The Apes of Wrath: “Dawn of the Planet the Apes” is a Worthy Successor

Is it possible for a summer action blockbuster to have too much character development? It can almost make the moments between action sequences almost a bore, but when the characters are CGI motion captured chimps and other primates it’s otherwise fascinating. Yes, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” the sequel to the surprising success that was 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” has it’s slower, quieter moments and it’s not the most amazing action spectacle of the summer (which probably still belongs to either “X-Men” or “Godzilla” or even “Snowpiercer”). I found the human characters significantly less interesting then their primate co-stars but maybe that’s the point?

I love what “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was leading up to. In that film, the last half hour consisted of the apes breaking out of their research facilities, breaking out their zoo brethren, and going on a wild rampage through San Francisco culminating in a fun showdown on the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a memorable movie moment. I’m not quite sure this sequel, while still very well made, can quite top anything from the first movie in terms of really memorable sequences.

Set years after the first film’s simian virus, that humans created to help cure Alzheimer’s disease, wiped out most of humanity on Earth; a large group of primates have taken refuge in the forest outside San Francisco. They haven’t quite taken over the planet yet but they have created an entire society. Some of the chimps are even capable of vocalization and they can all sign to each other which we read as subtitles. There are many scenes in which the CGI animals are the only characters on screen. Though many of the apes all look alike, the visual artists and actors have done a great job of giving them distinct looks and personalities that you’re able to eventually tell them all apart. A large group of humans, led by Gary Oldman’s character Dreyfus, have taken refuge themselves within the rundown city.

Caesar (another winning performance from Mo-Cap King Andy Serkis) is the lead who you’ll remember was raised by James Franco’s character in the first film. He’s sort of the Professor X of the primate world, he doesn’t quite see human as strict enemies but knows that he must protect his ape society. Koba (Toby Kebbell), the permanently disfigured ape who was poked and prodded in the facility before the events of the last movie is sort of the Magneto of the ape society. He sees the humans as beings who are strictly not to be trusted and as the enemy. Caesar allows a small group of humans, including Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, enter their land to get a power dam going again to the city’s electricity restored. This causes a serious conflict between apes and to put it mildly, the poop hits the fan. Soon an all-out war ensues between man and ape.

I found the results rather surprising. Seeing as through this is a prequel series, we all know that eventually the apes are going to take over the planet. Though I was surprised at actually how unsuccessful they are here. At this rate, it will take about four more sequels to get to just to ‘Planet of the Apes’ status. The biggest flaw here is the rather bland human characters who are nowhere near as interesting as the CGI apes. But perhaps that’s the point. We’re really seeing this evolution, and revolution, through the apes’ perspective which is what makes this series so fascinating in the first place.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” besides being a mouthful of a title, has top notch special effects and some pretty interesting action sequences. Director Matt Reeves gives us some pretty cool shots which anyone who saw "Let Me In" knows he’s capable of. Some surprising twists and turns are provided by Mark Bomback, Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa’s script but it’s the actors giving the apes live who really steal the show.  Their acting is really good even if some of their scenes are generally not all that exciting. And overall it’s a depressing and drab-looking film but that’s to be expected from a story like this. Even if the film doesn’t push the series’ story much further, it's intriguing enough to see what’s in store for the next installment.  GRADE: B

Theatrical Trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes on TrailerAddict.

Annie Fall: Romantic Comedies Get the “Airplane!” Treatment in “They Came Together”

I’m not going to bitch and moan about the current state of the spoof movie. I won’t bring up movies like “Meet the Spartans,” “Epic Movie,” and “Vampires Suck.” Too late. The modern spoof film wasn’t always in a state of utter shamefulness. Back in 2000 it was healthily revived with the Wayans’ spectacular slasher spoof “Scary Movie.” And with some exceptions (mostly “Scary Movie 3,” “Not Another Teen Movie” and “Walk Hard”) it was all downhill from there. Luckily around the same time we were given David Wain’s “Wet Hot American Summer” and a new team of ragtag comedy geniuses was born. The absurdist style was a perfect blend of parody and nonsense, in other words, any Airplane! fan’s dream come true. Flash-forward thirteen years and now we have David Wain, with co-writer Michael Showalter’s romantic comedy spoof “They Came Together.” And it’s pretty glorious.

“They Came Together” stars Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd who finally get to play opposite one another. He’s Joel who works for a corporate candy company and she’s Molly the quirky girl who always falls down who owns a cute indie candy shop (a shop where, hilariously, everything is free and all proceeds go to charity). They meet, hate each other, naturally fall in love, break up, and then get back together. You can recite the plot even if you haven’t seen the movie because you’ve seen or know at least know about the plots of the films it’s making fun of. But this isn’t one of those “Disaster Movie” type spoofs where the jokes are only recycled scenes from current films. The movie has its own story, rhythm, characters, and jokes. It spoofs and deconstructs ideas and concepts and clichés, it doesn’t just repeat them (though it does). When Molly decides to change something about herself to see if Joel notices, she puts on a pair of Groucho Marx glasses complete with big nose and mustache. She’s touched that he notices.

“They Came Together” not only has a delightful double entendre title, but it has a knowing wit about itself and that comes from its writers. Wain and Showalter, who have finally come back together for the first time since “Wet Hot American Summer,” (including a few returning cast members) obviously know movies very well.  There are hints and nods to other films such as the famous “I’ll have what she’s having” line from "When Harry Met Sally." And in true “Wet Hot” fashion there are some simply bizarre and absurd moments. Check out those two guys who stare at Joel and Molly during their dating montage. Or how about the body that happens to be buried underneath the pile of leaves Molly and Joel are playing in?

I was pretty certain the spoof genre was dead in the water. Actually it very much is. Though there have been a few bright spots lately like the parody-rich “21 & 22 Jump Street” and even “The LEGO Movie.” But I’m always looking for a good “Airplane!” style spoof or some “Wet Hot American Summer” style nonsense and “They Came Together” certainly fits the bill. After all is said and done does it really need to exist? Not really but at least it’s pretty darn funny.  GRADE: B+

Training Day: The Dragons Return in the Majestic “How to Train Your Dragon 2”

“How to Train Your Dragon” really surprised me when it was released four years ago. It featured such a delightful and sweet story about a young Viking boy as he befriends and attempts to tame a dragon. It was a huge hit so obviously we get the unneeded but equally surprising sequel. To be sure, this isn’t really a film that needed to be made, but it really explores more of the world and characters that we got to know in the first film and after a slightly meandering first act finally settles into a thrilling story about family and even some ecological issues as well.

Young Viking chief-to-be Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) has aged into a young man (an interesting development seeing as though many cartoon characters rarely age) and he’s still partnered with his dragon pal Toothless. Is Toothless just the cutest darned animated character ever? It’s possible. The film opens with a high flying dragon riding competition, but like Ariel in “The Little Mermaid,” Hiccup is out with his dragon friend exploring. He eventually comes across a strange ice world where wild dragons are abundant and looked after by a mysterious human figure, who just so happens to be someone from Hiccup’s past.

 Obviously things aren’t perfect otherwise there’d be no tension or plot to speak of. The evil conqueror named Drago (Djimon Hounsou) hates dragons and wants to hunt them unlike the villagers of Berk who have come to peace with the creatures (and use them in everyday life) since the last film. There’s also Eret (Game of Thrones’ Kit Harrington), a dragon trapper who works for Drago, who will question his loyalty as the film progresses. Eventually we learn that a huge Alpha dragon can actually control all the other dragons which adds some real emotional tension to the proceedings. Hiccup must defy his father Stoick (Gerard Butler) yet again as he makes it his mission to help the dragons and Berk’s way of life.

I don’t really have much to complain about with “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” Although like a dragon missing an essential wing on its tail, the first act of the film felt like it was kind of meandering until it found its footing. After all, if all the dragons were successfully trained, isn’t that title sort of misleading? But I digress. The animation here is simply amazing; it’s probably the best work Dreamworks has ever done. And about 60 percent of why these movies are so great is because of the absolutely phenomenal music score by composer John Powell. This, like the first film, definitely has Oscar-worthy compositions. And the music supports the real heart of the film: the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless. They're simply a winning pair and I could easily watch five more films if it were just these two, as unnecessary as that would be.

It’s pretty simple. "How to Train Your Dragon" was a great movie, with all its delightful E.T.-like qualities and "How to Train Your Dragon 2" is just as good. It has tremendously gorgeous animation, music, and an inspired voice cast. The movie is emotionally resonant, has some pretty amazing flying and action sequences, though director Dean DeBois’ script takes a while to really get moving but once it does it doesn’t let go. It pretty much opens up the world that was so well established in the first film. There’s not much to complain about here, you should be dragon the kiddies to see it.  GRADE: B+

Trailer for How to Train Your Dragon 2 on TrailerAddict.

Undercover Brothers: The Über-Meta “22 Jump Street” is Thankfully More of the Same

“22 Jump Street” might as well be called “21 Jump Street: The College Years.” It’s literally everything like it’s surprisingly funny predecessor (itself a self-aware parody of buddy cop action movies) except it’s set in college instead of high school. But there’s something particularly special about it. It may even be the “Gremlins 2” of this franchise. Even though the first film was self-aware, this film completely outdoes the original in sheer parody-ripe self-reflexive meta-ness. It also helps that it’s pretty darn funny in places. A sequel is usually automatically inferior to the original film because not matter what it’s always got that “we’ve already seen this” feel to it. “22 Jump Street” is fully aware of the trappings of a sequel and just goes with it. It’s one of the most self-aware films since the “Scream” series. It has fun poking fun at itself while it tries to take itself seriously and the audience is having too much fun to even care that they literally recycle the same plot from the first movie, albeit with a few new twists.

In “21 Jump Street” (a film that no one, myself included, expected to be amazing) losers- turned-cops Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) pose as high school kids to find the supplier of a popular new drug. In “22 Jump Street losers turned cops Schmidt and Jenko pose as college kids to find the supplier of a popular new drug. See what I mean? Yeah it’s the same exact plot, but the characters know it. There are even references to having a bigger budget and how doing the same thing will end with the same results. That’s about right. This time Jenko ends up joining the college football team. After a funny meet-cute scene he befriends and then suspects blonde dumb jock Zook (Wyatt Russell). Jenko is way more in his element with the football/frat house crowd then he was in the science nerd crowd in the last movie. Schmidt, meanwhile, has befriended Maya (Amber Stevens) who lives across the hall from a girl who died after taking the drug being passed around. Her roommate Mercedes (Jillian Bell) hilariously isn’t buying that Schmidt is actually college-aged.

Even if “22 Jump Street” follows the same formula as the last movie it still overs a few new touches. Directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord, who are hot off the success of the phenomenon that is “The LEGO Movie” offers just as many great random pop culture references in Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel, and Rodney Rothman’s sharp and enjoyably progressive script. I counted references including everything from Benny Hill to Maya Angelou to “The Golden Girls” and even a clever nod to “Annie Hall” that most likely flew over the heads of the film’s target audience but we cinephiles would never miss it. Heck there was even a subtle reference to Tatum’s own terrible “White House Down.” And I still can’t believe the few plot twists that were as unexpected as they were entertaining – things that just can’t be mentioned here. And let’s not forget the film’s epic, must-see end credit sequence that puts to shame all other end credit sequences.

“22 Jump Street” is as much a surprise as the first film was. It satirizes everything from action films to cop films and anything else worth poking fun at. It could have been just awful but it’s remarkably funny, touching, and smart, even if it feels a tad overlong and overly ridiculous at times. I’m not sure it’s necessarily funnier than the first movie, but both of these films have set a new standard for TV-to-film adaptations. I’m not really sure how much any of this stuff is actually like the show it’s based on, but a new standard of action-packed comedy has been set and the chemistry-rich Hill and Tatum are easily today’s Abbott and Costello.  GRADE: B+

Trailer for 22 Jump Street on TrailerAddict.

In the Loop: “Edge of Tomorrow” is a Surprisingly Spectacular Sci-Fi Thriller

The outlook on Tom Cruise’s latest big screen adventure didn’t look promising. His last film “Oblivion” (which, for the record, I actually enjoyed) wasn’t quite the big hit the mega star was used to. Many complained about the film borrowing too heavily from other, better sci-fi films. And now we have “Edge of Tomorrow” which, from its not-that-amazing marketing campaign seemed like “Groundhog Day” meets “Battle: Los Angles.” The latter wasn’t exactly the type of movie I would want to see get the “do over” plot treatment. So I was pleasantly surprised, along with whoever nervously shelled out money this past weekend, when “Edge of Tomorrow” turned out to be a real hoot: it’s a completely solid sci-fi film with great action, characters, and a plot, while not completely original, that works even with the sometimes problematic time travel plot mechanics. In other words, I really loved it.

“Edge of Tomorrow” doesn’t quite have the plot that is easy to describe, but the basic gist involves a future in which aliens have invaded earth. They’re squid-like creatures who move fast and are pretty lethal. They’re referred to as Mimics. Tom Cruise plays Major William Cage, who has no previous combat training. He’s forced into a European-set invasion battle not unlike the Battle of Normandy. What was supposed to be a surprise attack on the enemy is anything but as the invasion goes horribly wrong; it’s as if the aliens knew they were coming. Cage is killed but not before a Mimic’s blood gets all over him; but then wakes up the day before, as if nothing had happened, where he repeats all of the previous day’s events leading up to his death in battle. He eventually seeks out super soldier Rita Vrataski (a bad-ass Emily Blunt) who just may know what’s going on. While things seem confusing at first, things begin to clear up as each day repeats more is revealed about why and what can be done with it. It’s pretty cool.

All I can say about “Edge of Tomorrow” is that it is a must-see for anyone who even remotely likes this genre. Cruise and Blunt have an amazing chemistry together and they both create believable characters that are unlike anything they have played before. Doug Liman, who is a sort of hit-or-miss director these days, really takes control here and has a great time with a really fun script by Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth. The design of the alien creatures is also top notch. They don’t seem like something we’ve previously seen before. I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t jump out of my seat a few times. These things are frightening. And the military aspect of this alien-invasion plot takes plenty of cues from “Aliens.” The action, even if we see the same events multiple times, never feels boring or repetitive. And the editing here is outstanding especially once we realize a completely new scene that’s taking place is actually the fifth or even tenth time it’s happened to the characters.

I can’t recommend “Edge of Tomorrow” enough. It takes everything you love about other movies in this genre and tweaks it enough so it doesn’t feel like it’s just a rip-off. The actors are really good, including brief appearances by Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson, and have created memorable genre characters who have interesting arcs. The movie is fun, surprisingly funny, action-packed, and tightly-paced; it is certainly worthy of any science-fiction fan’s time.  GRADE: A-

Trailer for Edge of Tomorrow on TrailerAddict.

Secret of the Snooze: The Misguided “Maleficent” Doesn’t Even Compare to Disney’s Classic Sleeping Beauty

Listen well, all of you. It’s extremely difficult to see a film called “Maleficent” and not compare every moment to the classic 1959 animated Disney film that inspired it. While initially the prospect of the popular villain getting her own film and storyline seemed like a win-win situation, unfortunately it is anything but. Since so little is actually known about Maleficent, any kind of backstory instantly erases all of the wondrous villainy and iconic mysteriousness of the character. Learning that Maleficent once had wings seems cool on paper but seeing her fly around just seems silly. Maybe because since she’s portrayed by Angelina Jolie (who is good in the role but even she can’t save this thing) she just seems like a human being with curved horns and wings. “Maleficent” isn’t the story about how this iconic Disney villain became evil, instead it’s a retroactive story which makes her sympathetic and tragic; it takes away everything that was even remotely fascinating about her. And that’s a shame.

Instead of taking place before the events of “Sleeping Beauty” the film is set before, during, and after that film. The film works sort of as a behind the scenes of what really was going on during the events of the film much like “Wicked” was the truth behind what we didn’t get to see in “The Wizard of Oz.” While that hit musical played with what we knew from Dorothy’s story, it didn’t change the fundamental elements that we all know so well. “Maleficent” sets out to not only tell us things we didn’t know, but to change everything as we know it.

Maleficent is a fairy and she has magical powers. She resides over the fairy world which doesn’t quite get along with the human world. As a teen she falls in love with a peasant boy but when he sees an opportunity to become king he betrays her, cuts off her wings (instead of killing her), presents them to the king and he’s eventually given the entire kingdom. This is King Stefon (portrayed as an adult by District 9’s Sharlto Copley). Understandably hurt by the betrayal, later, Maleficent seizes the opportunity to curse Stefan’s new infant daughter Aurora. She’s foresees a prophecy that will have the sixteen year old Aurora prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall into a deep sleep but throws in a clause that says she can be awoken by true love’s kiss (since she believes that true love doesn’t exist). This has already deviated way too much from the original story. Of course we remember that it is the third good fairy that changes the prophecy to include the true love’s kiss option.

We’ve seen plenty of alternate versions of true loves kiss in everything from “Enchanted” to last year’s “Frozen.” And since Maleficent spends the next sixteen years actually watching over and interacting with young Aurora while the three good yet disturbingly incompetent – and obnoxious – fairies (which were really the best thing about “Sleeping Beauty” besides Maleficent) supposedly have her in hiding from Maleficent and her evil curse. Then while we wait for Maleficent to become more and more evil and villainous – even shape-shifting her not all that evil either raven Diaval (Sam Riley) to help carry out her dirty deeds – she becomes more and more sympathetic as she and Aurora bond and have a fairy godmother relationship! The film really doesn't convince us that Maleficent would do something so bad as to curse Aurora and then become her mother figure in one act alone. I just couldn’t get past the film’s last two acts as it deviated further and further from the original story to a point where it seemed unrecognizable; including Aurora (Elle Fanning) in a deep sleep for about five minutes of screen time. More like a nap if you ask me.

Everything I loved about this evil character got flushed down the proverbial toilet. And for what reason exactly? I have no idea. They had such a great character to work from and didn’t do anything new or exciting with her. The film’s screenwriter also butchered Disney’s recent “Alice in Wonderland” so I guess it makes perfect sense. Director Robert Stromberg, who makes his feature debut after a successful run as a production designer, fills every scene with either unrealistic CGI sets or unrealistic sound stage sets. Has a production designer ever successfully directed a film that didn’t look like a box of crayons barfed onscreen? I’m not that disappointed that the film isn’t all that great. I’m just disappointed that Maleficent didn’t get the big screen treatment she deserved.  GRADE: C-

Feature Trailer for Maleficent on TrailerAddict.