Friday, May 25, 2007

Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End

*** Stars


During his interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Gore Verbinski said he doesn't like movies that are perfect. "As long as there's chatter, then there's at least a kind of visceral response." Well Mr. Verbinski, I can safely say that your movie is not perfect, yet you can give the audience a movie that thrills.

If you don't know it already, I'm a huge sucker for the Pirate movies. All three are visually exciting and provide great popcorn entertainment. Though each one has steadily decreased in a story, the visuals and the weirdness of Johnny Depp's take on Jack Sparrow demands to be seen.

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones' locker. The Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones, under the control of the East India Trading Company, wreaks havoc across the Seven Seas. Navigating through treachery, betrayal and wild waters, they must forge their way to exotic
Singapore and confront the cunning Chinese Pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat). Now all must collide into one last epic battle to save the pirating waves of life.

Well, I think that's what happening. There is so much going on that you tend to lose track of things. But At World's End is better than Spiderman 3 because the film knows that the plot is beyond ludicrous. This is pirate eye-candy even if you think Jack Sparrow is gay or not.

To the extent, I really didn't mind that this movie was a mess. The last hour is a rousing spectacle, both for the eyes and heart. It makes the first two hours almost (I said almost) worth seeing in full and it brings the third Pirates movie to a spirited close.

P.S: Stay after the credits and it gives you insight on something that happens in the first scene of the movie.


Shrek the Third

** Stars

What the hell happened?

What happened to the brilliance that made the Oscar-winning original and strong sequel so original? What happened to the story that was driven on dialogue and not on vomit jokes?

There is no reason for Shrek the Third to be made except to say it has the biggest opening ever for an animated film and the 3rd of all time (at around $122 Million). All the gags are recylced for trashy animated films we would expect from films like Happily Never After or The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2. The Shrek franchise went from true orginality to the epidemy of an overcooked sewage rat.

King Harold, Fiona's father, has suddenly croaked and Shrek (voicing inspired by Mike Myers) is quickly fitted for the crown. Now, unless the reluctant would-be king can find a suitable replacement, he'll take over. As if Shrek didn't have enough on his plate, Princess Fiona is pregnant (imagine that image). With his head spinning and his belly in knots, Shrek sets off on a quest to find the only other possible heir to the throne, Fiona's long-lost cousin Artie, an underachieving medieval high schooler. While the ogre is away, his old nemesis Prince Charming rears his handsome head and returns to the kingdom of Far Far Away to prove once again he is the rightful aire to the throne...

Yawn.

Even Donkey (Eddie Murphy), one of the most energentic animated characters in history seems to just sit around next to Puss N' Boots (Antonio Banderas) and both make pointless wise cracking remarks. Why not explore more of Puss N' Boots history or bring back some old characters, because they may have saved this movie from being the sappiest thing since an episode of Maury.

Why is this summer starting off as a dissapointment? Jack Sparrow, you are our last hope.

28 Weeks Later

*** Stars

28 Weeks Later
is one of those rare sequels that just tops its already successful predecessor. 28 Days Later was a great zombie flick, but the sequel gets scarier and more political, which in a way is the same thing.


Six months have passed since the rage virus has annihilated the British Isles. The U.S. Army declares that the war against infection has been won, and that the reconstruction of the country can begin. As the first wave of refugees return, a family is reunited--but one of them unwittingly carries a terrible secret. The virus is not yet dead, and this time, showing no outward symptoms, it is more dangerous than ever.

Props to creator Danny Boyle and the rest of the team to make the story more political. In a world where we are at war, what better way to scare the hell out of an audience then to create a war that is literally uncontrollable?

Monday, May 07, 2007

Spiderman 3

*1/2 Stars


Well, it could have been worse...


Right?


Sadly, what was expected to be the strongest chapter in one of the most successful comic book adaptations in history fails to be The Return of the King and ends up more like The Matrix Revolutions.

Now don't worry, it isn't as bad as The third Matrix film, but it certainly does not live up to its hype. Spiderman 2 was the greatest comic book film of all time, so it obviously would have been hard to top number 2, but that's no excuse for this outcome.

The film starts out strong. The very beginning we see him at a play starring M.J, so it is clear that Peter Parker has finally managed to strike a balance between his devotion to M.J. and his duties as a superhero. From there, Harry Osbourne, son of the late Norman Osbourne, strikes Peter for killing his father. After this, things start to fall flat.

Parker begins to discover that a mysterious black substance has turned his suit black, and has brought forth a darker side of Parker and Spidey nobody has seen before. Peter begins to give into this new dark personality and starts to abandon the ones he loves the most. Quickly Parker begins a new romance with his lab partner, the beautiful Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard).

A new villain appears. Flint Marko (an inspired Thomas Haden Church), a criminal fleeing prison, is caught in an accident that displaces molecules and is transformed into the Sandman, a new super villain who is able to change his body into any shape of sand he sees fit. When Peter learns of a connection between The Sandman and the murder of his Uncle Ben, he will stop at nothing as Spider-Man to capture him. Spiderman's suit suddenly changes, turning jet-black and enhancing his powers. It transforms Peter as well, bringing out the dark, vengeful side of his personality that he is struggling to control. Under the influence of the suit, Peter becomes overconfident and starts to neglect the people who care for him most. Another photographer, Eddie Brock begins to overshadow Parker at the Daily Bugle. With this dark suit, Parker feels threatened and is unable to control the suit's hatred powers. Forced to choose between the seductive power of the new suit and the compassionate hero he used to be, Peter must overcome his personal demons with the love of his life and two new villains, Sandman and Venom (Eddie Brock).

Watching this, I saw Spiderman 3 and 4. This is a bloated, full of cliche action picture. You will not be bored with this film, but you will leave the theater with a sense of disappointment. If there were less villains and less trying to be funny moments, (along with Parker dancing for what feels like 2 hours with another girl to make M.J jealous), this could have been the Spiderman we were yearning for.