X-Men: Days of Future Past–Review

X-Men: Days of Future Past is a return to form for a once great comic franchise.  When the first X-Men arrived in 2000, it ushered in a comic craze that hasn’t abated.  But when director Bryan Singer stepped aside to make Superman Returns, 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand took the trilogy and the saga into a creative lull.  Properties like Spider-Man, Batman and The Avengers soon stole its crown.  But now Singer has returned after a 11-year-absence and has single-highhandedly restored that balance, making Future Past the best installment since 2003’s X2.  

Since Singer’s leave of absence, there have been no less than four additions of questionable quality and turns.  Rather than dwell on mistakes made during his time away, Singer pushes the story forward (and backward depending on how you perceive things) and manages to use a clever time-travel story element to make all right again.   By taking fan-favorite Wolverine (Hugh Jackson in his seventh turn) back in time to 1973, Singer closes the gaps between his cavalcade of gifted super-powered mutants, including the telepathic Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), his former foe, Magneto (Ian McKellan) with the baby-faced incarnations from 2011’s X-Men: First Class, respectively played by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender.  Using the mutant powers of Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), Wolverine is able to travel from a apocalyptic future, where mutants and their human allies are on the brink of annihilation, to a point in history where he can thwart an assassination attempt by the shape-shifting Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) which would prevent the travesty from ever occurring. 

Godzila–Film Review

If there’s one thing I can say that we can unanimously agree upon, it’s that Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla is a huge upgrade over the disastrous 1998 version.  Hollywood’s first attempt to translate Japan’s favorite towering monster to the West quickly became a laughing stock of 1990’s cinema.  This 2014 reboot is professionally handled and crafted.  The actors treat the material with respect, dignity, and remain untethered by its ridiculous undercurrent.  But. Godzilla is so keen on not replicating its 1998 predecessor that it’s left confused over what it inevitably wants to be.  Is it is disaster film grounded by human elements or is it trying to be a silly sci-fi monster slugfust?  The film’s tone shifts drastically; practically straying away from the glum suspense that was promised in its various ads.  Is this version meant to mirror this 1954 original — all melancholy, serious, and full morality preachiness — is it more like Godzilla versus Spacegodzilla?  

I Believe In Godzilla

Marking his 60th anniversary, Godzilla returns to the big screens — and American cinema! — in a feature film that doesn’t beg the question “Why?” but “What took you so long?”  Seriously, the giant radioactive lizard has starred in nearly three dozen films: some good, some heinous, some best forgotten (such as Hollywood’s 1998 blunder).

Why do we love still Godzilla?

Is it the nostalgia — those wondrous weekend-long cable television marathons of cheesy miniature set-pieces being demolished by a man wearing a big rubber suit?  Or perhaps there’s a deep, subconscious desire in which we can vicariously relish in Godzilla’s invulnerability and carefree ability to destroy and demolish without remorse or consequence.  Seriously, I’d take a skyscraper over a stress-ball any day!  (Theoretically…Also, this fictional building is empty…)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2–Review

To understand the primary issue with Amazing Spiderman 2, imagine you’re watching a television show on Netflix.  After just two minutes, you select another episode.  Another two minutes pass and you jump to another.  Repeat this process several more times.  Now attempt to take make a cohesive story out of what you just saw.  Well, Amazing Spider-Man 2 feels just like that: many episodes cobbled together which form an incoherent plot with drastic shifts in tone and focus every few minutes.  There’s no grand structure or narrative — just a mess.

Marc Webb’s second installment is a severe drop from the 2012 film reboot reboot of director Sam Rami’s original Spider-Man trilogy (2002 to 2007).  In my review of the 2012 original, I noted that Amazing Spider-Man contained many improvements over Sam Raimi’s 2002 similar original tale, Spider-Man.  Now we have Amazing Spider-Man 2, which demands the same level of scrutiny with its 2004 sophomore equivalent, Spider-Man 2.