The greatest set-back of the first installment of the Ultimate Avengers animated franchise was the lack of character development or depth of any kind. Like most team-based movies which have to introduce a large cast with limited time, most characters don’t exceed their standard template or most noteworthy qualities. Ultimate Avengers 2, having already established the cast, gets to work fleshing them out into people you might actually care about. It doesn’t do a spectacular job, but it does make them more believable and likeable.
In the isolated African nation of Wakanda, the Nazi General Kleiser (thought deceased) has been stirring up trouble. T’chaka, the Ruler of Wakanda, perishes at his hand, passing the torch as well as the mantle of Black Panther to his son, T’Challa. It gets even worse when Krieger summons the entire Chitauri alien armada (from the previous film) to invade Wakanda. Black Panther goes against his society’s ancient traditions and contacts the Western world, specifically the Avengers, for assistance. The Avengers aren’t getting along, however. Captain America is terminally depressed, Iron Man’s health is failing, Thor is on the bad side of Odin, Bruce Banner has been imprisoned for his rampage as the Hulk and Giant Man and the Wasp are having serious marital problems. If they want to defeat Kleiser, they’ll need to pull their **** together. Um…again.
While the first Ultimate Avengers film combined and adapted the storyline of the first volume of Marvel’s the Ultimates comic book series, Ultimate Avengers 2 is nearly a completely new story. So fans of the comic series can look forward to some new material with only a few elements from the second volume of the comic thrown in. This worked out surprisingly well, as the story is pretty engaging and follows up on the open-ended plotlines of the first film admirably.
I’ve never been a big fan of the Black Panther. Not that I hate the guy, I’ve just never been interested-enough in the character to read any of his comics. This was one of my first real, serious exposures to the T’Challa and I have to admit, I found myself liking him. There were a few elements of the character they didn’t bother explaining in the movie (where did the mystical panther power come from) but I assume a Wikipedia search can answer those nagging questions. The nation of Wakanda was handled well and they work several of its key characteristics (the advanced technology and isolationism) into the film’s established story elements with a decent amount of creativity.
The Avengers from the previous film have more time to themselves in this movie, though a few get a greater spotlight than others. Black Widow, aside from apparently being in love with Captain America, is utterly devoid of any strong character moments, as is Nick Fury. Iron Man has a plot point left open (his health problems) which will be followed-up in the Iron Man solo movie, which will act as a prequel to the first Ultimate Avengers. The Wasp and Giant Man’s marital troubles have been toned down a LOT from their comic book counterpart, so don’t expect anything especially shocking. Still, they were played out fairly well, along with Thor, Cap and Banner. There’s a nice twist to the ending, as well. Maybe not “Oh my God!”-shocking, but a decent turn in the plot.
The animation seemed a bit better than in the last film, though still nothing approaching theatrical quality. The action sequences are animated exceptionally well, but I’m still not a big fan of some of the character designs. The action in the movie is surprisingly violent; you’ll find that out in the first five minutes. A considerable amount of blood is sent splattering, and since the Chitauri are aliens, the animators are free to do all sorts of grotesque and horrible things to them and get by with a PG-13 rating.
The extras on the DVD are alright. You get a half hour documentary focusing solely on the history of the Ultimates comic book. A nice improvement over the documentary from the previous DVD, focusing solely on George Perez’s big fat ego. Mark Millar clears up a number of plot points and tells some good anecdotes. I particularly liked the story behind the backlash to the “Do you think this letter on my forehead stands for France!?” one-liner. There’s also sneak peeks at the upcoming Iron Man prequel as well as a Doctor Strange movie. Those should be interesting.
Overall, Ultimate Avengers 2 was an improvement over the first installment, but only marginally so. At times I felt like I was watching the exact same movie. It gets a solid B rating, but they still haven’t approached any A-material, yet.
Grade: B
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the Movie (1990)
In all honesty, I rank this film among some of the best comic book-to-movie adaptations ever made. While it does import a few too many concepts from the 80’s cartoon for comfort, and it does have a few other set-backs, the end-result is still a very dark and accurate portrayal of the original Mirage Comics TMNT.
As the story goes, New York City is suffering from a bizarre crime-wave which is bleeding the city dry. To make matters worse, the assailants are so quick and precise, no one can identify them. News reporter, April O’Neil, is out to crack the case when she’s attacked by some street thugs. Who comes to her rescue? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo are 4 turtle brothers, mutated by a mysterious canister of ooze and trained in the martial arts by their master and “father”, Splinter; a rat who was once the pet of Hamato Yoshi, a ninja master. April, the TMNT and their vigilante buddy, Casey Jones, begin to get to the bottom of the crime-wave and discover that a band of ninjas, the Foot Clan, are using New York’s wayward children to aid in their crime-spree. To further complicate matters, the leader of the Foot, the Shredder, kidnaps Splinter, someone whom he has mysterious ties to from the past.
The goofy premise and surfer lingo betray a truly dark and gritty comic book movie. The bulk of the movie takes place at night and there is a surprising amount of violence, with lots of roundhouse kicks to the face, the TMNT actually *using* their weapons, and all the betrayal and murder of Shredder’s origin remaining intact (well, almost). There are numerous themes going on through-out the movie, from April adapting to her new way of life, Raph overcoming his anger-issues, Casey developing a relationship with April, Splinter getting revenge for the death of Hamato Yoshi, the turtles learning to fend for themselves without the help of their master, an arc about April’s boss’ son growing up, and lots more. This movie has a whole lot going on at once and isn’t nearly as cut and dry as one would initially expect.
The overall structure of the movie adapts all the Shredder-related issues from the first volume of the Mirage comic, through the “Return to New York” arc and ending in a rooftop battle with chromedome-himself, much like in the first issue of the comic. There are a few deviations from the comic simply for the sake of cramming a dozen issues into an hour and a half (such as Raph being injured by the Foot instead of Leo, Casey bonding with Don instead of Raph and Oroku Nagi being totally absent from the Shredder’s origin). Despite the small changes, the overall story is amazingly faithful to the source material, no doubt thanks to very close involvement from Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, creators of the TMNT.
Several somewhat “dated” elements from the popular TMNT cartoon of the 80’s do manage to creep into the movie. Obviously, you’ve got the multi-colored bandanas as opposed to the all-red ones from the comic (I actually prefer the multi-colored bandanas to the all-red ones). The TMNT are psychotically obsessed with pizza at all hours of the day, one of the more annoying parts of the old cartoon. And April O’Neil is a news reporter instead of a lab assistant. However, that last part actually makes for a much better plot (especially since Baxter Stockman isn’t in the movie), with April being able to accomplish much more as a news reporter. She still runs the 2nd Time Around antique shop from the comics, though. Honestly, while a few distracting elements from the cartoon seep-in, they really aren’t that terrible and bring a great level of nostalgia to the movie. And it’s hard not to geek-out when they all shout “Cowabunga!” at the very end.
Jim Henson Studio’s special effects are impressive, to say the least. While the lip-sync at times can be a little sketchy, and the shells never look like they’re actually hard, they did a magnificent job. The turtles are brought to life in a very convincing manor and I have to hand it to the actors inside those suits, they pull-off some great martial arts moves considering the weight of what they’re wearing. Splinter is also done exceptionally well, and much like Yoda, you forget that the character is actually a puppet. Shredder’s costume also looks pretty menacing, though you can tell that he’s really just a tiny Asian guy in a very big outfit.
Seriously, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is one of the better comic book adaptations out there. I also consider it to be one of the quintessential “90’s movies”, capturing quite a bit of nostalgia on film. I give it a B+. Great stuff, lots of fun and suitable for most ages.
Grade: B+
Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy
Though it may very well be stating the obvious, I think it’s best to preface this review by telling you all that the only people who are going to take ANY interest in this film are fans of the Lupin III animated series and it’s subsequent string of animated movies. Your Average Joe with no concept of the Lupin III universe or characters isn’t going to find any entertainment value from this movie, and honestly, even the biggest Lupin III fan isn’t going to enjoy this movie, either.
The plot is no different than any of Lupin’s animated outings, and even features a “First Encounter”-style approach where all the cast meets for the first time. Essentially, Lupin III is the world’s greatest thief, descended from the infamous French thief, Arsene Lupin. To a man who can steal anything he wants, the world is Lupin’s oyster. However, all that changes one day when he meets the gorgeous cat-burglar, Mine Fujiko. Being the sex-offender that he is, Lupin immediately takes to her, despite her manipulative personality, and they become partners in crime.
Now enter Daisuke Jigen, world-renowned marksman and lone survivor of Lupin II’s vast criminal empire. He seeks to join forces with Lupin III so that he might rebuild the “Lupin Empire” but finds this Lupin to be arrogant and uncooperative. But despite that, they quickly become friends, and along with Fujiko, plot the world’s greatest jewel-heist.
And next we meet the short-fused Inspector Zenigata, whom joined by two bumbling assistants, has dedicated his life to tracking down and apprehending Lupin III. But Zenigata isn’t the only one after the main character; the Mafia’s Maccerrone Family (pronounced “Macaroni”) wants to bump Lupin off to ensure that he never has the opportunity to rebuild the Lupin Empire. And if all this wasn’t complicated enough, there are bounty hunters on the trio’s tail and a race to see which party can get a priceless, ancient statue with strange psychokinetic powers first.
This film was made way back in the early 1970’s at the height of Lupin’s popularity in Japan. So like much of the Lupin animation produced in the same time-period, this whole thing is going to seem very dated. But, unlike Lupin’s animated adventures from the 70’s, lacks that nostalgic charm and instead presents us with everything from the 70’s we’d wish to forget.
The plot also does some unwelcome tinkering with the origins of each character; something just about any Lupin fan is sure to take offense to. Despite that, the actors cast to play each character fit the bill well-enough. Lupin is of French descent, so hiring a Japanese actor to portray him irked me at first, but they quickly address the fact and reveal that his mother was Japanese. Jigen is supposed to be of American origin (having been on the run from the Chicago mob in the original cartoons and comics), but since he has a completely different origin in this movie, I’d say his appearance works just fine save for having a goatee instead of a beard. Fujiko transitioned from cartoon to reality quite accurately, save for her most recognizable feature (her mountainous chest) being left behind. Zenigata suffers the most, however. He’s been stripped of his trench-coat and hat and given a business suit, instead. The oafish assistants he’s been saddled with are neither funny nor a part of the source material and will inspire nothing but frustration from the audience.
The atmosphere of the movie is EXTREMELY silly, so don’t be expecting some dark, violent Lupin epic. The director makes it obvious his intent is to create a live action cartoon; emphasis on “cartoon”. Characters get flattened into pancakes against walls, chase each other through corridors ala Scooby Doo, get coated in black soot after bombs explode in there faces, and more than once, Lupin directly addresses the audience.
These gags are very hit-or-miss. Some times they are ingeniously funny, like when Lupin shows how he kills a bounty hunter in slow-motion, or when Jigen opens up his jacket to reveal a psychotic arsenal of guns. However, most of them are much too childish and don’t fit in with the other very raunchy, and occasionally very violent, gags that appear through-out the film.
I recommend this movie to the hardcore Lupin III fans only, and even then I suggest you view it for its historical significance to the franchise and not as a particularly good live action adaptation of the comics or cartoons.
Grade: D+
V for Vendetta
A Co-Op Critics Review!
Player 1: One Pumped Ninja
Remember, remember, the 5th of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot;
I know of no reason, why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
The beginning of V for Vendetta starts with an introduction to the real-life notorious 17th century British conspirator Guy Fawkes and his failed attempt to blow up Parliament. Having been caught and apprehended, Fawkes is hanged. A monologue tells us that Fawkes, like all true patriots, represented an ideal that could not be destroyed. It is this theme that gives purpose to the main character of V (Hugo Weaving), who apparently desires to finish where Fawkes left off by blowing up Parliament in a fascist, future rendition of London.
V for Vendetta is a dangerous film, not because it’s going to incite people to try and blow up the White House or even convince people that terrorism is a good thing, but because it is the type of movie that attempts (almost successfully) to make an allegory out of misconceptions and misinformation. It is the equivalent of anyone making a big-budget movie about how Chicken Little heroically tries to tell the truth that the sky is falling when, in reality, the bigger issue is if the sky is actually falling or not. The propagation of any information without having established the veracity of said information is perhaps the most dangeous type of information at all.
In the film, V is the victim of genetic experimentation perpetrated by the government and is the only survivor: he apparently has super-human physical attributes and is extremely intelligent. The London of the future is a fascist one but we do not see enough of the people to really get the sense that it is a society where the people live in fear: when we do see people, they’re at home and watching TV just as any present-day family would. Heck, even old folks in the nursing home are still around in this film. Evey (Natalie Portman) is almost raped by government officials in a back alley when V comes to her rescue. In the course of the film, Evey becomes V’s protegĂ© as V reveals his year-long plan to not only wipe out the key members of the fascist government but also blow up Parliament on the 5th of November.
Alan Moore, who wrote the graphic novel in 1982, has taken his name off this movie and wants nothing to do with it. That should automatically raise some eyebrows. Moore had written the novel in part as a response to the conservative Thatcher government, but it was not a full-blown political agenda. His V for Vendetta was more inline with the themes seen in George Orwell’s 1984 and was clearly a message about two extremes: Anarchy versus Fascism. Though Moore professes to be an anarchist, he wrote the character of V to be openly interpreted and with enough problems of his own to show some of the view’s shortcomings. Like Watchmen, Moore’s V for Vendetta simply posits the rhetorical situation of two extremes at war with each other and does not seek to objectify a morality to either (which one is good and which one is evil).
The movie remains true to the book only by its plot progression, not by its inherent insinuations. The fascist government of the novel is based on Nazi Germany. The fascist government of this film is obviously based on the typifications of the Bush administration and neo-conservatism in general, thus flipping the original “Anarchy versus Fascism” motif into that of “Liberalism (Good) versus Conservatism (Evil).” The Koran is mentioned as being appreciated for its “beauty” and later on as being the possession which warranted a character’s death, thus insinuating that this is a fascist government based on a demonized view of Christian fundamentalism. Homosexuality is also depicted in this film as something beautiful and condemned by the government as being a sure ticket to the concentration camps. The problem with the shift from the fascism of the Nazi party to the slippery-slope fascism that some see in conservatism is that the Nazis detained and executed homosexuals not due to the morality of gays but because the nature of homosexuality interfered with the plan for racial purity and the propagation of the Aryan ideal. The shift from racial ideology to fundamentalist ideology gives the film a definite anti-Christian spin and implies that to not accept homosexuality, even on a moral basis, automatically puts you on the side of the concentration camp scientists.
The novel’s government, Norsefire (an allusion to the Nazi’s attachment to Norse mythology), is a full-blown fascist regime replaced here with the laughable typification of how liberals currently view the Bush administration. The black hoods over prisoners, the mentions of wire-tappings, the allegations that the government was responsible for terrorist attacks on its own people, and the consistent screaming and shouting of the head chancellor are all vicious and ham-fisted mockeries of the Bush administration. Every character has an articulate voice and a chance to develop except the fascists: they’re not even characters, they’re stereotypes. Not that fascists should be given the moral equivalence of our protagonists, but you still want to establish character perspective (even with villains).
The supposed “uncompromising vision of the future” that the tagline suggests is more like “the slippery-slope, liberal-conspiracy-loving-theory-of-the-future” that the uninformed college student would write about in his angst-soaked, teary essay to a board of college professors who would hail his essay (and the other 3 million essays by “oppressed” college students across the nation) as the equivalent of the proverbial finger against the wicked and mean conservative government. When you unveil this film for what it is, it’s nothing more than a person fighting shadows.
Acting: B-
Effects & Entertainment: C+
Storyline: D
Recommendability: C-
Player 2: DrSpengler
I guess I should start this off by saying I’ve never read the DC/Vertigo comic in which the movie is based. I’ve always wanted to, as I think Alan Moore is one of the finest comic book authors to ever grace the planet, but never got around to it. As it stands, it is probably best that I DIDN’T read the source-material for this movie, as apparently the two are vastly different and fans (and Moore) are outraged over the changes.
Be that as it may, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The trailers are disgustingly misleading, with hard-rock music blaring in the background as V (the title character and hero of questionable ethics) throws knives in bullet-time clichés while stuff blows up everywhere. The trailers make this film out to be more hackneyed comic book tripe no better than Fantastic Four, Daredevil or equally recycled garbage.
This film is, in fact, nothing like the trailers would have you believe and rises far above the expectations of “just another comic book movie”. V for Vendetta is a commentary on politics, how much blind trust people should have in their government, what makes a person a “terrorist”, how a point of view can make all the difference and, I am certain this will instantly turn off a vast majority of movie-goers, a critique of the Bush Administration and a parody of current events.
I admit, that last part is enough to drive a lot of people away and I can’t say I really blame them. There’s so much high-profile “Bush-bashing” out there it’s difficult to tell what’s meaningful and what’s just more lazy satire for the sake of being topical. But also factor in the bit about “how a point of view can make all the difference”, and while one can view the commentary in this film as “Bush-bashing”, others can find something a tad deeper in it all.
Just to get it out of the way, the plot is like so; the people of England have put far too much blind faith in their government, both out of fear and laziness, and as a result their democracy gradually transformed into a brutal dictatorship. People can live, work and love as freely as they want, so long as they abide by “the rules” and conform to the government’s very exacting standards. That means no homosexuals, no questioning the way things are run, no religion that isn’t Christian (possessing a Koran means immediate execution) and absolutely no resisting “The Fingermen”, the Government’s power-tripping law-enforcers.
V is a man whose identity was lost when the government chose to use political prisoners (mostly people who broke those first two “rules” I listed above) as guinea pigs for various experiments. V was badly scarred in a fire at the death camp, but managed to survive. Donning a mask of Guy Fawkes, the notorious British “traitor”, he embarks on a war not only for revenge, but to open the eyes of the people living in the English dictatorship and inspiring them with the strength to resist.
It all may sound a bit predictable, but V for Vendetta is far more intelligent than movies with similar settings, like Ultraviolet and Aeon Flux. The blame for the country’s predicament isn’t squarely set on the Dictator, or the government, or Bush, or Christians, but rather the bulk of the blame is laid upon the citizens of England, who looked the other way and gradually gave their government the power to make their decisions for them just because it was easier than doing it themselves.
And to increase the film’s believability, it isn’t set in some futuristic techno-world, nor is it set in some grim and gritty war-torn environment. Actually, England is rather contemporary, clean and just…normal-looking. The setting isn’t over-the-top, it’s credible.
V, himself, is possibly the best part of the film. He is extremely articulate, very well-educated and can deliver more touching emotion in that static Guy Fawkes-mask than most of Hollywood’s “A-list” flavors of the month that get so much credit. His dialogue is what makes him so charming, and he delivers some of the most philosophically-intriguing and memorable lines you’ll ever see in a film made in this era of explosions, explosions and more explosions.
As a matter of fact, even the explosions in this movie are driven by symbolic meaning and never happen without purpose.
The true crime is that this is a movie most people are going overlook, be it that it’s “just another comic book movie”, “stupid Bush-bashing” or maybe that they just hadn’t heard of it thanks to some terrible marketing. Regardless of how many people this movie managed to reach, by the time it reaches its conclusion, it is sure to make you consider thinking for yourself and question why you’d let anyone else do it for you.
So on “The Relative Grading Scale of Super Mario Villains”, a BAD movie would rank as a “Lakitu”, but this was a GOOD movie, so it gets rewarded with a “Buzzy Beatle”.
Ultraviolet
This movie is the definition of “Style over Substance”, but to be fair, the movie is pretty forward with that fact and rarely tries to achieve more than “Ooh, pretty effects!”.
The Substance: Super-Bitch-Warrior-Stereotype, Ultraviolet, is a gun-for-hire in a faux-utopian future society where humans run the world with an iron fist and a race of “vampires” (though they don’t actually suck blood) are slowly being wiped out. Ultraviolet holds the key to uniting the two races, but has to blow stuff up first.
Yes, it’s basically everything you’ve ever seen in the likes of Appleseed, Aeon Flux or any of the most clichéd animes or comic books. But what makes Ultraviolet ESPECIALLY redundant is that those two films I listed specifically in the last sentence were released within a year of this movie. Ultraviolet’s so-called “plot” is just a rehash of those earlier films and offers nothing new to the table, story-wise. But that’s not what makes sitting through this movie worth anything.
The Style: This is what makes the movie worth sitting through. This movie is all about over-the-top, cartoonish action sequences that defy logic unashamedly and certainly keep you from getting bored. You’ve got gravity-defying motorcycles that can drive along the sides of buildings, sub-space pocket dimensions where people can keep guns and machetes, a fight sequence done through the reflection of trendy designer sunglasses (and it works), people running along ceilings, flaming sword fights…just for beginners. And if you ever wanted to know what Snake-Eyes from G.I. Joe would be like if there were six of him and he could transform into a bowling ball, then the first five minutes of this film with answer your question.
It’s as if the director knew this movie had absolutely no story what-so-ever, because the fight scenes are virtually non-stop. This movie sacrifices depth, characters and intrigue for overwhelming amounts of super-powered violence. So if you have ADD, then this movie is right up your alley.
The effects are blatantly CGI, as I assume was the intent. The movie lays it before you in the opening sequence that this film is supposed to be like a comic book (not a very GOOD comic book) and never tries to achieve “realism” with the effects. As a matter of fact, the many imperfections in star Mila Jolovich’s face have been digitally sand-blasted out to make her appear more smooth, shiny and perfect like a comic book character. Unfortunately, no amount of special effects could hide her freakish inability to close her mouth all the way and no amount of CGI could simulate “good acting” on her part.
And believe me, the acting in this movie is TERRIBLE.
So if you missed Appleseed, you missed Aeon Flux, plot is optional to you AND you have ADD…then check this movie out. Otherwise, it’s a very fun, brain-dead action flick, but not even remotely worth the $9 ticket, and certainly not worth the $20 DVD.
So on the “Relative Grading Scale of People Made Out of Food”, a GOOD grade would be “the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man” from Ghostbusters. However, this was a BAD movie, so it ranks down there as a “Gingerdead Man” with Gary Busey.