Logan

One more comic book movie to round things off – and it’s a pretty different kind of feature. Logan may be remembered as the most artistic and sophisticated of Marvel’s adaptations, if not the most enjoyable. This isn’t just gritty, it’s going for arty – and tragic.

I didn’t think this would be the tone of the movie, but I’m rather glad it was. I respect trying something different, and the thing about comic book movies with multiverses is that you can try this sort of thing without it being a definitive ending for these characters – just one possibility of many. From the snippets I saw, I thought it would be another action-backed movie with the adventures of Wolvie and X-23. It certainly wasn’t that.

Things are grim as we open. Logan’s healing factor is failing him – clearly not omega-level in this universe – and he’s scraping together a living working as a limo driver. Professor X is 90 and degenerating fast. Motor Neurone and Alzheimer’s have him not only seizing but causing hugely painful surges of psychic energy for all those around him. No other X-Men are about, though a version of Caliban very different from the one we saw in the Apocalypse movie – or the one from the comics - is also helping out.  They plan to get a boat and go out onto the ocean where Charles can’t harm anyone.

Into this tragic setting comes more tragedy. Laura, designated X-23, was made with Logan’s DNA, so he’s sought out by the nurse who helped her escape. Thus begins a road trip movie with a lot of remarkably brutal violence – far more realistic than in most other such adaptations, presumably because Deadpool cleared the way for the R-rated Marvel movies – some heavy-handed moments to show Logan what he should really have is the warmth of a family, and ultimately a big cartoonish showdown that’s much more like the previous Wolverine movies.

But as the title suggests, this is a much more humanised version, and seeing Logan suffer and fail to fight off X-24, the mindless clone of his younger self, helps make him more relatable. Laura is likeable too, and the frail, somewhat embittered but warm and paternal Professor Xavier is brilliantly realised by Patrick Stewart.

This gritty tone is backed up by a departure from the usual fun things found in Marvel movies. No post-credits scenes, no Stan Lee cameos, no hints at how things can tie in to sequels or other franchises in the Fox-Marvel universe. Just pain and regret and dirt and very, very bad people – especially the Reavers, led by Richard E. Grant doing the detestable character he seems to be typecast as just now.

Well worth seeing, and certainly moving, I’m not sure it’s one you’d want to see again and again. 

Doctor Strange

After watching Guardians of the Galaxy 2, I thought I’d better catch up with some other comics movies that I’ve missed, and since he’ll be in a few upcoming movies I decided I should get to Doctor Strange.

The movie isn’t the very best Marvel has to offer and I doubt it will get the comic many new fans, but it was a very solid entry for the MCU, boasted superb visual effects and had a little more emotional depth than most of the other origin stories.

The first act, as many have remarked, is basically Cumberbatch doing Doctor House. A brilliant but prickly doctor saves lives and infuriates colleagues with his arrogance. A life-changing accident leaves him searching for healing, and he eventually finds The Ancient One. There’s been criticism of the whitewashing of this role by casting Tilda Swinton as what was originally an old Tibetan man, but I can also see the director’s point that there was no way of escaping the far-left’s criticism here – cast an old Tibetan man and you get criticised for propagating a wise-old-venerable-master stereotype. Cast a young Tibetan and you get accused of simply using another culture like a tool. A woman? Fetishing. I guess he could have gone with a black star and probably gotten less flack, but that, too, is patronising and using a culture as a tool.

In the end, Tilda Swinton brought her usual ethereal spacyness to the character and I thought it worked rather well. Certainly she put in an engaging performance and showed all the different, conflicted sides of her rather simple character. Plus she facilitated the development of Chiwetel Ejiofor’s rather more interesting Baron Mordo character, who I look forward to seeing return in future.

Perhaps the main problem here is that Cumberbatch lacks a certain something. He’s not very likeable, by intention at first but really throughout the whole movie. Somehow he lacks the gravitas he’s had in other movies or his breakout TV show, and too often his character seems to be just Tony Stark lite – which is all wrong for Doctor Strange.

Still, him aside, there’s an excellent supporting cast, a bad guy made far more interesting than his comic counterpart (who I’d never heard of), a fairly clever conceit to defeat an extremely powerful being, incredible special effects that look like something Cyriak might make with a ridiculous budget – something people apparently keep asking him about.

I am interested to see how he and his infinity stone will tie into the larger universe, and I get the feeling I’ll enjoy the character more as a minor voice in an ensemble film than I did with him at the very centre, but this was by no means a bad movie. But certainly it wasn’t as fun as Guardians 2. 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

*Spoilers ahead*

Even if I don’t particularly love the comics, I have to say Guardians of the Galaxy so far has been the gem of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Guardians may be peripheral compared to the big-hitters like Iron Man and Cap, but their movies don’t disappoint and are actually more fun to watch.

Guardians 2 matched up to the legacy of the first movie – and now that we have a gang fully assembled, it’s time to develop them, and this movie focuses on family. Do blood ties make a family? Could gruff father figures actually have acted with kindness all along? Should a gang of misfits start to consider one another a family?

The film does a lot, but ties the threads in well. There are three major storylines – the pursuit of the Guardians by the slighted Sovereign, Quill discovering his origins and Rocket’s escape from the rogue Ravagers who have mutinied against Yondu. All of them provide exciting scenes and all of them in some way build up the film’s conception of family bonds.  

The climax is a pretty standard battle of good vs evil and Ego’s plan for the universe seems a bit daft, as it seemed a bit strange he had to cover the worlds he’d visited in killer goop, but everything is wrapped up in satisfying style, with a touching self-sacrifice and final fireworks display that are classic tearjerker elements.

But what has become the signature of Guardians films is bathos, and here there are two superb examples centred on the idea of not focusing on what would seem to be the most important element. One is during the final battle, Quinn goes on a search for some tape. The other is the opening sequence, when the endlessly adorable mini-Groot dances his way past an epic battle, which is not only fun and entertaining but also a tour de force of CG. ELO provide the upbeat soundtrack to this scene in one of several masterful soundtrack choices, with other fantastic moments coming courtesy of Cat Stevens, George Harrison and especially Fleetwood Mac. Suddenly, songs friends might consider ‘dad rock’ are in vogue again!

Visually, there are few movies as impressive as this one. The makeup is amazing again, not only on returning characters like Nebula and Gamora, but on new characters like Mantis and Ayesha and briefly-glimpsed Ravagers like Charlie-27 and Aleta. The worlds visited are superb, and there are a number of amusing cameos, my favourite of which being the Watchers alongside a familiar face. References abound to the first movie, from a cybernetic eye to a certain duck, and the name ‘Adam’ is uttered for a possible future antagonist – scrapping the concept of an Easter egg I didn’t get in the first movie, the cocoon of Adam Warlock.

 This was a great sci-fi movie in its own regard, as well as a highly satisfying sequel and, most excitingly, piece of the large MCU puzzle. I can’t wait to see the clash of worlds in the next Avengers movie. I’m certain that it will be much enhanced by the presence of the Guardians. 

X-Men: Apocalypse

Another of the superhero movies I didn’t manage to see on the big screen and never got to see on a plane, I’ve now managed to catch up on X-Men: Apocalypse. 

Days of Future Past was a very tough movie to follow up. I really enjoyed that movie, which I thought clever, affecting, well-paced and of course very fan-friendly. So I had high hopes for Apocalypse, with one of my favourite villains.

Ultimately, I’d say this is a decent addition to the franchise, but certainly not the high point of it. I had my doubts about Oscar Isaac as Apocalypse, mostly because instead of a huge menacing half-cyborg, he looked like a frail older man – though in the film he actually looks more formidable than he did in early stills.

He brings with him a credible threat, in the classic vein of washing the whole world clean – though probably spends a little too much time gathering his acolytes so that the film sags somewhat in the middle. Unfortunately he doesn’t really get enough of his own character on top of this, and his powers are very ill-defined within the context of the film.

On the other hand, the film’s re-introduction of many of the key players of the franchise is very satisfying. While it takes a while, the gathering of the Horsemen allows for some nice scenes of Ororo and Betsy to get them into this new continuity, plus a slightly shoehorned-in Warren, while on the good side we get the new, more vulnerable and likeable Scott, cute emo-kid Nightcrawler, Sophie Turner’s hard-to-define gravitas for Jean and even a small appearance for Jubilee. The professor gets his iconic appearance by the end, Magneto rather takes a few steps back in development but gets some great emotional scenes, Raven is the true protagonist and there’s even a nice moment with Weapon X and a tiny cameo for The Blob.

One thing I disliked here was the casual attitude to death, especially amongst the younger crew – who seem amused at the wholesale slaughter of the bad guy henchmen and make wisecracks. I’d think they’d be horrified. The death toll for the damage Apocalypse manages to wreak on the whole world must have been extremely high, too, but there’s no mention of that. The final showdown is a bit of a random series of powers but the final force that’s able to reign supreme makes sense.

Overall, this film was not what I hoped. There were some amazing scenes, and once again Quicksilver’s part in it all steals the show, but I was left unsatisfied by the whole piece and especially with En Sabah Nur himself. But this leaves me optimistic for the future. I’m keen to see how Mister Sinister is treated, always a much cooler bad guy than his name suggests, and while I’m not that interested in Dark Phoenix Adaptation #10,000,000, at least there’s a more likeable and compelling cast in place now.

What I really want to see, though, is rights issues resolved, special contracts written and X-Men being incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. May be a bit late now, though. 

Captain America: Civil War

I still maintain that this would have been a far better choice for Avengers 2. The Civil War storyline was a very good one in the comics, with the two factions really feeling like they belonged in their respective camps, plus the whole thing was built up on top of the House of M and then Decimation. 

The movie adaptation wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but once it got rolling it was a strong addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the pacing was a bit off, taking far too much time to get rolling, the eventual pay-off was enjoyable. If anything, we could have had less set-up of the Winter Soldier storyline and more focus on the divide caused by the 'accords' and a lot more discussion of what they actually were and how much they would control the team members. 

Another major problem was the lack of a serious antagonist. Bucky of course has two sides and is being controlled, so what's left is a rather uninteresting puppetmaster and a wild goose chase about other Winter Soldiers that ends up the film's biggest anticlimax and disappointment. 

Still, the film brings in some new Avengers members, chiefly Ant-Man (who gets a bit more of the decent powers of the Pym Particles this time) and Spider-Man, whose introduction is brief but workable, and whose motormouth is perhaps better-rendered here than in other recent representations. 

There are a few laughs and a few neat references, and probably the best Stan Lee cameo yet, but overall the film felt less impressive than I expected. It was great to see a split between heroes and the expected climactic duel, but overall, after so many adventures that seem likely to destroy cities, worlds or universes, catching Bucky or not doesn't fuel the story all that well. Indeed, in the middle, the film commits the cardinal offence of a comic book story and gets boring. 

But it doesn't stop me being engaged with these characters or wanting more. I'm very keen to continue with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, and also want to watch the Apocalypse movie, so my enthusiasm hasn't waned overall! 

The Conjuring 2

We’ve been laughing at archive footage of the event for a while, so it was nice to see it dramatized, and they actually did a very good job of making it compelling, and an Enfield council house a formidable setting. The film would have been better-off without the CG and less than terrifying monsters and sticking with the creepy goings-on and ordinary human beings, dead or otherwise, but it was better than expected and flowed well. 

Eddie the Eagle, Warcraft, Pete's Dragon and London Has Fallen

1: Eddie the Eagle

This small-scale, endlessly affectionate biopic has all the hallmarks of a cheesy sports anime: an underdog no-hoper who has the establishment against him defies expectations to win the affection of the world, and while not rising to the top of his sport – rather an impossible feat against people who have trained their whole lives – fulfilling a childhood dream and competing at the highest level. It works so well as a formulaic sports story that it’s amazing so little had to be added to the true story.

Of course, this is not a realistic docu-drama. There’s a shameless exaggeration of characters and adversaries, especially Tim McInnerny’s Olympics official. Taron Eagerton, who was not particularly likeable in The Kingsmen, is much better as Eddie, an inherently likeable buffoon, Hugh Jackman adds real gravitas to his washed-up, fictional coach character, and there are great cameos from Christopher Walken and Jim Broadbent. Handsome Edvin Endre from Vikings also gets to deliver a fantastic little monologue with really nice clock imagery as top ski jumper Matti Nykänen.

Watching the movie, you know things weren’t so simple. Eddie didn’t just go to a training camp specifically for ski jumping and recklessly endanger his life until someone helped him. He didn’t have a father who always discouraged him until finally being won over. Obviously he didn’t try the 90m jump for the first time in his life in the Olympics. But it doesn’t really matter. It’s meant to be a fun and silly tribute to a fun and silly story, and in that it succeeds very well.

2: Warcraft

Having a bit of an addictive personality, I stayed well away from the time and money sink that is World of Warcraft, and thus I don’t know much about it. I could probably have told you it’s a high fantasy set in the world of Azeroth and that the bad guys are collectively called the Hoard, but that’s about it.

I actually quite liked the look of the Warcraft trailer, though, enjoying the fact that it didn’t just present a Tolkienesque world of good humans against evil orcs, instead focusing on some orcs who have a nobler purpose than just conquering and pillaging. That said, it’s a pretty straightforward overall plot, with conquering and pillaging at its heart.

This is an unashamedly over-the-top fantasy story, with wizards doing proper flashy magic, orcs smashing things with hammers and dwarves busily crafting weapons. Unfortunately, everything is too tried-and-tested, so there are no surprises beyond the limited attempts to make a sympathetic orc character. A lot more of that angle would have worked better, but the fact is that the orcs are simply born killers who intend to conquer everything.

This isn’t going to bring new fans to the game, and I doubt it will start a whole new franchise – though plot elements were left hanging to tease that possibility. It would have been much improved by something to chip away at the polish, a sceptic or a cynic or a buffoon. Everyone was just too earnest, playing their roles so dispassionately.

Oh, and I didn’t even recognise Glenn Close.

3: Pete’s Dragon

I’ve never actually seen the original Pete’s Dragon, but I believe the intrigue in the original revolves around whether Elliott the dragon is real or not. No such question here, but by the looks of it they did away with any but the barest resemblance to the original in any case.

Unfortunately, what results is a story that has nothing new to offer. It owes a lot to Flight of the Navigator, E.T. or even Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World in the kid-and-strange-companion-hunted-by-adults, and I’m sure there are plenty of other examples.

I was mostly bored by this remake, perhaps because I hoped for some psychological ambiguity, only to get a remake that replaced a campy original with a new plot that was nonetheless entirely unoriginal.

4: London has Fallen

I watched this only because it was the sole vaguely interesting-looking film short enough for me to watch on the jaunt between Seoul and Tokyo, though I suspect it was only that short because it had been heavily censored. I never saw Olympus Has Fallen but I don’t think it was necessary to know Gerard Butler was a tough guy in the Bond-Bourn vein and he has to protect the president.

Honestly, what I wanted from this film was to see London blown up. Not just Big Ben, but a whole variety of familiar landmarks. Not because that’s what I want in real life, of course – but because it’s always fun to see places you know in this kind of action story. Here, a huge terrorist attack at the state funeral of the UK Prime Minister dispatches most of the world’s most prominent leaders – with only our heroic US president to be protected by his tough, mostly bulletproof bodyguard and a few disposable allies.

Nothing smart and strewn with cheap effects but the initial attack was fun to watch.