NY_Georgie
Joined Apr 2024
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NY_Georgie's rating
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The Fantastic Four was the first group of super heroes created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to headline their own comic book title back in 1961, marking the beginning of the epic Marvel Age of comics. Yet bringing the quartet of heroes to the big screen accurately and capturing the tone and spirit of "the world's greatest comic magazine" has been elusive.
"Fantastic Four: First Steps" offers the fourth different cast of actors to fill the blue jumpsuits as Reed Richards, Sue & Johnny Storm and the ever-lovin' Thing.
I'm afraid this 'Four' doesn't quite deliver the definitive live-action version fans were waiting for. Divorced from lofty fanboy expectations and trying to judge the film on its own merits, "FF" is a solid (not great) popcorn movie.
Although immensely talented, Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby are miscast as rubber-bodied scientist Reed Richards and wife Sue, aka the Invisible Woman.
The film fails to capture that sometimes contentious, bickering relationship of Marvel's First Family that was a hallmark of the comic.
I did like the fact that the film was set in Kennedy-era New York City, the period when Lee & Kirby first brought the characters to life.
The basic plot is taken from one of Lee & Kirby's earliest issues: an all-powerful space being named Galactus has targeted the earth for total annihilation to consume its energy as a power source.
Where the film deviates from the early-Marvel canon is that Galactus offers to spare the earth if Reed & Sue agree to give him their first-born child. This gives the film a heaviness that quite frankly is cineplex buzz-kill. There are scenes of Reed & Sue agonizing over their decision and the general public turning on the heroes as they are in harm's way because of it.
We get a female Silver Surfer (which is fine) and a whole lot more of Herbie the robot than anyone expected.
The film does a much better job in depicting Galactus than the Jessica Alba mid-2000's film did, where the big blue meanie was characterized as a ball of space gas.
Let me bottom-line it: I liked "Fantastic Four: First Steps", but didn't love it.
Kudos to the filmmakers for giving cameos to cast members of the aborted and never-released Roger Corman Fantastic Four project from some 30 years ago.
"Fantastic Four: First Steps" offers the fourth different cast of actors to fill the blue jumpsuits as Reed Richards, Sue & Johnny Storm and the ever-lovin' Thing.
I'm afraid this 'Four' doesn't quite deliver the definitive live-action version fans were waiting for. Divorced from lofty fanboy expectations and trying to judge the film on its own merits, "FF" is a solid (not great) popcorn movie.
Although immensely talented, Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby are miscast as rubber-bodied scientist Reed Richards and wife Sue, aka the Invisible Woman.
The film fails to capture that sometimes contentious, bickering relationship of Marvel's First Family that was a hallmark of the comic.
I did like the fact that the film was set in Kennedy-era New York City, the period when Lee & Kirby first brought the characters to life.
The basic plot is taken from one of Lee & Kirby's earliest issues: an all-powerful space being named Galactus has targeted the earth for total annihilation to consume its energy as a power source.
Where the film deviates from the early-Marvel canon is that Galactus offers to spare the earth if Reed & Sue agree to give him their first-born child. This gives the film a heaviness that quite frankly is cineplex buzz-kill. There are scenes of Reed & Sue agonizing over their decision and the general public turning on the heroes as they are in harm's way because of it.
We get a female Silver Surfer (which is fine) and a whole lot more of Herbie the robot than anyone expected.
The film does a much better job in depicting Galactus than the Jessica Alba mid-2000's film did, where the big blue meanie was characterized as a ball of space gas.
Let me bottom-line it: I liked "Fantastic Four: First Steps", but didn't love it.
Kudos to the filmmakers for giving cameos to cast members of the aborted and never-released Roger Corman Fantastic Four project from some 30 years ago.
"Heads of State" is a loud and dumb Action / Comedy with a whole lot of "Odd Couple" Buddy Movie tropes thrown in. In this case, those mismatched buddies happen to be the President of the United States and the British Prime Minister. They might bicker like a married couple, but boy, they can kick some ass.
The movie aims low, which is frustrating. There was an inkling of a good movie in here.
John Cena plays Will Derringer, a former movie star who rides his box office popularity to an improbable election as Commander-in-Chief. He's still in the honeymoon phase of his young term and his approval ratings are at historic highs.
Idris Elba plays Sam Clarke, the Cambridge-educated Prime Minister who worked his way up through the army and Parliament. In his sixth year in office, Clarke has dealt with his share of crises, political battles & economic downturns, and his polling numbers are suffering because of it.
The two leaders meet for their first joint press conference and it does not go well. President Derringer is boorish, smug and shallow. One of my criticisms of the film is that the Cena character is too unlikeable; it's as if "Ricky Stanicky" was the President.
The two mismatched world leaders agree to a joint trip to Poland on Air Force One motivated by the 'smile-and-wave' photos that will generate good global publicity. They get way more than they bargained for when the plane is attacked by a band of global assassins. Derringer and Clarke are forced to bail out somewhere over Belarus and that sets up the meat of the movie: alone, the two Heads of State must work together to unravel a global conspiracy to assassinate them and disband NATO.
What a great film this could have been if they played it smart. Idris Elba is perfect as the world-weary Prime Minister, until the script has him running around firing assault rifles.
The action is as implausible as a Tom & Jerry cartoon. There's a scene where Cena and Elba are on Air Force One shot full of holes and 40,000 feet in the air. In front of a gaping hole, the two dangle horizontally, clinging precariously to the top of airplane seats and never get sucked out of the plane. Just one of many ways 'Heads of State' defies physics and logic.
The film opens with a huge shoot-em-up at the famous Tomato Festival in Spain in a scene that has nothing to do with the rest of the film.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays an operative who can kick butt and who once had an affair of the heart with Prime Minister Clarke.
I did like Carla Gugino in a supporting role as the Vice-President.
The film pokes fun at President Derringer's acting career starring as the Venim in Denim in the schlocky 'Water Cobra' franchise. 'Heads of State' is equally as schlocky."
The movie aims low, which is frustrating. There was an inkling of a good movie in here.
John Cena plays Will Derringer, a former movie star who rides his box office popularity to an improbable election as Commander-in-Chief. He's still in the honeymoon phase of his young term and his approval ratings are at historic highs.
Idris Elba plays Sam Clarke, the Cambridge-educated Prime Minister who worked his way up through the army and Parliament. In his sixth year in office, Clarke has dealt with his share of crises, political battles & economic downturns, and his polling numbers are suffering because of it.
The two leaders meet for their first joint press conference and it does not go well. President Derringer is boorish, smug and shallow. One of my criticisms of the film is that the Cena character is too unlikeable; it's as if "Ricky Stanicky" was the President.
The two mismatched world leaders agree to a joint trip to Poland on Air Force One motivated by the 'smile-and-wave' photos that will generate good global publicity. They get way more than they bargained for when the plane is attacked by a band of global assassins. Derringer and Clarke are forced to bail out somewhere over Belarus and that sets up the meat of the movie: alone, the two Heads of State must work together to unravel a global conspiracy to assassinate them and disband NATO.
What a great film this could have been if they played it smart. Idris Elba is perfect as the world-weary Prime Minister, until the script has him running around firing assault rifles.
The action is as implausible as a Tom & Jerry cartoon. There's a scene where Cena and Elba are on Air Force One shot full of holes and 40,000 feet in the air. In front of a gaping hole, the two dangle horizontally, clinging precariously to the top of airplane seats and never get sucked out of the plane. Just one of many ways 'Heads of State' defies physics and logic.
The film opens with a huge shoot-em-up at the famous Tomato Festival in Spain in a scene that has nothing to do with the rest of the film.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays an operative who can kick butt and who once had an affair of the heart with Prime Minister Clarke.
I did like Carla Gugino in a supporting role as the Vice-President.
The film pokes fun at President Derringer's acting career starring as the Venim in Denim in the schlocky 'Water Cobra' franchise. 'Heads of State' is equally as schlocky."
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