Game Over
This is one of those movies that I feel like I’ve been hearing about for a long time now. Indeed, Disney has been pushing this film for about three good years now. Well, the “good” in those years might be a relative term by now, as I think the public at large might be reaching TRON overload right now. I don’t have a lot of affection for the original film, I actually think it’s a mediocre film at best, and initially had little interest to check this film out in the beginning. But I must admit that as the advertisements started to show more of the grand visual spectacle, I became more intrigued. Then the initial word of mouth justly put my expectations back down to where they had been before. Good thing, too, because the film delivers on many elements but is severely lacking in compelling storytelling.
It’s been decades since the events of the original film, and Kevin Flynn, played by a returning Jeff Bridges, has gone missing. The control of the company still belongs to his son Sam (Garret Hedlund) who doesn’t like the privatized aspect of the company so much. However, when a message is sent supposedly from his father, he goes investigating. That leads him into that digitized world inside the computer, where Flynn’s creation Clu, also played by Bridges digitally looking like his old self, has taken over the grid with the intention to break free into the human world. Sam teams up with his father and a sophisticated computer program with the possibility to make the world a better place, played by Olivia Wilde.
First and foremost, this is a beautiful movie to look at. Director Joseph Kosinski, tackling his feature film debut, creates a world that is absolutely gorgeous. While I’ll give Inception’s blend of practical and digital effects the upper hand, the grandiose visual spectacle in this film is absolutely astounding. Kosinski hasn’t really shown much of a defining edge in his creative work here, but he does show how competent he is at handling such traverse visual terrain with some impressive action sequences from a directorial standpoint.
Where the film does come up quite short is in the storytelling. This script, put together by a hodgepodge of writers headlined by a couple of Lost alumnus, is, to put it mildly, absolutely horrendous. This story is dead on arrival, and never really succeeds as a decent piece of storytelling. It is a lazy script that is so sloppily put together, filled to the brim with convoluted plot points and idiotic ideas that are masking ambition. By the time you get to the ridiculous ending that doesn’t even make logical sense. It’s a terrible story that is the deadly anchor for this film.
You know upfront that this isn’t going to be a film to commend on the acting, and the film does deliver on that promise. Hedlund is a blank slate, lacking on the charm and charisma to make up for the deficit in acting abilities. Bridges is cashing a paycheck all over this film, with the only highlights being you can catch occasional shades of The Dude in his performance. His role as Clu would be more effective if the character didn’t have such weak motivations and had such an odd look through the animation. Wilde is pretty much a stick figure, and Michael Sheen shows up halfway through for a weird David Bowie impression (also, you can a look for a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo from Cillian Murphy in the beginning of the film).
I do believe the film is very beautiful to look at, and the sound design is top notch as well. By far the best thing in it is the Daft Punk score, which has an old school vibe that sounds like a mixture of 80s Disney punk scores and classic Vangelis. I enjoyed some parts of the film, but the storytelling is just atrocious. However, sometimes those problems don’t seem that grand when you watch them in the comforts of your own home, and since the 3D is an enhancement but not a necessity, a Blu-ray rental will do just fine. If you have strong affection for this story, or at least the visual spectacle that is promised, you might have a good time with it. Otherwise, there’s just one too many valleys to go along with the mountaintops.
C+
Punch Drunk Love
Boxing movies have been recently hitting a big streak now, probably since the mega success, both critically and commercially, of Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby has led to the outpour of these projects. Although, like most genres, these types of films have been around pretty much since award recognition began. This film has been wowing people left and right, and certain members of this ensemble are garnering considerable attention that might be rewarded with a nomination or two come early next year. That’s certainly an aspect of the film that admirable, but unfortunately, the whole of the film fails at working the most important muscle it has: the heart.
Based on the true story of boxer “Irish” Mickey Ward, Mark Wahlberg has the lead as Mickey, an aging boxer training with his half-brother Dickie (Christian Bale), a washed-up fighter himself struggling with a crippling crack addiction. Their mother Alice (Melissa Leo) is the stern matriarch of a wildly eccentric family which includes Mickey’s ambush of crazy sisters. When Mickey starts to lose fight after fight, he decides a change is needed. With the encouragement of his new girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams), he tries to limit the ties to his family while trying to be the champion everyone believes he could be.
If there’s anything to be really praised here, it is the acting. Wahlberg is an actor who has aged well into taking more grounded and mature roles, and he delivers probably the best performance in his career. It’s not a spectacular performance, but it’s genuine enough to be a center for a film like this. Leo veers close to over-the-top theatrics, but she manages to make it work for that type of character, and she’s electrifying whenever she appears on screen. Adams is okay, and she plays against type, but she doesn’t floor an audience. Bale is the obvious person to take notice, as his physical and mental dedication to roles is clearly seen here. Not only that, but he carries most of the emotional weight of the film, and he creates the most interesting character in the film. I do think there’s a bit of “been there, done that” shade to his performance, it is no doubt an outstanding role that deserves almost all of the attention it has received.
David O. Russell has built up a rather seedy reputation over the years, particularly known for his well publicized rants against actors on set, which includes George Clooney and Lily Tomlin. His last film, I Heart Huckabees, is a quirky mess that just also happened to feature one of Wahlberg’s better performances. The film doesn’t falter because of him, although not every eccentric flourish from him is the right tone, nor saves it from some dull stretches. The main reason why I didn’t fall in love with the film was because there’s no emotional core to the film. A lot of the characters and plot directions feel wildly eccentric, particularly Mickey’s family. While intriguing, it presents a wall that always left me emotionally distant. Because of that, it’s difficult to get invested in the story, and what I see is an interesting presentation of events with very little cause to become alive. It’s a noble effort, but despite its best efforts, it feels a little cold to the touch, and in that respect, it’s disappointing.
Say what you will about films like Million Dollar Baby and Cinderella Man, but at least those films knew where the emotion was and struck accordingly. Russell is trying to traverse tricky territory here, blending boxing and family dramas together. I don’t think he totally succeeds, and for all his efforts, only gives us a film that is to be appreciated for its technical accomplishments, including the acting, but very little else. This will probably make a big dent at the big awards show that we all look forward to, and I’m even predicting it to make that appearance. Personally, it didn’t knock me out like it has so many others.
B
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