As an X-Men fan and someone who usually thinks a little of something I love is better than none at all, I was planning on enjoying just being back in the mutant world. But, sadly, The Wolverine missed the campy, but enjoyable boat, and too often fell into the cheesy and poorly done end of the spectrum.
The two biggest culprits were the bordering-on-horrible script and BEYOND overdone and ridiculous character of Viper. It seems that they basically assumed ninjas + Wolverine = movie magic. Apparently not true. None of the jokes really hit, often falling loudly flat. There were long, silly, unnecessary sequences, like when Wolverine battles old Japanese ladies to take a bath. And, aside from those nonsense moments, there were also a lot of strange character relationship choices made. From who falls for each other to who betrays each other to why anyone basically does anything - it's all a little muddled. Both Japanese female leads add some freshness and talent to the mix, but Viper is so terrible and confusing a character she cancels out any positive effects that they might have had. Why is it that everyone else in the movie dresses in normal clothes, but Viper wears skin-tight green jumpsuits? I guess they were hoping absurd costumes would make up for her complete lack of motive. The plot wasn't totally hopeless, but they truly killed the movie when they ended with a big robot (my ultimate pet peeve in a world with so many other interesting option).
Having heard a lot of positive buzz about The Spectacular Now coming out of the festival circuit, I was excited to see if Shailene Woodley would actually try to act in this movie (as opposed to how she usually just plays a whiny teenager). I ended up finding some things to love and some things to hate.
Miles Teller (the male lead) gives an amazing performance, sure to land him a lot of offers in the near future. Playing a young man searching for anything to connect with, Teller's performance is honest and heartbreaking, but in a totally unrehearsed and non-Hollywood way. A lot of this is surely due to the fresh script and directing that make this movie seem distinctly indie, yet likable. However, where the script and concept go terribly wrong is with Shailene Woodley's character. I don't think it's a spoiler when I say that the two characters begin falling for each other, but what genuinely doesn't make sense is why. While I don't think it's Woodley performance at fault (her dedication to seeing this weak, teen character through is almost to be admired), her character is so painfully desperate and insecure that it makes you cringe. There is nothing extraordinary about her. This is harsh, but I also think it's ridiculous that no one seemed to bother to make her an interesting female character. They said, "Just put this pretty girl in front of the camera wearing no make up, and everyone will see the true beauty in her." Yes, you can see that she's pretty, but no one wrote a personality for her. She becomes obsessed with Teller's character much too quickly and develops an absurd devotion to him. While this may be a somewhat accurate portrayal of some teenage girls, too easily swept away by the first guy who notices them, it seems offensive rather than truthful. If you can get past Woodley's uncomfortably cliche and boring character, there are some great moments featuring Teller in this film.
Having been surprised by how much I liked District 9, I was feeling hopeful about Neill Blomkamp's follow-up film, Elysium. It's not a sequel, but takes place in a similarly dystopian future. And while it seems to have all the right ingredients, it doesn't quite hit home like District 9 did.
The first problem may be Matt Damon. Don't get me wrong, I am a Damon fan, but his character's strange background of having grown up in some sort of Mexican slum, comes off a little contrived rather than endearing. You see him as a man trying to turn his life around, making an honest living after years of crime. But, even when the robot authorities punish him for no reason, you still don't know if this is a guy worth rooting for. When he takes on the quest to bring Elysium (floating home of the rich run by Jodie Foster) down, the plot at least becomes more fun. There are some crazy and theatrical performances from other bit characters that bring some grit and reality back to the movie, like the psychotic assassin, Kruger and Damon's cut-throat employer, Spider. As with District 9, Blomkamp creates a very believable and immersive world that draws you in through it's portrayal of poverty and advanced technology. Although there are some simplifications of plot that seem pretty unlikely, you can still have a good time at this summer action flick with a brain.
Call me an eternal optimist (although I'm not sure why you would), but I was hoping Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters might be fun. Fun, as well as asthma from saying the title, was what I got when I saw Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. So, I was sure that the sequel would provide the same mindless, enjoyable entertainment. Wrong.
As much I wanted to like this movie, willed this movie to be good, it just... sucked. It wasn't funny, none of the characters were developed or interesting, and it was boring. I think you pretty much get it, so I won't harp too much. Basically, you can see how the books would have filled in details that could make this an okay story, but the movie just seemed hollow and lame. Womp womp.
Stay tuned for my updates on Paranoia and Kick-Ass 2 coming soon!
