Movie Review: The Purge

The Purge (2013)
85 minutes
Directed by James DeMonaco
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey

Grade: C-

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In the year 2022, the United States of America is thriving. Crime is at an all-time low, unemployment is at a spectacular 1% and therefore the economy is booming. The reason is because of the annual purge, where for 12 hours all crime is legal and all authorities are not on patrol. Okay, not exactly realistic and the film doesn’t even try to convince you, but this is certainly a great set-up to a horror film.

But it all unravels quickly. Ethan Hawke plays James Sandin, father of two alongside Mary (Headey). He’s a security-system salesman who is about to get a big bonus. His daughter Zoey is a rebellious teenager who loves her older boyfriend and his son Charlie is a quirky kid who simply doesn’t understand the purge at all. At 7 p.m. the purge begins and the family goes on lockdown where steel walls cover every door and window in the house. All they have to do is wait. James suggests they watch a movie to pass the time, but everyone is preoccupied.

Everything goes south when Charlie decides to help out a homeless man who is running for his life. But minutes later, a group of “purgers” appear in front of the Sandin house and gives them an ultimatum to return the homeless man for them to kill, or else they will break in. Led by the charismatic Rhys Wakefield, the rest of the purgers wear smiling masks and giggle while swinging knives and pointing their guns.

Unfortunately, the movie is all about its set-up and contains little satisfaction during its climax and conclusion. At a brief 85 minutes, somehow The Purge feels long. Maybe it’s because we’ve seen this home-invasion film before. Or maybe because there is just so much potential but in the end the film lacks any kind of substance. There are moments when there is brief commentary on how the purge not only allows Americans to unleash their rage, but really to off the lower-class and therefore allowing the society to rid of the people who were blamed for unemployment and crime. But in the end, all we see is a violent film about a family trying to survive a group of invaders.

James DeMonaco loses its grip halfway into the film and commits to a twist that is neither surprising nor thrilling. At the end, you’re not nearly as exhausted as the characters in the movie are. Instead, you’re shaking your head at the opportunity missed at a truly engaging, high-scale thriller tackling the gap of our social classes and the nation’s need for violence. Either that or just at the fact that if Charlie never disarmed the security system, we could’ve watched the Sandins enjoying a Disney movie or two.

Movie Review: Funny Games (2007)

Funny Games (2007)
111 minutes
Rated – R
Directed by Michael Haneke
Starring: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt

Grade: A-

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This post contains spoilers.

First and foremost, you probably hate this movie, and usually I try to defend a movie that I thoroughly like but in this case I can’t. It’s only natural to hate this film so there’s no point to defend it. It’s heartless, gruesome, and leaves an angry, empty feeling after it’s all over. Who wants to watch a movie that just pisses you off to no end?

But there is a point and Haneke is simply too good of a director to make a poor movie. Every little quirk and moment that pisses you off is what Haneke is trying to point out. Just take the opening scene when the happy, wealthy family is driving back to their home while listening to opera. Everything is pleasant and it could remind you of a moment from your childhood when your family were on the road on a beautiful afternoon. And then the death metal music BLASTS with the title Funny Games over the shot of the family. The family doesn’t hear the music that’s causing us to cover our ears. It’s strange. It’s unnerving. It’s a hint at things to come and how us, as the audience, are really separated from the characters in the movie.

What happens for the rest of the movie feels like a typical home invasion, psychological thriller, but Funny Games is much more than that. Two young men, played by Brady Corbet and Michael Pitt, appear at the family’s home. They’re kind, but a bit too kind, and definitely have a creepy way to them. Anna (Watts) wants them to leave, but they respond to her by saying she’s being rude. Anna wants George (Roth) to kick them out of the house, but he allows the men to explain themselves. Anna lets him know that it doesn’t matter what reason she has, he should do what she wants and if she wants them out of the house, he should kick them out. George should’ve listened because one thing leads to another and George winds up with a broken kneecap.

There are things that Haneke is trying to point out to us as the audience. One thing is how we’re so used to seeing these sort of movies before that we expect certain things to happen. They kill their dog from the get-go, so they’re really bad men. But at the end of the day, at least someone has to survive and kill the bad guys, right? Haneke shows you a movie where the bad guys don’t get caught and they don’t let their victims slip through their fingertips. Even when they do make a classic error and Anna shoots one of them, Michael Pitt is able to rewind the film to prevent that happening. Yes, he actually stop the film you’re watching and rewinds it. This is why you hate this movie.

Haneke is also commenting how we’re so immune to  violence in movies. With all of these sub-horror genres, do we even flinch anymore at the sight of blood? So he pushes the envelope by first killing off the family dog and then killing off the small boy. I bet you can’t name too many films that kills off the dog and the child in the same movie, but Funny Games isn’t like any movie you’ve seen before. Like you needed another reason to hate this movie.

You will be disturbed by this film, or at least I hope you are. I also think that’s what Haneke is trying to do; to make a film that is so twisted and demented even from all of the horror movies people watch every year. Can we possibly be scared anymore? There are also a few moments when Michael Pitt’s character breaks the fourth-wall and speaks directly into the camera. While this certainly wasn’t necessary, Haneke doesn’t want his point to go over anyone’s head. We’re all rooting for the family to survive and to escape, and even when there really doesn’t seem like any chance for them to do so, we still hope they make it out alive. But Haneke just plays with us by dangling that carrot in front of our faces before yanking it away.

Funny Games is not a film you’ll most likely enjoy, but it’s undoubtedly powerful and thought-provoking. It’ll remain in your thoughts for days after you watch it, and that’s the whole experience of watching it. You’re forced to think of what you just watched and you’re supposed to question why Haneke made such a film. If not, then Haneke’s message did not make an impact on you like it should have. Instead, you’ll just follow the herd of sheep to the next horror screening, as long as you know what to expect.

Movie Review: Side Effects

Side Effects (2013)
106 minutes
Rated – R
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Channing Tatum, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Grade: B+

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Rooney Mara is an absolute delight in Soderbergh’s Side Effects. It’s going to be hard for her to break free from her Dragon Tattoo role for the next several years, but here she’s able to control a different kind of troubled character. Mara plays Emily, a mentally unstable 28-year-old who suffers from depression and anxiety. Her husband Martin (Tatum) has just been released from prison where he’s been for the past four years on an insider-trading bust. The couple seem happy together, that is when Emily isn’t having one of her episodes.

After Emily rams her car into a wall, she sees psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Banks (Law). Instead of keeping her overnight at the hospital, he believes Emily when she says she’s not going to hurt herself any further. She is very convincing, but Dr. Banks is taking a risk here on a patient he knows nothing about. The agreement is for her to visit Dr. Banks on a regular basis so he can keep track of her improvement.

Dr. Banks is a good psychiatrist who cares for his patients. He visits Emily’s former therapist, Dr. Victoria Siebert (Jones) to discuss Emily’s past and what medication Dr. Siebert has tried. This is the part of the film where Soderbergh completely takes over. We see plenty of Emily and Dr. Banks at the same time. Their characters are fully drawn out and their back-stories are revealed. Dr. Banks is taking on a few-too-many tasks for his own good just to keep up with his bills and his family.

After a shocking scene where Emily is deemed to be sleepwalking, everyone’s life is flipped upside-down. The rest of the film takes us on quite a ride and all of the dust doesn’t settle until the films final scene. It’s a very twisty, psychological thriller that will demand your attention throughout. There has been much said about this being Soderbergh’s final feature film, and if this is true it would be a fine way to retire (at the age of 50). He has provided the world with many notable films such as Ocean’s Eleven, Erin Brokovich, Traffic, Contagion, Magic Mike, and more.

But back to Side Effects, I just want to point out that the commercials and trailers do not give a sufficient portrayal of what kind of film this is. This is a dark, Hitchcock-ian film with a commentary on medication such as Zoloft and Prozac. While you might find yourself scratching your head during the middle of the film, Soderbergh neatly wraps everything up at the end, to many people’s delight I can imagine. Since this seems to be the only good film in the theaters at the moment, go check it out.

Homeland – “The Choice”

Season Two, Episode Twelve

Grade: A

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What is there to make of the season finale of Homeland? Before I get into that I must recap some of my feelings about the sophomore season, which had its moments of brilliance along with its moments of pure disaster. The first handful of episodes was up to par with the first season, as Brody was running errands for Roya under guidance from Abu Nazir. Meanwhile, Carrie was getting back in the game because, well she is actually a very good analyst and the CIA needs her. The first third of the season was full of suspenseful moments regarding Carrie’s mental stability, Brody’s undercover missions, and the fun in not knowing who’s good and who’s bad. Unfortunately, the show dipped in the middle of its second season.

While it was predictable that Brody was going to be turned into a double-agent, it was all worth it to watch the interrogation scene when Carrie is able to break down Brody. The first four or five episodes contained arguably the best acting from Damian Lewis and Claire Danes. It shouldn’t matter how ridiculous some of the plots became during the rest of the season. The interactions between Carrie and Brody as they talked at the hotel bar, Carrie’s near suicide, and the interrogation were some of the year’s best television performances, hands down.

But the show hit a speed bump. Brody and Carrie slowly, yet smoothly, rekindled their feelings for each other and continued their ill-advised romance. Simultaneously, Brody’s family unraveled. I loved the first season when they showed the difficulty to try and bring everything back to normal with the Brody family, but in the second season that didn’t matter anymore. Brody loves his family but without any real explanation he loves Carrie more. I understand that they’re both messed up and can relate to each other more than anyone else can, but it’s hard to believe that Brody would throw away everything for Carrie. His family never did anything wrong except being the innocent bystander to his secret motives, but somewhere between it all he lost the love for his family.

More about Brody and Carrie, it’s hard to believe they would both trust each other enough to really fall in love. They both have been using each other for their own benefit since day one. I just can’t pinpoint if there was a moment when they both dropped all the baggage they had and clearly decided to devote their lives to each other. It’s messy and should end in complete disaster, but it’s what the writers want to display. When it’s done correctly, we see two strong and smart individuals who actually have feelings other than being really good at their job. The mistakes they make show that they’re human and it’s great television.

After Nazir was killed, Homeland concentrated on the relationship between Carrie and Brody and that was a big part of the finale. Saul has been held captive for three days because he knew Estes ordered a hit on Brody. Quinn was Estes’ man but right when his finger was on the trigger he grew a heart and realized that Brody isn’t the bad guy. The first half of the finale builds up a decision that Carrie has to make: rejoin the CIA or leave everything behind to live with Brody. This provides an excellent scene between Carrie and Saul when he sees how Carrie is going to choose Brody over the CIA. Saul and Carrie has been my favorite relationship to follow since Homeland started, but unfortunately their relationship was hardly touched upon this season.

But after the car-bomb went off, killing hundreds of CIA members during Walden’s memorial, I’m hopeful that we’re going to see a lot more Carrie and Saul in the third season. I have to mention that the scene when Carrie and Brody sneak off from the memorial and when Brody questions who moved his car, I got goosebumps for those few seconds until Carrie lets out an “Oh fuck.” And I also loved how Carrie immediately blames Brody for the explosion by pointing a gun at him while Brody explained himself.

The last ten minutes of the episode were very emotional, something that Homeland doesn’t achieve too often because almost every character is a CIA-analyst with no emotions. Carrie saying goodbye to Brody was heartfelt no matter how many times you rolled your eyes when these two characters hooked up this season. I can only hope that Brody will be off screen for a while during the third season and that we can actually question whether or not he’s still alive along with Carrie. I’ve written how it seemed inevitable that Brody gets killed this season, but I guess him going into hiding is almost the same thing. When Brody gives Mike his blessing to take care of his family, that might have been the best way to say goodbye to the Brody family. Without Brody, who needs to see what’s happening with his family? Staying on topic, how great was the family’s reaction when they watched Brody’s confession on the news?

To me, the most emotional scene was when Saul wanted to find out if Carrie died in the explosion. And at the end when he sees her alive, his face is full of relief and happiness, along with a subtle rage from the mess that they’re both involved with now. Carrie’s going to try and quickly clear Brody’s name from the incident, but it’s going to be nearly impossible. But the potential of Saul running the show in the third season is one that I cannot wait to watch.

Homeland – “I’ll Fly Away”

As much grief as I’ve been giving Dana and her story-line for the past few weeks, I actually enjoyed her drama this episode and it’s a good thing I did since she had a lot of screen-time during “I’ll Fly Away.” But first, let’s discuss Brody and Carrie.

Brody is the CIA’s only hope to tracking an attack on America. Carrie knows it. The CIA knows it. Brody knows it. And even after that, we’re still being beat over the head with the reminder. Anyway, Brody is snapping right before our eyes as Jessica defends Dana’s good intention to turn herself in and doesn’t accept anything going on with the CIA as a reason to avoid the police. She wants Brody to put the family before the nation and as the viewer it’s hard to side with her on this, but there were so many lies told that I doubt Jessica really believes Brody’s working for the CIA.

All of this pressure gets to Brody and he blows a meeting with Roya. He seems like he’s going off the grid, blowing up bridges with Roya and with the CIA, but Carrie does her best to drag him back in by spending the night with him at a motel. This results in the audio of Carrie and Brody having sex broadcasted for Quinn, Saul, and everyone else to hear. Is she really doing everything she can to fix Brody’s head and convince him to return back to his mission? Saul wants to believe so. Or is she just falling back in love with him again like Quinn believes? I’ll go with it’s a little bit of both.

Now onto Dana’s story. She ends up spending most of the episode at Mike’s place, which at first seemed odd to me but then Jessica clears that up reminded us that she was over his place a lot during the years Brody was captive. Mike was practically a father to Dana and Chris and was going to move in to live with the family. When Dana asks if giving them up was hard to do, Mike tries his best not to crumble at the fact. Also, Dana tells her mom that Carrie was the reason why they didn’t step foot into the police department, and the two share a moment together, sort of like the opposite of what we’re used to seeing: an adult telling their child bad news.

It’s not easy for anyone to match up to Damian Lewis and Claire Danes, but I tip my hat to Morgan Saylor this episode because she really pulled off her scenes. Her dripping emotion after apologizing to the dead woman’s daughter was authentic and made me really care about what Dana’s going through a lot more than seeing her as a dumb teenager. Maybe soon it’ll be Chris’ turn to have a story-line soon?

I can’t conclude my thoughts without mentioning the ending. While most of the episode was an unfolding drama, the final fifteen minutes was your typical Homeland thriller. Brody is brought to an open field by Roya with Carrie and Virgil tailing them. Unknown to what’s going to happen, Carrie ignores Quinn’s orders to stand down and walks closer to see what’s happening to Brody. Almost out of nowhere, a helicopter swoops down, picks up Brody, and takes off. Brody is being held up but finally reunites with a clean-shaven Abu Nazir. What an ending.

Can Brody keep his composure face-to-face with Abu Nazir? It’s a tug-of-war with the turned marine turned CIA-undercover-agent and I’m honestly not sure if he can take what’s about to come at him. While Damian Lewis is too big of a part in Homeland, is that the only reason to keep his character alive at this point. The CIA were close to just cutting him loose and locking him up for good. Clearly, Roya doesn’t trust Brody after his little temper tantrum and if Abu Nazir doesn’t either, what’s keeping them from killing Brody off?

But maybe they’ll turn Brody again to spy on the CIA’s activities and then Brody will be telling so many lies his pants will actually catch fire.

Homeland – “A Gettysburg Address”

So after breaking through to Brody, the CIA is now keeping their eyes focused on Roya Hammad. The team watches her as she meets with a man in public, but because they talk near a water fountain, audio isn’t available. After they can’t identify the man Roya met with, they bring Brody in to see if he knows the man. He doesn’t, but sheds light to their bulletin board by revealing the tailor they have surveillance on is dead. This forces them to move in and do a thorough search for any clues that will lead them to Abu Nazir’s attack.

Meanwhile, Dana is still sick to her stomach about the hit-and-run she was involved with Finn. She skips school and visits the hospital where she locates the woman who they hit and finds out she’s dying. When Dana reports this back to Finn, he angrily urges her to forget about it. I’m guessing there won’t be anymore young romance between these two.

The third story-line is an interesting one. It’s normal as the audience to know things that the characters in the show don’t know yet, but the Mike and Lauder story takes this to a whole new level. We’re past the whole Walker death and Brody’s involvement that took place at the end of the first season, but only now are Mike and Lauder beginning to investigate. I’m quite impartial to this story-line thus far unless they can uncover something more personal inside the Brody family that the CIA hasn’t already figured out. But if that doesn’t happen, it’s just two military guys playing Nancy Drew to a case that we’ve already seen and the CIA has already uncovered.

Back to the main story, Carrie advises Brody to talk with Roya in an attempt to learn more about the man she met. She doesn’t reveal anything aside from her knowledge that the FBI forensics team is already inside and that there might be something important there. At the end of the episode, the agents including Quinn and Galvez are attacked by men with heavy-duty gear and rifles. After gunning everyone down, they remove a large box that was hidden behind a fake wall.

I was utterly distraught when the agents were attacked by the armored men, one being the man Roya talked to earlier in the episode. Galvez was my second favorite CIA agent behind Saul, so it was sad to see him bite the dust, but I’m relieved that Homeland didn’t draw out the deaths like plenty of dramas on television. I’m also happy that Quinn seems to be alive because he’s become one of my favorite characters and has replaced Saul as being Carrie’s partner this season.

While the second season is halfway done with only six episodes left, I’m not sure if I’m 100 percent on board with where they’re leading towards. The story-lines have been put into max speed thus far, but now things seem to be slowing down especially in the two side stories away from the main Abu Nazir vs. the CIA story. I’m already tired of the whole Dana/Finn story and the Mike/Lauder story seems old even if it’s only a few episodes deep. I guess that’s the problem the show faces when their main story is arguably the most compelling plot of any current television show.

On the acting stand-point, there were no incredible Carrie/Brody moments like the past two episodes, but I did enjoy the Quinn/Brody tension in the opening ten minutes. But back to things that are bothering me about the show, number one on my list is Lauder. His grumpy, drunken rants are becoming petty each episode he continues. At least throw some more background to his life so I can understand why he hasn’t trusted Brody since day one. For now, he has a serious case of verbal diarrhea and yes, it’s not pretty.

I can’t wait to see how Estes and Saul react to the attack at the tailor’s place, and how long Quinn is going to be hospitalized after being shot. This might bring Carrie and Saul directly back together on the team, which has been absence for the past few episodes. As to where the story is going to lead to next, that’s the best part because I have no idea.

Review: The Descent

The Descent (2006)
99 minutes
Rated – R
Directed by Neil Marshall
Starring: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid

Grade: B+

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Are you afraid of the dark? If you aren’t, you should be after watching what the six women in The Descent go through during a caving excursion. Without a doubt this is the best and the scariest horror film of 2006. Writer/director Neil Marshall cranks up the suspense, dims the light and lets us go on one hell of a ride in the caves.

Before diving into the thick of the plot, there’s a brilliantly orchestrated opening sequence that might seem like a throw-away setup to more exciting things to come, but ends up being the driving force for our main character, Sarah. Best friends Sarah (Macdonald), Juno (Mendoza) and Beth (Reid) are tackling the white-water rapids during a trip that includes Sarah’s husband and young daughter. We see Sarah’s husband and Juno mingling a little too close and further hints throughout the film suggest they were intimately involved. Sarah and her family go in a car while Juno and Beth travel in another. Tragedy strikes when an accident kills Sarah’s family.

One year later, the best friends including three more women gather at the North Carolina Appalachians to try and restore any kind of normalcy for Sarah, but the thrill-seeking Juno risks everyone’s lives after some ill-advised decisions. They don’t arrive at the caves that attract tourists, they arrive at a cave that no one has discovered yet (though they soon realize it’s because no one has made it out).

This is where Neil Marshall cranks up some scares even before we’re face-to-face with the cave creatures. The feeling of claustrophobia is heightened when the women have to slip their way through extremely tight spaces and it only gets worse when one of them gets stuck and has to deal with a cave-in. That being said, the group is stuck in the caves about two miles underground with no one aware they’re there. It’s up to themselves to find a way out, which becomes increasingly more difficult when they discover the violent creatures that inhabit the caves.

There are plenty of cheap scares in The Descent, but even those are treated with a great deal of planning and are executed so well that the pay-off is very thrilling. Marshall uses some interesting ways to illuminate the pitch-black caves for the film, which involves flares, and infrared camera, green glow-sticks and torches. Let me just advise you, the limited light-source certainly creates a tense environment for the women and when their flashlights shine on a killing field of hundreds of animal and human bones, it’s incredibly creepy.

The Descent takes the kind of scares that everyone is used to in the 2000s but transcends it with an intelligent story that expects the audience to connect the dots. Unlike the American version of the film, the uncut version is as dreary as they come, but I highly suggest you seek out the uncut version rather than the edited one.

Review: The Prestige (2006)

The Prestige (2006)
130 minutes
Rated PG-13
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson

Grade:  A

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Christopher Nolan injects a dark tone to the magician vs. magician tale starring High Jackman and Christian Bale as the two try to one-up each other throughout a decade to perfect a trick called, “The Transported Man.” There are a lot on the line between the two and drives them to a state of rage, jealousy, and obsession.

Set in Victorian London, Alfred Borden (Bale) is being tried for Robert Angier’s (Jackman) death. Most of the movie is a flashback, going back to when the two started being rivals. During an innocent trick involving a knot that Borden ties for Angier’s love, she drowns in a tank of water leaving Angier heart-broken and desperate for answers. When he asks Borden what knot he tied, Borden cannot remember.

Borden goes on to marry a woman (Hall), father a child and find success in his performances. His signature act is “The Transported Man” and if Borden’s perfect life wasn’t enough, the fact that the trick is brilliant drive Angier mad. He devotes all of his time to plot revenge against Borden, first attempting to assassinate him then second, recreate his trick. The two share a very unfriendly rival, involving kidnapping, lying and worst of all, dark magic.

Without a doubt this movie is a crowd-pleaser if you allow yourself to stay focused on the plot-points that unfold. Whether the twist actually surprises you or not, it’s still a very effective thriller with incredible magic-like visuals. You will find yourself rooting for one magician, but only some will change their allegiance during the film. That’s a part of how effective The Prestige works, even on second and third viewings. It’s one that you must separate yourself from the characters and allow the story to play out as it was meant to be without any emotional attachments.

Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are strong leads in the film, but Michael Caine shines through every morbid scene for the entire length. Caine’s Cutter provides the only voice of reason while the two obsessive magicians battle it out until they’re left with nothing. In addition, Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson provide beauty to the screen, but are merely obstacles and victims in the magicians’ ruthless game.

What is so impressive about The Prestige is how easy it is to follow the parallel story-lines of Borden and Angier and how close we get to know their secrets without revealing too much. The two characters become blind to what’s important when their selfish ways plague their lives. There are plenty of illusions and some real magic that takes place and as Borden reminds us to keep watching closely, you must be cautious to not believe everything you see. Or else you could fall for the trick.

Review: Looper

Looper (2012)
118 minutes
Rated – R
Directed by Rian Johnson
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt

Grade:  B+

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Rian Johnson is a name that has flown under the radar for quite some time now, but after his latest feature film, his name should be one to be recognized. With films like Brick and The Brothers Bloom already on his resume, you know that Johnson is a DIY type of person, penning the screenplays and directing the films to his liking. Now with Looper as his third film, he’s shown his versatility to the greatest extent.

The film is set in Kansas in the year 2044. Time travel hasn’t been invented yet but it will be invented soon and immediately be illegal. But in the future, there is a tracking technology that stops murders from happening, so the mob uses a method that can prevent the murders from being detected: send a victim back in time to be killed and disposed of. These assassins are called “loopers” and our protagonist, Joe (Gordon-Levitt), is one of them.

As a “looper” you’re paid very handsomely and understand you will eventually close your loop by executing your-future-self. After that’s done, you’re looping days are done and you can live off of your silver and gold for the next thirty years. But when Joe’s about to close his loop, Future-Joe (Willis) escapes. This is a no-no and a hunt-and-kill mission takes over the movie.

To avoid spoilers, I’ll have to end my synopsis there, but know that there are miles of story-telling after the simple premise. What I was so surprised about was how easy it was to follow a story about time traveling. Johnson does an impeccable job at keeping everything simple, even if he does cop out on some intriguing questions. The story unfolds while expecting the audience to accept what’s happening for what it is, and because of the fast pace you really have no choice but to go for the ride.

Looper is a plot-heavy, sci-fi thriller, which leaves the acting to a minimum. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great, struggling with drugs and dealing with the dilemma of killing his future self. His chemistry with Emily Blunt is evident during their scenes, which dominates the second half of the film. Meanwhile, Bruce Willis didn’t have much weight in the film, aside from some kick-ass moments of channeling his action-hero self.

If there is a complaint, I’d say that things wrap up a bit too neatly at the end. With a film of this complexity and with plenty of ideas floating around, there wasn’t much for the audience to ponder about during nor after the film. That’s what really separates it from other sci-fi greats.

Review: Prometheus (2012)

Prometheus (2012)
124 minutes
Rated – R
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron

Grade: B

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Ridley Scott returns to the sci-fi genre with this epic, out-of-this-world tale of human explorers traveling to an alien world to find answers. The year is 2093, but flamethrowers and iPods are still useful enough to carry along on the journey. There is a lot going on in Prometheus, which is a burden and a blessing simultaneously. Sometimes, Prometheus is too big for its own good and there are plot points that just don’t work. On the other hand, the ideas the film explores are so big that it remains on your mind long after the credits roll.

The leaders of this mission are Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Marshall-Green). The two have been researching cave paintings and have come to the conclusion that humanity’s creators, or as they like to call them “Engineers,” are inviting them to make contact on a distant moon. The assembled team, which includes an android named David, land on the moon and explore a large structure. The scientists soon discover that the aliens aren’t in the mood to sit down and have a conversation.

There are a lot of things that stood out to me in the form of excellence, the most glaring one being how Scott mastered the use of 3-D technology to present us an entire world in the way Avatar did in 2009. It avoided the common mistake of a dark 3-D film because even with the glasses on, Prometheus was bright and crisp to the very end.

The film wasn’t perfect though and the biggest problem was its screenplay. For a film with such high concepts circling every frame, the characters sure were one-dimensional. The acting was as good as it could be with a strong cast, but the screenplay barely provided them with material to show off their chops. Fassbender plays an alien that doesn’t feel emotion, so don’t expect anything spectacular from him. Theron remains cold and fierce, not budging from the single note whether she’s being hit on or sprinting from an aggressive alien.

The star of the film was Noomi Rapace, who made her presence known in the Swedish adaptations of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. Here, she has the most depth of every character, which isn’t saying much. But she runs with the film and exploits the strong, female heroine in the face of danger. I’m sure we’ve only seen the beginning of a very promising career.

Even though Prometheus has its shortcomings, it’s a very thrilling film that presents plenty of questions about the origin of human beings and life in outer space. In typical horror fashion, there are a lot of deaths and gore in the film, but none that we really care about since there is hardly a moment we learn anything about the characters. Despite this, Prometheus is beautifully shot and should keep the fans of sci-fi and horror at the edge of their seat, screaming for more. That’s good because you can expect at least one sequel following in the near future.