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Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (DVD)
by pmcds
2007's saw the poor attempt at bringing Marvel's anti-hero Ghost Rider to the big screen, in an effort to emulate the success of other Marvel characters such as Spidey and the X-Men. The highly criticised film surprisingly spawned a sequel, prompting raised eyebrows more effective than those of Nicolas Cage as the Rider. I popped back to ... my review of the original film and found my thoughts on a potential sequel at the time were as follows:
'I imagine there will not be a second one made, but if there is, then this will have served to introduce the relevant characters. Hopefully, if for some reason a second one is made, they will endeavour to dispense with the formalities of character introduction, give a brief recap of this film's events, and launch straight into an action-packed, revenge filled hour and a half of pure, and unadulterated Marvel awesomeness, which is exactly what this film isn't.'
So, did they learn their lesson? Well, to start with, you'd think they'd actually taken my advice when creating the sequel. The film launches into action with Idris Elba's Moreau (some French religious hero) trying to save the life of a random kid who is purported to be of interest to the devil himself! An interesting opening, I was encouraged for the rest of the film, but after the first five minutes, this is pretty much where the entertainment stopped. They certainly dispensed with excessive character introduction, and launched straight into showing how former stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze can channel his anger and turn into Ghost Rider, a leather clad antihero whose head is a flaming skull.
So, where does it go wrong with the aforementioned hopeful hour and a half of Marvel awesomeness? Well, there's this obsession with a plot. I can get that there needs to be some foundation of a script and that a film of solid action and no purpose would be a non starter, but really they overdid the emotional element again. I was bored by the mother and son angle for the kid that Moreau saves, although they kept replaying bits of it and slowing the pace down. Similarly, I was bored by Blaze's obsession with ridding himself of the Ghost Rider and becoming a mere mortal once again. And when this is addressed, the only entertainment is in the hope that the impressive special effects that GR gives you actually come back at some point to save us from a fate worse than boredom.
Man, they love these special effects. Every time GR is on screen, it's as if they need to pause for a few moments, bring on some heavy grunge/rock/punk bass sounds and drag things out. GR needs to angle his head three or four ways before anything happens, and his firy whip is a much more effective weapon than is given credit for here. The comic books featuring GR lend themselves to the feel and look of the skull, but you can't really see it much here as it's all about posturing and trying to put fear into the villains whenever there's a fight sequence. Nolan managed to do it well with Batman by things flowing very well and providing relevant interludes during each of the films, but here, those responsible for GR just fail dramatically.
I fell asleep twice watching the last 20 minutes of this film, but was determined to find out what happens. Turns out I probably could have written the rest of the film having watched the first five minutes and could have saved myself an hour and a half of my life that I've lost forever. Cage is wooden and tries too hard with the emotions as Blaze, while I doubt he actually has anything to do with GR when he's on screen. Elba is okay, but much better in grittier darker roles as opposed to the innocent and caring hero here - it doesn't quite work. Ciaran Hinds is always a sure fire thing as a villain, but even he can't work well with a poor script and a sequel that never should have been.
The financial spin for this film must have come out of someone's peronsal pocket, because the decision to make this sequel must have been a shock for many in the Marvel world. The failed first film has led to an even worse second film, and has tainted the impression I have of GR to a certain extent. I feel the need to go and buy the Wolverine-GR run of issues from the 90s to get GR back on my fan radar once more - still, perhaps back issues are where they're hoping revenue will come from this dire release. Stay well clear, or you'll get burnt.
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Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (DVD)
by Jarisleif
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" is a 2006 adventure film which was directed by Gore Verbinski, who has also directed such films as "Mousehunt" (1997), "The Weather Man" (2005), and "Rango" (2011).
Warning: Spoilers will likely be given during this ... review.
Outline
The film is 151 minutes in length and stars Johnny Depp ("Edward Scissorhands", "Alice in Wonderland", "Public Enemies") as Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom ("The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers", "The Three Musketeers", "Black Hawk Down") as Will Turner, and Keria Knightley ("Pride & Prejudice", "The Edge of Love", "King Arthur") as Elizabeth Swann.
Plot
The plot for the film reads as follows: Jack Sparrow races to recover the heart of Davy Jones to avoid enslaving his soul to Jones' service, as other friends and foes seek the heart for their own agenda as well.
Introduction
This is the second film in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, following on from the 2003 box office success, "The Curse of the Black Pearl". There is an extensive cast of familiar faces, including Naomie Harris and Jonathan Pryce, who have both appeared in James Bond films, Mackenzie Crook, Tom Hollander and Kevin McNally. It is believed that Richard E. Grant and Jim Broadbent had been considered to play the part of Davy Jones, and it was the highest grossing film of 2006, bringing in a whopping $1,066,179,725 worldwide. Is it any good? Let's find out!
Review
The film begins with Elizabeth waiting, alone, at her own wedding ceremony in the pouring rain, while soldiers are coming ashore from their ships and marching towards the castle. Bennett has a warrant to arrest Will, Elizabeth and Norrington, because they had allegedly conspired to help Captain Jack Sparrow. A drunken pirate is on his ship singing a song, while a prisoner is being dragged off to a medieval prison. Coffins are being thrown into the sea and a bird rests on one, pecking at it. The next thing we hear is a gunshot and Captain Jack makes his appearance from the coffin. The bird lands in the water, dead, and he says "Sorry, mate."
Beckett makes a deal with Turner to spare his life and a letter of Marque if he brings back Jack Sparrow's compass, which is said to point towards whatever the holder wants. I enjoyed a scene where Jack is searching the bowels of his ship, looking for booze. He finds Bootstrap and says "Is this a dream? I thought not. If it were, there'd be rum." Bootstrap sees a tiny crap crawling across his sleeve. Without pausing in the dialogue, he grabs it and eats it. It's the little touches like that which often makes a film better, I feel.
The first real action scene comes quick as Will is hunting for Captain Jack. He comes across his ship beached on an island and heads further in to investigate, where he is ensnared by a trap. He swings his sword around wildly and says "I can do this all day". One of the tribe looks at another with a puzzled look. His comrade shrugs and pulls out his blowpipe, firing at Will, and knocking him unconscious. There was another funny scene when Jack is tied up over kindling. He accidentally dropped his torch near it and the straw caught fire. He looks horrified and says "No no. Not good!"and attempts to blow it out. He does manage to escape, but you will have to watch and find out how instead of me giving the game away.
I did think the special effects designed for Davy Jones were excellent. He has a beard of tentacles that are very much alive, and Bill Nighy is a great choice of actor to play him. He has a wonderful Scottish accent, even though in real life he is very much accentuated in the Queen's English. Another great scene a bit further on with Davy Jones is where he's playing his organ on the Flying Dutchman while his crew is being worked to the bone. It is being played with his hands and his tentacles, which looks visually amazing.
I really enjoyed the scene in the inn when Gibbs is recruiting crewmen. I have always been one for the olden pirate days and I do like reading about the history of the high seas, so the sound of the instruments playing while the men drink ale and rum is a joy, especially when Norrington turns up and a melee ensues. The fight scene, though it involves many actors, is well choreographed. I suppose everyone knew what role they had to play during it, but it still has to be done right.
There is another scene in which Will challenges Davy Jones to a dice game. If loses, he grants his soul and an eternity of servitude. If he wins, he wants the key. Bootstrap also plays and is caught out with an audacious claim of having 12 five's, sparing his son from having to serve the rest of his existence as Davy Jones' slave. A short while later, Will enters Davy's cabin and steals the key. Davy Jones' ship, The Flying Dutchman, is full of colourful characters that are a little far-fetched, but I suppose that adds to the adventure, and it wouldn't be a Disney film without an air of the unbelievable. I did like a scene in which his crew spots another ship and Davy Jones sends a giant sea monster, Kraken, to destroy the enemy. It is a huge beast which tears the ship in half, taking most of the menfolk with it.
The water around the islands looks very inviting, but it is pretty obvious that when they're rowing towards it that they're rowing in front of a green screen and the backdrop was added by special effects afterwards. It is laziness like that in which I have a problem with Disney, because you would expect a budget they had for the film could cover the basics and at least make it credible.
Jack, Norrington and Elizabeth finally find the hidden chest and Will turns up as well. What follows is a sword fight between the three boys, while Elizabeth chases and shouts at them all. Even pretending to faint does not sway them. Pintel and Ragetti are going for the chest, as is the crew of Davy Jones. The sword fighting is a pretty decent scene and nicely choreographed. There is a part where Norrington and Will are fighting on a huge waterwheel, which seems to have become detached from its dock. That would have been very impressive if stuntmen had really done that, but it is highly unlikely. Instead, it is probably a wheel indoors which is attached to something and they're on the top of it.
Sparrow eventually makes it back to the chest and finds Davy Jones' heart, before the biggest fight scene of the film takes place. It is a scene that lasts awhile and is most definitely the highlight with plenty of action and many sub-fights. I thought Captain Jack was hilarious when he taunted Davy Jones with the jar of dirt that has Davy's heart in it. "Oi, fish face! Lose something, eh?" He trips and falls down the stairs of the ship with the jar, then after a short moment, he holds it up. "Got it!" he says. "Come to negotiate, eh, have you, you slimy git. Look what I've got." He then proceeds to sing in a taunting childish voice, "I've got a jar of dirt, I've got a jar of dirt, and guess what's inside it."
Elizabeth chains Jack to his ship and they all think the Kraken as taken him, while in fact, he's gone in head first to take on the beast. Davy Jones says the debt is settled, but when he opens the chest his heart is not present. Norrington has the heart and presents it to Beckett in Port Royal, while Will, Elizabeth and the others toast the memory of Captain Jack Sparrow, and the film, along with Captain Jack Sparrow, ends. Or does it? And is he really dead? You'll have to wait for the next installment to find out.
Characters
Captain Jack Sparrow is a strange character with some odd mannerisms. "Let's sail... that way direction". I like how Johnny Depp has made the character his own. He has a great English accent and when he's running away from the tribe, his arms are flailing around just as you would expect a pirate like him to do. He gives off the persona that he's drunk all the time, but that is only a part of the character. Robert De Niro was once offered the part back when they came up with the idea of the film and Hugh Jackman, Jim Carrey and Christopher Walken were also mentioned as a possibility, but it is Depp who took hold and never let go. Sparrow is a clumsy pirate but things always fall into place, often too predictable, and he has more bravado than brains at the best of times.
Will Turner is the son of Bootstrap who is a master swordsman. Orlando Bloom was given the role, but it is said that the likes of Heath Ledger, Tobey Maguire and Christian Bale were all considered for the part. His dedication to Elizabeth Swann is second to none and it seems he will do anything for her. He is the complete opposite of Jack Sparrow, in that he has more brains than he does guts, but that doesn't stop him from attempting to achieve his goals. The character has a touch of Douglas Fairbanks about him, which is a joy to see.
Elizabeth Swann is portrayed quite well by Keira Knightley, but she almost did not get the job as Amanda Bynes and Jessica Alba were both considered. She is not content to sit and do womanly things as described by the high seas tales, instead having the urge to get out there and face the adventure instead of doing ladylike things. She still remained a lady throughout and kept her dignity to utmost perfection. It is pretty clear that she has feelings for Jack, even though she is betrothed to Will.
Summary
The film is a little slow at times, but I suppose that is necessary in order to create an atmosphere and build up to the next high-octane scene. One thing I didn't like, though, was the length. To sit through something that is two and a half hours long is not easy, and it takes a special film to keep me interested for that length of time. "The Godfather", "Casino" and "Schindler's List" are three of those that I have managed to sit through in one go, but I must admit I had to take breaks from "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest".
It is a good film if you like adventure and Disney films in particular, and while I did not think it was a bad film, it did become a little tedious for me, personally. The storyline was quite interesting but it could have been an hour shorter and still been a massive success. In fact, had it been 90 minutes long, I would have enjoyed it a little more. A bit more action to fill in the gaps would have worked for me, instead of slow scenes that didn't really go anywhere.
What the Critics Say
Rolling Stone: "Lively is an odd word for something called Dead Man's Chest, but lively it is. You won't find hotter action, wilder thrills or loopier laughs this summer."
USA Today: "It does deliver a combustible combination of ingredients for a summer blockbuster: a cornucopia of action and dazzling effects, some raucous humor and a large dose of Depp's winning charm."
The Hollywood Reporter: "Depp is the comic gel that holds the whole enterprise together. The performance is a total delight that somehow combines Bugs Bunny, Peter Pan and Charlie Chaplin."
Empire: "Too long, and too wrapped up in its various plot contrivances to notice it's veering off course. But Jack just about pulls the wheel back, aided by Verbinski's flair for cartoonish comedy action."
Boston Globe: "A noisy and lazy stopgap movie that goes absolutely nowhere and takes 2 1/2 hours to get there."
My rating: 7/10
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