Film Review: X-Men: First Class

You may know who they are, and after watching the three main X-Men films, you may have a good idea of what their histories are. But for the full tale of how Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr became Professor X and Magneto respectively, look no further than First Class, the true prequel to the film trilogy.

Even though character drama tends to take the front stage, this film still has a phenomenal share of action and spectacle. Most of these scenes are short and tight, but every character gets a chance to shine and show off their powers. The fights are frequent and fun, but with the Cuban Missile Crisis as the centerpiece, the stakes are ramped up really well, before reaching an inspiring climax.

However, much like the first couple of X-Men films, the action never really drowns out the story or characters. In First Class, the focus remains firmly on showing how the original mutants came together, sowing the seeds for the conflicts that would come in the future. Some characters have more development than others, but each one do have scenes worth showing, and enough attention is given to the main ones to make them stand out. The film covers a lot of ground, but it does so swiftly and attentively, so the storytelling becomes endearing and faithful.

This film is crafted with decent photography. A lot of shots are wide-angle, but the film is composed well. Editing can be a bit choppy in some parts, but is otherwise solid (the scene with the coin at the end is specially inspiring in the way it's cut). Some scenes have overlays and transitions that gives the film a more uniquely dynamic style. Acting is phenomenal; James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are the most perfect choices for their characters since the days of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, and the rest of the cast pulls their weight well. Writing is okay. This production uses good-looking sets, props, and costumes. Special effects vary from being okay to being rather poor, but they are very well-conceived. Henry Jackman's score is excellent, and is especially wicked when Magneto is on screen.

Forget X-Men Origins: Wolverine. First Class is the most endearing and satisfying prequel to the series. It is densely-packed with action and storytelling, and in spite of that, it stands as one of the best in the franchise.

4/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Good)

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Film Review: X-Men: The Last Stand

After two satisfying X-Men films, it only seemed logical at the time that a third film should round off the series and provide a big-scale conclusion to the fight between mankind and mutant-kind.

If nothing else, The Last Stand has plenty of action to satisfy; the fights occur pretty frequently, and seem much more hard-hitting than before. It has always been great to watch Magneto take out an armored convoy with impunity, before gathering his army and taking over Alcatraz. The final battle is a fun free-for-all with so many mutant powers being thrown around that it's crazy. A bunch of new mutants - Beast, The Juggernaut, the Phoenix - are welcome additions to the lore of the film series.

Unfortunately, the film has not sat well with many viewers. Part of the issue is that the film doesn't take itself as seriously as its predecessors, and there are moments throughout where it tries to be funny but mostly isn't. What really ticks viewers off will be the storytelling decisions; many of the characters go into undesirable directions (including death). One's enjoyment of the film may also hinge on how seriously you can accept that mutation can be cured so easily. There are probably some plot holes to be found as well.

A lot of these issues have never bothered me personally (save for what happens to certain characters). For casual popcorn entertainment, the film is enjoyable in a laid-back manner. Its story flows well enough, and provides at least some closure to the series (at least at the time it was made).

The film looks nice and slick, with quality photography and editing. Actors continue to do their job admirably, with Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, and everybody else pulling their weight well. Even Halle Berry seems to step up her performance a little. Writing is okay. This production boasts good-looking sets, props, and costumes. Special effects are often good, but some are weak. Music is alright.

X-Men: The Last Stand is an enjoyable onslaught of mutant brawling, but many viewers won't like what they've done to the characters and plot. It is a thrilling enough climax to the original three movies, but it's not quite as powerful of a catharsis as it thinks it is. It is often considered one of the worst comic-book movies ever, alongside with Spiderman 3. I personally don't think it's that bad, but it certainly has its share of weaknesses, and isn't quite as sublime as the first two movies.

Recommended only as a rental.

3.5/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Marginal | Film: Pretty Good)

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Film Review: X2: X-Men United

The first X-Men film presented a grand cast of iconic heroes in a troubled world; their heroics would only become grander and more complex in the continuing conflict. Bryan Singer's second X-Men film carries over everything that made the first film great, and still manages to cram in a whole lot more.

The action in X2 is phenomenal. The film starts off with one of the most elegantly-staged fight scenes on film. Shortly thereafter, the film rolls ahead with a constant series of fights and flights; among the most inspiring of scenes, Storm takes out a pair of jets with tornadoes, and Pyro goes berserk against a police squad. The entire last half of the film takes everybody to Alkali Lake, for a massive cascade of impressive action, including a great fight between Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike, Magneto wreaking havoc with the military, and Cyclops blowing things up. The whole time, all life on Earth remains at stake. It all reaches its apex with an awesome dam burst sequence, the likes of which could put the scenes in Superman: The Movie to shame.

Despite having so much, the film never feels overblown or convoluted; it all flows very sublimely, and gives just enough room for the story to unfold and breathe a little. Characters shine a little better than before, and more attention is given to the lesser players. Some of the strongest moments include revelations concerning Wolverine's character. The film also digs up enough background on the villain, Colonel Stryker, and his situation to give the evil plot more relevance and depth. It all ties into the grander scheme of showing a world struggling against mutant prejudice, and thanks to the characters and their interactions, it remains a compelling struggle.

This film is made with fantastic photography and editing. Acting is great from the whole cast: Hugh Jackman continues to excel as Wolverine, while Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, Brian Cox, and everybody else remains solid. Writing is not bad. This production uses great-looking sets, props, and costumes. Special effects are generally good, but are aging a little. John Ottman's music score is great.

X2 is a perfectly-balanced sequel with fantastic action scenes, but still gives a good amount of attention to the story and characters. In spite of this, it is a massive step up from the first film, and remains one of the best sequels since T2.

Recommended!

4.5/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Good | Film: Very Good)

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Film Review: X-Men

Superhero films are a dime-a-dozen these days. Regardless of whether you think that's good or bad, we all have the original X-Men film to thank. Prior to this, superhero movies were limited in scope, scale, and conception; after all, comic book stories are so larger-than-life that it's hard to adapt them for the big screen (much less justify a big enough budget for it). With the X-Men (and arguably Blade, released a couple of years earlier), filmmakers took a chance on modern effects and techniques to bring a whole team of heroes to life, ushering in a massive wave of comic-book movies that would eventually lead to Marvel's rise as a new studio: a cinematic force to be reckoned with.

As the first-ever X-Men film, it has its share of limitations, especially compared to later films. Action is kept to a minimum; the biggest highlights being the train station scenes and the big climax on Liberty Island. Special effects are plentiful, but used sparingly. What really matters is that you get to see a whole world of mutants showing off their varied powers. The film blasts so many memorable details with sporadic bursts of short scenes, crafting just enough spectacle to wow us, but also just enough to tell the story it needs to.

It is a decent enough story. The film takes its time tracking various characters and bringing them together, so we get a solid and well-composed introduction to the X-Men and the world they inhabit. There are a ton of characters involved, but the film juggles them well enough. A good amount of attention is given to Wolverine, Rogue, Magneto and Professor X, who are all endearing characters we can appreciate. Most of the others tend to be lacking; there is no real development involved with Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey, or Mystique (and Toad and Sabretooth stand as two of the weakest villains in the franchise, for they are lacking in presence and depth). All things considering, the film covers so much ground that there's really no room for extraneous character beats; what matters the most is the plot, which is intriguing, as it builds up to a fairly decent climax. At its core, it's a film that underscores themes of prejudice, which provides all the dynamics for the character and the conflicts they go through.

This film is very tightly-composed, with excellent photography and very rapid editing. It is especially noteworthy how the film manages to relay so much information with a constant stream of short, revealing images. Acting is a little dry, but the casting choices are mostly perfect. Hugh Jackman is easily the most iconic character of the lot, thanks to his perfect portrayal of Wolverine. Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, and Bruce Davidson are great in their roles, and I enjoyed watching Famke Janssen and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. I got to admit that the more I watch this film, the more I dislike Halle Berry as Storm (she does deliver one of the worst lines ever in this film). Writing is pretty blunt, but it gets the job done. This production uses some very slick and cool-looking sets, props, and costumes. Special effects hold up mostly well, with just a few weaknesses. The music score is alright.

The first original X-Men film was an inspiring hit at its time, but would only be a small taste of even greater things to come. It still holds up thanks to its storytelling and nuanced attention to detail. It's worth seeing at least once, especially for genre fans.

4/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Good | Film: Good)

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Film Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Wolverine still stands as one of the most prolific, most popular, and most badass superheroes of Marvel lore. The man is literally immortal: he heals instantly, even from mortal wounds, and thanks to that he was grafted with an invincible metal skeleton, complete with retracting adamantium claws. Wolverine kicked plenty of butt in the three main X-Men films, but a stand-alone Wolverine film has always been in the cards, to give fans another chance to see this awesome character in action. So, they made X-Men Origins: Wolverine, in what would be the first in a line of stand-alone prequel movies for each X-Men character.

In hindsight, this proved to be a futile move; despite the film's commercial success, it is easily one of the worst films of the series, and plans to make more Origins films fell through. The film is one hot mess: a haphazard blend of rip-roaring action and plot contrivances.

The good news is that the film is still very tight, highly entertaining, and it does have some great moments. It is really cool to watch Wolverine rampaging through whole hoards of bad guys, taking out hum-vees and helicopters on a motorbike, and fighting mutants around a nuclear reactor plant. The film moves fast and is never skimpy on the action or style.

The story involved in inherently compelling, thanks entirely to the allure of the title character. It is a tragic tale of love, betrayal, and vengeance that helps shape Wolverine into the berserker we all know and love. The plot covers some of the same ground we've seen before in the original X-Men films, but this time you get to see the full background on how Wolverine got suckered into Colonel Stryker's plans. There are a few major twists, which will seem contrived at first glance, but do hold up on repeat viewings. The plot suffers the most with a number of scenes that don't really contribute; many of the action scenes are frivolous, and scenes involving a young Cyclops seem to the thrown in just for the hell of it.

A lot of the film's biggest issues rests with the editing, which is extremely choppy and screwy. A lot of shots are cheaply-cut to cover up deficiencies in the action. Worst yet, most scenes do not transition well from one to another, causing characters to appear at seemingly random places (such as Gambit suddenly appearing on a rooftop, or Victor appearing at the final fight out of nowhere). It is clear that the conflicts between the studio and the director have contributed to a film that's at conflict with itself, unable to find a balance between the heartfelt drama and the hardcore action.

On the plus side, photography is mostly-solid. Performances are a bit of a mixed bag: Hugh Jackman continues to excel at playing his iconic character, and Liev Schreiber is superb as Victor Creed. I enjoyed Danny Huston's and Lynn Collins' performances. Most of the other actors playing the side characters are pretty weak. The writing is pretty weak. This production uses okay sets, props, and costumes. Special effects vary from good to terrible. Music seems uninspired as well.

Wolverine's stand-alone film is not an inherently bad story; in fact, its potential is more effectively conveyed in the film's corresponding video game. Somewhere along the line it got mucked-up, and I blame it mostly on too much post-production tinkering. I still value the film as a guilty pleasure, and it does make for a satisfying stand-alone action flick. In an X-Men marathon, however, it doesn't fit as smoothly with the other films (especially since events in X-Men: First Class contradict this one). Diehard fans will probably want to check this out once, but for casual audiences, you can do better.

3.5/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Average | Film: Marginal)

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Travel: Hadrian's Wall

Almost 2,000 years ago, the Roman Empire conquered much of Great Britain, up to what is modern-day Scotland.  In 122 AD, Emperor Hadrian decreed that a great wall would be built, spanning the entire width of England.  Reasons for building the wall remain vague to historians, but it would have been an expression of Rome's militaristic might and power, and it would help protect the Empire from barbarian invasion (which, at the time, would have been the Picts, and possibly the Brigantes).  Various forts along the wall would have provided a base for auxiliary Roman soldiers to serve as guards; auxiliary troops were non-Roman citizens who had to serve in the military for 25 years before becoming official Roman citizens.  As time went on, however, the lines between being a Roman and a native of England was blurred.  By the 5th century AD, the wall was abandoned, and parts of it became cannibalized by locals to build villages, homes, churches, and other structures.  Today, parts of the wall and Roman forts are scatted all around sporadically, and can be visited.

This wall once protected an empire.

The wall appears in certain spots, somewhere from 1 - 5 feet tall, before disappearing back into the grassy hills.  Actual forts are pretty much reduced to their foundations, with low-lying walls outlining where buildings used to be.  To see these places, you can either plan an extensive hike across the entire 77-miles stretch (which many people do, but I'm not sure what the particulars of it are), or you can follow the B3618 in your car.  Along this path, the most notable places will be Chesters, Birdoswald, and Vindolanda.  Other notable ruins may exist as well.  A lot of these places require admission or subscription to English Heritage,

The fort at Chesters (Cilurnum) features a smattering of small ruins, including a barracks building, gatehouses and towers, and a sizable bathhouse.  All of these structures are enclosed by wire fences, but it is possible for visitors to pass through and visit the ruins up-close.  It all rests on wide-open grass fields, close to a steep river bank.  Near the visitor's center, a museum is available, containing numerous artifacts and finds from all along Hadrian's Wall, especially from noted archeologist John Clayton.

Side of the barracks building at Chesters.

Birdoswald (Banna) is notable for having the longest stretch of intact wall.  After parking, you will need to walk up hill and around a curve for a bit, before coming across the visitor's center and exhibit, which includes wax figures and information.  Once you pay for admission, you can walk on the open grounds, where you can see large chunks of the wall and many low-lying ruins and foundations embedded in the ground.  Sheep roam around pretty freely here, which is cute, but also makes the ground littered with droppings.  If you walk past the ruins to the far side of the site, you can see a pretty wide-open view of the surrounding countryside (and this is a viewpoint that most people seem to miss, not willing to walk the extra 100 yards for some odd reason).

Ruins at Birdoswald.

Vindolanda is a place I saw many years ago.  As I recall, it is a pretty big site with some very sizable ruins.  A museum is also available here, amidst a garden.

As I said before, other places might be seen scattered around, including even more forts and wall segments.  These three sites are the three biggest that I've personally seen and am aware of, and are certainly with a trip for interested visitors.  It is pretty impressive to behold piece of Roman history in Great Britain; it is easy to see the influences of Normans, Saxons, Vikings, and the various English kings and queens of medieval history, but Rome predates all of these kingdoms, and their forts represent the very western edge of their vast empire.

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Film Review: Godzilla (2014)

60 years ago, a monster rose up from the depths.  Godzilla, a gargantuan beast borne from nuclear fire, invaded the monster movie scene in 1954 and gave us a terrifying vision of Tokyo's destruction.  Godzilla's reign persisted through nearly thirty movies, seeing the titular monster as both villain and hero, pitting him against a whole universe of monsters, aliens, armies, and machines.  Then, after running through a whole gauntlet of battles in Godzilla:  Final Wars, the beast was given a good ten-year rest.

In 2014, Godzilla rose up again with a fresh new look and fresh talent.  Even though the beast has been rebooted repeatedly before, he has never before hit the western shores as hard.  In this American production, great care and detail has been given to provide a hard-hitting thrill ride that will remain true to Toho's original vision.

In a somewhat Spielbergian fashion, Gareth Edwards' vision of Godzilla purposefully builds tension before giving us the actual monster combat.  Much like Jurassic Park, the film steadily builds up the suspense with tremors, sound, and focus on subtle details.  Much like Jaws, the actual monsters receive limited screen-time to maximize their impact when you do see them.  And much like 2005's War of the Worlds, much of the action is subdued to the background, with a firmer focus on the characters' drama.  Above all, Godzilla represents an evolution of Edwards' debut film Monsters, which accomplished all these same techniques on a more limited scale.

What this amounts to is a film that builds and builds, taking its time on character-building and plotting before giving us what we really want:  all-out monster bashing and city stomping.  When you finally get to it, the mass destruction is modestly satisfying.  Special effects are top-notch throughout, giving us an intense and epic vision of creatures smashing into each other and smashing into buildings.  However, the action is not overblown or overdone, and it never overwhelms the plot.

The actual story involved is pretty much on-par with the older Godzilla films; most of these give us a handful of military and scientist characters who figure out what's going on, then behold some massive monster battle.  This film stays true to this formula, but the focus is constant on the characters and their struggles, whether it be the struggle to deal with the monsters, or the struggle to save loved ones.  The film definitely tries to pull at the heartstrings by showcasing a father trying to reunite with his family, while also trying to save his father and fulfill his mission.  While this can be a bit contrived and sappy, the film does have a little more depth and power to it than the older kaiju flicks.  All that being said, the characters are still not huge stand-outs; their emotional struggles are pretty much the only thing we can latch on to, but they remain pretty shallow and flat.  Plotting suffers a little as well, given that some parts don't always make sense, and characters don't always make the best decisions.  Much like the older films, the story overall conveys a strong theme about the folly of messing with mother nature and abusing nuclear power.

The film is competently made, with quality photography and editing.  It is especially noteworthy in the way it masterfully reveals just what it wants to when it wants to, to draw out the suspense and make each monster's presence more powerful.  Acting is okay from the whole cast; Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a pretty average everyman hero character, Elizabeth Olson is a pretty average as the guy's wife, Ken Watanabe is an average scientist dude, and Bryan Cranston steals the show in an all-too-small part.  Writing is so-so.  This production has some great-looking sets, props, costumes, locales, and special effects.  Sound design is phenomenal, with monster roars that's guaranteed to make the entire theater shudder.  Music is pretty interesting.

Finally, this has got to be the most intense and hard-hitting Godzilla movie since the original.  Storytelling and characters aren't a big standout here, but never were in the older movies anyway; this version still offers a phenomenal build-up and a satisfying payoff, and anybody wanting a good monster-movie fix should be pleased.  It'll be thrilling to see what directions modern film-making like this will take Godzilla next.

4/5 (Experience:  Good | Story:  Average | Film:  Good)

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