Film Review - Man of Steel (2013)

Directed by Zack Snyder and Produced by Chris Nolan, Man of Steel attempts to retell the story of Superman with this time Henry Cavill plays Superman as his father Jor-El's (Russell Crowe) arch enemy General Zod (Michael Shannon) escapes his imprisonment and comes to Earth ready to conquer once again.

It would be fair to say that I went into this new Superman movie excited but also very nervous, the first two films as handled by Richard Donner found the right approach for the character in terms of having the fun of it as well as the serious side and the action, something that would've come together in Superman II had Donner not been fired from that film, that said Bryan Singer's 2006 Superman film didn't do much so could this new one pull off a surprise?

Well, it does and it doesn't as the film is simply okay, nothing terrible but also nothing all that special either, first off I'll talk about the positives I do think Cavill is pretty good here and he comes across as a worthy successor to Christopher Reeve but it takes him some time to find his feet in the role, Amy Adams is nice and inspired as Lois but her character sadly is more of an afterthought this time, being in the film because well we have to have Lois appear in a Superman film even though she doesn't really add an awful lot to this story.

But the real show stealer here is Kevin Costner as Pa Kent, inspired casting for sure and it more than delivers, so much show I could easily imagine him saying Glenn Ford's lines from the first film "One thing I do know son and that is you are here for a Reason.", it was for me the only real human element the film had.

As for Shannon as Zod well he's disappointing as he goes way to over the top in the role and comes across as nothing more than a violent brute which Terence Stamp's Zod wasn't plus Shannon's Zod isn't very smart in terms of finding out about his new powers until he's on Earth whereas Stamp in Superman II puts it all together on the Moon, Stamp was also much straighter and much more menacing than Shannon is, again reflecting the approach to the characters Richard Donner took with his Superman films.

Snyder really finds his stride in the climax with enormous special effects and destruction sequences and very very very very loud noises that just become way too much for one person to handle and it all goes on so fast that you don't get any real idea what is going on or who is fighting whom and when it's over you just think to yourself "Thank the Maker"

The other main thought I had during this movie was how much I was reminded of the first film, it wants to evoke it so badly but like Singer's film a few years ago it misses the point, Man of Steel doesn't have the comic touch, the heart, the majesty or the wonder of Donner's film which are a few key reasons that film holds up so wonderfully well.

And lastly as for Hans Zimmer's score well its very bombastic and not that fantastic and makes John Williams's beautiful score from the first film sound like a great opera and believe me Williams's score for the first Superman is one of those great film scores of all time that tugs every emotion and heartstring a human can have.

So all in all, Man of Steel is a decent enough film thanks mainly to those key cast members doing more than the material allows them to do but you can easily avoid this movie and rent Richard Donner's first two Superman films instead which are still wonderful examples of comic book movies that balance heart, excitement and humour in a seamless way, 2 out of 5.

Film Review - Monsters University (2013)

Monsters University is the prequel to Pixar's 2001 film Monsters Inc and like that film Billy Crystal and John Goodman voice Mike and Sulley but this time the two meet while at Monsters University learning to become the scare duo that they will become in the earlier film.

Monsters University was a nice surprise for me, mainly due to the very fun and very charming chemistry between Goodman and Crystal, the two are simply wonderful together and like Goodman and his Argo co-star Alan Arkin, you could watch them do just about anything and it would be great fun to watch as they play off each other so well.

As for the film around them well surprisingly it was nice and light and at times very funny as the audience I saw it with were really enjoying themselves, it does become a little predictable as to where it will ultimately go but the film makes you believe that it won't feel like a inevitability but there will be a few bumps along the way, there are also some nice surprise cameos of characters from the earlier film which I and most who saw it in my audience enjoyed seeing.

But lastly I have to talk about the short cartoon "The Blue Umbrella" which plays before the film and it's a nice and charming silent short about a Blue and Red Umbrella during a Rainstorm and while its good I didn't think it was as good as "Paperman" which played before Wreck-It Ralph last year but it was still fun.

So all in all, Monsters University is a fun animated feature and a nice bounce back for Pixar after their last two films, definitely check it out but see it in 2D if you can, 3 out of 5.

Film Review - After Earth (2013)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan from a story by its star Will Smith, After Earth concerns Smith and his son Jaden as a father and son of the future 1000 years after humanity abandoned Earth but whilst on route to another planet they crash land on the deserted planet, where humans are not the dominant species but the dominant snack treat.

I really don't know where to begin with this movie so I'll start with the two main positives the first is the location photography, it's very very nice with all the caves and waterfalls and plants and cliffs, I was believing that I was really there facing these dangers.

The other has nothing at all to do with the film and that was seeing the trailers for "Pacific Rim" and "Man of Steel" on the big screen, Rim in particular looked very cool on the big screen and I can't wait to see it.

As for the film well, it's a disaster straight up from start to finish, nothing in it works and nothing much goes on at all, Smith Snr does nothing apart from sit around on what was most likely a soundstage set and act as wooden as a pine forest while Smith Jnr is the one that is forced to carry the film and I'm sorry he has the charisma of a wet blanket as his acting is not that much better and during a big emotional moment I just started laughing as it just didn't carry any conviction.

That said though I don't think this is entirely Shyamalan's fault, he's most likely acting under orders from Smith who's story this was and who is also one of the film's producers and his feet also has to be held to the fire for this as this was clearly his baby and that Shyamalan was his hired gun, no doubt due to his last couple of pictures being flops and was wanting the work, hey the man's gotta eat so I don't blame him entirely for this disaster, Smith has to share some of it as well.

And so with that, I cannot recommend After Earth as it has nothing going for it and it makes me a little sad to say that given how much of a Sci-Fi fan I am and we've had very little of them recently, needless to say the recent Oblivion with Tom Cruise looks like the Star Wars Trilogy compared to this, 0 out of 5.

Film Review - The Great Gatsby (2013)

Based off the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald and directed by veteran Australian director Baz Luhrmann, Gatsby tells the tale of Nick Calloway (Tobey Maguire) who comes to 1920's New York at the behest of his cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) but Calloway is also being watched by his next door neighbour, a man named Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).

It would be correct to say that I went into this new version of the Great Gatsby with very mixed expectations, I was not familiar with the original book nor was I all that familiar with the 1974 film version which starred Robert Redford plus this new version did not have very good previews for it before its release, with all of that could the film pull a surprise move and leave me feeling enjoyed?

Well surprisingly it did, I actually did enjoy this film, mainly due to the direction and performances, Luhrmann though he REALLY overdoes it in the beginning directs the film in a way that feels lavish and theatrical which feels appropriate somewhat given the time period the film is set in, I also liked the costumes that were designed by Catherine Martin as well as some of the musical score which at times had me tapping my feet and at times thinking "make it stop, make it stop" as it was that darn loud.

The film also has some very good performances going for it, chief among them is DiCaprio who has really come into his own as an adult actor and become one of his generation's best, he infuses Gatsby with mystery, charisma and charm and its simply terrific to watch him in this role, I also liked Mulligan in her role which is rare for me as I haven't enjoyed her in films very much at all and I also thought Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke and Jack Thompson were great as well and it was sure nice to see a few Aussies in the film.

But alas the film has two pretty big flaws going for it and allow me to spell those out more clearly:

The first and the biggest is the casting of Maguire, frankly he is very miscast in this role as he comes as so dooey eyed and so wet behind the ears that he becomes not very interesting to watch and his role is crucial to the identity of the story, the entire time he was on screen I kept thinking "This role would a wonderful opportunity for a young Australian actor but no we get this guy instead and for what, so they can stick his name on the marketing as one more big star that's in this movie, what a shame", that said though he did warm on me somewhat towards the end of the film but by that point I didn't really care all that much about his character.

The other is that the film lacks a certain amount of emotional payoff when it comes to some key relationships in the film, as it went on I was waiting for certain moments which I won't give away here to have more of a payoff on an emotional level than they ultimately did in the film, it's sad that given how much the film works that it finds itself lacking in terms of those emotional stakes both in the casting of Maguire and in terms of the film's key relationships.

But all in all despite that, The Great Gatsby 2013 is a good time at the movies Old Sport and one that I think is worth checking out but see it in 2D as I don't think 3D would do much for this film, 3 out of 5.