Oppressive Mood Theater Continues With The Spoon-fed Reign Over Me!

The Good: Performances by the great cast, Compelling story, Use of mood
The Bad: Underdeveloped relationship between Alan and his wife, Spoonfeeds the important character elements, Lack of decent bonus features
The Basics: Despite a great start, this character-centered drama falls short when it tries to be something different and dumbs itself down for the audience.


There are a number of movies I have seen that begin with a great deal of potential only to fall flat in the middle and end. Usually, it comes from a setup that is extraordinary that ultimately falls flat. Movies that set themselves up for greatness, but then collapse away from that greatness leave me disappointed. Lately, it seems this happens most frequently with me when a movie dumbs itself down and makes what is implied more obvious. I like films that engage me and assume I am both intelligent and engaged.

The latest film to set itself up with intelligence and subtlety only to turn around and disappoint me in the latter portions is Mike Binder's Reign Over Me. What begins with promise degenerates into a film that sacrifices its potential and subtlety for explicit and obvious conflict that is nowhere near as engaging. Given the quality of the first half of the film, it is only that which keeps this from being both unwatchable and even making it to a cointoss for a "recommend/not recommend." Yes, as I begin this review, I'm not sure which way I'm falling yet.

While driving from his troubled dental practice one night, Alan Johnson sees his old college roommate, Charlie Fineman riding a Segue through the streets of New York City. Charlie, adorned with giant headphones, does not acknowledge Alan and a few weeks later when they run into one another, he does not seem to remember him. Charlie, exhibiting all of the signs of shellshock, slowly recalls Alan as his roommate and the two return to Charlie's apartment which he is in the process of redoing the kitchen of.

Soon, Alan is spending more and more time with Charlie, despite Charlie's occasional violent outbursts. This strains his marriage to his wife and she wonders why Alan is so obsessed with helping Charlie. While fighting a lawsuit from a woman who made a pass at him in his office, Alan struggles to get Charlie into counseling to deal with the trauma he is experiencing in regards to the loss of his wife and daughters.

Unfortunately, as the movie progresses, Reign Over Me becomes unsatisfied with being a struggle between one man and his sense of loss and another man's efforts to save him. It degenerates into a courtroom drama and a piece that attempts to add a dramatic tension outside the mood piece that makes it work successfully. But more than that, in its latter portion, it makes explicit the loss Charlie Fineman is experiencing and in the process, it dumbs down all that was clever about itself.

Writer and director Mike Binder, whose only other work I had seen before this was Man About Town (reviewed here!), scatters like breadcrumbs the allusions that Charlie's wife and daughters were aboard one of the planes that was hijacked and destroyed on September 11, 2001. Up until the moment that is actually spelled out for the viewer, the film is clever, smart and bold. The universal act of a survivor of the act of violence done against the nation is made as a very personal character struggle. We have not seen anything on those left behind before now and Binder starts it out as something clever and vital and heart wrenching. The moment it is made explicit and the courtroom drama that the movie descends into after that become something significantly less and it feels and views like simple, dull pandering. What was a character study is transformed into a political statement and the movie does not work on that front at all.

Reign Over Me works when it is a deeply personal story and Binder and his cast pull that off beautifully for a time. The conflict that arises from Alan and Janeane is oversimplified, but it acts as a foil to the conflict and struggles between Alan and Charlie. In other words, as Alan tries to intervene in Charlie's life and set him back on a path to normalcy, he does so at the expense of his relationship with his wife. Alan and Janeane share a very cold, rational marriage, whereas Charlie's wounds make him a very passionate - if completely dysfunctional - character. the magic of the contrast is lessened some in the latter portion of the film wherein Janeane is barely featured and the conflict between her and Alan is completely sublimated to the Charlie legal story.

Reign Over Me would be a far better movie if only it had continued with the two character struggles and worked harder to develop the two relationships that pull Alan in very different directions. Indeed, the peak of the movie is quite possibly the moment when Alan realizes that he is not happy in his marriage and that he is gaining some satisfaction out of trying to put Charlie's life back together. The consequences of that realization, though, fail to resonate when Charlie's in-laws pop back into the movie to cause him legal grief . . . for no good reason.

Reign Over Me also has decent use of music and a directoral style that Binder deserves some credit for. The film looks good and Charlie's obsession and connection to music allows for a decent soundtrack to arise from it. But more than the cinematography, it is the character depth that works, which makes it all the more disappointing when Binder surrenders to absurd plot elements to finish off the story.

Charlie's story is far too complex to be resolved through the forced conflict of the legal battle that ensues and that abrupt right turn in the movie leaves viewers with a sour taste in their mouth. Indeed, it is Charlie's complexity that leads to a mood that is dark and compelling throughout most of Reign Over Me. This is not an upper of a movie and Charlie's sullen and shell-shocked nature, combined with his occasional loud and angry outbursts, makes Reign Over Me a difficult movie to watch. That difficulty is mediated by the sense the viewer has that the film is going somewhere. Unfortunately, it gets lost along the way and when it gets lost, it gets lost in the tallest of the tall grasses.

As for the acting, much has been made of Adam Sandler's ability to perform in Reign Over Me. I assert that those who make a fuss over Sandler's performance as Charlie simply did not see his genius performance in Punch-Drunk Love (reviewed here!). In that, as in Reign Over Me, Sandler illustrates that he can be edgy, dangerous and still create a character that is not silly or stupidly crazy. Sandler's Charlie is deeply empathetic and pitiable and it is much of Sandler's work that makes him that way. Sandler - even in some of his more ridiculous comedies - has exhibited the ability to go from quiet to violently angry in the blink of an eye. So, when Charlie is provoked by difficult questions he does not want to answer, the performance Sandler gives is one that is shocking, but not when one considers the source. This is what Sandler is good at, arguably a master of.

The real acting genius in Reign Over Me comes from star Don Cheadle. Cheadle continues to impress as an actor who has great range and in this movie, he performs in a way I've not seen from him before. He easily emotes the strain in his character's marriage with minimal lines but explicit body language through the beginning of the movie. In his earliest scenes, Cheadle makes Alan seem henpecked and disinterested in the life he has through the way he moves more than anything his character says. This is almost the definition of great acting. Cheadle mirrors Sandler's ability to play a tormented character and in Reign Over Me the portrayal of lovelessness in contrast to loss of love is played out with genius by Sandler and Cheadle. Cheadle, though, provides an impossible-to-define solid quality that roots the viewer with Alan, despite his disaffected quality in his performance. It is Cheadle that makes the shaky end at all watchable with the compassion he portrays.

On DVD, Reign Over Me has remarkably few bonus features. There is a featurette on the making of the movie which is not incredible or memorable and a jam session with Sandler and Cheadle. The only other thing on the disc is a photo montage which seems somewhat pointless after watching the movie.

So, here at the end, I am left to consider the impression this left with me. Fans of drama will love the beginning; it is dark, murky and compelling. But the people to whom that appeals most will be disappointed when the film dumbs itself down in the middle and end. As a result, it's hard to recommend this for the buy.

For other films featuring Jada Pinkett Smith, please check out my reviews of:
The Women
The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix Reloaded
Princess Mononoke

6/10

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

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Turnaround on U Turn, Oliver Stone's Directing School Art Project

The Good: Some decent acting, Moments of character/intrigue
The Bad: Stone's directoral toying, Terrible characters, Feels long
The Basics: With violent, mean and unredeemably bad characters, U Turn tells a story of a man trapped in a backwater town that Oliver Stone sloppily creates.


When I was in college, possibly when I saw The Usual Suspects (reviewed here!) in the theater, I saw a preview for Oliver Stone's U Turn. Ever since then, it has been on my list to see and I was thrilled to find it on DVD (albeit a no-frills version) and I was excited to sit down and watch this movie. If anything, I was biased toward it from the previews I barely remembered. As the movie stretched on and on, the anticipation faded and the reality sunk in; there's a reason U Turn is almost never mentioned with Stone's classic works JFK and Natural Born Killers.

Bobby Cooper is driving through Arizona en route to paying off a gambling debt that has already cost him two fingers when the radiator tube in his car's engine ruptures and he is forced to get it repaired. In the desert, he finds the small town of Superior and a crazy hick mechanic named Darrell. While Darrell is repairing Bobby's car, he goes into the town where he encounters Grace. Grace is nice enough, recognizes his flirting and brings him back to her house. Bobby is attacked by her husband, Jake, who then approaches Bobby with a proposition; he'll give him money to kill Grace, a proposition Bobby rejects. Unfortunately for Bobby, he's at the site of a stick-up and the money he's carrying to pay off his debts gets shot up by a store owner who kills the robbers. As Bobby is tossed between Darrell and a psychopath named TNT, attracted to Grace and avoiding the law in the form of Sheriff Potter, he finds himself desperate to get out of Superior and in need of money he does not have.

U Turn has a number of elements that seem to set it up for greatness. It has a respected director (Oliver Stone), it has a decent cast that includes Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Lopez (remember when she was primarily an actress?), and Billy Bob Thornton. It has characters that are, at the very least, intriguing. It even has some truly brilliant lines. The problem is, almost none of them all come together at the same time.

Possibly the best moment - and this is in the trailer, so it's not revealing anything too big - is when Bobby, played perfectly in the scene by Sean Penn, turns to Darrell - played with gruesome perversity by Billy Bob Thornton - and with uncharacteristic wit says, "Forty thousand people die each day, how come you're not one of them?" Now that's an insult! Penn delivers the line well, to the right character at the right moment. It's a nice moment of cinematic quality that is not necessarily indicative of the rest of the film.

Bobby owes people money and they've lopped off some of his fingers so from the moment Bobby comes into the picture, the viewer knows we're not dealing with the morally upstanding citizens of the world. Writer John Ridley does not keep the viewer waiting long, with Darrell being the first character the very impatient Bobby encounters. Whatever sympathy we have for Darrell who is immediately insulted by Bobby, fades with his shifty ways and underlying meanness (to say nothing of his rotted smile).

In short, U Turn features a cast of almost entirely unlikable characters. Superior, Arizona is populated by rogues, killers and psychopaths who bully, bribe and sex their ways through life. And it gets old pretty quick. Unlike a movie like Payback (reviewed here!) where the viewer roots for the antihero because they have been, in some way, wronged and has some redeeming quality to them, U Turn has no such luck.

Throughout this movie, characters tell Bobby that they see within him the killer instinct, the ability to kill, something he claims he has never done before arriving at Superior. The thing is, whether they see it or not, Bobby's sense of desperation leads him to exercise what he's never seen within him before. It's that kind of weak characterization where there's no integrity that turns the viewer off to empathizing with him. Instead, the viewer shrugs and says, "Don't care what's coming to him now."

Even the abused Grace has moments where the viewer thinks her character might be redeemable. Alas, Ridley and director Oliver Stone mortgage that by making Grace even more shifty than her abusive husband Jake. To his credit, Stone chose well to cast Jennifer Lopez as Grace and Nick Nolte as Jake. Nolte is appropriately menacing as Jake and almost every moment he's on screen makes the viewer's skin crawl. Similarly, Powers Boothe is decent as Sheriff Potter.

What's unredeemable is Stone's directing. Stone plays with the camera like a film school student, cheapening almost every vital moment of the film by using camera techniques. A good (or great) director figures out how to use the medium to effectively tell the story they want. While I applaud experimentation, Stone's camera experiments fail to illuminate the story or more importantly the characters in U Turn. Instead, the abrupt clips are distracting, sloppy and annoying.

Whatever potential the rogues gallery of U Turn had of surviving the unlikability of the characters and the somewhat predictable (or standard) criminal underworld plot is mortgaged by Stone's direction which sinks this film out of being watchable. At least now, it's off my list. If it's on yours, you might want to take it off before you, too, are disappointed.

For other works by Oliver Stone, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Platoon
Wall Street
W.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

4/10

For other film reviews, be sure to check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Kevin Smith Tries Some New Askew Plots . . . With Success In Jersey Girl

The Good: Funny, Sweet, Good characters, Good acting
The Bad: Predictable plot, Kevin Smith's lack of trust in his audience
The Basics: If Kevin Smith re-integrates deleted scenes into this comedy about a family on the verge of rebirth, Jersey Girl will be a work that will endure far longer.


In his first five films and single cartoon series, Kevin Smith created a universe that is immediately recognizable to fans of his work. It is in his mythical New Jersey that a drug dealer named Jay and his hetero- lifemate Silent Bob encountered obstacles ranging from mall security guards to demons bent on destroying the universe. Smith returns his fans now to a different section of his universe in Jersey Girl, though he is playing with many of his same core of actors.

Ollie Trinke is a publicist for the stars and he tends to be a workaholic. His wife, Gertrude, is very much in love with him, though when she becomes pregnant, they find some strain on their relationship, mostly to do with the amount he works. Gertrude dies in childbirth, leaving Ollie to raise her namesake Gertie. Gertie is a handful for him, leading him to a public relations mishap that gets him fired. Years later, Ollie and Gertie are still living with Ollie's father Bart in New Jersey and they are happy. Ollie, however, still pines for New York City and the life he left behind there. When he meets a charming video store clerk, Maya, who is clearly interested in him, his priorities begin to change and he needs to decide to return to the life he once knew or adapt to all of the changes that Gertie and Maya bring into his life.

First of all, I am a big fan of Smith's other outings and I like the View Askew Universe. Thus, I was looking forward to Jersey Girl from pretty much the first moment I heard about it. Unlike the many many fans who are likely to spend great time and verbiage complaining about Jersey Girl's lack of known View Askew Universe residents (notably Jay and Silent Bob), I resist such tendencies because Smith deserves his chance to explore and expand that universe (there's nothing to stop him from returning and/or integrating characters he creates now and in the future in future works).

But the fact is, I have a serious beef about Kevin Smith in regards to Jersey Girl. As many who heard about this movie knew, Ollie is played by actor Ben Affleck and Gertrude was played by actress Jennifer Lopez. The older this review becomes, the more this explicit statement will become necessary: Jersey Girl was shot while Affleck and Lopez shared an off-camera romantic relationship. In his filming diaries of Jersey Girl, Smith repeatedly remarked about how in love the two of them were and how their chemistry was amazing on film and how much life they brought to the movie.

Days before Jersey Girl was released in the theaters, Smith let it be known on his website that a good deal of the beginning of the movie - with Ollie and Gertrude in love - was being cut. He specifically cited the wedding between them hitting the cutting room floor and his given reason for the cut was that he did not want people who saw the movie to see Affleck and Lopez getting married and become confused about them being together (by the point the movie was released, their romantic relationship had been terminated).

My beef with Kevin Smith is this: he insults the intelligence of his audience and I am one of those people. Smith's lame remark was that because Affleck and Lopez came close to marrying, but did not, seeing them playing characters that got married would make the audience confused thinking that the actors had married. Please. What a ridiculous notion and what a waste of truly meaningful footage. There is a lack in Jersey Girl and it comes where the wedding should have been. Ollie and Gertrude go from courting to rather pregnant with wedding rings without the passion of something like a wedding to make explicit that there has been that deepening of their love.

Smith underestimates the power of his own work; Ollie, from the moment he appears on the screen, is quite clearly not Ben Affleck. Yes, Ben Affleck plays him, but they are not the same person. Actors play characters and Smith has cast perfectly, allowing Affleck to become Ollie the way Lopez becomes Gertrude. As a result, Smith instantly brings us into a world where two people are in love and encountering the very real stresses that come with juggling hectic work schedules. And if Kevin Smith had another reason for cutting the footage (i.e. one of the actors asking him to, because it was too painful for them to watch), fine, but he could have either been honest about it or come up with a better lie.

Smith's storytelling ability is wonderful here, as he takes the classic relationship story that he has been retelling since Clerks and puts yet another spin on it. And it works. More intelligent than just about any other romantic comedy, Jersey Girl goes into daring territory for Smith, illustrating a relationship seldom given focus in romantic comedies as the story revolves around Ollie and Gertie. The father/daughter dynamic and how it changes when another woman enters the picture is impressively explored here.

Indeed, because the plot is relatively simple, Smith is forced to flesh out his characters to an extent that he has not had to since Chasing Amy. Ironically, Jersey Girl is set up to be Gertie's story (from its title and the opening shots), yet it is Ollie's story. Ollie and his relationships with Gertie, Bart, Maya and his coworkers is what Jersey Girl is all about.

It is Ollie that moves much of the movie and he is a likable character who is instantly empathetic. Unlike Holden McNeil from Chasing Amy, who is empathetic up until he draws the worst possible conclusion from the data given to him, Ollie Trinke reacts emotively with a very real array of issues in all of his relationships. As a result, we often feel like he is a pinball moving between the different relationships in his life because he is emotively in limbo or (from the middle of the film onward) is finding his emotive center - his love for his daughter - set off balance.

Ben Affleck gives a great performance that Kevin Smith does not give justice to in assuming that people watching him will see Affleck instead of Ollie. Moreover, Affleck is given a chance to show more of his range from his action hero and whiny man types that have defined so many of his movies. This is quite possible Affleck's most accessible performance and the one that is easiest for the widest audience to relate to.

Similarly, Liv Tyler does an amazing job of defining Maya through her body language and soft voice. Tyler appears on screen shattering our perceptions of her as an elf (from her The Lord Of The Rings role) and instantly establishes herself as someone who has a sense of comic timing and real zest to her. Jennifer Lopez is decent in the few scenes we see her in and George Carlin gives a surprisingly dramatic performance as Bart.

The real surprise is Raquel Castro, who plays Gertie. Castro approaches the role with a surprising amount of maturity and depth that I have not seen in a child actor since Dakota Fanning in I Am Sam (reviewed here!). Castro, however, has a wonderful sense of a child's comic timing and she uses it in contrast to adult-like renderings of her dramatic lines that makes her character come alive.

Kevin Smith takes a chance in making a family comedy about a widower, his daughter, and the woman who enters the picture to affect their family and it's a bold, wonderful step in the growth of his storytelling ability. Hopefully, as the film hits DVD, he will have the courage to tell the story that will endure and let the tabloids fade into the past.

For other movies by Kevin Smith, please visit my reviews of:
Clerks
Chasing Amy
Dogma
Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back
Clerks II
Zack And Miri Make A Porno
Cop Out
Red State

8/10

For other film reviews, be sure to check out my Movie Review Index Page for a complete listing of all the movies I have reviewed.

© 2012, 2004 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Sad, Funny, And Gory/Violent, Super Has A Lot Going For It!

The Good: Moments of humor, Moments of character, Acting
The Bad: Plot is essentially Kick-Ass, Disturbing levels of gore.
The Basics: Super is surprisingly smart, amazingly well-acted and very funny when it is not bathing the viewer in violence and gore.


A few weeks ago, my wife and I got Peep World (reviewed here!) and before that movie began, we saw a preview that actually made us want to hunt down the advertised film. That film was Super. In many ways, Super looked like it would be a comedic version of Kick-Ass (reviewed here!), so I was thoroughly prepared to love it. After watching the film tonight, I am glad I did, though it had a somewhat erratic quality that made it difficult to recommend as enthusiastically as I might have hoped to.

There has been a disturbing trend in genre movies of late where violence and humor are combined. Before Super, the only film I had truly enjoyed that combined the two was Zombieland (reviewed here!). Tonight, I came to understand exactly why the blending of excessive violence with humor upsets me so much. With the pleasure centers of the brain open from laughter, the viewer is bombarded with violent or gory images. This causes the viewer to associate violence and/or gore with pleasure on some level and that is a trend that is beyond disturbing, it is outright sick.

This actually has special relevance to Super in that Ellen Page's character, Libby, begins to explicitly derive pleasure from causing pain and the line she crosses is never satisfactorily confronted in the film. Libby becomes something of a maniac and while it is easy to see the protagonist, Frank, loathe her actions, he does not effectively stop her rampage under the guise of virtue.

That said, viewers who are comic book readers and those who like dark, ambiguous stories are bound to love Super and it is easy to see why it is already drawing a cult following. I was actually surprised to discover there is not already a line of Super action figures.

Super follows Frank Darbo, who has two shining memories in his life: the day he married Sarah and the day he pointed out the direction a fleeing criminal went in to a pursuing cop. When Sarah, once again off the wagon, leaves Frank for Jacques, Frank becomes despondent and goes to the police. There he finds no recourse, so he prays. After receiving a vision from god, Frank visits the local comic book shop to learn about becoming a super hero. There he meets Libby, the clerk who seems to like the unassuming Frank.

Frank creates his costume and outfits himself with a pipe wrench and the catch phrase "Shut up crime!" Out on the streets, he begins violently assaulting those who rob, sell drugs and molest children. When he decides to take on Jacques and his goons, the Crimson Bolt finds himself outmatched and shot. With no other refuge, because his assailants know he is Frank, the Crimson Bolt takes refuge with Libby. Libby is thrilled to learn that Frank is the vigilante from the news and she joins forces with him as Boltie. After a disastrous training mission, the pair arm themselves and make an assault on Jacques' compound in the middle of a very dangerous drug deal.

Super has been criticized by some as "not knowing what it wants," but I found the film to be one of the pleasant rare ones that actually develops. As a result, it is heartwrenchingly sad, then laugh-out-loud funny. The humor turns dangerous, but the weight of the transformation is not lost on the characters involved. In other words, when Super gets dark and gritty, the characters seem to understand that the world they are in is troubling and dramatic. At that point, the jokes stop.

Frank Darbo is an exceptionally depressing and realistic character, mired as he is in a love that has no further use for him. He is agonizing to watch and his character's arc is an interesting one. Anyone who has been through a traumatic divorce will understand how Frank can cling to his hopeless love for Sarah even when she shows no compassion to him getting beaten up by a trio of goons.

Frank is played with amazing dramatic gravitas by Rainn Wilson. Wilson starts the movie with a sense of his character being lost that is unlike any role I have ever seen Wilson take before. In the middle, he is given the opportunity to deliver his trademark dry humor and wit. Those hoping to see a great Rainn Wilson comedic performance will get exactly what they hope for. But what those who have seen other works Wilson has been in might not expect is the dramatic force Wilson exhibits at the film's climax. The Crimson Bolt's final declaration could be cheesy if delivered improperly, but Wilson lands it with a spittle-flying vehemence that makes the character of Frank compelling and the Crimson Bolt seem like the coolest vigilante since Rorschach in Watchmen (reviewed here!). Wilson rocks in Super!

Ellen Page gives a decent supporting performance as Libby. I've seen plenty of films she has been in where terrible things happen to her characters, but in Super, Libby gleefully pummels a guy who may or may not have keyed her friend's car. Ellen Page lands it with Libby's maniacal laugh and her role is arguably the most disturbing of the film.

The homogeneously good acting continues from Liv Tyler and Kevin Bacon. Tyler seems an unlikely choice to play Sarah in that it is hard to see the connection between her and Rainn Wilson, though the connection between Sarah and Frank is adequately explored. Kevin Bacon foreshadows his X-Men: First Class role as Jacques and he makes the character delightfully bastardly.

Writer and director James Gunn does a decent job with Super in that most of the special effects are actually special. Some of the direction, though, is a little questionable, notably the use of handheld cameras at some moments when static shots might have worked better. When Frank first becomes the Crimson Bolt and goes out to wait for crime to happen, the shaking camera seems more sloppy than stylish. Fortunately, that is the exception to the rule in Super.

In the end, Super lives up to its name, though it is a little more mellow than entertaining at some points. On DVD, it features a commentary track, deleted scene and three featurettes on aspects of production. It is enough to keep viewer's happy and entertained outside the primary programming.

For other works with Ellen Page, please visit my reviews of:
Inception
Whip It
X-Men III: The Last Stand

6.5/10

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

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Even Edward Norton Cannot Save The Incredible Hulk As Summer Lackluster Theater Continues!

The Good: Moments of performance with Norton and Tyler
The Bad: Characters fail to grow in any significant way, Much of the acting, Plot, Special effects.
The Basics: While an improvement on the Ang Lee Hulk, The Incredible Hulk still fails as it does not develop the established characters and relies heavily on other conceits of the genre.


Every now and then, I feel like I have woken up in a parallel universe. As I continue to participate in summer blockbuster season by attending viewings of the logical top film of the week (by the grosses), I've been astonished to find so many well-respected reviewers raving about The Incredible Hulk, a film I've been trying to review for the better part of an evening. Why? My reviews keep coming up short and I run out of synonyms for "terrible." Even for the air conditioning the theater offers with the ticket price, it's not worth suffering through The Incredible Hulk, a film which is essentially shown in its entirety in the theatrical trailer.

Following a botched abduction attempt by commandos and General Thunderbolt Ross, the reclusive scientist Dr. Bruce Banner's gamma ray-altered DNA falls into the hands of the military. Escaping Brazil for New York City, Dr. Banner - who has been working to cure himself of becoming a giant green monster whenever he becomes angry - finds himself pursued by General Ross. His search for a cure and his reuniting with the love of his life, Betty Ross, is cut short when the military manages to use the DNA they extracted, resulting in the Abomination, a massive gray creature that is set loose in New York City. The Hulk must therefore be allowed to emerge, so that New York City - and civilization - might be saved.

Hmmmm . . . haven't we seen essentially the same thing before? Banner struggles with his condition, a similar creature arises and only the Hulk - the alter-ego angry side of Banner - can stop it . . . It seems like that was what Hulk (reviewed here!) was all about and that movie was just plain terrible. The Incredible Hulk is, admittedly, a little better. But not by much. At all.

First, many have praised Edward Norton's presence in the film, as well as helping in penning the script. I like Edward Norton. In fact, I like his work quite a bit. Indeed, it was Edward Norton who managed to get me to go see The Incredible Hulk, when I promised myself after Hulk I would do no such thing. The problem is, Norton is the familiar Edward Norton we've already seen. And when he's not, he's not. I mean that quite literally; the only moments that Edward Norton does anything remotely unlike something we have seen before from him, he's a CGI character who is rampaging around.

As a result, much of The Incredible Hulk has Norton moping around in a ridiculously familiar way. Anyone who has seen the magnificent The 25th Hour has already seen all that Norton brings to bear in his performance in this film. He is moody and cerebral, pouting his way through his studies and search for a cure while pining for Betty. The thing is, we've seen Norton heavy and moody before and when he is so preoccupied, it feels familiar and droll. Moreover, in the moments where Norton as Banner is forced to express anger, it falls flat. Norton does fear and pain great, but when trying to express rage . . . well, there are moments the special effects work by taking over for the actor. More often than not, watching Edward Norton in The Incredible Hulk seemed like watching Luke Wilson. Indeed, at some of his most cerebral moments, Norton mimics Wilson from his performance in The Royal Tennenbaums.

But more importantly, the problem with Hulk was not (so much) Eric Bana or Jennifer Connelly, but rather the terrible and predictable script. Here, the script is almost just as bad as this follows a rather predictable sequel trend of re-establishing the super hero, introducing the villain, thwarting the villain. Like most such sequels, there is more than one villain and the way The Incredible Hulk fails to engage is that in the sequences where Banner is eluding Thunderbolt Ross, he doesn't grow. Sure, Banner is plagued by this demon inside him that comes out all angry and slobbery. But when he's not focused on a cure - which is pretty boring to watch -, he's restraining himself with his girlfriend (sorry, restraint is pretty boring to watch, too) or he's restraining himself from fighting the military commandos which, also, not the most interesting sequences. In other words, in the establishing moments of the flick wherein Banner is shown doing relaxing things and carefully monitoring his vital signs, he is established as a character who is fighting for control and the savvy viewer gets that. After recently having everything spoon fed in the latest Indiana Jones outing, I was ready to not have my intelligence insulted. Alas, The Incredible Hulk does not fit that bill.

Moreover, the rest of the characters are flat and uninspired, making Banner and Hulk's actions seem less heroic. Betty is the the archetypal lady in waiting, Thunderbolt is the generic military leader and Blonsky - the commando who becomes the Abomination - seems more of a parody of a military commando than its archetype. He spouts some of the most bland, generic lines of the film and while it is clear what motivates Banner into becoming the Hulk, what spurs Blonsky into the Abomination and traps him there is less sensible.

And everyone else in the movie is window dressing. In some ways, it doesn't even matter as The Incredible Hulk rapidly degenerates into a series of special effects battle sequences that are more cartoonish than a serious cinephile will be comfortable with. To be sure, the computer animation that defines the creature the Hulk is more detailed than in the prior cinematic outing, but it is no better in terms of its realism. Many of the sequences that are supposed to be exciting and big falls dramatically short as the two computer generated monsters ridiculously interact.

But following so closely on the heels of Iron Man, the plot of The Incredible Hulk seems structurally dull and at least the earlier Marvel film had some intrigue and character issues. But, like Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk quickly degenerates into a film wherein the hero is established and then a bigger, grayer version of the same comes along to stomp on everything. Yes, we've seen it and while the super hero genre film niche might be tough to manage - especially when creating a sequel - the least the Marvel film division could do is try to put the most similar films out on different years!

The Incredible Hulk does not advance the character of Bruce Banner and his strained relationship with Betty is glossed over so much that it is hard to empathize and care. Ultimately, The Incredible Hulk continues what was begun years ago with equal or better actors being utilized in exactly the way one might expect them to be (without challenging the viewer's expectations in this regard) in a plot that is so hackneyed and obvious that only those who have to sneak into this PG-13 film would find it original. And for the adults in the audience, it's hard even to find it entertaining.

For other movies based upon the Marvel comic books, please check out my reviews of:
X-Men: First Class
Thor
Iron Man 2
Blade: Trinity
Elektra
Daredevil

3.5/10

For other movie reviews, please check out my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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Epic Redux Vol. 2 - The Two Towers Made Better In Its Extended Edition!

The Good: Great acting, directing, characters, plot, special effects, Wonderful DVD bonus features
The Bad: Some of the bonus features are repetitive.
The Basics: Fleshed out to be an even more complete and truly epic film, the extended edition of The Two Towers is the only one worth owning!


Following upon the success of the cinematic rendition of The Fellowship Of The Rings and then the immediate success of the four-disc "Extended Edition" of the first film in the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (click here for that review!), there was little doubt that Peter Jackson's follow-ups would do extraordinarily well at both the box office and the retail outlets for DVDs. When The Two Towers hit the theaters, Peter Jackson promised viewers an even more impressive Extended Edition and, true to his word, when it hit stores a year later, it was worth it.

Jackson had no small task in The Two Towers, the middle act of the Lord Of The Rings, arguably the most challenging episode in the franchise to keep focused and interesting. As a result, Jackson decides to stray some from the narrative left to him by J.R.R. Tolkien and he inflates a rather minor battle from the novel The Two Towers (click here for the book review!) into the centerpiece of the cinematic version. In this way, he takes a cinematic episode that could have been tragically dull with honestly no significant movement and transforms it into arguably the best sequel film since The Empire Strikes Back (click here for that film's review!). And with the Special Extended Edition DVD, he fleshes out the three hour film into a 223 minute epic that is truly amazing.

Recounting the loss of Gandalf in Moria, Frodo awakens to the nightmarish rocks of the Emyn Muil, which is the most direct path to Mordor where he seeks to destroy the evil One Ring. Lost and accompanied by Sam, whose spirits are dwindling some, Frodo soon realizes the pair is being followed. They capture the creature Gollum, who is hunting the Ring and who becomes bound to helping Frodo and Sam when Frodo's compassion gets the better of him and he prevents Sam from killing the creature. Together, the trio journeys closer to Mordor, en route being abducted by an unlikely soldier, Faramir, Boromir's brother.

While Frodo and Sam progress toward Mordor, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas follow the trail of Saruman's Uruk-Hai into Rohan, the realm of the horse lords. There they discover a beaten people and when they find a new incarnation of Gandalf roaming the nearby woods, the quartet sets out to liberate Rohan from Saruman's forces by thwarting his sorceries that keep King Theodin trapped and weak. Freeing Theodin turns Saruman's attentions to Rohan and Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas must convince Theodin to stand and fight against the evil that is coming, whether he wants it to or not.

And Merry and Pippin find themselves among the Ents, which are basically walking, talking trees.

I add the last plot point as an afterthought because in some ways, their entire arc is an afterthought. They have a role to play, but it's a distant c-plot and it is only worth mentioning because it contains some of the most impressive special effects of the franchise. Merry and Pippin spend their time surrounded by beings that have almost no basis in reality, yet are seamless with real environments. The artists at Weta did an amazing job with the look and feel of the Ents to make them truly dynamic and believable characters.

Like its predecessor in the extended cuts, The Two Towers - The Special Extended Edition DVD has numerous scenes that were created special for the DVD release or were reintegrated into the film. These scenes tend to add a much richer sense of setting for the film and include a scene that introduces the horselord Eomer independent of Aragorn and the heroes from the first film. With the Massacre at the Fords of Isen, Eomer is introduced quite a bit stronger and when he finds Theodin's critically wounded son, it has an emotional resonance for the audience which its passing mention in the original cut never did.

As well, the film plays on scenes that were extended in The Fellowship Of The Ring, like making note of Sam's elvish rope and its powers. Arguably the most significant new scene is a conversation between Theodin's niece Eowyn and Aragorn, wherein Aragorn's true age is revealed. It is a very distinct scene and it stands out for how much information is conveyed in it. The other additional scene of significance recounts the story of Boromir and Faramir and the recapture of Osgiliath. This sets up the relationship between Boromir and Faramir and their father Denethor explicitly, while it was only implied in the original cut. This certainly fleshes out the importance of Faramir and fans of Boromir will be refreshed to see he was not always a ring-addled jerk. The extra scene adds more time, to be sure, but also more depth of character and setting.

There are, all told, fifteen additional scenes reintegrated into The Two Towers and eighteen other scenes have additional footage returned to them. Unlike some form of prototype or test screening, the extended cut features fully mastered shots integrated seamlessly into the film. The addition of new material is so precise that it could easily go unnoticed because of the scope of the film and is so professionally done that it includes an entirely redone soundtrack to adapt the score to the longer scenes. The integration is brilliant and makes for a far more complete film!

The Extended Edition cut of The Two Towers becomes THE version to recommend because it is a rich, complex film that is not afraid to take its time in developing a nuanced setting and additional character depth.

Of course, the characters ought to be the centerpiece for the film and this episode succeeds with both developing the established characters and establishing new characters who are worthy of attention. The noteworthy characters of The Two Towers are:

Frodo Baggins - A hobbit charged with saving the world by destroying the powerful One Ring of Sauron. He is exhausted and the power of the Ring has begun to drain him so when Gollum surfaces, he welcomes the company of the only other person on Middle Earth to truly understand what he is going through. Watched after by Sam, he continues his treacherous journey, despite the weight he bears,

Gollum and Smeagol - Formerly a riverfolk, now a twisted minion of evil who suffers from a split personality disorder. Frodo summons forth the good in him, reminding the ring-bound Gollum of his peaceful life before as Smeagol. He guides the hobbits, against the judgment and approval of Sam and he seems prepared to do right by them, at least until fate intervenes again,

Theodin - King of Rohan, kept ensorceled by Saruman and his corrupt servant Grima Wormtongue. Awakened from his long slumber by the newly reincarnated (and more powerful) Gandalf The White, Theodin mourns the loss of his son. It is that loss that paralyzes the king and makes him retreat from the threat of battle. Determined to protect his people, he sends them to Helm's Deep, the last refuge of Rohan in the hopes that they might survive without having to resort to fighting,

Aragorn - A man whose destiny seems to be to rise up and lead other men, he finds himself desperate to convince Theodin to stand his ground and not surrender territory to the encroaching armies of Saruman. When it becomes clear Theodin will not do that, he retreats with the citizens while Gandalf searches for the roving horselords and he becomes determined to make a stand at Helm's Deep that will lead to survival as opposed to surrender. Eowyn is smitten with him, though his heart still belongs to the Elfmaiden, Arwen,

Faramir - A man from Gondor, the strongest nation of men, son of the regent, brother of Boromir, who he knows is dead. Upon stumbling upon Frodo, Sam and Gollum, he sees it as his duty to bring the One Ring back to his father, though he fears its power could overcome the weakened Steward. When the lands nearest his territory fall under siege again, he is forced to make a decision between duty and what he suspects is the right thing to do,

Saruman - A powerful wizard who has leveled all living things around his tower Isengard and now sets an army in motion using war machines unlike anything Middle Earth has ever seen. His forced turn their attentions to Rohan and he becomes committed with his might to wiping out the one of the two nations of men,

Eowyn - Theodin's niece, she objects to being treated as less than a man. She fights for equality and a place in battle, pining to be alongside Aragorn. Instead, she is sent to the refuge of the caves to watch over those citizens of Rohan who are unable to fight for it,

and Sauron - He appears solely as an Eye in the film. He is not yet corporeal, but it seems his essence is calling the ring and if it can be reunited with its master, Sauron will take form and be invincible.

The Two Towers is populated by wonderful characters and the performances of the actors - even those of the lesser-featured characters - was enough to launch the careers of many. The actors are pretty exceptional and while most of them deserve mentioning, the bulk of the film falls upon the shoulders of two actors to carry: Viggo Mortensen and Elijah Wood. While Bernard Hill's portrayal of Theodin is impressive with his dignity and bearing, this seems far more the functioning of great casting. In all of the bonus features, Hill appears kingly, making his playing Theodin seem like child's play and dress up. He's legitimately great, but his performance does not make the movie.

Viggo Mortensen, on the other hand, truly comes into his own in The Two Towers. Here he grows into the leader of men that he only began to discover in the last portions of the prior film and Mortensen brings a new energy, enthusiasm and strength to the part that he lacked the first time around. He is confident and plays Aragorn with a resolve that is steely and precise. If anything, his performance in this film makes his turn in A History Of Violence somewhat less impressive because he has already illustrated his ability to play cold and hardened in this film. But it's easy to see his greatness and ability here as his character is given far more to do this time around. As well, Mortensen balances his performance with a deep humanity and compassion and while Aragorn has resolve, Mortensen infuses him with a reluctance similar to Theodin's about the need for war.

Also giving a great performance is Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins. Frodo is a reluctant hero, like a kid who would rather sit home and goof off with his friends when he suddenly discovers he has a destiny, and here Wood brings a sense of physical exhaustion to the role that instantly gives the viewer the sense that his character is transforming as we watch. As well, he is playing off actor Andy Serkis (Gollum) through most of the film, yet we never have the sense that Wood is seeing anything but the digital recreation the viewer sees. That takes talent!

Truly, this is a pretty classic tale of good versus evil, even if evil is mostly disembodied. And thus it comes down to how the story is told and in what setting. Middle Earth, as created by Peter Jackson and the team at Weta Workshops is a beautiful and well-defined world that has some obvious appeal to it.

On DVD, this extended edition sets standards for both the source material and the bonus features. The feature film spans two discs and there is no option to play the theatrical version on this DVD. The reason is simple; that would require a SIXTH soundtrack! There is the primary soundtrack for the Extended Edition and FOUR different commentary tracks on both of the first two discs! There is a commentary track featuring cast members, one featuring Peter Jackson and his co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, one featuring production staff and another featuring effects artists and the like! It's a pretty extensive series of commentaries (well, the cast one is just plain fun but not nearly as informative, save hearing about Mortensen breaking his toe when kicking a helm and other injury reports) and it is rich and fleshes out a great deal of the thought processes behind acting choices, writing decisions, and production elements.

Discs three and four are a treasure trove of additional information on the production, the world of Middle Earth, the genesis of the film project, the labors of love that went into making the extended cut, virtually everything one might ever want to know about the film, how it was made and all the elements that went into making it. There is some (at least a tenth) overlap between the information presented in the commentary and the extensive information presented in the bonus featurettes. The especially decent aspect of the two bonus discs is that the featurettes can be played as one or three very long featurettes on the making of The Two Towers and The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy without stopping every few minutes to reload based on the chapter subject ending. It's worth it to simply hit the "Play All" button whenever given the option!

In all seriousness, the bonus features are extensive and basically catalogue every thought that went from translating the book to a script and from the script into a film. There are also two easter eggs: the preview for The Return Of The King that was eventually attached to prints of the theatrical version after the film had been in theaters for a while and the MTV movie awards featuring Gollum accepting the award for Best Digital Character, which is as funny as it is foul-mouthed!

The extended cut of The Two Towers is the essential edition for anyone looking to get into the film series and add the movie to their permanent collection. The theatrical release DVD is available for archivists and anyone who doesn't truly love fantasy films. But for those who want a movie that will stand the tests of time and will continue to entertain and inform an audience that wants to gain an appreciation of how films are made, this is the only version worth recommending!

For other fantasy works, please check out my reviews of:
Wizards
New Moon
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

9.5/10

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

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




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Epic Redux Vol. 1 - The Fellowship Of The Ring Is Made Even Better!

The Good: Great acting, directing, characters, plot, special effects, Wonderful DVD bonus features
The Bad: Some of the bonus features are repetitive.
The Basics: With far more footage in the film and in the bonus features, The Fellowship Of The Rings - Extended Edition is THE version to own!


It's a rare thing when a director returns to a film and is able to make it better by tweaking it and reinserting loads of extra material. Indeed, the only film that comes instantly to mind where the "Special Edition" truly was a worthwhile and special edition was truly special was Aliens. The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring - Special Extended Edition DVD is an almost completely new cut and in many ways bears little resemblance to the theatrically released The Fellowship of the Ring.

For those a few years out of the loop, The Lord Of The Rings was a trilogy of novels by writer J.R.R. Tolkein set in the fantasy realm of Middle Earth. Tolkein started with a volume called The Fellowship Of The Ring (click here for my review of the novel!) which was a sequel to an earlier novel, The Hobbit which introduced Middle Earth to a wide readership. Some sixty years later, The Lord Of The Rings was made into one of the most successful film trilogies in history by writer/director Peter Jackson and scores of others involved in the project. Because of the difficulties of selling a film to mass audiences that is well over three hours long, Peter Jackson decided - well in advance of the first theatrical premiere - to release two versions of each of the films in the The Lord Of The Rings trilogy; the theatrical release and the Special Extended cut for the DVD release. With The Fellowship Of The Ring, the difference is between a film that is just under three hours and one that is 208 minutes long. But of course, the difference is more than that, there is a much more lush and well-defined world illustrated in the extended edition. But for those unfamiliar with the series at all, let's backtrack for a moment.

Approximately a thousand years ago in Middle Earth, evil walked the planet incarnate in the form of the heavily armored Sauron. Outnumbered by the legions of men, elves, dwarves, and other generally good folk, Sauron decided that he needed to soften up his enemies before attacking them outright. He sent out rings to tempt and monitor and alter his enemies. He bound the power of each of the lesser rings with his own malice tempered into the One Ring. Then, armed with his evil armies and the One Ring, Sauron went out into the world and began to enslave it. An army of men and elves rose up to thwart him and as luck was with them, Sauron managed to be killed and the One Ring fell into the hands of a human, Isildur, who refused to give it up or destroy it. The ring granted him invisibility and while he held it for a time, it soon fell from his grasp when he was killed in a stream.

(And that's only the first ten minutes!) Jump forward to the "present day" in Middle Earth, to the birthday party of Bilbo Baggins, hobbit and adventurer - the latter part being quite unlike the other hobbits. Arriving for the party is Gandalf, a wizard, who becomes suspicious of Bilbo when, at the height of his birthday party, he disappears while making a speech. Gandalf and Bilbo leave the ring in the possession of Bilbo's nephew Frodo, though Gandalf soon returns, convinced the ring is the One Ring. He charges Frodo with getting as far away from the Shire (the Hobbit state) as quickly as possible and sends him and his friend Samwise Gamgee to the Elven city of Rivendale.

On the path to Rivendale, Frodo and Sam are joined by Pippin and Merry, two hobbits who have nothing better to do than accompany them. They are pursued by deathless wraiths, shadowy riders who are the remnants of the kings of men who were given Sauron's lesser rings. They hunt whomever has the One Ring and they are hot on the heels of Frodo and his gang, even when they are joined by an ally of Gandalf's, Strider. Even Strider and his methods are not enough to keep the black riders from catching up with the group and Frodo is struck down by one of them. Rescued by an elf maiden, Arwen, Frodo is brought to Rivendale, where Gandalf and the elf lord Elrond decide that because Frodo seems to have a natural resistance to the One Ring, he should be the one to carry it to Mount Doom, the only place in Middle Earth the One Ring may be destroyed.

Elrond sends Frodo on his mission, accompanied by the three hobbits, Gandalf, Strider, an elf named Legolas, a dwarf named Gimli, and a man named Boromir. Getting the mission is only the beginning and the Fellowship of the Ring, as they come to be known, is soon beset by obstacles, plagues and tragedies from within and without the Fellowship.

Wow, I don't think I've ever spend so much space in a review of mine simply recounting the plot of a film! The truth is, with a film that clocks in at three and a half hours, one hopes that it has quite a bit going on. The Fellowship Of The Ring certainly has a lot of plot to fill in to clearly establish the world of Middle Earth. Because all of the episodes in the The Lord Of The Rings trilogy happen in Middle Earth, it's essential to paint the fantasy realm as vividly as possible and truly take the viewer to the realm where they will be spending - if Jackson does it right - ten hours (over the course of the three films). Attentive to that idea, in the Extended Cut, Jackson adds a whole chapter following the prologue to more accurately describe who and what the hobbits are as a race.

The added discourse on the nature of hobbits offers some levity early in the film, which is nice given how the film soon is transformed into a desperate quest to save the world while being chased by all forms of evil. Bilbo's monologue on what makes hobbits special and unique adds an additional sense that the quest Frodo is set on is a true burden one that goes against the grain of his own instincts. That Frodo is still willing to undertake the quest gives him the trappings of the hero.

The scene giving the sociology lesson on hobbits is not the only additional scene in the Extended cut. There is a scene that illustrates the passing of time and alludes to the growing threat when Frodo and Sam have an evening out at the Green Dragon. The pair witness the elves passing through the woods on their way to the ships that will carry them away from Middle Earth forever. As well, the first five companions journey through a marsh, Strider visits his mother's grave and the full Fellowship departs Rivendale. The additional scenes serve to create a more broad sense of Middle Earth and often do not, in the strictest sense, enhance the straight plot or even main characters of The Fellowship Of The Ring. But they do give a more firm sense of place and a richer sense of what is involved with the task at hand.

In addition to the six scenes unique to the DVD, there are twenty scenes that are extended on the Extended Edition DVD. Unlike some form of prototype or test screening, the extended cut features fully mastered shots integrated seamlessly into the film. The addition of new material is so precise that it could easily go unnoticed (indeed, if a viewer starts with this version and then tries out the theatrical cut they are more likely to see what it missing than to notice all of the additional material if they go the standard way!) and is so professionally done that it includes an entirely redone soundtrack to adapt the score to the longer scenes. And it's flawless!

The Extended Edition cut of The Fellowship Of The Rings becomes THE version to recommend because it is a rich, complex film that is not afraid to take its time in developing a nuanced setting.

Of course, the setting is not the end all and be all of the story. The film centers on characters, characters called upon to rise out of the ordinary or their circumstances and become what the world needs of them. Therefore, it is worthwhile to know who the essential characters in The Fellowship Of The Ring are. The noteworthy characters (keep in mind there are over fifty credited castmembers) include:

Frodo Baggins - A hobbit and pretty much one of the typical shirefolk who is happy to hang around Hobbiton with little sense of adventure. Tapped by Elrond and Gandalf to destroy the One Ring, Frodo reluctantly takes on the quest despite being rather small in a world filled with big people and even bigger creatures,

Samwise Gamgee - Another hobbit, a cook and long-time friend of Frodo. Charged with Gandalf to keep Frodo safe, Sam enthusiastically brings Frodo to Rivendale as he actually was eager to see elves. Shy and sweet on a barmaid in the Shire, Sam follows Frodo but yearns to return home,

Gandalf The Grey - A wizard (which is not the same as a man), he is a clever immortal who delights in the company of more simple folk and soon becomes troubled by the evil that is closing in on Middle Earth. When the One Ring of Sauron resurfaces, he knows that this is an omen for more evil to come and sets to getting the ring destroyed before it can help bring Sauron back,

Strider/Aragorn - A man, a Ranger, which is basically a survivalist in Middle Earth. He is an expert swordsman and knows how to forage for food in the wild and serves as an excellent guide to the hobbits. And he cleans up well in Rivendale where we learn that he is a man with a lineage (he is a descendant of Isildur) and a destiny (to thwart Sauron). He is in love with Elrond's daughter, Arwen,

Boromir - A man from Gondor, the strongest nation of men, son of the regent. He sees the One Ring as an opportunity to free the nation's of men by using the power it holds against Sauron. When he's voted down by others at the Council, Boromir becomes troubled and obsessed with the ring,

Saruman The White - A powerful wizard who Gandalf soon learns has turned from reason and kindness over to Sauron's side,

The Nine Black Riders - These undead versions of the kings of men hunt Frodo and Sam and everyone else through the first half of the film. They are relentless, evil and appear unstoppable,

and Sauron - He appears solely as an Eye in the main portion of the film. He is not yet corporeal, but it seems his essence is calling the ring and if it can be reunited with its master, Sauron will take form and be invincible. Yes, don't look behind the curtain; the main villain of the film is not even real!

The Fellowship Of The Ring is populated by wonderful characters and the performances of the actors - even those of the lesser-featured characters - was enough to launch the careers of many. The actors are pretty exceptional and while most of them deserve mentioning, the bulk of the film falls upon the shoulders of two actors to carry: Sir Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood. While Viggo Mortensen's turn as Strider is impressive, rewatching the first chapter of the series reveals that he is not focused on nearly as much as one might thing (his influence increases with each film).

Sir Ian McKellen plays Gandalf and his role is a remarkably subtle and difficult one. As Gandalf, McKellen is often forced to relay large quantities of exposition to the audience. Gandalf is a fountain of wisdom and McKellen is charged with delivering important information on the nature of the One Ring, Sauron, Middle Earth and the path to Mount Doom while making it all sound plausible and interesting. McKellen manages to do it! What Tolkein failed to do in the novel - make the book seem like something more entertaining than a history text - McKellen achieves wonderfully as essentially the narrator for many sections. McKellen creates the sense early on that Gandalf is a credible source and someone who has both a temper and a gentle heart. This role is unlike almost any other I have seen him in and after seeing him in roles like he had in Gods And Monsters it's wonderful to see such a completely different performance for him!

Also rising to the occasion and well beyond it is Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins. Frodo is a reluctant hero, like a kid who would rather sit home and goof off with his friends when he suddenly discovers he has a destiny, and Wood plays that uncertainty to the hilt. The magic of Wood's performance is that Frodo is deeply conflicted and unsure of a great many things, but Wood's performance never makes the viewer think the performer lacks confidence or is unsure of anything. Instead, Wood has the ability to convincingly play Frodo as a hobbit who is unsure of his steps and his mastery with the role comes when Frodo asks questions. Wood brings a sense to him that has Frodo asking his many questions in a way that indicates he can listen and while he is unsure of much of the world around him, he is willing to learn about it and wants to do right by Gandalf and the others.

In the final analysis, this is a pretty classic tale of good versus evil, even if evil is mostly disembodied. And thus it comes down to how the story is told and in what setting. Middle Earth, as created by Peter Jackson and the team at Weta Workshops is a beautiful and well-defined world that has some obvious appeal to it.

On DVD, this extended edition sets standards for both the source material and the bonus features. The feature film spans two discs and there is no option to play the theatrical version on this DVD. The reason is simple; that would require a SIXTH soundtrack! There is the primary soundtrack for the Extended Edition and FOUR different commentary tracks on both of the first two discs! There is a commentary track featuring cast members, one featuring Peter Jackson and his co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, one featuring production staff and another featuring effects artists and the like! It's a pretty extensive series of commentaries (well, the cast one is just plain fun but not nearly as informative, unless one did not already know that McKellen is gay) and it is rich and fleshes out a great deal of the thought processes behind acting choices, writing decisions, and production elements.

Discs three and four are a treasure trove of additional information on the production, the world of Middle Earth, the genesis of the film project, the labors of love that went into making the extended cut, virtually everything one might ever want to know about the film, how it was made and all the elements that went into making it. There is some (at least a tenth) overlap between the information presented in the commentary and the extensive information presented in the bonus featurettes. The especially decent aspect of the two bonus discs is that the featurettes can be played as one or three very long featurettes on the making of The Fellowship Of The Rings and The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy without stopping every few minutes to reload based on the chapter subject ending. It's worth it to simply hit the "Play All" button whenever given the option!

In all seriousness, the bonus features are extensive and basically catalogue every thought that went from translating the book to a script and from the script into a film. There are also two easter eggs: the preview for The Two Towers that was eventually attached to prints of the theatrical version after the film had been in theaters for a while and the MTV movie awards parody of "Fellowship" featuring Jack Black and Sarah Michelle Gellar. It's pretty funny.

Indeed, the only thing lacking from this DVD set is the identity of the actor originally cast to play Aragorn! (It was Stuart Townsend, but you won't find that on the DVD anywhere!)

The extended cut of The Fellowship Of The Ring is the essential edition for anyone looking to get into the film series and add the movie to their permanent collection. The theatrical release DVD is available for archivists and anyone who doesn't truly love fantasy films. But for those who want a movie that will stand the tests of time and will continue to entertain and inform an audience that wants to gain an appreciation of how films are made, this is the only version worth recommending.

For other fantasy films, please visit my reviews of:
Princess Mononoke
Twilight
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone

9/10

For other film reviews, please visit my index page for an organized listing!

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


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Is The Lord Of The Rings The Ultimate Cinematic Trilogy? Yes.

The Good: Excellent acting, Good characters, Amazing special effects, Sets the standard for DVD bonuses!
The Bad: ? Length? None, really.
The Basics: Arguably one of the few perfect Trilogies in cinematic history, the Extended Editions of The Lord Of The Rings are the ONLY versions worth owning!


So, you're one of the eight people in the world who has either not seen or not purchased the The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy and you are considering it? This is THE version to buy. Hands down, end of story. There are other cinematic endeavors you could be looking into, trilogies that have been on DVD and you might remember as wonderful, but honestly, they all have weak links. The Star Wars (now sextet) is far from perfect, The GodFather has The GodFather, Part III, Back To The Future was never a perfect trilogy and even the DVD presentation of the Indiana Jones trilogy reminds the viewer that it's not all greatness and flawless execution (especially on the surprisingly lackluster DVD set). And there is the theatrical DVD release of the The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, but you ought not to bother with that.

THIS set is the The Lord Of The Rings trilogy the way director Peter Jackson envisioned it and could never get it cinematically released. The film(s) spans six discs and almost twelve hours: this is the The Lord Of The Rings - Special Extended Editions DVD set. It is the easiest, most efficient way to buy the The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy as it was meant to be seen. The nice thing for fans of the trilogy is this: this is a simple bundle pack, comprising the previously released four-disc boxed sets of the three The Lord of the Rings movies. There are NO bonus features or discs in this set that have not been included in the prior releases!

For those unfamiliar with the The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, this is a fantasy drama series that explores the fantasy world of Middle Earth and a quest of a hobbit to rid his world of the embodiment of all evil. For those who saw the The Lord Of The Rings in theaters, this bundle pack offers the entire trilogy as it ought to have been. Unlike the films you saw in the theaters, these movies are longer, richer and fleshed out with scenes that create a bigger sense of character and setting. And unlike most "special editions," each of the films has been reworked and rescored so there are no gaps, nothing that suggests that this is a film that has been recut, reedited and redeveloped. This is a seamless work that captures the greatness of the theatrical releases of the films and extends them into movies that raise the stakes and present a true epic.

A thousand years ago in Middle Earth, a realm populated by immortal Elves, greedy dwarves, isolated hobbits (who are littlefolk who lead a simple agrarian life), wise wizards, vicious orcs, cruel goblins and chaotic men, there came the source of all evil, a creature named Sauron. Sauron was unable to take Middle Earth through the force of arms alone, so he decided to be crafty about taking over the world by softening up the major races - dwarves, men and elves - by giving them all rings of power. Yes, the world was bought off with shiny baubles and while the effect of the rings given to elves and the dwarves is not explored in the films, the rings given to the nine lords of men enslaves them and transformed them into twisted, evil and physically insubstantial wraiths. Sauron bound the power of those rings to the One Ring, a ring he possessed and carried his essence. Sauron then moved out upon Middle Earth and prepared to destroy it, but he was stopped. However, the One Ring that carried all his rage and malice, was not destroyed and as a result evil persisted in Middle Earth.

After a thousand years of festering and growing, the dark lord Sauron is resurrecting. While he does not have corporeal form, he is on the verge of achieving a physical being that would allow him to return to Middle Earth and dominate the people there. All Sauron needs is his One Ring back and he will be able to return and take over everything. Unfortunately for Sauron and all his evil minions, no one knows where the One Ring is.

One day, while visiting the hobbits in their homeland, the ancient wizard Gandalf discovers the One Ring in the possession of an old friend, Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo, who soon departs the Shire, leaves the ring to his nephew, Frodo, who Gandalf charges with hiding the ring and keeping it safe while he confirms it is, in fact, the One Ring of Sauron. As soon as Gandalf makes that determination, he returns to Frodo and charges him with delivering the ring to the elves.

Once among the elves, Frodo is given the task of destroying the One Ring, which may only be done by returning it to the fires where it was forged in the distant and evil-infested land of Mordor, in Mount Doom. Frodo and his companions set off to bring the ring to Mount Doom, but soon find themselves plagued by the minions of evil and the weak will of some within their little band to resist the temptation of the Ring. As Frodo and his fellow hobbit Sam continue the quest to destroy the One Ring on their own, the others in their band prepare Middle Earth for a war that is coming whether they wish it or not. And while Frodo and Sam are plagued and guided by Gollum, a creature who once possessed the Ring and was twisted by it, the others find themselves involved in battles against all forms of creatures bent on executing Sauron's will. As Frodo and Sam desperately work toward their objective, the others try to buy them time and cover to succeed, with the fate of Middle Earth constantly in the balance.

While The Lord Of The Rings is rather plot and setting heavy, the wonderful thing about the extended editions is that the recuts enhance the character elements and give the viewer a better sense of who the heroes and villains in the series truly are. For those unfamiliar with the trilogy, the principle characters are:

Frodo Baggins - A good, young hobbit who finds his life turned upside down when his resistance to the power of the One Ring makes him the ideal candidate to journey to destroy it. Inclined to reading, relaxing and staying within his isolationist community of the Shire, Frodo is set into a much larger world where he finds the dangers coming far too close for his liking. Forced to carry the One Ring, he soon finds it has a very real hold over him that is working to break his will,

Samwise Gamgee - Frodo's best friend and fellow hobbit. He is a simple guy, a farmer and cook, who is only interested in protecting Frodo and keeping his friend alive throughout their quest, no matter where it takes them,

Gandalf - An ancient wizard who uses magic judiciously, Gandalf becomes the linchpin that inspires Frodo and Aragorn into action. He is the great manipulator of those around him, working to insure the survival of Middle Earth by setting the forces of good into actions that will save the world,

Aragorn - An exceptionally old - though he doesn't show it - ranger man who has noble blood but has denied his potentials and the prophecies surrounding him for most of his life. In Middle Earth's time of need, Aragorn makes a journey, not only from Rivendale to Mordor, but from commoner to king,

Gollum - Once a riverfolk, like Frodo and Sam, this emaciated, long-lived creature is now twisted, evil and suffering from a severe multiple personality disorder. He tracks Frodo and Sam into the wasted lands around Mordor where he plans to kill them and steal the One Ring, but finds the tables turned on him. Distrusted by Sam, Gollum works to insure that the Ring ends up with him,

Saruman - A wizard like Gandalf, he has become twisted by ambition and the desire for power, which causes him to raise an army to fight on behalf of Sauron, in hopes of sharing in the power of the One Ring,

The Black Riders - Insubstantial as they may be, these nine wraiths pursue Frodo, the Ring and his companions as minions of Sauron relentlessly in hopes of recovering the Ring and helping Sauron return to Middle Earth,

and Sauron - Not yet in physical form outside a giant, fiery eye atop a massive tower in Mordor, the embodiment of all evil speaks through the One Ring and his power is growing.

There are more characters, but those are the truly essential ones and the acting in The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy is quite inspired. Indeed, it was this massive work that introduced much of the world to actors like Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Miranda Otto and Sean Astin. One doubts that Orlando Bloom would have gotten Pirates of the Caribbean had he not wowed audiences in the bit role of Legolas in this trilogy. Similarly, Dominic Monaghan launched from this epic to Lost where he has kept himself in the public eye. And, truth be told, the acting is spot on all around.

The best acting, though, comes from Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) (Sir Ian McKellen, who plays Gandalf, is pretty much a gimmie in my book!). Wood is forced to embody a character plagued by a tremendous emotional weight and he transfers that into a very physical performance that becomes the very definition of exhaustion. On the flip side is Mortensen, who is charged with portraying a man growing in confidence and coming into his own. He does that amazingly.

It is also worth noting that the special effects department sets the new gold standard for realism in special effects, combining flawlessly the make-up and props with computer-generated characters and settings. The crowning achievement of this is in the character of Gollum. Portrayed by physical actor Andy Serkis, the special effects department used Serkis and his performance as a template to create the most lifelike and realistic computer generated character in cinema history to date. He is an impressive achievement and worth the price of this boxed set alone!

The Lord Of The Rings Extended Editions set a new standard for DVD with the sheer amount of bonus features. Each of the films has four levels of commentary tracks and two bonus discs that feature almost everything one could imagine about the making of the films. This is the most well-documented cinematic enterprise possibly of all time and the fans of the films are treated to incredible access with the DVD bonus features. As well, each of the films has some very fun easter eggs which illustrate some of the effects of the various films on mainstream culture.

This is the ultimate fantasy film collection and it is a must have for anyone who loves epic drama and has (literally) days to spend embroiling themselves in the world of Middle Earth. A must for any cinephile and DVD collector!

For more information on the specifics of the three films in this particular set, please check out my reviews on the component pieces, the extended editions of:
The Fellowship Of The Ring
The Two Towers
Return Of The King

For other fantasies, please check out my reviews of:
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Clash Of The Titans
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

10/10

For other movie reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here and get an organized list of all those reviews!

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