First Impressions | Deadpool 2

I have a confession to make:  I had never heard of Deadpool until I saw X-men Origins Wolverine in theaters.  As such, I was outside the outrage bubble when the plot twist first played out.  Since then I’ve done proper research and  completely understand the backlash.  That said, like many of my fellow film and comic fans, I was giddy when Fox gave the greenlight for a Deadpool film.  Not only would it give the character’s fans what they’ve been clamoring for, but it would redeem Origin’s misfire.  While I haven’t revisited the first film as of this writing, I remember enjoying it in the theater.  The action was decent and the humor had me rolling at times, but part of the end didn’t fully click with me.  I’ll go more into this when I revisit part one. 

            Third act criticism aside, I enthusiastically awaited the sequel.  My enthusiasm was rewarded.  Deadpool 2 is not only an excellent comic book film sequel, it is one of those rare sequels that surpasses its predecessor in every way. 

Picking up where the first film left off, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) continues to work as a freelance mercenary while enjoying his relationship with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin).  Things take a dark turn when their home is invaded and Vanessa ends up dead.  Deadpool kills the assassin, but the action does nothing to abate his morose mindset.  He joins the X-men to see if fellow heroes can help, but ends up in a mutant detention center after killing am abusive orphanage worker.  This is where Cable, a mutant from the future, enters the story.  His family was killed by Russell Collins—Deadpool’s cellmate and the orphan he was attempting to aid—so Cable travels through time to kill Collins and prevent his family’s fate.  While a mercenary, Deadpool is not cool with the slaughter of children and puts himself between the two.  It is now up to Deadpool—with the aid of his team, X-force—to save Collins from Cable’s wrath while attempting to prevent the child’s dark future from flaming.

Every aspect of the film was on-point.  The humor is what one would expect from a Deadpool film, but the timing and nuance is improved from the first film; I can see more of the jokes aging well.  From what I’ve gathered Deadpool 2 had double the budget of the originally, allowing the crew to step up the action and special effects.  Both deliver and compliment the film’s story; one draws the audience in and the other wows them with spectacle.  There were a few moments where the CGI was shaky, but not distractingly so. 

            The cast was wonderful.  Reynolds—the heart of this series—amazed once again as the Merc with the Mouth.  It’s evident from his body language and vocal inflections he enjoys playing Wade, and his enthusiasm helps the audience investment in the film.  His dramatic timing is better this go-around, which helps that aspect of the plot.  Josh Brolin was the perfect choice to play Cable.  While I’m mainly familiar with him from the Deadpool game, the film gives enough information for one to understand who he is and what drives him.  While the antagonist, the audience understands why Cable is attempting to murder a child, even if they don’t condone the action.  His character arc truly begins during act 3, where he must work with Deadpool to reach a compromise.  Without giving spoilers, he makes a character defining choice. There was a Thanos joke, but it’s blink and you’ll miss it and Cable no-sells the quip. 

Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, and Leslie Uggams reprise their supporting roles, each using his or her time well.  Outside the obvious, the only major subplot here is the revelation that Negasonic is gay, and it’s handled respectfully; who doesn’t love Yukio.  Zazie Beetz is great as lucky merc Domino, handling herself well in the action scenes and having a fun back-and-forth with Reynolds at times.  While the weakest of the supporting cast, Julian Dennison gives a decent performance, getting his character’s plight across and helping carry the plot forward.  It’s hard to say from one viewing if he’s better angry or sympathetic.  Bill Skarsgard plays the acid-spitting member of X-force, a cameo I didn’t notice at first.  He’s ok here, but I didn’t realize how lanky he was until now.  Brad Pitt also has a cameo, one I won’t spoil for those who haven’t seen the film.

            The film’s first post-credit sequence might turn some fans off.  Without giving much away with spoilers, it involves Deadpool using time travel.  While it doesn’t take much imagination to guess what Wade plans on doing, it will impact Deadpool 3, and from a certain point of view makes aspects of this film pointless.   While it does not bother me personally—especially since it falls in line with Wade’s character—I can see why others might not feel the same.

           Like or hate the first film, this is a Marvel film everyone should watch.  The humor and action are spot on, and enough drama and conflict is sprinkled within to keep one invested.  While I enjoyed Infinity War, this one I liked better, as it’s balanced perfectly. 4 out of 5 swords.  

First Impressions | War for the Planet of the Apes

I’ve loved the Planet of the Apes series since childhood.  First catching the films on AMC, I was drawn into the depicted world, where Ape has usurped Man for dominance.  Since then, Fox has rebooted the series twice.  Tim Burton’s attempt was flawed, but fun.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a decent starter, but it possessed several problems—how do you not know a female ape is pregnant!  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is where the series caught fire again, as it was the best entry in the series since Escape.  A third film had much to follow, especially if was going to be the concluding entry in a trilogy.  While not perfect, the film succeeded in its purpose, and I’m still debating whether I like it or Dawn better overall. 

                Following in its predecessor’s wake, War for the Planet of the Apes picks up several years later. Ceaser’s troop has managed to avoid the Human military, although there have been engagements—the film opens with one.  Ceaser wants his people to live in peace, which puts him at odds with the Colonel (Woody Harrelson).  Our antagonist, the Colonel’s goal is to wipe the Apes out to ensure humanities survival, but not for the expected reason.  His reason is the Simian Flu.  While mentioned only in passing in the previous film, here it becomes important, almost a McGuffin.  The Flu not only increases the intelligence of Apes—which we see with Ceaser’s group and a new character called Bad Ape, who can also speak—but it decreases intelligence in Humans, robbing the infected of speech and higher cognitive functions.  This alone would be enough motivation, but it’s personal for the Colonel, as his son was affected and he euthanized him.

                While I wasn’t a fan of the flu concept when Rise was originally released—it came off as unnecessary—it’s grown on me, mainly in the context of a trilogy.  It’s a better explanation for why Human’s revert to a primitive state than the one given in Boule’s novel, which can be summed up as “The Ape took my house…I feel…odd now…banana good.” 

                A handful of Apes side with the Humans to ensure their survival.  Labeled Donkeys—a reference so obvious I don’t even have to spell it out—they are looked down upon by their masters, but are treated far better than Ape prisoners.  While I don’t see it as such, it wouldn’t surprise me if others viewed this as a comment on “Race Traitors.”  The Apes series has commented openly on real world issues before, so it wouldn’t be new.  If it was intentional, the payoff was expected.

Although War is in the title, there isn’t many fighting scenes as one would expect; most of the shooting is contained in two battle scenes, one during the opening and one in the third act.  While disappointing—I know one of my contemporaries was—it didn’t bother me.  Perhaps my friends review tempered my expectations, softening the blow when I finally viewed the film.  The film is short on action, but there is conflict, a struggle for survival between the Apes and Humans. One side wishes to exist in peace while the other strives to maintain the Evolutionary Status Quo.  The virus McGuffin heightens and presses the issue.  Like Rise, this makes the title metaphorical, but the execution is improved.

Part of the third act reminds me of The Great Escape.  Like the pow’s, the Apes are trapped in a camp, and their escape method involves a tunnel.  While they succeed where the Human’s failed, upon reflection it did seem too easy.  While the ending battle allows for some leeway, before that how did they manage to keep it hush hush?  One would think sentries would be keener.

                Ceaser’s arc concludes with this film.  We witnessed his birth and uprising, followed by his attempt to bridge interspecies peace.  He continues that goal to an extent here, but with age Ceaser’s has grown a slightly nihilistic view.  While he isn’t entirely without hope, it is fading.  Even though he is dead, Koba haunts Ceaser; in several scenes, hallucinations taught the Ape leader, showing the audience how Ceaser has fallen since we last saw him.  In the end, the past cannot be fully forgotten.  He has encountered well-meaning Humans, but he cannot forgive Mankind’s collective actions, even if he will not hold it against everyone.  In a way, Koba won.

                While I prefer practical effect, the Motion Capture was excellent.  While good before, the computer rendering has been taken further, perfected in comparison to the previous films.  I was blown away by how realistic the rendering has become.  If this is the future of Motion Capture, I might not mind its further use, even if my preference for makeup and suits remains.  Andy Serkis, Steve Zahn, and the rest of the cast gave great performances, complimenting the post rendering.  There’s talk in the film community of Serkis receiving an Academy Award nomination for Acting.  Some might argue that his work is more effect than acting—especially considering it can be tweaked in post even more than a normal performance can—I wouldn’t have an issue if it happened.  Even with post rendering, it is still a performance, as Serkis works off the other actors on set.  If given, hopefully it allows for the creation of a new awards category, one that honors Motion Capture and Voice Work. 

                The human cast is decent to meh.  Woody Harrelson is the lone exception.  He has a presence, holding the audience’s attention whenever he’s on screen, even if he’s not speaking.  The Colonel’s backstory monologue is the zenith of Harrelson’s performance.  The audience believes in every word he speaks.  Even though we don’t condone his methods, we understand his twisted logic.  I haven’t seen much of Harrelson’s past work, but if this is any indication I must dig into his filmography.   

                Matt Reeves returned to the director’s chair, handling the job well and allowing for technical and visionary continuity.  He handled the technical elements with care, and got decent performances from the actors.  His direction is one of the reasons I find it difficult to pick between Dawn and War.  I’m familiar with the two films he directed prior to entering the Apes series—Let Me in and Cloverfield respectively—but I haven’t watched them.  I will correct that sometime in future. 

                While not for everyone, War for the Planet of the Apes is a well-made film.  The story is engaging, the villain is relatable yet cruel, Motion Capture is perfected, and it concludes Ceaser’s story on a somber note.

Second Time Around | Star Wars The Force Awakens

            Like most children of the 80’s and 90’s, I loved Star Wars growing up.   I played with the toys, spammed watched the films and craved.  While my “fanboyism” has toned down in recent years, my love for the franchise hasn’t wavered; toys have been replaced with novels and spectacle with storytelling.  This is partially why I was excited when Episode 7 was announced in the wake of Disney’s buyout.  This excitement grew with the teaser trailers, Nostalgia welling inside as Harrison Ford spoke those famous words, “Chewie, we’re home.”  I saw the film opening night, and I loved it.  Abrams had delivered on his promises. 

Now that two-years have passed and the initial hype has subsided, how does the film hold up?  Overall, I still enjoy the film, but my critical eye picks out the flaws easier.  Aesthetically, it’s closer to the original trilogy than the prequels were.  While Lucas did use practical effects on those films, the post-production rendering made some hard to spot amidst CG.  Think of it like the color-blindness test; where do green end and yellow begin?  Special effects have improved greatly in the decade following Revenge of the Sith, allowing the two to blend exquisitely; the CG models are even given a practical tint, and the puppet-suit work makes me explode with joy.

The story is where the flaws are noticeable, although there’s only one that leaves me shaking my head.  Many have called Force Awakens a remake of a New Hope.  While I understand the sentiment, I respectfully disagree.  There are similarities—and both films share similar beats—but the main Star Wars films have always been cyclical, recurring elements drawn from the Hero’s Journey archetype popping up over and over.  To use a musical analogy, think of the series like a symphony:  there’s a handful of recurring notes, with new ones sprinkled in between.  To me, complaining about Jakku or the Cantina is nitpicking.  The Droid McGuffin I concede partially, but it’s not a bad way to store information; who’s to say Leia is the first person to execute that idea?

Starkiller Base I will concede.  While an interesting conceptual idea—while I would have preferred something akin to the Sun Crusher, a weapon that stores and unleashes solar power is cool—did we really need another Death Star?  It was asinine already that Palpatine built a second one in Return of the Jedi—even though it did fall in line with his character’s overconfidence—but a third is ludicrous.  We’ve entered Spaceballs territory now.  That said if the base is a necessity, why push it out this early?  Starkiller should be an endgame problem.  At least Lucas having two Death Stars has a real-world reason behind it:  was meant to be endgame, but he pushed it sooner in case Star Wars was a one-off.

            Another common criticism is that Rey is a Mary Sue.  A Mary Sue is an idealized, seemingly perfect character, often the result of author insertion; this part is especially common in fan fiction.  They can perform tasks better than others, usually above what their training or experience should allow.  What does Rey do that garners this label?  She’s a great pilot and picks the Force up quickly, allowing her to defeat Kylo Ren in a lightsaber duel. 

On the surface, an argument could be made for Rey being a sue, but when one looks deeper and takes moments into proper context, things make sense.  Rey grew up on a scavenger planet, and she’s around junk starfightersters all day.  She was also Unkar Plutt’s ward—film never fully states this, but the flashback infers—and he had possession of the Millennium Falcon.  While Rey does state it hasn’t flown in years, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t seen it fly, or handled the controls herself.  She did know the specifics of Plut’s additions, so it’s not a far stretch.  There’s also the possibility of flight simulators and bumming lessons from outsiders, but that’s a large IF.

As for the Force, each moment has a reason for why it makes sense.  Although she’s untrained, Rey’s raw potential is immense, and like her predecessor’s she likely used The Force subconsciously her entire life.   This changed when she touched the Lightsaber and the Kyber Crystal called, giving Rey her first step into a larger world.

Given her potential, it’s not farfetched that Rey would be able to turn Kylo’s mental probe back on him, especially since he approached the action nonchalantly with his conflicted mind.  Also, other than what drove Kylo’s turn most of his life and training haven’t been explored deeply; for all we know this is the first time he’s attempted to probe a fellow Force Sensitive, and he has the unfortunate luck to come across one with immense potential. 

I will concede that she does pick up the Mind Trick and Force Grip rather quickly.  That said, the progression still feels plausible.  By that point, Rey knows she can manipulate the Force—from a combination of Kylo’s probe and the Kyber crystal’s call.  It’s only natural that she’d stretch out and test her capabilities, with raw power balancing out finesse and training.  Her persuasion attempts take several passes to yield success, and Rey is surprised when she calls the lightsaber to her hand. 

This moment I concede partially, as on the face it is absurd that Rey could overpower a trained Force User.  However, there are precedents for this in Legends.  Darth Zannah comes to mind.  In Darth Bane Path of Destruction, Zannah rag dolled two experienced knights simply with her rage.  While the knight’s level of power isn’t specified, Zannah pulling this off with minimal training is still impressive.  This president factored in with Kylo’s wound and mindset—along with some bias from the Kyber crystal—and it’s plausible for Rey to pull the saber. 

Kylo had two major disadvantages doing into the duel:  his conflicted mind—worsened by patricide—and his abdominal wound.  While Kylo could draw strength from his pain like other Dark Siders, his mind would prevent this ability from working properly, especially if his training were incomplete.  While it’s mere speculation since this time hasn’t been explored yet, I’d say Kylo’s skill level is between ROTJ Luke and AOTC Anakin.  He’s trained decently, but still has much to learn, getting by on raw potential instead of finesse.  Even so, this potential allowed him to disarm Finn and dominate Rey. That’s right, Kylo dominated a majority of his duel with Rey, his strength forcing the initiate to give ground.  It was only when she gave into the force—inadvertently tapping into Force Augmentation—that Rey turned the momentum and Kylo’s wound became his Achilles.  If Kylo hadn’t been injured, I have no doubt he would have eventually disarmed Rey.  Power alone can only get one so far. 

As for how the duel is choreographed, I find it more satisfying than the prequel trilogy.  While the duels are the highlight of those films, there were many moments that came across as unnecessary fluff; stage choreography at its finest.  Here, the duel is staged in a manner akin to Empire and Jedi; most motion isn’t wasted and strikes make strategic sense.  It also has the advantage of advances in film techniques, making it an amalgamation of both trilogies styles.  I know some complain that the duel is boring, but given the combatants it made sense.  These aren’t fully trained Jedi and Sith hacking at each other; these are—for lack of more appropriate phrase—novices. 

Rey isn’t perfect.  While she does pick up on the Force quickly, she has one fatal character flaw:  she refuses to accept her family isn’t returning for her.  Because of this, she lingers on Jakku for years, with nothing but herself and hope; her need to linger is so great Rey doesn’t wish to leave for five minutes.  It takes outside forces to pry her away.  Despite this, she’s willing to help people—BB8 and Finn come to mind.  Some might thrust this under SUE, but the willingness to help others doesn’t a SUE make; by that logic, dozens of other characters are sues.  Besides, this willingness could be exploited by the Dark Side. 

Family issues aside, Rey doesn’t have much else that makes her an engaging protagonist.  She’s rather basic.  Luke was the same, but Mark’s acting balanced things out.  Daisy accomplishes the same thing here.  If an actress of lesser talent had been cast, we might be in a prequel situation, with fans lambasting both the writing and it execution.  While I did enjoy the sequel, this issue remains. 

While I mainly wished to keep this discussion to Episode 7, The Last Jedi brings up an interesting point that can be applied here.  As Kylo puts it, Rey looks for father figures to fill the void in her heart, jumping from Han to Luke; it’s safe to say she has a paternal complex of some sort.

As I’ve mentioned several times, Kylo Ren is a conflicted character.  He views himself as Darth Vader’s true heir, but like his grandfather before him he’s sentimental.  While the movie cut this part out, the novelization made it clear that Kylo knows about his grandfather’s redemption, but views it as a moment of weakness.  He claims not to have the same weakness, but he’s burying it inside.  Therefore Snoke demands that he kill Han Solo, to kill this part of him.  Vader thought he had killed his wife, and buried the guilt with anger; to avoid making the same mistake, Kylo MUST kill his father.  He succeeds, but the action unbalances him. 

 Some might call foul at this, but there is a precedent within the films:  Anakin’s duel with Obi-wan.  Anakin was unbalanced the entire fight, caused by Padme’s supposed betrayal.  This unbalance is what lead to his defeat, and his incarceration in the iconic suit.  It’s also responsible for one of the duel’s most memorable exchanges:  the Force Push impasse.  Anakin’s potential was far greater than Obi-wan, yet his old master matched him.  How could this be so?  While Obi-wan’s dedication and finesse played a part, it alone wouldn’t be enough to overcome the Chosen One’s raw might.  Even with all his strength, a lack of mental balance prevented Anakin from overpowering his former friend. 

Just a little aside, to me, Kylo Ren is Anakin executed correctly.  While the Chosen One’s arc in the prequels makes dramatic sense, Lucas’s direction and writing brought it down.

Finn and Poe most viewers seem to be happy with.  Finn’s desertion of the First Order feels natural, especially after what he witnessed during the opening scene.  Hs desire to flee to the Unknown Regions can be viewed as cowardly, but given his first-hand knowledge of the First Order it’s understandable.  He makes up for it later anyway.   He had several awkward moments, but they made sense within the context of their scenes.  He’s also responsible for one of Han’s best lines in the movie:  “That’s not how the Force works!”  His lightsaber fight with Kylo can be considered wish fulfillment audience insertion, as everyone who’s watched a Star Wars film has wanted to wield the elegant weapon for a more civilized age in combat. Poe is an ace pilot in the spirit of Han and Wedge.  The two have a good repour, but it is a headscratcher how he managed to escape from Jakku.  The film explains it offhand when the pair reunites, but it’s vague.  One area where the novelization is better.

Now we come to Han Solo’s demise.  I understand the anger, and it’s not misguided.  No one enjoys seeing their favorite characters die; Lord knows there’s plenty of Red Wedding Reaction Videos to prove this point.  However, just because we love the character doesn’t mean they should be exempt from death; as much as I love many of the Legends stories, it became predictable over time, especially when Lucas’s edict was factored in.  No possibility of death neuters consequence, and drama.  Chewie did eventually get a meaningful death, but he was the only one.  Disney’s buyout killed the edict, and with Harrison Ford onboard it was only a matter of time before Solo died; we all know Ford wanted him to die in the original trilogy.  Ford got his wish, and Han received a meaningful death, one that impacted the dénouement and aspects of the sequel.  A divisive dramatic choice, but it’s one I find myself siding with.    

While not at the same level as the original trilogy, The Force Awakens is a step up from the prequels when all elements are considered.  The acting and direction are great, the special effects are far more pleasing to the eye, and Williams delivers another epic score—although that’s one element I will admit the prequels executed better.  3.5 Kyber Crystals out of 5.