The summer movie
season, aside from being a slow one for me, has also been very weak. Unlike
most years, I have trouble thinking of any movies that I’ve liked, aside from
How to Train Your Dragon 2 that is. So, it’s been about a month since the
official releases of both films I’m reviewing today, Maleficent and Edge of
Tomorrow. I decided to give both movies a go to see if they would make any
impact on my thoughts on the summer, and here are my thoughts on them.
Maleficent:
The idea of a film centered on one of Disney’s most
iconic villains is certainly not a bad idea, and one that has a lot of
potential to offer. However, the potential of this idea isn’t fully met in Maleficent,
the latest cash cow from fairy-tale reinvention producer Joe Roth, in spite of
the best efforts of star and executive producer Angelina Jolie. First of all,
it’s important to note that the film is directed by Robert Stromberg, a two
time Academy Award winning production designer best known for Avatar and Tim
Burton’s Alice in Wonderland who is now making his directorial debut. The
reason I say this is because he’s clearly better at directing his visuals than
his story.
Granted, the film does have things worth highlighting for
praise. The film always looks fantastic, from the grand architecture to the
tiniest details of the legendary Rick Baker’s makeup effects. Also, the first
half of the film is a thoroughly entertaining and watchable time, and moves at
quite a relaxed pace at that. Though it does feature its fair share of flaws,
it’s still a good watch. However, things take a dive in the second half. It
gives far too much screen time to Aurora’s annoying, inept fairy guardians;
it’s overstuffed with subplots and characters, and moves them all in such a
hasty rhythm to get to the finale. Also, I take great issue with how the film
needlessly revises and nearly betrays everything that made the character so
popular in the first place, all done so with cheap schmaltz effect, as well as…
a rape allegory. You know, for kids!
Regardless, It’s still worthy of a watch for the simple fact
that Angelina Jolie is just that good. Though her actual characterization may
be lacking and occasionally sappy, Jolie embodies the character to a tee. She
terrifically captures the sinister and gleefully malicious vibes of the
character, and though the more schmaltzy moments late in the film may be
conceptually weak, there is never a moment when Jolie isn’t giving the material
her complete conviction. Sharlto Copley gives another solid performance to add
to his filmography, and Elle Fanning… well, I can’t exactly blame her when even
the Aurora in the original 1959 animated feature was dull as dishwater. The
film also comes equipped with a beautiful score by James Newton Howard, which
deserves serious consideration as one of the year’s best scores.
**1/2 / *****
Edge of Tomorrow:
I’ve never been the biggest fan of Doug Liman, the one hit
wonder responsible for 2002’s The Bourne Identity. Well, today, I officially
revoke that statement. For Edge of Tomorrow is Liman’s only other film I have
ever liked.
Taken from the novel All You Need Is Kill (They made a smart
move changing the title, if you ask me) and adapted by Christopher McQuarrie
and several others, the film is nothing too special as far as plot goes. You
can basically chalk it up as a cross between Source Code and Aliens. However,
this mash up of ideas is mostly forgivable, as Edge of Tomorrow is a refreshing
new take on the timeloop narrative. Aiming to be smarter than your typical
summer flick, most of the film’s strengths come from its two well matched
leads. Typically cast as who is often the smartest and most capable man in the
room, Tom Cruise excellently plays against type. His character, William Cage,
is an ill prepared and cowardly man whose big mouth usually gets him in more
trouble. However, that’s not to say that this is a stupid character, as his
realization that the soldiers in the film are walking into a death zone
provides a grounded reliability to the character, and his evolution from weak
combatant to experienced warrior is one of the film’s most enthralling
elements.
Also contributing well to this is co-star Emily Blunt. Hardened
on the battlefield long ago by the same condition that makes Cruise’s character
relive daily events, Blunt’s character, Rita, is a brutal force to be reckoned
with in combat. She’s just as capable of taking on excessive dangers as any of
the men in her platoon, if not better, but is given great depth in that she
uses her typically icy demeanor as a means to hide her fragility and pent up
trauma from her past experiences, but always having a sense of grace and
sophistication. The way that these two actors work off of each other is
outstanding, leading to one of the more emotional elements in the film.
Repeatedly being subjected to seeing Rita be killed in various ways takes its
toll on William, feeling helpless to save not only the world, but Rita as well.
This is a particularly entrancing motif in the film, showcasing the oft futility
of challenging fate, even if the ending is confusing and overly convenient.
However, that’s not to say these topics are overbearing, as
the film also understands that what its viewers want is pure escapist
entertainment. While a couple of jokes need not have been included, Edge of
Tomorrow is a surprisingly funny film. Many of the film’s laughs come from the
creative ways in which Cage gets axed off before resetting, but are used so
well that the timeloop doesn’t become gimmicky or tiresome, serving as a clever
nod to the respawn function of first-person shooter video games like Call of
Duty. Also enthralling are the film’s action sequences, which are staged and
paced with such clockwork precision, and are always high stakes. That’s another
great thing about this movie, that it’s so tightly wound and slickly edited
that it all flies by, making the most of its under 2 hour running time. The
film has its small issues, but the film is still so playfully smart and
thoroughly entertaining enough to hold your attention. It’s one of the better
films you will see this summer.
“Again….”
**** / *****
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