key and its mysterious Dr. No. After using Miss Taro and easily fooling Dent, Bond decides he has enough evidence to visit Crab Key, convincing Quarrel to give him a lift and having Leiter on standby with the Marines. After Quarrel’s killed, Bond and Honey are welcomed as Dr. No’s distinguished guests, furnished with a luxurious room, drugged coffee, and a fine dinner. Dr. No’s patience and reverence for Bond quickly grows thin when 007 insults him and refuses to join SPECTRE, however, leading to Bond being beaten and tossed into a cell. Despite the electrified grate, and his injuries, Bond easily escapes through the facility’s massive ventilation shafts, kills one of Dr. No’s technicians (Anthony Chinn), and assumes his role in the control room. There, himself and his underlings protected from the radiation that cost him his hands, Dr. No directs a test on his nuclear reactor, apparently to disrupt America’s latest rocket launch. Despite his genius, Dr. No’s so distracted by his monitors that he fails to notice Bond overloading the reactor until its too late. With the facility in meltdown and his minions fleeing for their lives, Dr. No awkwardly confronts Bond on the gantry. Rather than treating us to a slugfest where the underdog 007 must use his wit and wiles to compensate for the crushing power of Dr. No’s prosthetic hands as the environment goes up in flames around them, this final battle is merely a clumsy scuffle on a small platform descending into a cool pool and Dr. No’s superior strength fails him as his crappy plastic hands can’t grip for shit. With everyone more concerned with escaping, Bond easily convinces Dr. No’s panicked employees to point him in Honey’s direction, and he rescues her from…being slowly drowned, I guess? The two then commandeer a convenient boat and drift away from Crab Key just as Dr. No’s facility explodes, ending whatever vague threat he posed. Though Leiter comes by to tug the two to safety, Bond opts to release his line so he and Honey can canoodle in their boat during the credits.

The Summary:
I was honestly dreading watching Dr. No again as, like I say, I’ve never been a fan of it. I want to respect it for laying the foundation for one of my favourite cinematic franchises, and that (alongside Sean Connery’s magnetic performance) is what gives it its second star, but this is always a tough watch for me. There’s so much working against it, from the dull opening titles, the Bond theme blaring in the most mundane scenes, and the dull focus on Bond’s investigation rather than action, women, or suspense. I understand that this was a different time and there was only so much the filmmakers could do (painfully obvious during Bond’s big car chase…), and that Dr. No is more of an investigative thriller than a bombastic action movie, but my lord is this painfully slow to watch. Bond meanders from scene to scene, easily piecing together clues when you’d think Dr. No would want to cover his tracks, and happy to waste his time bedding and toying with Dr. No’s obvious agents rather than getting to business. Dr. No is painfully absent throughout, meaning his motivations and character are poorly developed, to say the least. SPECTRE is little more than a name drop, Dr. No is simply a maniacal cripple childishly lashing out at a world that rejected him, and his plan is painfully ill defined. I still have no idea what the stakes are or why I should care about Dr. No’s plot when he makes no demands and seems to just be messing with America for shits and giggles, and we’re even robbed of him matching wits (and brawn) with Bond since Dr. No prefers to let his underlings or spiders do the work rather than just bloody shoot him! Ursula Andress may be gorgeous and have captivated a generation, but Honey Ryder shows up far too late to be that interesting. Had she been featured throughout, or perhaps been Dr. No’s unwilling concubine, then maybe I would care but, as is, she’s just kind of there. Sean Connery, Joseph Wiseman, and John Kitzmiller are the stars of this show but even they can’t keep me from tuning out every time I watch Dr. No and I’m honestly surprised we got a Bond franchise after this tedious slog of a movie.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Am I being too harsh on Dr. No? Where would you rank it against the other James Bond films? Were you impressed by Sean Connery’s first outing as 007? What did you think to the focus on his investigation and the film’s slower pace? Do you agree that Dr. No and Honey Ryder should’ve shown up sooner? Were you disappointed when Quarrel got roasted? Can you tell me what Dr. No’s plan was, because I still don’t know… Which Bond actor, film, story, villain, or moment is your favourite? How are you celebrating Global James Bond Day today? Whatever your thoughts on Dr. No, or James Bond in general, leave a comment below, check out my other James Bond reviews, and suggest some 007 content you’d like me to cover by donating to my Ko-Fi.

Movie Night: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

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Released: 13 December 1992
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Budget: $40 million
Stars: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Billy Campbell, and Anthony Hopkins

The Plot:
Having renounced God after the suicide of his love, ruthless vampire Count Vlad Dracula (Oldman) travels to London to seduce her lookalike, Mina Harker (Ryder), indulging his bloodlust and inspiring a rag-tag band of would-be vampire killers to stand against him.

The Background:
Inspired by Irish folklore and age-old vampire myths, Bram Stoker’s Lord of Vampires undeniably popularised the vampire as we know it today and inspired many critical and academic discussions. About thirty years after the book was published, World War I infantryman Bela Lugosi first embodied the role of Dracula for a stage production, eventually transitioning to the silver screen for Tod Browning’s horror classic before the legendary Christopher Lee made the role his own in 1958. After decades of reinterpretations and filmic appearances, Dracula lived again in 1992 thanks to the efforts of star Winona Ryder, who brought James V. Hart’s screenplay to director Francis Ford Coppola as a project for them both. Attracted to the haunting, disturbing sensual nature of the material, Coppola agreed and Gary Oldman jumped at the chance to work with the prolific director, who spared no expensive crafting the film’s ornate costumes. Veteran production artist Mentor Huebner and even comic book writer and artist Mike Mignola worked on the film’s extensive storyboards while hair and makeup designer Michèle Burke crafted Oldman’s signature look. After Christian Slater turned down the Jonathan Harker role, Keanu Reeves stepped in, though his hard work to convey a British accent drew much criticism. Oldman apparently lost himself in the sexuality and intensity of the role so completely that fell out with Ryder for a while and Coppola’s eccentric demands drew some criticism at the time. Finally, Coppola also insisted on utilising practical, in-camera, and old-school special effects technique utilising forced perspectives, miniature effects, and matte paintings. Opening at number one at the US box office and with a final gross of over $215 million, the award winning Bram Stoker’s Dracula was largely praised as a visual masterpiece. While many criticised some of the performances and its overly dramatic elements, just as many praised it as a tragic, alluring mixture of romance and horror, lauding Oldman’s performance and the tangible nature of its presentation.

The Review:
Bram Stoker’s Dracula mixes folklore, fiction, and history to present the titular Lord of Vampires as having started life as a Vlad III Drăculea, a warrior for the Romanian Orthodox Church, a commander and soldier so ruthless and bloodthirsty that he single-handedly slaughtered many in the Ottoman Empire and impaled their bodies and heads on pikes as a way to destroy their moral. Back in 1492, Dracula’s campaign against the Turks was seen as a righteous one, fought to defend his church in the name of almighty God, who Dracula praised and devoted himself to above all else save his beloved wife, Elisabeta (Ryder). However, while Dracula was successful in slaughtering his enemies, Elisabeta took her life after receiving false reports of his death, unable to face living life without her husband. Upon discovering this, and learning that Elisabeta’s suicide had damned her soul, Dracula cursed and renounced God, desecrating the chapel and drinking a strange blood spewing from its altar. In the process, Dracula became the first vampire, an undead thing with powers over the elements (he conjures great storms and winds), dominion over the “children of the night” (wolves, rats, and such), and the ability to transform into a monstrous bat-like form, mist, and rats. Contrary to most popular depictions, Dracula is merely weakened by sunlight, though he does draw strength from the cursed soil of his homeland, Transylvania, and renew himself by drinking the blood of his victims. Yet, Dracula spends four centuries isolated in his decrepit, ominous castle on the outskirts of a nearby village with only his lustful, ravenous concubines (Florina Kendrick, Michaela Bercu, and Monica Bellucci) for company, presumably terrorising and feeding upon the locals whenever the thirst or fancy takes over. When the film jumps ahead to 1897, however, visits to Transylvanian to liaise with the mysterious Count have driven solicitor R. M. Renfield (Tom Waits) insane, leaving him in the care of Doctor Jack Seward (Grant), who’s both disgusted and amazed by Renfield’s hunger for flies and mad rantings about his “master”.

When Dracula pays a visit to London, he terrorises the aristocracy with his perverse lusts.

Since Dracula wishes to purchase properties around London and represents a substantial investment, Renfield’s duties are passed to fresh-faced, well-spoken, and somewhat frigid solicitor Jonathan Harker (Reeves). Though his fiancée, Wilhelmina “Mina” Murray, is saddened to hear he will be gone for some time, eager to consummate their marriage, she recognises that this is a big opportunity for Harker and takes solace in his frequent correspondence. Though well-mannered and good-natured, Harker is unnerved by Transylvania, where wolves freely wander, darkness looms ominously, and his client is prone to bizarre outbursts. Dracula treats Harker as a guest, welcoming and feeding him and expressing his desire to be amongst civilisation once more, but is erratic and eccentric, lamenting his cursed family bloodline, driven to a frenzy by the sight and smell of blood, and generally testing Harker’s civil nature. While I love Keanu Reeves, he is dreadful in this role, delivering perhaps the worst British accent I’ve ever heard and appearing lost and confused. This is a case where it might’ve been better to let him use his natural accent, if only to make his line readings less awkward, but that wouldn’t have helped with his awful haircut/wig and robotic tone. Harker’s effectively held prisoner in Dracula’s castle, feasted upon by his brides for at least a month before he finds the willpower and courage to escape and being left severely traumatised. While pining for her love, Mina takes solace in the courtship of her dear friend, the promiscuous Lucy Westenra (Sadie Frost), giggling over sex acts while Lucy flits between her suitors, Dr. Seward, wealthy Lord Arthur Holmwood (Cary Elwes), and gunslinger Quincey P. Morris (Campbell). Though she settles on Holmwood (presumably for the financial security, accustomed as she is to such a lifestyle), the other two continue to hang around and curry her favour, forming first a dysfunctional friendship and then a rag-tag group of vampire hunters when the peculiar Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Hopkins) alerts them to the vampire’s threat.

While Mina succumbs to Dracula’s charm and Harker’s tortured, Van Helsing offers his expertise.

Betrayed by his faith, Dracula is presented as a far more tragic and sympathetic figure. Upon seeing Mina’s photograph, Dracula alters his plans for London to include seeing his reincarnated love, mercilessly slaughtering the crew of the Demeter to restore his youth. Unlike other adaptations of Dracula, where he integrates into London society and socialises with Dr. Seward and the others, Dracula is a largely enigmatic figure once he reaches Ol’ Blighty. Appearing as a peculiar foreign prince, Dracula stalks Mina through the streets, using his hypnotic and persuasive powers to entrance her and slowly unearth her forgotten memories of their past life and love. Though initially rude towards him, Mina comes to be captivated by Dracula and begins a love affair in Jonathan’s absence, naturally unaware that her handsome prince has been feeding upon Lucy in the night as a wolf-beast. However, when she receives word of Jonathan’s condition, Mina goes to him, encouraged by her sick friend, to rekindle their love and get married, though it’s obvious that her feelings have changed and that her thoughts constantly drift to her passionate and mysterious prince. When Lucy’s condition worsens and defies Dr. Seward’s expertise, he calls Van Helsing for aid, only for the outlandishly blunt priest to conclude that she’s been targeted by Nosferatu, a subject he’s well versed on. Although Van Helsing tries to stave off the infection with a questionable blood transfusion, Mina’s beset by a fever, constantly wandering off in a daze, and undergoes radical personality changes, resembling Dracula’s ever-horny, ever-hungry brides and quickly making believers out of Lucy’s bemused suitors.

Dracula is depicted as a demonic, yet ferociously tragic and aggressively sexual romantic figure.

Jonathan’s return to London confirms Van Helsing’s worst fears, that Dracula himself is amongst them, and he leads the fledgling vampire to hunters to “where the basturd sleeps” so they can destroy Dracula’s cursed soil. However, Dracula is agonised when Mina breaks off their tryst, conjuring violent winds and fully transforming Mina into a vampire out of spite. This process sees her rise as an undead seductress with the same unnerving taste for children as Dracula’s concubines. While Dr. Seward, Quincey, and Holmwood falter against Lucy’s monstrously sexual transformation, Van Helsing leads the charge, wielding a holy cross and easily placing Lucy into a vulnerable slumber so she can be staked and decapitated. While Jonathan is startled about how blasé Van Helsing is about this, he eagerly joins their cause to deal a measure of revenge against Dracula, who murders Renfield for running his mouth to Mina before appearing before her, all pretence dropped. Although Mina is horrified and angered to learn that her lover murdered her best friend, she cannot deny her feelings for him or the strength of her vague memories and begs to be with him, forever. While elated to hear this and desperate to inflict his curse upon her to be reunited with his lost love, Dracula hesitates at the last second, unable to bring himself to watch her suffer from eternal torment as he has. However, horny little minx that she is, Mina refuses to listen and gladly, hungrily drinks his blood in an explicitly sexual act that sees her undergo a similar transformation to Mina. This means that she constantly interferes with the hunters’ attempts to intercept and destroy Dracula when he flees to Transylvania, attempting to seduce Van Helsing and even holding her husband at bay with a rifle to defend her dying love, having willingly sacrificed her humanity for some real passion in her life.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Since I haven’t read the original book, I’m not really qualified to comment on how accurate an adaptation Bram Stoker’s Dracula is. However, from what I’ve heard, it’s one of the most faithful retellings and I did like that the film incorporated voice overs and diary entries to mimic the book’s epistolary nature. Dracula is undeniably a vastly different character to other, more popular depictions, appearing as a once proud and seemingly noble (if ruthless) soldier who slaughtered armies in the name of his God. He cherished Elisabeta more than anything in the world and felt betrayed when the church turned on him after his many years of faithful service, renouncing God since he’d forever be denied his love even in death due to her damning her soul through suicide. His quest to London thus becomes a desperate desire to reunite with Elisabeta, who’s seemingly been reincarnated in Mina, and he wastes no time in captivating and wooing her. Whereas Jonathan is reluctant to give in to carnal desires, Dracula is an extremely passionate man whose romantic way with words entrance Mina as much as his hypnotic gaze and the shadows of her former life. While he’s overjoyed to reunite with his love, Dracula hesitates to subject her to his curse, knowing it cannot be undone and will lead to eternal earthly damnation for them both. Interestingly, he doesn’t spare this same concern for his other concubines or show mercy to the children he regularly feasts on, but these are apparently secondary concerns for the lovelorn Mina, who’s so desperate to get laid that she gleefully renounces her humanity. And make no mistake about it, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the horniest, sexiest adaptation of the text you’ll ever see! Lucy is super horny for all her suitors, Dracula’s many attacks are framed as blatantly sexual acts, the vampire brides all exude succubus energy, and then there’s the scene where Mina drinks Dracula’s blood and he reacts with orgasmic pleasure!

Despite some impressive visuals, the monster designs are questionable, at best.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula may also be the most visually impressive version of the book. It’s clear that the filmmakers spared no expensive on the elaborate costumes and sets, with the woman, especially, being strapped into extravagant gowns and the men all dressed in their finest regalia. While I dig Dracula’s beehive hairdo and opulent robes, I do question the design of his blood red armour, which seems awfully devilish for a man of God and also looks far too much like heavy leather for my tastes. The film uses practical effects and traditional optical trickery to fantastic effect to overlay miniatures with backgrounds and diary entries and project Dracula’s gaze into the storm clouds. The film is surprisingly sparing with the gore, but it makes quite an impression when it does appear, with arterial spray drenching drapes, Lucy spewing up blood when Van Helsing shoves a cross in her face, and heads flying after being severed by the vampire hunters. Dracula has quite a few forms here, though some are better than others. His aged, withered appearance is one of my favourites, though his youthful guise makes the girls wet and his unnerving mist proves suitably deadly to the rabid Renfield. Sadly, Dracula’s monstrous forms leave a lot to be desired, his man-bat form is the superior of the two, but even this looks awkward and uncomfortable, especially as his arms are literally bent-back wings. His wolf-man form is even worse, however, appearing very fake and shaggy looking, with only the facial prosthetics and his unsettling sexual attack saving it from being ludicrous. Dracula’s decaying appearing in the finale is far more striking, as is his mysterious horseman and the techniques used to show him and his concubines moving with unnatural grace. Unfortunately, little of this keeps the film from being an absolute slog to sit through. At just over two hours long, Bram Stoker’s Dracula sure does drag things out, inflating its runtime with bizarre editing choices and unnecessary cutaways and perhaps sticking a little too close to the text for its own good.

Thankfully, the entranced Mina ends Dracula’s torment, and mine, by ending this dull movie.

Thanks to Jonathan, Van Helsing and the others destroy all but one of Dracula’s boxes of earth. When his seduction of Mina is interrupted, Dracula’s forced to flee to Transylvania in his last box, his powers fading and his appearance quickly degenerating, to regain his strength. Van Helsing leads his group in intercepting Dracula, bizarrely taking Mina with them despite her being less of a liability in London. While Harker and the others try to cut off the gypsy slaves transporting Dracula’s carriage, Van Helsing and Mina head directly for his castle, with the eccentric vampire expert desperately fending off the brides with his flaming torch and subduing Mina with a communion wafer when they try to seduce and bite him. When the brides kill their horses, Van Helsing takes a swift revenge and claims their heads before joining up with the others at Dracula’s castle. Although Quincey is fatally stabbed in the hectic fracas, he does stab the decaying Dracula through the heart and Harker gets a measure of revenge by slitting the Count’s throat. However, Mina stops them from finishing off the monstrous abomination and Harker and Van Helsing reluctantly allow her to get Dracula into the chapel where he once turned his back on God. There, the demonic Dracula shares a kiss with his beloved and is amazed when the chapel undergoes a supernatural restoration; the candles ignite and the cross he disgraced repairs itself, restoring Dracula to his youth. However, he’s still mortally wounded and, with his dying breath, Dracula begs Mina to bring him peace. Although she’s heartbroken, Mina agrees to end his suffering and stake shim through the heart before decapitating him, undoing the curse inflicted upon her and seemingly allowing Dracula to reunite with Elisabeta in the afterlife.

The Summary:
I’m going to be honest and say I’ve never liked Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I never watch it because I remember it being a long, boring, overly stylised affair with some atrocious performances. And that isn’t just a knock against Keanu Reeves, either, as Winona Ryder and Sadie Frost are just as bad with their accents and delivery. Hell, even Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins are hamming it up, though I at least give them credit for bringing a Shakespearean gravitas to this tediously dull movie. While I’m sure Bram Stoker’s Dracula is exceedingly faithful to the book, there’s something to be said for condensing the text when making an adaptation. For example, did we really need Dr. Seward, Holmwood, and Quincey all in the film? I feel it would’ve been far simpler to combine them into Dr. Seward for the sake of brevity. Additionally, we spend way too long in Dracula’s castle with him, Harker, and the brides. Like, I get it; Dracula’s manipulated Harker and imprisoned him there, but this sequence goes on for what feels like an age and yet the Demeter scenes are a glorified montage? I did like how tragic and human Dracula is, with him depicted as a disgraced former believer who’s spent centuries yearning for his lost love and yet hesitates to afflict her with his curse as it’s been such a tortured unlife for him. Paradoxically, Dracula is still a monstrous fiend who feasts upon innocent souls (and children) to prolong his life and make others suffer for his own amusement. While the film is undeniably beautiful and the old-school filmmaking techniques are appreciated, giving the film a tangible quality that makes it seem like a big-budget stage play, Dracula’s monstrous forms leave a lot to be desired. His man-bat form is a major disappointment and the man-wolf effects are laughable, though it is intriguing how sexually aggressive the film is, explicitly depicted Dracula’s attacks as sexual misdeeds. It may be the most faithful adaptation of Stoker’s text, but Bram Stoker’s Dracula is just too tedious for me to rate much higher. I dreaded revisiting it for this review and hoped my opinion would’ve changed, but it’s just as dull and painful to sit through as ever, despite its strong visuals and atmosphere.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Are you a fan of Bram Stoker’s Dracula? If you’ve read the book, how faithful is this adaptation and would you say it stuck too close to the text in some areas? Do you agree that the film is too long or were you captivated by the gothic atmosphere? What did you think to Gary Oldman’s performance and Keanu Reeves’s atrocious accent? Which adaptation of Dracula is your favourite and how are you celebrating Halloween this year? Tell me I’m wrong about Bram Stoker’s Dracula in the comments, read my other horror reviews, and donate to my Ko-Fi if you want to see more Dracula content.

Movie Night: Dracula (1931)

Dr. K5 Comments

Released: 14 February 1931
Director: Tod Browning
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Budget: $341,191
Stars: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye, and Edward Van Sloan

The Plot:
When R.M. Renfield (Frye) travels to Transylvania to oversee the purchase of a London abbey to the enigmatic Count Dracula (Lugosi), he unwittingly facilitates the malicious vampire lord’s trip to London, where he terrorises beautiful maiden Mina Harker (Chandler).

The Background:
In 1897, the literary world was introduced to Count Dracula, Lord of Vampires, courtesy of Irish author Bram Stoker. Inspired by Irish folklore and long-standing vampire myths, Dracula undeniably popularised many characteristics of vampires that are still used to this day. Dracula also inspired many critical and academic discussions regarding its narrative and subtext, becoming a literary classic, and was said to be a big hit at the time, despite its controversial content. About thirty years later, Dracula was adapted for the stage, with former World War I infantryman Bela Lugosi first assuming the role that would make (and haunt) his career. Though the production was a hit, Lugosi wasn’t the first choice for the role when Universal Pictures began producing a feature film adaptation and only got the part after accepting a significantly lower salary. Although Browning’s film was the first official film adaptation of Stoker’s novel, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (Murnau, 1922) owed its existence to Dracula, to the point that Stoker’s widow sued the filmmakers and ordered all copies to be destroyed. After acquiring the rights to the property, Universal Pictures funded what was said to be a disorganised shoot, with Lugosi alienating some cast members and Dracula stage veteran Edward Van Sloan expressing displeasure with the film. Despite some apprehension surrounding the film, Dracula was bolstered by reports of audience members fainting and it was well received by critics. Of course, nowadays, Dracula is regarded as a classic of the silver screen, with Lugosi’s portrayal being the quintessential standard of all subsequent screen Draculas. Its success not only led to additional big-screen outings for the count and a slew of horror releases from Universal Pictures, but also defined the titular character for generations.

The Review:
I think it’s important to preface this review by saying that I’ve never gotten around to reading Stoker’s Dracula. My experience with the Lord of Vampires is all based on movies and other media rather than books, so I can’t speak to Dracula’s status as an adaptation. If I had to guess, it seems it’s more an adaptation of the original stage production than the epistolary text, but I’m sure a lot of the most prominent elements of the book are represented here. Dracula is initially the story of Renfield, a painfully polite and well-to-do Englishman who travels to a morbidly superstitious town in Transylvania to oversee the sale of Carfax Abbey. Respectful and courteous to the locals, Renfield insists on meeting a midnight carriage, as arranged by his client, Count Dracula, only to be warned off by villagers. In a lengthy, awkward opening scene with many obvious insert shots, the locals react with horror at Renfield’s plan to meet Count Dracula and insist he carry a crucifix to ward off the vampires they believe live in the ominous, gothic castle. Undeterred by superstition and enthusiastic about closing the deal, Renfield maintains his composure even when Dracula’s carriage driver vanishes, his luggage is left behind, and the enigmatic count appears to pass through an enormous spider’s web. Renfield enjoys Dracula’s hospitality, complimenting his home despite it being quite dilapidated and eagerly partaking of his food and wine, only to be duped by the charismatic vampire, who easily hypnotises him with his alluring glare and then samples his blood to turn Renfield from a chirpy and pleasant solicitor into a grinning, cackling nutjob with a taste for insects and an unwavering devotion to his “master”. With Renfield’s help, Dracula not only legally secures Carfax Abbey, but also loads crates of his home soil onto the Vesta, ensuring he can maintain his full strength on the journey to London and while hobnobbing about the city as an eccentric aristocrat.

Vampire lord Dracula corrupts Renfield and heads to London to target an innocent young lady.

Once Dracula enslaves Renfield, the film juggles between the alluring count and Doctor John Seward (Herbert Bunston) and his inner circle. A renowned physician, Dr. Seward operates the sanatorium that sits alongside Carfax Abbey and where Renfield is committed after being discovered as the crazed sole survivor of the Vesta. Dr. Seward lives with his beautiful daughter, Mina, who’s engaged to his protégé, Jonathan Harker (Manners) and best friends with Lucy Weston (Frances Dade). The four are rarely seen apart, enjoying the opera together when they’re first introduced to Count Dracula, who shuns Harker and takes a shine to Lucy. Captivated by the count’s charisma, Lucy jokes to Mina of her attraction to him but quickly becomes his next victim when he enters her room and feast on her blood. Despite Dr. Seward’s best efforts, Lucy dies and Mina is left devastated, haunted by terrifying nightmares of wolves and bats. As Renfield keeps mysteriously leaving his cell, perplexing bumbling attendant Martin (Charles K. Gerrard), and ranting about all kinds of nonsense, Dr. Seward has his colleague, polymath Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Van Sloan), analyse the madman’s blood. Van Helsing concludes that Renfield has been bitten by a vampire and constantly exposits folklore about Nosferatu, who assume various animal forms, drink blood, and cast no reflection. While Harker is sceptical, Mina takes them to heart and they’re seemingly proven true when Renfield reacts violently to wolfsbane, a vampire repellent. During a tense meeting with Dracula, Van Helsing reveals that the count has no reflection and deduces that he’s their vampire, though Dr. Seward and the others are only convinced to do something other than just stand around discussing the threat after Dracula easily coaxes Mina into the garden for another suck session, eventually leading Van Helsing to give her wolfsbane for her protection.

Despite his allure and incredible powers, Dracula is surprisingly vulnerable if you know his weaknesses.

Of course, the main draw of Dracula is the titular count, played masterfully by the magnetic Bela Lugosi. A charming, gracious man with a silver tongue, Dracula oozes charisma but is as unnerving as he is appealing thanks to his raspy accent and peculiar behaviour. Dracula relishes the sound of wolves, the sight and taste of blood, and particularly enjoys getting close to his quarry, captivating with his steely gaze and wooing with his words. Van Helsing instantly distrusts Dracula and they have some tense face-offs, with the professor’s willpower resisting the count’s hypnotism and his knowledge of vampires giving the protagonists the edge. Since Dracula is vulnerable to sunlight and needs Transylvanian soil to maintain his strength, he rests in a coffin of dirt during the day but easily enters Dr. Seward’s residence by becoming the fakest bat you’ve ever seen. Dracula showcases superhuman strength but his greatest assets are his charming personality and alluring gaze, though his brides (Cornelia Thaw, Dorothy Tree, and Geraldine Dvorak) flinch at his command and he clearly instils fear in the locals. This fear isn’t felt by Dr. Seward and the others since they see him as a polite, if eccentric, foreign count, and isn’t felt by Van Helsing, who’s clearly wise to the vampire’s tricks. Unfortunately, many of these are kept offscreen, merely told by Harker and Renfield, because of the limitations of the time. I was also a bit unclear about what Dracula’s endgame was. He buys Carfax Abbey and targets Dr. Seward and his wards, but I’m not sure why? I guess to spread his wings beyond his stuffy old castle but it’s not clear why he targets Mina beyond enjoying torturing Harker and turning something innocent into an abomination, as he did Renfield, who spends the film conflicted and wrestling with his loyalties and his wish to die without blood on his hands. Lugosi plays the role so well that it’s easy to forget these criticisms, but it was frustrating seeing everyone just standing around or him just glaring at people or randomly being inserted into shots to show him lurking on the grounds.

The Nitty-Gritty:
I usually cut black and white films a lot of slack. It was a different time with many limitations compared to today, where almost anything is possible in cinema. Therefore, I can forgive the obvious sets and painted backgrounds, and the slight imperfections in the camera movements and film quality. This extends to the few special effects, such as cutting to Renfield’s reaction rather than showing Dracula pass through the web, having Harker describe the wolf running across their grounds, and Renfield’s mad rant about the “thousands … millions!” of rats promised to him by his master. Dracula’s bat form is silly, for sure, but the effort put into Lugosi’s costume and lighting his eyes is impressive, even if his close-ups often feel awkward and out of place. Dracula gets ambitious by using a passable model ship for the Vesta’s trip (though some water effects over Lugosi would’ve helped sell the sequence) but strangely relies on voice overs to describe the massacre Dracula leaves on the ship. I did like how theatrical the whole production was, which isn’t surprising considering the time period and Lugosi’s experience portraying the role on stage, with the actors (especially Dwight Frye) largely overacting and chewing the scenery. I do feel Dracula suffers from a lack of music, though, as the film basically has no soundtrack and some scenes would’ve greatly benefitted from some ominous tunes. Dracula, especially, needed a haunting theme accompanying him and some ambient music would’ve really helped to liven up the film’s many dull exposition scenes.

Dracula’s brief and confusing rampage is easily ended when Van Helsing stakes him in his sleep…

Despite Van Helsing’s best efforts, Mina falls under Dracula’s spell, confessing to Harker that she’s becoming a creature of the night and breaking off their engagement. While Van Helsing is unflinching against Dracula’s threats, Mina’s maid (Joan Standing) is easily coerced into removing the wolfsbane from the entranced girl and spiriting her away. Luckily for her, Harker and Van Helsing spot Renfield fleeing to Carfax Abbey (although, honestly, where else would Dracula be?) and they pursue the crazed lunatic. This leads to a tragic end for Renfield as Dracula is incensed that his witless minion has betrayed his location (though…again…that should be the first place anyone would look!) and, despite Renfield begging to be tortured or punished, the sad fool is nonchalantly tossed down a flight of stairs to his death. While you might expect a tense showdown between Dracula and Harker, or perhaps a battle of wits between the count and Van Helsing, with the two perhaps buying time to expose Dracula to the rising sun and turn him to ash, the finale is far more disappointing. Dracula flees into Carfax Abbey with Mina in his arms and Harker and Van Helsing muddle about in search of him, knowing full well that he must rest in his coffin to avoid the rising sun. Van Helsing also knows that the only way to kill a vampire is with a wooden stake through the heart, so he improvises such an implement from the dilapidated abbey and the two stumble upon a coffin. While Mina isn’t inside, Dracula is, already fast sleep despite mere minutes passing, allowing Van Helsing to easily stake him to death with no resistance or the count’s death even being shown onscreen. Harker then finds Mina, who conveniently returns to normal, and the film abruptly and anticlimactically ends with the firm belief that Count Dracula has been destroyed forever.

The Summary:
Dracula’s never really been a favourite of mine. Out of all the classic gothic horror novels and all the Universal Monsters films, I can think of at least three others I’d rather watch or read than this one. Dracula lives and dies by the allure of its main star, the enigmatic Bela Lugosi, who brings an unmistakable gravitas to the role (and the screen) every time he appears. The man embodied the role so perfectly that it set the standard not just for future portrayals of Dracula, but most vampire characters (especially their leaders). Charming, sophisticated, and with a glare that can chill to the bone, Lugosi’s Dracula commands the screen and effortlessly woos all around him. Except, of course, for Van Helsing, played with stoic confidence by Edward Van Sloan as the natural foil to the malicious count. Honestly, I wish we’d gotten more interactions between these two in a battle of wits and wills as Van Helsing employed his vast knowledge to reveal Dracula’s true nature. Instead, we get a lot of sitting and standing around as characters describe stuff I would’ve loved to see, reiterate the plot or discuss vampire lore, or wonder what’s to do in their quirky, oh-so-British way. Dracula is visually impressive at times, especially the Castle Dracula set, though obviously its effects and techniques are painfully dated these days. The film touches upon the fear of the unknown, of being preyed upon by a conniving and manipulative, lustful predator, and Dracula’s tortured immortality but never fully commits. Similarly, the film’s ending seems to be very different and far less grandiose than the book’s, which definitely hurts it as it just…ends, leaving you unfulfilled. Ultimately, no one (least of all me) is denying the cultural significance of Dracula, but I absolutely feel it’s lacking in ways other Universal Monsters movies aren’t. Watch it to witness history but don’t expect much to hold your attention, especially if Lugosi isn’t on the screen.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Are you a fan of the 1931 big-screen adaptation of Dracula? If you’ve read the book, what did you think to the changes it made and the elements it brought to life? Do you agree that the film drags in the middle or were you as captivated by the narrative as Mina was by Dracula? What did you think to Bela Lugosi’s performance and would you agree that he’s the standard all Draculas should be compared to? Which adaptation of Dracula, or Universal Monsters movie, is your favourite? How are you celebrating Halloween this year? Let me know your thoughts on Dracula down in the comments, go read my other horror reviews, and donate to my Ko-Fi if you want to see more Dracula content.

Movie Night [Bat-Month]: The Dark Knight Rises

Dr. K3 Comments

Following his first dramatic appearance in the pages of Detective Comics, Bruce Wayne/Batman became a mainstream pop culture icon. The brainchild of writer Bob Kane, Batman was brought to life by artist Bill Finger and has been a popular staple of DC Comics and countless movies, videogames, and cartoons over the years. “Batman Day” fell on 20 September this year so I spent every Saturday celebrating comic’s grim and broody vigilante.

Released: 20 July 2012
Director: Christopher Nolan
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Budget: $230 to 300 million
Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Gary Oldman

The Plot:
After taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s (Aaron Eckhart) killing spree, billionaire Bruce Wayne (Bale) has retired from vigilantism and the public spotlight. However, when nigh-superhuman mercenary Bane (Hardy) terrorises Gotham City, Bruce is forced to suit up as the Batman once more.

The Background:
Once Joel Schumacher was done killing the live-action Batman franchise with his poorly received camp throwbacks, Warner Bros.’ desperate attempts to restart the series paid off thanks to visionary writer/director Christopher Nolan, writer David S. Goyer, and star Christian Bale and their well regarded reboot Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005). The three reunited soon after to produce a follow-up, The Dark Knight (ibid, 2008), a blockbuster success that is widely regarded as the best Batman movie. The film set a new standard for the genre, though at a cost as star Heath Ledger died from an accidental overdose following his surprisingly impressive turn as the Joker. Goyer’s original pitch for The Dark Knight called for the Joker’s return, but Nolan opted not to recast the role out of respect for Ledger. Initially reluctant to return due to this, and the poor track record of third movies, Nolan soon insisted on using Bane as the main villain to present both a physical and mental challenge to Batman in a story inspired by classic Batman events like The Dark Knight Returns (Miller, et al, 1986), Knightfall (Various, 1993 to 1994), and No Man’s Land (ibid, 1999). Tom Hardy was cast, gaining 30lbs of muscle and crafting a voice that drew much scrutiny. Bale returned as the title character and felt bittersweet and calling time on his Bat-career, while Hathaway trained rigorously for the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman. Believing IMAX to be the future of filmmaking, Nolan avoided filming in 3D in favour of IMAX and once again insisted on doing as many effects practically and in-camera, including the dramatic opening sequence and Batman’s latest vehicle. Following another viral marketing campaign, The Dark Knight Rises also cleared $1 billion at the box office and was received very positively, with critics praising Hardy’s performance, its complex narrative structure, and Nolan’s direction. Many reviews criticised the bloated plot, however, and its bizarre characterisations and saw it as a disappointing conclusion.

The Review:
Honestly, it was going to be hard for Christopher Nolan to top or even match The Dark Knight. The movie earned its flowers as one of the most engaging and gritty superhero thrillers even if you discount Heath Ledger’s tragic death, and part of me thinks it might’ve been better to wait a little longer to follow it up, especially considering how lacklustre this third entry is. Granted, things start off positively as Nolan opens with a thrilling, IMAX-enhanced mid-air plane hijack as the masked brute Bane and his suicidally loyal followers infiltrate a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) plane to kidnap renowned nuclear scientist Doctor Leonid Pavel (Alon Aboutboul). This breath-taking, fully practical, death-defying sequence introduces Bane, an intimidating and calculating villain. Rather than simply being a mindless brute, Bane is as articulate and loquacious as he is jacked, but you’d be forgiven if you had trouble understanding his obtuse soliloquys. Yes, I’m going to address the elephant in the room right away: Bane speaks with a very strange and at times indecipherable accent that often sounds pre-recorded, kind of taking me out of any scenes he’s in. Tom Hardy is a fantastic physical performer and Nolan did a wonderful job masking the height discrepancy between him and Bale, but his accent and line delivery is so strange and distracting that it can detract from Bane’s menace. I just wish we could’ve heard him speak in a less janky mishmash of accents, or perhaps if we could more clearly see his lips moving through the mask’s mesh, because Bane frequently seems ridiculous due to this decision (though, to be fair, memes and parodies haven’t helped his portrayal).

Broken and grieving, Bruce ignores his ailments and all advice to suit up as Batman once more,

In the eight years since the last film, Harvey Dent has been honoured as a hero, Batman branded a murderer, and the “Dent Act” has largely kept Gotham’s streets free from organised crime. Despite finishing the last movie fully prepared to be hounded and vilified, it seems Batman retired pretty soon after The Dark Knight. The rebuilt Batcave suggests he kept it up for a bit, but dialogue also suggests he disappeared the same night Dent died, which is confusing. Bruce has also shut himself away in Wayne Manor for many years. Still grieving the loss of his childhood friend and love interest, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Bruce retreated after overseeing the development of a clean fusion reactor and mothballing it to keep it from being converted into a weapon. A reclusive shut-in, Bruce is riddled with physical ailments from his crimefighting antics, having lost all cartilage in his knees, and has become so morose that he’s let Wayne Enterprises fall into financial ruin. When he’s robbed by brazen cat-burglar Selina Kyle (Hathaway), Bruce uses his detective skills and resources to track her down and seems reinvigorated at the chance to don the Batsuit once more. Quickly (and magically) compensating for his injuries with a single leg brace, he eagerly returns to the streets despite the protests of his loyal butler and father figure, Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), who believes (and rightfully so) that Bruce is no longer physically capable of contributing as Batman and that renewing his vigilante ways will simply lead to his senseless death. Instead, Alfred (and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), executive vice president of Wayne Enterprises and Bruce’s quartermaster) encourage him to pursue more meaningful endeavours, such as sharing his clean energy reactor, funding orphanages, and pursuing “lovely” philanthropist Miranda Tate (Cotillard), who longs to collaborate with Bruce and bring glory back to his family name.

Lies have created a period of peace for Gotham, but its foundations are incredibly fragile.

As beaten down as Bruce has become, police commissioner James “Jim” Gordon (Oldman) is equally burdened by guilt. In the years since The Dark Knight, Gordon has been celebrated as a hero but at the cost of his family and is currently at risk of losing his position since he’s become superfluous. Clearly still guilt-ridden for failing to save Dent and lying about his death for eight years, Gordon’s plans to come clean are scuppered when he’s captured by Bane’s henchmen and brought to the main man himself. Though he manages to escape, Gordon’s wounded and bedridden and pleads with a concerned, partially masked Bruce to bring the Batman back to face this new threat. Later, he’s instrumental in galvanising the city police and civilians against Bane’s forces, and in tracking down Bane’s bomb. Although Gordon’s still in charge of the police department, much of the day-to-day operations are now run by Peter Foley (Matthew Modine), an uptight and annoyingly antagonistic individual who’s determined to oust Gordon by apprehending the Batman and continually ignores evidence of the greater threat, no matter how often rookie cop John Blake (Gordon-Levitt) tries to warn him. Seen as a “hothead” (despite literally being as cool as a cucumber), orphan Blake is quickly promoted to detective when his keen insight rescues Gordon, and works diligently to uncover Bane’s true plan. Blake gains additional support when, after Gordon’s kidnapping, he goes to Bruce for help, revealing that, as a fellow orphan, he recognises both Bruce’s pain and his attempts to mask it with his playboy persona, thus revealing his knowledge of Bruce’s dual identity. Blake therefore becomes something of an apprentice to both Bruce and Gordon, learning of Bruce’s motivations to wear a mask and fight crime and putting his natural deductive reasoning to good use, all to serve true justice and make life better for his fellow orphans. Naturally, Bruce is also aided by Fox, who gives him a tour of an off-the-books armoury where all his new Bat-toys are stored, including a fearsome jet-plane concept imaginatively called “The Bat”. Fox is begrudgingly forced to agree with the Board that Bruce needs to step down, advocates for Miranda to continue their work, and is forced to aid Bane when he holds the city hostage so Pavil can weaponise the fusion reactor.

Bruce’s relationship with Alfred crumbles as his intrigue in Selina is piqued.

Of all Bruce’s supporting cast, it’s Alfred who has changed the most, however. Just as Bruce and Gordon struggle with their guilt and decisions, Alfred is agonised at having lied about Rachel choosing Bruce over Dent. When Bruce insists on reviving the Batman, Alfred pleads with him to explore other solutions to Gotham’s troubles but, when his protestations fall on deaf ears, he’s forced to come clean in a last-ditch attempt to keep Bruce from throwing his life away. Instead, Bruce reacts with anger and orders Alfred to leave, leaving his father-figure heartbroken and leading to some bittersweet amusing scenes where Bruce realises how much he relies on his faithful manservant. Much of Bruce’s investigation into the so-called “Catwoman” revolves around retrieving his mother’s pearls, but he soon realises she’s a devious, highly capable, sultry thief who’s desperate to acquire the fabled “clean slate”, a piece of technology that will erase all records of her and presumably allow her to give up her life of crime. Manipulative and a master of deception, Catwoman allies with anyone, no matter how morally skewed they are, to achieve her goal, but is captivated when she fights alongside the Batman. Her distrustful, selfish nature sees her sell Batman out to Bane, but she’s stricken with a conscience when she learns of Batman’s true identity. She thus helps him in the finale, despite having achieved her goal, though she has little interest in following Batman’s “no-kill” rule. Hathaway definitely embodies the role and makes an impression in her skin-tight catsuit. Selina sports some gadgets and martial arts skills of her own, but her greatest ally is her ability to assume different roles (on the fly or with a simply costume and demeanour change) to deceive her marks, with only Bane proving immune to her deceptions and flirtations.

Calculating powerhouse Bane has an intimidating presence…until he’s revealed to merely be a pawn.

All throughout the film, we’re drip-fed information about Bane. Alfred (…somehow…) tells Bruce how Bane was the prodigy of his old mentor and enemy, Rā’s al Ghūl (Liam Neeson), and a man so ferocious and feared that he was excommunicated by the League of Shadows. When held captive in a prison in the Middle East – a desolate pit where inmates risk life and limb trying to climb to freedom using a precarious rope – the critically injured Bruce learns of a child who made the climb, forsaking all fear and the safety of the rope, and claw his way to freedom. Bruce assumes the child is Rā’s’ son, out for revenge, and Bane himself boasts of his goal to “fulfil Rā’s al Ghūl’s” destiny. A large, muscular man, Bane intimidates through sheer size and presence but swiftly and deftly proves his threat by snapping necks, crushing windpipes, and punching through solid concrete with his bare hands. Unlike in the comics and most iterations, this isn’t due to the superhuman drug Venom but actually thanks to his mask, which constantly feeds him aesthetic to numb the pain of the wounds he received in the Pit. Calculating and vindictive, Bane immediately targets Bruce, pulling off a very public robbery of the stock exchange that somehow leaves Bruce bankrupt and colluding with greedy businessman John Daggett (Ben Mendelsohn) to seize Wayne Enterprises. Once he’s achieved the funding and influence he needs, Bane captures Bruce’s armoury and brutalises Batman in a completely one-sided fist fight that leaves Bruce broken and humbled. Bane then outs Dent’s secret, destroys all bridges leading in and out of Gotham, traps the cops in the sewers when Foley stupidly sends their entire force to flush the mercenary out, and turns Gotham into a veritable no man’s land for five months as he threatens to detonate his nuclear bomb if anyone tries to escape. Bane’s plot is therefore essentially a combination of Rā’s’ and the Joker’s, exposing Gotham’s corruption and encouraging civilians to turn to anarchy, all with the threat of total destruction overhead. This is honestly a far cry from releasing Batman’s rogues from Arkham Asylum and watching as they mentally and physically wear him down. To be fair, it’s not like there were any recognisable inmates for Batman to fight here. Sure, Doctor Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) gets a quick, fun cameo but Batman is mostly fighting Bane’s goons, Foley’s cops (but not all cops since many are strangely still on his side), or Bane himself.

The Nitty-Gritty:
There’s a theme in The Dark Knight Rises and you’ll never guess what it is: it’s rising. Rising from adversity, from pain, from obscurity; rising against corruption, deceit, or malicious forces. And, naturally, one can’t rise without a fall, but my issue with this film is that Bruce falls so many times. Bruce rises from the stagnant quagmire of his reclusive life to return as the Batman, only to immediately fall at Bane’s hands due to his hubris and be forced to rise again (literally and figuratively) when imprisoned in the Pit. It’s not clear how bad Bruce’s injuries are here as he shrugs off that cartilage issue, seems just as capable as ever as Batman when not facing Bane, and easily recovers from what is potentially a broken back with a well-placed punch and some basic exercises. Personally, I was hoping for an adaptation of Knightfall first and foremost: start with Bruce being physically and mentally worn down by grief and fighting both the cops and criminals so he’s completely exhausted but too stubborn not to confront Bane. Then he can rise from his hubris and his injuries all at once and we’d get not only more Batman action in the early going, but a better payoff for The Dark Knight’s ending. Also, the film jumps all over the place, to the point where it seems the injured and bankrupt Bruce escaped the Pit and returned to the inaccessible Gotham through magic. It might’ve been better to skip the Pit altogether and have Bane imprison Bruce deep in the sewers, perhaps with Godon and the cops, who learn his true identity and the truth about Dent, and are therefore inspired to join him against Bane.

Nolan finally delivers an intense fight scene alongside his jaw-dropping practical set pieces.

Indeed, a lot of The Dark Knight Rises just feels like padding and it lacks much of the gravitas of its predecessors since it repeats many of their story beats. Nolan continues to struggle with fight scenes, though the team-up between Batman and Catwoman in the sewers is a lot of fun, the grand destruction of Gotham’s football field is suitably impressive, and the intense brawl between Batman and Bane is a memorable sequence. Devoid of music so all we hear are the combatant’s blows, Bane’s taunting, and Batman’s stubborn growling, the fight shows just how ill-prepared and overconfident Bruce is. Just as Alfred feared, Bruce underestimated Bane and “[fought] like a younger man” rather than preparing for the fight. It’s interesting that Batman, a character typically depicted as very smart, didn’t think to target Bane’s mask in this fight. He learns of this vulnerability and uses that tactic in their rematch, though Bane reacts furiously by this and is still positioned as Batman’s physical superior. Even Batman’s gadgets are useless against Bane, though Batman’s new EMP gun helps stop Bane’s goon after their heist. Batman also pilots the Bat, a jet-like vehicle that allows him to quickly and easily fly around Gotham’s skyscrapers. It’s not used much (there’s only really a need for it in the finale), so Batman continues to ride the Batpod, though prototype Tumblers are commandeered by Bane. Nolan definitely ups the scope for The Dark Knight Rises, staging an all-out war between Gotham’s police and ordinary civilians and Bane and his troops in the finale. It’s a bit of a mess with lots of smoke, bullets, and bodies crashing into each other. Background characters simply collapse and die, Foley is killed offscreen, and the entire scuffle is literally framed as a distraction so Batman can fight Bane once more, in broad daylight, to find the trigger to his bomb.

A cringey death here, a disappointing finale there, and Bruce gets to retire once again.

Bane claims to have hidden the trigger somewhere in Gotham and that anyone could accidentally set it off at any time. In the five months Gotham is on lockdown, Blake and Gordon try to rally the civilians with the hope of Batman’s return as Crane and Bane execute the city’s government in a kangaroo court. Although he takes a beating, Batman overpowers Bane by targeting his mask but is absolutely dumbfounded when Miranda literally stabs him in the back and reveals her true identity as Talia al Ghūl and that it was she who made the climb thanks to Bane’s protection. Talia’s gloating is quickly rendered moot thanks to Gordon blocking the trigger, so she races to activate the bomb herself after Bane is unceremoniously killed by Catwoman and a blast from the Batpod’s cannons. Catwoman helps Batman and Gordon to catch Talia, who ultimately crashes and gives one of the worst onscreen deaths in cinema history, followed by a strangely uncomfortable kiss between Batman and Catwoman, and Gordon looking like a complete fool as he was truly clueless about the Batman’s true identity until Bruce made it explicitly clear. With no way of stopping the bomb, Batman does the only thing he can and carries it out to sea using the Bat, seemingly perishing in the blast. In the aftermath, Dent’s legacy is tarnished, freeing all those convicted in his name, and the Batman is memorialised by the fickle Gothamites. Fox, Gordon, and especially Alfred are left heartbroken by Bruce’s death but soon realise that he survived. The Batsignal is found repaired, Fox discovers the Bat’s ejector seat malfunction was repaired, and Alfred literally sees Bruce, now retired and seemingly happy with Selina. Finally, Blake resigns and finds Bruce left him a special package under his legal name, “Robin”, that leads him to the Batcave, where he literally rises into the darkness to an unknown destiny.

The Summary:
Despite the tragedy of Heath Ledger’s passing, I was excited for The Dark Knight Rises when it came out because I’m a big fan of the Knightfall story but, honestly, this film struggled from the start. The lame and uncreative title, Hardy’s weird-ass voice, Bale’s odd demeanour as Batman, and the confusing editing, strange dialogue, and inconsistent performances really hold this one back. Honestly, it feels as though everyone was contractually obligated to do a third movie but no one really wanted to. There’s effort here, for sure, and Nolan is still putting his all into the practical effects, but the execution is lacking and there’s so many odd flaws and plot holes that I wouldn’t expect from Nolan and his team. Bale continues to be the quintessential Batman, adding new nuance through his stubborn refusal to see that he’s past his prime, his hubris, and his deteriorating relationship with Alfred, but his Batman seems strangely tired and ineffectual here and I really didn’t like that he just gave up and then magically recovered from all those injuries. Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tom Hardy inject some much-needed life into the film, though. Anne was easily the best Catwoman at that point, Nolan surprised me with the Robin reveal, and Hardy made for a fantastic Bane…except for that weird accent. I just feel like there’s too much happening here, with Batman’s return, the clean slate stuff, Bane’s convoluted plan, the Pit, the no man’s land stuff…it’s a lot and it’s very messy, which is also unlike Nolan. In the end, it feels like an extended, lacklustre epilogue to a great duology. It delivers an unexpected and somewhat unfulfilling end to Bale’s Bat-career, with this Bruce being one of the few to survive long enough to retire, but ultimately fails to deliver a satisfying follow-up to perhaps the greatest Batman movie ever made. Catwoman’s sex appeal, the fight between Bane and Batman, and all the stunning IMAX-enhanced action sequences aren’t enough to make up for an otherwise dull, plodding affair that ends the trilogy on a disappointingly sour note.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Do you think I was too harsh on The Dark Knight Rises? What did you think to Tom Hardy’s portrayal of Bane, especially his accent? Is Anne Hathaway the best live-action Catwoman we’ve ever seen? Were you also annoyed that Bruce quit after The Dark Knight and by how easily he recovered from his injuries? What did you think to this version of Robin? Were you as disappointed with the film as I was or is it a favourite of yours? How are you celebrating Batman Day this year? Whatever your thoughts The Dark Knight Rises, or Batman in general, share them below.

Movie Night [Star Trek Day]: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Dr. K1 Comment

On 8th September 1966, the first episode of Star Trek (1966 to 1969), “The Man Trap” (Daniels, 1966), first aired. Since then, Star Trek has become a massive cultural phenomenon, spawning numerous continuations and spin-offs to become, perhaps, the most influential science-fiction franchise of all time. Accordingly, the 8th of September has been deemed “Star Trek Day”, the perfect excuse to celebrate this massive sci-fi franchise.

Released: 9 June 1989
Director: William Shatner
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Budget: $26 million
Stars: William Shatner, Laurence Luckinbill, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, and James Doohan

The Plot:
When Mister Spock’s (Nimoy) hitherto-unknown half-brother Sybok (Luckinbill) takes the USS Enterprise hostage with his empathic powers, Captain James T. Kirk (Shatner) must prevent him from a seemingly suicidal mission to find God at the centre of the universe.

The Background:
Despite a worldwide gross of almost $140 million, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Wise, 1979) was a critical disappointment that Paramount blamed on Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Thankfully, the franchise recovered with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Meyer, 1982), commonly considered one of the best Star Trek movies, and Paramount eagerly capitalised with what became the then-lowest-grossing third entry, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Nimoy, 1984). Still, positive reviews justified a fourth film, which saw star and director Leonard craft a light-hearted time travel romp, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (ibid, 1986), which proved a critical and commercial success. Thanks to his contract, star William Shatner was promised the chance to direct the next Star Trek film and took inspiration from charismatic, but misguided, televangelists for the story. In his initial drafts, Sybok was known as Zar and the biblical elements were further emphasised in the conclusion when “God” transformed into a more Satanic form. Producer Harve Bennett insisted on changing the script, which Roddenberry also had issues with, and subsequent redrafts and budgetary concerns excised the rock monsters planned for the finale. Shatner allegedly favoured a grittier and more realistic aesthetic and the production team apparently redesigned many sets, including the Enterprise bridge. The film’s effects were handled by Associates and Ferren, with the budget increasing due to Shatner’s insistence on viewing much of the test footage. Sean Connery turned down an offer to star as Sybok so the role went to Laurence Luckinbill when Shatner was impressed by his portrayal of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier’s $63 million box office fell way short of Star Trek IV’s and made it the lowest-grossing of all the feature films! This was reflected in the overwhelmingly negative reviews that criticised Shatner’s direction, the inconsistent tone, and the poor special effects. Luckinbill’s performance was praised, however, but even Shatner expressed dissatisfaction with the finished product, which is often considered one of the worst in the franchise. That didn’t stop Paramount greenlighting a sixth film the following year, though it did lead to a brief scramble to recover from The Final Frontier’s poor reception.

The Review:
The Enterprise-A crew starts The Final Frontier in the midst of a well-deserved shore leave. Well, except for poor Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (Doohan), who misses out on a vacation with blossoming love interest Commander Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) to help get the comically malfunctioning Enterprise-A up to scratch. The state of the Enterprise-A is a recurring issue throughout the film and primarily serves as both a comical situation (Kirk struggles with the turbolift doors), an obstacle to be overcome (Scotty works tirelessly to fix the inoperable transporters), and as a convenient way to handicap the crew for dramatic impact. Kirk and his away team cannot be beamed out, for example, and rely on shuttlecraft to journey to and from the Enterprise-A and the questionable nature of the ship’s weapons and shields means even Klingon Captain Klaa’s (Todd Bryant) outclassed Bird of Prey is a potential threat. Unfortunately, this threat remains a secondary concern; we never see the Enterprise-A battle Klaa so it’s a moot point. The ship’s also more than capable of travelling at warp speed and all its sensor systems are operational, so it’s only systems that would limit the film’s action that erupt in a shower of sparks. The film also, surprisingly, hand waves the recurring trope of the Enterprise constantly being called to dangerous situations, no matter their condition. When Kirk mentions the “mess” that the Enterprise-A is in, Fleet Admiral Bob (Harve Bennett) states he has “no experienced Captains” in close proximity to Nimbus III and “needs Jim Kirk”.

The morbid Kirk vehemently rejects Sybok’s powers and even questions “God”.

Though in a far better place, mentally, than in previous films, age is still taking its toll on Captain Kirk. Whereas “other men” have families to spend shore leave with, he spends his camping in Yosemite National Park with Spock and the miserly Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy (Kelley) since they don’t have anyone else. While Kirk fills his time with unnecessary risk-taking and Bones chastises Kirk’s foolhardy disrespect for life, Spock prefers to test his hoverboots and contemplate the lyrics of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”. It’s while subtly mocking Spock’s misunderstanding of Earth customs that Kirk reveals a morbid belief that he’s destined to die alone, something which has left him somewhat emotionally empty and fearless. Despite his protestations about taking the malfunctioning Enterprise-A to address the hostage situation on Nimbus III, Kirk follows orders and finds new ways to get around the limitations of the script ship. He leads the away team in infiltrating the capital, only to find the hostages – the bitter St. John Talbot (David Warner), the disgraced General Korrd (Charles Cooper), and the alluring Caithlin Dar (Cynthia Gouw)) – have fallen under Sybok’s sway. Outmanned and outgunned, Kirk has no choice but to allow Sybok and the entranced diplomats safe passage to the Enterprise-A, where Sybok demonstrates his unique empathetic abilities. Even when faced with Sybok’s power, which causes visions of a person’s “hidden pain” to manifest visually, Kirk remains defiant. In one of the film’s best scenes (and of Shatner’s Star Trek career), Kirk launches into an impassioned tirade and vehemently rejects Sybok’s offer: “I don’t want my pain taken away! I need my pain!” Convinced that Sybok is a “con man”, at best, and “mad” at worst, Kirk both refuses to join him or co-operate and adamantly tries to talk him out of breaching the “Great Barrier” since Sybok claims to be on a mission from “God”. Kirk’s scepticism is briefly rocked when the Enterprise-A breaches the Great Barrier, but only for a moment. Just as he shrugged off Sybok’s allure, Kirk questions the authority and legitimacy of the “God” (George Murdock) they find on Sha Ka Ree. Again, Kirk feels untouchable, even when faced with a supposed deity, simply because he has not only seen more than enough to make him fearless and also because he’s “not alone” and therefore cannot die.

Sadly, Sybok’s relationship with Spock and the extent of his abilities isn’t explored as much as I’d like.

The Final Frontier is pretty significant for Spock since it not only explores aspects of his childhood he actively chooses not to discuss but also revolves around the complex relationship between him and his hitherto-unknown brother. Unfortunately, these elements aren’t as developed as I’d like and it’s telling that Sybok has never been mentioned again in Star Trek lore (as far as I know). What little we learn of their past is told through vague exposition and a surprisingly emotional confrontation when, after being forced to relive the pain of his father’s (Jonathan Simpson) disapproval of his half-human nature, Spock also rejects Sybok’s repeated offers to join him. Though he condemns Sybok for betraying the logical principals of Vulcan culture and violating Federation law, Spock still hesitates when ordered to kill his half-brother, showing he’s not at completely above emotion, and clearly grieves for Sybok in the finale. Bones is mostly played as the comic relief and peacekeeper of the three, scolding Kirk for reprimanding Spock’s hesitation and offering bitter commentary on their poor social lives. However, Sybok reveals that Bones’ cantankerous personality stems from a tragic and horrific event in his past where his sick father (Bill Quinn) begged to be spared of his slow, painful death. Though conflicted, Bones ultimately disregarded his Hippocratic Oath, only for a cure to be found shortly after. It’s a harrowing scene that explains a lot about McCoy’s curmudgeonly disposition, and is effectively related, especially when Sybok criticises Kirk for not realising the dark pain residing in his friends. We also get a recurring sub-plot where Scotty avoids Sybok’s influence and helps Kirk and the others escape from the brig, and a fun moment where Commander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) commands the Enterprise-A. Otherwise, beyond Uhura showing her naked allure and suddenly being hot for Scotty and Lieutenant Commander Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) acting as Sybok’s right-hand once the charismatic Vulcan gets his claws into him, the rest of the crew assume their usual roles and get slightly less to do as the film’s geared more towards philosophical and moral debates rather than space battles.

While the charismatic Sybok steals the show, it wouldn’t be classic Star Trek without a Klingon threat.

Sybok has an alluring charisma, for sure. Even without his empathic abilities, the Vulcan has a silver tongue and easily talks down armed foes with his captivating words. Influencing individuals on an emotional level, Sybok encourages them to “share their pain” in what’s essentially an extension of the traditional Vulcan mind meld. Using his empathic abilities, Sybok brings out a person’s deepest pain and encourages them to face it, share it, and be free of it, leaving them so grateful to be free of their burden that they pledge themselves to his mad cause, abandoning loved ones and principals in the process (but, crucially, retaining their core personalities). Seen as a renegade, Sybok was cast out from Vulcan for embracing emotion and has embarked on a lifelong quest for Sha Ka Ree (what we would call “Eden”). Having been sent visions and instructions from “God”, Sybok recruits followers to breach the Great Barrier and commune with the All-Mighty to understand the meaning of life, and then spread that wisdom to others. Thus, Sybok is not a traditional villain or a violent man; he chastises Chekov for inciting violence in Nimbus III, practically begs Kirk and the others to follow him, and uses reason and words rather than weapons. Sybok is no less dangerous in Kirk’s eyes, however, since the sceptical Captain believes they’re heading for disaster following Sybok’s mad ambition. Because Sybok represents a more philosophical and moral villain, The Final Frontier once again relies on the Klingons as a more traditional threat. Unfortunately, the upstart Klass is a far cry from the cold menace of Captain Kruge (Christopher Lloyd). Bored of destroying space debris, Klaa intercepts the Enterprise-A to test his mettle against a real opponent. Klaa’s threat adds a time limit to most scenes, forcing Sulu to manually dock the shuttlecraft so the Enterprise-A can escape to warp, but the two ships don’t engage in a space battle and Klaa’s threat is easily neutralised once Spock demands Koord reprimand his arrogant subordinate.

The Nitty-Gritty:
It’s tiresome to mention it, but there’s a popular notion that odd-numbered Star Trek movies are worse than the even-numbered one. While I mostly agree, I disagree in this case. It’s definitely not as good as the last three movies, but I’d much rather watch it than the next two and I’ve always had a soft spot for it. Part of this is Laurence Luckinbill magnetic performance (he makes for a charming and loquacious antagonist), part of it is the melancholy, haunting score courtesy of Jerry Goldsmith, and part of it is the relationship between Kirk, Spock, and Bones. The Final Frontier offers some of their best filmic moments, from Bones worrying over Kirk’s safety to Spock being weighed down because of the “marshmelons” they ate, to the anger Kirk throws towards Sybok when Bones is tempted by the Vulcan’s power. I’m glad they spend most of the film as a bickering threesome as it really emphasises how they’re like family.Kirk even refers to Spock as his “brother” by the end and acknowledges that they’ve become a substitute family. I love how they’re so familiar with each other that they disregard rank (though Spock does this reluctantly) and that Bones uncharacteristically defends Spock when he refuses to kill Sybok. The scenes of the three locked in the brig and escaping up the turbolift shaft are both light-hearted fun and an engaging glimpse at their relationship since Kirk is personally upset that Spock never told him about his half-brother. While we get some insight into Spock and Sybok’s past, with the implication that Sybok had always been a manipulative influence who bullied Spock, we don’t get as much detail as I’d like. A flashback or two over Nimoy’s narration would’ve been nice, but much of this relationship is tainted by the fact that it’s never brought up again, as though Star Trek would rather we forget about Sybok and this film. The best evidence of this is that the Enterprise-A travels to the centre of the universe in just under eight hours, something we know is impossible based on the perilous and lengthy journey of the USS Voyager, lending credibility that much of The Final Frontier are open to interpretation.

Some questionable effects aside, I really dig the philosophical debate.

The Final Frontier’s reputation probably isn’t helped by some questionable effects. While the models all look great, they are recycled from the previous movies and it’s tiresome seeing the Enterprise-A threatened by another Klingon Bird of Prey (and that the well-seasoned crew are continually stumped when the ship cloaks). The composition effects are woefully subpar so it’s probably a good thing we don’t really get a space battle. Even Spock’s hoverboots are a laughable effect, used alongside an obviously slanted camera angle or a suspicious turbolift shaft that’s clearly hiding cables to move the actors. There is a big action set piece on Nimbus II, however, where Kirk and the away team storm the city and get into a firefight with Sybok’s acolytes (on horseback, no less). Kirk even tangles with a bizarre cat woman (Linda Howard) to give Shatner a fight scene, though is just kinda ends when he tosses her into a water tank. Sybok captures Kirk and the others with ridiculous ease since he has more men and weapons, encounters no resistance on the Enterprise-A (as it conveniently has a skeleton crew), and isn’t involved in any physical altercations with the crew due to his pacifist nature. Instead, he and Kirk (and Spock, to a degree) debate their beliefs, with Kirk disputing the fantasy of Sha Ka Ree and Sybok talking to Kirk as though he were a confused and naïve child. Though incensed at having his ship taken from him, Kirk is powerless to intervene beyond defiantly escaping the brig and trying to alert Starfleet Command. However, his undeniable curiosity and desire to “boldly go where no man has gone before” sees him willingly return to the bridge once the Enterprise-A reaches the Great Barrier where, ironically, Sybok gratefully returns command of the ship to him, if only so Kirk can see that the unreasonable Vulcan was right all along.

Kirk defies “God”, is saved from death once more, and recognises his friends as his true family.

To the amazement of the crew, the raging cosmic storm at the Great Barrier proves to be an illusion and, upon breaching it, the Enterprise-A reaches Sha Ka Ree, a fabled holy land where creation is said to have originated. Curious, Kirk has Spock, Bones, and Sybok travel with him to the surface, discovering a barren wasteland. Just as even Sybok begins to doubt his journey, the earth quakes and a gigantic, semi-holographic visage appears bathed in an ethereal light. “God” assumes the guise of kindly old manto to “meet their expectations”. While Bones is stunned by the All-Mighty and Spock is quietly fascinated, Sybok is overjoyed to see that God is not only real, but everything he expected Him to be. As “God” compliments Sybok, it asks how the group penetrated the Great Barrier and becomes intrigued by their starship. Blinded by his faith, Sybok promises that the Enterprise-A will serve as the deity’s “chariot”, so that “God” spread wisdom to the galaxy, however their jubilation is interrupted by Kirk’s simple question: “What does God need with a starship?” When “God” questions Kirk’s identity, Kirk’s cynicism increases and, angered by the mortal’s disbelief, the deity blasts Kirk with its eyebeams. Shocked at this cruelty, both Bones and Spock repeat Kirk’s question, earning similar reprisals and leaving Sybok horrified that his God would act so callously. The being reveals that it’s some unknowable, eldritch creature that’s been trapped on Sha Ka Ree for an eternity and yearns to be free. Assuming Sybok’s form, mirroring the Vulcan’s arrogance and blind ambition, the creature threatens to kill them all unless the Enterprise-A is brought closer. Dejected by his mistakes and desperate to make amends, Sybok begs his brother for forgiveness and embraces the creature, sacrificing himself to overwhelm it with his pain. This is only a temporary reprieve for the shellshocked crew, however, as is the barrage of phaser fire from the Enterprise-A, as the creature returns and turns its wrath on Kirk after he has Bones and Spock beamed out. Luckily, General Koord orders Klaa to stand down, saving Kirk’s life when he was sure he would die, and leaving the three to ruminate on the true nature of God and return to their shore leave.

The Summary:
I’m fully aware that I’m in the minority of people who like Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and I’m okay with that. It’s definitely better than the first and sixth movies, for me, and probably about on par with the third, honestly. Like The Voyage Home, it’s a bit more of a light-hearted adventure for the most part, with an emphasis on the banter and bickering between Kirk, Bones, and Spock to emphasise that the Enterprise-A crew (especially these three) are a tight-knit surrogate family. Yet, for all the pratfalls with Spock’s hoverboots and Scotty bashing his head, there are some deep ruminations on mortality and what it means to be human. Kirk’s dour outlook on his inevitable, lonesome end really speaks to the life he’s chosen for himself. I personally find it very inspiring that he chooses to live with his pain rather than take an easy fix since all his experiences, good and bad, have shaped his personality. Sadly, this theme is somewhat underbaked, as are many aspects of The Final Frontier, specifically Spock’s relationship with his random half-brother. I’d love to see this explored further somewhere so if there’s a book or something that delves into their past a bit more, please let me know, as Sybok was a fantastic character. I loved his enthusiastic and exuberant presence, his boastful confidence and pacifist nature, and the idea that he’s riding a fine line between confidence and madness. I do think the Klingon threat could’ve been removed, perhaps in favour of the Romulans or additional screen time showing Kirk and the others trying to overthrow Sybok’s control of the Enterprise-A. It’s a bit suspicious how easily they reach and breach the Great Barrier but I’ve always enjoyed the showdown with “God”, Kirk’s fearless defiance of the creature, and the endlessly quotable script in this horribly under-rated Star Trek movie. It could’ve been better, for sure, but it’s a personal favourite of mine and I do think it needs a bit more love for the positives and that the negatives need to be better explained to me as I just don’t think it’s as bad as people say!

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Are you also a fan of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier? What did you think to Kirk’s bleak outlook on his inevitable death? Did you enjoy the additional focus on the Kirk/Spock/Bones dynamic? What did you think to Sybok and the snippets of exposition we get into his past with Spock? Were you also frustrated to see another Klingon threat? What does God need with a starship? Which Star Trek captain, crew, show, or movie is your favourite and why? How are you celebrating Star Trek Day today? No matter what you think, leave your thoughts down below, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other Star Trek content.

Movie Night: John Wick

Dr. K1 Comment

Released: 24 October 2014
Director: Chad Stahelski
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
Budget: $20 to 30 million
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Adrianne Palicki, and Ian McShane

The Plot:
Former hitman John Wick (Reeves) returns to his violent life when a dog gifted to him by his beloved wife, Helen (Bridget Moynahan), is killed by a mobster’s reckless son, unleashing the feared “Baba Yaga” upon the terrified underworld once more.

The Background:
After Taken (Morel, 2008) became a surprise critical and financial success, it not only reinvigorated Liam Neeson’s career but also inspired a slew of similarly-themed movies. All of a sudden, aging action stars were in vogue, which meant writer Derek Kolstad’s dream to sell a spec script of an aging hitman being called back into service saw a new lease of life. The script caught the eye of producer Basil Iwanyk, who was looking for the freedom offered by smaller budget films and attracted to the core concept, and Kolstad accepted his lower bid so the movie could start production. The role was initially envisioned for an older star like Clint Eastwood and Bruce Willis was first attached to star before Keanu Reeves joined the project, eager for a new action role, and he recommending the script to veteran stuntmen Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. The duo suggested they direct they film (though Leitch was denied a co-director credit) and worked with Reeves to retool the script, de-aging the title character and making him a more stoic and mysterious character. Reeves’s personal experience with bereavement and previous experience with action roles served him well during his rigorous training, though the film was beset by budgeting woes. Inspired by crime thrillers and spaghetti westerns, Stahelski and Leitch sought to craft a unique world and avoid rapid editing for fight scenes, and the film’s $86 million box office made it a sleeper hit. Widely praised for Reeves’s enigmatic performance, impressive choreography, and exhilarating action sequences, John Wick was followed by equally praised sequels and spin-offs, re-established Reeves as an action star, and is the perfect film to revisit for the actor’s birthday.

The Review:
John Wick begins with intrigue, as it starts in medias res to find a battered and wounded John collapsing from his wounds, passing out while watching a video on his phone of his beloved wife. We then walk back a few days (maybe a week? Time’s a bit fast and loose here) to find John alone in his sparse, but spacious, home, still reeling from Helen’s unexpected death from an undisclosed illness (presumably cancer). Though surrounded by friends and well-wishers and finding some solace in his daily routine, John is like a zombie in these early scenes, sleepwalking through the burial and wake and greeting old friend Marcus (Dafoe) with a stoicism that borders on suspicion. It’s clear just from these quiet, sombre scenes that John’s a very private and reserved man who’s internalising his grief, that he faces an uphill battle of solitude and sorrow where his life has little meaning, the colour as drained from his world as it is from his abode. Then, an unexpected package arrives on his doorstep and John’s mask cracks as he reads Helen’s last message to him. Openly weeping, descending into heartbreaking floods of tears, John barely manages to read Helen’s note, which bequeaths him a cute little beagle, Daisy (Andy). Although John is initially ill-equipped for a puppy companion, forcing Daisy to sleep on the floor and feeding her cereal instead of kibble, the two quickly bond and John integrates her into his daily routine. This mostly consists of keeping a tidy and ordered house and taking his prized 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1, a vehicle that was his second love after Helen and which he regularly takes for a spin to keep his obvious skills up to par and to vent his grief and anger. Daisy joins him for these jaunts, enjoying the thrill and giving him something to care for rather than losing himself to anguish. John’s car is so impressive that it catches the eye of loudmouthed Russian lout Iosef Tarasov (Allen), who arrogantly tries to buy the car and is stunned and angered when John not only refuses but insults him in perfect Russian.

Feared former hitman John Wick is drawn back into his violent lifestyle after his dog is murdered.

Unfortunately, John’s cool demeanour and stoic confidence during this confrontation come back to haunt him when Isoef and his shit-kicking cohorts follow John home and jump him at night. After beating John down and leaving him a bloody mess, they steal his car and maliciously murder Daisy with a lead pipe, returning John’s numb devastation and marrying it with a rage the likes of which the hoodlums could never expect. Excited by his latest acquisition, Iosef delivers the Mustang to Aurelio’s (John Leguizamo) chop shop, only for the mechanic to react in horror, punching the mobster’s son and incurring the wrath of his father, whose anger is immediately quenched when he learns that Iosef stole the legendary John Wick’s car. Rattled, Viggo Tarasov (Nyqvist) admonishes his son, clearly torn between fear, love, and desperation, and reveals that the “fucking nobody” was a hitman so feared within the criminal underworld that he was the man many hired to “kill the bogeyman”. Described as a man of focus and pure will, John left behind his violent ways after falling for Helen and successfully escaped that life by performing an impossible task: namely, murdering Viggo’s competition and making him New York City’s top mob boss. Having employed John in the past, Viggo is very familiar with his methods and reputation, having seen him kill three men with a pencil, and knows his son is doomed, for John’s wrath is mythical. Still, Viggo tries to reason with John, only to be met with blunt silence. He even tries to proactively stop John before he can get rolling, leaving his squad murdered and John calling in favours from the past to help clean up the mess. His life shattered, fuelled by grief, anger, and a lust for revenge, John digs up his long-buried weaponry, washes himself off, and suits up to take action, insisting that he’s paying a quick visit to his old life to get to Iosef. Though he’s been out of the game for five years, John is a slick, ruthless, and efficient killer, often ending most foes with a quick one-two to the chest and head and easily overwhelming groups of armed men with his superior gunplay and uncanny ability to adapt to his environment. His reputation proceeds him, with many (even his enemies) respecting him or knowing to stay out of his way, though John’s not some mindless killer and spares those who are simply doing their job.

John is surreptitiously aided by some old allies, even if they pay the price for their deeds.

Despite insisting that he’s not returning to his old ways, John’s drawn back into his previous life by the need for information and resources. This leads him to the Continental, an opulent hotel and bar run by the enigmatic Winston Scott (McShane) and managed by Charon (Lance Reddick), a polite concierge who accommodates John’s wishes with a silver-tongue grace. Though pleased to see John, Winston warns him about dipping even briefly into his old ways and adds some additional lore to this fascinating world by stating that no “business” can be conducted on the Continental’s grounds, effectively making it a safe haven for all as long as they have enough of the strange gold coins the hitmen use for currency. Not everyone within the Continental is as mindful of these rules, however, as Miss Perkins (Palicki) eagerly ignores them to take a shot at John, relishing both the $2 million bounty and the chance to knock off the legendary John Wick. Though subdued by John, thanks to a warning shot from Marcus, Ms. Perkins seals her fate when she kills Harry (Clarke Peters), a former colleague of John’s who he paid to watch her and essentially becomes Viggo’s right-hand when he goes on a crazed revenge spree in the finale. This costs her dearly as Winston has her executed, not just for breaking his rules but also out of loyalty to John, whom he surreptitiously aids throughout the film. John’s also secretly aided by Marcus, a crack sniper and old friend who agrees to the $2 million contract only to help John by either warning him of imminent dangers or rescuing him, such as when he snipes the goons suffocating John during his passionate outburst to Viggo. This also ends badly for Marcus when Viggo takes a hands-on approach to making Marcus pay, though the feisty sniper doesn’t go down without a fight.

Despite knowing full well what John’s capable of, Viggo desperately tries to protect his son.

Despite having amassed a vast and profitable underworld empire thanks to John, Viggo is immediately rendered powerless upon learning that the “Baba Yaga” is coming for his son. He tries to barter with John and desperately tries to keep his son hidden and safe, but Wick is relentless, easily tracking Iosef down and extracting his revenge. Though he usually favours slick gunplay, John’s happy to get down and dirty with his foes, such as Iosef’s buddy, Gregori (Omer Barnea), whose neck he snaps with relish after he killed Daisy. Though far from invulnerable, and ending up pretty banged up from his escapades, John gloriously bests even swarms of armed opponents. However, he runs into a metaphorical wall when confronted by Kirill (Daniel Bernhardt), a towering opponent who briefly manhandles John and forces him to fight from beneath. Yet, John is implacable and is completely unfazed when he’s captured or held at gunpoint, sure that he’ll either find some innovative way to fight out of the situation or he’ll die trying, bringing as many with him as he can. Although Viggo could easily stop John’s rampage by giving up his son, he refuses to do this since, though Iosef is a fuck up and an asshole, Viggo has the same sense of loyalty and love as John feels for Helen and Daisy. Viggo’s reasonable at first but is enraged when John raids one of his hidden vaults and destroys not just a sizable stash of cash, but a bunch of documents and evidence he used to stay in power. However, when push coms to shove, Viggo is an opportunistic and self-serving mobster and eventually sells Iosef out to save his own hide. Interestingly, while John massacres Iosef’s bodyguards, there’s little to his final confrontation with the arrogant wannabe mobster, whom John simply executes via headshot. Although Viggo knew this was inevitable, having witnessed John at his peak and being terrified of him returning to the fold, Iosef’s death pushes Viggo over the edge. He transforms from a powerful but disconnected gangster into a spiteful, bloodthirsty savage as he takes his anger and grief out on Marcus and even taunts John, seemingly descending into near madness as he sees his end rushing towards him while John remains unnervingly cold and calm while on the job.

The Nitty-Gritty:
John Wick is a fascinating exploration of grief and how it affects different people. Even now, with all its sequels and spin-offs, we know surprisingly little about John’s life as the feared “Baba Yaga”. We get snippets of it here, but only as legends and in the way characters react to him (a mixture of fear and respect), but he is noted more than once to have been changed by Helen. It’s not clear how the two met, but her influence was clearly enough to have him questioning his ways and deciding to give up his guns for a simple life of peace and happiness. By all accounts, he stuck to this vow for “five years and change”, disappearing into myth to live an unglamorous but content existence, and characters react with both excitement and surprise when he appears to be “working again”. Interestingly, though John claims to have gotten “rusty”, his skills don’t appear diminished (but, then again, for all we know, the old “Baba Yaga” emerged unscathed from every fight) and he immediately snaps back into that mindset to get his revenge. John’s clearly struggling with his emotions and the weight of grief, which Helen knew would cause him only pain and loneliness, hence why she sent him Daisy. Although John and Daisy don’t spend much time together, she seems to at least partially fill the hole in his heart, and he was just getting used to her being around when she was ripped away from him. Plunged into the depths of his anguish and anger, John snaps back into his old ways and begins a quest for simple revenge, wishing only to make Iosef and his cohorts pay, but ends up tearing down Viggo’s empire as easily (if not more so) than he helped build it. It’s genuinely heartbreaking seeing John read Helen’s note, and hearing Daisy’s final yelp and seeing that she apparently crawled over to be near him as she died (or was dragged there to mock him). In this regard, John’s anger is fully justifiable as who hasn’t been enraged and spiralled into a fit of anguish at the unfair death of a loved one or the loss of a beloved pet?

John Wick is depicted as a fast, efficient, and ruthlessly relentless killer.

Being that it was spearheaded by career stuntmen, John Wick naturally impresses with its brutal and scene stealing fight scenes. John is a focused and intelligent former assassin, laying explosive traps and using the environment to his advantage wherever possible. He tosses goons through windows, drowns them, and takes any chance to snap their necks or stab them when they’re injured or prone. Most of the goons he fights are simple, out of shape mobsters with itchy trigger fingers who easily go down with the old one-two to the chest and head, splattering blood on the walls and easily being manhandled by John’s equally skilled close quarters combat skills. Kirill represents a far greater challenge due to his height, imposing physique, and impressive fighting skills, easily hefting John over a balcony and choking him with a plastic bag. John, however, is not only constantly moving and fighting back, but also not afraid to fight dirty, targeting limbs and even the balls to wound his foes and give him time to skillfully reload and execute a headshot. This sees him biting Kirill to escape being throttled, attacking his eyes, and finally choking the life out of him with a headscissor hold. The sadistic Ms. Perkins also offers John a physical challenge, surprising him in the Continental and striking while he’s nursing a serious wound. Unlike the tight-lipped Kirill, Ms. Perkins delights in taunting John, using her speed and sleight stature to target his arm and wound; anything to give her the edge over the feared “Baba Yaga”. In the end, as with every fight, John’s sheer tenacity wins out, but this is a great fight to showcase his adaptability, as John fights unarmed (save for a pillowcase). Later, John lugs around an impressive heavy shotgun, blasting at Viggo to learn Iosef’s location, and takes a page out of Marcus’s book to snipe Iosef’s bodyguards. The fights would steadily get more complex and intricate as the series went on, but there’s a raw grit to John Wick’s action sequences, which eschew quick cuts and frantic editing to showcase violent, ferocious, and largely grounded fight scenes that leave John battered and bloody and a pile of bodies in his wake.

John callously takes his revenge and is then motivated to keep going with a new canine friend.

In an attempt to buy himself time or eliminate John through sheer numbers, Viggo puts out a $2 million contract (upped to $4 million for those who break the Continental’s rules) for the legendary assassin, only for his men and those that take up the challenge to by brutalised and dead at John’s skilled hands. In desperation, Viggo has Iosef taken to a safe house, only for Winston and then Viggo himself to give up the boy, leading to John shooting up a club and then getting his revenge by executing Isoef via headshot. This would’ve likely been the end of it but, when news of his son’s death reaches Viggo, he visibly and disturbingly transforms into a near-psychotic agent of revenge, grief overtaking him and driving him to violent acts, just as it did John. This sees him callously torture Marcus for betraying him and even challenge John to a final showdown to settle the score, planning to flee via helicopter and sacrifice his remaining men by proxy. John takes up the challenge, incensed by Marcus’s death and uncompromising in his quest to make everyone pay for taking away the last ray of hope in his life. What follows is an intense car chase through the city, where Viggo succumbs to drug-fuelled madness and simply laughs as John offs his men one by one, even passing his exasperated assistant, Avi (Dean Winters), a gun and wishing him luck before delighting as John crushes the man with his car. Though far from a physical match for John, Viggo engages him in a hand-to-hand bout in the rain. Naturally, John mortally wounds the mobster with a knife to the neck and, in his own way, pays morbid respect to Viggo as he dies. Though seemingly happy to face his own end while watching a video of Helen, his late wife’s words are enough to encourage John to treat his wounds at a nearby veterinary clinic, where he also finds and adopts a dog scheduled to be euthanised. Having thus found a reason to live, John limps off through the rainswept night to return home, unaware (or unfazed) that his actions will have dire consequences…

The Summary:
I’ve always been a fan of Keanu Reeves’ more action-oriented roles. The guy has done enough movies by this point to be considered a star of the genre and he impresses once again here, bringing John Wick to life with a brutal efficiency that defined not only this franchise, but this sub-genre of action/thriller cinema. While the movie’s premise may be ridiculously basic and even a little laughable, the execution is anything but and I appreciated the raw simplicity of a man seeking revenge for his dog’s death, as who can’t relate to that? Of course, it’s not just about that as John is as much motivated by his unresolved grief about Helen’s untimely death as Daisy’s and what we’re left with is the story of a man who desperately sought to leave behind his violent past who’s now forced to reignite that fire to avenge his losses. Of course, John Wick is also a spotlight for the underappreciated and extremely talented stuntmen who work in the movie industry, showcasing startling and engaging fight scenes in full detail, even when under cover of darkness or in a packed nightclub. There are no frantic editing or quick cuts here: just fast, efficient, physical action that paint John as an effective, ruthless, but also vulnerable assassin. While the sequels would continuously up the ante, the simplistic, gritty nature of the fight scenes has always been very appealing in this first entry. This extends to the world-building, too, as we’re given just enough breadcrumbs and insight into this strange world to be intrigued without completely lifting the lid. While I would’ve loved to see more detail about John’s former life, I loved how his legend spoke for itself and the mystery surrounding him, and Keanu Reeves excelled in showcasing a range of emotions (from utter grief, to boiling rage, to a focused stoicism) in this enduring platform for both the actor and this genre.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

Are you a fan of John Wick? What did you think of Keanu’s performance and which of the fight scenes was your favourite? Were you fully behind John once his dog died or did you find the plot a bit too ridiculous? What did you think of the bits and pieces of lore we got here and the presentation of this underworld of assassins? Which film in the franchise is your favourite, and what’s your favourite Keanu Reeves movie? Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment below and become a member on my Ko-Fi to suggest other Keanu Reeves movies for future reviews.

Movie Night [Judgment Day]: Terminator: Genysis

Dr. K1 Comment

“Three billion human lives ended on August 29th, 1997. The survivors of the nuclear fire called the war Judgment Day. They lived only to face a new nightmare: the war against the machines”.

Released: 21 May 2009
Director: Alan Taylor
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Budget: $155 to 158 million
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Jason Clarke, and J. K. Simmons

The Plot:
After being saved and raised by a benevolent T-800 (Schwarzenegger), stoic Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) reluctantly teams with her would-be protector, Kyle Reese (Courtney), to prevent the creation of Genysis, an operating system destined to wipe out humanity as Skynet.

The Background:
Although The Terminator (Cameron, 1984) was an unexpected financial hit, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (ibid, 1991) was a blockbuster success that is largely regarded as one of the greatest movie sequels ever made. Despite its definitive ending, the franchise made an unexpected return with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (Mostow 2003), a near-universal critical flop. However, Terminator 3’s surprising box office meant the franchise was still viable, leading to new creatives to step in with a prequel film. Unfortunately, Terminator Salvation’s (McG, 2009) dismal box office and onslaught of unfair reviews derailed plans for sequels as much as another slew of legal issues. As the franchise rights did the rounds, plans for a 3D animated film fell apart and pitches to return star Arnold Schwarzenegger to the franchise were raised, ultimately resulting in Megan Ellison and Annapurna Pictures consulting with Terminator creator James Cameron with how to incorporate an aging T-800 into a new film. With Paramount Pictures onboard to distribute the film, Alan Taylor signed on to direct out of his love for the franchise and desire to correct its mistakes. Largely inspired by the first two films, the filmmakers opted for a new spin on the established lore with an older T-800 and a story hoped to be the first of a new trilogy. Jai Courtney beat Boyd Holbrook and Tom Hardy for his leading role and Emilia Clarke was chosen over Brie Larson and Tatiana Maslany, with both training extensively for their roles. The production team convinced Nike to reproduce the Vandal sneakers from the first movie, the visual effects teams toiled for hours to render the new nanotechnology effects, and the film painstakingly recreated sequences from The Terminator, digitally recreating Schwarzenegger’s youthful visage so he could fight himself. Though its box office (over $440 million) was impressive, Terminator: Genysis underperformed and was largely mauled by critics who attacked its redundant plot, shallow nostalgia bait, and unimaginative CGI. While some reviews and even Cameron praised the film, the latter later rescinded this statement and Emilia Clarke expressed relief that the planned sequels fell through. Despite this, the franchise was revived again in 2019, only to produce an even more maligned critical and commercial flop.

The Review:
Although Terminator: Genysis could’ve easily opened a little differently, skipping the scene of young Kyle Reese (Bryant Prince) meeting legendary resistance leader John Connor (Jason Clarke) and thus implying that Terminator Salvation is still canon, it offers yet another alternative version of the Future War that initially presents itself as the true version of events before the first Terminator, before John was retroactively given a wife and such. While I’m disappointed to see Salvation swept away, I do enjoy seeing scenes set in the Future War, especially as I’ve long believed the Terminator franchise would’ve been better served focusing on this time period for a series of prequels. Genysis goes a step further by giving the resistance fighters their phased plasma rifles and accurately recreating the bleak, war-torn future depicted by Cameron. Like in Salvation, John is seen by many as a prophet since his unique insight into Skynet leads humanity to many victories, including a final two-pronged campaign against the Skynet system core and a hidden bunker in the remains of San Francisco. Since Reese is both John’s right-hand man and a good friend, Kyle naturally joins the latter assault, amazed by John’s seeming clairvoyance as Skynet is finally defeated and the Resistance discovers their time displacement equipment. These scenes remind me of the Terminator 2 novelisation from back in the day and essentially show how Reese volunteered to pursue the T-800 (Brett Azar/Schwarzenegger) back to 1984. This also gives the most detailed depiction of the time travel device and how it works, and emphasises the close bond between John and Reese, whom the leader kept close since the soldier is destined to be his father.

Loyal soldier Kyle Reese travels back in time to find forthright Sarah in little need of protection.

Reese gladly volunteers to protect Sarah not just because he’s John’s most loyal soldier, but also because he’s developed a love for her after being gifted a photograph and told stories about her. Unfortunately for Reese, things immediately go awry as John is attacked by the T-5000 (Matthew Smith), an avatar of Skynet, and Kyle’s deposited in a version of the past that seems very similar but is strikingly different from the first film. For one thing, Sarah isn’t some naïve, terrified waitress and is instead closer to her Terminator 2 counterpart, being proficient with guns, knowledgeable about Terminators, and fully aware of her fate. Reese is confused by this, and by their roles being reversed as Sarah is the one saving him from a liquid metal T-1000 (Byung-Hun Lee) sent back to kill him. Already overwhelmed by this and even more out of his depth than his original counterpart, Reese also struggles with an influx off new memories from a childhood he never had in which he’s enamoured by Sarah and memorising a warning about Genysis being the progenitor of Skynet. Reese’s confusion is only compounded by Sarah’s companion and protector, “Pops”, a reprogrammed T-800 that has acted as her guardian since she was a child. Naturally distrustful of the machine, Reese first leaps to destroy it and then develops a fun rivalry with Pops where they compete for Sarah’s affection and to see which is the more efficient protector. Reese is further perplexed to find Sarah is cold and almost dismissive of him, keeping him at arm’s length as she knows he’s destined to die after falling in love with her. This creates a rift between them, one compounded by her demanding nature and lack of social skills, that slowly mends as they fight and spend time together since she can’t deny her attraction to him despite being frustrated by her fate seemingly being predetermined.

Raised by her “Pops”, Sarah’s reluctant to fall for Kyle lest his destiny play out as intended.

I really liked Emilia Clarke’s work as Sarah here. She does a great job of embodying elements of Linda Hamilton’s performances from the first two films while bringing something new to the table in her relationship with Pops. Sarah is incredibly affection towards her guardian, though frustrated by him dictating her life and pushing her towards a destiny she hopes to avoid. While I find Jai Courtney to be quite wooden and his muscular stature is at odds with Michael Biehn’s more “Everyman” look, I dug Kyle’s chemistry with Sarah and the rivalry between him and Pops, which eventually sees the two come to a mutual respect as they both care about Sarah. Still, Reese is initially hesitant to trust Pops and his plan to bump them forward to 2014, and at Sarah’s refusal to follow his lead. This sees them run afoul of the local cops, unwittingly leading police detective O’Brien (Simmons) to descend into obsession and alcoholism after encountering them in the past. Though his assistance is ultimately not required as Pops constantly pulls the two out of the fire, it provides a background for Reese and Sarah to work out their issues, especially after Kyle learns of his true parentage. The two are further divided when John inexplicably arrives in the past and is revealed to have been forcibly transformed into a T-3000. While Reese is determined to try and reason with John, to bring out his personality and have him fight back against what he sees as invasive programming, Sarah is callous and aggressive towards John, rightfully surmising that her son no longer exists and that he’s been reconfigured into Skynet’s newest creation. The fact that Pops verifies this, explaining that the T-3000 is simply mimicking John’s personality and manipulating them into dropping their guard, Reese naturally pushes back. But even he’s forced to admit that his friend and mentor is gone and to take up arms against him to save Sarah and prevent a cataclysmic future.

More a father figure than ever, Pops struggles to match up against the advanced T-3000.

Once again, the T-800 returns as a protector, now aged since he’s been protecting Sarah since she was a girl (Willa Taylor). Although Pops has no memory of where he came from or who sent him, his mission to protect Sarah and ensure the survival of humanity (either by destroying Skynet or having her “mate” with Reese) is clear. Unlike Terminator 3, where the T-850 was an “obsolete design”, Pops regularly asserts that he’s “old, not obsolete” and constantly asserts himself to keep Sarah safe and belittle Reese, either by overpowering him or openly mocking him. Unlike his predecessors. Pops has developed a stunted paternal relationship with Sarah where he’s constantly giving her life lessons and acts as her father, while still remaining somewhat stoic to deliver some funny moments. Notably, Pops is the most loquacious of his predecessors, with Genysis lumbering poor Arnold with lengthy exposition regarding the design and function of the time displacement equipment, theories on conflicting and overlapping timelines, and other technical jargon. Sarah’s efforts to teach Pops to blend in are about as successful as those in Terminator 2, leading to Pops having a dry sense of humour and being as awkward in social situations as she is. Pops ages further when he takes the “long way” to 2014, his body noticeably malfunctioning as he struggles to function. Despite his assertions and how well-armed the group is, Pops is no match for the T-3000, who’s essentially a more powerful T-3000. John can shapeshift and form knives and stabbing weapons and instantly heal from all wounds thanks to nanotechnology, though his most potent weapon is his words as he spitefully uses John’s knowledge and visage against Reese and Sarah. John masquerades as a robotics genius specifically to manipulate Miles and Danny Dyson (Courtney B. Vance and Dayo Okeniyi) into funding and creating the Genysis operating system, an artificial intelligence that John protects and fosters so that it can rapidly evolve into Skynet and kick-start the machine uprising.

The Nitty-Gritty:
While I’ve never found the time travel elements of the Terminator franchise to be that confusing, Genysis goes out of its way to muddy the waters more than any film before it. You might not like the retcons of Terminator 3, but at least that stuck to a fairly linear timeline. Here, we see for the first time that the franchise is explicitly made up of multiple timelines and alternative pasts and futures, with the opening sequence appearing as a prologue to The Terminator and then tossing in the T-5000 to shake things up. I loved the idea of revisiting the original film but with elements of Terminator 2 spliced in, but this is largely abandoned once the group jumps to 2014 and there’s a massive question mark hanging over Pops. He has no memory of who sent him back and even John seems confused by his presence, referring to him as a “relic of a deleted timeline”, with the film simply stating that someone sent the T-800 back to ensure Sarah’s survival. This is all clearly sequel bait, as indicated by the post-credits scene showing Skynet survived the group’s assault on the Cyberdyne building, that’s was sadly never paid off as I’d love to know what the deal with Pops and the T-5000 was. Genysis tackles similar themes to the previous movies regarding fate and predestination, with Sarah frustrated that her life is predetermined, Reese struggling to comprehend how the past has changed, and Skynet’s creation being bumped even further forward. Once again, it seems Judgment Day is inevitable as the changes to the timeline simply see Skynet assume a new form, a vague operation system called Genysis, though this time its creation is explicitly linked to the future since Genysis only comes about when John comes back to invent it. These competing timelines are largely embodied through Reese’s new memories, which co-exist alongside his original memories (though they’re noticeably fragmented compared to his memories of the Future War) and this new timeline seemingly solidifies as the “prime” timeline by the film’s end.

The film’s at its best when it’s relying on nostalgia, though this isn’t enough to sustain it.

Although Terminator: Genysis suffers from an overabundance of CGI (and some wonky CGI, at that), it initially makes a decent impression by recreating the dismal, war-torn future and finally bringing the time displacement facility to life. I also really enjoyed how the film recreates key moments from The Terminator, such as Reese being chased by the cops and the T-800 accosting some punks. It’s obviously toned down from the original and given a new spin as Reese tangles with a T-1000 and the T-800 is immediately attacked by Pops and Sarah, who put it down with a high-powered round. The action is pretty frantic and exciting in these sequences as a confused Reese struggles to comprehend the T-1000’s capabilities, which see it change appearance, spawn blades, and even resurrect the T-800. The T-800’s endoskeleton attacks in impressive fashion, finally moving with a danger and grace befitting the machine but lacks the tangible charm of a physical prop. Conversely, I felt the T-1000 was wasted here as it’s neutralised pretty quickly and effectively by a fun acid trap. I think I would’ve liked to see this new spin on the first two films carried through, with the T-1000 perhaps masquerading as John and being the primary antagonist throughout the film as the T-3000 doesn’t offer much more in terms of its abilities, save for a black metal endoskeleton that’s both horrific and poorly rendered. There are some fun action sequences here, however, such as a chase across the Golden Gate Bridge that sees a school bus be impressively flipped (to the extend I question how Reese, especially, survived). There’s also a great helicopter chase where our heroes try to keep John from reaching the Cyberdyne building, resulting in Pops diving onto John’s helicopter. However, Terminator: Genysis is sadly very tame and bloodless; even shots of bare asses are obscured and deaths are limited to simple stabbings and shootings. When the T-800s are damaged, their endoskeletons appear through cleanly ripped flesh rather than being splattered with blood, with gore completely absent when Pop’s arm is melted to the machinery by an acid spray. Though outmatched against the T-3000, the characters rig up a portable magnet and subdue the machine with high-powered magnetic devices, but John simply recovers time and again and the characters continually use useless small arms fire rather than wielding grenade launchers or high-powered shotguns.

Though the day is saved and Pops is upgraded, there’s a lingering concern over the uncertain future…

Though reeling from John’s betrayal (well, “corruption” is probably a better word), Reese eventually gets onboard with a plan to destroy the T-3000 and kill Skynet before its born. Thanks to Pops working on the Cyberdyne building, the group have all the intel and access they need to infiltrate the complex and plant explosives, only to find the Genysis A.I. rapidly aging and the T-3000 hot on their tails. Interestingly, both the T-3000 and Skynet make valid points about humans always destroying what they don’t understand, yet both are determined to wipe out humanity so there’s no hint towards a peace between the two. While the finale is essentially a more action-packed and over the top recreation of Terminator 2’s Cyberdyne destruction sequence, it does give us a bit more robot-on-robot action as Pops throws himself into battle with the T-3000. Though Pops was evenly matched against the T-800 and still came up short due to being older, and was largely outclassed against the T-1000, he had help both times and gets it again in this fight, with Sarah and Reese chipping in to distract and delay John long enough to Pops to attempt a self-sacrifice. Pops throws himself and the T-3000 into a prototype time displacement chamber, the gravitational forces ripping John apart and destroying him right before their explosives take out the building. Luckily for Pops, he’s thrown into a vat of mimetic polyalloy, upgrading him to a T-1000 so he can reunite with Sarah and begrudgingly offer kudos to Reese. Though still confused about the lingering questions regarding the future and the timeline Pops came from, Sarah finally feels free from the burden of her destiny and embraces her feelings for Kyle, the three forming a dysfunctional family unit as they face an unknown future together. To close the loop, they visit young Kyle (who Sarah ran into while escaping police custody) and implant the memories Reese has been seeing throughout the film, ensuring events play out as expected in this new timeline. However, they’re unaware that, despite their efforts, Skynet still exists as a threat in a deeper bunker…

The Summary:
I remember being quite excited for Terminator: Genysis back in the day. The film’s marketing and first half hour or so was all cleverly geared towards nostalgia, revisiting the first movie, splicing in the T-1000, and promising an alternate take on The Terminator. While this is still technically true by the end, I think Terminator: Genysis suffered a bit from having an unnecessarily complicated script and setting up hints towards sequels that never happened. While I’m no fan of Jai Courtney, I didn’t mind him here. He’s not the Kyle Reese we grew up with, but he works as an alternative version of Kyle, one perhaps better trained and prepared for his mission. He had decent chemistry with Emilia Clarke, who sizzled and impressed as Sarah. She captured the romantic elements of the character and married them with her no-nonsense, mercenary attitude from Terminator 2 while also being a little bratty and lamenting her destiny. Arnold Schwarzenegger is given a lot more to do here beyond looking like an Adonis; he has a lot of technical jargon to exposit while also presenting the T-800 as a true father figure. I enjoyed Pops’ rivalry with Reese and his relationship with Sarah, which felt like an evolution of his Terminator 2 counterpart, and how the film emphasised that the T-800 is still a force to be reckoned with despite Skynet’s superior models. For me, Genysis is let down by retreading the same ground as Terminator 2 but with a new, comparatively lazier A.I., wasting Matt Smith, and focusing on Jason Clarke as the main antagonist. While I like the twist that John was corrupted and this somewhat recalls the proposed ending for Terminator Salvation, I didn’t buy Jason Clarke as a threat and I would’ve much preferred seeing Byung-Hun Lee or Matt Smith take the lead as a T-1000…or had John arrive in the past to help his family. Ultimately, while Terminator: Genysis is better, overall, than Terminator 3 and has a lot of appeal in its nostalgic recreations of the first two movies, I would’ve preferred a direct sequel to Salvation and your nostalgia will be better satisfied by simply re-watching the first two movies.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to Terminator: Genysis? Were you also annoyed that it erased Salvation from the timeline? What did you think to Jai Courtney’s performance as Kyle Reese and Emilia Clarke’s version of Sarah Connor? Did you enjoy seeing the T-800 as an overprotective father or did you find his portrayal a bit cheesy? Where do you think Pops came from and were you disappoint that the cliff-hanger was never resolved? Did you like the twist that John was a Terminator or do you agree that this was poorly executed? How are you celebrating Judgement Day today? Whatever you think about Terminator: Genysis, and the Terminator franchise, leave a reply below and donate to my Ko-Fi to fund more Terminator reviews.

Movie Night [Spidey Month]: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Dr. K7 Comments

Easily Marvel Comics’ most recognisable superhero, unsuspecting teenage nerd Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and learned the meaning of power and responsibility in August 1962. Since then, the Amazing Spider-Man has featured in cartoons, movies, videogames, and countless comic books. To coincide with his day of celebration, I’m dedicating every Monday of August to everyone’s favourite web-head!

Released: 2 May 2014
Director: Marc Webb
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
Budget: $200 to 293 million
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, and Sally Field

The Plot:
Already struggling to keep his love Gwen Stacy (Stone) safe from his double life, Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s (Garfield) troubles are compounded when downtrodden electrical engineer Maxwell “Max” Dillon (Foxx) is transformed into pure electricity!

The Background:
Following his debut issue becoming a best selling title for Marvel Comics, Spider-Man became their flagship character and appeared in numerous videogames, cartoons, and even a live-action series. Despite script and legal issues infamously delaying Spidey’s big-screen debut, Sam Raimi’s one-two punch of Spider-Man (Raimi, 2002) and Spider-Man 2 (ibid, 2004) gave us not only critical and commercial hits but also one of the greatest superhero movies ever made, and even the divisive Spider-Man 3 (ibid, 2007) was a huge commercial success. Although Raimi’s plans for a sequel were scrapped in favour of a reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man (Webb, 2012) somewhat reinvented Spider-Man to tell an exciting, if familiar, new story. Its $758.7 million worldwide gross also meant it did well enough for Marc Webb to return for a sequel. The cast also returned, Spidey got a revamped costume, and Sony Pictures Imageworks outdid themselves with an impressive and complex action sequence in Times Square. Yet, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was plagued by a troubled production that saw an entire character excised and a bloated script. As part of their ongoing plan for multiple Spider-Man spin-offs, Sony insisted on shoe-horning in as many Easter Eggs and as much sequel bait as possible, ignoring Marvel Cinematic Universe head honcho Kevin Feige’s notes and alienating many fans. The film grossed the least of any Spider-Man movie to date and has been ridiculed by critics for years. They tore apart the questionable reimagining of classic Spidey villain Electro, decried the nonsensical side plots, and lamented the overstuffed narrative. Still, Garfield continued to be praised in the lead role, the tragic ending was seen as a highlight, and both Garfield and co-star Jamie Foxx reprised and redeemed their roles about ten years later for the multiversal adventure Spider-Man: No Way Home (Watts, 2021).

The Review:
In a first for Spider-Man’s big-screen outings, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 skips the usual title sequence and jumps straight into expanding upon the fate of Peter’s parents, Doctor Richard Parker (Campbell Scott) and his wife, Mary (Embeth Davidtz). It’s revealed that Richard packed himself and his wife up and dropped young Peter (Max Charles) with his doting aunt, May Parker (Field), after being threatened by his former financial backer and partner, Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper). Although Doctor Curtis “Curt” Connors (Rhys Ifans) is briefly mentioned a few times, he’s missing from these extended flashbacks, which instead focus on Richard and Norman splicing human DNA with spiders so their incredible ability to “self-heal” will not only cure Norman of his terminal, genetic illness (“Retroviral Hyperplasia”), but also help those suffering from life-threatening diseases. Unfortunately, the illness not only deformed and agonised Norman, it also drove him to desperation, leading to him making shady deals with military backers. When Richard discovered how corrupt Norman and Oscorp had become, he sought to expose his wrongdoings and went on the run for Peter’s safety. It’s not clear why Oscorp wouldn’t (and apparently never thought to) target Peter at May’s and the film spends more time focusing on a tense and horrific mid-air confrontation between Richard and an Oscorp assassin (Demián Bichir) that leaves both Parkers dead. Still, Richard and Mary’s shady past and their connection to Oscorp is fed to us (and Peter) through breadcrumbs, revealing that Richard deeply regretted his work being perverted and secretly sought to keep Norman from using his research by infusing the genetically engineered spiders with his DNA, somewhat attributing Peter’s spider powers to his father. The loss of his parents still weighs heavily on Peter, who laments their absence at his graduation as much as his beloved Uncle Ben’s (Martin Sheen) and who confesses to old friend Harry Osborn (DeHaan) that he actively avoids thinking about his parents. When his curiosity leads him to investigate his father’s satchel, Peter seeks to discover more about his late father, leading to a sweet moment between him and May where she chastises his father and vehemently asserts her place as Peter’s mother. Indeed, Peter and May’s relationship continues to be a highlight, with her despairing of her nephew’s strange behaviour and absences but still showing him nothing but love and affection.

Peter’s haunted by the previous film and forced to keep Gwen at arm’s length to protect her.

Unfortunately, despite still revelling in his abilities as Spider-Man and enjoying his spark-filled relationship with the gorgeous Gwen Stacy, Peter is haunted by Gwen’s father, Captain George Stacy (Denis Leary), whose grim visage serves as a reminder of his promise to keep Gwen safe. Though he loves Gwen dearly and the two still have amazing screen chemistry, Peter’s burdened by guilt, agonised at the thought that he could endanger her. Although Gwen loves Peter and is willing to take the risk, she ultimately ends their relationship when she becomes sick of his flip-flopping. Heartbroken, Peter throws himself into his antics as Spider-Man, dividing public opinion as the Daily Bugle’s smear campaign paints Spider-Man as a menace despite many praising him. Still, try as he might, Peter can’t keep himself away from Gwen and watches over her in a way that could be creepy but comes across as sad and sweet. While Spider-Man saves lives, Gwen faces a dilemma when she’s offered a prestigious scholarship in London, one she’s excited to take despite her unresolved feelings for Peter. Peter’s stunned and equally torn between his love for her and wanting the best for her, meaning he doesn’t react well upon learning of her news and embarrasses Gwen prior to her interview for the scholarship. Ultimately, Gwen chooses to go, believing that’s better for them both, compelling Peter to finally confess (in elaborate fashion) his true feelings, and even his willingness to go to London with her. As much as I love Andrew and Emma’s onscreen banter and chemistry (their escape from Oscorp was a particular highlight), I do think the film suffers a bit from Peter immediately reneging on his promise at the end of the last film. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 may have benefitted from Peter and Gwen’s relationship being frosty and unresolved from the start to focus more on how Peter has to choose a difficult path since he doesn’t want to risk endangering or losing someone he loves, though this would make the first half of the film too similar to Spider-Man 2.

When Peter and Spidey refuse to help him, a desperate Harry turns to Electro.

Following Norman Osborn’s death, Peter’s compelled to reconnect with Harry Osborn, a hitherto-unknown childhood friend who was sent to boarding school at eleven and spent most of the intervening years travelling the world and resenting his father for sending him away. Thus, Harry is spiteful and dismissive of his father, and rightfully so as Norman spends his final hours spitting insults at his son and effectively cursing him with the same degenerative illness. In the aftermath, Harry (…somehow…) assumes control of Oscorp, riling up Vice President Donald Menken (Colm Feore) and revelling in flaunting his newfound power, appointing Norman’s secretary, Felicia Hardy (Felicity Jones), as his second-in-command. Though delighted to reunite with Peter, Harry’s clearly maladjusted and his erratic behaviour only spirals as his disease takes greater hold, giving him the shakes and strange lesions (despite Norman living many years with the illness). Desperate for a cure, Harry accesses Oscorp’s secure files and believes the answer lies in Spider-Man’s blood, begging and even offering to pay the web-slinger for a sample, only to be incensed when Spidey refuses out of fear for Harry’s safety. This, and Menken’s machinations, sends Harry over the edge and leads to him making a deal with Electro to access Oscorp’s secret basement of origins special projects laboratory, where he finds the means to first cure himself and then avenge himself against those who’ve wronged him. Overall, I liked DeHann’s depiction of Harry. He was a bit sullener and more vindictive and flaunted his authority compared to James Franco, and he presented an interesting dilemma for Peter, who wanted to help his friend but was worried about killing him or turning him into a monster like the Lizard. Harry’s vendetta against Spider-Man is a touch rushed and I think it would’ve been better for him to put two and two together when he first approached Peter for help, just to put a further spin on their relationship. It also would’ve benefited to save Harry’s descent into manic Green Goblin mode for a third film.

Spidey super fan Max is driven to rage and insanity upon becoming powerful enough to be noticed.

Rather than being a simple electrical engineer who turns to a crime after being zapped by lightning, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 recasts Electro as a hopeless outcast who’s socially awkward and bumbling. Pushed around and ignored by everyone, from pedestrians to his boss, Alistair Smythe (B. J. Novak), Max is a sad, worthless nobody who becomes enamoured by Spider-Man after Spidey saves his life and offers him encouragement. This leads to Max imagining  conversations between the two and describing the webslinger as his best friend since he was the first person to “see” and “need” him. This later extends to Gwen, who also shows kindness to Max where everyone else treats him like shit, with Smythe forcing him to fix a maintenance issue (on his birthday, no less!) and leading to Max falling into a vat of genetically engineered eels. These not only fix Max’s crooked teeth but also transform him into Electro, a man of first partial and then almost pure electricity, allowing him to see, sense, and control electrical currents. The experience leaves him disoriented, confused, and enraged, leading to him first accidentally and then purposely endangering others when cops fire at him, Spidey hesitates to remember him, and the newfound voices in his head compel him to lash out. Although subdued, Electro is tortured by the sadistic and overly theatrical Doctor Ashley Kafka (Marton Csokas), though Max invites the experience to test his power and is fuelled by the pain to accept Harry’s offer for a partnership and avenge himself on his captors. Once freed, Electro assumes a more menacing form and demeanour, having now mastered his powers to ensnare and kill with a flick of his hands and desperate not only to destroy Spider-Man after he “betrayed” him, but also to plunge the city into darkness so they can feel his pain. Although somewhat similar to the sympathetic angle applied to some of his predecessors in Raimi’s films (and a far more well-rounded character than the comic Electro, who was just a crook with powers who rarely reached his full potential), I do have an issue with depicted Max as the stereotypical outcast “geek”. It rarely works well and seems a waste of Jamie Foxx’s acting prowess, though I did like Electro’s obsession with being “seen” and his turn towards a crueller and more malicious demeanour after aligning with Harry.

The Nitty-Gritty:
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 benefits from a much more distinctive score, which is less a rehash of Danny Elfman’s work and more a stirring overture for the titular hero. Electro’s theme was particularly memorable; I loved how it incorporated the voices in Max’s head fuelling his rage. However, while the film treads less of the same ground as Raimi’s films compared to its predecessor, it does rehash some of the same beats concerning Richard and Mary from The Amazing Spider-Man. Sure, we learn a bit more about Richard’s relationship with Norman and that he had a weird subway lab that somehow still works after nearly fifteen years, but it still feels like the filmmakers are unsure of the endgame to this sub-plot (though, thankfully, they excised the nonsensical reveal that Richard was still alive, which would’ve tipped this already bloated plot into overdrive). The Amazing Spider-Man 2 touches upon themes of choices, not letting the past define you, and living each day rather than taking things for granted. Although Peter struggles with all of this, Gwen is all for it; her valedictorian speech is all about it and she urges Peter to stop letting her father’s death hold him back. Gwen’s adamant that they should embrace what they have, regardless of her father or the risk, and insists that she makes her own choices, even if it means she’s in danger. While there is a lot happening in the Amazing Spider-Man 2, I don’t think it’s not as badly paced as some would say. As much as I hate to say it, they made the right choice to cut Shailene Woodley as I’m not sure how she would’ve factored into the plot, though it was weird to include Felicia when she was just a secretary rather than a cat burglar. I also think it might’ve been better to end the story on a cliffhanger concerning Harry, not just because the finale with his Green Goblin is a bit rushed but also because we’d seen the Green Goblin done to death and I could’ve done without retreading that narrative (even if it was a little different here).

Despite some great effects and sequences, the film is bloated with characters and sub-plots.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s costume is, for my money, the best and most comic accurate depiction we’ve ever seen (though I miss the distinctiveness of the one from the last film). Harry’s final Green Goblin form is also more monstrous and closer to the comics, though still a bit lacking (and rushed) and we were denied a truly gruesome transformation sequence. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ups the focus on action thanks to not having to waste an hour of its runtime redoing Spidey’s origin, giving us a handful of montages and fun action sequences that continue to showcase why Andrew Garfield is the best Spider-Man. There’s more emphasis on slow-mo sequences to show how Spider-Man reacts to danger and thinks about saving people. It’s used to great effect in the Times Square sequence, giving us a fantastic depiction of Spidey’s speed and strength alongside his compassionate nature as he first tries to appeal to Max’s reason. Electro is depicted as an unpredictable threat, especially when he first emerges since his powers are unstable. While it’s disappointing that he doesn’t resemble his mainstream comic counterpart, and that Max didn’t take on aspects of this design after being freed by Harry, Electro is very to his Ultimate comics counterpart and is depicted as both incredibly powerful and emotionally unstable. Electro can fly, dissolve bullets, and absorb and emit electricity, so Peter has to science up solutions to counteract and ultimately overload Electro’s powers. Although the first-person sequences are gone, Spider-Man’s web-slinging and Electro’s bolts all popped off the screen when viewed in 3D and I enjoyed the opening sequence where Spidey toys with the crazed Aleksei Sytsevich (Paul Giamatti). While Spidey maybe mocks the brutish mafia thug a bit too much and endangers a few lives, this was a great showcase of how Peter’s embraced his role as Spider-Man, something reinforced in the finale when Aleksei returns in a mechanised rhino suit…only for the film to end right before we get to see the fight! I really wish we’d gotten at least an animated rendition of Spidey’s battle with the Rhino in the credits as I loved the lumbering mech and its many weapons, and Giamatti’s scenery-chewing performance as Aleksei, though his return probably should’ve been left for a third film.

Harry’s revenge leaves Peter heartbroken, though sadly immune from future threats…

Desperate to avoid his father’s fate, Harry begs first Peter and then Spider-Man for help and is enraged when he’s denied, believing Spidey is a fraud despite him reasonably worrying about the effect his blood would have on the emotional Osborn. After being double-crossed by Menken, Harry begs Max to help him access Oscorp’s hidden bunker, where he forces Menken to inject him with a serum derived from Richard’s spiders, believing it to be a “cure”, only to be horrifically mutated as it both accelerates his condition and further alters him. Luckily, a convenient “healing” battlesuit keeps Harry from dying but the whole ordeal drives him as batty as Max, whose reward for helping is the freedom to absorb power from the electrical grid he created and was denied credit for to plunge the city into darkness and strike back at everyone who ignored him and idolised Spider-Man. Peter and Gwen’s reconciliation is interrupted by Electro’s revenge and Gwen insists on helping Spider-Man, putting herself in danger despite his protests. Spidey holds off Electro, done trying to reason with him, and risks his life grounding the misguided villain so Gwen can overload and seemingly destroy Electro. Their victory is short-lived, however, as the now demonic Harry swoops in on an Oscorp glider looking for revenge, figures out that Peter is Spider-Man, and spitefully threatens Gwen. This leads to a short and sadly rushed (but also brutal fight) between Spider-Man and the cackling Green Goblin that ultimately ends with Harry being knocked out and Gwen plummeting down a bell tower. Despite Peter’s best efforts and a heart wrenching image of him (and his webbing) reaching for her in freefall, Gwen suffers a similar (but far more horrific) fatal fall and Peter is left devastated. So much so that he spends five months so stricken by grief than he constantly visits Gwen’s graves and denounces Spide-Man. However, Peter suits up once more after a pep talk from Aunt May, reviewing Gwen’s speech about embracing life, and to confront the Rhino. Oh, and that mysterious gentleman (Michael Massee) also colludes with the incarcerated Harry to recruit a few individuals to use Oscorp’s secret projects to destroy Spider-Man.

The Summary:
I’ve always quite liked The Amazing Spider-Man 2. I remember liking it more than the first film when I first saw it and was glad to see it mostly leaning into new territory, though I could’ve done without the retread of the Osborn/Green Goblin plot. Still, the suit was fantastic and Andrew Garfield cemented his status as the best live-action Spider-Man in this film, still showcasing the wit, brains, and charisma I associate with the character. His chemistry with Emma Stone remains a highlight, though it does feel like the filmmakers walked back the ending of the last film after rushing to the rekindling of their romance. While I’m not a fan of the changes made to Electro’s personality, he grew on me as the film progressed, and I liked how he was desperate to be acknowledged and became obsessed with proving his worth and power. Dane DeHaan was a great Harry Osborn, though it’s weird that his illness is so advanced when it took decades for Norman to die, and his characterisation is a bit all over the place at times. While it’s utterly heartbreaking to witness Gwen’s death and Andrew sells it so well, I do think the Green Goblin, Rhino, and Gwen’s death should’ve been saved for a third film to devote the proper amount of screentime to those plots rather than rushing through them right at the end. There’s a lot happening in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 thanks to Sony’s obsession with bringing the Sinister Six to life and it definitely would’ve benefitted from a few more sub-plots being trimmed, but I still think it’s better than most people think. The exploration of guilt and grief is great, the effects and action are exhilarating, and it delivers a hell of a gut punch at the end, ultimately resulting in a film that’s still pretty decent despite some flaws.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Do you agree that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn’t as bad as its reputation? What did you think to Electro’s depiction and were you disappointed he didn’t resemble his classic look? Were you happy to see Peter don a more familiar suit? What did you think to the drama between him and Gwen and Harry’s depiction? Do you agree that there’s too much happening in the film? Would you have liked to see a third entry for these characters? How are you celebrating the wall-crawler this month? Whatever you think about The Amazing Spider-Man 2, leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other Spider-Man reviews.

Movie Night [K-Month]: Kong: Skull Island

Dr. K2 Comments

In the absolutely bonkers science-fiction film Pacific Rim (del Toro, 2013), the monstrous Kaiju first attacked humanity on 10th August 2013, which was subsequently branded “K-DAY”. To celebrate this event, and giant monster movies, I dedicated every Sunday in August to one of cinema’s most prolific monsters: King Kong!

Released: 10 March 2017
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Budget: $185 million
Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Terry Notary/Toby Kebbell, John Goodman, and John C. Reilly

The Plot:
Hired by the super-secretive Monarch, ex-British Special Air Service (S.A.S.) Captain Joseph Conrad (Hiddleston) and photographer Mason Weaver (Larson) accompany an Army unit to the mysterious Skull Island, where Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (Jackson) becomes obsessed with challenging the rule of the island’s guardian, Kong (Notary/Kebbell).

The Background:
Amazingly, former World War I aviator turned filmmaker Merian C. Cooper’s vision of a giant gorilla climbing the Empire State Building first appeared over 100 years ago, resulting in one of the most influential movies ever made, However, King Kong (Cooper and Schoedsack, 1933) was followed by a comedic sequel, a questionable “Suitmation” film that ended Toho’s short stint with the character, and remakes ranging from ambitious to big-budget showcases. Somewhere in there, the mighty Kong even clashed with Godzilla in a profitable (if polarising) affair, and took a giant step towards renewing this rivalry as part of Legendary’s “MonsterVerse” following the critical and commercial success of Godzilla (Edwards, 2014). Initially, Adam Wingard and Guillermo del Toro were tapped to direct a sequel to Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake before the project was reconfigured into a MonsterVerse film. Writers Max Borenstein and John Gatins specifically avoided the traditional King Kong narrative in favour of a wartime setting inspired by Apocalypse Now (Coppola, 1979). Visual effects supervisor Stephen Rosenbaum and conceptual artist Carlos Huante redesigned Kong to return to his roots and act as a cantankerous, but benevolent, protector, and turned to anime to design Skull Island’s other monstrous inhabitants. After Tom Hiddleston took the lead role, John C. Reilly joined the project after scheduling conflicts saw Michael Keaton drop out and Toby Kebbell pulled double duty by providing motion capture for Kong’s facial expressions. Accompanied by a tie-in comic book designed to flesh out Kong’s backstory, Kong: Skull Island was a smash hit at the box office and with critics, who praised it as a fun, action-packed adventure, though many of the performances were criticised. Although a spin-off and direct sequel never materialised, the MonsterVerse Kong went on to co-star with Godzilla in some big, if mindless, blockbuster team ups.

The Review:
Set in 1973, amidst the backdrop of the end of America’s disastrous campaign into Vietnam, Kong: Skull Island tells a very different King Kong story, one not about the giant ape’s obsession with a pretty girl and one greedy opportunists attempt to profit off his stature. Instead, Kong: Skull Island is more of a war movie, taking very obvious inspiration from Apocalypse Now for many shots, characters, and the depiction of the United States military. At first, the story is framed as a scientific expedition, spearheaded by the eccentric William “Bill” Randa (Goodman), a former World War I sailor whose life was changed when he was left the sole survivor following an attack on his vessel by a titanic creature. Randa took this experience with him throughout his career at Monarch, a government research team created specifically to track and investigate such “Titans”, snapping up geologist Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) after he wrote a paper suggesting the presence of a “Hollow Earth” where such monsters dwell. However, with Monarch’s funding at risk following the end of the Vietnam War, Randa must beg Senator Al Willis (Richard Jenkins) to let them join an expedition to a recently discovered, uncharted island in hopes of finding precious minerals, medicines, and other notable discoveries before those pesky Russkies. Amazingly, Randa gets his wish, and his demand for a military escort, and enthusiastically braves Skull Island’s torrential, perpetual storm to finally feel vindicated after years of being branded a crackpot for his wild theories regarding Titans and the lost, prehistoric island. This means that the mission is less a geological, scientific voyage and more a personal vendetta for Randa, who hopes to both warn and inform the world that monsters exist by bringing back irrefutable proof. Yet, even he realises the dangers of Skull Island and the folly of man trying to battle against its monstrous inhabitants.

Conrad takes Marlow’s expertise to heart to lead the survivors through Skull Island’s dangers.

Since Randa, Brooks, and largely insignificant biologist San Lin (Jing Tian) are ill equipped to navigate Skull Island’s hazardous jungles, they recruit S.A.S. serviceman turned mercenary/tracker Joseph Conrad to lend his experience to the mission. Though initially sceptical due to the unforeseen dangers awaiting them, Conrad’s convinced by the promise of cold, hard cash and is intrigued by Skull Island, and the mystery surrounding Monarch’s true intentions. Striking up a subtle, but unmistakable attraction with anti-war photographer Mason Weaver, Conrad immediately adapts to the alien terrain and leads the survivors of Packard’s team though the jungle, taking charge of one group and prioritising reaching a preset rendezvous point while Packard directs another group in an increasingly insane attempt to avenge their losses against Kong. Though respectful of Packard’s command and experience, Conrad soon finds himself as the voice of reason when Packard threatens to risk his life (and the lives of his men) in a futile assault against Kong, consistently managing to appease the crazed Colonel into letting the civilians trek to safety rather than join his vendetta. Adaptable and a keen marksman and swordsman, Conrad is a dashing, enigmatic hero with an affable personality, constantly keeping a cool head and being respectful to those he meets. While the soldiers have itchy trigger fingers, Conrad peacefully greets the mysterious and silent Iwi tribe and is both sympathetic towards and intrigued by marooned U.S. Army Air Forces Lieutenant Hank Marlow’s (Reilly) plight and insight into Kong and his island. While Weaver is worthy of attracting even a giant ape’s lust and attention, Kong: Skull Island avoids having the ape become fixated on her and she instead documents the trip, snapping shots of the island, its inhabitants, and echoing Conrad’s call for peace and extraction rather than fighting an unwinnable war. She ends up in the thick of the action when Packard riles up the vicious “Skullcrawlers” that threaten Kong’s rule but plays a role in distracting the creatures to aid Kong and, like her predecessors in previous Kong movies, requires the Titan’s aid when he battles to curb the Skullcrawler threat.

Packard’s men are unprepared for Skull Island’s monsters and burned out from futile war.

Having been shot down in World War II alongside Japanese pilot Gunpei Ikari (Miyavi), Marlow has been stranded on Skull Island for nearly thirty years and left a little kooky as a result. While the Iwi are far more benevolent than previous Skull Island natives, they’re largely mute and he’s been left to his own thoughts ever since Gunpei was killed by a Skullcrawler. He’s thus ecstatic when Conrad and the others arrive and enthusiastically warns of the island’s dangers while delivering exposition regarding Kong, who’s recast as a bad tempered but ultimately benign God to the locals. While Marlow’s been unable to escape, warrant officer Reg Slivko (Thomas Mann) cobbles together the remains of his plane and a rudimentary raft to carry them to the rendezvous point, leading Marlow to bid an emotional farewell to his saviours, learn how the world has changed during his absence, and anxiously contemplate returning to his wife and son (Beth Kennedy and Will Brittain). Though Conrad defers to Marlow’s expertise, Packard isn’t as convinced and largely dismisses the pilot, refusing to heed his warnings about venturing into Skullcrawler territory and challenging Kong. Packard’s men, though exhausted from the futility of the Vietnam War and eager to return home, attack their new mission with gusto, convinced they can brave any threat. While many are one-dimensional characters, they provide enough charisma to make an impression, from warrant officer Glenn Mills (Jason Mitchell) being obsessed with his beloved mother, Silvo being torn between his duty and his morals, and Captain Earl Cole (Shea Whigham) maintaining a stoic calm no matter how many monsters he encounters. Even Cole reaches his limit, however, after everything he’s witnessed and Packard’s lunacy, leading to him attempting a dramatic sacrifice only to be undone when the Skullcrawler simply swipes him into a cliff. Major Jack Chapman (Kebbell) may as well be wearing a bullseye the entire film with all his pining for his son, Billy, which predictably leads to his gruesome death at the jaws of a Skullcrawler, adding further fuel to Packard’s obsession.

Packard’s obsession with killing Kong sees his men devoured and killed by some horrific monsters.

Portrayed as a grizzled war veteran who’s reached his limit, Packard has more than a few similarities to the likes of Colonel Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando) and Captain Ahab. Feeling disillusioned and cheated out of victory in Vietnam, Packard jumps at the assignment to breach Skull Island’s storm front and venture into a new land, seemingly determined to assert his dominance rather than be humiliated by underequipped natives. Packard is personally affronted when Kong lashes out at his men when they drop Monarch’s seismic charges, becoming deadset on avenging his losses and continuing his war, no matter what it costs. Since his men are loyal to him, Packard’s fixation of reaching a weapons cache is only questioned by the likes of Conrad and Marlow, who emphasise safety and retreat over conflict. Packard, however, has none of this, threatening his allies at gunpoint when they disagree with him and being determined to kill Kong, despite the greater threat of the Skullcrawlers. As you’d expect, this obsession becomes Packard’s undoing as he refuses to set aside his grievances and only causes more death as even his seasoned troops are no match for Skull Island. Rather than being populated by dinosaurs, this Skull Island is full of unique, gigantic insects and other creatures that expertly camouflage into the jungle and easily get the drop on the unsuspecting grunts. While the Sker Buffalo is mostly harmless, the gigantic and frankly unsettling Mother Longlegs masquerades as mambo trees and skewers or webs up many of Packard’s men and Chapman is briefly spooked when a giant log turns out to be a Spore Mantis! Packard’s causal sniping of ugly “birds” unsettles a slew of voracious, bat-like Psychovultures who rip poor Victor Nieves (John Ortiz) to pieces and give Conrad a chance to show off his sick sword skills. Kong tangles with and partially devours a Mire Squid in a call-back to King Kong vs. Godzilla (Honda, 1962) but even his mighty strength and dominance is tested by the ferocious Skullcrawlers, who pop up from natural vents to devour everything in sight.

The fiercely territorial Kong is now a cranky but benevolent protector who defends his land.

Since Skullcrawlers wiped out Kong’s species, Kong has a natural vendetta against them and is duty bound to wipe them out lest their gigantic alpha re-emerge. This drives him to attack Packard’s helicopters as their seismic charges awaken the Skullcrawlers, who chow down on Chapman and Randa, spewing up their bones and clothing in surprisingly gruesome scenes and snagging prey with their frog-like tongues. In keeping with the MonsterVerse portraying Godzilla as a benevolent force, the large (but still growing) Kong is seen as a protector figure. The Iwi’s wall isn’t to keep Kong out, but to deter the Skullcrawlers, who terrorised their people for a thousand years before the Apus Giganticus defended them. Depicted as “king” of Skull Island, Kong again carries many scars and wounds from his constant battling to maintain his position as the land’s alpha. Marlow relates some of Kong’s backstory, depicting him as the last of his kind and we again the skeletal remains of his people, this time littering the Skullwalker’s turf and that the Iwi revere Kong’s protection through paintings (though they seemingly don’t offer him female sacrifices). Kong is largely disinterested in humans, ignoring them until they become a threat and barely interested in even the alluring Weaver. No longer simply an enlarged ape, Kong is depicted as an unknowable, unique entity, standing upright and having anthropomorphic tendencies while also emphasising his intelligence. Kong utilises makeshift weapons, such as an uprooted tree or the propeller of a scuttled ship, when battling Skullcrawlers alongside his usual brute strength, with him again favouring snapping his foe’s jaws. Kong becomes the embodiment of Packard’s obsession, a dangerous an alien “other” he can vent his insanity and frustration on, and is seen as a threat to the world despite him simply defending his territory. While Kong largely dismisses Packard, the irrational Colonel earns the Titan’s wrath through a napalm attack, leading to the enraged Kong simply crushing his would-be adversary like a gnat.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Kong: Skull Island makes the bold decision to focus basically its entire runtime on Skull Island, stranding its characters there and giving them a ticking clock to get to a rendezvous point before they’re potentially trapped like Marlow was. Unlike previous Kong movies, however, Kong: Skull Island emphasises action and a constant battle for survival, with the burned out and overwhelmed soldiers adding a touch of flavour to the proceedings as they’re slightly better equipped than the usual film crews and sailors who venture to the island. The film also cleverly limits their  encounters with the island’s inhabitants, emphasising quality over quantity to offer horrific insectile creatures and ensure that the CGI holds up far better than in Peter Jackson’s overstuffed remake. The film’s pacing also benefits from this, with the action moving at a steady pace and a sense of urgency in both teams as they battle to their objectives, while still giving poignant moments with Marlow and allowing Hiddleston and Larson to sizzle with their subtle chemistry. Not only does Kong not become protective of Weaver, he’s also one of the few Kongs to not only survive but also remain on the island, dramatically presenting Kong as a key player in the MonsterVerse. This is further emphasised in the post-credit scene, where Conrad and Weaver (who sadly never appear again) are given a taste of Kong’s true destiny, which is to defend the Earth from other, less benevolent Titans. The film also changes the Iwi to be far more altruistic than previous natives, with them welcoming outcasts while also being a deeply prideful people. They offer shelter and exposition and are said to have moved past concepts of war and personal possessions, providing a stark contrast to the “Oorah!” gusto of Packard’s soldiers, who cannot deny the call to take up arms even if they’re tired of the futility of war. Indeed, Packard’s men were looking forward to going home when the call came in, though their burned-out Colonel is consumed by the need to not be denied a victory of a native, seemingly primitive force like in Vietnam.  

A quality over quantity approach allows the film’s monsters to be more impressive and horrifying.

Rather than being hidden by an impenetrable fog, Skull Island is now protected by a violent storm that deters ships and planes from venturing further but is easily bypassed by Packard’s helicopters. The island is still a prehistoric lost world, home to many unique, gigantic, and dangerous creatures, but is also seemingly ground zero for the Hollow Earth, immense underground tunnels where Titans and unknowable monsters dwell. Fiercely territorial, Kong fights off any incursions from the Hollow Earth, primarily the voracious Skullcrawlers, but isn’t against asserting his dominance over the likes of the Mire Squid. Each is brought to life through some startlingly detailed CGI, with Kong being the obvious standout. The biggest he’s ever been (at that time), Kong dominates the horizon, rendered as an ape/man hybrid of sorts who leaps and crashes about rather than swinging through the trees. With thick, impressively rendered fur, a war-torn body, and a deeply expressive face, Kong exudes both a cantankerous attitude (like he’s sick of Packard’s shit) and a gruff intelligence, especially in his determination to battle the “Big One” and take up makeshift arms. While the Mire Squid looks a little dodgy, the water and blood effects on Kong are otherwise remarkable, with this easily being the most impressive version to date and him often appearing in daylight. The Skullcrawlers are effective nightmare fuel, being strange, lizard-like mutates with a voracious appetite and unnerving exposed skull. It’s the other insectile inhabitants that really caught my eye, though, as Kong: Skull Island presents new monsters rather than dinosaur variants, giving us horrific creatures like the Mother Longlegs to force us (and the characters) to question everything about their surroundings. Although the soldiers pack some serious firepower and later upgrade to napalm, they’re constantly depicted as out of their depth on Skull Island and it takes every resource they have to battle even one Skullcrawler, forcing them to flee just like they withdrew from Vietnam as their weapons are ultimately useless against the prehistoric land’s occupants.

Kong’s strength and intelligence see him victorious and ready to face now Titan threats…

Upon first seeing Kong, Packard’s already fragile mind snaps like a twig. While he initially frames his vendetta as a search party for Chapman, Packard’s true intention is to find the weapons cache and gain the means to kill Kong. When Marlow balks at this, Packard turns violent, lashing out and threatening him and Conrad at gunpoint before being convinced to pursue his vendetta with his few loyal men. However, as Kong is the only thing keeping the Skullcrawlers from running rampant and potentially threatening the world, Marlow convinces Conrad to intervene when Packard sets a trap not laced with chloroform, but with napalm, luring Kong with seismic charges and thus unleashing the alpha Skullcrawler. After fending off multiple smaller beasts, Kong battles the Titan-sized threat, which Marlow warned could be more than the ape’s match since it previously killed his parents. Indeed, while Kong easily dispatches of the smaller creatures, the Big One is a far greater threat, sending Kong hurtling across the swamp. While Kong is briefly tangled up in a scuttled ship’s chains, he uses this to his advantage, wrapping it around his arm and swinging the rusted propeller to gain the upper hand. When Weaver gets a little too close to the action, she ends up in Kong’s massive fist when he dramatically and gruesomely wrenches the Big One’s insides out tongue first to establish himself as the dominant Titan of Skull Island. Exhausted, overwhelmed, and in awe of Kong’s feat, Conrad leads the survivors to the rendezvous point and leaves Kong to roar his victory across the land. In the aftermath, a nervous, freshly shaved, and decorated Marlow finally returns home, embraced by his wife and stunned son while Conrad and Weaver are warned that other Titans are still to be discovered and their experiences have only justified Monarch’s existence…

The Summary:
I’ve always been a big fan of Kong: Skull Island. On paper, there are some elements that I wasn’t sure would work as it changes the concept of King Kong quite a bit, but it all comes together really nicely and presents a new, if familiar, version of the world’s most famous ape. Setting the film against the background of the Vietnam War and making allusions of Apocalypse Now was a great way to present a new spin on the Kong concept and Samuel L. Jackson gave a terrific, scenery chewing performance as the crazed Packard. While many of his soldiers weren’t as fleshed out, they shined enough through their identifiable traits and Tom Hiddleston and John C. Reilly went a long way to making up for any of their shortcomings. Hiddleston makes for a convincing action hero and I remain disappointed that he never got to reprise this role in the MonsterVerse films. I also loved Marlow’s blend of comic relief, wackiness, and poignant emotion. Kong: Skull Island equally impresses with its action-packed narrative, which breaks the tradition of presenting dull, boring boat and island sequences in Kong films, and by offering unique and well-crafted monsters to provide some tension. Kong was beautifully brought to life as a fantastic throwback to his origins and recast as a curmudgeonly protector, one as intelligent as he is fierce, and it was great to see him portrayed as something more than just a tragic beast. Kong: Skull Island also stands the test of time as a more grounded, intense entry in the increasingly over-the-top MonsterVerse films, laying the foundation of big, world-shaking blockbusters with a gritty, captivating discussion on the trauma of war and man’s obsession with conquering both nature and perceived primitive forces.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Were you a fan of he MonsterVerse version of King Kong? What did you think to him being presented as a protector figure? Which of Skull Island’s monsters was your favourite? Did you like the allusions to Apocalypse Now and Packard’s obsession with killing Kong? Would you have liked to see a Kong solo sequel and which MonsterVerse movie is your favourite version? How are you celebrating Kaiju this month? let me know what you think about the MonsterVerse in the comments, donate to my Ko-Fi if you want to see more MonsterVerse content, and go check out my other King Kong and Kaiju reviews!

Movie Night [K-Month]: Peter Jackson’s King Kong

Dr. K4 Comments

In the absolutely bonkers science-fiction film Pacific Rim (del Toro, 2013), the monstrous Kaiju first attacked humanity on 10th August 2013, which was subsequently branded “K-DAY”. To celebrate this event, and giant monster movies, I’m dedicating every Sunday in August to one of cinema’s most prolific monsters: King Kong!

Released: 14 December 2005
Director: Peter Jackson
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Budget: $207 million
Stars: Adrien Brody, Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Andy Serkis, Kyle Chandler, and Thomas Kretschmann

The Plot:
Vaudeville performer Ann Darrow (Watts) joins struggling filmmaker Carl Denham (Black) on a venture to Skull Island, only to be kidnapped by the might giant ape “Kong” (Serkis), prompting playwright Jack Driscoll (Brody) to lead a rescue.

The Background:
About a hundred years ago, filmmaker, adventurer, and former World War I aviator Merian C. Cooper brought his vision of a giant gorilla ascending the Empire State Building to life with King Kong (Cooper and Schoedsack, 1933), one of the most influential movies ever made. Followed by a comedic and divisive sequel that same year, a profitable but polarising clash with Godzilla, and a “Suitmation” blunder that ended Toho’s brief stint with the creature, an ambitious remake impressed critics and turned a profit in 1976. Although the 1986 sequel was critically and commercially panned, Universal Pictures pursued life-long King Kong fan Peter Jackson about a remake during the mid-nineties. Though initially hesitant, Jackson eventually agreed to the project, though production stalled due to studio concerns and wouldn’t pick up again until Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films (ibid, 2001 to 2003) proved box office hits. Though this gave Jackson carte blanche to revive King Kong, the budget ballooned during pre-production, which included the restoration of a lost scene of the original. The filmmakers spent hours reviewing footage of real-world gorillas and star Andy Serkis threw himself into the role, playing an integral part in the character’s motion capture process. Weta Digital supervised the visual effects, which reimagined Kong as a less anthropomorphised creature and pitted him against various dinosaur-like creatures. On the human side of things, Jack Black played against type as the opportunistic Denham, Adrien Brody enjoyed the challenge of such an effects-heavy film, and Jackson kept and released comprehensive production dairies during filming. The result was a nearly-$600 million blockbuster that was accompanied by an innovative videogame and wowed audiences with its visuals, Serkis’s captivating performance, and impressive reimagining of the original. Although some criticised the runtime and bloated script, there were plans for a sequel, and then a prequel, before both were scrapped in favour of a “MonsterVerse” reboot in 2017.

The Review:
While some visuals and shots appear to have been inspired by the 1976 remake of King Kong, Peter Jackson’s big-budget, CGI-stuffed epic is a love letter to the 1933 original at its core. Thus, King Kong is a period piece taking place in the middle of the Great Depression, when times are so hard that theatres are largely empty, working class people struggle to make ends meet, and the streets are filled with the destitute and homeless. Naturally, the 1% are still thriving and there’s still money to be thrown around and made, but it’s all firmly in the hands of the upper class and the rich, meaning aspirational filmmaker Carl Denham must beg for funding for his projects and struggling stage actress Ann Darrow resorts to stealing and being sorely tempted by to the burlesque scene. Whereas the original King Kong moved at a brisk pace, quickly spiriting characters between scenes, Peter Jackson’s movie takes its sweet time, building atmosphere and giving audiences ample time to become familiar with its bloated cast. Thus, we spend the first twenty minutes following Denham and Ann as their divergent paths cross due to happenstance. Hoping to film a romantic adventure in the jungle, Carl (…somehow…) acquires a map to the mysterious and uncharted Skull Island, where he plans to wow audiences with sights and sounds they’ve never experienced. Unfortunately, his producers are unconvinced by his bold claims and impulsive nature and eventually issue a warrant for his arrest, to say nothing of his lead actress quitting and forcing him to trawl the burlesque scene for a quick replacement. This is where he spots Ann, who he’s immediately entranced by and whom he woos with talk of high adventure and romance, convinced she’s the perfect fit not just physically but also emotionally since she’s the “saddest girl [he’s] ever seen”. Known more for her comedy, Ann is sceptical of Denham and, despite being close to starvation, initially rejects his offer before finally acquiescing since his project’s being penned by her idol, Jack Driscoll.

Duped by Denham, Driscoll and Ann find love and brave the dangers of Skull Island.

Thanks to Denham being a natural showman with a silver tongue and his fearless, convincing nature, the filmmaker convinces everyone of his vision even though they all seem to know that he’s bullshitting and they’ll never get paid. Cameraman Herb (John Sumner) and Denham’s personal assistant Preston (Colin Hanks) are touchingly loyal but the mysteriously gruff and confrontational Captain Englehorn (Kretschmann) is extremely sceptical and only convinced to cast off by promises of more money. This is exactly how Denham stalls Driscoll when he turns in his rough fifteen-page draft and tries to leave, only to be trapped onboard the ship and forced to work on the script in the animal pen (because Englehorn conveniently specialises in live animal captures). Despite this, Driscoll seems happy to join the venture, inspired by the mysterious allure of Skull Island and captivated by Ann, who admires his work and is equally attracted to him (despite a rocky start). Ann changes once on the ship, seemingly putting on the façade of a Hollywood starlet, and throws herself into the gig, delivering cheesy lines alongside arrogant film star Bruce Baxter (Chandler) and inspiring Driscoll to write a stage comedy tailored to her strengths. By the time they reach Skull Island, the two are unquestionably lovers and Driscoll shows a surprising amount of guts, desperately trying to shield Ann from the wild natives and partially leading the rescue attempt when she’s taken by Kong. While it takes time for Bruce to live up to his reputation as a screen hero, Driscoll eagerly arms himself and heads into the jungle, fighting giant bugs, outpacing rampaging dinosaurs, and even going alone when separated. Luckily, Driscoll encounters no further obstacles and goes right to where Kong has Ann captive and even returns to the native village in record time. However, the experience changes him (and all the survivors) and he distances himself from Denham’s Kong circus, sharing Ann’s shame in separating the giant beast from his homeland. Driscoll’s then inspired by his own writing to reunite with Ann and recaptures the fire he showed on Skull Island to brave Kong’s rampage and lure him away from civilians.

While Carl’s obsessed with fortune, Ann comes to bond and care for the lonely, misunderstood Kong.

This is true of Ann as well. Although she’s initially horrified by Kong, Ann keeps her head and tries numerous ways to disinterest the beast, from playing dead, to running away, and finally performing her comedy routine. While the film heavily implies that Kong has toyed with and devoured his previous offerings, Ann’s dancing and buffoonery amuses him and spares her. Even when she admonishes him for pushing her around, Kong throws a tantrum and sulks rather than simply squashing or eating her, and Ann comes to be taken by not only him, but the beauty of Skull Island. This is matched only by the dangers living there and Ann is tossed about, firmly held in Kong’s grasp as he battles ferocious Vastatosaurus rexes, leading to her not only sympathising with his great loneliness and constant strife but also being indebted to him. While almost reluctant to leave Kong’s side, Ann is grateful to be saved but horrified when Kong is wounded and knocked unconscious by chloroform. She’s so guilt-ridden that she refuses to star in Denhem’s Kong show but seemingly senses Kong’s anguish, willing approaching him on the frigid streets of Broadway and sharing a few tender moments before the National Guard attack. While Driscoll echoes this sympathy, Denham does not; he misleads the crew from the start and is obsessed with making his picture, no matter the danger. Even when his crew are killed, he spins it into a positive and urges the survivors to rally, his enthusiasm turning to a malicious spite when his footage is wrecked. This sees him pivot towards capturing the beast, challenging Captain Englehorn’s reputation and being the one to KO Kong. Denham then fully transforms into a conniving showman under the bright lights of New York City, despite the survivors judging him for his actions, and never receives any comeuppance aside from his show and reputation being left in tatters.

A lot of screen time is spent on characters who either die horribly or disappear once Kong is captured.

Had King Kong focused on these three and the way their experiences change them, it might’ve benefitted the run time. Ann is stunned by how hardened Denham is when she’s rescued from Kong and it’s clear all three are traumatised by their near-death experience, but the film focuses its runtime on the Venture’s motley crew. First, there’s Lumpy (Serkis), the gruff and disgusting chef who shares stories about Skull Island and its mysterious beast and who meets a gruesome end courtesy of some monstrous (if cartoonish) worms. Then there’s Ben Hayes (Evan Parke), a natural leader thanks to his days in the military who acts as a mentor to young Jimmy (Jamie Bell), whom he found as a savage stowaway some years ago. These two eat up a lot of screen time on the lengthy journey to Skull Island, with Jimmy eager to impress his mentor, strangely determined to rescue Ann despite them never sharing any screen time, and making not-so-subtle allusions to Heart of Darkness (Conrad, 1899) to emphasise the dangers of Skull Island. I do feel this dialogue and these allusions could’ve easily been given to Driscoll (he is a writer, after all) to reduce or even remove these two from the film as they don’t add anything and stick out like a sore thumb. Jimmy’s forced to step up after Hayes suffers a surprisingly violent death at Kong’s hands, comically saving Driscoll from some giant bugs, but he vanishes once they get to New York. Similarly, while I enjoyed Captain Englehorn’s strangely confrontational nature, he also vanishes after Kong’s subdued. He plays a vital role in rescuing the group when they’re trapped in the bug pit, however, and conveniently has enough chloroform to knock out a giant ape since he coincidentally deals in live animal capture, something that doesn’t come up until Denham decides to capture Kong. Finally, screen star Bruce turns out to be a complete coward but, considering none of them were prepared for Skull Island’s dangers, he’s absolutely right to be. Though he steps up to encourage Englehorn’s rescue, Bruce reverts to type when he’s cast as the “hero” in Denham’s Kong circus and then flees during the ape’s rampage, his sole focus on saving his own skin.

The savage natives live alongside a bunch of monstrous, prehistoric predators.

While it’s never made clear how Denham got the map to Skull Island, the Venture discovers it easily, only struggling with the thick fog, rough seas, and jagged rocks. Though the island appears deserted, it casts a distinctly ominous and malevolent appearance with its Kong-like rocks and the gigantic wall adorned with skeletons of previous sacrifices. The native tribe are more vicious and animalistic than ever, resembling Orcs from Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies and often shot with shaky cam to highlight how savage they are. A primitive tribe who both worship and fear Kong, the natives assume more ape-like characteristics, appear to be cannibals, and are shockingly violent, murdering some of the crew with spears and skull bashing. Though scared off by gun fire, they comically pole vault to the Venture to abduct Ann, subjecting her to a ritual that is far more ghastly than usual thanks to torrential rain and their wild movements. Even the wall and its massive door is so much more elaborate here, with Ann suspended over a gorge filled with flames and magma like something out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Spielberg, 1984). However, like the Venture’s crew, the natives disappear after Kong abducts Ann, never interfering with Denham’s capture plan or suffering Kong’s wrath when he chases her. Skull Island’s jungle is equally hostile, being a veritable lost world populated by giant, disgusting bugs and dinosaurs. Although there’s a palpable danger, isolation, and unpredictability and I appreciate that it’s populated by prehistoric creatures, they don’t always look good and there’s a definite sense of quantity over quality. The stampeding Brontosaurus baxteri are particularly cartoonish, especially when they fall and pile up, and I’m not sure we needed the bug pit scene. It’s great that Jackson revived it but it goes on way too long and it would’ve been much faster to have some of the crew perish from the fall or be picked off by a few giant bugs as they explore.

The fierce jungle king is reduced to a mere spectacle in the U.S.

Unlike in previous King Kong movies, Kong is unmistakably a gigantic ape, with mannerisms and influences from various primates and Homo sapiens thanks to Serkis’s experience with portraying these creatures. Kong leaps, swings, clambers, and moves on all four limbs rather than being anthropomorphised. While this certainly makes him more realistic, he does lose some allure as he appears to be a unique and undiscovered prehistoric ape rather than some mythical beast. Still, there’s a lot of intrigue around Kong as the giant ape bones hint that he’s the last of his kind and he’s a very lonely creature who constantly fights for his position as “king” of the island. While Kong toys with his prey and is clearly an ancient being, he throws tantrums, reacts violently to trespassers, and flies into such a rage when Driscoll rescues Ann that he blunders into an obvious trap. Kong is a savage fighter, brutalising opponents and even devouring people, but is also capable of great sadness and emotion. He fiercely protects Ann from the V. Rexes and scoops her onto his shoulder, sharing his quiet place with her and being so captivated by her that he flies into a rage when Denham presents him with a substitute (Julia Walshaw). Strangely, despite nearly an hour on the Venture, we never see how Kong is brought aboard the ship or the conditions he’s kept in on the (presumably long) journey home. However, when Denham unveils Kong, he’s weak, possibly malnourished, and completely defeated. He’s enraged by the substitute and the flash bulbs, tearing through Broadway and scooping up any screaming blonde he comes across. Kong is as out of his depth in the concrete jungle as Denham’s party were on the island, struggling to navigate the cramped streets and being drawn to the highest point on pure instinct. Kong is probably his most impressive and nuanced here and a great deal of time and effort has gone into him, but I can’t help but be a little disappointed by how familiar he is. Like how many critics attacked Godzilla (Emmerich, 1998) for being an enlarging an iguana, I remain disappointed that Kong wasn’t more unknowable and bestial.

The Nitty-Gritty:
King Kong is an adventure into the unknown, with Denham selling his entire crew on the fortune and glory of the mysterious Skull Island. It’s honestly strange that more characters don’t call him out on this, with even the gruff Captain Englehorn going along despite not being paid and orders to turn Carl in. I really enjoyed the references to Fay Wray and Merian C. Cooper, the lines spoken by Ann and Bruce aboard the Venture mirroring the clunky dialogue of the original film, and even the photographers clambering on Kong’s corpse like in the 1976 film. While I appreciate the film fleshing out its characters, it really should’ve focused on Ann, Carl, and Jack. It takes twenty minutes for the Venture to cast off, almost an hour to reach Skull Island, over an hour for Kong to appear, and over two hours to get back to New York! Every aspect of the original is bigger, longer, and more grandiose but that doesn’t necessarily make it “better” as Jackson takes twice as long to make the same points. The pacing is also really strange as we spend so much time blundering though the jungle and yet Ann and Driscoll get back to the village in record time (even with the Terapusmordax obscenus’ assist). We have time to waste with a slow-motion reveal of the island’s name but not showing how Kong gets on the ship, or any of the return trip. Similarly, we get to see Ann and Kong slipping about on a frozen pool (an admittedly sweet scene) but interactions between her and Kong on the ship that could’ve achieved the same goal and been less cheesy. Finally, it’s bizarre that so many characters we’ve been forced to follow vanish once the film returns to New York. There’s no real payoff to Jimmy’s sub-plot and even Bruce reverts to type, with only Preston reappearing to cast judgement on Denham during his circus.

While Kong and the period aesthetic look great, some effects suffer and are too cartoonish.

Still, King Kong’s greatest strengths are its visuals. The film emphasises that this is the 1930s with the accents, attitudes, and society of the time. I would’ve liked Ann to be more motivated by her desperate hunger and desire to avoid stripping off for money, but I liked how tactile and gritty the Venture was. Skull Island makes an immediate impression thanks not only to how menacing it’s portrayed but how real-world locations are used alongside practical effects, miniatures, and CGI. This makes the many pitfalls the crew suffer more believable, but sadly also makes obvious green screen moments stand out more. To be fair, Jackson may be evoking old school rear projection techniques, but that’s a generous excuse as the Brontosaurus baxteri stampede, Ann fleeing the V. Rex, and her and Hayes being manhandled by Kong are all times instances where the effects take a hit. The dinosaurs, especially, are far too cartoonish and I think Jackson was being far too ambitious here. Like, pick between the bug pit and the dinosaur stampede and put more time, effort, and money into one big effects scene rather than two. Jackson’s desire to outdo the original is most apparent when Kong fights three V. Rexes while clutching Ann, tumbling over a cliff, and being entangled in vines! Still, this is a big, heroic moment for Kong and he’s easily the best effect here, even in full light, with detailed fur and facial expressions conveying many emotions. Covered in scars from constant battle and sporting a cracked tooth, there’s a real sense of power, speed, and size when Kong’s crashing through the jungle and leaping about. These sequences cleverly focus on Ann to make them more harrowing, but Kong still lacks the true impact of a physical effect. There’s nothing practical about him, which is a shame as he really does look great, and I give the film credit for staging its finale in broad daylight to fully showcase Kong’s effects and dramatic end.

Despite Ann’s best efforts and his valiant fight, Kong’s rampage ends with his tragic death.

Even when his most loyal followers are killed, Denham persists with his obsession, only pivoting towards capturing Kong after he loses his precious footage. To his credit, Denham does mention the lives lost in capturing the “Eighth Wonder of the World” but goes full P.T. Barnum when introducing Kong, revelling in the accolades and spotlight and never once showing any remorse, even after Kong dies. Though weak, Kong flies into a rage during the show and easily breaks his heavy chains, rampaging through the theatre and charging through the slippery New York streets, desperate to reunite with Ann and causing destruction and death in his wild pursuit. Indeed, Kong Kong is surprisingly violent and bloody at times, with people impaled by spears, having their skulls crushed, being tossed aside or eaten by Kong, and Kong tearing apart the V. Rexes. Ann seems to sense Kong’s distress and goes to him to calm him after Driscoll valiantly tries to lure him away from people. Sadly, their sweet reunion is interrupted by the National Guard and Kong is soon scaling the Empire State Building, attracted by its lights and height. Ann goes with him willingly, no longer afraid and seeking only to calm Kong’s anger, and the two share another moment basking in the beauty of the city before the biplanes close in. As ever, Kong protects Ann first and foremost, even saving her from a plummet even as he’s bleeding to death from bullet wounds, but he’s noticeably more aggressive in the finale. Kong challenges the planes, swatting them from the sky when they fly too close, but ultimately succumbs to his wounds when they relentlessly fire upon him. Though Ann desperately pleads for them to stop, they attack when Kong’s back is turned and he collapses, sharing his final breaths with Ann on the top of the Empire State Building before plummeting to the street below. Though powerless to assist in this tragic end, Driscoll does push past the military to comfort Ann after the fall, which sees Kong reduced to a sad spectacle once again as the discredited Denham looks on.

The Summary:
As a big Kong Kong fan, and someone who loved Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, you better believe I was hyped for this remake at the time. I remember going to see it at the cinema and being so disappointed and bored that I never bothered to pick it up on DVD and have largely avoided it whenever it’s on television. Visually, this King Kong is unparalleled even to this day. Skull Island has never been so terrifying and alive as it is here, with the natives giving off Cannibal Holocaust (Deodato, 1980) energy and the many dinosaurs evoking the Jurassic films (Various, 1993 to present). Oddly, though they’re unprepared for Skull Island’s dangers, Denham’s crew adapts remarkably well to the environment, braving the unknown to rescue Ann simply to be crushed or devoured by the wildlife. Sadly, though, “bigger” doesn’t always mean “better” and Jackson seems to have been far too ambitious here, cramming so much into the film that it takes away from Kong’s spectacle. And it’s a shame because Kong is spectacular here, despite essentially just being a giant ape rather than some otherworldly beast, showcasing a range of emotions and being a brutal, savage fighter who openly mocks his prey. Jackson’s efforts to pay homage to the film that inspired his career leads to a bloated, tedious film whose pacing is all over the place. While it’s nice to have more three-dimensional characters, it’s bizarre that so much screen time goes to characters who either die or disappear rather than to the three leads, who would’ve benefitted from this extra exposure. The film oddly glosses over some key points and seems strangely rushed at the end, with little emphasis placed on the juxtaposition of Kong in the concrete jungle versus the real jungle. I did like how Kong was more aggressive and fought so valiantly in the finale as it matched his fighting spirit on Skull Island, and his death remains as tragically hollow as ever, but it all lacks a lot of punch because the film is just way too long. The runtime would’ve greatly benefited from trimming or cutting some scenes because, as it is, King Kong is an undeniable visual spectacle and an amazing modern take on the concept, but too self-indulgent, too ambitious, and crippled by its lengthy runtime that does nothing but make it an obnoxious and tedious chore to sit through.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Peter Jackson’s version of King Kong? Do you agree that it’s far too long and focuses on too many side characters or did you appreciate the characterisations? Were you surprised at how violent the natives were and the viciousness of Skull Island’s inhabitants? What did you think to Kong, his appearance, and his more animalistic portrayal? Which version of Kong is your favourite how are you celebrating K-Day today? Whatever your thoughts on this big-budget King Kong remake, or other monster movies, drop a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other King Kong and Kaiju content!