Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 

Score:  B

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

Starring Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Tony Leung

Running time: 132 minutes

Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the last blockbuster release of the summer, and an entertaining note to end the season on.  Like Captain Marvel, it's too preoccupied with the extraordinary elements at the expense of the more important characters.  Still, the kung-fu action is great and there are plenty of interesting elements introduced - and hopefully more fully developed later.  Recommended for a trip to the movies.

Shaun (Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) are best friends, valets by day and partiers at night, who seem content with their day-to-day lives.  When Liu is attacked by a gang seeking a pendant, however, Liu is snapped out of his carefree life and back to his Chinese upbringing.  His father, Wenwu (Leung) is the leader of this gang and so he goes to his sister, with Katy in tow, to warn her.  Wenwu is after much more than a typical gang's bounty, and only his children know the dark history behind it - a history that also created their family.  Liu, his sister and Katy must work together to prevent this darkness from being unleashed on the world at large.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (I'll go with Shang-Chi from here) is a top-quality production as is expected from Marvel; its closest kin is Captain Marvel, and is similarly one of the lesser films in the MCU.  Make no mistake, Shang-Chi is a very entertaining film and because its plot is less dependent on other Marvel films, it is probably all the more so for non-MCU fanatics.  With the financial muscle and influence of Disney behind it, Shang-Chi has great sets, costumes, performers, and special effects.  Shang-Chi, beyond being a Marvel superhero movie, is at heart a kung-fu film.  Liu did much of the martial arts himself, and the very first fight, set on a moving bus, is my favorite for its intensity and creativity.  The final battle leaves behind the raw physicality in favor of more effects and super powers, but it is among the better of its style; it's still relatively contained and therefore more focused than expected, and the film actually finds some of its most effective emotional moments here.

The characters in a Marvel movie, as I've been insisting for years, are both underrated and pivotal to their success.  Simu Liu, portraying the title character, is a rare non-star in a leading Marvel role.  He is clearly talented - not just in his athletic fighting scenes, but also in conveying a haunted, capable yet unsure hero in the making.  Yet it's not a home run, as so many of Marvel's heroes have been; like in Captain Marvel, I blame this almost entirely on the script, not the performer.  Liu (like Larson before him) doesn't get as much focus in the quieter moments as Downey, Jr., Evans, and Hemsworth did.  Awkwafina could have added a shot of energy and (good) crazy, but she's disappointingly subdued here; though there are other prominent female characters, they are largely vanilla, too, unfortunately.  The brightest spot is the villain - a surprise for a Marvel film, whose villains are often passable at best, preferring to focus on the hero.  But Leung is excellent; very menacing and dangerous in a smooth and quiet way; yet also affecting and even sympathetic in other scenes.  A few minor characters give Shang-Chi some extra flavor, including The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng, Benedict Wong's sorcerer, and another returning character who I don't want to spoil if you have yet to see it.

A significant reason for the uneven quality of Shang-Chi's characters is that, like Captain Marvel, the movie places too much emphasis on the background mythology of the story.  As much as the aliens in Captain Marvel or the traditional/mythical world of the Ta Lo in Shang-Chi are neat and add something new to the Marvel universe, the filmmakers (and probably the studio) liked it too much; there's just not enough time for the characters in "normal" scenes.  The script, I'd also note, doesn't have the zippiness that characterizes MCU movies; its too-short introductory scenes of Shang-Chi and Katy are where this was missed most.  Unlike Captain Marvel, it must be said, Shang-Chi does benefit from an interesting family web of characters; even if individually they don't pop as they should have, the film takes time to explore its history (in sometimes confusing, but mostly good, reverse-order flashbacks).  And it leaves plenty of room to further develop these potentially-interesting characters and settings, as well as how they may fit into the wider MCU (apart from a few cool teases).  I'm up for more!

***

Shang-Chi is the second Marvel theatrical release since the pandemic closures, and the first to introduce new characters to the MCU.  It is certainly quite a bit different from Black Widow, not to mention the steady stream of other action movies released in the last few months.  While I don't feel that Shang-Chi quite met the MCU's typical high standards, it was at least an interesting start to a whole new part of this superhero world; this is not a repeat by any means.  It does also follow in the MCU's tradition of incorporating other genres into its world and overall style.  And in a crazy, pandemic-influenced year, this is probably the first and last time a major blockbuster will be released on Labor Day weekend!  I recommend Shang-Chi for a trip to the theater, Marvel fan or not.

* By http://www.impawards.com/2021/shangchi_and_the_legend_of_the_ten_rings_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67440841

Free Guy

 

Score:  B+

Directed by Shawn Levy

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi, Lil Rel Howery

Running time: 115 minutes

Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Free Guy dives into the gaming world that has increasingly come to dominate our own, but sends it up in an entertaining way.  Ryan Reynolds is fun as cheerful victim Blue Shirt Guy (although his ego shows through, too, to me) and beyond the usual technical wizardry is a nice positive change of tone from the usual.  Go see it for a fun time at the theater.

Guy (Reynolds) is an NPC, or Non-Playable Character, in the open-world video game Free City.  While human players' characters interact with Guy (usually violently), his daily routine consists of an ordinary, programmed "life" from bank teller to coffee addict.  But Guy deviates from his coding one day when he sees a character named Molotov Girl and seeks her out, though he's not sure why.  Molotov Girl (Comer), played by a young woman named Millie, is searching for something herself: evidence of a crime that she's sure Free City's creator has committed.  As Guy and Millie meet and learn from each other, they realize that the other is essential to their own mission; but they must act quickly, as Free City's boss (Waititi) is on the hunt.

Free Guy is one of the most fun films of the summer, unapologetically projecting a positive, sunny attitude where the genre can get bogged down in cynicism.  While its premise - the main character as a video game NPC, or essentially a manakin - is a bit nerdy, it's one that's pretty easy to catch on to for a general audience.  And that NPC is played by one of today's biggest movie stars, Ryan Reynolds, who has burnished his reputation for silliness and irreverence in Deadpool among others.  He is certainly likable here, hiding his sarcastic side for a mostly earnest, naive mode.  I must admit that, personally, the role started to grate on me, particularly as Guy becomes more aware and "heroic".  Reynolds' purpose for the role seemed to become showing off as the Cool Guy, ironically heightened by his supposedly making every effort not to seem cool (or at least seem ego free).  Your mileage may vary.

Fan or not of Reynolds, it's hard not to get sucked in to the vivid video game world created in the film.  Despite the fact that human players wreak havoc on its peaceful denizens, there's still a playfulness about it and at any rate the violence is soon backgrounded after it serves its purpose early on.  As with many movies with neat premises, Free Guy starts strong, but it also maintains momentum significantly better than others thanks to a plot that is different enough to keep it interesting while not getting lost in the technical weeds.  The non-Reynolds characters are a bit of a mixed bag, but overall are a source of strength (and help dilute the star's ego trip).  I haven't seen Jodie Comer in much (if anything) before, so I was startled and impressed by her sheer expressivity; her video game avatar Molotov Girl is completely different than her real Millie self, and it's not just the wig; MG herself changes noticeably but subtly after a major event.  Lil Rel Howery, a great comic actor, unfortunately chooses to simply imitate Kevin Hart here, but Taika Waititi is the real comic scene-stealer here as the bad guy boss.

Along with creating a fun world, Free Guy features some good commentary as well; it's not exactly subtle (nothing in this movie is) but it's also not preachy.  Primarily, it pointedly asks why we play video games, shows how we can get sucked into them, and even a bit of the rebound effect back on our real lives.  My favorite part involved Molotov Girl listing the differences between the video game world and the real world before coming to gun violence and stopping short with an "oh, wait...".  Free Guy is either indebted to or at least eerily similar to some recent films; a mashup of The Matrix, Ready Player One, and even The LEGO Movie would be a good description.  But it's good-natured enough to brush those comparisons aside, at least for a few hours of fun.

***

Free Guy pulled me to the theater with its new(ish) premise, very good Rotten Tomato score (82%), and, yes, even my confidence that Ryan Reynolds would be entertaining in the role.  Despite my feelings that Reynolds veered too far into Cool Guy posturing mode, he is admittedly fun much of the time and the movie around him is strong; Jodie Comer was a revelation for me, too.  I think I'm ready for a bit of variety at the movies now - although I'm always up for anything Marvel, like its upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - but it's been a very solid summer so far.  In fact, better in quality than most recent years.  I definitely recommend Free Guy if you want to see a good action comedy.

* By IMP Awards / 2021 Movie Poster Gallery / Free Guy Poster (#5 of 12), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68188487

The Suicide Squad

 

Score:  B

Directed by James Gunn

Starring Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, John Cena, Viola Davis

Running time: 132 minutes

Rated R

Long Story Short:  James Gunn moves from Coke to Pepsi - er, Marvel to DC - in helming this new film adaptation of The Suicide Squad, a team of comic book villains coerced into fighting for good.  It's certainly more stylish than its predecessor, and the first part of it promises a truly wild, fun new approach.  But it steadily moves back to the well-worn genre approaches, leaving a less satisfying taste by the end.  

When an island nation's government is overthrown, a secret advanced weapons facility is suddenly under the control of hostile forces.  To prevent its use, American agent Waller (Davis) recruits a team of the most dangerous - and bizarre - criminals to destroy the facility, in exchange for reduced sentences (and other coercion).  What this strange team of misfits finds on the island is indeed something far beyond what a usual commando mission entails - and they must rely on each of their unique, powerful talents just to survive.

The Suicide Squad, first of all, is a part-sequel, part-reboot of the 2016 film Suicide Squad (no "the"), and it modestly improves on its predecessor.  However, it still doesn't do enough to distinguish itself from either Deadpool's R-rated shock style, nor comic book convention.  As a "superhero" movie that in fact stars villains, the most important element is collecting a cast of charismatic, bad-in-a-good-way, and just plain old fun characters.  That is also a very similar objective that director James Gunn faced when he made the Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy (a MUCH better movie).  Margot Robbie reprises her Harley Quinn from the 2016 film, and is once again the true star if not the main character.  Idris Elba essentially takes over Will Smith's part, a slight enhancement in more of a fatherly role.  Others, like John Cena's Peacemaker and Daniela Melchior's Ratcatcher 2, are fun early on but gradually become more vanilla.  Still, this film gets much more creative with its convict cast than the previous Suicide Squad.

The first part of The Suicide Squad is easily the best part, seeming eager to set itself apart right off the bat. Very little time is spent - though it is spent wisely - on introducing the characters and premise before launching into the mission.  And the mission... does not go as planned to start, with a number of both famous new faces and returnees from the 2016 version finding an early demise.  A bit later, Gunn lets his star, Harley, take over.  She gets her own little subplot, falling in love with yet another sociopath; while it's a diversion, plot and tone-wise, it's well done and gets a bit more development for Quinn, the veteran character in this film (it's her third).

Unfortunately, these good things begin to fall by the wayside as the film goes on.  The characters, as mentioned, become tamer in concert with the plot becoming standard issue.  Yes, the "final boss" is suitably ridiculous, but, particularly in the final act, it all proceeds too much by the book (and drags on too long), where a film like this really should zig where you expect it to zag.  The action, after the opener, is also just too predictable and, for all it tries to ramp up the blood and gore, increasingly numbing and even dull.  Harley's escape from captivity in the middle of the movie - and right after the good, development parts - is a perfect example, as she single-handedly cuts down dozens of henchmen and emerges from it with a smile.  It was just unnecessary - to the plot, to adding action to the film (didn't need more), to showing us Harley can kick ass (we've seen her do this several other times - and more entertainingly - in previous movies).  It's a shame that Gunn and co. didn't stick to the obvious strengths that they showed early in the film.

***

While I'm not sorry to have seen The Suicide Squad, I came away fairly disappointed, particularly when seeing it get 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.  Would it make the experience better or worse to have not seen the 2016 Suicide Squad first?  Or Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, or Robbie's solo film Birds of Prey starring role for Harley?  Again, I was quite pleased with the first part of this one, promising a fresh approach, but it also increased my disappointment with the ending.  Maybe my reaction is simply my getting tired of this sort of film - I certainly have seen a lot of superhero movies in the last 10 years!  Partly true, at least, but I loved Black Widow - which shows just how well Marvel has done to both build development and attachment for its characters and world, while also providing new perspectives in its individual projects.  You can do worse than The Suicide Squad for a trip to the movie theater, but if you really want to see it, HBO Max would be just fine, too.

* By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67214291

The Green Knight

Score:  B+

Directed by David Lowery

Starring Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris

Running time: 130 minutes

Rated R

Long Story Short:  The Green Knight is the latest film from rising star filmmaker David Lowery, a point as relevant as its being based on a tale of King Arthur's court.  It is full of great images and sounds, conveying a world and a journey that are weird and even illusory.  Dev Patel plays the decidedly non-heroic main character well in this film emphasizing sensation over plot.  Check out this mid-summer Oscar contender.

In Arthur's court, the King's nephew, Gawain (Patel), longs to become a Knight but he is stuck in youthful frivolity.  When a strange creature comes to the court with a challenge, however, Gawain accepts it.  To his and others' surprise, he seems to be victorious, but the "game" is not yet over: in a year, Gawain must face the final part of the challenge.  As Gawain sets off after a too-quick year, he is beset by dangers on his journey, both common and magical.  In order to become a Knight - and simply survive - Gawain must find the necessary courage and honor within himself.

The Green Knight is a unique fantasy film, its style, sound and images making the supernatural even stranger than usual, resulting overall in a fascinating experience.  Made by a top, up-and-coming director in David Lowery, this really does not feel like a typical fantasy film from the very start; it feels grounded in reality, even if many of the fantasy elements are treated as ordinary by the characters.  In fact, it can be difficult to tell what is real and what is dream or illusion, which can be both frustrating and entrancing.  Different characters are played by the same actor; a desperate victim turns out to be a ghost; an anthropomorphic fox comes along for the journey without a comment; the film keeps you off balance much of the time, for better or worse.  The main plot - Gawain's challenge - is parallel to this; logical in that he wants to become a Knight, but the specifics of it are baffling, even unintentionally amusing.

To convey this strange tale, Lowery created a rich, engrossing world of sounds and images.  The score, especially in the first half of the film (at least, that's when I most noticed it), is excellent and, again, goes against what you typically think of in a fantasy.  Yes, there are bits here and there reminiscent of the genre but the lead element is a choir that does as much as anything in the film to set the tone: from creepy to glorious to ominous.  There is plenty of CGI but it mostly blends in to the background, save for a bizarre (and kind of boring) horde of placid giants.  Instead, the visual intrigue comes from phenomenal editing and cinematography.  Things as simple as watching Gawain slowly ride out of Camelot, to a mindbending 360 rotation of both time and camera, make this film an enjoyable experience separate from character, story, and so on.  And Lowery certainly lingers on these images and sounds - mostly to the good, but it results in a slightly overlong film (at least cut out those giants!).

For a final way in which The Green Knight is not your typical fantasy, Gawain is far from a typical hero, whether in battle - there are basically no fighting scenes - or in his disposition.  Dev Patel, far removed from Slumdog Millionaire, is great as the reluctant, often unworthy and humiliated yet still sympathetic Gawain.  It's not an overtly outstanding performance, but he is almost always on screen, mostly has to communicate without dialogue, and allows those surrounding images and sounds to dominate when needed.  Alicia Vikander is excellent as usual, too, in playing two (very) different characters, and supporting actors from Sean Harris's King Arthur to Joel Edgerton's helpful nobleman add nice flavor.  The climactic scene is a visually-arresting, wordless surge ahead in time, but rather than focus on the action, it makes you think about the morals of the story.  It's an ambiguous but fitting ending.

***

I found out about The Green Knight only recently and, seeing its high Rotten Tomatoes score, gave it a chance.  If anything, I'm probably rating it too low; my opinion of it is growing the more I think about it.  I should emphasize - despite this being a tale of King Arthur's court, this is not your typical fantasy.  The other film from Lowery I've seen is The Old Man & the Gun, starring Robert Redford, which is great but much different than this.  Think of it more as a talented filmmaker's (and the talented cast's) most recent project that happens to have visuals and themes that are out of the ordinary.  It's likely to be an Oscar contender, including possibly for Best Picture and Director.  In other words, not your typical summer blockbuster - but just as entertaining, if in different ways.

* By Studio and or Graphic Artist - Can be obtained from film's distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63091746

Black Widow

 

Score:  A-
Directed by Cate Shortland
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz
Running time: 134 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Marvel, the studio that came to dominate the last decade in Hollywood, symbolizes the return of theaters with the release of the delayed Black Widow.  While it's sort of a "left-over" - a well-established main character (finally getting her own title role) in the midst of a story arc that's complete - Black Widow is one of the most poignant superhero movies, focusing on a family of characters.  It also delivers the blockbuster goods in action, too, and so it's a perfect place to make your return to the theater.

Following the events of Civil War, in which the Avengers have split up in reaction to the government's attempt to control them, Natasha Romanoff (Johansson), aka Black Widow, is on the run.  She receives a strange package which she soon discovers is sought by mysterious, malevolent forces.  Tracking the package to its source, she finds her surrogate sister, Yelena Belova (Pugh), and after a rough welcome, the two grudgingly decide to work together.  They have found the secret to their once-tormented lives under the influence of the sinister Red Room.  Reuniting with their "parents" along the way, Romanoff and Belova are determined to end the reign of the Red Room, whatever the cost.

More than ten years after first appearing in the MCU, the first female Avenger, Black Widow, gets her own  movie; I don't know if it was "worth the wait", but it meets and exceeds Marvel's own impressive standards.  Black Widow is a return for Marvel itself, in several ways; it provides perhaps a final look at the narrative arc that the 2008-2019 films developed and, of course, it's the first Marvel movie to appear in theaters in two years, thanks to the pandemic.  While coming films will move ahead with new stories and characters, this was a nice coda for that previous era.  And Romanoff deserved to finally have the spotlight on her character.  Pieces of her past were revealed in earlier films, but Black Widow fills out both her past details and her present self in satisfying ways.

In addition to a strong performance from Scarlett Johansson in the title role, Black Widow finds its true strength in the hero's spy "family".  Romanoff, ruthlessly trained from childhood to be a cold spy and assassin, is an isolated and reserved character - so it makes a certain sense that we get to know more about her through her relations with others.  Florence Pugh's Yelena, Romanoff's sister, is the primary supporting character and she shows the same tremendous talent and skill that she has in recent projects like Little Women.  The scenes in which Romanoff and Belova are getting to know each other again are probably the strongest in the movie: intense at times, funny at others, but the actors do a great job showing that, for as many reasons as they have to loath each other, there's also an unbreakable bond.  David Harbour gets the most fun role in the film as "dad" Alexei.  A massive man, Russia's answer to Captain America (to whom he continually, hilariously compares himself), he is also the emotional softie of the family and is key to holding the (understandably) often cold, distant females together.  Rachel Weisz also does great work, in a much more restrained, low key role as "mom"; she still has strong ties to the bad old days, but shows the internal struggle in trying to support her family.  The opening scene of the film, a flashback to their 1990s undercover days in America, provides a brief but intense and perfectly executed introduction to these characters, who are then the focus - twenty years later - of the remainder of the film.

Black Widow may have an emphasis on its character development and relations, but it has more than its fair share of Marvel superhero action, too.  Much of it is in the hard-hitting, grounded, realistic (relatively speaking) style of The Winter Soldier, which I find a refreshing change from some of the more CGI-heavy battles that other MCU films rely on.  Romanoff's fights against the Taskmaster, a Robocop-like bad guy, and then a sparring match against Jelena, are small-scale by Marvel standards but highlights for their choreography and tension; a vehicle chase through Budapest is more explosive but similarly great.  I think the film goes a bit overboard on the action, though, with some scenes - notably the prison breakout and finale - just going on too long.  But if you're seeing this in the theater, at least you're getting your money's worth of big-screen spectacle!  The villain is also kind of weak, a pattern for Marvel, mostly because the film focuses overwhelmingly on the heroes (again, as usual).  Romanoff's final showdown with him is among the best in the franchise, though, with higher emotional stakes than usual - plus a fantastic callback to the original Avengers movie.  Not as quippy as some MCU films, Black Widow still has plenty of humor, too.  In short, it pretty much has everything you want from a summer blockbuster and then some.

***

It is so good to see a Marvel movie in the theater again!  Originally scheduled for release in May 2020, Black Widow was well worth the wait - I am so glad that Disney patiently waited until it was safe to release it in theaters, rather than rushing it out on streaming (*cough DC's Wonder Woman sequel*).  At this point, I would rank the movie just below the very top tier of MCU titles, although I definitely look forward to seeing it again sometime - and possibly re-evaluating that.  Despite the continued impact of the pandemic this year, there has already been plenty of Marvel, via three all-new streaming TV series on Disney+ (which I plan to review later this summer).  And because of the backlog, there are three more movies scheduled for release in 2021.  I'm hopeful and confident that there will be plenty of other great, non-superhero movies to watch in theaters this year, too, but Black Widow is an early standout.

* By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61327223

In the Heights

 

Score:  A-

Directed by Jon M. Chu

Starring Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace, Corey Hawkins

Running time: 143 minutes

PG-13

Long Story Short:  In the Heights is the big screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's (Hamilton) Broadway musical.  Similar to its mega-popular musical brother, Heights portrays a slice of the diversity of America, this time in a present-day New York neighborhood.  An upbeat, energetic film, it's perfect for the summer and emphasizes the power and necessity of community, just as we're all craving it more than ever.  Highly recommended.

In the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York, a community struggles against gentrification but uses its strong personal ties to make it day by day.  Usnavi (Ramos) owns a corner bodega, where he looks after cousin Sonny (Diaz) and pines for the lovely Vanessa (Barrera), a frequent customer who works at a local salon.  News spreads quickly at the salon, where they learn talented Nina (Grace) has finished her first year at Stanford but comes home with doubts.  She still feels a strong connection to the Heights, including her businessman father, Kevin (Smits) and his employee (and her longtime friend), Benny (Hawkins).  All are forced to adjust to not just a changing world, but also their often-conflicting dreams and community ties.  But all of it - the ups and downs - is celebrated in music and dance.

In the Heights embraces everyday life, proclaiming that our ordinary joys and sorrows should be lifted up; here, in the form of jubilant musical dance routines.  While the concerns and stories of individual characters are of varying interest, the main element to me is the exploration of the Heights as a community.  Those individual concerns really all swirl together, anyway, as we get to see life at the pool, in the bodega and salon, in the club.  It all feels authentic and homey, yet also distinct and interesting because of the detail and the care with which it is handled.  Of course, the fact that these places are also often the scene of raucous musical numbers doesn't hurt, either.

While I'm not a huge fan of the genre, I was impressed and very entertained by the scale, energy, and choreography of the film's many musical sequences.  Some songs may remind you of Hamilton, while others are more standard musical material.  Along with the skill of the performers and the fun of the songs themselves (few favorites for me, but decent tunes), I particularly liked how they incorporate those community settings.  And many of the performers look like regular people you'd find in the community, too, with a range of ages, body types, clothing, and so on.  The creativity and - again - authenticity are what impressed me the most about this typically bombastic element of the musical.

The main characters and their stories are a bit more on the mediocre end, to me, but still good.  Usnavi reminded me of some not great kids from my own school days, so it was difficult for me (and my bias) to buy him as the hero.  Each individual conflict leans a bit cliche, and much of the introductory exposition is buried in the opening musical number (I enjoyed the song, but got lost on the details).  But all of the four young leads are talented, both as dramatic actors and dancers, and they're never boring.  It's really the supporting characters - the matriarch, the struggling businessman - that I found the most compelling, which I suppose fits with my overall interest in the community elements.  This is definitely an ensemble effort - each part, big or small, makes the others better.

By the end of the film - which goes on a bit long, I have to say - it feels more like the end of a season in the neighborhood than the resolution of the various plot lines which is as it should be, I think.  As real as this community has felt, the film still makes room for some dreamy summer fantasy, too, through some fun visuals - from characters tracing smoke images in the air to literally dancing off the walls.  It's a good combination:  creating a warm sense of connection to the characters and community, but also capturing some of the magic of summer in a movie theater.

***

In the Heights is a high quality musical, and perhaps the perfect movie to come to theaters right now.  We have all been missing our communities during the long pandemic, and even just to see a distant, fictional one is a joy.  So while it's not perfect and it's not my favorite kind of summer blockbuster, this was about the best time for me to see it and I suspect that the same is/will be true for many others.  With Hollywood having been thrown into turmoil for the last fifteen months, it will be interesting to see exactly how the rest of the year shapes up - a combination of delayed 2020 releases and, hopefully, some things slipping under the radar that we never expected.  For now, In the Heights is a great way to get back into the movie theater!

* By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62568194

Godzilla vs. Kong

 

Score:  B-

Directed by Adam Wingard

Starring Godzilla, King Kong; Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Brian Tyree Henry

Running time: 113 minutes

Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Godzilla vs. Kong is Hollywood's first big step, literally and figuratively, back into theaters as the pandemic begins to lift enough for us to venture out again.  It delivers a pair of title fight matches between the classic heavies that are worth the price of admission (esp. for those of us starved for the theatrical experience).  Sadly, it can't also overcome the genre's plot and human character pitfalls.  If conditions are right in your area (and you've been vaccinated!!), this is a perfectly nice outing.

In a present-day version of the world, monsters stalk the earth.  Godzilla mysteriously roams the seas, occasionally terrifying coastal cities with his appearance.  Meanwhile, the skyscraper-sized ape known as Kong is contained on a far off island by Monarch, the monster research organization.  After a brief but devastating Godzilla attack on a tech corporation in Pensacola, a conspiracy theorist podcaster, Bernie, follows his wild imagination to very real, insidious plans.  In an effort to gain some control over Godzilla's immense power, Monarch agrees to transport Kong to a secret experimental site.  But now there are two monsters at large in the world - and they don't like each other.

Godzilla vs. Kong is, above all, a mega-blockbuster about enormous monsters making a spectacle on the big screen, and it fulfills this objective pretty darn well.  There are two primary action sequences, and Wingard and the visual effects team come through with fun, exciting, bone-rattling showdowns.  The first is particularly effective, taking place at sea with the navy involved; not only is the setting different than usual in these monster movies, but the context adds some elements other than which monster hits the other harder/more often.  Now, not all the action is great; there are several scenes featuring one monster or the other, and they come off rather humdrum, almost afterthoughts compared to the main two (the final final battle - blessedly short - also just shatters the ludicrous meter into pieces).  But the monsters themselves are also just amazingly rendered, even when "quiet", making the overall film a true theater showcase.

Once you get past the main draw, an admittedly exhilarating 20-30 minutes (or more?) of action, the surrounding elements plummet in quality.  Worst is the plot, or the sorry excuse for one we get.  This film is a sequel to two solo Godzillas and a Kong, so it's understandable (and probably saves some time) to just take the existence of these monsters as a given, though the off-handed references to them can be amusing. There are also, though, many moments of "wait, did I miss something?"; again, you can just kind of go with it, because the main point is the monster mashing, but even for a blockbuster, there is little effort to introduce or explain some important organizations or plot points.  The piece de resistance of the story is a flabbergasting concept called the Hollow Earth, which seems to be an alternate world that you get to by going to the center of the earth, where gravity is reversed, and... you get the point.  The entire point of it seems to be to make the rest of the plot work (sort of...).

Finally, the people involved - yes, there are human characters, though far less important than the title monsters - are a mixed bag, at best.  The main leads - the usual white male hero, Nathan, played by Alexander Skarsgard, and the scrappy kid everyone overlooks, Madison, played by Millie Bobby Brown - are vague and uninteresting to the point of almost blending into the background.  A young deaf girl, Jia, is pretty cliche (and often feeds the ridiculous plot points), but played effectively adorably by Kaylee Hottle.  Just two actors look like they're actually having fun, and transmit that to the audience: Brian Tyree Henry's conspiracy theorist podcaster, Bernie; and Demian Bichir's arrogant, scenery-chewing CEO.

***

Godzilla vs. Kong has some really entertaining monster melees, but the further from the experience that I get, the more it feels weighed down by the ridiculous plot points and feeble characters that surround it.  If you don't mind staying home, I would recommend Pacific Rim as a superior monster movie any day.  But for simply having the advantage of being the first big blockbuster released in theaters after the yearlong pandemic shutdown, I'm cutting it some slack.  There really is nothing like seeing a movie in the theater (even, maybe especially, the ones you might not bother seeing at home, like this one).

*By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66522708