Film Review: Lucy (2014)

Popular scientific myth claims that human beings only use ten percent of their brains. Modern research tells us that we really use every part of our brain in subtle ways. And yet, isn't it remarkable to consider the possibility that there is room for human consciousness to become something greater than it already is? In this film, Lucy is an average person who unwittingly becomes the next step in human evolution, who uses more and more of her brain capacity in a struggle to survive and evolve. As she exponentially grows in power, she becomes able to control her mind, her body, other matter, energy, space, and ultimately time. Which, of course, is completely ridiculous and unbelievable, no matter how many neurons Lucy fires off. But it does make for a whimsical "what if" scenario, doesn't it?

The movie's biggest selling point will be in watching Scarlett Johansson kicking a lot of butt with wild superpowers! And there is plenty of action scattered all about: the movie is pretty evenly-littered with big-scale shoot-outs, car chases, and off-the-wall mental powers. However, butt-kicking is not really the movie's primary focus; it's more about chronicling Lucy's journey. Moments in between the action slow down a lot, but it's rarely dull; the film dishes out a plethora of intriguing situations and implications. In doing so, the film will lay out a ton of exposition, which may bore the most critical of viewers, but engage those with a more open mind. Regardless, I found the picture to be trim, to-the-point, and it has just enough momentum to keep it rolling smoothly. I felt it struck the perfect balance in terms of pacing and structure.

Ultimately, the story is an interesting affair, but falls short in numerous ways. The science behind the film's premise is totally unfounded. Other observations are interesting on the surface, but they amount to a few simple messages that audiences may or may not care for. Personally, I was intrigued by the way the film juxtaposed scientific lecture and imagery next to the events. As far as the plot goes, it's a short and simple affair, but with plot holes to be found. The film jumps right into the events without much background to the characters or events (seriously, who manufactured CPH4 to begin with? Who is Lucy and why is she in Taipei to begin with?). A few good scenes keep the characters from becoming total cardboard cutouts, but the film becomes increasingly whack as it goes along, until it reaches a really absurd ending. It leaves off with a rather blunt and empty message.

On the plus side, the film is as slick as they come, with superb photography and editing. Acting is swell: I loved watching Scarlett Johansson, even when she does become monotonous. Morgan Freeman pretty much phones it in, serving the same role as he did narrating Through the Wormhole. The various cops and gangsters are decent. Writing is rather unrefined and blunt, but it gets the job done. This production uses good-looking sets, props, costumes, and locales. Special effects look good in some scenes and bad in others. Music is pretty cool.

Lucy is a pretty neat "what if" scenario. It's not quite as big of a rip-roaring actioner as you might expect, but it's also not nearly as intellectually challenging as top-tier sci-fi pictures. However, as a crime thriller with a scientific commentary, I believe it's a blast.

4/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Marginal | Film: Very Good)

Book Review: Hannibal (Thomas Harris)

Some years after Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris picks up on the trail of Hannibal Lecter in this follow-up thriller.  Throughout the previous books, Hannibal stood out as one of the most ominous and menacing characters in crime fiction, and the book Hannibal finally sees the character totally unchained, free from the confines of prison, and above reproach of all the forces that try to capture him again.

Like the other books in the series, Hannibal is a pretty breezy read.  Chapters are short, there's plenty of action and suspense to keep the pages turning.  Dialogue is mostly interesting, and the characters have enough charm to maintain interest.  The prose is easily digestible, and the story's not too hard to follow at all.

That being said, it is a rather odd story.  It's not even much of a mystery novel; it's more of a revenge thriller with multiple plots and conspiracies laid over each other, all of which are tied together and contribute to a pretty weird climax.  It starts off compellingly, as the book chronicles how Clarice Starling falls out of favor of the FBI (I felt she got a bad rap).  Then it goes way off course to Italy, following a totally random investigator, whose actions contribute somewhat to the later investigation (although I felt these scenes were thrown in just because Italy is cool and exotic).  Then the plot kinda wanders around a lot, and then the inevitable conclusion occurs.  Even though I understand why the ending is the way it is (and it actually does underscore the motivations of Hannibal's character throughout Silence of the Lambs a lot better), I think it diminishes Clarice as a character, and it could have all been a little more coherent.  It is a bit of a rushed ending.  I always felt that the ending dinner scene was perverse, for better or for worse.  On top of that, some of the individual scenes and subplots (especially the one regarding Margot Verger) could have been omitted completely.

All that being said, the book does have its merits.  Characters are pretty strong; it is still intriguing to read about Hannibal and Clarice, and Mason Verger is a well-developed adversary.  The book is especially bold in flipping everything around so that Hannibal is the intended protagonist, characters in power are antagonists, and they create a dynamic push and pull that makes the plot twisty.  Parts of the book are pretty well-researched (especially the scenes in Italy).

As far as the prose goes, it's most of the way decent, although there were parts where I felt wording was awkward.  There were a few parts where the tenses were all mixed up:  it tended to flip-flop between past and present tense for some odd reason.  I think this correlated to an odd habit I noticed where the book tried to become first-person by using "we" a lot, as it randomly stated "we notice this" or "we behold that," and the final words of the book are "we can only learn so much and live." What is this "we" garbage? I suspect that there's a bit of pretentiousness there, that the book wanted to deliver a greater truth behind the story, but never really articulated it.  No matter what level of elegance it aimed for, the book remained pretty straightforward and low-key, especially in the occasional indulgence in gnarly details and harsh language.  As such, I think the book would have benefited from more editing and refinement.  Other than those issues, the book is perfectly readable.

Hannibal has its moments, but I feel it's a weird turn of events, which is marred a bit by a slightly weird prose.  This may even be one rare case where I found the movie more appealing than the book.  It's still a fun enough read though, and should be worthwhile for fans of the series.

3/5 (Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Marginal | Book:  Average)

Film Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

After the apes rose up in rebellion and fled San Fransisco, a plague descended on mankind, setting the stage for the inevitable clash of two cultures.  With human civilization in decline and ape culture on the rise, it is a fragile and fearful time for all.  It would only take a few bad misunderstandings to set off an all-out war between men and apes.

That's pretty much what we get in this follow-up to Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  It starts off a bit slow, but builds momentum and tension as the two sides of the conflict rub together.  By the last act, it becomes a shooting war.  It's not quite as tight as the first film, especially since your enjoyment could hinge on whether or not you care for the human and ape characters.  However, the film doesn't linger too long on the drama, even though the film is attentive to all sides of the conflict.

What matters the most is the story.  Not only is is a sequel to Rise of POTA, but it also borrows the plot and ideas of Battle for POTA (which, ultimately, remains the weakest of the franchise thanks to its cheap and dated look, and poor execution of the story).  Dawn improves on Battle substantially, if for no other reason than it gives the characters a fresh new life and emotional anchor that audiences can latch onto (specifically, regarding Caesar and his ape tribe; the human characters have their moments, but never really take the spotlight enough to make us care).  The story proceeds to underscore the key themes behind the apes' civilization - the moral battle between taking action or enforcing pacifism - and it's a struggle that endures for the entire picture and drives the characters.  It all builds up to a moving tale of treachery; the ultimate turn of events mirror the takeovers and oppression of typical human dictators, and the film provides a stark reflection on how the rage of a few unchecked individuals could ruin peace for everyone.

This film is crafted with decent photography.  Acting is not bad; the ape characters easily steal the show, with Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell bringing their characters to life marvelously.  Gary Oldman is as great as ever, although his role is pretty small.  Jason Clarke is okay.  Writing is good.  This production uses quality sets, props, costumes, and special effects.  Music seems quaint, but it works.

This sequel continues the chronicle of the new POTA saga sublimely, and for anybody who enjoyed Rise, Dawn should satisfy.

4.5/5 (Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Very Good | Film:  Very Good)

Film Review: Kill Bill Volume 2

"I've killed a hell of a lot of people to get to this point, but I have only one more. The last one. The one I'm driving to right now. The only one left. And when I arrive at my destination, I am gonna kill Bill." - Uma Thurman

Quentin Tarantino channels the manic, ultraviolent, stylized energy of cheesy kung-fu cinema, American westerns, and a slight twist of Italian horror, and he uses it all like threads to weave one of the greatest revenge stories ever made. Both Kill Bill movies collectively form a coherent, cohesive, sublime storytelling package; ideally, they should be watched back-to-back to understand every nuance of the story and the characters, since there is so much depth to them.

Volume 2 of this saga fills in the gaps that its predecessor left behind, not only in following up on the rest of the Bride's rampage, but also in revealing her full back story.  But while Volume 1 had tons of rip-roaring action and an extremely vivid style, this follow-up is much more toned-down and mellow, laden with more dialogue than swordplay.  In a way, this falls more in line with Tarantino's other work, but I personally favor the first film more for being sublimely entertaining.  As it is, Volume 2 tends to be a bit long-winded and dry.

That being said, it still has a lot of brilliant moments that are worth seeing, including the burial scene, the fight between the Bride and Elle Driver, the brutal training scenes with Pai Mei, and the last half-hour or so, which builds up to a beautiful bittersweet ending.

For the most part, it's the story that counts, and it excels at taking characters we already know and love, and taking them to the next level.  The full reasons for both sides of the conflict are finally revealed, generating empathy for both Bill and the Bride.  Any other movie would be content in leaving things as a plain, straightforward black-and-white affair, but in this case, there's much more insight to the characters and the overall plot.  It all builds up to the inevitable climax, which pulls out one of the most heart-wrenching twists imaginable.  Through it all, the film provides the most satisfying ending possible, and it makes the entire Kill Bill saga one of the most endearing and complete storytelling experiences made.

This film is crafted with superb photography and plenty of flashy editing.  A few title cards, flashbacks, and asides are thrown into the mix for a stylized effect.  Acting continues to impress:  Uma Thurman is effectively perfect in her role, and it's especially notable how physically demanding her role must have been.  David Carradine exhibits an interesting presence as Bill, while Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah excel at being villains we love to hate.  Writing is very sharp and interesting.  This production boasts some good-looking sets, props, costumes, and locales.  Music is pretty good at times, though I enjoy the music choices of Volume 1 better.

While Volume 1 excels at the action and style but comes up a little shorter on substance, Volume 2 is the opposite, subduing the action to favor the dialogue and storytelling.  Some people may like one over the other.  I personally prefer Volume 1, but this sequel is essential for the complete experience, and it adds up to a satisfying saga.  If you can handle the violent bits, the whole affair is highly recommended.

4.5/5 (Entertainment: Pretty Good | Story: Perfect | Film: Very Good)

Film Review: Kill Bill Volume 1

"Silly Caucasian girl likes to play with Samurai swords..." - Lucy Lui

Quentin Tarantino channels the manic, ultraviolent, stylized energy of cheesy kung-fu cinema, Japanese anime, and a slight twist of American westerns, and he uses it all like threads to weave one of the greatest revenge stories ever made. Both Kill Bill movies collectively form a coherent, cohesive, sublime storytelling package; ideally, they should be watched back-to-back to understand every nuance of the story and the characters, since there is so much depth to them.

Even if you decide to watch it separately, Volume 1 doesn't disappoint on its own merits. In fact, this is the most entertaining of the two films; it starts off fast and hard and hardly lets up.  It focuses a lot less on words and story-building, drip-feeding the audience just enough to understand what's going on, before diving headlong into a gory rampage (Volume 2 is the opposite, so if it is dialogue and storytelling you're after, you might want to follow up on the sequel). There are a number of good fight scenes throughout the first hour, but the film's last act is a host for one of the longest and finest fight scenes ever filmed. It starts off with a number of one-on-one engagements, before busting all out with a massive one-vs-fifty brawl. The katana-wielding Bride proves herself to be a triumphant heroine, as she hacks and slices her way through an army of enemies, gradually honing in on her ultimate target (who is, of course, a dude named Bill).

If you're wondering what on Earth could warrant such bloodshed, rest assured that the story for Kill Bill is sound. This first film does a marvelous job of using strong visual imagery, flashbacks, and narration to establish the groundwork for this revenge plot. You can really get to feel for the character, given all the torment she suffers under the hands of Bill and his assassins; it makes it easy, and dare I say enjoyable, to watch her rise from adversity and get some payback. At its core, the film brings to life some brilliant characters with a solid amount of depth (especially after watching the sequel, which answers a lot of unanswered questions) and lots of personality.

Even by Tarantino standards, Kill Bill stands as one of the most stylish films made. It features excellent photography, some very unique editing, and plenty of strange artistic effects that help accentuate the film's given style. You can expect plenty of title cards and subtitles flashing across the screen, along with some occasional asides and digressions. One of the most notable stylistic choices will be the anime segment, brought to life by Production IG with a style that's sketchy, but visceral. The film overall carries the same tone and style as a 1970s Japanese gangster movie, and it's cool. Acting is impeccable; Uma Thurman puts on her best performance of her career, for she brings the Bride to life in a way that nobody else can (and she endures a lot of heavy physical work in doing so). Lucy Lui plays it cool as the villain, O-Ren Ishii. Cameos by David Carradine and Sonny Chiba don't hurt either. Every other actor fulfills their parts well, no matter how minor. This production has good-looking sets, props, and costumes. The film uses a varied mix of music, including a rockin' live performance by the Japanese band the 5.6.7.8.s; it's all pretty darn cool.

Out of the two films, Volume 1 is my favorite. It represents everything I enjoy in films:  the slick combination of style, action, and storytelling.  For me, it never gets old, and I've grown to love all the characters and nuances of these films.  If you can stomach the extreme violence, then it comes highly recommended.

5/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Perfect | Film: Perfect)

Video Game Review: Thomas Was Alone

At first glance, I didn't think much of this game, where you have to maneuver a bunch of sentient rectangles across a landscape of blocks.  That's right...you control rectangles.  They jump.  That's pretty much all there is to this game:  jumping from area to area, dodging obstacles and dangers in order to get to the exit.  It's a platformer so simple, the only thing simpler would be Pong.

And yet, the game makers did their best to make something special out of this bunch of rectangles.  They all have personalities, more or less, which are mostly conveyed by their shape, color, name, and the cute ethos expressed by the narration (which, in turn, provides a feel-good sentimentality similar to the narration in LittleBigPlanet).  Above all, each shape has a different range of characteristics.  Some jump really high.  Some don't.  One can float on water.  One can make other shapes jump higher.  One defies gravity.  And when you have to move them all to their respective exits, the levels get substantially challenging, because you have to use all the shapes' strengths and weaknesses in inventive ways to complete each level.  As a result, each level is a unique puzzle or challenge that will stimulate some brain cells.

There is a story behind these little rectangles.  They're actually artificial intelligences growing sentient in some company's lab, and the game chronicles their evolution and eventual liberation.  That being said, the story is very understated, and some more explanations, especially in the last levels, would have been welcome.  As it is though, it's a clever enough set-up for an otherwise bizarre game.

The game plays smoothly.  Controls are as easy as they come.  Graphics are minimalistic, but the backgrounds, lighting effects, and particle effects are great.  Each level is designed pretty smartly.  Voices and sounds are good.  Music is quite lovely too.

This is probably the most fun you can have moving rectangles across a screen.  The game is worth playing once.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Pretty Good | Game:  Very Good)

Video Game Review: Prince of Persia (2008)

After the ups and downs of the Sands of Time trilogy, game-makers kicked off a reboot of the Prince of Persia series.  This game from 2008 is a colorful, cartoony affair with a less serious protagonist going on a grand adventure that involves a lot of acrobatics, puzzles, and combat.

Once the story is kicked off, you're set on a quest to cleanse the land by exploring four different corners of the map.  Together with Princess Elika, you spend your time traversing across the labyrinthine sprawl of ruins with your mad parkour skills.  Most of the time, you'll have to make calculated jumps and launches while running vertically along walls or clinging to ceilings or any number of other complex moves.  As far as combat goes, it's strictly one-on-one with occasional monsters.  The most intense of fights occur with four different bosses, who guard each area, but won't really die until you kill them in their respective lairs.  And once you liberate an area and cleanse it, you have to collect light seeds, which will unlock the ability to use special pressure plates that can propel you to new areas.  You just keep working at this until you can open up the temple and face the final boss.  It's an extremely structured game with a bigger focus on platforming, puzzles, and collecting things, but it's pretty relaxing that way.  You never really die in this game; even if a villain closes in on you, or you misjudge a jump and plunge down a lethal drop, Elika will save you every time with her magic.  That leaves you free to work through the game at your own pace and skill; some of the acrobatics can be frustrating, and the combat is not really all that smooth or fun, but it is a more laid-back experience and a great way to pass the time.

The story is pretty limited in scope and scale, but it is an interesting enough tale with a cast of endearing characters.  The actual Prince of Persia is a young, arrogant, wisecracking dude, and he shares great chemistry with Princess Elika, who proves to be just as sharp and able as the Prince himself.  There is a history to the princess and the ancient kingdom you're made to explore, which adds up to a pretty interesting and exotic mythology.  The characters often break out into discussions on free will vs destiny, and it all comes to full circle by the bittersweet ending.

This game is rendered with a cartoony, cell-animated look.  It is rendered with decently-sharp and smooth-looking textures, lighting, and frame-rates.  Particle effects are often pretty decent.  The writing is not bad, and the voices, sounds, and music are decent.  Designs for the settings, objects, characters, costumes, and overall worldbuilding is decent too.

2008's Prince of Persia is a fun game, plain and simple.  It's a simple structure that offers hours of challenges, and is thankfully not punishing.  It's not necessarily groundbreaking or profound, but it's satisfying nonetheless.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Pretty Good | Game:  Good)

Film Review: Transformers: Age of Extinction

Regardless of how good or bad the last three Transformers films have been critically received, I can't deny that I've loved the whole lot of them. Even at their dumbest and most stupid moments, these films have always blown me away, leaving me satisfied and excited in a way that all the best summer blockbusters can. I would have been happy if they left it where it was, with the Chicago battle in Dark of the Moon serving as the final climax to the series. With the closing of the first three films, filmmakers decided to kick off a new trilogy with a new cast and new story arc.

It takes a while for the film to build its momentum. Once it does, you can certainly expect the same kind of big-scale spectacle that the last films provided: an onslaught of bullets and rockets, huge explosions, cars flying in all directions, robots bashing each other to scrap, and entire cities being ripped apart. When the action picks up, it becomes a stream of setpieces, one after another, that takes the characters across the US, onboard alien spaceships, and ultimately to China for the final battle. In the midst of it all, a plethora of new Transformer characters pop up, including an all-too-brief and understated appearance by the Dinobots and Grimlock.

As cool as it all is, I can't escape the feeling that something is missing. The film drags at spots, especially in the opening act. A lot of the manic, goofy comedy is gone, and what little remains isn't really all that great. The overall experience is not nearly as enthralling as the film's predecessors; it feels like business as usual, offering little new to the table and offering little that I'd say actually blew me away or made a lasting impression.  Parts of it are a bit daft...moreso than usual.

The story has its moments. Ditching the saga of Sam Witwicky, the film focuses on a Texan dude, his daughter, and her boyfriend, setting up the exact same dynamic that went into the characters of Armageddon. What matters the most is that they all go on the run, hunted by the government while becoming caught up in a new war between Autobots and a mysterious faction of aliens. The Autobot characters had a weird penchant for infighting, and seemed to harbor a lot more angst than before, which made them a lot less endearing. The plot is pretty much just one thing after another, before reaching a lengthy all-out battle at the end. As long as the film is, it feels like a two or three different Transformers films have been shoved into one, and I think parts of it could have been trimmed easily.  For the most part, the plot is rather thinly stitched together, serving as little more than an excuse to blow more stuff up.

The film boasts some really great imagery in some scenes, some horrid camera-shake in a few action scenes, and the rest of it looks a bit plain. Editing seemed pretty cheap, with choppy action scenes and one too many shortcuts. Acting is okay: Mark Wahlberg is pretty much the same kind of dude he always plays, Nicola Peltz is average, Stanley Tucci is fun to watch, and Kelsey Grammer is surprisingly effective in his role. Writing is kinda bad. This production spares no expense on the locales, props, and costumes. Special effects look great in some scenes and weak in others. Music has some interesting moments.

The fourth Transformers film is pretty much more of the same - loud, bloated, excessive - which is fun at times, but I find it's not as consistently energetic or satisfying as its predecessors. I don't think this film is quite as bad as critics make it out to be, but if you hated these films before, you'll certainly hate this installment. If you're a fan, you'll probably enjoy this all the same.

3/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Marginal | Film: Average)

Video Game Review: Borderlands 2

Borderlands was so great, they made a second one! This time, you return to Pandora and explore new corners of the crazy planet, battling a new onslaught of outlaws.  You also get to confront robots, soldiers, more alien monsters, and many new varieties of insane bandits! There are more bad guys to kill, more guns to find, more places to explore, more challenges, more story, more characters, more more MORE!!!!

Playing Borderlands 2 is pretty much more of the same, but that's not a bad thing at all.  The gameplay is pretty much the same, just with a slightly different control layout, a slightly different HUD, different character selection with different skills, and more of everything else.  There are a number of small, but helpful changes, such as being able to pick up loot by simply walking over it.  Completing challenges gets you reward tokens instead of experience; these tokens give you small stat boost in numerous areas, and can build up over time.  Equipping relics is more intuitive.  You get shields that have special bonuses that help a lot.  Weapon manufacturers have more interesting quirks (including one brand in which the weapon explodes as a grenade every time you reload it).  In the end, it all adds up to a more nuanced gaming experience.

And it is appreciated, because the combat tends to be more extreme than in the first game.  You can't go far without monsters flying into your face, or bandits crawling out of the woodwork.  Among the plethora of new bad guys, goliaths are thrown in, which can level up and become insanely powerful if their helmets are blown off.  Some bandits fly around in hovering vehicles now.  There are stalkers, threshers, bugs, crystal monsters of some kind, loaders, and so many more things to kill, and they all offer their own challenges.  Even though the combat can be intense, the game is still a blast, as it evenly balances out the fighting with exploration.  And as before, the game's overall tone is light and silly, in contrast to its ridiculously brutal and pulpy settings.  It's still a blast to play, even when you're constantly getting shot or mauled or melted or falling off a cliff...

What's really refreshing is that there's an actual story involved this time, with actual characters! Building on the events of the first game, the old character appear as NPCs who guide you on your quest to stop the Hyperion Corporation from unearthing the Vault and summoning an alien warrior beast thing.  While the first game never really had an antagonist, this one gives us a great villain we love to hate:  Handsome Jack, who's actually pretty ugly, especially in his narcissism and the way he always mocks you.  On top of that, the game dishes out a plethora of side characters, some familiar (such as Dr. Zed, Scooter, and Marcus) and some refreshingly new (including the rather well-endowed bartender Moxxie, Scooter's sister Ellie, and Tiny Tina, who's easily one of the most hilarious characters of the lot, and a new favorite of mine).  As for your characters, you get a choice between a siren with cool powers, a dude who can hack and slash things like a ninja, the gunzerker who can dual-wield guns, and the commando.  The game draws some pretty strong connections between most of the characters, laying out a drama that is actually compelling and gives the whole game some emotional heft.

As before, the gameplay is smooth and breezy.  The controls are great.  The game runs smoothly with good-looking renderings and framerates.  It actually renders a grade better than the first game, which had a tendency to draw the environments a bit slowly.  This game still uses the cell-animated look, which is neat, but still has enough texture and detail to make everything look great.  The world is designed really well, and includes a lot of great new locations.  The only issue I have is that getting around seems harder, since some areas don't have vehicle points, forcing you to run everywhere.  Voices and sounds are great.  Music is good too.

Borderlands 2 is what you get when you take a good game and make it better.  Highly recommended!

4.5/5 (Entertainment:  Very Good | Story:  Good | Game:  Very Good)