Not Even For The Nostalgia: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 25th Anniversary Collection Flops!

The Good: Moments of concept, TMNT is not terrible, Moments of performance
The Bad: Terrible writing, Repetitive plots, Often atrocious effects, Inconsistent acting/casting
The Basics: The four-pack Blu-Ray Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 25th Anniversary Collection illustrates just how bad comic book-based movies can be.


When the woman who would become my wife came into my life, nothing drove home the difference in ages between us to me like her affinity for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Some of my peers were into the animated television series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but by the time the live action films had begun, most were beyond that. My charge when babysitting, however, was a huge fan. So, it turns out, is my wife. As a result, for one of our anniversaries, I picked her up the boxed set Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 25th Anniversary Collection, a four DVD set that compiles the four live action/CGI Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.

Those who have a nostalgic attachment to the franchise, these films might be gold, but it is hard to imagine who exactly might get good mileage out of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 25th Anniversary Collection. This film “saga” it that bad.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 25th Anniversary Collection is a simple compilation pack of:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret Of The Ooze
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Turtles In Time
TMNT
with no additional discs or bonus features than on the original DVD/Blu-Ray release. There are, however, booklets, cards and other collectible swag in the pizza box collector’s edition of the films.

For those unfamiliar with the franchise, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are, as their name suggests, four turtles who were mutated through exposure to a green mutagenic goo that made them giant, bipedal, and exceptionally smart. Trained by a rat with similar size and intelligence, Master Splinter, the four turtles – Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo – train to become powerful vigilantes. However, because they have the mentalities of teenagers, they crack wise, eat lots of pizza and make a mess of things about as much as they actually protect people. Aided by the intrepid reporter April O’Neil and the slacker Casey Jones, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fight crime in the form of the evil Shredder, his mutants, and similar villains.

After a couple turns with Shredder, the Turtles return for a time travel adventure, before a stylistic overhaul for the final installment. This makes for an exceptionally erratic viewing experience. When the first three films are basically live-action actors running around in foam rubber suits (albeit, by the third they had the technical details of the suits worked out better than the first two installments) and the final movie is a computer generated animated work, it is hard to watch them one after another and feel like one is watching something set in the same universe.

The acting throughout the series is homogenously bad, though for TMNT, the voice actors are of a caliber that makes the film viewable, at the very least. But, more often than not, the fights look cheesy by any standard, the actors miss eye-lines and have awkward line deliveries, which makes the movies less campy and more terrible.

The plots are pretty obvious, repetitive heroic plots, with a little bit of teenage/group dynamic angst thrown in the last three movies to make a pass at character development. It is, however, only a passing attempt and these films are much more about fights and zany one-liners that the producers hoped would make it onto merchandising. For serious cinephiles, this is a set that may be easily passed by.

For other film collections, please visit my reviews of:
The Dark Knight Trilogy
The Harry Potter Saga
The Back To The Future Trilogy

2/10

For other movie reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Pulling Up Toward A Fantastic Ending, Twin Peaks Episodes 25 - 29 Undoes Much Damage To The Series!

The Good: Return of genuine surrealism, Tight Windom Earle plot, Great acting, Intriguing character development
The Bad: Still needs to tie up lame plotlines/character twists, Moments of still-terrible soap operatic quality.
The Basics: When Twin Peaks sprints to its end, the series leaps into the truly weird and disturbing after finally sealing off some of the lame bits.


[IMPORTANT NOTE: As I proceed through the episodes of Twin Peaks with reviews, it is absolutely impossible to discuss some of the episodes without revealing some of the surprises I will work hard to keep while reviewing earlier episodes, especially when discussing second season episodes. No matter how careful I am, it is impossible to write about some of the later episodes without letting slip that some of the characters were (ultimately) not the killer of Laura Palmer or killed, etc. I shall do my best to minimize that, but given how serialized Twin Peaks is, it is almost impossible to do even a minimal plot summary without some nuggets slipping out. These reviews may be ideal for fans of the series who are sitting down to watch individual episodes and want to have a guide as to which episode did what, because Twin Peaks episodes do not have names, just episode numbers!]

As I reach the end of my Twin Peaks reviews, I begin to feel like I am rewatching a program on rendering dead animals into meat. As Twin Peaks rushes towards its end with the final boxed set of episodes 25 - 29, the show becomes like watching the fat cut away from a carcass as plotlines are excised and the show begins to focus on the menace of Windom Earle.

Also, because it won't ruin anything to mention it at this point, this part of the series stops doing the annoying soap opera trick of "no one truly dies." Stories in Twin Peaks frequently are built upon the backstories that lend menace to certain characters and situations and involve people murdered or disappeared well before the story begins. Unfortunately, in its worst section of episodes (Episodes 20 - 24) almost everyone who could pop up does and it guts the nefarious quality of some of them. Moreover, there comes a certain feeling of a lack of genuine menace to the series. But in "Episodes 25 - 29," the menace is back and it is front and center. It is Windom Earle!

"Episode 25" finds Truman waking up in bed with Eckhardt's last footsoldier, a woman intent on killing him. Defeated, the attention turns to tracking down Windom Earle, whose deadly chess match means a death each time a piece if forfeit. When Gordon returns to Twin Peaks to reinstate Cooper into the FBI, Donna begins to unravel the connections between Benjamin Horne and her mother. While at the Double R Diner, aimlessly doodling the tattoos from Major Briggs and the Log Lady, Annie notes that the symbols look like the petroglyphs in Owl Cave, leading Cooper and the Sheriff's department there to try to unravel more of the mysteries of Twin Peaks!

"Episode 26" finds the larger petroglyph that Windom Earle exposed in Owl Cave and Earle reveals his goal in Twin Peaks to his captive Leo and a new chess piece: he seeks the Black Lodge, a place of unimaginable evil power. As Benjamin Horne begins to manipulate the Miss Twin Peaks pageant for the gain of the little pine weasel and his machinations, Audrey's trip to Seattle keeps her away from John. As most of the town turns out for the Miss Twin Peaks auditions - including Nadine and Mike - Richard hosts a wine-tasting at the Great Northern with mixed results. And as Donna begins to unravel her family history, Cooper and Annie fall more and more into a real relationship and a love, a love that is witnessed by the villainous Windom Earle!

"Episode 27" has Donna coming to believe her father is not who she thought he was and Audrey returning to Twin Peaks just as John is leaving for Brazil. With Pete's help, though, she manages to get to him for a rendezvous. As Cooper and the sheriff's department deal with Windom Earle's latest move and Earle listens in on their plans, plans for the Miss Twin Peaks pageant progress as does the relationship between Annie and Cooper (against the advice of the supernatural forces that advise Cooper). Following the revelation of Earle's end goal through old government tapes, Earle captures Major Briggs to enlist his aid in finding the Black Lodge.

"Episode 28" finds Major Briggs released from his captivity by a most unlikely ally, one who suffers greatly as a result of his betrayal. As Windom Earle moves toward his endgame, Cooper and Truman piece together the puzzle when they realize that the door to the Black Lodge will open at a very specific time and place and that Earle plans to use the new Miss Twin Peaks as the queen he will kill to end the chess match. Donna and Audrey join the others joining the Miss Twin Peaks Pageant and that night, the event is pulled off and an unlikely winner is declared, only to be ensnared by Earle!

and finally, "Episode 29" rockets the series home with an explosive end to the pine weasel storyline as well as the conflict between Donna and Benjamin. Nadine's head injury at the Miss Twin Peaks pageant restores her memory and shatters her relationship with Mike and fractures Big Ed and Norma's romance. Earle and Annie enter the Black Lodge and Cooper, one step behind, enters into the nightmarish realm of the Black Lodge with dark results.

This boxed set represents one of the most difficult sections of Twin Peaks to evaluate because it begins with "Episode 25" still embroiled in some of the more disappointing and soap operatic elements of the series, which drags down the overall quality of this section of episodes. Conversely, the last two episodes of the series (and of this boxed set) reach out of the muck and make for truly great television. The result is a very erratic boxed set and series of episodes.

It is, however, in this section that Twin Peaks does both the most mundane work and presents its most extraordinary ideas. On the plot front, there are standard, disappointing soap operatic bits like Donna suddenly learning her father might not be and the closure of the ridiculous Richard storyline with the wine tasting and his becoming smitten at the Miss Twin Peaks pageant. And anything with Nadine as she and Mike become publicly active are all predictable and droll on the plot front.

But then there's the character front and here Twin Peaks does not disappoint. Windom Earle is characterized as a brutal genius and in this set we see both aspects. Earle kills without mercy and torments the near braindead Leo. Earle's merciless nature is not sacrificed in this section and he kills, tortures and kidnaps in order to get what he wants. But the brilliance of Twin Peaks is that Earle is also just as smart as he was characterized as. He may be brutal and insane, but he also is highly intelligent and - most importantly - he remains one step ahead of Cooper and the Twin Peaks sheriff's department the entire time. Earle is one of the ultimate villains because he is characterized as evil in an unflinching way and then the executes his character with that level of darkness that makes him a reasonable foil to Cooper's unflinching goodness.

Ultimately, Windom Earle is a nightmarish character and the final reversal in the final episode with his character is genius. And this set builds up to a knockdown series finale that is exceptional in its setup and a genuine letdown only in that it leaves several critical storylines up for debate. And the most tragic nature of the finale is that some of the most beloved characters of the series are fearlessly and - with some genuine sense of finality - audaciously lost. And for those who become emotionally invested in characters, this is a very disturbing twist and one that will shake many viewers.

What makes much of this section work is the acting. After hours of watching Twin Peaks, I finally realized where I recognized Mike from. Mike is played by Gary Hershberger, who played Matthew Gilardi on the first season of Six Feet Under (reviewed here!). His role as Mike is so very different and it's pretty impressive to see the growth of the actor just between these two performances. In this section, Hershberger manages to do what he never did on Six Feet Under; create a character moment where one feels genuine empathy for his otherwise brash and insufferable character.

On the flipside of that, Heather Graham's appearance in these episodes of Twin Peaks makes for a milestone in her career whereby the viewer is given a clear marker for her development as an actor. Unlike her naive character, Roller Girl, in Boogie Nights Graham as Annie is just a little too goody two-shoes in her performance. For sure, the character of Annie is intended to be something of an outsider and a woman who has not had much experience in the real world, but Graham's performance is often a little too wide-eyed for reality. There are moments Graham needs to make radical alterations to her character - like the strength she exhibits when Annie is captured by Earle - that Graham does not quite land as a plausible extension of her previously-presented character. One suspects that now she could do it.

And there are the appearances by Billy Zane and Brenda Strong that might well distract viewers now, but the real stories come from the performances of the regular cast members. Everett McGill, Peggy Lipton, Lara Flynn Boyle, Richard Beymer and Harry Goaz all give performances that restore their characters to the Twin Peaks map. Vastly underused is Sherilyn Fenn as Audrey and that is unfortunate. And while performers like Heather Graham and Kenneth Welsh (Windom Earle) are given more and more airtime in this final section of Twin Peaks, the series is still dominated by the performances of Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Ontkean.

Ontkean is given a wonderful chance to shine and perform as Sheriff Truman as Truman hits the bottle following the strange circumstances resulting in Josie's demise. Given that there is an actual character arc for Ontkean to work with, he rises to the challenge and delivers masterfully restoring Truman from drunkard to respectable Sheriff once again. And he has an ability to do quiet scenes that he capitalizes on in this grouping, most notably a very quiet scene involving him and Harry Goaz's Deputy Andy waiting for Cooper after Cooper disappears into the Black Lodge.

And then there's Kyle MacLachlan. MacLachlan plays off Welsh and Graham brilliantly in this final sequence and it is MacLachlan who helps sell the nightmarish world of the Black Lodge and the very last moment of the series. He portrays dopplegangers and upsetting villains in the Black Lodge and he counterbalances that well with his portrayal of the straightforward good Cooper in a way that is ultimately quite refreshing and realistic. He manages to close out the series with a bang on the performance front and he lands what could be a ridiculous moment with one of the most creepy and powerful deliveries of the series.

But the series ends here and it is an abrupt end, one that will disappoint many viewers for the way it opens up a whole can of worms in the Twin Peaks mythos that will - likely forever - go unresolved.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Twin Peaks - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second and final season reviewed here!
or check out the entire series, available in the Gold Box Definitive edition, reviewed here!
Thanks!]

7/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

If Ever There Were Twin Peaks To Pass On, "Episodes 20 - 24" Are Them!

The Good: Moments of character and plot involving the Windom Earl storyline
The Bad: Inane storylines, Focus on lamer characters, (Understandable) Lack of enthusiasm from some actors
The Basics: When Twin Peaks flounders, it falls hard with a block of episodes that are virtually unwatchable with plot-heavy, un-surreal episodes "20 - 24."


[IMPORTANT NOTE: As I proceed through the episodes of Twin Peaks with reviews, it is absolutely impossible to discuss some of the episodes without revealing some of the surprises I will work hard to keep while reviewing earlier episodes, especially when discussing second season episodes. No matter how careful I am, it is impossible to write about some of the later episodes without letting slip that some of the characters were (ultimately) not the killer of Laura Palmer or killed, etc. I shall do my best to minimize that, but given how serialized Twin Peaks is, it is almost impossible to do even a minimal plot summary without some nuggets slipping out. These reviews may be ideal for fans of the series who are sitting down to watch individual episodes and want to have a guide as to which episode did what, because Twin Peaks episodes do not have names, just episode numbers!]

In the second season of Twin Peaks, following the revelation of Laura Palmer's killer, the series went wild as it went into plot and character freefall. Without the focus on Agent Dale Cooper and his mission to solve the big mystery of Twin Peaks to focus on interwoven with the machinations of Benjamin Horne in his attempt to get the Packard Lumber Mill land, the writers and producers scrambled to create something that would fulfill the rest of the season order for Twin Peaks. And it's not like they didn't know where they wanted to get to, the problem was there were too many episodes to get to before they ended up landing where they wanted to. The result was some pretty disastrous television, encapsulated on "Episodes 20 - 24" of Twin Peaks. This set offers some of the shakiest episodes of the series, even as it builds toward the big finale. The result is a set that has some terrible b-plot material being brought front and center and some intriguing a-plot material being oppressed by it.

"Episode 20" deals with the return of Major Briggs and Cooper trying to discover where he disappeared to. Bobby Briggs abandons Shelly for his work with Benjamin Horne who has gone quite insane in a reclusive way; spending all of his time locked in his office dressed as a Confederate general and playing with recreation pieces to a Civil War battle. This leaves Audrey harried, which does not get relieved by Agent Cooper, who works with Denise and Ernie in a drug bust which results in Cooper being taken hostage by Jean Renault's men. Meanwhile, James Hurley finishes fixing up Evelyn's car and Big Ed, frustrated with Nadine's regression, makes his move on Norma. Norma makes the decision to allow her love for Ed to be free, which results in a dangerous showdown between Ed and Hank Jennings!

"Episode 21" finds the power out in Twin Peaks and Windom Earle having taken his first piece in the chess match and claiming his first victim. While Cooper struggles to deal with the escalating danger of the chess match, Shelly attempts to flee a very cognizant and violent Leo only to be rescued herself. Big Ed and Norma deal with the renewed spark between them and James finishes the work on Evelyn's car only to have her husband promptly killed, leaving him framed for the murder. Andy and Dick work to discover Nicky's origins and find the truth is too real for them and a new stranger enters the Great Northern on a mission to find Josie Packard, leaving Truman worried about his lover's life.

"Episode 22" finds Leo in Earle's company, the angry man held by the madman as he continues his dangerous chess match. Cooper receives a gift in the form of the return of Albert who fills in much of the Windom Earle backstory and Josie is confronted by the powerful Thomas Eckhardt. Dr. Jacoby, Jerry, Audrey and Bobby work to complete Benjamin Horne's delusion and effectively end the Civil War in his mind, allowing him to snap back to reality. James, framed by Evelyn, turns back to try to get a confession from her with terrible results.

"Episode 23" presents Benjamin Horne with his new plan to block the Ghostwood project using the little pine weasel as cover until he can get the Packard mill land and the project back. As Big Ed is broken up with by Nadine, he turns to Norma with unabashed love. Norma, in turn, decides it is time to end her marriage to Hank who is incarcerated for his various violences. And the situation between Josie and Thomas Eckhardt comes to a violent - and surreal head - which informs Cooper of the dangers of things to come and the continued existence of Bob.

"Episode 24" finds Sheriff Truman descending into drunk depression over the loss of Josie and Pete aiding Cooper in the chess match against Earle. Having lured his three queens out into the open, Earle witnesses Cooper meeting Annie, Norma's sister who has come from the convent to work in the diner. Big Ed and Nadine get some counseling from Dr. Jacoby and Audrey begins to move on with Mr. Wheeler, an old business pal of her father's. And Richard helps Ben throw a benefit for the little pine weasel.

What is unfortunate about this section of Twin Peaks is that it is almost all bad. Plotlines like Mike and Nadine, the Benjamin Horne Civil War General phase, James and Evelyn, and anything involving Dick are just homogeneously bad. These plotlines take on hugely contrived, very soap operatic aspects that make for pretty miserable television. To be fair, these five episodes of Twin Peaks are probably not truly awful the way some television can be, but they are so far below the quality of where Twin Peaks has traditionally been that it feels quite bad to the viewer and fan.

Actually, there are many aspects to these episodes that are just flat-out awful. Characters come and go for quick arcs, like Thomas Eckhardt and Evelyn and her psychopathic lover (who may or may not be her brother). The result is the feeling that the show is in transition and it's simply biding its time until it gets where it is going.

Almost all of the traditional genius of Twin Peaks is stripped away in these episodes for a harsh reality that is hardly interesting and certainly lacking in vision and the intense grace of David Lynch's dream-vision that brought Twin Peaks to popularity well before these episodes. So, for example, outside the opening sequence to "Episode 20" wherein Major Briggs begins recounting his disappearance and Josie's final scenes, there is no sense of the surrealism and unique oddity that characterized Twin Peaks. The Nicky storyline wraps up with a bland reality that does not even grace the pathetic child character with an exit; instead Dick and Andy are given a broad expository scene by Dr. Heyward on the circumstances surrounding the child's birth and formative years. It's dry, it's dull and it does no services to any larger storyline.

And the emphasis on the plot events guts many of the characters. So, for example, with the Andy, Dick and Lucy love triangle, we never learn what it is that even gave Lucy the inclination toward Richard and what his interest in her actually was. The competition between the two men for her heart seems forced and increasingly ridiculous because the characters stopped making sense. There is no chemistry between Lucy and Richard and the quirky romance between Lucy and Andy is sublimated for the plot aspects in this set of episodes.

Similarly, the various machinations surrounding Josie and Eckhardt seem both rushed and contrived in the most common of soap opera fashions. The episodes fail to resonate when the relationships between the Packard backstory characters are simply being laid out for the viewers with little regard to sensibility or genuine intrigue. Instead, Eckhardt is a fairly generic gangster from another place with little sense of genuine identity.

And the less said about the witless James Hurley plot the better. The whole James leaves town, gets into trouble with another man's wife and is set up for a murder he did not commit only to be rescued by his true love whom he rides out on again, is straight out of the soap opera plot twist playbook. It's obvious and it feels as cheap as it is when it is presented on Twin Peaks, a series usually well above such common conceits.

Benjamin Horne suffers as well and any sense of his integrity as a genuine businessman is gutted by his sudden mental illness. Indeed, the only character that benefits with true growth here is Audrey Horne. Audrey takes charge and works to save her father's business empire and in the process becomes more mature, responsible and clever. It is almost realistic, then that she overcompensates for her new maturity by diving headfirst toward Mr. Wheeler when she cannot get Cooper. From the DVD bonus features on definitive edition, viewers would know that Audrey no longer pursuing Cooper comes from actor Kyle MacLaughlan's discomfort over the idea of the FBI agent being involved with an eighteen year-old high school student.

At least Wheeler is played by a decent and plausible actor. Billy Zane brings the same bland good looking definitively male quality to the role of Wheeler as he did to his brief part in Orlando (reviewed here!). In a similar way, David Warner - who would later wow audiences with his masterful performance of Gul Macet on Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Chain Of Command, Part II" (reviewed here!) - impresses audiences more with his presence in these episodes of Twin Peaks than his actual performance of Eckhardt. He is given a bit role and the bland undefined villainy of the character does not suit a performer of his stature and it is no surprise or even genuine interest when Warner departs quite quickly.

In fact, this section of Twin Peaks is plagued by the actors seeming to know they are working in something that is no longer thrilling or unique. Kyle MacLachlan, Sherilynn Fenn, Michael Ontkean and Richard Beymer all phone in their performances as the bigger characters going in lame directions. Peggy Lipton and Everett McGill, who play Norma and Big Ed restore some sense of sexual chemistry to their characters and they do it successfully, but they are not given enough time and space (yet) to truly run with it.

The only genuinely worthwhile performance that is consistently delivered comes from Kenneth Welsh, who plays the villainous Windom Earle. Welsh plays a master of disguise (who has pretty lame disguises) who begins to prey upon Twin Peaks and Welsh does a great job of insinuating intelligence and madness into the character. Welsh has an expressiveness to his eyes that plays silently crazy remarkably well. He's the only reason to watch this section of Twin Peaks on the acting front.

And that's not enough at all. For a series once so high, this represents the low-water mark and it's painful for a fan of the series to sit through these episodes, much less purchase them.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Twin Peaks - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second and final season reviewed here!
or check out the entire series, available in the Gold Box Definitive edition, reviewed here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Billy Zane, please visit my reviews of:
Titanic
Back To The Future II
Back To The Future

3.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Almost All The Twin Peaks Answers, Poisoned By Subplots - "Episodes 15 - 19!"

The Good: Some powerful moments and actual answers to big Twin Peaks questions, Acting, Surrealism
The Bad: Powerfully dumb subplots
The Basics: Despite finally identifying Laura Palmer's killer, Twin Peaks begins some cheap subplots that ridiculously place plot over character and undermine the show.


[IMPORTANT NOTE: As I proceed through the episodes of Twin Peaks with reviews, it is absolutely impossible to discuss some of the episodes without revealing some of the surprises I will work hard to keep while reviewing earlier episodes, especially when discussing second season episodes. No matter how careful I am, it is impossible to write about some of the later episodes without letting slip that some of the characters were (ultimately) not the killer of Laura Palmer or killed, etc. I shall do my best to minimize that, but given how serialized Twin Peaks is, it is almost impossible to do even a minimal plot summary without some nuggets slipping out. These reviews may be ideal for fans of the series who are sitting down to watch individual episodes and want to have a guide as to which episode did what, because Twin Peaks episodes do not have names, just episode numbers!]

And then comes the critical turning point for Twin Peaks. After all the foot dragging and suspense, some questions needed to be answered and the resolution to the Laura Palmer murder investigation left a significant gap that was filled like the Three Stooges running through a single doorway. That kind of crazy action of plot bottled up the series and left it mostly stuck until Windham Earl came to the forefront. But that comes later. This boxed set, "Episodes 15 - 19" is a tough one to rate fairly because it has the complexity of some of the series highs (Episode 16) followed by some of the genuine loser episodes of the series.

"Episode 15" opens with Bob having claimed his latest victim and Benjamin Horne is locked up for the murder of Laura Palmer and he turns to his brother to represent him and exonerate him. Cooper and Truman find Leland Palmer singing and dancing his way around the Great Northern and driving erratically as they search for Phillip Gerard to get his take on Benjamin. Pete torments Benjamin with the knowledge that someone unexpected is alive and working against him. And Norma Jennings's mother comes to Twin Peaks and her new husband, Ernie, has a strange connection with Hank Jennings!

"Episode 16" involves the discovery of Bob's latest victim and Cooper's determination of who Laura Palmer's killer likely is. When James proposes to Donna, she accepts until she learns that the creepy neighbor who led her to Harold did not exist. At the home of that shut-in, Donna and Cooper find the final clue; a note from Laura Palmer from the day she died. While Norma struggles with her picky mother and Benjamin Horne is tormented by an unlikely person, signing over Ghostwood in the process, Cooper assembles his suspects. While James flees Twin Peaks in reaction to the recent casualty, Cooper has a vision and correctly identifies who was possessed by Bob!

"Episode 17" finds the show adrift following the end of the first big mystery. Three days after the suicide of Laura Palmer's killer, Twin Peaks is reeling from the news. There is a wake and Big Ed and Nadine attend, shortly before Nadine begins attending Twin Peaks High because of her belief that she is a high school student. Norma's mother reveals her true nature to Norma and Hank and Ernie become involved with Jean Renault. As Cooper prepares to leave Twin Peaks - breaking Audrey's heart in the process - he is set upon by Internal Affairs. Relieved of his duties, he is free to go with Major Briggs into the woods, a visit that has profound results. Also, Richard and Deputy Andy compete for Lucy's heart.

"Episode 18" has James Hurley fleeing Twin Peaks where he meets Evelyn, an abused housewife who needs his help in fixing her husband's car, which she crashed. Agent Denise arrives from the DEA to take over the investigation into Cooper's connection with the drugs running into Twin Peaks and the wedding party for Milford and his young bride happens. As well, in the competition for Lucy's heart, Richard and Andy babysit a young boy who has a cruel streak in him. And Cooper receives a message from Windham Earl, while Benjamin Horne descends into madness and Josie Packard returns to town to tell Harry the truth about her past.

And "Episode 19" has Bobby starting work for Horne, who sets him to tailing Hank. Doug dies as a result of his wife and their honeymoon night, Richard learns more about Nicky - the orphan he is using to try to prove his suitability as a father to Lucy with, and Nadine joins the wrestling team where she takes on Mike, the team captain. Cooper discovers the real culprits bringing drugs into Twin Peaks and Windham Earl makes his first move. Josie bides her time waiting for Thomas Eckhart to arrive and James begins to work on Evelyn.

The problem with this collection of episodes is that they represent some of the highs and lows of Twin Peaks. So, for example, it is truly a thrill to see Laura Palmer's killer be brought to justice and the nature of Bob is very much in the spirit of Twin Peaks. The a-plot in episodes 15 and 16 wraps up the primary thrust of the series in an amazing and worthy way. The difficulty is that it is combined with the severe lows of things like the Nadine superhuman strength, going back to high school storyline and the ridiculous appearance of Nicky and Richard to complicate the lives of Lucy and Andy. Similarly, the addition of the Milfords (Doug and the mayor) and the soap operatic James-helping-Evelyn plot is just painful to watch.

And those who follow my reviews know I'm a huge fan of serialized television. As a result, I have a lot of patience with the Major Garland plot that is begun in these episodes and the seeds of the Windham Earl chess match. The whole drug subplot is passable and justified considering that there ought to be consequences for Audrey being rescued by Cooper and Truman and in this case, those consequences are interesting.

Less so is the appearance of Norma's mother and it seems like that is only the justification to introduce Ernie and his involvement with Hank. The result as one might guess from the lack of analysis thus far is simple: Twin Peaks adds a bunch of characters and takes a buckshot approach to the storyline in an attempt to find something that sticks as opposed to telling a coherent narrative.

In other words, character is sacrificed for plot. The plotlines diverge and very little is done with the characters other than move them around. They spend these five episodes so busy doing things that they do not grow, change or develop and the series stalls as a result of that. There are few quiet moments that involve actual development and that lessens what Twin Peaks is. There are exceptions, but almost all of them are in the earlier episodes of this block.

So, for example, in "Episode 17," Cooper explains to Audrey why - outside their ages - he will not pursue a relationship with her and the revelation is an intriguing one that answers a number of questions about Cooper's past and his eccentric professionalism. He is enhanced by the exchange and the viewer comes to empathize with him a bit more.

And poor Audrey for wanting him! Audrey's character takes a turn for the weird in this block as well as she develops a friendship with Bobby Briggs and like the terrible subplot that involves James fleeing Twin Peaks into the arms of Evelyn, it has the feel that now that the Laura Palmer investigation is over, the writers and producers simply had no idea what to do with Audrey.

And that's a shame because prior to this, she had been such a rich an intriguing character, easily one of the bright lights of the younger half of the Twin Peaks cast. In fact, the only prior cast member who benefits in this block is Hank Jennings. Okay, that's not entirely true. Josie Packard is fleshed out quite a bit upon her return. We see her and Truman together and she provides her backstory, setting up the upcoming Thomas Eckhart storyline. The reason I do not go into too much depth on that storyline is simple: Twin Peaks is a fun show and it is filled with twists and turns and surprising developments. The first season finale is a huge episode (reviewed here!) that is fraught with consequences, many of which resonate through the second season. Some of those consequences involve characters who are killed, disappear, flee or are otherwise maimed. Some of those characters, I am forced to discuss - like Nadine - because they become big characters who dominate plotlines (even if they are utterly ridiculous ones!). In order to truly appreciate Twin Peaks, though, you ought to be open to the surprises that come and deeply related to Josie is another character, whose fate was sealed in the first season finale. But rather than reveal too much of that, I avoid ruining the surprises. Pardon the conceit.

Josie's return sets up a storyline that puts Truman in potential danger and it puts Josie in a diminished place. Forced to work for one of her enemies, she reveals her backstory of her childhood essentially a mobster's favored slave, as an act of confession and for the first time, her character truly pops. It becomes more than a soap operatic series of character conveniences that Truman is drawn to Josie and the viewer is left feeling less cheated by that relationship.

Unfortunately, in the parade of new characters, the setup of the Thomas Eckhart plot makes the dangers of characters like Hank Jennings diminished. After all, Hank Jennings's great unspoken claim to fame was helping Josie knock off her husband, Andrew, and then becoming incarcerated for a lesser crime to lie low for a while. Lacking that, Hank is something of a goon and the viewer's appreciation for the menace he might represent is undermined.

But Hank makes a good showing in this section of the series and his relationship with Ernie continues to establish him as a man who cannot be trusted and who has some secrets that are still veiled. Despite the problems of Hank's character, he is wonderfully played by Chris Mulkey. Mulkey, of late seen in about four frames of Cloverfield (reviewed here!), has a natural charisma that he brings to the role that makes it seem very real that he would be able to make the crime connections he does, yet successfully avoid being reincarcerated. Mulkey is smooth and he plays off James Booth, who plays Ernie quite well.

The real treat in this section of episodes is seeing the performance by David Duchovny. Duchovny, best known for The X-Files (reviewed here!) appears in this section of episodes as Denise Bryson, the DEA agent who happens to be a transvestite. Duchovny is given the acting challenge of playing a male who has gender-identified with women and expresses that without appearing to be Duchovny playing a woman. In this case, Duchovny pulls it off and he is quite convincing and deeply human as Denise.

The first two episodes of this block involve some great performances by the person who plays the character possessed by Bob and that individual gives an amazing performance once they are revealed.

But the series still largely revolves around Dale Cooper, despite the ever widening circle of ridiculous plots. Kyle MacLachlan is wonderful as Cooper, infusing a deeper sense of humanity into the characters - especially once he is relieved of his FBI duties. MacLachlan consistently plays Cooper as something of a genius with a weird formality to him and in this section, they give him some choice scenes with Don S. Davis who has a similar characterization for Major Briggs. MacLachlan illustrates a profound sense of understanding that his character is not just weird of esoteric and that allows him to make Cooper shine as an intriguing protagonist.

But these episodes are the start of the plummet. The first two reach a crescendo and from there, the viewers are dashed to the proverbial rocks below with the splintering of the show into subplots that are plot heavy and character weak, involving ridiculous characters and ideas like Nicky, the psycho child and Richard who Lucy may have been impregnated by . . . these are turns that do not follow the logic and reality of the first season of Twin Peaks and depart it - surprisingly fast - from what made the show so great to begin with.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Twin Peaks - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second and final season reviewed here!
or check out the entire series, available in the Gold Box Definitive edition, reviewed here!
Thanks!]

For other works with David Warner, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Titanic
"Chain Of Command, Part II"
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Tron

5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Picard Tortured For Our Understanding In "Chain Of Command, Part 2"

The Good: Amazing acting, Worthwhile story, Great character development
The Bad: Somewhat obvious ending
The Basics: When Picard is tortured by Cardassians, the new captain of the Enterprise puts the safety of the Federation ahead of his life.


When last we saw our heroes, back in "Chain Of Command, Part I," (reviewed here!) Captain Jellico was in command of the Enterprise, menaced by the Cardassian Gul Lemec, Riker was at odds with him, Worf and Dr. Crusher were fleeing for their lives and Picard had been captured by a mysterious Cardassian and told he was about to be debriefed. Things certainly looked dire. They aren't likely to get much better at the beginning of "Chain Of Command, Part II." The viewer, however, is in for a difficult, though worthwhile hour that is possibly more timely now than when it was first released.

Picard, heavily drugged, has revealed all he knows about StarFleet ship positions along the Cardassian border. Gul Madred, then, begins to torment Picard, insisting he has more knowledge he needs and Picard does his best to resist. Captain Jellico flounders in his negotiations and he soon must make a decision to sacrifice Picard or lose important ground to the Cardassians. When Jellico chooses the former option, he and Riker clash and Picard is forced to hold out quite a bit longer. As Picard is tortured by Madred, Jellico works to keep war from breaking out between the Federation and the Cardassians.

This is a wonderful chance for Patrick Stewart to show off his acting skills. Stewart does some very difficult scenes being tortured. He has one of the least pleasant nude scenes in film history and a great bit of acting surrounding being tormented. He makes us believe almost instantly in his character's plight. Stewart's acting is such that we never once think he is anywhere but in a prison being tortured. There's not a moment that the episode pulls back to make us think that Picard can't or won't be killed by Madred. In fact, it's extraordinary to watch Stewart act and emote as he portrays being dehydrated, plagued by excruciating pain and drugged. He is amazing and this episode is the one that ought to have won him a ton of awards, but did not.

Adding to the menace are the various characters unique to "Chain Of Command, Part II." Gul Madred is a horrible Cardassian and we can see in him the individual and cultural traits of the Cardassians. Madred is a character full of power and everything he does suggests that. Similarly, Gul Lemec is in control and menacing in a more cunning, political way. The two Cardassian characters work out excellently.

Similarly, the presence of Captain Jellico adds menace to the episode and a great deal of uncertainty. Jellico allows us to suspend our disbelief and believe for a while that things might not end all right. Instead, Jellico's rough edges with the crew make us feel like Picard could truly be lost. It works out quite well.

Ronnie Cox makes Jellico feel like a horribly controlling captain. He uses a deceptively casual body language to make Jellico seem more real. So, instead of being a parody of a captain who is different and controlling, Cox manages to keep the performance from going over the top. He makes us believe that he is different and no less competent than Picard.

But the scene stealer is David Warner, who plays Gul Madred - though his character's name is never mentioned in the episode. Warner makes Madred cruel and powerful. His posture goes a long way toward making us believe in Madred's invincibility. When Picard resists, Warner alters Madred's tone and seated position in a way that we see what Picard sees, the crack in the facade. The thing is, these are subtle details, minute changes that the actors do and they do them masterfully to make us believe in them. Warner, especially, is exceptional at doing this.

"Chain Of Command, Part II" is difficult to watch and it's not recommended for children. It does deal with torture and the effects it has on an individual and it is presented with realism. This is a hard-hitting social message and the producers, wisely, did not pull any punches on it. What happens to Picard is horrific and the graphic nature of the torture may be difficult for many viewers to deal with.

Sadly, "Chain Of Command, Part II" has not - to my knowledge - been used by anyone in politics of a sterling example of one of the great truths of our time: nothing justified torture. The episode also makes several cognizant points that seem to be lacking in the U.S.'s public arguments to kill every alleged terrorist preemptively, concepts like: torture has NEVER been a reliable method of extracting information and use of torture degrades the people(s) who torture and mortgages any culture or identity they had. This episode puts all of the cards on the table and it does it brutally and with compelling drama. It's a shame the leaders in the United States - who have to compromise on bills figuring out what an acceptable amount of torture is for these turbulent times - are not compelled to watch this show.

There is no more compelling argument - outside of reality - for the abolition of torture in all forms than "Chain Of Command, Part II."

This is a great episode of television and something that may be rewatched over and over again, despite its difficult, adult content.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete Sixth Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the penultimate season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

9/10

For other Star Trek episode reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

Poor President Kennedy, To Go To The Grave With Tom Jones As His Last Film!

The Good: Costumes? You've got me!
The Bad: Not funny, Wandering plot, No great performances, Dull character arcs, No DVD bonus features.
The Basics: One of the worst Best Picture winners, Tom Jones is stiflingly humorless and not worth being seen.


My loathing of DVD packaging continues. When Tom Jones arrived for me at my local library, I was quite excited by the DVD box to read that Newsweek had once declared the film the "best comedy ever made." Sure, Newsweek is no Film Comment magazine, but if they are going to declare a film the best comedy ever, one would think that it must be pretty funny regardless. Two laughless hours later, I was broken of that misconception and hating Newsweek even more than I had before. The only other thing I knew about Tom Jones before I watched the film also came from the DVD box: as it turns out, this was the final film President Kennedy saw before he was assassinated. Certainly it is in bad taste to say that following Tom Jones, I was ready to have my head shot off, so I'll merely say that I did not enjoy this film and I can find absolutely no reason to recommend it.

Tom Jones is based upon a novel by the same name and this period comedy is not only devoid of humor, but filled with annoying cinematic conceits that are enough to make me shudder. There is an episode of The Simpsons where Homer is involved with directing and he insists on using a "star wipe" to make the transitions between scenes and one suspects that the writers of that series were subtly mocking director Tony Richardson for the various campy techniques he uses in Tom Jones. From the obvious voiceovers which offer no real information the viewer could not insinuate without them to the overbearing soundtrack utilizing the harpsichord (or possibly a dulcimer) to the strange wipes which make transitions, Richardson seems to be trying to make up for a lame script with special effects that are anything but. I am not one for screwball comedy, but even slapstick works I have not thoroughly enjoyed have usually garnered a few laughs from me. Tom Jones netted zero laughs.

Left in the bed of a wealthy gentleman, Tom Jones is an orphan raised in a household of privilege where he grows to be a young man without any religion and a love of the ladies. Being accused of getting Molly pregnant, Tom Jones is disgraced and his love-at-first sight for Sophie Western is instantly cooled. But when participating in a deer hunt, Sophie's horse carries her away and Tom Jones rescues her, breaking his arm in the process. But as Tom and Sophie get closer, the locals become offended by him and his womanizing past is used to drive a wedge between him and Sophie. Driven out through the machinations of Blifil, the nephew of Tom's benefactor and the competitor for his inheritance, Tom sets upon the road.

On the road, he finds many opportunities to be unfaithful to Sophie, though circumstances usually conspire to present his lust from actually being sated. Rescuing a woman from being beaten, Tom ends up in an inn which Sophie follows him to. Being run out, Jones takes up with a society woman and discovers his long lost father, yet continues to pine for Sophie, who remains on his trail!

The moment which came closest to garnering a smile in the entire two hours of Tom Jones was when a snooty old woman who has been berating all of the men stands up to a highwayman. Refusing to even stop for the robber who demands at gunpoint that she "stand and deliver," she engages in witty wordplay and rides past. This exchange, possibly thirty seconds, does not justify this film.

Tom Jones is a period comedy that alternates between screwball physical comedy - like Tom being chased out of an inn or sneezing while using snuff - and situational comedy, like the misunderstanding that comes Tom running excited through the manor rejoicing over his benefactor remaining alive after a carriage accident which claimed the life of Blifil's mother. There is physical comedy like Tom sneaking one of his lovers out of his room by kissing deeply the one who arrives second and having the first simply pass behind her while so distracted. There is also verbal comedy, which is far less common in the film, like the exchange between Tom and the "queen of the fairies" about keeping women waiting. The film might try hard, but it is homogeneously unfunny.

Part of the reason for this is that none of the characters truly pop. Tom Jones is very much a typical womanizer and Sophie is a very bland, 19th Century Englishwoman (in other words, a prude). Most of the characters are concerned with upholding traditional English mores and the comedy tends to come from the way Tom Jones defies such mores. But the film is very much a one-trick pony with Jones being chased around the countryside by people he has offended without any of the characters ever growing or developing.

As for the acting, that, too, is fairly flat and unimpressive. Of the leads, I had only seen Susannah York before in Superman and in this she runs around in a period-correct dress, but is pretty much the obvious damsel in distress. Talent like that of David Warner as Blifil is wasted in a supporting role which does not give him a chance to use his presence. The cast is led by Albert Finney and he plays the title character as a hapless scamp, but without any genuine charisma. In other words, it is hard to see how Tom gets so lucky with so many ladies when he doesn't have much in the way of energy or genuine sex appeal. Finney does the best he can with the script he was given, but the role is fairly monolithic and he lacks a sense of comic timing to salvage any of the more mediocre moments.

On DVD, Tom Jones comes with no bonus features, save the movie's original theatrical trailer. Considering this is a comedy without the benefit of humor, this DVD could seriously have used a Mystery Science Theater 3000 track to make it entertaining. As it stands, the fact that it has decent costumes is not enough to bother with this film.

[As a winner of the Best Picture Oscar, this is part of my Best Picture Project, which is available here! Please check it out!]

For other period pieces, please visit my reviews of:
The Piano
The Red Violin
An Ideal Husband

.5/10

For other film reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Man-made Disaster Movie: Titanic Is A Passionless Love Story That Sinks!

The Good: Good peripheral performances, A few moments of character
The Bad: Mediocre special effects, Predictable plots (not just the boat sinking), Contrived love story, Chemistry
The Basics: After several years, I gave Titanic a second chance, only to discover it was as bad as I remembered it being!


I'll admit it, I'm in the minority. I am not a fan of Titanic. I saw it years ago and was utterly unimpressed with virtually every aspect of it. So, when I sat down to rewatch the film as part of my desire to see every movie that won the Best Picture Oscar, I knew I would have to see Titanic again. I went into my latest viewing with my partner, who is a big fan of the film. Despite being initially biased against the movie based upon my prior experience, I figured if there was anything that could change my perception of the movie, it would be seeing it with my favorite person in the world and sharing her appreciation of the film.

It, alas, did not.

Titanic remains one of the most overrated films I've ever seen with two leads who have no genuine sexual chemistry. And while almost anyone who has ever heard the word "titanic" knows about the ship and what happened to it, the film by James Cameron is remarkably predictable in both plot and character aspects. For all the supposed greatness of the movie, this remains a long, tiresome drama that is a mild twist on a "man from the wrong side of the tracks gets the society girl" story. The disaster story is fleshed out with a romance that is more cliche than extraordinary. Ironically, for all those who hailed Revolutionary Road as a great reunion of stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, truth-be-told, their on-screen chemistry was often lacking.

When a team exploring the ruins of the R.M.S. Titanic recovers a safe with a drawing of a woman wearing a famed lost jewel, the Heart Of The Ocean, a woman comes forward to try to help the salvage team that is bent upon recovering such things. Rose, then, begins to tell crew the story of her time on the Titanic. Feeling trapped by her engagement to Cal, Rose boards the Titanic as part of society's elite. Moments before the ship is launched, Jack Dawson wins a ticket in a poker game to get him on the Titanic. But soon Rose feels utterly smothered by the expectations of Cal and society. She prepares to end her life by throwing herself off the front of the ship, but she is saved by Jack.

After several awkward incidents where Jack is reminded of his place in the social scheme, Rose becomes certain she does not want to associate with the social elite any longer. She abandons Cal (as best she can on the boat) and runs off with Jack. Jack, an artist, makes the portrait of Rose, which Cal finds in their room's safe. Cal's assistant plants the Heart Of The Ocean on Jack and arrests the young man. Shortly thereafter, the Titanic collides with its fateful iceberg and begins to sink. The young love Rose and Jack share becomes a nightmarish attempt to evacuate the sinking ship.

Titanic is superlative for its supporting cast. Kathy Bates portrays Molly, a society woman who does not care for conventions, brilliantly. She brings a vibrancy to scenes that are filled with stuffy characters acting boringly. Similarly, Victor Garber (Mr. Andrews, the designer of the ship) and Bernard Hill (Titanic's captain) play their roles with dignity that is enjoyable to watch and becomes the definition of professionalism and sacrifice.

But so many of the other roles are monolithic and cliche even. Cal and his henchman are villains of the most predictable and mundane order. Cal is clinging to Rose, not out of love, but a chauvinistic sense of possession. Outside being an artist, Jack is just a boy from the wrong side of the tracks with little else to distinguish him from similar characters. And Rose is very much a spoiled society girl who is unhappy with her lot in life. Her character is only fleshed out by her mother's insistence that she do whatever is necessary to snag Cal because Rose's wealthy father died carrying an inordinate amount of debt.

So, with characters who are more "types" than genuine characters, Titanic is a movie with a predictable plot that is trading almost exclusively on style instead of substance. As for the style, the film is an awkward mix of phenomenal and droll. The sets inside the Titanic are absolutely stunning, recreated in immaculate detail. The costumes, as well, are beautiful and appear period-correct. There is much to admire about the style of Titanic for much of the film.

Unfortunately, most of the shots of the ocean liner Titanic are sloppy, obvious CG efforts which have a poor physical relationship to the ocean setting and the sky. When the boat is moving and when the camera is posed at improbable angles - especially as the Titanic is going down - the effects are anything but special. The reality of footage of the actual Titanic on the ocean floor stands out compared to the computer-generated replica and when the reality and the CG are put side by side, it is just horrible. The epitome of bad special effects comes in the frozen bodies, several of which are obvious mannequins.

After a ridiculous amount of time, the movie ends and the viewer feels cheated, not so much because they knew the end from before the movie began, but because of the narrative structure. From the outset, viewers know that Rose survives, so the process of how she gets rescued is mildly interesting at best. But some of the other characters could have had surprising resolutions to their stories, but for them being mentioned early in the movie.

As well, while director James Cameron has an obvious appreciation for some physical details, he fails to capture certain essential realities. The darkness of the boat after the lights go out and sound as it would have traveled after the boar went down are less-realistically presented in Titanic.

On DVD, Titanic comes with the theatrical trailer and the ability to see the movie seamlessly in one take (the old VHS had two cassettes). There is a new two-disc version which offers Titanic fans more goodies, but I only had the one-disc version for review.

Ultimately, Titanic is another big budget special effects film of a tragedy which fleshes out the known tragedy with a lackluster character story that is more of a fairy tale than it is an original or inspired story.

[As a winner of the Best Picture Oscar, this is part of my Best Picture Project available by clicking here! Please check it out!]

For other works featuring David Warner, please check out my reviews of:
The Adventures Of Brisco County Jr.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Tron

4/10

For other film reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

Before The Sequel, I Revisit Tron, A Trippy Disney Film That Foreshadowed The Matrix!

The Good: Clever concept, Generally good effects, Metaphoric level works great.
The Bad: Some clunky effects, Some awkward acting, Lack of bonus features, Dreadfully short!
The Basics: Somewhat problematic, Tron is a 77 minute journey into 1982's cutting edge special effects with a Man Vs. Machine story that is a stronger metaphor than character journey.


As I prepare to re-emerge into the theaters for Oscar Pandering Season and the bevy of films that come out this time of year, I am catching up with the homework for some of the most anticipated films. While my wife and I were out recently doing Christmas shopping, we ran across a whole load of toys for Tron: Legacy. While I have no real interest in the sequel film, I recognize that there are a number of people very excited about the impending film. So, I decided to bone up on the subject by getting Tron out from my local library. In the years since Tron made its premiere, popular culture has embraced films like The Matrix. And outside popular culture (at least until next year), geeks have embraced cyberpunk works like Neuromancer by William Gibson (click here for my review of that!) and television shows like VR.5 (click here for that review!). The basic premise follows between all three works: humans and machines are becoming much more symbiotic.

Tron is a Disney film that kicked off the idea of humans entering a virtual world. In the world of Tron, computers have sentience and they are hunting programs within virtual world. In Tron, science is making leaps both in the virtual world and the physical world and where they meet, the action of Tron begins. While there are certainly more impressive reality-twisting films today, Tron began it as a story of big business and the philosophy of scientific exploration. A strange subject for a sequel, Tron is fun, if nothing else.

The software company Encom is run by Master Control, a system marginally controlled by the Senior Vice President Dillinger. While a disgruntled software programmer, Flynn, searches for information within the virtual world ruled by Master Control, a current Encom employee, Alan, finds himself locked out of the system. Flynn, alerted by Alan and his ex-girlfriend, Lora, that Dillinger is onto Flynn's attempts to find his signature intellectual property within Master Control, gains access to Encom to try from the source. But while making the attempt to crack into Master Control, a new laser scanner targets Flynn and digitizes him, absorbing him into the virtual world. There Flynn must fight for survival in gladiatorial games arranged by Master Control and executed by Sark.

Flynn, a human among personifications of programs captured by the Master Control, is forced to compete with games, light cycles and other devices. Inside the program, Flynn meets Tron, a personification of the program written by Alan that is working to bring down Master Control from within. During one of the challenges, Tron and Flynn escape the confines of Master Control's grid and they go on the run!

Tron is a thematically ambitious work and writers Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird deserve a lot of credit for making what is essentially a metaphoric film work on an entertainment level as well. The personification of programs and the digital world as an actual world is an intriguing one, but it is also one that occasionally has a lot of weight to bare. After all, the only character the viewer has a real connection with is not the title one, but rather the miniaturized Flynn. Tron is an embodiment of Alan's codes, despite how he appears. So, the relationship story in the virtual world between Tron and the program that resembles Lora only works on the metaphoric level. So, while ideologically the viewer might want to root for Tron, the only real emotional connection has to be Flynn.

Flynn is an initially cocky character, but when Master Control flexes its muscle and manipulates the digitized Flynn, there is a sense of real consequences for the characters and that makes an emotional tether. But the film diverges for quite some time with exploring Tron's attempt to liberate the system and the viewer is given a lot of spectacle with little real connection to the characters. I seldom write this sort of thing, but Tron might be a better movie for people when they are high. After Tron is charged with delivering his disc to the central processor and fundamentally changing Master Control, Tron degenerates into a very basic, if exceedingly trippy, chase story.

Furthermore, the metaphoric levels Tron works on are pretty much exhausted through the early dialogue. While an earlier programmer argues with Dillinger about how Encom was built by his programming, out in the real world, he reveals that his signature and those of other founders will always be within the matrix. So, while Tron encounters the embodiment of that maligned programmer within the communication's grid, the scene does not advance the metaphor, only reiterate it. Similarly, it is hard to care about the digitized Flynn's relationship with the program that resembles Lora. Sure, the viewer gets that Tron isn't Alan and the program is not Lora, so when Flynn pops back into her existence, it's not really Lora cheating on him. But by the same extension, the viewer doesn't care because the woman is just a program.

As for the effects, Tron actually works fairly well because of how clunky the computer effects are. Inside the primitive computer, the landscape and elements look appropriately primitive. The skintones on the characters within the mainframe are washed out, easily distinguishing characters in the real world from the virtual ones (more than just their glowing costumes). But the virtual world is in no way a viable reality for viewers now the way subsequent VR films have been.

What is more problematic than the effects is the acting. The acting is erratic, though not generally bad. Ironically, the acting issues tend to be presented less with actors performing opposite virtual sets or props, but rather in their deliveries. Cindy Morgan has several awkward deliveries wherein she fails to emote realistically and her speech starts and stops abruptly. Bruce Boxleitner and Jeff Bridges do generally well with their deliveries, though they are not given an awful lot to do on the character level. Tron's characters lack subtlety and and sense of shading to their character. Sark is monolithically evil within the Master Control and David Warner portrays him without any real flair or depth. To Warner's credit, his scenes as Dillinger at least allow him moments to play somewhat conflicted about his role in enslaving the virtual world.

Ultimately, Tron is a movie worth seeing once, especially as humans and machines become more interdependent, but it is largely a film with a story as metaphor more than a story wherein vital characters affect the world around them. That makes it somewhat less satisfying and hopefully with Tron: Legacy there will be something more than an hour and a half of metaphor and effects to look forward to.

On DVD, Tron comes with no bonus features (at least its initial release).

For other works featuring David Warner, please check out my reviews of:
The Adventures Of Brisco County Jr.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

5/10

For other film reviews, please click here for my index page!

© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



| | |

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, A Last Hurrah That Works More Than Just Metaphorically!

The Good: Good plot, Nice message, Decent acting, Most character work
The Bad: Returned scenes garble everything, Spock's character
The Basic: Despite some serious character and plot flaws, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country remains a solid film that illustrates a diplomatic process that meets with resistance.


"All good things must come to an end," goes the old saying and as the actors portraying the primary cast of the classic 60's science fiction show Star Trek aged and decided they were done with their occasional outings into the final frontier, they closed the series with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Not ones to go out on a low note, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A is charged with essentially creating universal peace and making the 25th Anniversary of Star Trek an event.

When the Klingon moon Praxis explodes, the Klingon homeworld's environment and power supply is crushed. Unprepared for the magnitude of the environmental disaster, the Klingons turn toward their old enemies, the Federation for help. Captain James T. Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise head to a rendezvous with the Klingon flagship that ends with an unfortunate incident wherein the Enterprise apparently fires on the Klingon ship and StarFleet officers beam aboard and kill the Klingon Chancellor.

As Kirk and McCoy are tried and convicted by the Klingons for failing to save the life of Chancellor Gorkon, a new Chancellor is named. Spock works to find the evidence to exonerate his friends before they are killed on an icy prison planet and in the process, he uncovers a plot that strikes at the heart of all he believes in.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is one of those movies that comes in with a bang - the explosion of Praxis is quite impressive - and manages to go out with one as well. This is the end of an era, the cinematic adventures of Captain Kirk and his crew, and by the way the crew is split up, the viewer feels that. To wit, Captain Sulu is in command of the U.S.S. Excelsior and while he is invaluable to the film, actor George Takei is virtually relegated to a cameo role as a result.

The Undiscovered Country is hailed by many as the best of the Star Trek film franchise and while it is a wonderful film, three things keep the movie from rising to the level of greatness that was achieved by Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (click here for my review of that!) and Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (click here for that review! ), especially when those two are viewed together as one longer movie. The three things that keep The Undiscovered Country from being even remotely considered perfects are: the bastardization of the idea of the Federation and StarFleet for plot points, Spock's actions near the climax of the film, and the sloppiness of the writing as far as basic details go.

On the two-disc special edition DVD of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the director's cut of the film is presented, which simply reinserts a subplot into the movie that involves a rescue attempt for Kirk and McCoy by high command figures in StarFleet. Recutting the Colonel in with his essentially racist (against Klingons) viewpoints and remarks cheapens what Star Trek stands for.

I've vigorously argued that Gene Roddenberry's vision of Star Trek was not truly achieved until Star Trek: The Next Generation. Yet, in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the supplemental characters are all motivated by conservative ambitions to keep a cold war mentality going and they are almost universally prejudiced, barbaric and, well, dumb. In short, Roddenberry's vision is of a humanity that is not motivated by greed, war or prejudice and yet in The Undiscovered Country, the highest levels of StarFleet are filled with people who are only avaricious, barbaric and bigoted. It's insulting to anyone who has watched Star Trek and bought into concepts like Infinite Diversity through Infinite Combinations. It's a cheap way to flesh out the plot at the expense of the greater themes Star Trek had stood for for a long time before.

Moreover, the viewer is asked to believe that high level conspirators within StarFleet, the Klingon and Romulan Empires are working together to . . . prevent the major powers from working together. Wrap your head around that.

Even more troubling is what happens with Spock near the climax of the film (I'm writing around a lot of details here to prevent any "surprises" from being leaked!). On the bridge of the Enterprise, Spock roughly grabs a fellow officer and performs a Vulcan mind meld. The person resists and Spock pushes. In essence, the audience watches Spock rape another character and the scene is disturbing, treated as uncontroversial and guts the pacifistic, rational character that fans have loved for the twenty-five years before this film was made. The scene is violent and more than anything else in the movie is why the film ought to have been rated PG-13 (it escaped with a PG and for those who do not follow my reviews, I seldom bother even noticing ratings from the MPAA). Strange, considering Leonard Nimoy was intimately involved with the creation of the story, that the writers would so incredibly botch the character of Spock.

While the other two elements might only be appreciated by fans, the final problem is sloppiness that any moviegoer who is awake for this film will find troubling. The first words of the film are uttered by Captain Sulu, dictating a captain's log about how the Excelsior is returning from the Beta Quadrant where it has been cataloguing gaseous anomalies. At the climax of the film, Spock and McCoy retrofit a photon torpedo with . . . the sensor equipment that the Enterprise had used on its last mission, cataloguing gaseous anomalies. Now, I'm not saying that there isn't a whole lot of gas that needs to be catalogued in space, but it seems like the writers mixed up their two ships and that's just indefensibly sloppy. What's sadder is that Uhura's suggestion that they utilize this equipment is the strongest contribution she makes to this endeavor.

Beyond that, the movie is wonderful. Even if one does not like Star Trek (heretic, you!), The Undiscovered Country is a vital outing that is accessible to anyone. Like the very successful cinematic outing Star Trek IV The Voyage Home, The Undiscovered Country takes a powerful social idea and couches it in the science fiction/adventure trappings of Star Trek. In this case, the philosophical question of what happens when there are no more wars to fight is tackled.

The Undiscovered Country is a metaphor for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, with the Klingons taking the place of the USSR and the Federation embodying the United States. The tensions, mistrust and machinations are compelling. Sure, it buggers the viewer to see Klingons and humans working together so they won't have to work together, but the idea is very well explored.

In fact, outside the comedic elements that are thrown in to try to capitalize on the same formula as The Voyage Home, the dinner scene wherein the concept of peace and life without wars is debated is brilliant and vibrant.

The reason The Undiscovered Country ultimately works as well as it does is because it maintains the focus on the characters, in this case Captain Kirk and . . . well, virtually everyone else. Chancellor Gorkon is an idealist, General Chang is the fairly generic villain and Captain Spock is more diplomat than science officer here, which foreshadows his return in "Star Trek The Next Generation's "Unification, Part II.” Gorkon and Spock are rational, idealistic alternatives to the conservative, warring viewpoints expressed by Kirk and Chang. These other characters service Kirk by providing him with guides by which to grow.

And Kirk grows beautifully in The Undiscovered Country. While some die-hard fans seem to hate the idea that Kirk might hate Klingons, the motivations seem very vivid, considering what happened to his son in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock. Kirk's anger becomes something he must confront and a serious liability to his ability to perform his mission. Indeed, because he is clinging to his hatred of Klingons, he is easily convicted at his trial on the Klingon homeworld. Through the course of the movie, Kirk wrestles with his dislike of Klingons and his desire to see them suffer as a result of the actions certain individual Klingons have taken.

One person I know is deeply offended by Kirk's suggestion near the beginning of the movie that the Federation's response to the Klingon's desperate crisis is "Let them die." I believe his utterance, in the halls of StarFleet's most powerful people, is a shocking statement that serves the story well, while preserving the character of Captain Kirk quite well. It's hard to be high and mighty when you are hurt, no matter how evolved one is.

Moreover, how Kirk's reaction evolves from being willing to let the Klingons suffer and die without aid to his shock when Gorkon is murdered, is compelling. This leads the viewer on an emotional journey that is realistic, intense and wonderful to watch.

Part of what does this is the acting. Guest actors include David Warner as Chancellor Gorkon, Kurtwood Smith as the Federation president, Mark Lenard as Sarek and Brock Peters as Admiral Cartwright, all of whom are familiar to fans of the "Star Trek" franchise for other roles. Here they each perform wonderfully, contributing to their characters in ways that transform them from "types" on the page to vivid individuals on the screen.

Christopher Plummer plays General Chang and his performance is wonderful. Plummer is menacing, maniacal and clever as the one-eyed general. Plummer varies his performance between cultured and deadly with an ease that overcomes his prosthetics. He steals every scene he is in.

Having seen some episodes of Sex and the City, it's a pleasure to see Kim Cattrall acting in The Undiscovered Country. She plays Spock's protege, the Vulcan Valeris. She is emotionless and wonderful in the role and it's a big stretch for those who are used to her from the other show.

It is William Shatner whose performance rules The Undiscovered Country. Kirk's character journey would not be possible were it not for the depth and scope Shatner used to portray him. He throws his whole body into the role, playing sedate and intellectual in the dinner scene and making his brawl on Rura Penthe completely believable. Shatner earns his pay and it's a pleasure to see him redefining Captain Kirk as a truly dynamic character in this outing.

The two-disc DVD set is very much designed for the fans. Bonuses include commentary and a number of featurettes that explore the ending of the adventures of the original Star Trek. Virtually all of the bonus features explore The Undiscovered Country in the context of the Star Trek universe (including a wonderful one where guest actors are shown in their various other Trek incarnations), leaving little for those who are not fans of the franchise to celebrate.

And there is a lot in the movie that is geared toward a more mainstream audience. The conflict in The Undiscovered Country is one of life and death that is wonderfully open to anyone who likes a good political thriller. At the end of the day, The Undiscovered Country is about how governments relate and the machinations that are in place to create and disrupt peace. As a result, the film succeeds admirably in making a statement about what peace ought to cost.

That's a lesson anyone can appreciate.

For the other Star Trek film adventures, please click here!

7.5/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, please click here to visit my index page!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |