While other people complain about the overabundance of
sequels, I look forward to seeing my favorite heroes return to the screen –
even if they often fail to outdo themselves. And, let’s face it, once Ant Man,
Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, The Black Panther, and Dr. Strange get their own
movies, the only superhero without an origins movie will be The Whizzer.
Then again, there are some movies that should just be left
alone. Seriously, leave them alone, Hollywood. I’m serious! Stop it! I said
stop!
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| www.pagesz.net |
Captain America: The First Avenger was an all right movie. I
mean that in both the best and worst sense. It did exactly what it wanted to
do. It just so happens that what it wanted to do was not all that ambitious or
interesting. The First Avenger was a very tame movie; it tried it’s best not to
offend. And that’s pretty strange considering it included Nazis with
mystical-powered backpacks shooting lasers at American soldiers in WWII Europe.
My point is it was too straightforward and straight-laced for it’s own good,
and it’s blandness only added to the feeling that it existed primarily to lay
the groundwork for The Avengers – a much better movie.
“Winter Soldier” does what very few sequels do and improved
upon the original in a big way, opening the character up to new possibilities.
“Cap,” as his fans call him, is not a one-note-character and this follow up to
his 2011 origins story builds on that newfound cynicism we glimpsed in The Avengers. Rogers is branded as the all-American hero, but he struggles to fit
into his role in the 21st century where personal privacy is
increasingly taking a backseat to homeland security. Rogers’ easy friendship
with Sam Wilson (aka Falcon) reminds us that he’s still just an ordinary
soldier trying to do the right thing. And his mission to rescue SHIELD
hostages, single-handedly taking out a team of mercenaries, reminds us that
he’s pretty super – especially when viewed apart from the Hulk, Thor, and Iron
Man.
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With limited super powers, Cap is essentially Marvel’s action-thriller hero, and Winter Soldier
does a great job of playing to the character’s strengths, focusing on hand to
hand combat, gun fights, and car chases, all expertly cut together into the
slickest action sequences I’ve seen in a Marvel movie so far. The really
outlandish elements of the Marvel Universe are held back to make room for a
conspiracy thriller-type of storyline involving Cap and Black Widow, not
knowing who to trust while searching for clues to a plot to take down SHIELD.
Still, Winter Soldier couldn’t be accused of being too toned down with Falcon
spreading his robot wings and a talking Nazi computer making an appearance.
Strangely enough, aside from some particularly well-done action scenes, the
Winter Solider himself hardly factors into the plot – at least, he’s hardly the
most interesting character. (And anyone who knew the cast of the first Captain
America knew his identity way ahead of time… *SPOILER* It’s Bucky!)
WORST: it's a TIE! 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE and SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR
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| hdwallpapers / thinkingoutsidethepod.com |
Frank Miller, 2014 was not your year. You might still be a
legend in the comics world, but I’ll be doing my best to avoid any movie with
your name attached to it from now on. I was genuinely excited for a Sin City
sequel since the first movie came out back in 2005, but the longer I waited,
the higher my expectations became and, after 9 years of waiting, I was beyond
disappointed with the results. "Rise", on the other hand, sounded like a bad idea
from the very start.
And it was really hard to choose which one was worse since
they were both so disappointing for a lot of the same reasons. A good sequel is
supposed to progress a story, build on beloved characters, and up the stakes in
a way that keeps things fresh while building on a solid foundation. “Rise” and
“Dame” felt like nothing more than cash-grabs, introducing characters I never
really cared about and ruining the mystery behind characters I liked.
When we first see Xerxes in 300, he’s a giant, a god amongst
men, with grotesque gold jewelry and legions of slaves struggling to hold up
his throne. In other words, he was a %$#ing epic villain! The last thing I wanted
to see in “Rise” was a normal man magically turning into Xerxes through some
rather lame special effect. When you over-share a character’s backstory, you
drain them of their power – just look at Darth Vader. As for “Dame,” in the
first sequence Marv goes on a killing spree, slaughtering a group of college
kids who try to burn a homeless man alive. Sure, these are some bad apples, and
they deserve what’s coming, but Marv doesn’t feel like an anti-hero in “Dame.”
He’s just a guy who likes to kill people, and all he needs is an excuse.
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| sincity-2.com |
Secondly, Both “Rise” and “Dame” were
prequels/sequels/in-between-quels with events happening before, during, and
after events from their predecessors, which felt especially confusing in “Dame.”
Was Marv alive when Hartigan died? Does that mean Marv died long after Nancy
was saved? Why is Josh Brolin playing Dwight instead of Clive Owen? It’s all a
tangled mess that isn’t worth teasing out. As for “Rise,” I just kept wondering
what was happening with King Leonidas, and after the events of the original
300, I cared very little what was happening to everyone else. Between the lack
of star power and narrative momentum, I just got really bored. A few weeks
after seeing it with my brother, we both genuinely forgot we'd even seen it.
The third thing “Rise” and “Dame” have in common is Eva Green. For what it’s worth, I preferred her role as the ultimate femme fatale
in “Dame,” but in both movies, her main role seems to be providing gratuitous
nudity. In 300 and Sin City, the nudity never seemed all that gratuitous. There
was a style there – something to be admired. “Rise” and “Dame” just feel dirty
and cheap by comparison.
Agree? Disagree? I'd say, "comment below," but I don't think you have the guts.
Agree? Disagree? I'd say, "comment below," but I don't think you have the guts.
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