Film Review: Gravity

Gravity is a science-fiction thriller distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and directed by Alfonso Cuaron. It stars Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone and George Clooney as Matt Kowalski.

The plot seems simple enough: Dr. Ryan Stone, along with Matt Kowalski and a few other crew members, are on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in outer space. An incident involving a missile and a Russian satellite, however, sends debris hurtling towards their direction. Within minutes, the debris hits them, damaging the space shuttle and cutting off communication between them and Mission Control back on Earth, and killing off the other crew members. Dr. Stone and Matt Kowalski must now find a way to get back to Earth as soon as possible, since their oxygen levels are running dangerously low. There is also the threat of debris hitting them again, once the debris completes their orbit around the Earth.

I watched this film in 3D and I must say I was thoroughly impressed. The 3D effects were some of the best I've seen in a while, that I would unconsciously duck whenever debris comes flying through the screen. The 3D effects of most of the films I've seen lately just seemed too forced and unimpressive. Visuals-wise, Gravity deserves plus points, too--shots of the Earth and the universe are just too stunning to miss. 

Since this film is set in outer space where there is no sound, Alfonso Cuaron (who also directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban released in 2003) takes advantage of the situation by putting music to its best use, most notably in building suspense. When you hear the music getting louder and louder, you just know something's up--and when something does happen, it just hits you, hard.

Sandra Bullock does a great job, too, of portraying her character. Her character connects really well with the audience and really draws them in through her acting, so much so that you'd probably be gasping for air along with her during the most intense moments. The fact that the transition from seeing things from a third-person perspective to a first-person perspective (from Dr. Stone's very eyes) is so seamless only helps in establishing this connection even more.

On the other hand, though, critics and some scientists have already been quick to point out certain scientific inaccuracies in the film. There are also certain parts of the film that seemed to drag on too much--and this isn't even a very long film, mind you, with a running time of 98 minutes. The ending, too, seemed a bit too abrupt and still left a lot of unanswered questions. I wish they had shown what has become of the other crew members. I mean, were their bodies retrieved? Or were they just left out there in space? 

Overall, though, this is still a very good film. Inaccuracies and shortcomings aside, this is still one of the most visually appealing films I've seen lately. While it may not have too many of those fancy explosions and intense fight scenes audiences are probably already accustomed to (thanks to the string of superhero films that's being released left and right), Gravity only proves that "less is more". Sometimes great acting, excellent directing, and top-notch effects (quality over quantity) are all you need to make a big hit.

Film Review: Iron Man 3 (Warning: Spoiler Alert)

Iron Man 3 is a superhero film starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark (otherwise known as Iron Man), Gwyneth Paltrow as his girlfriend Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes, and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's loyal personal assistant. The film, set sometime after the events that occurred in the 2012 film The Avengers, is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

As mentioned, the events in the film take place after what transpired in last year's movie The Avengers. Following the harrowing experience in New York, Tony Stark ends up suffering from insomnia and anxiety attacks. In order to keep himself distracted, he ends up building several (defective) Iron Man suits in his mansion. This puts a strain on his relationship with girlfriend Pepper Potts, who is now the CEO of Stark Industries. When a series of terrorist attacks masterminded by a villain named "The Mandarin" hit the United States (one of which nearly kills Tony Stark's loyal personal assistant Happy Hogan), he is forced to take action. Things become more complicated when scientist Aldrich Killian enters the picture, whom Tony Stark arrogantly snubbed at a party in Switzerland in 1999 when Killian approaches him to seek his support in his Extremis endeavor.

As with a lot of superhero and science fiction movies we see nowadays, the special effects are unquestionably amazing, all thanks to the technology that is now within reach of filmmakers of today. The film's numerous explosions, chase scenes, and acrobatic stunts are certainly more than enough to leave you hanging on to your seat. 

The filmmakers have also done a pretty good job of letting the audience see more of Tony Stark other than being just Iron Man the "save-the-world superhero" kind of guy; with that, Robert Downey Jr.'s acting really stands out. The film lets us see more of the "genius" side of the "genius billionaire playboy philanthropist", where he is able to build his own weapons out of items that he buys at a local hardware store, as well as with his tactics to keep the innocent out of danger (the skydiving "barrel of monkeys" scene comes to mind, which is amazing to watch, by the way). We get to see his vulnerable side as well, especially whenever his girlfriend's safety is concerned and when he has to deal with his persistent anxiety attacks. 

Unfortunately though, while the writers have spent a lot of time developing and adding depth to Tony Stark's character throughout the film, they seem to have paid less attention to the other characters who I felt could have been "fleshed out" more--Rebecca Hall as Dr. Maya Hansen, for one. Her character was quite underrepresented in the film, therefore leaving gaps in the plot which may seem a bit confusing (for me, at least). The same thing goes for Aldrich Killian, whose role as a villain wasn't expounded on as much as I expected it to be. The transformation, too, of Aldrich Killian as the neglected geek at the start of the film to the powerful, vengeful villain seems all too familiar (*coughs* The Incredibles *coughs*).

Overall, though, this movie is still very much worth watching. The film does its best to match up to the success of The Avengers last year and definitely tops the previous Iron Man films, with its mind-blowing action scenes and comedy, which a lot of moviegoers came to see anyway. While the movie for some may seem like an extended commercial for Fred Perry, Audi, and Budweiser (trust me, those brands make several appearances throughout the film), we just have to accept the fact that product placements in movies are now becoming very common (coming from a marketer's perspective). I would definitely like to see how they could possibly top this one next time--if there is a next time.

Film Review: Brave

Brave, is a film written by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, and Irene Mecchi, and directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman. It is produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's 13th movie to date, since Toy Story was shown in theaters in 1995. 

The film, set in 10th-century Scotland, tells the story of a young, ambitious, and skilled archer-princess named Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) who defies an age-old custom by refusing to be betrothed to one of the first-born sons of their family's allies from far-away lands. Her mother Elinor (Emma Thompson) points out that Merida's marriage to one of the first-born sons of the leaders of their allied clans would ensure the stability of the Kingdom. Merida's refusal and her mother's insistence leads to a falling-out between the two, causing her to flee to the woods where she encounters a witch (Julie Walters), initially disguised as a wood carver. Merida negotiates with the witch to create a spell that would help change her mother so that she could let Merida do things her own way. This encounter with the witch, however, turns out to be a big mistake for Merida. As a consequence of the spell, Merida's family is cursed, and she is forced to turn things around or else her family could be ruined forever. 

Visuals-wise, Brave is probably one of Pixar's best films to date. The animators have done an excellent job of giving the viewers a glimpse of medieval Scotland. Everything from the forests, mountains, rivers, and castles are surprisingly detailed and realistic, though the human characters are still of the usual cartoonish sort, to make them less scary (unlike Warner Brothers' The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol by Disney from 2009, which, by the way, continues to creep me out to this day). Compare this film to animated films released a decade ago and you'll definitely see the difference. 

The film offers a lot of good laughs--who knew that Princess Merida's seemingly-uptight mother could actually draw laughs from the audience? Just go watch the film and you'll see why. The biggest comics of the film, however, would have to be Merida's younger triplet brothers (who actually do not have any speaking lines but deliver the humor through their antics and mischievous ways), her father King Fergus (voiced by Billy Connolly) and the leaders of the three allied clans. There's also a mix of slapstick humor which kids would find amusing, and a bit of humor for the adults as well.

The film's story, however, seems rather plain and unoriginal. It has the parent vs. rebellious child scenario that we've already seen in The Little Mermaid or Aladdin, as well as the curse-brought-about-by-a-witch thing as we have seen in Snow White from the 1930s. Quite interestingly enough, though, the witch in Brave isn't really the film's main antagonist. 

If you're thinking that boys may not find this film very appealing since the protagonist is a young princess, then think again. The film has a good mix of action scenes and humor that boys would want, as well as mother-daughter moments between Merida and Queen Elinor that moms and their daughters in the audience would relate to. This film, however, strays from the usual "Disney Princess" movies (if Merida were to be actually considered an official Disney Princess which I think she isn't), as Merida does not sing in the movie nor does she have a love interest, which girls would surely love. Sorry, girls, no lovey-dovey cheesy, mushy, romantic scenes here.

If Merida were to be considered a Disney Princess, she'd be placed among the modern-day strong and independent ones like Mulan or Rapunzel from 2010's Tangled. There is certainly a lot of "girl power" in this film--Princess Merida and Queen Elinor are both portrayed as highly intelligent and somewhat domineering (the ever-so used husband-gives-up-and-lets-his-wife-get-her-way line of "Yes, dear" is used in this film), while the men are somewhat idiotic. Gone are the days when Disney Princesses were of the usual damsel-in-distress variety (think Snow White or Aurora) who need to be rescued by Prince Charming. Princess Merida is the clever, arrow-shooting girl who "don't need no man" in her life, or at least not yet.

While this film isn't exactly one of Disney-Pixar's strongest (the storyline or plot could be a bit more original), the film's humor and amazing visuals certainly make up for it. While Pixar's previous film Cars 2 was a bit of a disaster, I wouldn't really say that Brave could be close to being considered one. This film is still worth watching, and you wouldn't want to miss a single moment of it.

Overall score: 8/10

Film Review: Cars 2

Cars 2 is the sequel to the 2006 Pixar film Cars, directed by John Lasseter and written by Ben Queen. Unlike in the first film where the setting is mostly confined to a fictional town along Route 66 called Radiator Springs, this film gives us a tour around the world, taking us to places such as Japan, Italy, France and the United Kingdom. Cars is the second Pixar film to have a sequel, after the successful Toy Story film in 1995. 

Four-time Piston Cup champion Lightning McQueen returns to his "hometown" Radiator Springs and is reunited with his friends, most especially his girlfriend Sally and his best friend Tow Mater. Meanwhile, former oil tycoon Miles Axlerod, who has now become an alternative fuel advocate, announces a racing event called the "World Grand Prix" as a way to promote alternative fuel. McQueen originally does not plan to join, but is provoked by Italian racing superstar Francesco Bernoulli. This race takes McQueen around the world, and  he takes with him a few of his friends from Radiator Springs to be part of his pit crew, including Tow Mater. He, however, turns out to be a major headache--he becomes an embarrassment for Lightning, with his crazy antics and "hillbilly" behavior. Meanwhile, a group of "lemon" (defective) cars led by Professor Zundapp and a mysterious mastermind plot to bring down Allinol, the alternative fuels company sponsoring the World Grand Prix, since the group of lemon cars owns one of the largest oil reserves in the world. British spies Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell are out to stop them, but a mix-up at a World Grand Prix promotional event in Japan brings Tow Mater into the picture, as the two British spies mistake him for their American counterpart. Now, Tow Mater finds himself involved in dangerous spy missions in a James Bond-ish fashion, while his friend Lightning McQueen is also busy competing at the Grand Prix.

Cars 2 is able to stand on its own--even someone who has not seen the first Cars film will be able to easily follow the events in this film. For this film, the focus seems to have shifted to Tow Mater, as we see  and hear more of him in this film than Lightning McQueen, the first film's main character and the Cars series' "poster boy". For this film, however, there seems to be too much of Tow Mater being himself--there is just too much of Mater's "hillbilly-ness" to the point that his antics don't seem to be that funny anymore., and they come out as just plain dumb. The film actually seems to lack humor that we would expect to see in these animated films (Dreamworks Animations does a really good job at this, especially for the Shrek series, as well as the Kung Fu Panda series which are among the funniest films I've seen so far), as the creators seem to have focused on all the action and the movie's overall James Bond feel. We do get plenty of action for this film, however, which the creators seem to want the audience to remember this film for. While this film does have humor, the jokes are too few and easily forgettable. In fact, it would actually take me a while to remember what the scenes that actually made me chuckle were.

This film, however, compensates for its lack of humor through its visual appeal. As earlier mentioned, the events in this film takes us to different cities around the world (though a lot of the events especially in the middle and last part of the film take place in Europe), and the film's animators do a pretty good job of showing us these places. I particularly liked how they tried to present to us these places as realistically as possible; each place is distinct from all the others. Tokyo is bright and colorful, the Italian countryside clean, sunny and breathtaking (with its beautiful cliffs and beaches), and London is dark and gloomy--just how they are in real life. As I have never been to any of these places, the way these places are represented in the film actually somehow make me want to visit them more. 

Just like many of the films being released these days, Cars 2 is available in 3D. I did watch this film in 3D, but the creators didn't seem to put much effort in making the audience feel like they were actually watching it in 3D. Most of the few notable 3D effects were more of the "Hey, look! It's 3D!" or the in-your-face types which did not really do much to enhance the film's viewing experience.

Overall, I think Cars 2 is one of Pixar's weakest films. I don't think it will be able to match my favorite Pixar films, such as Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, and the critically-acclaimed, and award-winning Up overall (though visuals-wise, the animators of Cars 2 have done a good job). Even the 2006 film Cars received a lot negative reviews--I do hope Pixar realizes that the Cars franchise isn't one of their strongest, and I also hope that they would have to think twice first before coming up with a Cars 3. They might as well put this franchise to rest altogether, so that they could get back on track and come up with another animated film to match their award-winning greats--I'm sure everybody would love that.

Overall score: 5.5/10