Back & Forth #3: Deus Ex Machina
Having gone Back, we will now venture Forth to October 10, 2011 with prominent science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, who once wrote that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
This statement describes just one of the elements common to the two movies up for review this week.
First, we look at the most recent film of this unlikely pairing, Transformers: Dark Of the Moon.
After establishing themselves as clandestine protectors of Earth in the course of the original Transformers and its unfortunately more juvenile sequel, Revenge Of the Fallen, the Autobots learn of a technology kept secret by man that could spell disaster in the wrong (ie: Decepticon) hands. The intro to Dark Of the Moon provides a nice integration of science history and science-fiction to explain how mankind came to possess said technology.
Since the events of Fallen, Sam "Spike" Witwicky (Shia LaBouf), has a new love interest, played by English model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who brings little else to the film in terms of character development. The absence of ex-girlfriend Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) from Dark is explained in passing later on.
What follows is a mix of intrigue, sexual tension, and office comedy that intertwines and culminates with an impressive amount of larger-than-life action. Along for the epic ride are returning stars Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, and John Turturro (who, in my opinion, stole the film), as well as powerhouse actors John Malkovich (Red) and Frances McDormand (Fargo), TV stars Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy) and Ken Jeong (Community), and voice talent by Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), Hugo Weaving (Captain America), James Remar (Dexter), and Keith Szarabajka (Angel).
Transformers: Dark Of the Moon, at two hours and 32 minutes, is entirely too long as movies go, but unlike many movies of its kind (most commonly, the modern superhero film), DOtM makes efficient use of every waking second, whether by snappy dialogue, seamless green-screened run-and-gun sequences, the aforementioned sexual tension, or sheer acting presence (good or bad acting, for a change, ceases to matter in the large scale of the film). Even the Autobots and Decepticons, after two films that have traversed the gulf from emotionless action into toilet humor, have developed into complete characters by this third installment.
The true star, outshining even the hilarious John Turturro, is the 3D technology, which has been put to its best use since rising from the ashes in James Cameron's Avatar. The film, said Transformers director Michael Bay, was designed with 3D in mind, and it shows in every glass-shattering, metal-wrenching, bone-crunching frame of the indescribably cool sequences, even in two dimensions.
All things considered, Transformers: Dark Of the Moon is the best of the trilogy, and one of the best movies I have seen in recent memory.
A+
Likewise, I was impressed with the latest installment in Marvel's Avenger Initiative franchise.
Chris Hemsworth stars as deposed Norse thunder god, Thor Odinsson (a little cultural lesson: Last names in Norse society are meant to convey lineage, eg: Thor is the son of Odin, Leif Ericsson was the son of Eric the Red, etc.), a born-for-war-bound-for-glory prince who crashes to Earth when his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins, Silence Of the Lambs) falls ill.
On Earth, he meets and falls in love with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman, Black Swan), a human scientist who believes she has discovered the bridge between Earth and Thor's home of Asgard.
Part Arthurian legend, part Shakespearean drama (courtesy of director Kenneth Branagh, whose involvement in the film was a pleasant surprise all its own), Thor becomes an intelligent tale of intrigue and love, holding interest where more action-packed members of the superhero genre lose steam.
Like Transformers: Dark Of the Moon, Thor explores the archetype of the fallen god or king, learning compassion and respect for the strength of the human spirit, rather than continuing to live for the glory of war or looking down on his subjects as insects. Such lessons make one a better king (a cue we should all take, I think, to lead more successful lives).
I was not familiar with Thor outside of Norse Mythology, nor was I entirely familiar with the Marvel Universe at large before watching this movie, and as such I did not geek out as much at the latest post-credits spoiler as I did with the Iron Man films, but the introduction of Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker) mid-movie and the "Road to the Avengers" featurette I watched afterward more than made up for my disappointment and confusion. At one hour and 54 minutes, Thor was just long enough to satisfy without overstaying its welcome, and shorter than many other films in its genre, which I see as an accomplishment. I was glad to have purchased Thor sight-unseen, and look forward to doing the same with Captain America when it is released on DVD this month.
A
This statement describes just one of the elements common to the two movies up for review this week.
First, we look at the most recent film of this unlikely pairing, Transformers: Dark Of the Moon.After establishing themselves as clandestine protectors of Earth in the course of the original Transformers and its unfortunately more juvenile sequel, Revenge Of the Fallen, the Autobots learn of a technology kept secret by man that could spell disaster in the wrong (ie: Decepticon) hands. The intro to Dark Of the Moon provides a nice integration of science history and science-fiction to explain how mankind came to possess said technology.
Since the events of Fallen, Sam "Spike" Witwicky (Shia LaBouf), has a new love interest, played by English model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who brings little else to the film in terms of character development. The absence of ex-girlfriend Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) from Dark is explained in passing later on.
What follows is a mix of intrigue, sexual tension, and office comedy that intertwines and culminates with an impressive amount of larger-than-life action. Along for the epic ride are returning stars Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, and John Turturro (who, in my opinion, stole the film), as well as powerhouse actors John Malkovich (Red) and Frances McDormand (Fargo), TV stars Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy) and Ken Jeong (Community), and voice talent by Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), Hugo Weaving (Captain America), James Remar (Dexter), and Keith Szarabajka (Angel).
Transformers: Dark Of the Moon, at two hours and 32 minutes, is entirely too long as movies go, but unlike many movies of its kind (most commonly, the modern superhero film), DOtM makes efficient use of every waking second, whether by snappy dialogue, seamless green-screened run-and-gun sequences, the aforementioned sexual tension, or sheer acting presence (good or bad acting, for a change, ceases to matter in the large scale of the film). Even the Autobots and Decepticons, after two films that have traversed the gulf from emotionless action into toilet humor, have developed into complete characters by this third installment.
The true star, outshining even the hilarious John Turturro, is the 3D technology, which has been put to its best use since rising from the ashes in James Cameron's Avatar. The film, said Transformers director Michael Bay, was designed with 3D in mind, and it shows in every glass-shattering, metal-wrenching, bone-crunching frame of the indescribably cool sequences, even in two dimensions.
All things considered, Transformers: Dark Of the Moon is the best of the trilogy, and one of the best movies I have seen in recent memory.
A+
Likewise, I was impressed with the latest installment in Marvel's Avenger Initiative franchise.Chris Hemsworth stars as deposed Norse thunder god, Thor Odinsson (a little cultural lesson: Last names in Norse society are meant to convey lineage, eg: Thor is the son of Odin, Leif Ericsson was the son of Eric the Red, etc.), a born-for-war-bound-for-glory prince who crashes to Earth when his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins, Silence Of the Lambs) falls ill.
On Earth, he meets and falls in love with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman, Black Swan), a human scientist who believes she has discovered the bridge between Earth and Thor's home of Asgard.
Part Arthurian legend, part Shakespearean drama (courtesy of director Kenneth Branagh, whose involvement in the film was a pleasant surprise all its own), Thor becomes an intelligent tale of intrigue and love, holding interest where more action-packed members of the superhero genre lose steam.
Like Transformers: Dark Of the Moon, Thor explores the archetype of the fallen god or king, learning compassion and respect for the strength of the human spirit, rather than continuing to live for the glory of war or looking down on his subjects as insects. Such lessons make one a better king (a cue we should all take, I think, to lead more successful lives).
I was not familiar with Thor outside of Norse Mythology, nor was I entirely familiar with the Marvel Universe at large before watching this movie, and as such I did not geek out as much at the latest post-credits spoiler as I did with the Iron Man films, but the introduction of Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker) mid-movie and the "Road to the Avengers" featurette I watched afterward more than made up for my disappointment and confusion. At one hour and 54 minutes, Thor was just long enough to satisfy without overstaying its welcome, and shorter than many other films in its genre, which I see as an accomplishment. I was glad to have purchased Thor sight-unseen, and look forward to doing the same with Captain America when it is released on DVD this month.
A
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