"Sometimes the world doesn't need another hero...sometimes what it needs...is a monster!"
It's always intriguing with an origin story, because it allows viewers to experience the change, in this case the man who will then become the monster we know as Dracula. This film did just enough on that part, while being sufficiently entertaining as an action flick. But it came with many minor flaws, one that culminates in a less overall dramatic experience.
On the good part, the action sequences were great, supported by some well worked visual effects. The cast is also brilliant, most notably Luke Evans and Charles Dance. Dominic Cooper portrayed a bad guy for the second time this year, and though he can perform, he never really looked the menacing villain. He never felt like a threat and neither was his men, so there was little suspense throughout the film. There was more suspense towards the very end, but it did not culminate in a fight, promptly ending the movie in it's rather short running time. Although, there was a nice final scene (which I will talk about after the verdict, SPOILER ALERT, guys! Scroll down with caution...)
As an untold story, it's good to see the reasons and the set up as to how this man had to become the monster, yet it was not properly explored. The case was that Vlad was supposed to resist the temptation of human blood, but it was never explored in depth except for one initial moment. It could have been more dramatic if more scenes show of his struggle, and then maybe along with the repercussions that he may be hurting his own family because of this, which will ultimately be way more dramatic. Several other details like this were not properly explored, which made it a rather straightforward story, enough to make the plot move, but not to make it a dramatic experience.
VERDICT:
Good: Great action sequences, Decent visual effects, Excellent cast
Bad: Many minor flaws in the plot, Little suspense
SCORE: 6.5
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The final scene...the really final scene, in the present time, was a very nice touch. To see Vlad as Dracula blending himself in with the modern crowd and people of the present. And even Charles Dance's character is there too, so it pleasingly entertains the notion that these creatures are really immortal, and are living amongst the people even in the present age. And to see Charles Dance in his full glory (without make up)...
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It's late September...so that means the TV starts to fill with more excitement, with both new and returning TV series...here are some that I have seen, and commented based on respective season/series premieres...
The Blacklist (S2)
The Blacklist is the one that I watched first, perhaps because it is also one of the earliest release, yet also because I can't wait to see more of James Spader as Red. Back for Season 2, this season premiere didn't disappoint, but didn't exactly thrill as much, either. We get more of the same, which is more of the good stuffs, really. Red's charm, curious blacklist-ers, and we're up and running for more of The Blacklist for the next 9 months. One thing that made this episode even better, is that they immediately picked up this Berlin character from last season's cliffhanger, and it looks to go on even in episode 2, which means that more is already at stake even this early in the season.
Conclusion: If you likes the first season, I think this season will give you more of the same...and more. So, yeah, why not?
Gotham (New)
Gotham is one of the most exciting new series I've been looking for. There is no need to hide that I am a big Batman fan, from the games, movies, and I have said this to people that the thing most exciting about Batman, is the array of villains looking to make a mess in his beloved city. Now, with a series focusing on the origins of these charismatic villains, I thought this is awesome, but only if they can pull it off. One episode in, and I was pleased. It was not one that left me in awe, but I believed this was a hard series to pull off anyway, so to be able to bring what they did in the pilot episode, it was more than enough to get me to follow the whole series to the end. There are lots of positives and negatives to discuss with this one, but maybe that is a discussion for another time.
Conclusion: I think this will be a great series to follow, as long as you can keep up with the characters.
Agents of SHIELD (S2)
Season 1 was a mixed ride with this show. They got fans excited initially, but let them down throughout midway in the series, before pulling off an exciting story arc during the 7 episodes towards the finale. Season 2 starts pretty harshly (in a good way), they don't even give us time to breath. Continuing whatever situation we were left in, the story keeps the tone and kept the strong emotional plot, while still daring to do more even in episode 1. And the flashback episodes & character was good, too. What still kept me disappointed is their inability to access (or employ) characters or artefacts that are more relevant to the universe. Instead, they seem to be left with low-rated characters, made-up weird artefacts, and when they tried to claim the Quinjet, yeah that was seriously disappointing. It should not be that way.
Conclusion: Marvel fans will follow (even if they seem not so good). Non-fans should give it a few more episodes before deciding whether to follow or not.
Scorpion (New)
This was one unexpected series. The pilot was good and exciting and fresh. But then I looked back and realized that it probably isn't going anywhere with the premise and set up. Whatever is new and fresh for this series, may have exhausted it's freshness in the pilot episode alone. Unless the writers can be more daring and infinitely more creative, I'd say that this one will soon be more routine and boring. But trust me, the pilot episode was very good, and worth the watch. For future episodes, I'm not so sure, unless the writers can pull it off, in which case "hats off" to them.
Conclusion: Pilot is very good, but we'll need to give it a few more episode to see if they can maintain the quality & excitement.
Bigger and better movies creep in as we near the holiday season of November-December...
Gone Girl (Oct 3-USA, Oct 2-UK, Oct 9-Singapore)
Not one that I'm particularly excited (by heart). It's more towards curiosity, and that what pulls me in is the credibility of the talent. A genre of mystery & thriller already has quite the appeal for a secretive & twisty discovery. And now for the talent within. Story: based on a novel. Directing: A masterclass like David Fincher who has his own style for quality mystery movies. Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, etc. All those and the curiosity may just be enough to drag me to the theatres for this.
Links for trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym3LB0lOJ0o (Trailer #2)
Dracula Untold (Oct 10-USA, Oct 3-UK, Oct 2-Singapore)
I know nothing much about this apart from the cast members and what I see from the trailers, and even that is enough to convince me to see this. How much this untold story (as a story) is going to be intriguing is still beyond my thoughts. But from the trailers, there seem to be a considerable amount of action for it to be quite an exciting action fantasy film. The way I see it, with a cast team like Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper & Charles Dance as well as some action-packed trailer, there is no reason not to check it out when it arrives on theatres.
Links for trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2aWqecTTuE
Fury (Oct 17-USA, Oct 24-UK, Oct 22-Singapore)
It might not be here if this is not the month of October. Fury has the makings of a big budget action movie, with an amazing cast & director too, yet it seems to promise nothing new. From what I know so far, it is an action-drama war movie, set to portray as much authenticity as possible with the deep emotional portrayals from the characters. The cast is an exciting one, too, but aside from this, it doesn't look like it showcases anything new & intriguing. But then, what else is there to look forward to? (Don't worry, November is close by...)
Links for trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OGvZoIrXpg
Other Movies:
The Judge (October 10)
-A fancy looking comedy-drama starring the one and only, Robert Downey Jr...
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ikeVQ8WAcQ)
Nightcrawler (October 17)
-A crime-thriller with a very intriguing & eccentric plot...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lEdwqwOttg)
The Book of Life (October 17)
-An animation film with some excellent voice casts...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBw5YScs8iQ)
John Wick (October 24)
-An action thriller starring Keanu Reeves, with a rather familiar premise...
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0BMx-qxsP4)
"We get out now, or we die trying!"
The Maze Runner possesses a very interesting premise to begin with, and being a film of discovery and uncovering the truth, it kind of rests on the reveal to be good for viewers to be able to fully enjoy it. Well, in all honesty, its both satisfactory yet disappointing. Everything else is just fair enough to enjoy and kind of what we expected, with nothing special coming through.
From minute one, the premise is set, and questions after questions are brought up yet remain unanswered. This is for the viewers to join along with our heroes as they uncover the truth of the situation they are in. It's satisfactory in the case of the revelation, the truth behind what really happened, well, without spoiling it, it's kind of fresh and acceptable. What is not, though, is getting to that reveal. Again, without spoiling it, the methods initially uncovered to get some truth out of it kind of felt rather unsatisfactory. I don't expect a lot from this film, so I can accept it, but in truth, it could have been done much, much better. (Putting aside the fact that it came from the novel).
With a movie that aims to keep viewers in the dark until the final reveal, it mostly rests on such reveal and everything else matters quite little. Of course, throughout the film, we follow our heroes as they slowly discover new things happening, and for this film, I thought it was done fairly okay. They keep us questioning yet they reveal little hints and clues, which is good and keeps us intrigued. Unfortunately, as it leads towards the final reveal, they did not touch upon these again, so it felt less significant.
Every other aspect was done well, just what I expected from this film, but still, it could have been done better. The action was fun, some running in the maze was quite suspenseful. A little touch of comedy, and yes, a little touch of drama, too. The cast was surprisingly good, and I quite liked some of the main characters too. Overall, it was a satisfactory film to watch, but in all aspects, could have been done better.
VERDICT:
I guess the final sentence should make the verdict already, regarding all aspects of the film.
SCORE: 6.5
"Tell me about your target"
"Male...old...used to have skills"
"Used to?"
The November Man has its moments that is satisfying enough as a spy thriller film with an excellent showdown of skills and wits between the two main cast. If you take those away, however, it becomes a boring movie with typical action, typical story, and really unsatisfying characters. The only thing done right with this film, is the two main characters, and nothing else.
The relationship between the two main characters, Deveraux and Mason, is really the only thing exciting about this film. The confrontation between the master and his best student. Testing each others skills and wits, while costantly revolving around the notion of one character knowing the other all too well, to predict moves and make their next one. It could have been done better, but at least they pulled it off satisfying enough that I can enjoy these confrontations all the time. Yet I have to give credit to both Pierce Brosnan and Luke Bracey for making it work and being such likeable characters too.
Aside from this though, the movie really don't have anything to show for. The action is very typical. You'd seen it a thousand times before. The story is quite typical, holding on to some of the general cliches and twist that you may (or may not) come to expect from these kind of movies. The only special thing about the plot, is again, pitting the master against the protege, and pushing the relationship to the limit, is all that makes the plot interesting.
Meanwhile, in terms of characters, none of the other characters are even slightly interesting, including the villain. When you have a villain that is neither fierce or compelling, it becomes a problem. This is no superhero flick, granted, but even spy movies could have a villain that could really bring the shit (sorry) down. Take a look at the Bond movies (no pun intended for Brosnan, really). Yet again, even in terms of characters, the only ones interesting are Deveraux and Mason. Luke Bracey did well as the young student who is both skillful but has internal struggles of his own. Meanwhile, Brosnan just always have that charisma and flair onscreen, making him look cool in anything that he does.
VERDICT:
Good: Excellent two main characters (relationship, character, plot)
Bad: Everything else, Typical action, Almost typical plot, Uninteresting supporting characters
SCORE: 6.0
The quieter, if not the quietest, month of the year...with only a few big movies or just some smaller budget movies coming out...
These months (including October, sometimes up until January) usually come with Oscar-aiming movies, but I'm not particularly interested in covering those...
The Maze Runner (Sept 19-USA, Oct 10-UK, Sept 11-Singapore)
If not for the cast and the low marketing appeal, it could be quite the film to look forward to. The premise is interesting, with potentially lots of secrets & probably twists to uncover for audiences to join in on the discovery. And being a story based on a book, it should be good. But with mostly childrens & teenagers in the cast, and only a few well known ones at that, it doesn't really inspire confidence. Not that I have anything against them, but movies with only teens as cast doesn't really inspire confidence to me. And then there is the low marketing appeal, (aside from trailers), I don't really see much being publicised or anything, and that makes me quite doubtful. On the other hand, the trailers does look quite cool, and it may just be quite good. I hope it is.
Links for trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1In45K0DGc (Trailer #1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv8ffeBcRC8 (Trailer #2)
The Equalizer (Sept 26-USA, Sept 26-UK, Sept 25-Singapore)
An action thriller. Denzel Washington. Yeah, why not? Trust me, this would not be here if this is not the sorry month of September. But I suppose from the trailers, this film will have some action entertainment for us. Directed by action director Antoine Fuqua, who's recent work include Olympus Has Fallen. Starring some (or just the one) well known actors. And just, comparing to other movies coming out in September, this one has a slightly higher budget, and the trailers did show some cool action. Story-wise, not so. But hey, what else are we going to do, anyway?
Links for Trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjctHUEmutw
Other Movies:
The Drop (September 12)
-A movie with a very low budget, but stars some well known actors in Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGkZq8ZOgO4)
Dolphin Tale 2 (September 12)
-A family film, whose predecessor earned quite the bucks and was received well by critics...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhxLMl5QEXw)
No Good Deed (September 12)
-A crime thriller starring Idris Elba, and with quite a curious plot...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5VeowxERwM)
A Walk Among the Tombstones (September 19)
-One word...Liam Neeson. Nuff said...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6Ttj9tXzCA)
The Boxtrolls (September 26)
-Not my kind of animation, but stars well known voice actors...Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Ben Kingsley, Elle Fanning, Jared Harris, etc...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2dFVnp5K0o)
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"We are Groot"
Fresh, unique take...
There is an easy way to say that this is not your ordinary superhero/science-fiction blockbuster...and that is: Peter Quill dancing. I mean, really. I was so surprised even during the opening credits scene...it's just so funny and unexpected, something you don't see in other superhero films.
And then there's the final battle. You really don't expect to see your main hero, dancing, to fight the big baddie. Of course, it's a distraction, but really, you just don't see that coming, and yet it's fun.
It's not the only thing, although that can kind of entirely represent the weirdness of Guardians of the Galaxy. Yet, the use of the classic pop songs in...many times, really...is just pure fun and kind of sets up the mood well there (starting to like "Cherry Bomb"). In fact, these songs kind of overshadow the existence of Tyler Bates' quite decent score.
In the end, these are not your ordinary superheroes, seriously.
Some plot points...
Even for me, as a fan, it's still hard for me to tie this in to the main Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nearly everything introduced here is new to the MCU, and so the only thing to make it work is for future Marvel movies to connect to these worlds and characters...but it's hard to see it happening soon. The closest possible connection so far is Thanos (seeking the infinity gems) and The Other (leader of the Chitauris) whom presented Loki with a scepter. And probably The Collector for being part of Thor: The Dark World's post-credits scene. Speaking of which...
Post-Credits Scene
I don't like it. Why? It's just taking the weirdness to a whole another level. Why do they have to do that? The weirdness level throughout the movie is just right to make this like a different kind of blockbuster, yet still keeping in tight (at least the tried to) with the main Marvel Cinematic Universe. But this is just too much. Just...don't...ever...put Howard the Duck in any other Marvel film, much less a movie of its own. Please.
