Dune

 

Score:  A-

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Starring Timothy Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Mamoa

Running time:

Rated R

Long Story Short:  Dune marks both the latest adaptation of a classic sci-fi novel and the newest film from one of my favorite directors, Denis Villeneuve.  Especially considering the challenge involved, Villeneuve and his impressive cast and crew succeed remarkably well in being both faithful to the source and also cinematically rewarding in its richly created world.  I wish that they had trusted the audience to figure the story out without hammering the plot, but those who haven't read the novel recently may appreciate the help. Highly recommended for theater viewing.

In a distant future in which humans have spread across the stars, the House Atreides is ordered by the Emperor to move from its home planet to the desolate but important desert world, Arrakis.  Atreides is led by the Duke Leto (Isaac), who is determined not just to continue harvesting an essential, valuable resource on the planet, but also to make peace with the long-subjugated native people there.  He is joined by his concubine, Lady Jessica (Ferguson), who trains his son in the mysterious ways of the sisterhood known as Bene Gesserit.  However, House Harkonnen, rival to Atreides and former rulers of Arrakis, are infuriated with the change in the balance of power.  As Atreides adjust to their strange new world, they must reckon with both friends and foes from afar and close at hand.

Dune, the latest film adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel, is an entertaining, stylish, and intriguing work; nevertheless, due to the nature of the source material, it's also impossible to get it all right for both the fans and the newcomers.  The movie starts in just the right place, though: Denis Villeneuve, one of my favorite contemporary directors, was a perfect choice to make it.  There is a lot to unpack in Dune, the novel, but Villeneuve's mastery of big, awe-inspiring cinematic sights and sounds, making you truly feel like you are inhabiting the world in front of you, addresses its most critical element.  Sure enough, Villeneuve, the cinematographer and a host of production and effects artists capture the expanse of the desert world, one filled with wind-swept, sun-beaten vehicles, buildings, people and creatures.  Soaking these in, in the quieter moments, is actually even more impressive than the movie's action scenes.  There's also plenty of great sound, especially the Bene Gesserit "voice" and the colossal, booming movements of the tech. The soundtrack is also very good - Hans Zimmer is one of today's best composers - but I can't help but feel Villeneuve's former collaborator, Johann Johannsson, who tragically died a few years ago, would have made it even more special.

Dune is an adaptation - as many films are - but this one has bedeviled Hollywood for decades, such as 1984's infamous attempt.  I read the novel over the summer, since I knew Villeneuve would be directing the movie, and now I know why it's been so hard to adapt: there is a LOT in it (some parts of which are stylistically dissonant), much of it takes place in characters' thoughts, and, frankly, the book itself is uneven in quality (in my opinion).  The film mirrors the book in that the characters are hit or miss. My favorite by far is Lady Jessica, and I think they found the perfect actor in Rebecca Ferguson to play her.  She is truly the heart and soul of the story, at the intersection of the family aspects (mother of the main character), the political intrigue (concubine of the Duke), and the fantasy parts (a Bene Gesserit sister). Jessica - and Ferguson - is beautiful and entrancing, loyal and loving yet with as distinct and strong an agenda and interests as any other character.  Timothy Chalamet also does a good job in main role as Paul, portraying a gradual maturation rather than jumping suddenly into hero mode.  On the other hand, Jason Mamoa was a poor choice as Duncan Idaho, as well as the accompanying expansion and dumbing down of the role.  I also might have chosen someone more abrasive than Oscar Isaac for the Duke, though he does a fine job; Stellan Skarsgaard as the revolting villain is a better match.

Dune is made at such a high-level of quality, but I also couldn't help myself from thinking about what I would have done differently (although I take this itself as a positive sign; any movie that keeps me thinking later on is a good one).  I had the advantage of having recently read the novel, but selfishly I wish that the movie was more ambiguous, and even more atmospheric, versus the plot and action.  Too much is just stated outright, and one of the pleasures of the novel was sort of piecing things together for yourself; show, don't tell, and let the audience work on it!  The story is an important forerunner of much sci-fi/ fantasy to come (Star Wars, etc.) but the results of some of its familiar structures (e.g., "the Chosen One") have been done better by its successors.  So more emphasis on the sights and sounds of the world (courtesy of Villeneuve and his team's talents), and characters (played by an exceptional cast) speaking more natural dialogue - rather than exposition - would have been refreshing (to me).  Cut down on the action scenes, which are mostly referred to in passing in the novel, to make room.  Still, I'm mostly nitpicking; while you may recognize the outlines of this story, it's the details brought to life by the filmmakers that make this necessary viewing in a movie theater.

***

I'd been looking forward to seeing Dune - for longer than usual, thanks to the pandemic.  But, like Bond, I'm really glad that the studio didn't just dump it on streaming and bypass the theater (though Dune is also available now on streaming, too).  Those two films also felt similar to me in other ways, whether it's Hans Zimmer composing the music for both, a reaction of good-but-could-have-been-even-better, and darker than typical (but not dismal) tones.  Well, next up will be a return to my current favorite franchise, Marvel, with The Eternals.  It's also getting to the time of year where Oscar hopefuls should start showing up.  Stay safe, but head to the theater if you can for one of these big screen-optimized options!

* By http://www.impawards.com/2021/dune_ver16.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68273917

No Time To Die

 

Score: A-

Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga

Starring Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Ralph Fiennes

Running time:

Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Delayed a eighteen months by the pandemic, Daniel Craig's fifth Bond movie finally hits theaters, and I'm glad they resisted the urge to just put it on streaming.  It isn't Craig's best, but the first half makes a trip to the theater well worth it.  No Time To Die follows through on Craig's previous outings, so not only do you get the usual spectacular action and locales, but also an emotional payoff.

In the aftermath of James Bond's (Craig) defeat of Blofeld, leader of the terrorist organization Spectre, he takes Madeline (Seydoux) on an Italian getaway but soon finds that he cannot escape his life as a spy so easily.  Years later, with Bond out of the picture, a team of commandos raids a biological weapon facility in London and makes off with a dangerous prize.  Bond begrudgingly gets back into the "game", but much has changed since he last fired his Walther pistol.  Although Blofeld is in prison, Spectre is alive and well but no longer the only gang threatening the world.  Bond will need all his allies, both new - including the agent who took his place as 007 - and old - like tech expert Q - to prevent catastrophe.

No Time To Die is a very good, if uneven, entry in the James Bond action/spy film franchise.  The first half or so of the movie is especially good; if it had kept it up, it might have been the best Bond yet.  It's no secret that this is Daniel Craig's last time in the 007 tux, and the first part of the film combines both action and, unusual for a Bond film, emotional elements in a rollicking start.  Before getting to the present day, an extended prologue includes an intimate, mysterious (and chilling) Bond-less intro followed by a more typical pre-credits action set that leaves you shaken and stirred.  After an intriguing, quieter setup of the main plot, the film lets Craig's Bond indulge in the kind of showy, slightly winking action set that was more common for his predecessors - but it works for Craig, too, as kind of a last hurrah.  Craig himself is upstaged here, though, by a brilliant CIA agent in Ana de Armas (Craig's co-star from Knives Out).  She is a traditionally gorgeous female counterpart yet is also cheerfully nonplussed by her famous partner and drops baddies shot-for-shot with him; it's a scene of pure, fun adrenaline.  The new 007, played by Lashana Lynch, is much more restrained (perhaps too much the quiet, well-trained agent) but she also has her moments and, like de Armas, ensures this is not a one-agent show.

While the second half of the film is not bad, it falls back on a more predictable path with less creative energy.  There are some missed opportunities, or moments that should have been better, particularly between Bond and an old flame.  The main villain, played by Rami Malek, is disappointingly bland (though his henchmen, including a rogue scientist and a traitor, are fun), and the inevitable assault on his secret island base feels too obligatory with not enough variation.  Still, the film's status as the finale for Craig's Bond helps keep the stakes high, and it's much more personal here than in most Bond endings.  There are a good number of franchise callbacks, particularly in the music, throughout, which helps maintain the feeling of the film's place in Bond's history.  It's quite long at over two-and-a-half hours but it has very good pacing, and the focus on Bond's fate makes it feel more like a regular length film.  Just as 007 would have it, though, there's no wasted time at the end; just a nice final shot that both circles back to the beginning for Craig and (hopefully) launches into the next era for Bond.

Bucking franchise history, Daniel Craig's Bond, over the course of five films, established and concluded a satisfying narrative and emotional arc.  Casino Royale is still my favorite - not just of Craig's films, but of all Bond movies.  And Skyfall is also a more consistently excellent film; I need to rewatch the others, Quantum of Solace and Spectre, to decide how they fit in.  Craig himself made an excellent James Bond, and the unifying arc turned out to benefit each individual film.  Going forward - certainly, I hope that we'll get more Bond! - there are things I'd like to see carried forward and others changed.  I do like having connections between the movies but it doesn't have to be anything major; the Craig arc is a good model for how much to do there.  But I would also like to see more of an emphasis on Bond's spycraft and the relationships - both with his allies and his enemies - in the next iteration.  Partly, this is because Casino Royale proved this model can work brilliantly - and partly because the action genre is becoming both overcrowded and, in the case of a few films like John Wick and its sequels, doing it better than Bond.  So much more could be mined from examining the tensions between Bond's traditional attitudes - toward women, booze, violence, etc. - and contemporary sensibilities, too.

***

No Time To Die is a nice, entertaining way to kick off the fall movie season; I got to it a little late.  I have been a Bond fan since 1995's GoldenEye (and I'm still partial to Pierce Brosnan), and many franchises in general, from Star Wars to Harry Potter.  Among other reasons, I find it enjoyable getting to know these characters that we get to come back to again and again; yet also see the evolution or variations by different actors and/or eras of filmmaking.  Next up for me will be Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Dune; I'm looking forward to this sci-fi classic by one of today's most talented directors.  And as the pandemic hopefully continues to recede, I'm looking forward to a more normal rhythm of movie theater-going.  Bring on both the familiar characters and worlds, and the exciting new ones!

* By Official James Bond 007 Website, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61977088

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