The 2017 Hulk Thor: Ragnarok Is Cool!

The Good: Excellent sculpt, Good skin coloring, Good balance
The Bad: Helm coloring, A little expensive
The Basics: The 2017 Hulk from Thor: Ragnarok Hallmark ornament is pretty awesome, but it is a little light on some of the coloring detailing needed to make it perfect.


Hallmark does a pretty good job of rendering ornaments pretty fast from the year's current blockbusters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This year, Hallmark focused on the autumn film release from the MCU: Thor: Ragnarok and produced two ornaments from the film. The second of the two Thor: Ragnarok ornaments is the Hulk, in his gladiator costume!

For those unfamiliar with it, in Thor: Ragnarok (reviewed here!), Hulk is found by Thor fighting as a champion for the Game Master on a distant world. Having been hulked out for years, Hulk fights as a gladiator until he is stopped by Thor.

It is Hulk, with his helmet on, in mid-leap, which is the subject of the Hulk Thor: Ragnarok ornament.

Basics

The Hulk ornament recreates the gladiator version of the mutated Bruce Banner in solid plastic, with his plumed gladiator helmet. The ornament, released in 2017, is a decent recreation of the violent, insensate, character as he appears in the cinematic rendition of Hulk from Thor: Ragnarok. The Hulk ornament looks just like the crazed version of Bruce Banner from mid-fight with Thor.

The Hallmark 2017 Hulk ornament is made of a durable plastic and has him in an action pose. This Thor: Ragnarok ornament measures out at 4 1/4" tall, 3 1/4" wide and 2 1/2" deep. Hulk is sculpted with bulging muscles, with his arms raised as if he is about to pound the crap out of Thor. His legs, chest, and arms are all well-muscled and Hallmark even made strain lines in the character's neck. Hulk's mouth is open as if in a roar and the rest of his head is covered in a helm. The plumage on the helm is one of the ornament's weak spots, but to be fair it is very hard to make something based on something that fine look like it is realistic.

The coloring for the Hulk ornament is generally good. The paint job includes the handprint - like war paint - that Hulk has on his chest. The helmet's plumage is not colored with a realistic sense of depth and shading, so instead of looking like hair or feathers, it looks like a solid block, which is not at all realistic. The Hulk ornament features skin coloring that is generally accurate, though.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Hulk could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament, a low-cost (comparatively) option for those who might not want to shell out for the more expensive Marvel ornaments. This Hulk simply hangs on a tree.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Hulk ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Marvel Universe Christmas Tree, Hulk is essential, but the gladiator Hulk version is really only for those who love that incarnation or Thor: Ragnarok. The ornament has a steel hook loop embedded in the top center of the character's back. From that hook, the Hulk ornament hangs perfectly level. This is a well-balanced ornament!

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for my review of that!). Since then, Hallmark has gotten into every major franchise from Disney to Twilight to the Marvel Comics universe. This Hulk ornament was not at all limited. I would not bet, given how late in the season it was released and how it has not sold out at any of my local Hallmark stores, that it will not be an ideal investment piece.

Overview

The 2017 Thor: Ragnarok Hulk ornament is cool and a neat rendition of the Hulk, but not a flawless ornament for fans who truly want the depth of the rendition of the Hulk from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

For other Marvel Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2017 Deadpool
2017 Thor Thor: Ragnarok ornament
2017 Spider-Man: A New Kind Of Hero Spider-Man: Homecoming ornament
2016 Team Captain America ornament
2011 Thor ornament
2010 Defender Of Justice Iron Man 2 ornament

7/10

For other ornament reviews, please check out my Ornament Review Index Page!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Forcing Humor Undermines Thor: Ragnarok

The Good: Hela and Heimdall have interesting arcs, One or two performance moments
The Bad: Forced humor, Simplistic plot, Obvious plot reversals, Light on character development, Special effects are surprisingly mediocre
The Basics: Thor: Ragnarok takes a surprisingly serious premise for a fantasy/action movie and undermines almost all of it with forced attempts at humor that often fall flat.


There is no real purpose in an American reviewer reviewing a Marvel Cinematic Universe film anymore. By the time a Marvel Studios film is released in the United States, it has been out in theaters in other countries for at least two weeks and die-hard fans who want spoilers have a tendency to look up the foreign press reviews while American reviewers are embargoed from publishing their reviews. So, when Thor: Ragnarok was released in theaters in the United States, I did not rush right out to see it. Instead, I waited for the first surge crowd to dissipate and then I saw the film a few days later. All of this in spite of me being generally psyched about Thor: Ragnarok from the latest preview trailers.

It was not long into Thor: Ragnarok, though, that I became certain that the best moments of the film had been put into the film's trailer. The big reveal of the Hulk was certainly gutted by the preview trailers, but what surprised me most was how much of the film's sense of menace was undermined by the near-constant attempts at humor. Ironically, the film's funniest moment was virtually buried by the reaction to the joke prior to it (in the full theater I was in, I found myself as the only one laughing when Tom Hiddleston's reaction shot - which was, admittedly, entirely dependent upon viewer's seeing The Avengers - at a key moment was focused on for too brief a moment after one of Chris Hemsworth's well-spoiled lines).

Thor: Ragnarok is a conceptual failure and one suspects after the hype for the film dies down, more and more fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be able to admit that the film is a painfully forced bridge movie. Despite the constant menace to Asgard, most of Thor: Ragnarok is actually about reconciling the final moments of Thor: The Dark World (reviewed here!) and re-integrating The Hulk and Thor into the narrative after the events of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron (reviewed here!). And to accomplish those rather simple goals, Thor meanders through his own film making dull jokes while the compelling original elements of Thor: Ragnarok are largely neglected.

The concept of Ragnarok is the end of the world, which in Thor: Ragnarok is supposed to come in the form of Surtur. So, in one of the few remarkably sensible plot points for Thor: Ragnarok, the first thing Thor does is kill Surtur and steal his magical helm so he cannot fulfill the prophecy of Ragnarok and destroy Asgard. Unfortunately, the menace of Ragnarok hangs over Asgard, but is quickly swept aside by a bevy of jokes that fall flat.

Thor, who had figured out how to prevent the prophesied end of Asgard had also already figured out that Odin had been replaced by Loki. But, alas, the big emotional moment of Thor somehow realizing that Loki is both still alive and has weakened Asgard's place in the Nine Realms through his decadence is not actually in Thor: Ragnarok. Thor and Loki take a brief trip to Earth where they search for Odin who promptly dies (or dies enough so that Asgard is now helpless).

And helpless Asgard is to the first-born of Odin, Hela: the Godess Of Death. Hela makes an excellent entrance, announcing herself to Thor and Loki and enlisting arguably the worst, most dimwitted d-rate sidekick villain of all time in the form of Scourge (poor Karl Urban!). Hela then immediately begins a campaign to take over Asgard and at this point, Thor: Ragnarok makes its fatal narrative divergence. Hela inadvertently knocks Thor and Loki out of Asgard by shoving them out of the Einstein-Rosenberg Bridge teleport. When that happens, Thor and Loki go on a grand comedic adventure and Hela and Heimdall are left holding the bag on the vastly more interesting and compelling Ragnarok plot.

Hela is an instantly intriguing villain and Cate Blanchett does the best she can with the material she is given for the firstborn of Odin. Hela reveals that Odin built Asgard on genocide and conquest, with Hela herself as Odin's executioner. The idea that something grand had some truly sinister origins is a distinctly American idea, yet the U.S. gets Thor: Ragnarok after most of the rest of the world. And in Thor: Ragnarok, the horror of how Odin built his empire is not given time within the narrative for reflection or emotional consequences for the characters. Instead, when Thor gets around to trying to stop Hela, he does so without any reflection on how his father betrayed him by not telling him the truth and/or making a philosophical argument to Hela that Odin evolved beyond his need for violence and conquest. Sadly, Thor: Ragnarok is all fisticuffs and little philosophy, which is truly disappointing because the inherent conflict between Hela and Heimdall is a compelling one.

Heimdall spends Thor: Ragnarok as a fugitive. He creates an underground railroad intended to save as many of the Asgardians as he possibly can from being murdered by Hela and her army of the undead. Heimdall does what he can to avoid direct conflict with Hela - despite the fact that the Asgardians are being hunted because of him and his theft of the sword that unlocks the bifrost - and instead concerns himself with actually trying to save Asgard. Heimdall is, easily, the smartest character in Thor: Ragnarok as he attempts to get people out of the way of the Goddess Of Death as opposed to *snicker* trying to find a way to kill her.

Seriously, when Thor comes back to Asgard and starts hacking and stabbing at Hela, the sequence is about as ridiculous as Wonder Woman trying to subdue the god of war by fighting him physically in Wonder Woman (reviewed here!). The Goddess Of Death cannot, logically, be killed by . . . well, death. Death empowers the Goddess Of Death; her demise would have to come from a nontraditional means, much like the only way to defeat a God Of War would be through creating a lasting peace.

So, while Thor: Ragnarok has the seeds of a great, truly epic, story of the destruction of Asgard and the attempt to save its people, Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost and Taika Waititi instead send Thor and Loki into a comedic adventure on an alien world where they are reunited with the Hulk, meet the last surviving Valyrie (which is an elite fighting order, not an individual character) and meander their way back to Asgard. In the previous Thor films, the humor worked by contrast. Thor encountered humans who had very different views on the world compared to the arrogant God and humor resulted. In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor just runs around making jokes. And he plays them off an often humorless Loki and Bruce Banner, arguably the least funny character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

By the time Thor gets around to trying to interface with the true menace of Ragnarok on Asgard, Thor is a buffoon who is impossible to empathize with who hardly seems up to the task of fighting for his homeland. And given that Thor has lost his hammer and been granted super lightning powers by the time he has to take on Hela, the character the viewer has seen for four prior films is virtually unrecognizable.

For other Marvel Cinematic Universe works, please check out my reviews of:
"Havoc In The Hidden Land" - Inhumans
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 4
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 1 - Avengers Assemble

4/10

For other film reviews, please visit my Film Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Spotlight Is Another Film Where The Effects Are More Disappointing Than The Movie!

The Good: Pacing, Plot development, Decent performances
The Bad: Light on character development
The Basics: Impressive and worthwhile, Spotlight is difficult to watch more because the viewer will know it did not destroy the Catholic Church as opposed to any flaws within the film!


Today, I'm watching my last Best Picture nominee (I'm foregoing Mad Max: Fury Road because genre films and sequels have virtually no representation in Best Picture Oscar winners and Bridge Of Spies because it seems more like a courtesy nomination to Steven Spielberg than a genuine contender for the big prize): Spotlight. Spotlight is this year's big issue-based controversy nominee, following in the footsteps of movies like Doubt and Selma (reviewed here!). The film has one of the best-nominated casts of the year and it has a simplistic plot (for a film) that follows in the cinematic history of films like All The President's Men (reviewed here!).

Spotlight is based on how the reporters at the Boston Globe did investigative work to expose the conspiracy within the local Catholic Church whereby it silenced complainants from molestation victims. While Spotlight is based upon real and historical events, it is a film. It is important to note that; that when I refer to characters in the film - and judge them - it is only the film's characters I am talking about, not the historic personas upon which the film is based.

Opening in a prison in Boston, Massachussets in 1975, a desk sergeant and a cop discuss a suspect and the complainant they have in a room. The beat cop is outside and surprised when the priest and the bishop walk out and there will be no arraignment. At the Boston Globe in 2001, Walter Robinson meets with the new editor, Marty Baron. Robinson works on the Spotlight team, a special investigative group that breaks controversial stories that take up to a year to investigate and break. At his first writer's meeting, Baron reacts to a column on the "Geoghan case," a three year-old priest molestation case, where it appears that the Cardinal and local Catholic church knew about a Boston priest molested eighty children going back at least fifteen years. Robinson and his team investigate the Church.

Reporter Mike Rezendes interviews lawyer Mitchell Garabedian about the cases (84 of them) involving Catholic priests who molested children. Garabedian is almost paranoid about the Church and the way it has hounded him since he first started representing molestation victims. As the Spotlight team begins to investigate, they discover how much blowback there is from the Church and the community. The team quickly realizes that the pattern that the support group leader told them about might actually be real. After interviewing molestation victims, clergy and lawyers, the team fights to break the story. When an analyst investigating the psychological phenomenon since the 1960s implies that the paper's number of 13 bad priests in Boston should be (statistically) 90, the Spotlight team realizes that they might have a much bigger story.

Spotlight accurately portrays and recreates the effects and stories of molestation victims. It is difficult to hear their stories, but viewers have to acknowledge that it must have been far more difficult to actually be a molestation victim. Spotlight expertly details how the abusive priests act as predators to children of low-income families. When the clues point in the direction of a vastly higher number, the investigative reporting aspect of the story takes priority in the film.

In addition to accurately giving voice to victims of sexual abuse, Spotlight illustrates how a tenacious team of reporters actually works. Much of the magic of the story of Spotlight is that the characters care and they fight to ask the important questions. As the story that the Spotlight team is working on is derailed by the September 11, 2001 attacks, its members become passionate about breaking the story. The characters are tenacious and they ask questions and fight to expose the truth.

Mike Rezendes, Walter Robinson, Sacha Pfeiffer, Matt Carroll, and Marty Baron are not overly complicated characters; they share many of the same traits. Garabedian and Macleish are bound by professional ethics, but still made attempts in their past to break the story - but no one listened to them. Carroll has children he is afraid might encounter one of the priests, Pfeiffer loses her faith and Robinson discovers that his Catholic school had priests who victimized people he knew.

While Spotlight is very much an ensemble piece, Mike Rezendes and Robinson dominate the character aspect of the narrative. Rezendes lost his faith long ago, but he always thought he might go back to church. Rezendes, as played by Mark Ruffalo, presents a level of anger that the audience feels long before he exhibits it. Robinson quickly realizes how the "code of silence" and the mechanisms of keeping people silent worked. The characters are generally focused and intense and their commitment to getting the story right is only momentarily trumped by the desire not to get scooped by another Boston newspaper.

The cast of Spotlight is predictably amazing. If there is any, even minor supporting, role that Stanley Tucci cannot absolutely rock, I don't yet know it. Tucci is amazing is impressive in his conflicted role of Mitchell Garabedian. Liev Schreiber might quietly growl his way through all of his lines in ways that are very familiar for the performer, but he makes the role of Marty Baron magnetic to watch. Brian D'Arcy James, John Slattery, Billy Crudup, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and Michael Keaton are all wonderful in their very straightforward roles.

Spotlight is a film based on an issue and an investigation even more than the characters involved in it, so it is a triumph how captivating the film is when its results are already known to almost all viewers. The extent of the sexual abuse problem in the Catholic Church is presented as completely stunning and it is astonishing that the 2002 story the Boston Globe broke did not lead to massive systemic changes. Like The Big Short (reviewed here!), Spotlight explores a massive problem that was exposed and had the potential to change the world . . . but didn't.

Director Tom McCarthy directs Spotlight well, but the story is not a particularly flashy or cinematic one. Spotlight is like a play on screen, but McCarthy and the performers make it work well enough to be an engaging and enduring film.

For other works with Len Cariou, please visit my reviews of:
"Coda" - Star Trek: Voyager
Thirteen Days
About Schmidt

9/10

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

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Lurching Out Of Adequacy: The 2015 The Hulk Vs. Ultron Ornament Is An Abject Failure!

The Good: Not overly expensive, General details of the sculpt
The Bad: Underdetailed on the coloring front, Poor balance, Lack of finer sculpted details
The Basics: The 2015 The Hulk Vs. Ultron Hallmark ornament from The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is overpriced, poorly balanced, and poorly colored for the subjects it represents.


When it comes to evaluating holiday ornaments, there are few I dread like ones based on a subject that is "live action" and it ends up looking horribly animated and phony. Unfortunately, the 2015 The Hulk Vs. Ultron ornament based upon The Avengers: Age Of Ultron falls into that category. The irony is that both The Hulk and Ultron in the film are virtual characters, but they were animated to fit seamlessly into the real world shots in the movie. Sadly, the ornament is nowhere near as detailed or colored as precisely as it ought to be in order to match the quality of the best Hallmark ornaments based upon subjects from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

For those unfamiliar with it, near the climax of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron (reviewed here!), the transformed version of Bruce Banner tries to duke it out with the robot Ultron only to discover that his strength is not enough to dent Ultron's vibranium limbs! It is the Hulk fist raised as he comes down to do a power punch as Ultron grabs the Avenger's shoulder that is the subject of the incredibly simple ornament.

Basics

The The Hulk Vs. Ultron ornament recreates the furious Avenger and the robot bent on world domination in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2015, is a poor recreation of the heroic character and his adversary as they appeared in the blockbuster film The Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Unfortunately, the characters are not presented with nearly the same level of sculpted or coloring detail as the special effects team at Marvel put into their endeavor. The Hulk Vs. Ultron ornament features the two virtual characters grappling with one another. Hulk looks like he is descending into a punch, while Ultron looks like it is rising up to punch the Hulk back.

Alas, the detailing is not enough to make it worth the $19.95 original issue price, at least for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Hallmark The Hulk Vs. Ultron ornament is made of a durable plastic and has both characters in an action pose. The Hulk Vs. Ultron ornament measures out at 3 3/4" wide, 3 1/2" tall and 2 1/4" deep. The ornament lacks finer sculpted details; The Hulk does not actually look like Mark Ruffalo version of The Hulk and Ultron is not sculpted with most of its finer details (though his head fins are present in a vague, underdeveloped, way). The Hulk has sculpted toenails, but not fingernails.

The coloring for the ornament is done in monotones. In other words, The Hulk’s skin is one color; unlike the promo materials, this ornament's skin is monotonal green. There is no subtlety or shading that makes this ornament distinct. Similarly, Ultron is cast in a gray paint with a vague metallic quality to it, instead of the bright, clean silver of Ultron from the film. Ultron is highlighted well-enough with red and black accents, but otherwise the coloring for ornament is a bland recreation of the character.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, The Hulk Vs. Ultron could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament, a high-cost option, compared to the ornaments that have sound chips. This The Hulk Vs. Ultron simply hangs.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake The Hulk Vs. Ultron ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Marvel Universe Christmas Tree, The Hulk Vs. Ultron is not at all essential, especially in this version. The ornament has a steel hook loop embedded in the Hulk's shoulder. From that hook, the The Hulk Vs. Ultron ornament hangs in such a way that he leans heavily toward the Ultron side. This makes it look like both characters are falling at inorganic angles. In other words, it looks lopsided, not dynamic.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, Hallmark has gotten into every major franchise from Disney to Twilight to the Marvel Comics universe. This The Hulk Vs. Ultron ornament was not at all limited. I would not bet, given how the other Marvel ornaments have met demand without leaving a lot of people wanting, and how little it looks like the cinematic version of The Hulk Vs. Ultron, that this will not be an incredible investment piece. Given how expensive the ornament is with its initial release price, it is unlikely that it would be of value to investors, especially as it would be a tough sell to expect anyone to pay more than that release price!

Overview

The Avengers: Age Of Ultron might thrill fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Hallmark's rendition of the battle between The Hulk and Ultron is nowhere near as exciting.

For other Marvel Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2014 War Machine Iron Man 3 ornament
2014 Hulk Smash! ornament
2014 Captain America from Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2014 Web-Slinging Wonder The Amazing Spider-Man 2
2013 Iron Patriot Iron Man 3 ornament
2012 Captain America The Avengers ornament
2012 Iron Man The Avengers ornament
2012 Thor The Avengers ornament
2012 The Amazing Spider-Man ornament
2011 Spider-Man ornament
2011 Thor ornament
2010 Defender Of Justice Iron Man 2 ornament

2.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please check out my Ornament Review Index Page!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Avengers In, Avengers Out, Avengers In Again: The Avengers: Age Of Ultron Barely Reaches Average!

The Good: Performances are fine, Generally good direction
The Bad: Unrelenting effects sequences/splintered cast makes for a strangely underdeveloped couple of hours.
The Basics: With The Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Joss Whedon has a rare stumble into mediocrity that advances the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a particularly unthrilling direction.


I have been worried lately that I will never again fall in love with a new work of art. I listen to a lot of music, watch and review a lot of television and movies and I try to experience food on multiple levels when I am introduced to new culinary delights. Having critical standards has led to a number of conversations around my house between my wife and I. She has voiced a concern that my idea of a "perfect film" is virtually unattainable and when I spend a significant amount of time after a viewing trying to find something wrong with a movie just to not give it a perfect ten, I am actually delivering a contrived rating that works to deny perfection, as opposed to celebrate it.

With The Avengers: Age Of Ultron, I fear no such contrivance. The Avengers: Age Of Ultron was easily the film I was most unabashedly excited about seeing this year, so it was the one I was also at the greatest risk of rating high based on prejudice in favor of the film. The irony for me is that X-Men: Days Of Future Past (reviewed here!) last year came with so much less hype and delivered such a vastly superior film that I was not genuinely prepared for how mediocre The Avengers: Age Of Ultron actually was.

To his credit, Joss Whedon had a herculean task at hand when he penned and directed The Avengers: Age Of Ultron. The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is a sequel to Whedon's The Avengers (reviewed here!) and the marketing department at Marvel Entertainment/Disney has worked overtime to leak its forthcoming schedule of Marvel films. Joss Whedon had to try to top a superhero team origin story that brought together disparate heroes and made them into a group that could fight a single villain and his incredible army. Where do you go after that?

The problem Whedon faced conceptually within the narrative of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was that he had one film to introduce and defeat a new villain that could hold his own in the imagination of the viewer with Loki (the adversary from The Avengers), while servicing a sprawling cast of established heroes and making that work within the confines of the stories told since The Avengers. From a studio, practical moviemaking point of view, Whedon had to wrestle with reorganizing characters so the franchise could survive if significant actors decided to leave when their contracts came up and that meant adding new cast members to the mix. With all those pressures upon him, Whedon had to write an entertaining super hero story that could entertain and set up the next, known, installments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

That's a lot of balls in the air for anyone and the only real hope for the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes in the promises made outside the actual film The Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Writer/Director Joss Whedon has promised that The Avengers: Age Of Ultron will have a slew of deleted scenes and unseen footage when it drops on Blu-Ray. One has to hope that there will be a director's cut because as it is, The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is something of a mess.

At the core of my issue with watching The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is the fact that so much of it felt like it had been done before that I kept waiting for the movie to begin, to get engaging, to thrill me, to show me something new, to surprise me, to . . . well, you get the picture; I just kept repeating and rephrasing things without actually saying anything fundamentally new. The Avengers: Age Of Ultron feels a lot like that. In fact, were one to do a double-feature, one suspects that if one dozed off at any point in the Chitauri attack on New York City in The Avengers and awoke at virtually any point in The Avengers: Age Of Ultron, they would feel like they were in the same movie.

The Avengers: Age Of Ultron goes from one sprawling, fast-paced, CG-encrusted action sequence to another to another to another with breaks that are surprisingly uninteresting. Much of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is like watching The Avengers blended with outtakes or b-roll footage from Iron Man 3 (reviewed here!). It is chaotic, warlike, easy to lose track of and takes a long time to get through before it gets to anything truly good. And in the quiet, character-building moments, The Avengers: Age Of Ultron focuses on the least-impressive Avenger, belabors the set-up to Captain America: Civil War and entirely jerks the audience around. We'll come back to that.

What is it about? The Avengers: Age Of Ultron follows in the wake of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (reviewed here!) with The Avengers - Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the Hulk - working to clean-up the problems left in the world from the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. In Sokovia, they hit upon the motherload: Baron Strucker and Dr. List have a laboratory where they have the scepter Loki used, along with corpses of Chitauri vessels and two powerful (for lack of a better term) metahumans. When the Avengers break in to put an end to the H.Y.D.R.A. lab, the twins Pietro (who has superspeed, much like The Flash) and Wanda Maximoff (who is not actually magical, but has the ability to influence neurons in the brain to make people see things and has telekinetic powers over matter and energy) escape. As the battle for the H.Y.D.R.A. base is winding down, Wanda returns and uses her powers on Tony Stark, who sees a nightmarish image of the Earth under attack by legions of the creature/ships that attacked New York City with the Chitauri.

Their mission successful and the scepter recovered, the Avengers return to New York City and Avengers Tower where they plan to put the problems that have been lingering behind them. The recovery of the scepter will allow Thor to return it to Asgard and remove the lingering influence of Loki from Earth, the destruction of Strucker's organization and lab effectively decimates S.H.I.E.L.D.'s biggest enemy (which removes a big psychic burden from Captain America). Only Tony Stark is not over-the-moon thrilled about the campaign. While studying the scepter, Stark realizes that the glowing piece at its tip is not a brainwashing device, but rather a complex program or neural network, comparable to (but vastly more complex and alien than) Jarvis (Stark's A.I.). He pitches an idea to Dr. Bruce Banner; they can use the alien a.i. in their mothballed planetary defense project, Ultron. Bypassing the rest of the group, Stark and Banner activate the alien intelligence and then go off to a party celebrating the victory of the Avengers over the Earth's enemies. While they party, the alien a.i. kills Jarvis and takes control of the Avengers's robotic army (a collection of flight suits much like those in Iron Man 3, which are now serviced through Avengers Headquarters).

After the main party, the a.i. reveals itself as Ultron by attacking the Avengers using the Avengers robots. Calling for human evolution through the extinction of the Avengers, Ultron disappears into every computer on earth when his robotic body is compromised, but in the attack, his forces make off with the scepter. Needless to say, the other Avengers are pissed at Stark and Banner (especially Thor, who now has to try to find and recover the scepter yet again!) and they soon become terrified that Ultron will break into computers that have nuclear launch codes and obliterate the Earth. Ultron makes a new body and heads with the Maximoff twins (who want nothing more than revenge upon Tony Stark for the death of their family) to the African nation of Wakanda. There, Ultron acquires Vibranium he needs for his nefarious plan and when the Avengers track him down, they are set upon by Wanda and Pietro. Wanda influences Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk before she is stopped by Hawkeye. Shaken, the team retreats to a safe house where they try to figure out what UItron wants and how to stop him. Their brainstorming leads them to Dr. Helen Cho's skin-growth machine where Ultron is attempting to create the entity that will be the downfall of the Avengers. But in the process, Wanda sees Ultron's plan and his idea of peace comes through an extinction-level event and she (and her brother) are forced to choose sides in the battle for the fate of the planet.

Writing out the plot for The Avengers: Age Of Ultron actually makes the movie sound really interesting and engaging. On screen, it didn't seem as awesome, though (much like the way some of the plots to Star Trek: Enterprise sound pretty good, but then when one turns on the show and the characters start talking, the dialogue and acting are so bad, it doesn't matter what is going on, the show is virtually unwatchable the way it tries to tell the story). The film opens with a big battle, montage/regroup/party, post-party battle, characters argue, Wakanda battle, moody safe house scene, extended climactic battle. It's a lot of fighting. And, try as he might, Joss Whedon and the special effects department don't have a lot they can do that hasn't been mined by The Avengers and Iron Man 3 (Whedon had a real disadvantage in that Ultron's robot army is basically made up of shiny silver Iron Man-style suits).

So, it comes down to character. Tony Stark gets one or two quips (they've been in the trailers), Bruce Banner is predictably conflicted, and Nick Fury pops up for a dramatic speech just at the right time. But Ultron never pops - he's General Grievous from Revenge Of The Sith (reviewed here!) meets any generic Decepticon. Ultron is the real shock; he's such a monolithic villain. Even James Spader voicing him cannot make him seem less generic and, therefore, entirely un-frightening. Will The Avengers unite to find a way to stop Ultron? Gosh, I hope so. Come to think of it, if they just crashed the world's power grid long enough for every computer in the world to actually shut down, wouldn't that have stopped him?! The point being, it would be a surprise if the Avengers couldn't stop Ultron more than any real revelation that they can.

Of the new characters, that leaves Wanda, Pietro, Vision, and Laura. Wanda and Pietro are motivated by a sense of revenge that is adequately explained in The Avengers: Age Of Ultron. It's not so satisfactorily explained to make viewers feel satisfied when Pietro doesn't kill Tony Stark in the film's first twelve minutes. Seriously; Pietro stands, watching the completely vulnerable Tony Stark take possession of the scepter when all he had to do was run over at super-speeds, kill his family's mortal enemy . . . movie over. Vision is engaging to watch, but is just about as generic as Ultron. And Laura . . .

. . . Laura gives Joss Whedon an excuse to keep Hawkeye in the mix in The Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Hawkeye is, as the film openly acknowledges, an archer in a team that includes a super soldier, a demigod, a trained assassin, a raging lab experiment, and an armored weapon equivalent to a small army. So, Hawkeye is given a sudden, abrupt, backstory and when the Avengers arrive at Laura's safe house, it humanizes the archer and gives the viewer an emotional root. And Whedon uses all the momentum with Hawkeye to set up one of his famous reversals and it would be truly nitpicky to say that doesn't work. Whedon pulls off his final-act reversal with Hawkeye and that is one of the few treats of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron.

Of the big three (Thor, Iron Man and Captain America), The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is unfortunately fractured. One has to guess that a number of the scenes Whedon could put back into the film center around Thor and his large chunk of time away from The Avengers entering the mysterious pool and leading to the resolution that brings him back. Thor sits out a surprising and significant chunk of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron. That gives Tony Stark and Steve Rogers a lot of time on screen to disagree. Rogers is, reasonably, pissed because Tony Stark does in The Avengers: Age Of Ultron exactly what Pierce did in Captain America: The Winter Soldier; he tried to anticipate world problems and stop them before they ever occur. Stark's characterization here makes sense: he is reeling from fear that Earth cannot protect itself and he doesn't want to debate with the team the merits of having a global defense system. When it goes wrong, Rogers climbs off his high horse to yell at him and Stark yells back. But the conflict between Stark and Rogers never quite boils up to the level where it would create a credible schism to result in Captain America: Civil War. In fact, while the conflict between Stark and Rogers is essential for that, Whedon takes a big crap on the writer who has to create that film with where he leaves Stark. And while Rogers moralizes, he's essentially the same guy we've been seeing. This time, he's already so disillusioned from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s actions in The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he doesn't seem particularly surprised when one of his teammates screws him (and humanity) over.

The other big character arc in The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is just a colossal mindfuck for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After finally figuring out how to make The Hulk interesting and truly work, The Avengers: Age Of Ultron belabors a romantic relationship between Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow). Mortgaging the chemistry Romanoff and Rogers developed throughout Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Avengers: Age Of Ultron teases a "will they or won't they" through most of the film. The result is particularly unsatisfying, if for no other reason than that Joss Whedon (who is both incredibly intelligent and remarkably personable, at least in interviews!) perpetrates the stereotype that incredibly smart people are emotional idiots. Bruce Banner can be absolutely brilliant, but to offset that, he can't have enough emotional maturity to face his demons, ask for help, or accept the compassion and love of someone who fits him surprisingly well.

The acting in The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is good. But, that's it. The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is not bursting with big emotional scenes that allow the actors to actually do much in the way of stretching. In fact, newcomer (to the franchise) Elizabeth Olsen is given the character with the biggest emotional journey. Wanda transitions from angry to triumphant (her smile at seeing Tony Stark shaken after she mojos him is wonderful) to horrified when she realizes Ultron's plan is embodied well by Olsen's performance. Olsen has good emotional range for her eyes, posture and body language to sell the conflicted emotional states of Wanda well. Sadly, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is not given as much in the way of big moments to make Pietro pop.

So, Joss Whedon had a tough task with The Avengers: Age Of Ultron and the fact that he has already said there is much more to the movie than viewers will see in the theaters virtually guarantees a time when he admits that the theater version is not the film he intended to make. The Avengers: Age Of Ultron contains noticeable narrative gaps, some troubling gaffes and a "ho-hum this is *supposed to be* adventure" feel to it that makes one wonder if more will actually be better when the longer version is eventually revealed.

5/10

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

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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An Ornament Worth Breaking Out To Find: The 2014 Hulk Smash! Ornament!

The Good: Good casting of the character, Neat sound clip, Good balance, Price.
The Bad: Coloring is just off enough to be problematic!
The Basics: Even those who are not a fan of the comic book version of the Incredible Hulk will find a lot to like in Hallmark’s 2014 Hulk Smash! ornament.


When it comes to Hallmark ornaments, there are so many great ones worth picking up that the purpose of a review like this can be to help consumers decide which ones are essential and which are less so. When it comes to superhero ornaments, most fans of specific heroes are going to buy the ornaments regardless of their actual quality. But for those who are more discriminating, things like balance, cost and coloring do have an effect. With Hallmark’s 2014 Hulk Smash! ornament, consumers get quite a lot to enjoy. When the biggest critique one might come up with for the ornament is that its coloring makes it unclear if it is trying to emulate the CG-rendered live-action version of the Hulk or the comic book character, the ornament is probably still worth buying, regardless of the answer!

For those unfamiliar with the concept, the Hulk returned to the big screen with The Avengers (reviewed here!), this time played by Mark Ruffalo. In The Avengers, the Hulk is manipulated by Loki to engineer the Asgaard trickster’s escape and try to break up Nick Fury’s team.

It is the Hulk, mid-step, mid-punch, that is the subject of the 2014 Hallmark Hulk Smash! ornament!

Basics

The Hulk Smash! ornament recreates the out-of-control hero in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2014, is a pretty incredible recreation of the popular character as he appears in the film The Avengers or in the comic books. In addition to the Hulk himself, there is a piece of ground, which ic being crushed under his right heel that is attached to the ornament.

Hulk is the crazed green giant and for this ornament, he appears to be running and about to punch someone or something! The ornament, like the character, is dominated by green. The thing is, the Hulk in The Avengers was barely seen in ridiculous purple shorts; that is his outfit in the comic books. But the coloring on the Hulk Smash! ornament features fine green veins that accent the bulging, sculpted muscles. That level of color detailing is much more precise and intricate than the comic book version of the character!

The Hallmark Hulk Smash! ornament is made of a durable plastic and is rendered without any noticeable seams between the character and the ground upon which he stands. The Hulk Smash! ornament measures out at 4 1/2" tall, 3 7/8" wide and 3” deep. His coloring is weird; too monotonal to be the movie version, too many accents to be the comic book version. The base is an amazingly realistic looking little chunk of rock that is being crushed under the Hulk’s foot.

The Hulk in the Hulk Smash! ornament is sculpted with wonderful muscle details, a disproportionately small head (which is realistic) and good texturing on the character’s hair.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the Hulk Smash! has a sound chip, but no light effect. When a decently-disguised button on the base of the ornament is pressed, the batteries powering the ornament allow a sound clip to be played. The Hulk delivers dialogue about crushing things and he roars and the effect is pretty neat. It does not, also, appear to be Mark Ruffalo’s voice that is used for the ornament’s sound clip. The sound clip is a pretty neat accent for the ornament and regardless of whose voice is being used, they got the sound of the Green Goliath right!

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake The Amazing Hulk ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. For those creating the ultimate Marvel Universe Christmas Tree, a Hulk ornament is essential and this one is arguably the best Hallmark has done for the character so far. The ornament has a steel hook loop embedded in the top of the right shoulders of the ornament. From that loop a hook allows the Hulk Smash! ornament to hang without any awkward bias or balance issues. It still moves when one’s tree is knocked, but generally, this hangs quite nicely and looks very well-balanced, like Hulk is mid-step.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, Hallmark has gotten into every major franchise from Disney to Twilight to the Marvel Comics universe. The Hulk Smash! ornament was not at all limited, but given how good the ornament is, it is hard not to bet that it will sell-out before it is clearanced. As one of the larger Marvel ornaments and one of the few with a feature, the Hulk Smash! ornament seems reasonably priced at $17.95. If any do remain after the holidays, it is a “strong buy” for investors who should be able to at least get the full retail price for it right away!

Overview

The Hulk Smash! ornament might not clearly be the Hulk from The Avengers or the comic book, but he is undeniably The Hulk in look and sound clip, which should be enough to please virtually all Marvel Universe fans!

For other Marvel Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2014 War Machine Iron Man 3 ornament
2014 Captain America from Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2014 Web-Slinging Wonder The Amazing Spider-Man 2
2013 Iron Patriot Iron Man 3 ornament
2012 Captain America The Avengers ornament
2012 Iron Man The Avengers ornament
2012 Thor The Avengers ornament
2012 The Amazing Spider-Man ornament
2011 Spider-Man ornament
2011 Thor ornament
2010 Defender Of Justice Iron Man 2 ornament

8/10

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

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Summer Blockbuster Season’s (Potentially) Smartest Film Arrives With Now You See Me!

The Good: Decent acting, Interesting concept, Good pacing
The Bad: Nauseating direction, Falls apart a bit at the end.
The Basics: While Now You See Me does not hinge entirely upon the final reveal/reversal, it is a fairly fresh-feeling heist/illusionist film.


Summer Blockbuster Season – which is my favorite season of the year and the one in which we now find ourselves – is not known for smart movies. Big-budget, special effects-driven, spectacle-over-substance popcorn flicks yes, intelligent, contemplative pieces, no. Summer 2013 is not going to change that. That said, Now You See Me actually manages to put a dent in the usual summer stupidity by creating a piece that is largely satisfying even though it spends an inordinate amount of time trying to dazzle as opposed to developing the characters within the movie.

As a film involving magicians (illusionists) and one that blends with the well-established heist genre, Now You See Me has a seemingly difficult task. It is combining two genres that largely hinge on the power of the reversal, making a clever twist in the end that rewards the viewer with an epiphanic moment that enhances the rest of the film. There are films that do that exceptionally well, like The Usual Suspects (reviewed here!) and given that several years have elapsed since both The Prestige (reviewed here!) and The Illusionist (reviewed here!) graced the screen, Now You See Me had the remarkable potential to shake up that formula and do something smart. And it (almost, mostly) succeeds.

Now You See Me becomes far too preoccupied with explaining itself in literal terms as opposed to either exploring characters or making a grander thematic statement than it does. These two things drag the movie out of extraordinary territory and into the higher average realm.

After being drawn together by invitations to a single location, four magicians are given the plans to an amazing trick that intrigues them all. A year after coming together, in Las Vegas, the magic act called the Four Horsemen is having a meteoric run dazzling audiences, working under their benefactor Arthur Tressler. Four magicians working together on stage to sold-out audiences is unremarkable enough until one night in their act they present a trick that is as criminal as it is dazzling. They seemingly teleport a person to a bank in Paris and they take the contents of the vault and shower the audience with the stolen currency. The Four Horsemen’s trick amuses retired illusionist Thaddeus Bradley, who now makes his living debunking magic acts as part of an Internet program that makes him money. After a second show, in New Orleans, robs Arthur Tressler of hundreds of millions of dollars, Tressler changes his tune. Tressler tries to extort Bradley into assist the FBI and Interpol in exposing the Four Horsemen and getting him justice.

The task of uncovering how the team of Michael Atlas, Henley, Jack, and Merritt Osbourne robbed the bank and then Tressler while they were seen by thousands on stage falls to Dylan Hobbes and Interpol agent Alma Vargas. Hobbes is rational and methodical and he and Vargas follow the clues given to them by Bradley and the Four Horsemen to try do deduce both how and why the Four Horsemen performed their trick. The ticking clock for Hobbes is that the Four Horsemen are promising to create an even bigger trick and Hobbes is tasked with preventing that trick from having severe global financial consequences. So, as he unravels one trick, he tries to extrapolate what is coming next and thwart a team who appears to be trying to make themselves into high-tech, Robin Hood-style thieves!

As an anticapitalist, my hopes with Now You See Me, based on the initial trailers for the film (which, admittedly, captivated me as a good trailer ought to!) was that the movie would focus more on the Robin Hood type element whereby the magicians of the Four Horsemen seemed to be altruistic in their robberies. No such luck. Instead, it is made clear exceptionally early on that the magicians of the Four Horsemen are not so much champions of the people as they are creating plot-centered distractions (and, because they did not retain the money they allegedly stole, the agencies hunting them have less grounds upon which to hold them!). The film is preoccupied with protecting the assets of the rich (and business) as opposed to a cunning scheme to help the downtrodden.

That said, Now You See Me is pretty solidly entertaining. Mark Ruffalo, whose character of Agent Hobbes dominates the screentime of Now You See Me makes for a compelling protagonist. His character’s methodology is solid and as the film goes on he continues to use reason to explain what appears to be supernatural or exceptional events that he is exposed to. Ruffalo is a good choice for Hobbes as he has the ability to present an inner strength that makes him credibly seem like an FBI agent, but he can soften his expressions to create a façade of bewilderment and frustration that the story demands the character have.

Morgan Freeman (Bradley) and Michael Caine (Tressler) continue their streak of playing powerful supporting characters who are given just enough screentime to justify their salary, but not enough to show the viewers anything truly new from their performances. Their parts are more the product of impressive casting than anything approaching great acting. Similarly, Jesse Eisenberg as Michael Atlas is good casting, but not a great performance. Eisenberg has a history so far of playing smart, articulate, confident young men and in Now You See Me he gives us nothing truly new. If you’re looking for a performance different from, for example, his role in The Social Network (reviewed here!), you are liable to be disappointed. His performance is not bad (assuming he is not so arrogant in real life), but it is nothing new or truly different.

The stand-out for Now You See Me is Isla Fisher. Fisher has been relegated to the ditzy protagonist of numerous romantic comedies and “chick flicks” where she has been more eye candy than playing substantial roles. In Now You See Me, Fisher is given a part that is a chance for her to shine, though she hardly has enough screentime to truly explode. Fisher plays Henley, one of the Four Horsemen. She appears on stage in the film as eye candy, a distraction for the audience. However, in several of the scenes where Henley and the Four Horsemen are making their plans, she exhibits an efficiency and almost quiet power that is impressive. There are moments when she fixes on the others with her eyes and one can almost feel the physical force of her glare!

As for the look and feel of Now You See Me, director Louis Leterrier undermines some of the drama by using the camera like a drunken sailor, spinning around and twisting at irksome angles and speeds. With any story of magicians – or heist films – there is some element of spectacle and reversal. Leterrier works too hard with the camera to land it, effectively saying “Look! Be amazed!” as opposed to creating something truly amazing.

For other works with Michael Caine, please check out my reviews of:
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Inception
Children Of Men
Miss Congeniality
The Muppet Christmas Carol

7/10

For other film reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing.

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Desperately Average Super Hero Films Work Up To An Impressive Film With Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled

The Good: The Avengers, Some decent performances, Blu-Ray bonus features
The Bad: Exceptionally repetitive plots, Character arcs are often repetitive as well
The Basics: The six-film Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled boxed set eliminates some of the fat from the first few serialized Marvel universe movies nevertheless presents in one place the films building up to and including The Avengers.


As Iron Man 3 (reviewed here!) continues its powerhouse run at the box office, it is fun to look back at how the film came to be. The films that led up to Iron Man 3 - and much more importantly, its cinematic predecessor The Avengers - have been collected on Blu-Ray in a new boxed set called the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled. The Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled is six of the first seven Marvel Universe films that were loosely connected by background threads pertaining to the Avengers Initiative. In other words, it is the Marvel Universe without the X-Men franchise, The Fantastic Four or Spider-Man (or, for that matter, the vigilante Daredevil or the supernatural-based Marvel characters like Ghost Rider).

The boxed set of Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled does not include the film Hulk, which is somewhat ironic because it does include its sequel. The ten disc set, which is chock full of bonus features and an entire exclusive bonus disc that looks at the assembled films as a film franchise. The films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled boxed set includes:
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Avengers

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled has five movies that are only loosely tied to one another and then is paid off with a film that unites the protagonists from the prior four films. For those who have not seen them, the basic ideas behind the films are:

Iron Man has billionaire Tony Stark getting attacked and held hostage overseas. While being held hostage, he puts together a small device that keeps shrapnel from piercing his heart and he uses it to power a primitive suit of armor that facilitates his escape. Stark’s return to the United States and the industry of weapons engineering is met with mixed results. His loyal assistant, Pepper Potts, is thrilled he is alive, but his former mentor is actually dismayed in that Stark is still alive given that he has taken control over Stark Industries in Tony’s absence. Stark’s new pacifism and obsession with refining his armor to act as something of a one-man world peace force, upsets Stone and causes Tony’s former mentor to create a suit of his own to take on his protégé!

The Incredible Hulk finds Dr. Bruce Banner hiding out, having tried to keep his alter-ego, the Hulk, under control for years. He is hunted by a military-industrial complex that is determined to bring him in. In that pursuit, a villainous leader gives a seasoned officer a serum that creates another Hulk-like creature (the Abomination), who begins to lay waste, which requires the Hulk to intervene to save lives.

Iron Man 2 continues Tony Stark’s story after his revelation that he is Iron Man. With Congress looking to assimilate Stark’s technology while he resists, Stark fights two battles: one against the corporate leader of Hammer weapons and the other, in his suit, against the Russian villain Whiplash, who rises up to get revenge on Stark for stealing the technology his father developed.

In Thor the Norse God of Thunder coming to Earth as an outcast after his brother, Loki, discredits him on the astral planes. With Thor’s father in a coma, Thor ends up on Earth where he works to redeem himself and comes to care about the humans.

There is a trip to the past with Captain America: The First Avenger. During World War II, Steve Rogers is a weak young man who nevertheless wants to join the war effort to go to fight the Nazis. Instead, he is inducted into the super soldier program and given incredible strength, endurance and tactical ability. After a stint as a publicity tool for the U.S. military, Rogers as Captain America goes to free American prisoners of war and stop the evil HYDRA scientists who are threatening to unlock the massive power of a device from the astral planes, the tesseract.

The Tesseract pops back up as the object of concern in The Avengers. Loki has been tasked by a powerful alien being with recovering the Tesseract from Earth and he is ready to use it to wipe out humanity. To respond to the menace of Loki and the army he is ready to bring through a wormhole to lay waste to Earth (starting in New York City), Nick Fury – after an attack on a S.H.I.E.L.D. laboratory – works to bring together Earth’s greatest heroes to respond to the threat Loki represents.

All six films follow a similar basic format with the origin story of the super hero and the villain and the hero rising to stop them. These are all, in the end, “kill the villain” type films. Iron Man 2 has no time needed to establish Iron Man, but uses the time that these type movies to establish the heroes to remind the viewers who Iron Man and Tony Stark are and the villains are more developed in the movie. But, like the plots, the characters all have pretty obvious and repetitive journeys where, in each film, to defeat their custom villain, they must learn a Very Important Lesson about themselves.

While the films might lack a great resonance of character issues and development, the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled managed to get some pretty wonderful actors. The principle actors in this saga – Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Edward Norton (Bruce Banner – for The Incredible Hulk), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner – for The Avengers), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Chris Evans (Captain America), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), and Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson) are wonderful and add and emotional resonance and realism to the movies that makes them feel grand and sophisticated beyond the simple plots and characters they portray. The supporting actors – Sir Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, William Hurt, and Liv Tyler – lend a professionalism to a movie series that could seem campy or utterly unrealistic without their gravitas.

Ultimately, the movies in Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled are entertaining popcorn movies, but seeing them together in this set begins to reiterate the idea that some of the super heroes in the Marvel Universe are hardly all that special. These stories shake up the super powers and specific plots, but are in many ways the same essential story told six ways.

For similar boxed sets, please visit my reviews of:
The Star Trek Cinematic Boxed Set
The Lord Of The Rings
The Star Wars Trilogy

5/10

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

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Wooden Acting Almost Kills A Political Marvel With All The King’s Men

The Good: Generally good acting, story and character
The Bad: Dilution of main story by focus on Jack Burden, pacing
The Basics: When Jude Law's acting and his character's story begin to dominate All The King’s Men, the film goes from a promising political drama to a murky romantic mystery.


Whenever I write a movie review, I load up the IMDB to be sure I'm getting character and actor names correct. I was somewhat surprised - mostly from not having paid enough attention to the opening credits, I suppose - to see that Kate Winslet and Mark Ruffalo were portraying Anne and Adam Stanton for the latest movie I was watching. Winslet only recently appeared on my radar and my first movie with Mark Ruffalo did not impress me with him. All The King’s Men, which opens to a powerful soundtrack by James Horner, continues my rut where actor Jude Law fails to impress me. Here it is his portrayal of Jack Burden along with writer and director Steven Zaillian and novelist Robert Penn Warren's emphasis on Burden that almost sinks this movie.

Willie Stark is a populist advocate working in county politics in Louisiana when he is opposed by the powers that be in the political world. A government contract is given to a company that makes a schoolhouse that has inadequate fire escapes, leading to the death of three children. This inspires mobster Tiny Duffy to use Stark as a chance to effectively take the Governor's mansion of Louisiana, which in the late 40s, early 50s, is quite a big deal. Stark begins a campaign based on winning over the poor of the state and wins in a landslide. Once in power as Louisiana's governor, he finds himself blocked by the state senate and threatened with impeachment.

Mirroring Stark's rise to power is Jack Burden's journey as a reporter to a spin doctor for the governor. Burden's journey becomes a loop between his past and present as one of the advocates for impeachment is an incredibly powerful judge who happens to be Burden's (non-biological) father. As well, Stark becomes closely involved with the Stanton family, peers of Jack's who have integrity and social standing and who could potentially elevate Stark's political populism and activism to a respectable level.

The problem here is from the beginning the viewer wants this to be Willie Stark's story. Stark is intriguing as a character. The moment he casts off the mob influence and becomes a charismatic politician combining the progressive activism with the evangelical salesmanship by simply telling the truth as he sees it, Stark is a powerful character to watch. Whenever the movie is focused on his quest against the powers that be, All The King’s Men is engaging, intriguing and worthwhile.

The problem is that the film too infrequently focuses on Stark. While the first hour is all about Stark coming to power and his views and ambitions, the last hour plus of All The King’s Men degenerates into a convoluted tale of Jack Burden's trials as he seeks to aid Stark and resolve long unresolved romantic feelings.

As a political story, All The King’s Men succeeds. The problem is, Jack Burden's story is barely political. Burden becomes a detective, digging into the life of Judge Irwin to find any dirt he can to bring Irwin down to alleviate the impeachment pressure on Stark. As this is going on, Stark is busy fighting to get a hospital built for poor people in Louisiana, which needs the appearance of legitimacy. That comes from Dr. Adam Stanton who Stark - via Burden - influences to become a part of the project. The proximity of Adam, a childhood friend of Burden's, and the reappearance of his sister Anne, perhaps his great lost love, cause Burden to relive his past.

And Burden's past is not terribly interesting. Or perhaps it is, but this is not the venue for it. I don't care about Burden's lost love, it's a distraction from the Willie Stark story. Arguably, Burden's story could be all about what a man will do to maintain political power, but it's not nearly as compelling as watching Stark do his thing.

Willie Stark is played with electrifying precision by Sean Penn, one of those actors who suddenly came into legitimacy a few years back and has been a dramatic powerhouse since. Penn is surprisingly charismatic as Stark, manipulating his voice and body language with persuasive movement that make it convincing that Stark could work the crowds we see in the movie. This is one of Penn's best works and he steals every scene he is in.

Conversely, Jude Law is wooden as Jack Burden. "Wooden" describes Law's acting in almost every role and here it is not appropriate for Burden to be so . . . listless, stiff. Law's performance puts Burden at a distance to the viewer, making one care less about his journey and personality and instead causing the viewer to beg for the return of Penn's Stark to the screen.

All The King’s Men is supported by a decent cast including Sir Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson, and James Gandolfini. Gandolfini seems typecast into the role of Tiny, but otherwise the supporting players are fine and they perform well with what they are given to do in this film.

Who will like All The King's Men? Certainly those frustrated with today's current political state. But they are less likely to enjoy this than The American President (reviewed here!) or reruns of The West Wing (reviewed here!). This movie is more suited to those who like murky romantic mysteries with a political edge. All of the important plot aspects turn on love and that's a fine motivation and makes for a decent story. Unfortunately, this story is not that one, not the way it is set up from the beginning and established in the opening parts of the film.

At least Mark Ruffalo and Kate Winslet did well.

For other works with James Gandolfini, check out my reviews of:
Where The Wild Things Are
In The Loop

6/10

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

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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