Author: Alton Williams

Clash of the Titans 3D ***½
Clash of the Titans 2D ***½

Mythology is very popular in Hollywood right now, as evidenced in the release this week of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon which plays on Viking mythology and in the May release of Disney’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time which finds its inspirations in Persian mythology. The real hot property, however, is Greek mythology. This year has already seen the release of Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief, a children’s fantasy film which provides a very loose interpretation of aspects from Greek myth while in development project Dawn of War aims to provide a more literal take on the mythos. For right now, though, we have the eagerly anticipated remake of classic 1981 film Clash of the Titans. As with any remake of a classic film, there has been a fair amount of backlash aimed at this 21st century take on the 1981 classic Ray Harryhausen stop motion film. However, Clash of the Titans is nonetheless more ripe for a 21st century re-envisioning than many other films that have been remade over the years, with today’s advanced visual effects technologies allowing the filmmakers to really do justice to the film’s many monsters. Not that the original film’s stop motion effects didn’t have their charms, mind you, but visual effects open up whole worlds of new possibilities for the scope of the film. But is this film ambitious enough to fully live up to these possibilities?

Born the son of god Zeus (Liam Neeson) but raised as a man by simple fisherman Spyros (Pete Postlethwaite), Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless when his family are murdered by Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld, collateral damage of an attack against the people of Argos in retaliation for their destruction of a statue of Zeus as a show of defiance against the gods. As a further punishment for their defiance, the people of Argos, ruled by King Kepheus (Vincent Regan) and Queen Cassiopeia (Polly Walker), find themselves threatened by both Hades and an enraged Zeus, with a stern warning that if their princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) is not sacrificed to them, the monstrous beast known as the Kraken will be unleashed. With nothing left to lose, and encouraged by the ageless Io (Gemma Arterton), Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission, accompanied by a small group of Argosian soldiers headed by Draco (Mads Mikkelsen), to find a way to stop the Kraken, a mission that will take him right into the heart of the underworld. His quest sees him pursued by Acrisius (Jason Flemyng), a man who has a personal vendetta against Perseus; battling giant scorpions in the desert; encountering the Djinn, a group who themselves have tired of the gods; seeking aid from witches; and coming face to face with the dreaded gorgon Medusa (Natalia Vodianova) before his final climactic encounter with the Kraken itself. With time fast running out Perseus can only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.

The tagline used in the first trailer for Clash of the Titans was “Titans Will Clash” – certainly not very imaginative but a pretty good indication of what to expect from the film. You see, this is one of those films where things like plot and character development take a backseat to action. The slight plot only really serves to link together a series of action sequences rather than the action occurring within a well developed narrative. Aside from the opening sequence (which is quite visually inventive, introducing the gods through star constellations) there is little to no exploration of the mythology upon which this film is inspired and, aside from the protagonist, there is no development for any of the characters, and even Perseus is given the bare minimum of backstory. Essentially, the characters just are rather than being developed enough to make us really care about them.
Additionally, the dialogue is pretty unmemorable. So, to be succinct, the writing is not great. But, the film does make up for this in other areas. Visually speaking, the film is quite stunning. The production design, costumes, sets and locations are all very good and are joined by some pretty decent practical creature effects. Aside from the CG creation of Medusa, which is a bit shoddy in places, the visual effects are very spectacular too, particularly in the climax when the Kraken reveals itself, with the monster being suitably menacing and also showing off some fantastic CGI work. The visual effects play very well in the numerous action sequences which all deliver the level of thrills and spills you would expect from a film such as this, with director Louis Leterrier’s action background really being put to great use, especially in the climax, which really does deliver a spectacular finale to the film. Another strong point is that Leterrier avoids the temptation to do anything cheesy, avoiding some of the mistakes made by the recent Percy Jackson movie and wisely reducing the clockwork owl that featured prominently in the original Clash of the Titans movie to a brief homage appearance. Considering that the writing isn’t that great, the performances are understandably not quite amazing. As we have come to expect from films such as this, no attempt is made at authentic accents, everyone just speaking in their native dialects, but no attempt is made to do the film in the Greek language either. This, however, doesn’t mean that the actors don’t do a decent job. For starters, most of the Gods are better cast than in Percy Jackson with real thespians playing Zeus and Hades, Neeson and Fiennes both bringing gravitas and intensity to their roles. Sam Worthington, in third blockbuster film to be released in less than a year following Terminator Salvation and Avatar, also delivers a very intense performance, once again showing that he is a natural movie star. The rest of the cast too are generally decent but no one really shines due to a lack of great material to work with. The star studded cast also includes quite a few other recognisable faces including Izabella Miko, Nicholas Hoult, Elizabeth McGovern, Alexander Siddig, Tamer Hassan, Danny Huston, Kaya Scodelario and Ian Whyte (the latter’s face not being so recognisable), although most only have very small roles. Overall, Clash of the Titans is a film that will never be remembered as a classic like its 1981 namesake nor will it really appeal to anyone looking for a film with real substance but if what you are looking for is an enjoyable popcorn movie that will keep you entertained there is plenty here for you.

NOTE: Unfortunately I was only able to see the 2D version of the film hence I am unable to comment on the quality of the 3D here. Thus, I cannot entirely vouch for the accuracy of the rating for the 3D version of the film.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Kick-Ass *****

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if someone tried to be a superhero in real life? And I don’t mean like in Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies – the most realistic superhero movies that have been made to date – with all the cool gadgets and stuff, I mean if someone just put on a homemade costume and just started fighting bad guys without nothing more than some major overconfidence and their wits (and perhaps a pair of nun chucks) to give them an edge over their opponents. Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore because the latest superhero movie Kick-Ass, based on the ongoing creator owned comic series of the same name written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita Jr., shows exactly what it would be like if someone really did try the superhero thing and it would be quite fun apparently. The road to getting the film made, though, has not been an easy one, with the project being rejected by all the major movie studios due to the rather graphic and perhaps controversial nature of some of the comic’s content and director Matthew Vaughn having to raise the $70 million production budget himself, the financing coming entirely from independent sources. This, however, is not at all a bad thing for the completed film as freedom from the constraints of studio imposed restrictions has allowed Vaughn to make the film exactly as he saw fit, and thus deliver something that is in no way diluted or cheapened by the interference of studio executives whose only interest is the bottom line.

A nerdy teen who’s unfortunately “invisible to girls”, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a comic-book fanboy whose major obsession is superheroes and whose object of desire is the beautiful Katie Deauxma (Lyndsy Fonseca) who happens to think that he is gay, Dave has always wondered why we don’t see superheroes in real life, and one day he decides to try it out for himself. With his home-made costume – a wet suit bought online – and weapons, Dave springs into action against some local hoodlums. Amazingly he survives, and is thrilled and amazed to find his life is changed forever. With his new superhero name ‘Kick-Ass’, Dave inspires an entire subculture of copycats, ranging from well-meaning do-gooders to crazed vigilantes, among them fledgling crime fighter Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) with whom he forms a friendship. Not only that but he also finds himself working alongside real superheroes in the form Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz), an 11-year-old sword-wielding dynamo, and her father, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) as he takes on the the forces of local mob boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) who has resolved to wipe out the costumed crusaders. At first Dave thinks that “with no power comes no responsibility” but he soon learns that this is far from the case.

Director Matthew Vaughn is following in the footsteps of fellow Brit director Danny Boyle in proving to be extremely adept at a variety of genres. First, he won acclaim in the gangster genre with his directorial debut Layer Cake, then he enchanted viewers with his magical fantasy Stardust and now he has delivered one of the most original and most super superhero movies in a long time with Kick-Ass. And you probably thought that there was no originality left in the superhero genre. Here, Vaughn has delivered a film that is superb on every level. Featuring serious geek credentials in the form of numerous subtle (and some not so subtle) superhero and comic book references and in-jokes and being a sincerely faithful adaptation of writer Mark Millar’s comic series (unlike 2008’s rather unfaithful adaptation of his Wanted comic), this is a film that is guaranteed to please fans of the source material but at the same time there is plenty for the unitiated to enjoy as well. Several films in the past have attempted to combine superheroes and comedy or deconstruct the superhero genre and in most cases they have either failed or only been semi-successful in achieving this goal, e.g. Mystery Men and Watchmen, but Kick-Ass succeeds where they don’t, managing to be both hilariously funny and show superheroes in a whole new light. The approach taken here is one of realism and this allows for a superhero movie unlike most you have seen before. Even though some later scenes perhaps stretch believability slightly, pretty much everything you see happen in the film is stuff that really could happen. The superbly shot and choreographed fight and shootout sequences, which are thrilling, hilarious and brutally realistic in equal measure, are all things that are very plausible and could perhaps happen in real life. There are no super powered battles or anything, just violence that is brutal and bloody, but refreshing in that we see an undiluted representation of the brutal reality of what it would be like to be a superhero as opposed to the fantastical representation so many superhero movies show with their 12A fantasy comic book style violence – not all fun and games. Additionally, the fight sequences aren’t as clear cut as what we are used to seeing, with the fights not always turning out in favour in the hero. In fact, the first attempt by Kick-Ass at crimefighting ends in disaster, with him being beaten, stabbed and run over by a car. The dialogue too is every bit as refreshing and honest. Never shying away from crude language, more sensitive viewers may be offended by some of the things that are said, but every bit of dialogue sounds authentic and true to life, adding to the realism of it all. The characters too seem realistic. They do not have superpowers, in some cases they don’t even have good basic fighting skills and (a few exceptions aside) don’t have access to cool Batman style gadgets and gizmos. The heroes are just everyday people with everyday problems and this feeds into their lives, making for characters that are far better developed and have far more interesting dilemmas than your average superhero. As a result, the characters are much more relatable and believable, allowing a deeper level of audience empathy than in most comic book movies. Conversely, the villains are not over the top supervillains but rather just mob criminals, the kind of which you would find in the real world. Realism is also present in the way Kick-Ass becomes an internet phenomenon and an entire new wave of popular culture develops around him. If someone really did try to be a superhero this is exactly what would happen.

The film is technically excellent on every level, with Matthew Vaughn Jane Goldman’s screenplay being truly hilarious, tragic, exciting and realistic offering up a superbly coherent and well structured narrative, some very memorable, believable and profanity laden dialogue and plenty of well developed and authentic seeming characters. Vaughn’s direction is every bit as fantastic with the director bringing some real style to the production in the form of great continuity and editing, superb camera work and the incorporation of both comic book style text at points and a comic style sequence which fills out the backstory for Big Daddy and Hit Girl. The roles have been cast to perfection too. British actor Aaron Johnson is proving to be a very versatile actor. Just two years ago, he was playing the male romantic interest in Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, last year he played John Lennon in Nowhere Boy and now he absolutely excels in the role of Dave Lizewski. Not only does he nail the American accent but he also convincingly and humourously portrays both the geek and ‘tough guy’ sides of his character and proves very capable at everything that is required of him here, both the funny and the serious stuff. For all the strengths of his performance, though, he just does not compare to Chloë Grace Moretz, an extremely talented young actress who is fast becoming the early 21st century’s answer to Jodie Foster, not a child actress but a grown up actress in the body of a child. She delivers an extremely mature performance that is way beyond her years and perfectly captures the toughness of her character as well as the emotionally tormented side. She swears up a storm and some will be shocked at some of the language coming out of her mouth, particularly a mention of the c word, but it never seems gratuitous, rather making her damaged character all the more convincing. Moretz also shares a very good hero-hero/father-daughter dynamic with Nicolas Cage, the two being so perfect together that you could easily believe that they really are related. Cage too is excellent, taking a backseat in a supporting role for a change rather than being the leading man. His role here is perhaps one of his most perfectly cast parts in some time, combining his usual energy and superb entertaining abilities with his other, somewhat less seen acting abilities, with genuine emotion being portrayed in certain scenes. Mark Strong once again does the villain gang, being well cast in the criminal boss role, although not having quite the impact he could have due to having played the bad buy part quite a few times lately. Any such problems are not the fault of his performance here though, just that he doesn’t much particularly different this time round. Christopher Mintz-Plasse also delivers an enjoyable performance as the wannabe superhero who isn’t quite who seems to be. Finally, Lyndsy Fonseca is a very likable romantic interest and not merely a damsel in distress, and Clark Duke and Even Peters are also well cast as Dave’s geek friends Marty and Todd. Other recognisable faces putting in appearances are Dexter Fletcher and Jason Flemyng but little is made of either. Overall, Kick-Ass is a superhero film that genuinely does bring something new to the table. It offers a take on superheroes that seems fresh and original, is hilariousl, thrilling and even slightly tragic and is superbly made in every respect. Simply put, this is a film that truly does kick ass and the news that a sequel is already in the works already has this critic getting excited. With Iron Man 2 now less than a month away, April 2010 is set to be a stellar year for superhero movies.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

CAUTION! SPOILERS!

I’d been looking forward to Kick-Ass for a long while, perhaps that was the problem? I’d heard amazingly posititve hype from preview screenings as Comic-Con, perhaps that was the problem? I’d read relentlessly enthusiastic quotes from 5-Star reviews, perhaps that was the problem?

Sure, Kick-Ass is by no means an awful movie, it’s also, sadly, not a classic. Kick-Ass is enjoyable enough, but it falls short of the edgy, rampant and off-beat status it occasionally flirts with and Matthew Vaughn seemed intent to preserve. Vaughn financed the film outside of Hollywood, because he knew no studio would be willing to front up the cash for a film as violent, different and potentially controversial as this. Based on the graphic novel by Wanted scribe Mark Millar, the story focuses on an average teenager who wonders why nobody has tried being a real-life superhero. His efforts see him getting repeatedly battered and becoming an internet video sensation. This, in turn, attracts the attention of Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, two ‘genuine’ superheroes (though, like Batman, their power is in the artillerly) who have a vendetta to settle with mob boss Frank D’Amico.

At it’s out-set Kick Ass works excellently, it’s fast-paced, darkly humourous, juggling its multiple narratives with a sense of whimsy and mystery; the introduction of Nic Cage and Chloe Moretz as Damon MacReady (aka Big Daddy) and his daughter, Mindy (aka Hit-Girl), is superb. Meanwhile Aaron Johnson as Dave Lizewski (Kick-Ass) makes his oddball transformation the stuff of genuine awkward teenage fantasies, and the film laces his early attempts at superheroism with enough gritty realism to shock. Unfortunately these touches, brutal stabs of reality, fail to punctuate the film which gradually becomes more and more like any number of other superhero/action films without bringing anything particularly new to the mix.
After his first beating Dave is hospitalized and finds himself, at the end of his stay, staring at X-rays of his skeleton filled with metal plating and scaffold, with the doctor’s informing him of damaged nerve-endings; so much for his lack of super-powers, now, like Sam Raimi’s titular Darkman, he has a slightly higher tolerance for pain. Also, much like Raimi’s Peter Parker in Spiderman 1 through 3, Dave gets the gorgeous girl – after a very humourous mid-section in which she thinks him gay – this is a change to Millar’s graphic novel, alongside a few other plot machinations, and is a rather unrealistic and disappointing inclusion to the film. And rather than continue to subvert the genre conventions in the story-telling, as the film hints at when Dave’s narration begins to reference movie-characters who have continued narrating from beyond the grave, the final act of the film is disappointingly predictable.

What really bugged me though was the lack of cine-literacy in the despatching of chief villain Frank D’Amico. Near the end of the second act one of the henchmen pilfers a bazooka from Big Daddy’s HQ, clearly this will be used at some point in the film, the bazooka remains in our collective conscious until the final confrontations between Kick-Ass vs. Red Mist and Hit-Girl vs. D’Amico. Kick-Ass and Red Mist knock one another out, whilst D’Amico gets the advantage over Hit-Girl, it is at this moment that he goes for his gun. We intercut to the unconscious Kick-Ass who slowly begins to stir. Clearly, he would be incapable of taking on D’Amico unarmed, and the only weapon we know he could use at this point would be the aforementioned bazooka. Sure enough, just before D’Amico can point blank Mindy, Kick-Ass is at the door, fires the bazooka and D’Amico is sent flying out the window to explode at a safe distance. Unfortunately, this feels like a very unsatisfying end to a reasonably threatening chief villain.

It made me think about the end of True Lies, in which Arnie is taking out bad guys in a harrier jump jet whilst trying to rescue his daughter from plummeting to her doom, and also has chief terrorist Art Malik on his wing with an uzi. We, as an audience, know that Arnie has a missile on the wing of his plane waiting to fire, we know that Malik is unsteady on his feet when Arnie banks the jet and we know, when Arnie gives his daughter a ‘Hold On’ look, everything that’s about to happen. Sure enough, Arnie banks the jet, Malik slips, slides down the wing and gets caught on the missle. Arnie hovers his finger over the launch button, draws a wry smile and looks Malik in the eye, our anticipation is high, we’re giddy, waiting to hear what possible quip Arnie could come out with… “You’re fired.” he deadpans, it’s so perfectly cheesy that it ellicts cheers and guffaws in equal measure. Whoosh! The missle is launced sending Malik flying, but not only that, he zooms straight through a building towards the helicopter gun-ship containing all his terrorist buddies – KABOOM! Perfect cinematic action geography by one of the genre’s masters, James Cameron.

Before firing the bazooka into D’Amico, Kick-Ass said something, but such is the lack of impact of this moment that I can’t even begin to remember what it was! Elsewhere in the film, especially in the ‘blood-letting’, I felt that the film fell short of those that had gone before; with the spurts of red on a lesser level than, say, studio-backed V For Vendetta and Hit-Girl’s hallway shoot-out had none of the thrills and wit of, for example, Leon‘s final confrontation. The violence in this film should’ve have had you spitting popcorn with its excessive gore and humour, much like, rather neatly, Timur Bekmabetov’s adaptation of Millar’s graphic novel Wanted, which was a pleasingly 18 certificate movie with a fine sense of action geography.

These are just a handful of my initial qualms with Kick Ass, don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the movie, but it’s not my ‘new favourite film’ as some sites are claiming; but their sense of hyperbole has often been dubious. I look forward to returning to Kick Ass on DVD in the future, to see how it holds up, but I won’t be rushing back to the cinema to check it out again… in fact, the likes of this year’s Daybreakers and Solomon Kane – though poorer films overall – had a better regard for witty violence and inventive action and, thusly, hold more repeat curiosity for me. Even though, as previously remarked, all in all they aren’t as good as Kick Ass!