The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.
Studio movies seem to be falling into two categories these days—they are either inspired by other movies or they are looking to do something unique and different. “Mickey 17” falls into the latter category. Even though it is based on the novel “Mickey7” by Edward Ashton, it is a rather unique and “out there” movie. It is a science fiction comedy with big ideas, over-the-top characters and representations. I can’t compare it to any other movie out there, which is becoming increasingly rare in today’s cinema. So often, when you watch a movie, it reminds you of one or two others that have already been released. Franchises, sequels and reboots are also becoming far too common. Original ideas, even if based off books, are infrequent visitors in the cinematic landscape of today.
“Mickey 17” is directed by the Academy Award-winning director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, and it follows the story of Mickey Barnes, played by Robert Pattinson of “Twilight” fame. After Mickey and his buddy Timo (Steven Yeun) fall into debt because their macaron business falls apart, they are out of options. This leads them to joining a spaceship crew where they hope to blend in and avoid getting murdered by flying under the radar. While Timo becomes a shuttle pilot, Mickey decides to become an “expendable,” which is a job where he is in charge of dying over and over again in order to find answers for various problems in society.
Mickey Barnes is sheepish, dopey, and painfully shy. However, he enjoys his new lease on life because of his relationship with an agent named Nasha, played by Naomi Ackie. They are madly in love with each other, and she helps Mickey deal with the fact that dying is not a whole lot of fun. Even though he is brought back to life because of a process called “reprinting,” it doesn’t make dying any easier for Mickey as he is, in many ways, a human guinea pig. With his work, they are able to come up with vaccines that will save lives.
One day, his life is turned upside down when his life is spared by a group of critters known as Creepers. This leads to him being turned into a double, so while he is Mickey 17, there is also a Mickey 18, a version of him that is confident, self-assured and fearless. Nasha doesn’t mind having two Mickey’s, as it is more fun for her to fool around with two versions of her boyfriend. On this expedition, there is a leader named Kenneth Marshall, played by Mark Ruffalo, and it’s hard not to draw comparisons to Donald Trump with his performance. I had to look this up after watching the movie, and I’m not the only one who felt this way, even though Bong Joon Ho and Ruffalo say that was not their intention. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. Kenneth’s wife is played by Toni Collette.
“Mickey 17” is a film high on ambition and ideas, but it doesn’t have a sense of direction, and its pacing is all over the map. One of the most frustrating aspects of this movie is the fact it has a lot to say and there is a lot going on, but it falls apart because there is no sense of where they want to go with all of this. Is it a love story? Is it a commentary on there being two versions of yourself? Is it a commentary on self-sacrifice? Is it about abuse of power? It’s all of those things and a whole lot more, but without a clear and concise vision, not all of these ideas have the time to be fleshed out, even though the film is two hours and seventeen minutes long. The film is wildly uneven and frustrating.
Another big issue with the film is Pattinson and his bland and uninteresting performance. He’s not a good actor, even when he is given good material. I understand he’s trying to be taken seriously as an actor, but he doesn’t have the chops to carry the comedic scenes, and he also struggles with the more serious material as well. This is another problem with the film—it’s in search of a tone. Since it’s trying to do so much at once, it doesn’t know how to balance its themes or tones. It’s also way too long, and it needed a good trip to the editing room.
* * out of * * * *
4K Info: “Mickey 17” is released on a single-disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. The film has a running time of 137 minutes and is rated R for violent content, language throughout, sexual content and drug material. It also comes with a digital copy that can be redeemed on most digital platforms.
4K Video/Audio: “Mickey 17” gets the Dolby Vision/Atmos treatment, and it’s a remarkable release. The color palette really pops on this 4K release, and the Dolby Atmos audio track is also perfect for your home theater setup.
Special Features:
Behind the Lens: Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 (11:32)
Mickey 17: A World Reimagined (9:44)
The Faces of Niflheim (8:00)
Should You Buy It?
“Mickey 17” is a film that might end up gaining a cult following in years to come, but it also might be a film that falls flat with a lot of audiences. I do think it is worth checking out because it is entertaining at times and has individual moments which stand out in a positive way. It’s just too inconsistent for its own good, and it needed better performances from its cast. I absolutely hated the Mark Ruffalo character, but it probably wasn’t in the way they intended for me to hate the character. After spending a little bit of time with him, I wanted him off my TV, and I would audibly groan when he would reappear. The film does have some good special features and from an audio and visual aspect, it looks and sounds great. The movie is just a jumbled mess, but it’s rarely, if ever, boring. I’d recommend you watch this one first before you decide to add it to your collection.
**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free. The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.
The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.
Hollywood is famous for reflecting what is happening in our world, especially when it comes to current events. Everywhere we turn these days, we hear about artificial intelligence. As someone who owns Apple products, I can have my emails and text messages summarized and changed in order to sound friendly, professional, or concise. My incoming emails can also be summarized for me. While I think certain aspects of artificial intelligence can be useful or interesting, it is like most things in life: too much of a good thing can quickly turn into a bad thing. “Companion,” directed by Drew Hancock, is the latest artificial intelligence film from Hollywood.
“Companion” opens up by introducing us to Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and Josh (Jack Quaid) who have a meet-cute in a grocery store where he knocks over oranges. At first, they seem like your normal, everyday couple who meet, hit it off, and fall in love. Iris informs the audience of two pivotal moments in her life: the day she met Josh and the day she killed him. Iris and Josh meet up with Josh’s friends, Patrick (Lukas Gage), Eli (Harvey Guillén), Kat (Megan Suri), and Sergey (Rupert Friend). Sergey has a beautiful home with an even better view, so they look forward to a weekend of friendship, booze, and good times. However, it doesn’t take long for things to take a turn for the worse when Iris ends up killing Sergey.
After this unfolds, all hell breaks loose for the remaining five characters. Speaking of the characters, they are unlikable and one-note. “Companion” was a low-budget film, as it was made for $10 million and takes place in essentially one setting. However, a low budget film isn’t an excuse for lazy writing or poor character development. These are not interesting people to spend time with, unfortunately. Josh is an insecure manchild who plays the victim card. Kat is an ice queen. Eli and Patrick are a one-note gay couple. Sergey is just a boring pervert. There isn’t a lot of meat on the bones with these characters.
The film doesn’t offer a lot of new insights or opinions on the issue of artificial intelligence, control, or how we view and treat each other or robots. It is clear Josh is abusing his relationship with his robot Iris, but we have seen films in the past where the robots look for revenge on their human counterparts because the humans treat them in an inhumane fashion. The discussion about abuse of power has been done to death in films, and this film falls flat after a promising start. Maybe I’ve become jaded to these films, but what else can really be said about the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence?
When I think of a great film on the subject of artificial intelligence, I think of 2014’s “Ex Machina.” I also think of the 2019 remake of “Child’s Play” and 2022’s “M3GAN.” The groundwork has been laid for these films in the past, and I know we have seen robots and humans in the “Terminator” franchise. I could go back even further, but you get the picture. “Companion” feels like a gimmick, and when a movie is a gimmick without a proper story or well-written characters, it feels like we have been there, done that. Plus, the market is so oversaturated with these films at the moment. If you can count on Hollywood for anything, it is to take a popular idea and run it into the ground. I think they need to let this genre breathe for a while and return with a new take on the genre.
Even though I’m aware this review sounds incredibly negative, there are certain aspects of the film I did like. I thought it was beautifully shot and had a tremendous soundtrack filled with banger after banger. The performance from Sophie Thatcher was fantastic, as she appears very fragile and vulnerable but also bad-ass and tough. It runs a brisk 97 minutes and is not bad to watch, but it doesn’t break any new ground. It’s an average movie that is inoffensive and forgettable but well made. You won’t hate yourself for having watched it, but you won’t remember much about it after it’s over.
* * out of * * * *
4K Info: “Companion” is released on a single 4K disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It has a running time of 97 minutes and is rated R for strong violence, sexual content, and language throughout. There is a digital copy of the film included inside the 4K packaging.
4K Video Info: On 4K HDR, the film lends itself perfectly to the format with a striking and vibrant transfer. A 2025 film like “Companion” stands out on 4K, as the picture quality is stunning.
4K Audio Info: The Dolby Atmos track was top-notch throughout the course of the film, as I only had to adjust the volume twice when it was a little top heavy during a party scene. Subtitles are included in English, Spanish, and French.
Special Features:
I Feel, Therefore I Am
Love, Eli
AI Horror
Should You Buy It?
“Companion” is a film that doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to the subject of artificial intelligence in cinema, and it left me feeling underwhelmed and disappointed. When a film is low-budget, it needs to be high on ideas, but this one doesn’t have anything new to say about this subject matter. The cast is full of likable actors, but their characters are one-dimensional and bland. The kills are run-of-the-mill and ordinary. There was clearly a lot of skill behind the camera, but this film needed a sharper screenplay to really set itself apart and allow it to stand out. The 4K with a slipcover offers a remarkable visual and audio experience, so if you did enjoy “Companion,” you will be happy with the presentation. You will also be pleased with the special features included here. For everyone else, I think you need to rent or stream the film first before you decide to add it to your collection. While the film has a high score on Rotten Tomatoes, it didn’t work for me.
**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free. The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, filmmaker David Twohy has left a strong impression on moviegoers everywhere. He got his start as a screenwriter on “Warlock,” “The Fugitive” and “Waterworld,” and he eventually proved himself to be an effective director with the underrated “The Arrival” which starred Charlie Sheen as an astronomer who discovers evidence of intelligent alien life, and the equally underrated submarine supernatural horror film “Below.”
But the movie Twohy is still best known for is “Pitch Black” which had him joining forces with “The Fast & The Furious” star Vin Diesel who played the dangerous criminal, Riddick. Its budget was only $23 million, but Twohy and Diesel created a movie that was intensely exciting and which made the most of its modest budget. So strong was the cult following for “Pitch Black” that the two later made “The Chronicles of Riddick” which had a budget of over $100 million. While the sequel was not a commercial success, fans were still craving another Riddick movie and kept pushing at Twohy and Diesel to bring this anti-hero back to the silver screen.
Fans got their wish when “Riddick,” the third movie in the “Pitch Black” franchise, opened in theaters on September 3, 2013. After dealing with a big budget and a Hollywood studio, Twohy and Diesel ended up raising the money independently to make this particular sequel a reality and maintain full creative control over it. It follows Riddick as he is left for dead on a desolate planet and ends up being sought out by bounty hunters who are prepared to bring his head back in a box. But soon they are stalked by vicious alien predators, and they are forced to join forces with Riddick in order to survive the long dark night.
I was lucky enough to attend the “Riddick” press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California just before this sequel was released back in 2013. Twohy talked about the challenges of making this particular movie as well as what it was like working with Diesel who had just received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Question: How did the final film compare to what you originally envisioned, and were there any big challenges you faced in terms of the look of the film?
David Twohy: Did the finished product end up like we had imagined it? Yeah, it does because really, as a responsible filmmaker, I have to imagine the whole movie. After I script the movie, I have to storyboard it out, I have to budget it, and I have to understand if I can afford all those visual effects or not. So more than anybody, it looks like the movie I had imagined, sometimes better, sometimes not quite as good depending on how we execute the visual effects. But yeah, I’m not surprised by it because it’s what I do and it’s what I set out to make. Sometimes Vin, who is not privy to everything that’s in my head and all the work that I’ve done with the concept artist (and he likes it that way), is surprised, but I don’t have the luxury of being surprised. I can’t be surprised by anything in the filmmaking process if I’m doing my job right. So, it’s very much the movie we set out to make, and we set out to make something that would fit into the budget that we had ($38 million). I think you all know that this was an independent movie this time out instead of a studio movie. So, knowing that we would have limited resources, Vin and I sat down in his kitchen and we came up with a story that would fit that budget. It couldn’t be as grand as the last movie, and it had to be more contained. It feels more like “Pitch Black” to some people. It probably is more like that at least in its tone and scope (we limited it to one world), but it’s very much the movie we set out to make, and there were not that many surprises for me along the way.
Question: It was interesting to see that Dahl (played by Katee Sackhoff) was not a love interest in this movie. Usually, the girl ends up being the love interest of someone, but instead she was this independent woman who can hold her own. Can you talk about casting Katee and why you chose to make her this independent woman who can take care of yourself?
David Twohy: I remember Ridley Scott telling me this story about the original “Alien;” Ripley was scripted to be a man, and he decided to make her a female thinking that these parts should be gender-neutral. I’ve always remembered that, and the women in my movies do stand up on their own two feet and are not pieces to anybody, and I like that. In terms of Katee, she was the first person to read for the role of about a hundred actresses, and that I remembered her throughout the whole process speaks highly of her. So finally, I said, “Who was that girl who came in the first day, she had blonde hair and she kind of killed it? Who is she?” They said, “Oh that’s Katee Sackhoff from ‘Battlestar Galactica.'” Well, I didn’t really follow “Battlestar Galactica,” so I didn’t even know her from that, so I’m not casting or for that. I just thought she was the best available actress so we cast her like that, and I’m so glad we did because she was a joy to have on the set. And clearly, like the character, she holds her own amongst the men and swears worse than any of them. Her off-screen lines are just as good.
Question: What made you bring this franchise back to R-rated territory after the PG-13 “Chronicles of Riddick,” and is there going to be another “Riddick” anime, game or ride?
David Twohy: (laughs) A Riddick ride? Well, actually we are doing some D-Box seats in theaters, the motion platform seats. I just experienced them for the first time and it’s the closest thing to a Riddick ride as you’ll get. It’s watching the movie, but it’s motion based. I don’t know what that in between thing will be, but we embrace them, and I would like to do more. We published the motion graphic novel as well which helped with the back story of how Riddick went from King of the Necromongers to a man alone on a planet. We embrace those things, and it would be great to get another game off the ground, but those things are very hard to launch. They are costly and they need a lot of lead time, so it’s hard to sync those games to the release of a movie. But we would like to do another one and we are talking about it. The R-rated movie was important to us because, as a filmmaker, I have the flexibility I need to do what I want. With PG-13 I feel like I’m pulling my punches either in the script or working with my actors on the set and coming up with stupid analogues for the word “fuck.” I’m getting tired of that. It gets to the point where people aren’t talking like people talk anymore. Just because I don’t want to pull my punches anymore, I felt this was important to me. It also plants a flag in the ground for our fans as well and lets them know we are true to the character and the nature of the series. The reason for PG-13 last time is obvious. It was because we were a big studio movie funded by a big studio, and to minimize their risk they wanted to branch out to what they think is the widest possible audience and they think that’s PG-13. There is actually a sound reason for that, but Vin and I feel more comfortable back in the R-rated universe.
Question: In “Riddick” you deal with the Necromongers briefly and just move on from there. Do you plan on going back to that story thread if this movie is successful enough to merit a sequel?
David Twohy: Yes. If it is successful and if we have a flexibility to go wherever want for the next movie, and Vin and I are talking about two more movies and probably just that (it would be good to do a closed ended franchise rather than a franchise that just keeps spitting them out just to spit them out), we would like to get back to the Necromongers. I am currently cutting the director’s cut DVD right now which includes more of an epilogue which has Riddick returning to the Necromonger empire and actually setting things right there in terms of the guy who abandoned him on this planet and left him for dead, and his search for Vaako (played by Karl Urban) who he thinks has the answer to where his home world lies. The next few weeks will be telling for us, and we want to pay off the fans who have stuck with us all this time. They have never stopped talking about this movie to us, and it was them who made us open our eyes and say it will be honestly irresponsible to leave it like it was and not make another movie.
Question: How did you and Vin get back to the savagery of the “Pitch Black” with this one and made it look like “Conan the Barbarian” as opposed to “Conan the Destroyer?”
David Twohy: That was important too, and it was also part of the character who thinks at the story’s outset that maybe he feels that he is gotten a little slow, a little soft, who has dulled his own edge as King of the Necromongers and wonders what happened to him. Did he commit the greatest crime of all? Did he get civilized? So, the exploration of him trying to get back to basics to find his edge again, to get back to the lean thing he was, it’s a good evolution for Riddick and it’s also sort of a parallel to what the franchise has undergone
Question: What do you like most about collaborating with Vin Diesel?
David Twohy: That he doesn’t shut up (laughs). He’s a guy who aims high and pushes me to aim high. He’s a guy who dreams and thinks that anything is possible, and me I’m more of a practical guy. I try to be a responsible filmmaker, living with the constraints of what I’m given to make a movie with, but Vin doesn’t think like that. Vin thinks like anything is possible and he thinks big. Sometimes that’s almost a folly but other times it can be inspiring and it can open up my ideas to other ways of doing things. What’s great about it is that he’s a guy who has all the confidence in the world and always has ever since I cast him as just a guy, an actor, in “Pitch Black.” But he had an unshakable confidence in himself even back then, and he just seems to see the future or will it into being (laughs) so that he can say “hey I was right all along!” He’s great like that and he’s inspiring like that. Just about the time you think that Vin Diesel is a guy with big muscles and a big head and your kind of willing to dismiss him as that, you realize that this is a guy with a big heart too. He dreams no small dreams, and that’s good and that rubs off on everybody else he works with.
Question: Can you talk about crafting Riddick’s voiceover in the movie?
David Twohy: Here’s how I craft it, I sit in front of my computer screen and I write it. Then I’ll rewrite it, I’ll tweak it, I’ll rewrite it and then I’ll show it to Vin and he’ll say I’m digging this or I’m digging that. When he gets in front of a microphone, he’ll say 90% of it, but every once in a while, he’ll just stick in a line. I later find out it’s because it’s too similar to something else he said in another movie. We just work it out and then I’ll spitball three alternatives and when something pops up that he likes we’ll just lay it down. We’ve built a good level of trust with each other lately. As opposed to the voiceover in “Blade Runner” where it was just filling in stuff that you needed to know about the world and it wasn’t character-based, the one in “Riddick” is character-based and it comes with Riddick’s voice and how he sees the world. It takes a while to get it right.
Question: Riddick’s relationship with the puppy is one of the best things about this movie…
David Twohy: By the way, every woman who has interviewed me today talked about the damn puppy (laughs). I cut a trailer of this movie that was all about Riddick and his relationship with the dogs and I gave it to Universal and said, “Hey maybe we want to broaden our audience a little bit and make sure we get the women in here, you know?” Then they go, “It’s a little soft for a Riddick movie Dave.” God, I wish the marketing people were listening to this! I’ve been trying to tell Universal, I’ve been trying…
Question: Since the puppy was created with CGI effects and has a lot of interactive scenes with the actors, what did they have to work with on the set?
David Twohy: All the actors have plenty of reference whether its concept art which they can paper their trailers with or I’ll show them on the morning of the shoot. The puppy has stand ins. For the puppy, I got a 12-pound silicone puppy that looks like the real puppy. It’s furred, it’s got glass eyes and everybody wants to hold it, and it just feels right. The puppy made it into the movie in a couple shots. Plus, Vin has big dogs too, so more often than not he’s telling me how to greet the dog and how to pet it (I’m a cat guy, Vin’s a dog guy). So, he says, “No you don’t pet it like a cat. If you want to say hello to your big dog, you slap it on the shoulder.” So that’s what we do in the movie.
Question: What were the differences, both positive and negative, that you found making this movie independently versus working on a studio movie?
David Twohy: Mostly positive. We shot it in 48 days which was pretty streamline. During postproduction I showed it to an audience of 50 or 60 people and didn’t score it, didn’t test it. I just wanted to know what confused them so I could go back and clear up the confusions. I showed one or two cuts to Vin and then I locked the picture. That is as atypical as it gets in the professional filmmaking world because a lot those movies you saw this summer were focus grouped, tested, scored, recut, reshot, recut, tested, scored, and after a while there is a factory-made feel to those movies. So hopefully something this simple, streamline and filmmaking pure results in something that’s at least different and maybe better just in the handcrafted sense of it.
Question: So, would you say you had more fun with less money in some ways?
David Twohy: Yeah, we did, and I’m sure most independent filmmakers will tell you that. The downside is that we staggered to the starting line. We were up, we were down, we were up, and we were down. It all comes down to, is the paperwork closed? Is the bond closed? You have to close the bond to get the bank loan. It’s a lot of stuff I don’t know much about, and I wish it didn’t affect my life but it does. We started and we were shut down, kicked out of our studios, the doors locked. We had to come back three months later and pay our bills and start over. So those are the vicissitudes of independent filmmaking.
“Riddick” is now available to own and rent on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K UHD and Digital.
As this interview was conducted in the past, it may contain outdated information.
The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.
“The Terminator,” directed by James Cameron, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Because of this, Warner Brothers released the film on 4K for the very first time. This has been one of the most anticipated 4K releases in years. James Cameron released a number of his movies this year on 4K, including “Aliens,” “True Lies” and “The Abyss.” Many YouTubers and physical media collectors have expressed mixed opinions on the transfers of these releases, and it has caused a lot of debate in the physical media community. Cameron himself has come out and expressed his frustration with their criticism and even suggested they move out of their parent’s basements.
As far as the film itself, “The Terminator” opens up by introducing the audience to a cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who has been sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to eliminate Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). To the untrained eye, he looks like a regular human being with his flesh, his ability to talk, and his ability to enter a room without really drawing a lot of attention to himself. Standing in the Terminator’s way is a soldier by the name of Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn). He’s also from the future, and he has one job and one job only, which is to protect Sarah. The Terminator’s job is to stop at nothing to eliminate Sarah because her unborn son, John Connor, is going to be the one to attempt to stop the machines from taking over after a war in the future begins.
The battle between humans and machines is one we are still battling in today’s world, especially with the introduction of artificial intelligence. Will machines become so powerful that humans will be rendered useless and unnecessary? Cameron was way ahead of himself with 1984’s “The Terminator.” This is a movie with big ideas and big characters. Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator is fantastic with his movements, his screen presence, and his aura. Whenever he is on screen, you are completely captivated by him as an audience member to where you can’t keep your eyes off him. Linda Hamilton is terrific at walking that tightrope to where she’s seen as tough but also a little vulnerable. Michael Biehn also turns in a stellar performance as Kyle Reese. It’s a hard role to pull off, as Kyle needs to talk about the future in a way that will not only convince Sarah he’s telling the truth but also win over the audience.
I might be in the minority on this one, but my one issue with “The Terminator” is the love story between Sarah and Kyle. It is why I can’t give the film a perfect rating, even though I absolutely love it. The love story feels unnecessary when all of this is going on in Sarah’s world. In a film where I was able to suspend my disbelief for almost its entire running time, the romance came completely out of left field for me. Besides that, there is a lot to like about this film. It has a ton of great supporting work from actors such as Lance Henriksen, Paul Winfield, Dick Miller, and Earl Boen. Los Angeles is a character in this film, especially late at night. In many ways, “The Terminator” felt like Michael Mann directed a sci-fi thriller. It’s a moody and dark film with an underbelly of seediness and gloom and doom.
I also felt as though “The Terminator” had a sense of humor about itself without being too jokey. When the Terminator himself encounters some street punks while he’s naked, it allows Cameron to have a little fun with his premise. He is wise to not make the film too silly or goofy, however, as then it would be a completely different film altogether. The comedic moments come more from the way people react to the Terminator and how he reacts to them. Because he is so laser focused on killing Sarah Connor, he doesn’t have time for pleasantries. He is a man on a mission and will eliminate anyone and anything in his way. This film is able to feel like a big budget Hollywood blockbuster and a gritty, down and dirty independent film at the same time. It was made for $6.4 million, but it looks top-notch and has a sense of danger to it as well. “The Terminator” is an almost perfect film.
* * * ½ out of * * * *
4K Info: “The Terminator” is released on a single-disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It comes with a digital copy of the film as well. The film has a running time of 107 minutes and is rated R for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence throughout, some sexuality/nudity, and strong language. You can get this film either with a 4K slipcover or a 4K steelbook.
4K Video Info: Warner Brothers released this film on Dolby Vision HDR. It is a clean-looking transfer that doesn’t take any chances and doesn’t really need to when you consider its original source material. I thought the majority of the film looked impressive and it had a very cinematic feel to it. I don’t think there are too many things you can find wrong with this 4K video transfer.
4K Audio Info: The Dolby Atmos track is really good here. This is a film filled with a lot of action, explosions and big moments. Those scenes sound impressive and make for a good at-home theater experience. It wasn’t too loud or boisterous, but it made its presence known. Subtitles are included in English, Spanish and French.
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes with Optional James Cameron Commentary
Creating the Terminator: Visual Effects & Music
The Terminator: Closer to the Real Thing
Unstoppable Force: The Legacy of the Terminator
Should You Buy It?
This is one of the greatest sci-fi/action films of all time, despite my issues with the love story between Sarah and Kyle. It comes with a stand-out 4K transfer which includes Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. This is the best “The Terminator” has looked, and it looks much better than the failed “Terminator 2” 4K release from Lionsgate a few years back. It seems like they have found a happy medium when it comes to James Cameron and his 4K transfers. They know how to make the most out of the 4K format without changing it too much to where you don’t recognize the film you love. Much like the prior Blu-ray release, the special features are lacking, which is a disappointment. Overall, though, if you love movies, you have to have “The Terminator” on 4K in your collection. It is a must-own, whether you get the 4K slipcover or the 4K steelbook. It’s a revolutionary film that holds up incredibly well on repeat viewings. This one comes highly recommended.
**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free. The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.
After the bloated motion picture that was “The Chronicles of Riddick,” filmmaker David Twohy and star Vin Diesel return for “Riddick,” the third in a trilogy which began with the riveting “Pitch Black.” This sequel proves to be a return to as the story here is a lean one and is not about to overwhelm us with too many plot points. Also, it proves to be a stand-alone film which does not require you to view the previous installments (or “The Chronicles of Riddick” at the least) to understand all that is going on.
As the movie starts, Riddick (Vin Diesel) is now King of the Necromongers, but he ends up being betrayed by his supposed followers when he is left for dead on a planet which he is led to believe is his home world of Furya. From there, this anti-hero struggles to survive in a hostile environment where all these scorpion-like creatures and dog beasts are out to eat anything that moves on at least two feet. To make matters worse, bounty hunters are once again on his tail as he is forced to expose his location in order to find a way off of this barren planet.
What I found interesting about “Riddick” is how being King has somehow robbed this anti-hero of his abilities to survive. Diesel has made it no secret of how much he loves playing this character, and he invests Riddick with everything he has. Whatever you may think of his acting, you cannot say “The Fast & The Furious” star is not dedicated to giving this character the respect he deserves. Riddick is a bad dude, but like the best anti-heroes in movies, I still found myself rooting for him.
This sequel is truly a passion project for Diesel and Twohy more than anything else. Because “The Chronicles of Riddick” was a big budget studio movie that didn’t do well commercially, the two of them ended up having to raise the money independently to make this one a reality. Going from a budget of over $100 to one of under $40 million may have forced them to cut a lot of corners, and this is probably not the “Riddick” movie they originally envisioned doing. Still, I liked what they were able to come up with given the limited resources at their disposal.
One of the joys of watching “Riddick” is seeing how Twohy deftly skewers a lot of sci-fi clichés and wonderfully plays on the bounty hunters’ collective fear of their prey. Once the hunters arrive on this barren planet, Riddick leaves them a warning to leave one ship behind for him or suffer the consequences. Right away, you know that a majority of these characters are screwed. The question is, how are they going to die? There’s a great scene where they think Riddick has gotten into one of their storage compartments which is protected by a highly explosive device. Did he or didn’t get inside? That’s the question. Whatever the answer is, it leads to one of the film’s most wonderfully suspenseful moments.
Among the crew of bounty hunters is Katee Sackhoff whom we all know and love for her work on “Battlestar Galactica” and “Longmire.” She plays Dahl, a female mercenary who can dish it out as much as the men can and then some, and the punches Dahl inflicts on the male population she is forced to deal with are exquisitely painful to say the least, and they leave scars which will not be easily forgotten. Sackhoff is awesome in a role that definitely reminds us of how much we love her work, but she isn’t just playing Starbuck all over again. Dahl makes it abundantly clear at one point that she doesn’t fuck guys, and Sackhoff leaves you wondering just what exactly her character means by this. Remember, a single word never has just one definition.
Also in the cast is Jordi Mollà who has been nominated three times for the Goya Award for Best Actor, but none of those nominations include the performance he gave in Michael Bay’s horrifically bombastic “Bad Boys II.” Here he plays Santana, the leader of one of the bounty hunter groups, and Santana does very little to hide just slimy of a bastard he is. Mollà clearly relishes playing such a despicable character, and I got a kick watching him go over the top as he hunts down his prey. I don’t think it’s giving away too much to say that his character gets the painful fate he so deserves.
Then there is Matt Nable who plays the leader of the other bounty hunter team (who have much better equipment by the way), Boss Johns. I have no idea if his mother gave him that name, but I can only imagine the playground beatings this character got as a kid. Talk about a name to live up to!
Anyway, Nable, a former professional rugby player, does good work in conveying the conflicted emotions of his character as it turns out he needs Riddick for more than just a simple bounty, and it gives this sequel a complexity I did not expect it to have.
Dave Bautista, a former WWE wrestler who has since given memorable performances in movies like “Blade Runner 2049” and “Spectre,” plays the most bone crushing bounty hunter of all, Diaz. With Bautista in the cast, we know he and Diesel are going to have an all-out fight. And yes, it is quite the fight.
Most of the visual effects we see here are rendered in CGI, but that’s understandable given the movie’s budget. While the overuse of CGI effects in movies tends to drive me crazy, many of them look really good, and the alien landscapes are memorably illustrated. Riddick also gets to adopt a dog in the process, and the dog turns out to be one of this sequel’s best characters. Despite all the snarling, this dog is a cuddly little beast at heart.
It is also great to see Graeme Revell back composing the score for “Riddick” as he also did the music for the previous two films as well. It also marks a welcome return to the electronic elements he utilized so well in both “The Crow” and “Dead Calm.” It’s a wonderful reminder of how Revell doesn’t always need a full orchestra to create suck a compelling score.
“Riddick” is not a great movie and does not reinvent the wheel for either the action or science fiction genres, but it kept me entertained throughout. It also says a lot about Diesel and Twohy that they managed to bring this character back to the silver screen despite the commercial disappointment of “The Chronicles of Riddick.” The fans still wanted to see Diesel’s most favorite character make a return to the big screen. It took almost a decade for this to happen, but Diesel and Twohy came through even though they had fewer resources to work with.
And now we have news that a fourth “Pitch Black” movie is in the works. I am intrigued to see what Diesel and Twohy come up with next, and it is nice to know Diesel has another character to rely on other than Dominic Toretto.
So, help me, I liked “Megalopolis.” Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project which has been decades in the making. It was finally unleashed unto the world at large, and the reviews have been incredibly polarizing as audiences were either enthralled or baffled by what they witnessed. it was pretty much considered a box office bomb in advance as studios had no idea of how to promote it, and it debuted with a terrible $4 million gross which looks horrid for a film with a $120 million budget. But while it has been met with the same critical and commercial derision as another Coppola film, “One From The Heart,” was greeted with back in 1982, it shows he has no fear or shame in taking grandiose risks with the material given to him.
Going into “Megalopolis,” I was determined to watch it with as open a mind as possible. Judging from the many Hollywood studios’ collective refusal to promote or market it, I assumed this would be a genre defying motion picture since no executive had a clear idea of how to sell it. I also did not go in expecting something along the lines of “The Godfather” or “Apocalypse Now.” Those classic films were their own things, and this one is quite another.
What I discovered was a cinematic mess, but it’s an enthralling mess with many ideas on its mind and beautiful visuals few other filmmakers could pull off. Seeing it with an audience, some of which did walk out on it, made it all the more entertaining as everyone really got into it, for better or worse. Like Richard Kelly’s “Southland Tales,” I really dug the heedless ambition Coppola brought to this long gestating project, but “Megalopolis” is a bit better as the story is a little more understandable and easier to get the gist of.
The film, which is described as a fable, is set in an alternate version of America where New York City has been rechristened as New Rome. Crime is terrible and poverty is rampant while the rich revel in their decadent desires. Then along comes Cesar Catalina (Adam Driver), a futuristic architect whose invention of the Megalon, a new bio-adaptive building material, offers a great change to the world. His plan is to use it to build a futuristic utopian city of his design. He also has the ability to stop time in its track, which gives no meaning to the term, “time stops for no one.”
But, as Nick Nolte once said at a press conference I attended, “there will always be change and there will always be resistance to change.” The resistance comes from corrupt New Rome Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) who prefers to keep the status quo the same as it ever was where the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer and like the average New York mayor, Cicero is constantly booed by the citizens he zealously yields power over. Even as the crowds jeer him, he still smiles that big smile of his which makes me wonder if he is ignorant, hopelessly naïve, or just a narcissist.
Now I am sure you guessed it already, but the Roman names are intentional as Coppola is comparing the fall of Rome to what America is going through, and he was influenced by the Catilinarian conspiracy when he wrote the screenplay. That conspiracy involved a coup back in 65 BC when Lucius Sergius Catilina attempted to overthrow the Roman consuls of Marcus Tullius Cicero and Gaius Antonius Hybrida, and forcibly assume control of the state. it is clear both Catalina and Cicero want a measure of power over the citizens of New Rome, and neither will let anything stand in their way in obtaining it.
Another character making a play for political power is Clodio Pulcher (Shia LaBeouf who is especially lively here), Catilina’s resentful cousin who looks to embarrass him in the most unforgettable ways possible. He looks to win the New Rome citizens over by starting a campaign which invites comparisons to the term “Make America Great Again.”
There is a lot more I can tell you about “Megalopolis’” story, but there is honestly enough for several movies here. As a result, watching it once is not nearly enough for me. There are a lot of plot threads which go in various directions, and while some may say this film does not have enough of a center, I think it does. Perhaps it will take some time to put all the pieces together when it comes to this passion project. Or, if Coppola lives long enough, we will get another cut of the film as he likes to fiddle around with his previous works.
Some have expressed fierce criticism over how the actors seem to be acting in different movies here as the performances range from natural to utterly theatrical. Indeed, there are a various number of acting styles clashing with one another here, but I was not really bothered by this. Considering how divided America has become in the past decade or so. We have citizens accepting one reality while others are accepting its polar opposite. As a result, the conflicting styles this motion picture has to offer us made a lot of sense to me.
Adam Driver makes Catilina into an especially compelling character like he always does, Jon Voight does some of his best work in a while as Catalina’s wealthy uncle, Crassus, who has more tricks up his sleeves than the actor would ever be quick to let on. Nathalie Emmanuel, who plays Julia Cicero, Catalina’s love interest and Cicero’s daughter, and does a great job of further emphasizing the intense conflict between the two men.
But if there is a most valuable player to be found in “Megalopolis.” It is Aubrey Plaza who portrays Wow Platinum, a television personality who goes from being Catalina’s mistress to Crassus’ lover and wife as she desires nothing more than money and power, and it becomes crystal clear what she will do to get them. Plaza is given free rein to chew the scenery every which way she likes. there is no forgetting her presence once you walk out of the theater as she revels in portraying such a despicable Lady Macbeth-like character.
What else can I say about “Megalopolis” that I haven’t already? Yes, it is a mess full of ideas which Coppola has spread all over the place, and there are flaws which are quite glaring. Still, it is an infinitely creative piece of work. The visual effects serve the material without overwhelming it, and there is an unforgettable beauty in the color scheme Coppola employs here.
I have no shame in giving “Megalopolis” a positive review. No, it is not Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece (for me, that would be “The Conversation”), but it was great fun seeing the famed filmmaker and winemaker swinging for the stars. He walks a tightrope throughout, taking risks and challenges along which most directors would never do today.
“Megalopolis” is very, very earnest in its designs as Coppola leaves us with a plea for peace and a world which everyone regardless of class and creed can fully benefit from. This may seem like a pipe dream considering how the world is currently tearing itself apart due to religious or ideological differences, but it is a memorable epitaph, should this film be his final work.
And at the very least, we will always have Adam Driver’s unforgettable delivery of “da club.”
For my money, both Sir Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant” were worth the price of admission as the famed director dared to take this franchise he began back in 1979 in a different direction as they both dealt what happened before the events of the original. But regardless of Scott’s intentions, audiences were very critical of both films as many were expecting something along the lines of what they got before. After watching the teaser trailer for the upcoming “Alien: Romulus,” I get the feeling they will get what they want, but are we also charting our way back into familiar territory?
The start of this trailer features familiar visuals as we visit a spaceship which looks very much like the Nostromo. From there, we see a couple of capsules which I assume the humans hibernated in, and one is quite the bloody sight. From there, we see characters running through corridors, we see a female getting something very long and possibly deadly being pulled out of her throat and mouth. It all culminates with Caliee Spaeny wielding an “Aliens” looking weapon as she carefully traverses the corridor, terrified of what might be waiting for her around the corridor. Looking at the way she is dressed and the weapon she has in her hands, it is very clear Spaeny is being introduced as the Ellen Ripley of this franchise installment.
Looking at this first trailer, it has me wondering if 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) was adamant that it look like something which stoked the nostalgia of the “Alien” franchise’s most die-hard fans. Clearly, they feel the need to give the fans something they want after the commercial under-performance of “Alien: Covenant.” But if that is the studio executives’ intention, can they succeed in doing so as nothing can ever compare to the original? Moreover, there is no guarantee that the fans will be accepting of the same old thing when they get it.
For what it is worth, however, the image of those numerous facehuggers galloping out of a certain room to land on the faces of the unsuspecting is quite the sight. It gives new meaning to the term, “I want some head.”
What really gets me excited about this particular “Alien” installment is what I have read about it thus far. It is directed by Fede Alvarez who directed the “Evil Dead” remake which I was lukewarm about, but he also made the 2016 film “Don’t Breathe” which proved to be an excellent thriller and a great exercise in handling suspense in a motion picture. If Alvarez can make “Alien: Romulus” every bit as unnerving as “Don’t Breathe,” then we are in for quite the cinematic ride.
Also, this film is a interquel, a sidequel and a prequel as it takes place between the events portrayed in “Alien” and “Aliens.” Furthermore, it has the sincere approval of the directors of those two classic movies, Ridley Scott and James Cameron. Scott has been quoted as saying the rough cut he has seen is “fucking great,” and Cameron has praised the same cut as well. If that is not the best endorsement a filmmaker can get, what is?
While I am obligated to keep any expectations I have for “Alien: Romulus” in check as I do with most movies, I do look forward to checking it out when it arrives in theaters on August 16, 2024. Please feel free to check out the trailer below.
On August 26, 2023, I found the time to attend the Days of The Dead convention which was held at the Hilton Hotel outside of LAX airport. The main highlight of the day for me was sitting in on the panel for “Aliens,” James Cameron’s classic film from the year 1986 which remains as exciting now as it was when first released. This brought many of the talent who worked in front of and behind the camera, and they were very enthusiastic to be here to discuss a motion picture you would think they have been asked every conceivable question about before this point.
One of the questions asked of everyone was about the biggest challenge everyone faced on set. The first to answer was Tom Woodruff Jr. He is best known as a special effects supervisor who studied under the tutelage of Stan Winston, and he later, along with Alec Gillis, founded Amalgamated Dynamics, an American special effects company specializing in animatronics and prosthetic make-up. “Aliens” was one of Tom’s earliest projects, and he was very direct with the audience about what he dealt with in this science fiction classic.
Tom Woodruff Jr.: For me, the biggest challenge was being on set with James Cameron (audience laughs). He was very specific. He’s a rare guy. He knows exactly what he wants, and he knows exactly what parts you don’t understand. The first time we had the aliens on set, it was a scene where there were a lot of fire throwers going on, and the alien was supposed to be hidden up in the wall and crawls out and reveals itself. We did a run through, and Cameron stopped the whole thing and he said, “Why is this alien brown and the rest of him is black?!” The answer I knew in my head was, I didn’t check it out. I remember he just grabbed a can of black spray paint, shook it up and sprayed it on the head. I also realized at that point we wasted a lot of time painting alien heads when we could have just grabbed a can of spray paint.
For Carrie Henn who plays the orphaned Newt, she had no prior acting experience when she was cast in “Aliens.” Her career as an actress did not last long as she later decided to become a schoolteacher after earning a degree in liberal studies and child development from California State University, Stanislaus. Her response to question given proved to be quite surprising.
Carrie Henn: One of the challenging things was actually being scared of it (the aliens) because, I mean, look at it. Everyone was in the suits at some point, but then they would turn around or I would see them outside of the suit completely or their head would be off. So, I would try to act like I was scared of it, when in reality I knew it was my friend. I was scared of dogs and still am because I have been bitten by many, so I used to just pretend that it was a dog chasing after me.
Ricco Ross portrays Private Ross in “Aliens,” and his most memorable lines of dialogue include “guess she doesn’t like the cornbread either” and “what are we supposed to use, harsh language?” He ended up turning down the opportunity to act in Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket” in order to appear in this film. Since “Aliens,” he has remained a busy actor in both movies and television and does not look to be lacking in work. This would still be the case were it not for the SAG/AFTRA and WGA strike which still rages on as I write this article.
Ricco Ross: The marines would have lunch and hang out in one area and the aliens would hang out in another area, and we didn’t kick it together. But I remember walking by one day and one of the aliens had his head under his arm and smoking a cigarette, and this was before iPhones, and I wish I had a camera because it was an amazing kind of classic photograph.
Cynthia Scott, also known as Cynthia Dale Scott, portrayed Corporal Dietrich in “Aliens,” and her other credits include “Rush” which stars Jason Patric and Jennifer Jason Leigh. She has long since left acting behind her and now dedicates her life to working in the visual arts. Her answer to this question reminded me of perhaps her most famous line in this film which is, “Maybe they don’t show up on infrared at all.”
Cynthia Scott: I think I am the only one that was grabbed by the alien, and it was extremely challenging because I did half of my own stunt. If you recall, I was taken straight up in the air, and we were so old school that the stunt was achieved with a gigantic sea saw. It was operated by a bunch of crew members. So, I was standing on the downside, and I say my line and the stuntman in the alien suit landed behind me, grabbed me, and simultaneously the crew members pulled down really fast on the other end and we go shooting up in the air so our whole center of gravity changes. And simultaneously I am lowering my live flamethrower and using it ostensibly on my friend Ricco (audience laughs). The first three or four takes, I fell off. I was so terrified of James Cameron that I thought I would be fired today. I’m telling you; it was really hard.
William Hope portrays Gorman, the inexperienced commanding officer of the Marines who would have been best to listen Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) if he had been quick to think about it. Like Ricco Ross, he turned down a role in “Full Metal Jacket” to appear in “Aliens.” Since then, he has given memorable performances in such movies as “Hellbound: Hellraiser II,” “Shining Through,” the cinematic version of the television show “The Saint,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Dark Shadows,” and the recent reboot of a sequel to “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” His words about James Cameron rang very true.
William Hope: Jim in those days was cutting his teeth in more ways than one because he knew everybody’s job better than they did apart from the actors. So, I was just obsessed with don’t screw this up. We knew the script was just something of a masterpiece. We knew it was very, very special. As for you guys (the alien actors), the only direct contact that I had was when the aliens come through the roof. It was just the most exciting scene to play. The big challenge was getting it right and Jim saying, “Good, okay, move on.”
Mark Rolston portrayed Drake, a close friend to fellow badass marine Vasquez who was played by Jenette Goldstein. His other credits include playing Hans in “Lethal Weapon 2,” Stef in “Robocop 2,” and Bogs Diamond in “The Shawshank Redemption.” He also acted in “The Departed” which earned its director, Martin Scorsese, his first ever Academy Award, and co-starred in “Saw V” and Saw VI” as Dan Erickson. On television, he portrayed Gordie Liman on “The Shield.”
Mark Rolston: The thing I remember was the creature creation. I actually came back to set to watch the entrance of the queen alien. It is seared in my memory because she was like a two-story puppet which was controlled by guys on the crew. The smallest guy on Tom (Woodruff Jr.’s) crew was the guy who gets stationed in the head, and his sole job, aside from being dressed in black and trying to hide, was to push the queen alien goo out the tail. Cameron at one moment said, “There’s too much goo! Too much goo! You are pushing on the wrong tube!” I was giggling my ass over that one, but it was such an impressive shot. You look at the film and you believe this is a living monster, but onstage you see it’s just a puppet. Such masterful filmmaking.
We are getting closer to the 40th anniversary of “Aliens,” and this sequel still holds up all these years later. Some of us got to see when it debuted in theaters back in 1986, and others like myself watched on VHS. But even on the small screen, this still proved to be one of the greatest cinematic roller coaster rides we ever went on, and it is so great to see new generations of movie buffs feel the same from one new year to the next.
WRITER’S NOTE: This review was written back in 2008.
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is another in a long line of films listed as the most eagerly awaited in cinema history. However, what the “Star Wars” prequels and “The Matrix” sequels taught us, whatever you thought of them, is that the expectation of something tends to be far more exciting than the finished product. This always works against movies like these because we are just so excited about sitting down to see them, and we have images of what we would like to be inside our head, but they never quite meet our expectations. Ever since I saw “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier,” I have done my best to keep my expectations in check. It is far too easy to be disappointed by a movie you wait impatiently for. I came into this latest Indiana Jones adventure just wanting to have a good time, and you know what? That’s exactly what I got.
This Indiana Jones cinematic installment is not without its flaws, and this is typically the case with all the sequels in this franchise. The screenplay at times is a bit convoluted, and it’s a little hard to figure out what the whole deal with the crystal skull is (a second viewing may end up rectifying that). It’s not the equal of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” but expecting it to be an instant classic is ridiculous. The first adventure of Dr. Jones is such a favorite of moviegoers everywhere, and it has since been held so far up in the pantheon of cinema to where it is impossible to beat it in terms of its entertainment value and freshness. For myself, just seeing Harrison Ford put on that fedora one more time was more than enough for me.
“Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” moves Indiana Jones to the 1950’s. The Nazis are all gone (or so we thought), and in their place are the Russians, the villain of choice back in the day. Indy and his pal ‘Mac’ George McHale (Ray Winstone) have been captured by them and taken over to Area 51 in New Mexico, the warehouse where the United States government hides all the things it wants no one to see. This leads to the first big action sequence which gets things off to a rousing start. While the circumstances might seem a bit ridiculous, these movies deal with death-defying actions and situations which do not instantly lend themselves to reality, and these are stories which take a place in a reality somewhat removed from our own.
Dr. Henry Jones Jr. (his real name as we learned it from “The Last Crusade”) still teaches archaeology courses, but he soon finds himself dismissed as he is under suspicion of being a Communist. Back in the days of the Joseph McCarthy era, you were guilty until proven innocent. Time has certainly passed by for Indy and his university friend Dean Charles Stanforth (Jim Broadbent), and they have both lost friends over the years like Indy’s father and Marcus Brody (played by the late Denholm Elliott, who is appropriately acknowledged here years after his death). But just as Indy heads off to go around the world, he is visited by Mutt Williams, a 1950’s greaser played by Shia LeBeouf. Mutt informs Indiana his mother has been kidnapped and needs his help to get to the Crystal Skull of this film’s title.
The Russians are led by Irina Spalko, and she is played with utter relish by Cate Blanchett. Irina is a cold, steely Russian whose interest in psychic powers and education proves to be more dangerous than anyone can quickly realize. Like all the villains in this franchise, she lusts for ultimate power and is determined to get it at any cost. Of course, her lust and greed will lead to her eventual undoing. You know how these movies go, and while Irina may not be the greatest villain in this franchise, she is still a formidable foe as embodied by Blanchett, one of many actresses out there who can play just about anybody.
“Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” does feature great stunts which, even if they are not entirely believable, still generate a good deal of excitement. Some are ridiculously over the top, like Shia’s character swinging along vines with the monkeys. But then again, not everything in this movie is meant to be completely believable. Spielberg said he would not rely so much on CGI effects in this movie, but you do notice them when you see them, and it does take away from the action a little. In the end though, the movie keeps up at a pace which never lets you catch your breath.
When this film was first announced, many said Ford was just too damn old to play this or any other role in your average action film. Frankly, I am sick of all this talk about any actor or actress who is at the AARP age level. Ford certainly doesn’t look his age (who does these days?), and he still handles the action scenes with a supreme gusto which proved how serious he is about staying in shape. No one will ever surpass Ford in this iconic role, and I would hate to see anyone else try.
But one of the greatest moves which Spielberg and Lucas did here was bring back Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, Indiana’s love from “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” It is so great to see her again as she matches wits with Indiana at every step of the way. Marion also turns out to be Mutt’s mother, and this leads to other revelations ehich I invite you to see for yourself. There is a line of dialogue where Marion and Indy are in the back of a truck trying to escape, and she asks Indy why his other relationships didn’t last, and Indy says:
“Because they weren’t you, Marion.”
This points the obvious of how the other heroines of these movies didn’t even come close to matching the wonderful presence of Marion, and Allen continues to be such an immensely engaging presence in this and other movies she is in. Her character is not a whiny pain in the neck like Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) in “Temple of Doom,” nor is she the underwritten cold-blooded character played by Allison Doody in “The Last Crusade.” It is clear that everyone involved knew that they could do no worse than to bring Allen back. I am very glad that they did.
The big surprise I got from this movie was the performance of Shia LeBeouf. I expected him to be an annoying sidekick a la Short Round from “Temple of Doom,” and essentially give the same annoying performance he gave us in “Transformers.” But this was not the case as he perfectly slipped into the mold of a 1950’s greaser out to save his mother. He matches wits well with Ford as they journey to other countries on a search and rescue mission. Thus, we get another one of those scenes where we see a map and a red line showing where our heroes are going, silhouetted against the planes and other transportation they use to get to their final destination. LaBeouf is very good here, even if he does end up on the verge of some Wesley Crusher-like moments.
Ray Winstone is also very good, as he is in everything else he does. At first, I started to wonder if his character was necessary, and if was basically just there as a foil for both Indy and the plot. Winstone’s performance, however, helps to make some of the more implausible moments in more believable as he sucks us into what his character wants, and he convinces us of this as much as he does Indiana Jones.
I have to give the filmmakers some credit as they took their iconic hero and placed him in another period of time. Having Dr. Jones go up against the Russians showed that at least the filmmakers were trying something a little bit different instead of just giving us the same old thing. There are a lot of moments where Spielberg and Lucas pay homage to the earlier Indy movies as well as to other Spielberg movies like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” There is a big science-fiction/B-movie element to this one in particular, something the previous installments would have never gone near, but these movies have always indulged in the world of fantasies be it real or imagined, so why not deal with extra-terrestrials?
There is actually a surprising lack of snakes in this sequel, but one does make a memorable cameo appearance. The main animals to fear here are red ants who, even in their CGI form, are terrifying man and woman eaters. We even worry about them devouring the bad guys. Even if the angry red ants do look a bit fake, they still left me unnerved like all the dangerous animals in an Indiana Jones do.
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is by no means a perfect movie, but then again, we should never have expected it to be. None of the sequels in this series were perfect either, but whatever flaws they had were eventually redeemed by their entertainment factor which was far above most other blockbusters overcrowding the local multiplex. The only movie in this franchise that has any right to be called perfect is “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and nothing is ever going to top that. Ever.
I would probably rate this particular sequel just right above “Temple of Doom.” While that one may have been a little more entertaining, it also had a first half and characters that drove me up the wall. It doesn’t have the same amount of heart and character as “Raiders” or “The Last Crusade,” but these characters still remain true to their origins and they keep us engaged in the action. And yes, I had no problem with the “nuke the fridge” scene.
In terms of the summer movies released thus far, “Iron Man” is still the movie to beat. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is not quite as good, but “Iron Man” is a strong movie for more or less the same reasons “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was when it was first released. They both brought a freshness and energy to their genres which had become somewhat dormant, and they were created by filmmakers who cared about the stories and the characters involved. “Iron Man” will eventually lead to a number of sequels, most of which will probably not hold a candle to the original. While we want some of the same old stuff, we also want something new which brings a fresh edge to what we saw before. With the latest adventure of Indiana Jones, it was business as usual, but that was more than enough for me.
And stop telling me that Harrison Ford is too old to be doing movies like this because, quite frankly, I don’t give a shit!
“The Incredible Shrinking Man” comes from a genre I feel I know a lot about but have actually not seen many movies from: 1950’s science fiction. I went into it thinking it would look horribly dated and laughable for all the wrong reasons. What I instead discovered was a film which actually holds up very well after half a century with its terrific special effects and strong performances. It also deals with themes and situations which prove to be as relatable today as they were back in the time this film was released.
Scott Carey (Grant Williams) is spending an enjoyably sunny day on a boat with his wife, Louise (Randy Stuart), when a strange mist passes through him and spills some glittery substance over his body. Louise manages to not get covered by this same substance as she was down below getting a beer for her husband because men can be schmucks when they ask their spouses to get them things they should be able to get themselves (that’ll show him!). Now Scott thinks nothing of what happened until he suddenly notices his shirt is now too big for him, and then his wedding ring falls off his finger which is clearly not a good omen.
After being examined by his doctors, Scott discovers that the glittery substance is not the same kind gay groups doused Newt Gingrich with during his needless run for President of the United States. Whatever is causing him to shrink, his attempts to reverse this unfortunate condition his fail. At one point, Scott becomes so tiny to where he is forced to seek refuge in a doll house for his own safety. This makes sense until the household cat ends up mistaking him for a mouse, and he ends up running into the basement where he is forced to face dangers no human being should ever have to.
What I found endlessly fascinating about “The Incredible Shrinking Man” is that what people end up enduring after attaining an odd and unwanted fame is not much different from what anyone would experience today. Scott ends up selling his story to the press not to become famous, but because he no longer has a job and needs the money for his wife and himself to survive. The more of a curiosity he becomes, the less human he is seen by the world.
Today, if someone were going through this, we might expect them to be more forthcoming about becoming famous for something they did not exactly want to become known for as there is much money to be made, and an obscene amount at that. In the process, it is easy to forget the humanity of certain people involved, and “The Incredibly Shrinking Man” deals with the inescapable loneliness which results.
Scott clearly does not want all these photographers parked outside his front door, but he is helpless to stop their onslaught. Then again, imagine if he was dealing with this today; he would have no privacy whatsoever. It would not matter if he spent his days indoors because the damn paparazzi would find a way to get inside and snap a picture of him. Even though Scott vents at his wife against his better judgment, you I could not help but feel for him as he goes through a process no one would want to endure. That is, unless they were ridiculously desperate for some kind of attention.
“The Incredible Shrinking Man” really picks up an extraordinary amount of tension when Scott gets stuck in that basement. The special effects up to this point are very well executed, but they take on a bigger challenge when Scott is no bigger than the match box he hides in. The use of forced perspective and real physical structures makes his predicament all the more thrilling and emotionally involving. The simple act of getting food becomes a life-or-death struggle, and I felt for him as he was forced to climb up towards a stale piece of bread using only a needle and thread.
Even the simplest effects make Scott’s struggle all the more brutal as the merest failure will force right back to the start, and we can identify with the infinite frustration this causes no matter how big or small we are. But what makes his fight for survival all the more viscerally frightening is the scary-looking spider (is there any other kind?) he is forced to do battle with. It is moments Scott shares with this spider which had me the most frightened and on the edge of my seat. For a film which is now a century old, this is saying a lot. That, and I cannot stand spiders in general.
Much credit should be given to Williams here as he does not always make Scott the most likable human being. Still, whatever you may think of him, Scott is made to experience something no other human being has. While you may want to chide Scott for the way he unloads his frustrations on those closest to him, watching him makes me wonder if I would have reacted any differently. I would like to think so, but perhaps a lot of wishful thing is involved there.
“The Incredible Shrinking Man” is based on a book by Richard Matheson entitled “The Shrinking Man” (he found the “Incredible” adjective to be unnecessary). Matheson has been responsible for some of the greatest science fiction stories ever told such as “I Am Legend,” various episodes of “The Twilight Zone” like “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” and the short story “Button, Button” which became the basis for “The Box.”
I think “The Incredible Shrinking Man” represents one of the finest adaptations of Matheson’s work as it deals with the humanity of Scott’s situation as much as it does with visual effects. The effects are great, but it is our relation to Scott and what he is going through that makes this movie work so effectively. No one wants a household spider to suddenly become bigger than they are, but this film forces you to deal with these fears to where they are more real than you could ever expect them to be.
This is also a film which has a voiceover narration to accompany its events. When it comes to this way of telling a story, it can go either way; At times, it can tell us things we do not need spelled out to us, but here it also gives great depth to the film’s themes as it makes Scott’s view of his existence change throughout in ways both positive and negative.
The ending still haunts me even long after I watched it. The conclusion is solemn in a way as Scott becomes resigned to his downsized fate, but it is also strangely hopeful as he becomes convinced he will still be a part of this vast universe no matter how small he gets. Even in the 1950’s, filmmakers did not take the easy way out when wrapping up a motion picture. It is not an “everything is going to be okay” ending, but it is not a complete downer either.
I was surprised at just how much I got into “The Incredible Shrinking Man.” The title seems to imply we are about to see something endlessly cheesy, but this film proved to be thrilling and had me on the edge of my seat throughout. I imagine Hollywood will eventually remake it someday and turn it into a comedy, but they will not be able to touch the deeper meanings of what Richard Matheson was getting at. Please feel free to prove me wrong, but you will need a lot of luck in the process.
* * * ½ out of * * * *
WRITER’S NOTE: This film is now available in a special edition from the Criterion Collection. Click here to find out more.
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