Snow White and the Prometheus 3: Moonrise Kingdom's Most Wanted

Snow White and the Huntsman

That other recent Snow White interpretation, "Mirror, Mirror" (starring Julia Roberts), gave me a severe brain hemorrhage, caused my eyeballs to explode and made blood shoot straight out of my fingertips.  Okay, that may be somewhat of an overexaggeration, but it was still a really bad movie.  So I had higher hopes when I saw the trailer for this darker interpretation of the Snow White story.  Unfortunately, it bored the crap out of me.  Visually, it's a very cool looking movie with well designed effects work, good cinematography and a very gritty palette not unlike "Game of Thrones".  Director Rupert Sanders knows how to make a good looking visual.  After all, he has an extensive background of directing television commercials, so he knows how to grab you very quicky with an arresting image.  It's too bad the movie never finds its own identity.  It's such a hodgepodge of modern fantasy movie pastiches that I was constantly thinking, "Gee, that's just like [insert fantasy movie here] - I wish I was watching that movie right now".  There's a helluva lot of "Lord of the Rings" here (to be fair, though, almost every movie made in the last 10 years has ripped something from "Lord of the Rings).  There are the random, whimsical touches of a "Harry Potter" movie, the darkly inventive creatures of a Guillermo Del Toro movie ("Pan's Labyrinth", etc), the mucky danger of "Game of Thrones", and an entire sequence taken almost verbatim from Studio Ghibli's "Princess Mononoke" (except this scene ends with a flying arrow rather than Mononoke's flying bullet).  Only more half-hearted.

The same goes for the characters.  While many of them are played by talented actors, none of them are ever fully realized.  Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen comes closest to being a real character, but her one-dimensional nature and random outbursts of hammy shouting (which sent the audience into fits of giggling) kind of kill any progress in the realm of three-dimensionality.  And don't get me started on Kristen Stewart.  What kills many acting performances for me is one, simple thing - dead eyes.  I can't stand watching performances where absolutely nothing is going on behind the eyes.  Stewart used to be a good actress in the pre-"Twilight" days, but since then. . . blank and unengaging.  It gives me the creeps.  And she's the main character we're supposed to root for.

She gets to make a "rousing" Richard III-style speech to her troops before they go into battle (as seen in "Braveheart", "Lord of the Rings", "Gladiator", ad nauseum).  It's a terrible speech.  The audience I saw the movie with was laughing.  Her troops weren't cheering because the speech was any good or because she had any charisma, they were cheering because she was "The One" who was prophesized to destroy the evil that was plaguing the land.  "Barbarian Queen" was a better female empowerment movie than this weak-willed sludge.

And don't get me started on the whole prophecy aspect of the movie.  At the beginning of the movie, she (and we) are told that she is the fairest in the land who will one day overthrow the evil queen.  And she does.  Zzzzzzzzzzzz.  If you're going to insert one of those tension-killing prophecies into your narrative, at least have the smarts to change it up a bit and do something original with it (i.e. "The Matrix").  Otherwise, just leave it out.

I didn't like it.  But, as I stated earlier, it's still a far better film than "Mirror, Mirror".


Prometheus

Okay, I spent way too much time on "Snow White".  Now it's time to take a look at another movie that I found to be disappointing in some very big ways, but still managed to hold together well enough for me to recommend it as a worthy viewing experience.

[Spoiler Alert]

Yes, it's a prequel to "Alien".  Taking place about 30 years before the events of that film, "Prometheus" is not a monster movie but a hard sci-fi/horror exploration of the origins of human life and the fundamental aspects of the relationship between Creator and Createe.  Based on H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness", "Prometheus" is at its best when wallowing in dark atmosphere or giving us fleeting glimpses of The Unknown.  The horror sequences are very strong, too.  Intense and freaky, they churn the stomach as well as raise the hairs on the back of your neck.  Visually and aurally, the movie is fantastic as well.  The IMAX 3-D presentation was stellar, and the score knaws at you in subtle, unexpected ways.  It's been way too long since Ridley Scott ventured into science fiction territory, and it's great to have him back.

On the other hand, the movie leaves you with an overabundance of questions.  Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing.  Normally.  Would it surprise you to know that one of the showrunners of "Lost" wrote this movie?  No?  Then expect to leave scratching your head.  While, in the end, the unanswered/unsatisfying questions of "Lost" were overcome by the strong characterizations of the cast, the characters of "Prometheus" leave a little more to be desired (except for Michael Fassbender as David the android, a character as enigmatic as the plot itself).  It seems to me that there are large chunks of character footage missing from the film.  This, indeed, seems to be the case as a Director's Cut of "Prometheus" has been confirmed for release in a few months time, featuring over a half an hour of cut scenes.  The characters just didn't gel for me, therefore making it hard to really care about the bigger questions proposed by the narrative.  Plus, the characters just kept doing really stupid things, which was really frustrating.

Overall, I recommend it.  If you can live with the flaws, it's a ride worth taking.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

Animated movies featuring talking animal characters are starting to wear thin.

Nonetheless, I'm not over them yet.  And here comes chapter three of DreamWorks Pictures non-Shrek franchise, featuring a different set of locations and a some new characters voiced by celebrity guest stars.  I really have little to say about this movie other than this - if you enjoyed the two previous movies, you will enjoy this one.  Actually, it surprised me to find out that it was just as good as the first two because the trailers were so flippin' awful.  But it's fine.  There's plenty of off-the-wall humor, fast paced action and bright, pretty colors, ooooooh...

And, as usual, the penguins steal the show.

If I were to rank the three films, I would have to say that the second film in the series ("Escape 2 Africa") is the best one (it's actually got some emotional heft to the story), but they're all on an equal plain, quality-wise.  And the 3-D was well done.

Not bad.


Moonrise Kingdom

Now I will use a familiar-sounding argument -

If you like the films of Wes Anderson, then you will enjoy this one as well.

Lots of people don't understand his whimsical, character-based comedies.  That's fine.  I happen to enjoy his films very much, because true character-based comedy is very hard to pull of successfully and, therefore, rarely done.  And he does it well, over and over again.

Essentially it's a story of young love and discovery, but it's presented as a madcap chase across a coastal island.  Lots of noise has been made about the big talent cast (Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel), and they are all great, but it's the two main kid actors who carry the show (Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward).  They fit perfectly into Anderson's stylized vision, and the whole movie is a sweet, satisfying and very funny night at the movies.  It's one of the best movies of the summer and, I think, one of Anderson's best movies, period (right up there with "The Life Aquatic", "Rushmore" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox).  I highly recommend this.  Well, if it's your kind of thing. . .

The Wrath of Godzilla, Part 14: Reincarnation

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth (1992)

Originally known as "Godzilla vs. Mothra", this became the highest grossing Godzilla movie in Japan, a record which still holds today.  A new director, Takao Owara, stepped in to take the helm while the writer/director of the previous two entries, Kazuki Omori, merely provided the script.  With series stalwarts Koichi Kawakita (special effects) and Akira Ifukube (score) backing him up, Owara created a fun, fantasy-laced monster romp.

A meteor strikes the Earth, causing rampant climate upheaval which uncovers a giant egg on Infant Island.  An Indiana Jones-like treasure hunter is sprung from jail in order to lead an expedition to find the egg, a joint venture between the Japanese government and the Maritomo corporation.  After braving dangerous jungles, flimsy rope bridges and raging rivers, the adventurers locate the egg, as well as the egg's two tiny faerie guardians known as the Cosmos (Series 2's version of the Twin Beauties).  Their purpose in life is to keep the natural order of things in balance - as well as lay out the backstory -

Long ago, a powerful and technologically advanced civilization ruled the Earth.  They created the giant moth Mothra to be their protector as well as a machine that was able to control the planet's climate.  Mother Earth didn't like this new development and created a giant moth monster of her own - Battra.  Battra set out to destroy the people, but Mothra rose to their defense.  In the ensuing battle, Battra was defeated, but not before the climate machine was destroyed, causing a massive flood which wiped out the ancient civilization.  Mothra and Battra, shrugging their insectoid shoulders, decided to sleep until something else came along that was worth fighting for.

The chaos caused by the meteor (which is described as the match that set off the environmental instability created by the pollution of mankind) wakes Battra from the bottom of the ocean floor.  Godzilla is also freed from beneath the bulk of Mecha King Ghidorah, but reliable psychic Miki Saegusa is on the case and warns the powers-that-be of his imminent return.  The Maritomo corporation, meanwhile, decides to ship the giant Mothra egg to the mainland for exploitation purposes.

Battra, in larval form, reaches land and destroys both the city of Nagoya and all military opposition.  Soon after, Godzilla arrives to harass the ship carrying Mothra's egg, causing it to hatch.  After a brief tussle at sea, the Battra larvae also enters the fray.  After slapping aside larval Mothra, Battra takes on Godzilla and the two of them get sucked into an underwater volcano.  In order to compensate for the loss of Mothra, the Maritomo corporation kidnap the Cosmos and bring them to the mainland, followed by our heroes (Indiana Jones-guy and the government people).  The Cosmos sing the "Mothra song" and the giant grub comes running, cutting a swath of destruction through town.  Miki Saegusa uses her ESP to locate and rescue the Cosmos (Cosmoses?  Cosmosii?).  Mothra settles down and builds a giant cocoon in the middle of Tokyo.

Mt. Fuji then erupts, belching out Godzilla and Battra, now in adult form.  Adult Mothra emerges from her cocoon in a pretty, ethereal light show.  After an aerial dogfight, Battra shoots Mothra down then turns on Godzilla, who stumbles into the fight.  Battra drops a building on Godzilla's head, but it's not enough to keep him down.  He retaliates and gives Battra a merciless pummeling.  Mothra comes to Battra's rescue.  The two giant moths form a temporary truce and gang up on the big lizard.  Battra knocks Godzilla down with a ferris wheel, and the two moths attempt to carry him out to sea.  On the way, Godzilla bites into Battra's jugular.  Godzilla and the dying Battra fall into the sea together, sinking to the bottom.

Mothra returns to pick up the Cosmos.  It seems that Battra was meant to fly into space and destroy a large meteor before it annihilates Earth in 1999.  Mothra decides to take up the cause and, with the Cosmos in tow, flies into outer space to fulfill Battra's mission.

This is another great film in a series of great films.  The monster action is furious and exciting, the human storylines are never boring (centering on the Indiana Jones-guy and his relationship with his ex-wife and daughter), and the score by Ifukube is, of course, The Shit.  There's a greater sense of fun and fanciful derring-do in "Godzilla and Mothra" than in the past entries, making it stand out from the pack.

And here's the song "Mahara Mothra".  It's basically the 90's remake of the original 60's version by Ifukube.  It became a #1 chart topper in Japan in 1992.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)

Don't let the title fool you.  This is not a sequel to 1974's "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla".  American distributor Sony/TriStar merely added a "II" to the title to separate them.  It only added to the confusion.

The father of Godzilla, Ishiro Honda, was originally meant to direct this, but he passed away in 1993.  So   director Takao Owara returned from "Godzilla and Mothra", with fresh screenwriter Wataru Mimura brought in to supply the script.  Koichi Kawakita (spfx) and Akira Ifukube (providing one of his best scores) also returned.

Japan's Counter G Bureau, in charge of anti-Godzilla countermeasures, created a ship called the Garuda to defend the planet.  Then they recovered the remains of Mecha King Ghidorah, retrofitting his future-based technology to create their own giant robot defender, Mechagodzilla.  Garuda, now obsolete, was mothballed, but this didn't stop it's creator and pilot Aoki, who continued to dote on the ship like an old mother.  Unfortunately, against his wishes, he's transferred to G-Force where he is to train to become a pilot for Mechagodzilla.

On an island in the South Pacific, a cooperative Japanese/Russian expedition finds a giant nest with two eggs, one unhatched and glowing red from the inside.  The scientists are soon attacked by the giant mutated pterodactyl Rodan, who is shortly defeated by the one-and-only Godzilla.  In the ensuing rabble, the scientists make off to Kyoto with the glowing egg, where it's taken to the Counter G research center for study.  Aoki visits the egg on the same day as psychic Miki Saegusa (he's obsessed with pteranodons - he even has a personal pteranodon-shaped hover bike).  For those with keen eyes, look for an appearance by the actresses who played the Cosmos in the previous movie, playing ESP students.

Miki senses a strange music coming from the egg - which hatches, revealing Baby Godzilla.  Apparently, the hatched egg belonged to Rodan and was "parasite egg" placed into the Godzilla nest by its mother.  Godzilla appears in Kyoto, following the egg.  Mechagodzilla is sent out to do battle with its plasma grenades, synthetic diamond skin, energy beam, paralyzer missles and shock anchor.  MG soundly beats Godzilla - then short circuits and keels over.  The army steps in to attack G with Masers (!) while Miki and the others put Baby Godzilla in a room which isolates ESP signals.  Godzilla loses track of Baby, destroys Kyoto tower, and leaves.

Aoki is demoted for not returning in time to pilot Mechagodzilla, so he goes back to his precious Garuda, and even manages to convince his superiors to modify the Garuda to interact with MG and become a secondary power source.  While Mechagodzilla is being repaired, Baby Godzilla is given his own isolated habitat for study.  His eyes glow red when he's agitated and he engages in all sorts of cute hi jinks, but he's never cloying or obnoxious like Minilla was in the original series.  He's a miniature Godzilla.  Counter G plans to use him to lure Godzilla to an island where the repaired Mechagodzilla can take him out (scans on Baby Godzilla reveal a second brain halfway down the spinal cord - they plan to destroy Godzilla's own second brain).

Then Rodan recovers from his first battle with the Big G.  He mutates into Fire Rodan and now has the ability to shoot a red hot heat beam from his pecker.  He steals Baby Godzilla from Counter G, with Mechagodzilla (Miki on board to pinpoint the second brain) and the Garuda (piloted by Aoki) in pursuit.  Garuda gets into a dogfight with Rodan but is shot down, so Mechagodzilla steps in and beats down Rodan.  Godzilla shows up late for the party once again, and Round 2 of the G vs. MG fight begins.  It's a draw until the Garuda revives and merges with MG.  Super Mechagodzilla pummels Godzilla to the ground then uses the G Crusher (and Miki's reluctant psychic help) to pierce G's spinal cord and fry his second brain (ouch).  Godzilla is paralyzed, but Rodan wakes just long enough to transfer his dying energy to Godzilla.  Now fully healed, G vs. MG Round 3 begins - and it's a no-brainer.  Godzilla (now with a temporarily red energy beam, like Rodan's) trashes Super Mechagodzilla, with the human occupants barely making it out alive.

Godzilla then approaches Baby Godzilla.  Miki uses her ESP to tell Godzilla that they will give him Baby without a fight.  After a tearful farewell with his human keepers, he heads out to sea with Daddy Godzilla.

Originally, Godzilla was meant to die at the end of the movie. Rodan wasn't in the original script, so in the climax Mechagodzilla was to have killed G, who would then transfer his dying energy into Baby Godzilla, mutating him into a new adult Godzilla.  Rodan was added at the last minute to recapture some of the magic of the previous movie by having another three-way monster battle.  Rodan's part in the new movie does feel tacked on and ancillary, but it's still good to see him.

All-in-all, another strong entry in a strong series of movies.  It may be the most action-packed entry of them all and it's never boring on the human side of the story, either.  The emphasis on mecha action brings a new flavor to the proceedings as well.  Plus, yet another great Ifukube score.

Next time, it's the final two entries in Godzilla's second series.