Persepolis Review

        When it comes to comic books, people usually think of superheroes or a group gifted with powers. Very few are based on modern life such as Ghost World. Persepolis is probably one of the best comic book films that I have seen, without the capes. It is based on author Marjane Satrapi who was around during and after the Iranian Revolution. This film offers a unique perspective during a turbulent time when the only thing we know of the event is when Americans were hostages. 

1. Coming of Age Story

        As I mentioned earlier, Persepolis is based on the author’s life growing during the Iranian Revolution and her growing up as an outsider in Vienna. This is the rare instance where the author is the co-director in the adaptation. Anyways, we see Marjane waiting for a flight in an airport while we flashback to her youth. She’s a feisty girl who is heavily influenced by Western culture by mimicking Bruce Lee. 

        Her parents are supportive for the ousting of the then leader of Iran. When they returned from a protest, Marjane wakes up and chants the death of the leader. She is taught by her uncle on the situation the country is going through. It also helps that what he teaches the girl, we also learn since there’s people who are not aware of how Iran changed from a democracy to a theocratic one. 

        Ultimately, the country transitioned in power and the family is proud of the leader’s ouster. One thing that makes Marjane unique is that she thinks she is a prophet. Which helps explains to us that she is religious and talks to God. Those moments expose us to who she is as a person. For instance, when the family get word of a relative being imprisoned, Marjane and her friends decide to pick on the kid whose father is a guard for the leader. She is eventually told that doing some form of unwarranted justice is wrong. 

        As things get worse, due to Iraq invading Iran, Marjane’s parents send her to Vienna. For her to live securely and is mentioned to us that she learned how to talk French in school. This film works as a two-part story like in the graphic novel. For one, the first part is really seeing the Revolution through Iranian eyes. The second is when we see Satrapi in an alien environment. As she lives in a hostel, she meets a group of punk rock friends who are interested in anarchy and find her intriguing. Due in part that she saw an uprising, not much her as a person. 

        The big thing in the film is identity. She never really liked being an Iranian and gravitated to listening to Rock music or anything that’s not part of her culture. We see how she ditches it and embraces who she wants to be but is told that to never forget her roots from her grandmother. Marjane the character is the person who is a minority but wants to be accepted. Her intentions are good, but it’s the way of going about it is what makes her interesting. 

        One thing I do like is that she speaks out on the ideas of being a woman in an Islamic world. There are moments when she is with her mother and sees the police question her mother’s wearing of the hijab. She sees that and questions their authority and really advocate for equity at a place where that’s inherently taboo. The best moment is when her college has a council formed, she stands up and really gives the councilmen every reason why her attire restrains her from doing art in art class and points out the double standard amongst men and women.

 

2. Animation

        This is one of the few instances where the animated film mirrors the style of the medium its based on. Most of it is black and white, but it is dynamic with how it does those stylized segments of using black. The only other instance of a graphic novel adaptation was in Sin City since that was also in black and white but had hints of color for different characters. Here, it’s intentional by showing the situation be as it is where there is no gray area for compromise. 

3. Price of Freedom

        Another thing I noticed is that the family wants the change of leadership in the country. It’s mentioned that the Shah abused his power to make himself more opulent in lifestyle, while the civilians lived in poverty. Marjane’s parents didn’t want the change socially, they just wanted him gone and someone else to take charge. 

        It feels like irony when the next leader, the Ayatollah comes and the whole country changes socially. All the progress that they wanted was for nothing. Since women are treated like second class citizens, even Marjane when she returns from Vienna sees the double standard placed on her. Now, I will say that the film isn’t anti-Islamic, there are good people in that religion that don’t need to be grouped to some extremist ideas. 

        The overall point is that when she is informed of the situation and to have it basically be a part of the alienation she receives in Vienna, shows us that she has to embrace who she is and to have integrity in herself. It's good that the character has depth and to really grapple with just how wrong everything is in her eyes. Like not having parties, drinking, or listening to Western music such as Rock.

4. Why Persepolis?

        Doing some more research, I learned that Persepolis was once a grand city in the area. It was then conquered by Alexander the Great. Throughout the centuries, the area has undergone numerous changes, but still having the same Persian influence. With what happened, it could be a warning that any country who veers to a more socially constrictive idea could become another Persepolis. The film isn't attempting to be preachy, but more so on standing up and calling out something that deserves it.

5. Overall

        This is a great animated comic book film. It shows one side of a conflict and how that changed a young woman. The film humanizes the event, and more films should offer different perspective instead of showing a biased one. 

        Persepolis gets a four out of five. 

 

Fantastic Planet Review

 

        Talk about a transition from American animation to a co-production between France and the former Czechoslovakia. Translated from French, Fantastic Planet is quite possibly one of the oddest and interesting animated films that I have seen. This has to be mentioned, much like other great films, it’s based on a novel which is translated to Oms Linked Together by Stefan Wul. 

1. Alien Planet

        By looking at the movie cover on top of the post, you know well that it’s a science fiction animated film. I honestly thought that the character would be the main lead and who we will be following. Well that’s not the case. The blue aliens are called Draags and they have possibly one of the most interesting alien designs. Not just by how they look but what exactly they do. Anyways, the film takes place in the future. The Draags have somehow made humans into their pets, since to them the aliens are giants. 

        That is where we see our actual protagonist Terr who we see as a baby. When his mother is killed by a few adolescent Draags. The Draag that we do see is named Tiwa, she treats Terr with respect and by following her father’s orders, she gives the baby a collar to able to control him. Unbeknownst to her or her parents is that Terr’s collar receives the same broadcast when Tiwa is using her knowledge headset to learn more about her planet’s history. 

        Eventually, Terr grows up and runs away from Tiwa and takes her headset to find other humans on the planet. Animation wise, the film is vastly different from Disney’s. The film has a sort of story book design with a limited animation since it’s not all that fluid but has an okay motion with what’s going on. Interesting though, instead of the film using celluloid with painted characters to animate, Fantastic Planet utilized paper cut outs. That explains how most of the animation reminded me of the animated segments of Monty Python. I will say, the film is not for children, even though it was released in the United States with a PG rating. 

        When Terr explores the planet, we truly see just how alien the Draag’s planet is. Everything we see in terms of vegetation and the animals are just plain weird. I wish I could use a different word than that, but bizarre is just being too nice. We see moments were the creatures eat the humans and even that is odd how the animals go about it. Again, just the stills from the film don't do it justice to convey how interesting and weird the whole movie is. 

2. Rebellion

        Reading more about the film, the overall idea of rebellion pops up. When Terr finally leaves Tiwa’s home, he still has his collar that Tiwa can control to bring him back. Our protagonist sees a woman who helps him get the collar off of him. From there, we see the women lead Terr to her clan and really be the one to expose the others to what the Draags are planning. 

        The whole rebellion is justified since we see the Draags have a council to discuss how to deal with the humans. Since they realize that they reproduce fast and may be out of control to contain. The humans then realize that they have to leave since they will all be decimated. As I mentioned earlier, the film was a co-production between France and the former Czechoslovakia. The latter country was invaded by the Soviet Union due to them attempting to crackdown on ideas that were anticommunist. 

        That event is probably one of the few instances where an actual event of cleansing inspired the making of the film. The entire process took five years to finish due to the invasion. Another example of the film being influenced is the Civil Rights movement in the US. For the reason that the event had a group of people wanting to have equity. It’s not in the least bit of a stretch since the humans in the film ultimately live among clans and once Terr shows them knowledge is when they decide to rebel for their sake of survival. 

3. Possible Childhood Reference

        Now this is a stretch on my end since I was talking to my friend about this movie and one show from Cartoon Network might have made a reference to the film. The show Courage the Cowardly Dog has an episode called "Tulip's Worm" where an alien worm is running amok and Courage the Dog tries to stop it. 

        Alien teddy bears, stick with me on this, try to get the worm as well. Near the end, all of them make it to the alien world where a giant blue girl sees Courage and his owner Muriel. As far as I know, there is no interview from creator John Dilworth explaining that he saw the movie or that the episode was an original idea on his part. I thought it was interesting notice when I watched the episode again. 

4. Overall

        This is a classic in foreign film and in animation. It’s unique which I will give it total props and it has a world that is unlike anything that I have seen in a while. 

        Fantastic Planet gets a five out of five. 

Cinderella Review

 

        It was 1950, and Walt Disney animation was in trouble. Following the release of their first hit, the studio had been suffering from financial failures for their animated films. Movies such as Bambi, Pinocchio weren’t big money makers at the time due to World War 2. The only profit they made is when they did animated films for the U.S. military and package films. Anthologies that had short films with musical numbers. If it weren’t for Cinderella, we would not have Disney animation or the company in general. 

1. Back to Basics

        After the release of the package films, Walt Disney and his crew decided to go back to basics. They hadn’t done a fairy tale adaptation since the 30s. It was probably their best move because the film really resonated with Walt in some ways. Such as Cinderella being the underdog in her story since she is relegated to be the housekeeper. Even though, the chateau that she lives in is hers. 

        This is the film where the animation is a much significant upgrade in comparison to Snow White. The main character has that factor of being drawn so well. Ilen Woods voices her and she absolutely nails it. Her character is very humble and treats the animals around her with respect, including Lady Tremaine’s cat Lucifer. Just to put it out there, I hate that cat. One small detail that anyone can miss is that she treats Lucifer with respect, on the same token that she tries to find some goodness with the feline. Even when it stalks the mice.

        It’s no surprise that Disney has a long list of baddies in their animation, Lady Tremaine has to be on the top of the list of Disney villains. She is the stepmother to Cinderella; she bosses her around with chores and gives more attention to her daughters Anastasia and Drizella. It’s her face that just has that selfish look and is voiced by Eleanor Audley that gives her total authority and just around meanness. Like she would talk to Cinderella with her usual voice and then snap to a more commanding tone to make her do more menial house chores. 

        I feel that in animation, there’s a clear choice to have the human characters look real and the animals look more animated. The animators had to look at film reference of Helene Stanley who was the stand in for Cinderella. Like it was intentional to have the stepsisters to be just ugly because that’s who they are Now, I know that the Prince is only there for a little bit and the legitimate complaints lobbed at him is that there’s nothing interesting about him. The point is that its intentional. Had we switched to see what the Prince is doing would derail a movie that’s mostly about Cinderella. Her being the focal point gives us an understanding of where she’s coming from. 

        What I think works is just by the action of what they do that justifies the creative choice. On the two sisters, yes, they look ugly, and their personalities are that of lazy and just needy. I think the best animation moment is when the Fairy Godmother transforms Cinderella from having a tattered dress to the one everyone knows. It even has the sprinkles of magic that fall down to give it that touch of fantastic. 

        One last thing that I never thought of seeing in a Disney animated film is that there is lots of drama. For instance, when Cinderella finds her mother’s dress and the mice sing and make it more presentable, the stepsisters find that the dress has their necklace and fabric which makes them rip it apart. It’s tough seeing that play out since Cinderella didn’t deserve that. Another instance is when the Duke of the kingdom visits the chateau and his assistant is about to give him the slipper. Tremaine trips his assistant to breaking the slipper. It’s effective since the Stepmother is just petty and wants her stepdaughter to be miserable. 

2. The Real Stars in Animation

        People tend to never think of the actual workforce that went through animating the film especially during the early years of Disney animation. The group is known as “Disney’s Nine Old Men”. They should be credited or at least be talked about whenever a conversation on either Cinderella or any initial Disney film is brought up. Each of the men were assigned with the various animated parts on the film and it’s something where any film review that discusses Disney animation must bring them up because their work overshadows them. One even had a cat with him which prompted Walt to use his pet as a reference to Lucifer.  

3. Legacy 

        Without a doubt, Cinderella is an important film for Disney and with motion pictures in general. It won critical praise and was the film that finally gave the studio its financial synergy to be stable. Couple that with the songs that were sold for commercial use and the tie-in merchandise gave enough money to Disney that the studio decided to branch off to do more than just animation. 

        I think it is intentional to have the princess be the icon or mascot of the Disney Princesses. She has that streak of her like an underdog or someone who is humble but deserves her time to wish for something. It’s a concept that any girl or audience member can really latch on to. Even the castle from the film is used for Walt Disney World, it goes to shows just how much the film really means to the overall corporate entity. 

        Lastly, why exactly did Cinderella deserve to have sequels 50 years later is beyond me. I did read that parts of it is good and that it gives more time to the characters than the original film. It’s just common knowledge that the sequels to the classic Disney films are inferior, but I think with the case of this film, the more time to the other characters are admirable in the least bit. The film was adapted to live action in 2015 by Kenneth Branagh. The film is quite good and is one of the few live action adaptations from Disney to be as comparable as the original. 

4. Overall

        Cinderella is the quintessential Disney film that remains the perfect example of doing a great animated movie. It still holds up, 70 years later and the character is who we root for and to have our own dreams come true. 

        Cinderella gets a four out of five. 

Fantasia Review

 

        After the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, followed by another adaptation on Pinocchio, Walt Disney decided to go even bigger in terms of animation. Originally intended as an extended Mickey Mouse feature, Fantasia was Disney’s most ambitious and experimental feature he has produced. It combined orchestrated music with animation that had no dialogue. Today, it’s heralded as a classic in Disney animation and animation in general. 

1. Orchestra and Animation

        For the Disney purists, this isn’t the first time Disney’s animation had a collision with music. There were two different cartoons at that time. The usual Mickey Mouse shorts and the more musically inclined “Silly Symphony”. The series is notable for using color when it was brand new and using the multiplane camera to make dynamic animation at the time. It only seemed appropriate to make a 2-hour feature with animation and instrumental music. 

        As the film started, we get to meet the MC of the film, Deems Taylor telling the audience what they will be watching and listening. The music was conducted by Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Taylor is only in there to give the context of what the animation is supposed to be as how it was performed with dancers and giving some historical context of the music. Another thing is that he tells the audience to watch for three things of the combination of the mediums by saying “…music that tells a definite story, music that paints a series of pictures, and "absolute music" that exists simply for its own sake…”

        Obviously, having the pictures in this review doesn’t do it justice in the least bit when describing what exactly is in the film. Oh man, how it must’ve feel to be in the theater with special speakers built in the theater to hear the music and seeing the animation. That sound is called “Fantasound” it made it as though you were in the theater hearing an orchestra right in front of you. I think it revolutionized sound before THX was used for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

        Just picking which of the seven segments that I like is a challenge in of itself. They’re all drawn so greatly. The first segment Toccata and Fugue in D Minor uses abstract animation to go along with the rhythm and sound of the orchestra. Others uses plants, animals, extinct prehistoric monsters, and Greek myths to go and be the performers for the music. It’s better than seeing humans do a dance number since, animation can go in any direction. Lastly, how the animators give the soundtrack an animated piece just shows their talent. I mean it’s a squiggly line that imitates the music notes.

2. "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice"

        With all that, whenever you come across a DVD or see it on Disney+, Mickey is front and center of the poster or cover. As I mentioned earlier, the film was originally Mickey’s until Walt decided to retool the feature to what it is now. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is the most famous out of all the segments in Fantasia. The segment is based on poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s story of the same name. 

        To put it into context, Mickey looked differently before Fantasia. You may have seen him have a very black and white look with pie eyes on his face. Here is the first time that Mickey has the look that is his current look in animation and whenever anyone goes to either Disney theme parks. Originally, Mickey wasn’t supposed to be in the segment. Dopey was going to be in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment. Which explains why Mickey has the baggy look that he does. It’s a classic look and one of his most memorable costumes in his storied history. 

3. “Night on Bald Mountain” and “Ave Maria”

        These two works in tandem wrap up the film. Now, the former is probably the only time that Disney animation ever got dark. It starts foreboding, well the music really sets up what exactly we’ll be watching in the segment. The main character Chernabog, who looks demonic stretching his shadow down on a town to bring out the dead. The dead are mostly dancing as the demon uses them as playthings. 

        Probably the best sequence to follow that is with Ave Maria. Duh it’s contrasting and there’s a certain calmness and something that’s soothing to see music that isn’t frightening. I really like the second half of the segment since it’s practically Disney since it gives this hope to really end the film. With how it's presented, it's religious but it ends with a perfect sunrise to give it that classic Disney ending.

4. How Did it Bomb?

        As ambitious as it was, it didn’t do well financially. The studio that was distributing the film RKO didn’t really have faith in the endeavor so they decided to give Disney control to distribute the film. That resulted in the film having a roadshow where they traveled across the country to show the film. It is critically acclaimed for how ambitious it was. Although, they weren’t allowed to distribute the film overseas due to World War 2. Disney’s animation studio faced a big financial set back.

        Disney decided to give the distribution back to RKO and they cut the film from approximately 2 hours to 81 minutes. Not only was Fantasia the only Disney feature to bomb, it was part of a series of bombs for the studio. For as much as Pinocchio to The Adventures of Ichabod Crane and Mr. Toad are classics, they didn’t do well financially. Some did make money, but not big enough profit to really make a difference since they were released during the war and after. 

5. Legacy

        Due to the popularity of the film, Fantasia was rereleased during various decades. It made more profit as people lined up and actually bought the film on video. In 1999, a sequel was made called Fantasia 2000, it is the first animated film to be released on IMAX. While it was good, it wasn’t as ambitious as the original film. Most of the designs for Mickey and Chernabog were used for Walt Disney World in one of the shows. 

        In 2010, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment was adapted to a live-action film with Nicolas Cage. I’ve seen it with a friend, and it wasn’t good. It would only make sense to make a third Fantasia film now with just how animation has evolved. As of 2019, Disney announced that they are developing a third film exclusively for their streaming service. 

6. Overall

        Out of all the animated films that Walt oversaw, I think Fantasia is the one that really has the medium be utilized in an unorthodox way. It’s a treasure and one of the best animated films that I have seen. 

        Fantasia gets a five out of five. 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Review

 

        Just a bit of a heads up, this month I will be reviewing animated films from the early Disney stuff. To some from Europe, Pixar, and some other non-Disney films. Now with that out of the way, let’s get started. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first animated feature length film ever to be released. It propelled Walt Disney’s animation studio to new heights. As well as being the first Disney Princess film to kick off more adaptations as the century progresses. It made animation not just a genre, but a style that every studio has. This is considered to be the most important film in cinema. 

1. Fairy Tale

        Like most films, this one is based on a German story by the Brothers Grimm. You probably know the story, so let me sum it up. Snow White lives in the castle with the evil Queen. Occasionally, the Queen asks her Magic Mirror who’s the fairest one of all. The Mirror would tell her that Snow White is. The Queen soon hires a Huntsman to kill Snow White. He can’t muster enough to kill the princess and tells her to run away. 

        She befriends the woodland creatures and finds a small house. Unbeknownst to her, seven dwarfs are at a mine digging for diamonds. They return home and see that it’s clean, and see the princess sleeping on their beds. Meanwhile, the Queen takes it upon herself to kill Snow White. It’s a simple approach to the story and its something where it could’ve been longer. Although given the complexities of animation for the time, some moments had to been left on the cutting room floor. 

        Snow White is the purest character, well the mirror states that twice. One would think she would be one note, but it’s practically her character to be innocent. Like yearning for a lover, become playful with the forest animals, and also becoming a motherly figure to the seven dwarfs. Some people may be creeped out and ask that why are a bunch of small geezers hanging out with a young princess. The point is that the men have a childlike innocence to them, that’s why they’re perplexed that their house is actually clean for once.

        If there is one complaint is that the Prince is only in the movie in the beginning and in the end. It’s both a complaint and an understandable compromise given that the animators had him do stuff in between. Such as a deleted moment where the Queen actually captures him, and he has to escape to save Snow White. I will talk about the animation next, but to really stress that it would’ve been difficult to animate. 

2. Animation

        For context with the cartoons that came out during this film’s release, most of the animation was roughly smooth. Animation has evolved from experimental, to rubber hose. Meaning that the objects like a car or other inanimate objects, has this bouncing feel to it. A good example would be the classic Betty Boop cartoons from Paramount. Disney’s animated studio was rolling with their animated shorts. Back then before a movie would start, a cartoon from either Disney, MGM, Paramount, or Warner Bros. would play before the film would start. 

        Snow White was revolutionary since it utilized this method to shooting a shot. This special camera is called the multiplane camera. How it worked was that the camera has 4 frames, think of how a painting looks and divide it between the foreground, the middle, and the background. The animators had to put in a shot of either Snow White or other characters in the frame that was made of celluloid and record it frame by frame. I was not aware that Walt Disney made a short documentary on how the special camera works, it's on YouTube if any of you guys want to see it. 

        It’s meticulous and its something where we really don’t think about whenever we watch a Disney movie from the past. Nowadays, everything is made via the computer. There’s an art to how the Disney animators made everything to have a life like look to it. In terms of motion, Walt actually made the animators to look at live-action references to perfect just how the animation has to look like. So much so that when they were doing storyboard, meaning they sketch out how the film is going to be. Walt performed and acted how each of the characters are supposed to be in the film.

3. One of Many Successful Disney Features

        As the film was being made, it faced a lot of scrutiny in Hollywood. Since, any preconceived notion is that no one would be that interested in an animated film longer than a couple of minutes. They referred to the movie as “Disney Folly” since they thought that the film wasn’t going to be good. That must have been motivation to prove the doubters wrong since, this was an ambitious thing to do with vasts amount of money involved. 

        Lo and behold, after its release it has been hailed as an achievement. The film is actually the first to have tie-in merchandise, predating Jaws and Star Wars. It is interesting to read that for the press of the film, some audience members actually cried for what happened to Snow White. Just giving that character depth and to have it resonate with the audience makes it a feat in of itself since the character their grieving for is animated. 

4. Overall 

        Obviously, any Disney fan has to watch this since it put the studio in the map. Any fan of animation has to watch it since it made the medium be respected. It’s an enjoyable animation feature that managed to be more than a “Folly”. 

        Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs gets a four out of five. 

John Wick Review

        Since this is the last day for my look at action films, I’ve decided to pick the one that I haven’t had a chance to look at back when it was released in 2014. I’ve been wanting to see the sequels and just recently I have bought the individual Blu-Rays. John Wick is what I believe to be the best action films of the 2010s. It started a series that is still in development and revitalized Keanu Reeves’ career with much appreciation. 

1. Never Mess with a Man’s Dog

        When we first see John, he’s bloodied and limping. The rest of the film acts like a flashback, we learn that his wife had passed away. She has gifted him a car and a new Beagle named Daisy. Wick slowly starts to love the dog. From there, masked intruders barge into his house and beat him up. Including doing the awful act of killing his dog. 

        As John wakes up from being knocked out, he vows revenge. Meanwhile, the Russian mobster Viggo chastises his son for killing and stealing Wick’s dog and car, saying that he will find him. The whole movie after the inciting moment is a revenge film. Since John is only looking for payback after having the final memories of his wife is stolen and murdered. 

        Aside from that, John is a great marksman. When he is confronted with Viggo’s men, he knows how to take cover and to really adjust on the fly. It’s from there that we learn that Wick used to be an assassin that was employed by Viggo. When John goes to New York City he knows a lot of people from his past. Like, he was probably that good in his profession that it made an impact on them. 

        For as much as he’s a good shooter, he takes the damage every now and then. This is the needed detail that every director who does an action movie has to have for a protagonist to be human instead of an overpowered joe with a weapon. Having Wick get shot or stabbed, or just strangled gives him more depth since he is easy to level with when he gets shot and he has to be stitched back together. Nine times out of ten, the use of this tiny detail will elevate a standard action movie to a great action movie. 

2. Gun Action

        Now, of course when you watch or heard of this film, it is the action that’s the star. Specifically, the tight gun choreography. To be more in depth with the action is that it’s mostly drawn out with the shots that we see in John’s perspective. In context with the action films from that time is that most of the action was using shaky camera. The point of using that technique is to make the audience be in the action. 

        Although sometimes a standard action movie would overuse it and the action would be unreadable and hard to follow. In John Wick, the action is played out with quick edits and long takes of the action. It’s refreshing since, the action is engaging and easy to read since when John is being outmatched, the camera still tracks him when he adjusts on the fly. In other words, the action in John Wick has a specific name, Gun-Fu. 

        As far as blood goes, its nowhere near as exploitive as a Tarantino film. Where a simple gunshot would yield an arm loss or a body becoming a hose squirting blood like a faucet. John Wick is grounded with its approach that it never feels exploitive or trying to hard to be cool in the overall action. It’s played straight with what’s going on and it works so well. 

3. Overall

        Another short review, but I can’t stress that I really love this movie. It’s an appropriate way of closing out my introspection of action movies from 60 years and to see what changed. The recurring thing is to have the character be relatable. The action is good and needs to have a tight story to go along with it.  John Wick is a celebration of action movies and I’m glad I finally watched it. 

        John Wick gets a five out of five. 

 

The Bourne Identity Review

        It’s crazy to imagine that my look into action films end on Friday. This week has been just a breeze through on action films from the 90s to now. The Bourne Identity is in my opinion the one to really change the action film and espionage film. Even solidifying Matt Damon’s role as an action star in the subsequent sequels. 

1. Jason Bourne

        Based on the novels by Robert Ludlum, the first film on what was the trilogy has Damon portraying the amnesiac Jason Bourne. We see him adrift in the Mediterranean and picked up by fisherman. The captain cuts his gear and sees Bourne with bullets on him. He wakes up and goes into Switzerland to the bank. What he finds is numerous amounts of cash and various passports under assumed aliases. 

        Among the items he finds a pistol. As he leaves, Jason feels he is being followed. We then cut to shots from his perspective by seeing two cops look at him and hearing sounds of police sirens getting louder. To avoid any measure of being followed, Bourne goes into the American Consulate. And, he gets accosted and escapes. The whole film is mostly about trying to figure out who he is, while avoiding execution from the people who hired him. 

        I will say that since I have a vague understanding for espionage films, The Bourne Identity feels unique. It gives Jason his understanding for defensive measures without the need of any high-tech equipment. Later on I will discuss how the Bourne franchise changed the James Bond franchise. Jason also brings along a woman to help him named Marie. She is his co-conspirator when they try to find out who one of the operatives he is listed as. 

        What makes him more than a super-agent of sorts is that he doesn’t want Marie to be involved when the situation is becoming more severe. There is one moment that proves she is just more of an asset than liability. When they are investigating hotel records, Bourne thought of a really elaborate way of retrieving it. Marie goes to Jason, and saying that she just lied to get a copy that they need to look over. 

2. The CIA

        Again, far from the typical evil organization such as James Bond’s Spectre, the CIA is our main antagonist group. It’s an odd choice since it’s a respected US government agency. Now, I haven’t read Ludlum’s Bourne books and I’ve wondered if it was to veer from a fanatical group to something of a corrupt agency. Regardless, the moments where we see the CIA is chock full of rudimentary display of info. 

        I mean, they have the old beige Microsoft computers and a paper map to show where both Jason and Marie have been in France. I would expect to have everything be high-tech with everything being digital including the map. We do see why exactly he is being hunted. Bourne was supposed to assassinate an exiled African dictator. He didn’t comply with the order and was shot in the Mediterranean. As a result, the director of the program Conklin calls other agents in various parts of Europe to kill Jason. 

        They have eyes and ears in Paris that updates them where Jason is going. Honestly, I was not expecting actress Julia Stiles to appear since she is in 10 Things I Hate About You. It makes you think that there are probably more agents across the globe to find and contribute to the killings of specially trained agents who failed their missions. More so is that it makes me want to see the subsequent sequels to see if the CIA are corrupt or they have justifiable reasons to find Jason Bourne. 

3. How Bourne Changed Bond

        During the time Bourne films were coming out, the James Bond films had to be reworked as a way to revitalize the franchise. The last one with Peirce Brosnan was when the series was at its low point. With the release of the Daniel Craig Bond films, there appeared to be an effort to slowly steer away from the fanatical to a more grounded approach. 

        As was the case with Skyfall, that film put James Bond in a situation where to outsmart the villain was to not use any specialize weapons, but to use his own instincts and training. For one thing, it’s incredible to show an American film franchise change a British film franchise. Not only that, but it didn’t help that the Austin Powers films poking fun at the ridiculousness of the James Bond franchise. 

4. Overall 

        Now I want to see the rest of what was the Bourne trilogy. The Bourne Identity is one of the best action films of the early 2000s. Setting the stage for a trilogy and giving a spotlight to the Bourne books. 

        The Bourne Identity gets a four out of five. 

 

Speed Review

 

        I feel that with every decade Keanu Reeves has been acting, he’s always known for one movie. And it keeps piling up since he’s known for a whole lot. Such as being in: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure in the late 80s. Speed and The Matrix in the nineties. The crappy Matrix sequels in the 2000s. With the 2010s having him in the John Wick films. Keanu Reeves can do no wrong, sometimes. Speed is one of the best action films in the 90s. 

1. Jack Traver

        Of course, the film has Keanu Reeves! So he plays a cop named Jack Travers in the LAPD. We see him and his partner Detective Harry rescue people from a rigged elevator. They work well in tandem since they find bombs in the elevator. From there, we see them face the bomber Howard. I will get to Dennis Hopper in a bit, but he is just over the top crazy. Not campy and exaggerated, but a right side of psychotic. You know what, he just wants money.

        The following day, Howard blows up a bus. He calls Jack and tells him that another is rigged. From there, he finds the bus and attempts to disarm the bomb. Jack is the 80s action star that’s in the 90s. Traver has his catch phrases and speaks in a very “actiony” way. Like, it’s a toughish accent that you have to watch the movie and you’ll understand. Either way, he is resourceful with attempting to stop the bomb. 

        Another thing I thought was that him and Harry were perfect to stop the bomb on the bus. Harry does help him over the phone via cell phone. Jack does get one passenger to help him, Annie Porter, played by Sandra Bullock. She’s supposed to be the regular person who is roped into something extraordinary. Annie becomes the driver and really adjusts to the situation. Well, gradually as the damn bus just barrels through just to survive. 

        This is another instance where our main character shows some emotion. Unfortunately, we do see his buddy die as Howard rigged his house to explode. Jack is crying and Annie gives him a pep talk to bring him back to reality. It’s a small moment but it gives our lead and us a break with what has been a literal crazy ride. Those small moments to at least have the main character show grief gives him more depth than just standard action hero. 

        One last thing is that Traver is pretty smart. He knows exactly how Howard operates. As Jack is figuring out how Howard is seeing everything that is happening, he realizes that he has a personal view of the bus from the inside. Traver uses his police squad and ingenuity to fool the mad bomber and to go under the bus to try to disarm it. 

2. The Bus 

        The main highlight is that the bus has to go to a specific speed to not arm the bomb to explode. Annie has to floor it to the max speed the bus is built for. Now, this concept could’ve gone south if it was handled by someone less competent. Here, it’s the most intense, adrenaline filled moment that made me excited. Obviously, having pictures to show various shots of the bus doing the crazy driving does not do it justice in the least bit. 

        Inside though are the other passengers. They are also regular people caught in a middle of a madman’s quest just to get his money. What I really like is that not all of the passengers are innocent, two people completely flip, and one points a gun to our hero. Jack tries to calm him down, but another passenger grabs him to stop him from doing anything drastic. The motley crew follow orders by Jack and even cheer him on when they do a stunt that has the bus drive on its side. 

        On a more technical matter, the bus goes through the ringer. The vehicle rams through, jumps, even go around an airport runway just to maintain its top speed. The moments where Jack tries to get in the bus and even open the hatch to see the bomb gives the transport character in its own right. 

3. Overall 

        I will say this, the sequel is so bad. Don’t for the life of you EVER watch it. Speed is one of those movies that should have been just a one movie thing. The sequel has a cruise liner, but no Keanu Reeves. Need I say more? Speed is the need you want to have a great time watching a great action movie. 

        Speed gets a four out of five. 

Raiders of the Lost Ark Review

 

        In the 1980s, Steven Spielberg owned the decade. With him as a director, producer, and getting into television. He could do no wrong. The film that really started his rise further into cinema’s beloved is with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Alongside his Southern California classmate George Lucas, they crafted a unique hero that harkens back to the adventure serials back when they were young. And, Steven Spielberg wanted to make a James Bond film but was not allowed. Lucas decided that the two of them should create their own hero. The rest as they say is history. 

1. Indiana Jones

        Harrison Ford plays our lovable archeologist. When we first see him trekking somewhere in South America, we immediately assume that he’s just a treasure hunter. Until it’s established later that he is a professor of archeology. Then later he is commissioned by an associate for Army Intelligence to get an artifact before the Nazi’s get their hands on it. 

        He enjoys hunting for the treasures since it’s something that he loves to do. As well that he is knowledgeable on their origins. Like when he and the agents from Army Intelligence talk about the Ark of the Covenant. He doesn’t believe most of it and has basic idea of what the Ark is used for. 

        The great thing about him is that he has help for finding the Ark. Like an old love who was related to a professor when he was in college and an excavator in Cairo. Their synergy works since Jones isn’t a treasure hunter who wants to keep the items for himself. For him, it’s to conserve it for history.

Another great thing is that Jones knows how to get the treasure. It’s established earlier when getting the golden idol that he knows where the traps are. Specifically where the ones filled with poisoned darts and spears. I think the best one is finding where specifically the Ark is. It’s a great moment and of course, he has to log it in his journal.

        Since I briefly talked about some 80s action films, Indy isn’t one who has a big muscles or has a walking assortment of weapons. He’s an everyman who makes up his plan as he goes along. The thing I noticed since reviewing Robocop and First Blood is that the protagonist has enough depth where they are put in extraordinary situations. They are the opposite of the muscle bounded heroes that they use their wits to outsmart the bad guys. 

2. Treasure Hunt

        Jones has competition other than the Nazis; Rene Belloq is his antithesis. When they meet up in South America, he takes the golden idol away from him. It’s something that happens every time they cross each other. He even mocks him that he gets to collect the stuff Indy finds just for himself. 

        The reoccurring thing that he says to him is that they are alike. Both are archeologists, hired by respective governments to get a key relic of the past. The only difference is that Belloq is doing it since the Colonel that is assigned to him tells Rene that Hitler wants to use the Ark as a weapon. You can think of him as an archeologist but he steals for nefarious purposes. I find it kind of odd as to why would Hitler use the Ark since it’s a famous Jewish artifact. Even the colonel tells Belloq that he feels uncomfortable with the Jewish tradition surrounding it. 

Interesting enough, for as much as we want Indy at least get one treasure in this quest, he never gets the thing. You can say that it’s a sacrifice since he doesn’t want to invoke the power of God. To me, it gives him more of a character growth since he’s not one to look for prestige. Especially when he threatens Belloq by destroying the Ark with an RPG so that no one can get it.

3. Faith

        Aside from the treasure hunt between Jones and Belloq is this idea of faith. It’s established earlier that Jones doesn’t believe in anything and just the facts that surround the Ark of the Covenant. You can’t blame him since he just sees archeology as just a relic of its time. Although, when he gets word of the Ark, he knows the basic gist of it, but goes so far as to not really believing any of it. The little moments where Indy is near an artifact that relates to the Ark the wind starts to pick up. It’s only alluded to that it can be a warning. Although, when Indy is near the Ark a literal storm arrives, clearly God is not subtle in the least bit. 

        I think it works well with Indy’s character growth since he wants to see the Ark since the only thing it has going for is just stuff he learned from Sunday school and the Bible. The part when he and Marion get kidnapped and the Nazis open the Ark is probably the best moment. It’s simply great seeing Nazis getting killed and getting their comeuppance. 

4. Overall 

        Need I say more? It kicked off a series of films and television series that shows Indy during his youth. There is a 5th movie coming out from director James Mangold, who directed Ford v Ferrari and Logan. Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the best action movie and Spielberg film. 

        Raiders of the Lost Ark gets a five out of five.