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Reviews
Serenity (2005)
A perfect popcorn movie
It's pathetic that The Fog is on track to make more money at the box office than Serenity. If you figure that a short-lived TV show could never yield a decent movie, you're on track to skip the most entertaining and satisfying film I've seen all year.
Firefly (the prior TV show) and Serenity both follow a group of space rogues who run around the galaxy, both taking legal jobs and committing all sorts of petty crime, in a junky old space freighter. The main conflict comes in the form of a couple of passengers - the siblings Simon and River Tam - who are hunted by the imperial Alliance. River in particular has been psychologically tortured and turned into an unpredictable living weapon who, naturally, knows more than she should about the Alliance's misdeeds. An assassin is dispatched to recapture the two, and the chase is on.
Since the crew of Serenity are space rogues in the tradition of Han Solo and company, they're all good looking and throw off more witty and funny banter in 10 minutes than many of us could manage in a year. Action is plentiful and plenty exciting, and carries a sense of genuine danger that is cultivated by some shocking risks on writer/director Whedon's part. The acting isn't notably outstanding, but the jokes work and when emotion is called for, emotion comes forth. The only thing that really doesn't work as well is the "inspirational speech" section, which seems a bit out of character for this particular group of characters. The plot itself also seems a bit episodic rather than working as a unified whole, but this typical flaw in TV-to-movie adaptations is also a typical flaw in action movies in general and isn't really anything to get bent out of shape about.
What is most impressive about Serenity is that its plot can be followed even by someone with no prior knowledge of the TV show's world (like me). All relevant information is covered before the real games begin, and Firefly fans will still surely get an extra charge from seeing their beloved characters back on a screen.
In short, anyone looking for two hours of action/comedy diversion could barely do better. Put your reservations about Firefly to rest and take a risk, and enjoy an awesome movie that's more Star Wars than Star Wars has been lately. 9/10
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
As strong as any Next Generation Trek
Having not seen Insurrection since it came out in theaters, I was not sure what to expect - but the fact that I hadn't bothered to see it again meant that it must not have made much of an impression. In fact, with the benefit of seven years behind me, it seems that this may be the strongest of the Trek movies to feature the Next Generation crew, especially in light of the terrible "Nemesis".
First and foremost, the thing that separates Star Trek from Star Wars is in play continuously. The Next Generation TV show excelled in its ability to serve up complex moral dilemmas in 45-minute bites, but the previous two movies before this one had not really bothered with these problems. While somewhat underdeveloped, Insurrection does feature a moral issue prominently - a risk that is admirable in light of the Manichean world view that dominates most action films. This is, by the way, most certainly an action movie. There are more shootouts and space battles in Insurrection than in Nemesis and Generations combined, an especially impressive fact considering that there was no other meat to either of the aforementioned Treks.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this is the only Next Generation movie to show the cast at the height of their chemistry. The last few seasons of the TV show were characterized primarily (in both its best and worst moments) by the friendship between cast members that was so clearly visible in its performances. Neither of the two previous movies or the one after show this as clearly as Insurrection does. All actors seem at ease with their characters and each other.
Does Insurrection deliver for non-Trek fans? I would answer with a qualified yes. As all the Next Generation movies do to an inordinate degree, Insurrection relies on prior knowledge of the characters and ideas of the TV show, thus consigning it to a niche market of moviegoers. However, there is still enough wit, complexity, and excitement left to enjoy, even after the prior knowledge is subtracted, to make it a fairly satisfying movie. Recommended with a caveat for non-Trekkies - this may be an acquired taste.
The War of the Worlds (1953)
Holds up well after half a century
52 years have gone, at the time of this writing, since this classic dropped into American theaters. With Spielberg's retelling rolling at the box office, it's worth revisiting the first film treatment of Wells' novel. Those who liked Spielberg's War of the Worlds are in for a very different movie, but one that they can probably appreciate, especially if they can think in terms of pre-Star Wars special effects.
For the first hour or so, The War of the Worlds is a fairly dry movie, consisting of a lot of hokey scientific justifications for phenomena that have either been disproven or were never possible at all. Jupiter, for instance, is shown as a solid planet. Thankfully, it is fairly free of the racism that pops up from time to time in movies this age - though there is one unfortunate portrayal of a Mexican stereotype. As the mayhem begins, the movie is fairly satisfying as an action movie - especially considering the time period. Some early shootouts are fairly exciting, but as one might expect, the swan-shaped Martian machines roll their hapless human victims, and after a while some of the drama comes out of the struggle. It is a strong portion, but there are far better bits to come.
It is the final third of this movie that earns its legendary status. After the fairly dry, birds-eye view of the war that has proceeded to that point, the end segments consist of a wonderful symphony of despair. In the midst of the evacuation of a city of millions, the film finds time to show us a child's ball bouncing down the stairs of a hospital. In the end, epic (for the time) destruction is contrasted with a humanity that it has previously lacked as Barry searches the streets of Martian-besieged Los Angeles looking for a good place to die. As he stops in church after church, the film finally delivers the emotional punch, the direct impact of such a gigantic-scale catastrophe. We see people coping with the most horrific of circumstances and see, though thin, the rays of humanity shining through. In the end, though the religious subplot may seem outdated, it adds the essential element to the movie's portrayal of a world that hasn't given up on God yet - and, as shown by the sudden and unexpected conclusion, that God hasn't given up on either. Recommended.
Windtalkers (2002)
A warehouse of war movie clichés
If you want an idea of how predictable Windtalkers is, think about this. From about 45 minutes in, the only way my friends and I could be entertained by it was by placing bets on which standard war film plot point would come up next - and among the three of us, we each managed to successfully predict four of them. This movie may have the most arch-conventional plot I've ever bothered to see, and this from a director who not only made one of the most ridiculous plots ever written hold together (Face/Off) but gave that story actual emotional impact. Windtalkers, by virtue of being sort of a greatest hits collection for war movies, has no such power, no matter how hard it tries.
Woo doesn't direct war, he directs action - two very different things. Even at its most sweeping, Windtalkers never manages to reach anything like the grandeur of the great battle scenes in Saving Private Ryan, The Longest Day, Patton, etc. The best bits of action are the small-scale fights in close quarters, which there may be two of but no more. The calmer scenes are even worse, as the clichés really pop out. For a better handling of racism in war, see Glory. For a better handling of personal relationships in battle, see Platoon. For a better handling of noble sacrifices, see Saving Private Ryan. Instead of getting the greatest hits package, go rent the movies that this one ripped off. Two extra stars for production values and Woo's willingness to take this risk, but really, the Navajo code talkers deserve a far better movie. Not recommended.
Best of the Best II (1993)
Good, bad, and ugly
If you want to talk about a movie that's a black hole for careers, let's talk about Best of the Best 2. Director Robert Radler wound up working on Power Rangers episodes, Eric Roberts usually appears in magazines making jealous comments about his much more successful sister, and Philip Rhee...well, the less said about Best of the Best 3 and 4, the better. Ralf Moeller, the chief bad guy, usually winds up playing the big sidekick, most visibly in Gladiator. Ironically, he's probably made out better than anyone else involved, save for the invincible Wayne Newton.
Judged by the standards of its genre, the movie isn't entirely terrible. Judging action movies on the same scale as more respectable fare is like expecting your 59 cent hamburger to taste like steak, and Best of the Best 2 is better than a lot of comparable movies I've seen. The fight scenes are refreshingly high-impact and plentiful, Newton is as deliciously slimy as Richard Dawson in The Running Man, and Moeller makes for a formidable bad guy in the ring. In these respects and others, this movie compares well with better-known movies like Bloodsport or the terrible Kickboxer.
The bad parts are definitely bad, however. The script, as is usual for the genre, consists of the standard tough-guy posturing, but is not even particularly clever at that. Roberts looks like he's being directed to think about his paycheck whenever he's supposed to act happy. Rhee (the real star) does a good job in the ring, but his transformation from calm martial artist to brutal vengeance artist is not really played at all. The bad guys, other than Moeller and to some extent Newton, are completely devoid of menace. The worst part of all - and one of the most cringe-inducing scenes I've ever witnessed - is the first scene with James, where a pathetic drunk's tragic fall is played for laughs. This scene will and should offend almost anyone who understands it.
On the ugly side, the movie's production design definitely reflects its budget. Best of the Best 2 looks and sounds at least 10 years older than it actually is. In style, form, and substance, it's well behind the curve. Some of the violence is really painful to watch, namely two close-ups of Rhee breaking limbs in hapkido arm locks. This is a cheap shot, but Roberts' girlfriend looks like she's about 70. All told, it is not a study in economy. Shot for about the same budget as a Star Trek: The Next Generation 2-part episode, this movie looks way worse.
Is it completely terrible? Well, don't be looking for The Godfather. If some cheesy fighting is your bag, however, you're looking at the right movie. Recommended for genre diehards and 12-year-olds, but not really for anyone else.