Movie Review: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
I’ve held off for a few days before writing this review because I was actually a little unsure as to how I felt about the movie. That’s not to say that this was a bad movie by any means. I enjoyed it, just as I enjoyed the first one of the franchise.
Golden Army is different than its predecessor in that it takes a much more comedic approach to the material than the first Hellboy. Sure there were some good laughs in the first installment, but the sequel sets out to be a much more even mix of comedy and action. This can be either a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on what you were expecting of the movie. It felt a bit out of place at first, leaving me wondering where the film itself was going. But around the middle of the film, it seemed to gel together and the laughs delivered alongside most of the action scenes pretty seamlessly.
Ron Perlman is Hellboy. It’s great to see him in the role again, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a third movie. Hopefully Guillermo won’t be too big by then to take the helm again. Selma Blair plays Liz again, though she is more important to the plot this time around. If you’ve seen the first movie, you know her character and Hellboy have a rough relationship. That carries over into this movie from the first, but it’s not so much funny as it is annoying. They never really make any kind of connection that makes you believe she’s in love with a big red devil of a man. The real surprise was Abe Sapien, played by Doug Jones. He’s funny and his relationship with Princess Nuala is much more interesting than Liz and Hellboy’s.
In terms of action, Hellboy II: The Golden Army certainly delivers. The action is fast, grand in scale, and pretty to look at. Prince Nuada performs a variety of martial arts flips and spins, dispatching those that stand in his way. Hellboy is back with his guns, and a lot more hand-to-hand combat than the we’ve seen before, which I was glad to see. The costumes and special effects are the real show here, though. Pan’s Labyrinth has become one of my favorite movies, so I’ll likely follow Guillermo del Toro anytime and anywhere he gets to put his creatures on a screen. The monsters and creatures in Hellboy are different than most big budget movies nowadays, in that they are largely done with costumes, rather than overused CGI. It creates an authenticity that most movies seem to be missing in today’s CGI infested action flicks. In fact, the creatures left the biggest impression of the entire movie.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a bigger, badder version of the original. As much as I liked the first movie, it had a very forgettable ending. While The Golden Army fixes that, it still feels a bit hollow. It has flashy designs, memorable creatures, but a pace and mood that feels uneven throughout the entire film. The Golden Army makes for a solid appetizer before this week’s Dark Knight.
Beer Pong Joins the Ranks of Other Wii Sports
The Wii suffers from a debilitating disease. Companies keep making games for things you can do just fine in real life.
The initial Wii Sports gets a pass from me. It was bundled with the system, and served, more or less, as an example of what the system and controller could do. Plus, I despise bowling. No more sore fingers, gutter balls, low scores, or having to actually go into a bowling alley and put my feet in a pair of shoes worn by a hundred other people. Spray or no spray, there are benefits to Wii Bowling that I’m not prepared to give up just yet.
Scuba diving costs a lot and requires an ocean. Billiards is fun, that video game works. Ninja Reflex training? Okay, I’ll give them that one. Even cooking makes for an interesting game. But for every idea that does work, there are some that are just plain laughable.
Carnival games are impossible to beat in real life, why would you play them in a video game? Virtual Sudoku? It’s cheaper to buy an entire book of sudoku. Another Monopoly reincarnation is coming in Q3 of 2008 (I never understood the allure of board games on a console). And now, coming soon to a Wii near you, Beer Pong! And you thought the gaming industry was running out of ideas. Psh!
That video is amazing. Look how happening all the parties are in the actual gameplay. And the one old guy playing looks like he’s loving it. But what benefits does a video game version of beer pong offer over the real thing? Well, let’s take a look.
The Good
The Bad
Sports Anonymous has made up their own drinking rules to supplement the lack of alcohol in the WiiWare title. So I guess you could still drink while playing.
The name of the actual game is Pong Toss, changed from Beer Pong. It would’ve lost the T rating from ESRB if they didn’t change it, apparently. This game is actually being released via WiiWare for the system, from a division of developers called Frat Party Games. Look for other future classics from Frat Party Games: Flip Cup and Quarters.
The Dark Knight in IMAX - Locations
Looking for the closest IMAX theater to catch The Dark Knight on July 18th? Look no further than this handy list, courtesy of Film School Rejects. I might just take the trek down to one of these theaters…
Heath Ledger, Oscar Nominee?
The Dark Knight officially comes out July 18th, 2008. Even though that’s over two weeks away, there are already some reviews (RollingStone, IGN) coming in on the latest Batman movie. Of course, they have all been resoundingly positive. Something else they’ve all had in common has been their praise of Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. What if he’s nominated for a best acting Oscar?
Apparently, the last posthumous Oscar winner was Peter Finch, for Network (1976). How bizarre would it be if an actor from a comic book movie, won an Oscar for the portrayal of a clown villain? Has that Happened before? The RollingStone reviewer says he’s willing to join any movement to get the late Ledger an Oscar for his Joker role, and I like the sound of that.
If Nolan has crafted what these reviewers say he has, this isn’t just a simple comic book movie anymore. It opens the door for serious interpretations of the superhero myth in American cinema.
Would it be fair if Ledger is, in fact, nominated for the Oscar for The Dark Knight? Some critics may argue that he has more sympathy due to his passing away. I would hate for a possible Oscar win, or at least nomination, to be tarnished by such a suggestion if he truly deserves it. All these reviews and talk of Ledger as the Joker just make me wish it was July 18th already.
Movie Review: Hancock
Fourth of July is here again, and what better way to welcome in the long weekend than with Mr. Fourth of July himself; Will Smith. As far as studios are concerned, Will Smith is the king of the box office. His last seven movies have all grossed over $100 million without so much as breaking a sweat, and has 11 total that have reached that mark. He’s the closest thing to a sure-fire hit Hollywood has. Hancock is positioned to be his eighth consecutive hit and give him his 12th $100 million movie. But does it even deserve to be?
As of this review, Hancock is at 34% on RottenTomatoes.com. It’s another Wild Wild West sized misfire for Will Smith, but it’s not his fault. Will Smith plays the title character, a superhero who destroys more in the process than he saves. Smith is as charismatic as he can as an alcoholic, jerk of an antihero here. Jason Bateman plays the PR agent who tries to change Hancock’s public image, and is hilarious — for the most part. Charlize Theron seems out of place here. There are moments where everyone is cracking jokes and having fun, while she’s being overly melodramatic.
As the previews show, the special effects are great. Seeing a superhero fly drunk through the sky, blowing up everything he launches from and tossing whales into the ocean is a blast. Aside from that, it’s your standard superhero CGI fare. There is a scene in particular that was way too overdone. It felt out of place in the movie and looked awful. I don’t care how much time they spend on a scene, but a fully CGI character’s movements will always look fake. It’s noticeable and detracts from the movie. One of the action scenes got to the point where there were no actors. Just CGI storms in the background and CGI characters. It felt like a cartoon and stood out like a sore thumb.
Hancock has some hero-sized problems in its plot. I was really into it for the first 35 minutes. I was beginning to wonder what everyone was talking about and why it had such a low rating. And then, it happened. The movie shifts gears. It starts out as a vulgar, satire of the superhero and has some good laughs. But really quickly, it hits the breaks. The laughs slow down and the jokes get recycled. They replace the mean, aggravated Hancock, with a wooden, reformed Hancock. Maybe I’m a callous, sarcastic jerk of a human being, but I liked Hancock more in the beginning when he was an asshole.
From what I’ve found out, Hancock went through six cuts just to get its PG13 rating. And that’s a shame. They shot a different ending, cut a bunch of scenes (including a statutory rape plot point), and dubbed over a bunch of the dialog. It runs a short hour and a half, which is probably due to all the cutting. It feels rushed and completely uneven. The movie doesn’t know what it’s trying to be. In a time when a superhero movie comes out every weekend, it could’ve have been a refreshing take on the genre. But, no. It’s like the studio heads saw the original cut, got scared, and turned the entire second half of the movie into generic swill, complete with terrible twist, goofy ending and throwaway dialog that attempts to explain bits and pieces of the movie (unsuccessfully I might add).
I can’t recommend this one at all. It just misses every mark it set out for itself. If anything, look for it on DVD if they release an uncut version. But what does it matter what I say? It’s Will Smith, Fourth of July weekend, so people will go out in droves to see it anyway. Go see WALL-E or Wanted instead.
Here’s a spoiler filled take on what Hancock should have been: 9 Ways Hancock Could Have Been A Pretty Good Movie. I have to agree on nearly every point he brings up.
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