Did you know that when a cat rubs her face or body all over something or someone, she's basically saying, "I own this now." Obviously, this has some functionality issues in the human world, but I can't help but admire it. "I want this. Consider it mine."
Yes, okay, I know how this all sounds, but stay with me. This is nonspecific to cat ladies.
GI Joe Retaliation seeks to bounce back from the rather passable but underwhelming first installment by signing on two of today’s most badass action icons – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who only has to appear in a movie for its awesomeness to rise ten notches and John McClane himself — Bruce Willis.
This time, the story borrows inspiration from current events and revolves around the ongoing missile dispute among major countries in the world, most prominently the United States and North Korea. With Zartan posing as the most powerful man in the world (the President of the United States) using high level nanotechnology developed by the Cobras, he attacks the Joes and frames them in the murder of the Pakistani president. Zartan then uses the death of the Pakistan head to call on other world leaders to meet regarding nuclear disarmament in the guise of seeking a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict. All the while, the Cobras plot Cobra Commander’s escape from a high security German facility. Unfortunately for them, some of the Joes escape and vow to avenge their brothers from the treachery of the Cobras, and clear their names as loyal soldiers of the United States of America.
The story itself offers nothing new. This storyline has been rehashed time and again in mainstream action movies and the only thing that is different is the presentation. In terms of action, I could not fault the filmmakers for their execution because of the non-stop explosions, stunts and machismo that oozes from every pore of this film. However, I felt that there was too much going on most of the time that the story just fades into the background and everything just becomes a big bunch of action scenes lumped together. The problem with this is that the audience becomes so bombarded with everything that is going on that they cease to appreciate individual moments of brilliance in the execution of the scenes.
I also felt that the bromance between Roadblock (Johnson) and Duke (Channing Tatum) was a hard sell in the beginning of the movie, so much so that audiences would feel that something big will happen between the two based on their interactions and dialogue. From the get go, there was a difference in the treatment of the two actors as Johnson’s character clearly overshadowed Tatum’s character Duke, who was part of the original characters of the franchise.
Sad to say, I was also not a big fan of Johnson’s tortured look. I felt that it is one thing to project rage and anguish but its another thing to oversell it to the audience. While I could not fault Johnson for his execution of his action scenes, I could, and would call him out on his overacting.
I think the thing that differentiated GI Joe’s second installment from other action megahits like Transformers and The Expendables was that it became too intense. It focused too much on the action sequences and failed to consider its balance with fun and entertainment. GI Joe is based on a cartoon series and making it fun is a basic requisite for the film. The first installment had Marlon Wayans as Ripcord who flipped wisecracks at Channing Tatum’s Duke. This time around, no one was there to counter Roadblock’s intensity, and there were hardly any missteps on the part of the Joes that posed as a challenge to their rather impossible mission.
One thing I liked about the film was the subplot that focused on Storm Shadow (Lee Byun Hun) and the Arashikage Clan. I liked how his character was given a chance to shine in this installment because Storm Shadow is one of more dynamic characters of the franchise. Lee Byung Hun is a fine actor and I liked his fashion sense best among all the ninjas of their clan.
All in all, director John M. Chu managed to come out swinging with this high impact popcorn movie. I’m not quite sure whether I liked it in total but it did have its merits. My main problem with the movie was that it was too cliché. I guess I was just looking for something different, but I guess that’s my problem.
Even before I read the book, I knew without a doubt that I was going to be watching the movie version and I finally caught the film this afternoon with some girlfriends from work. I was excited to see how writer/director Jonathan Levine (50/50) would adapt this Isaac Marion novel to the big screen, because judging from the trailer, the movie looked awesome. And it was awesome, and adorable, and heartwarming, and funny… oh let me just get on with it.
R is a zombie, but unlike other zombies, he yearns to regain the feelings that he had when he was still human. Now, he can’t remember anything about his former life and lives out his days at the airport, a hive of the undead controlled by “Bonies,” skeleton like zombies who will devour anything with a beating human heart. One day, as R and his best friend M, along with a zombie pack storm the city to get some grub (read: humans), they encounter a group scavenging for supplies, and he lays eyes on the human girl named Julie for the first time. When he munches on the brains of Julie’s boyfriend Perry, he learns bits and pieces about their relationship and he finds himself wanting to have the same connection with Julie. So in order to save Julie’s life, he takes her with him to the airport, inside his home, an abandoned airplane filled with memorabilia to keep her safe. As the two spend more time together, R discovers that he is changing, and as his feelings for Julie develops, the feelings that has since eluded him begin to return, along with his humanity.
The premise of this movie is totally whacked, and as with the book, many fans of the zombie lore will surely react to the very idea that love has the power to revive the undead. But Warm Bodies managed to make the ridiculous premise work, mainly because it retained the very essence of the book that made it so much fun. It poked fun at zombie stereotypes in an offhand manner, the scoring was super cool and super cheesy at the same time. The cast was also super likeable. Nicholas Hoult was adorable as the zombie R, creepy but still adorable, a tad ripe and grungy but charming nonetheless. Teresa Palmer was the perfect girl to play Julie. She had a kickass attitude that was just right for the daughter of the military leader of the humans (John Malkovich). Saturday Night Live alum Rob Corddry was great as R’s goofy sidekick M.
Warm Bodies was an unsual rom com, or as they are now dubbing it, zom-com. I think Jonathan Levine was the right guy to handle this project because he has that air of coolness about him that translates to his adaptation of rather unusual subjects (such as a zombie-human love affair). His other project 50/50 starring Joseph Gordon Levitt as a cancer patient and Seth Rogen was sort of the same way. He has the ability to put a positive spin on rather dire situations and make light of a rather grim topic like zombies (who are mostly featured in horror flicks).
Compared to the book, there were some minor tweaks, some that I missed like the bonies having a worship session and a wedding session, and some towards the ending that actually served the movie well, but basically, the filmmakers did good in this movie adaptation.
All in all, Warm Bodies was a fun ride, very entertaining and very cute. The interactions between Julie and R were very sweet and audiences can’t help but exclaim awwww on many scenes. The fact that audiences keep forgetting that R is a zombie (who should really be creepy and gross) is a testament to the success of the pairing. Warm Bodies was light, funny and smart and extremely well put together. Good writing, excellent casting, great scoring, make up and CGI. I can’t help smiling, just thinking about Julie overselling her zombie act, my favorite scene in the book, and in the movie. I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.
If you want to check out my review of the book, check it our here: http://cineramaetcetera.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/warm-bodies-book-review/
angie chui