Pokémon Detective Pikachu.

Review #1219: Pokémon Detective Pikachu.

Cast: 
Ryan Reynolds (Detective Pikachu), Justice Smith (Tim Goodman), Kathryn Newton (Lucy Stevens), Bill Nighy (Howard Clifford), Ken Watanabe (Detective Hideo Yoshida), Chris Geere (Roger Clifford), Suki Waterhouse (Ms. Norman), Omar Chaparro (Sebastian), Rita Ora (Dr. Ann Laurent), and Karan Soni (Jack) Directed by Rob Letterman (#164 - Shark Tale)

Review:
I suppose it had to happen sometime. This is based off the Pokémon franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori alongside the spin-off game Detective Pikachu developed by Creatures Inc. This isn't the first film based on the video game property, with Pokémon: The First Movie being released in 1998; since then, there has been 21 animated films released (all released in Japan with release in America later - with only the first five given theatrical release for the latter). In any case, it is easy to say that this is a very average movie, racked with plenty of visual enjoyment and a few laughs headlined by a solid lead voice and facial motion capture performance from Reynolds. It proves to be a light charmer that doesn't waste its 104 minutes on being anything other than just fine for the kids and ones big on seeing certain Pokémon (a property I'm not overly familiar with). In a sense, it does feel a bit like Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), albeit instead of animation it is big furry creatures. The look of the film (from cinematographer John Mathieson) is fairly nice, helping to make the main city setting look bright enough where the neon and other things don't become too flashy for the sake of it. They certainly nailed the look of these Pokémon creatures when it comes to finding that right type of balance where the photo-realistic nature doesn't look too weird, seeming fairly natural for where the film wants to go, where the distraction involves wondering what you may see in the background instead of being weirded out by the designs made. It probably isn't a surprise that there were four writers involved with the screenplay (Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Letterman, and Derek Connolly) and three with the story (Hernandez, Samit, and Nicole Perlman), since the film seems to try to aim to make a detective story with tinges of comedy and action, making a fairly decent effort to hold itself together with decent intrigue and climax, even if its human characters seem a bit lacking. It seems more of a weird film than one with some depth to it, I guess. Reynolds is the star of the show, being the best of the bunch of the cast, sarcastic and yet still endearing to be around with. Smith is okay, playing off with Reynolds decently when needed. Newton is quirky but amusing that plays off fine on occasion. Nighy and Watanabe prove okay in their respective times on screen. On the whole, while I wish the film was a bit more ambitious with where it wanted to go, this proves to be a light silly charmer that will play well with those who seek out cuddly creatures with powers and some detective work. I wouldn't be against making another one of these, if only to see where it could go from there, I suppose.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

Review #1217: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

Cast: 
Ming-Na Wen (Doctor Aki Ross), Alec Baldwin (Captain Gray Edwards), Ving Rhames (Ryan), Steve Buscemi (Neil), Peri Gilpin (Jane), Donald Sutherland (Dr. Sid), James Woods (General Hein), Keith David (Council Member #1), Jean Simmons (Council Member #2), and Matt McKenzie (Major Elliot) Directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Motonori Sakakibara.

Review: 
Perhaps this movie is like the tale of Icarus. However, instead of daring to fly near the sun on illustrious wings of feathers, this is a film that dares to soar as the first photo-realistic computer-animated feature film, made over the course of four years with a budget of $137 million (with at least half the budget being spent on marketing from Columbia Pictures and construction in Hawaii of a studio for Square Pictures, whose demise rose from the eventual failure of the film at the box office). Final Fantasy (created by Hironobu Sakaguchi) is a series of fantasy role playing video games, with each installment being stand-alone tales that have recurring elements in terms of game mechanics, with fifteen main titles being released since 1987. Undeniably, it is easy to give praise to the ambition that the makers of this film had towards delivering something that would inspire curiosity and interest, although it seems more for the animation than the actual story in any case. It just can't help itself being a visual spectacle even after two decades of age (although it may take a bit of time to get used to its type of flair), at least. The spirit aspect feels a bit too hokey to really make for a compelling story, with the twist involving their true nature (with a name like Phantoms, take one guess) not making as much an impact. It feels too clumsy with trying to handle its characters, particularly with its main character, who never comes into focus as someone to really follow along with.

That's not to say I didn't like the performances of the cast, who each do their parts just fine. Wen does okay with what she is given, even if her chemistry with Baldwin (probably the most practical performer here) reads more like an audio-book than something befitting a movie, especially a science-fiction one. Rhames, Buscemi and Gilpin all do okay, providing little moments of amusement until they aren't needed by the plot. Sutherland fills the wise old shoes of his character without much trouble (ponder on the whole Gaia theory stuff as you wish, however), and Woods is finely tuned to play with a good deal of ham to his performance, which work out okay, even if his motivations feel a bit too underplayed to really resonate. The writing can't quite make them feel like people to gel with, as if I am watching one long cut-scene with no way to break free. The story was done by Sakaguchi, while having a screenplay from Al Reinert (writer of films such as For All Mankind and Apollo 13) and Jeff Vintar (co-writer of I, Robot). The parts involving the Gaia only serve to make the film seem more deeply rooted than it really is, with a climax that feels too patched up to have an impact. It isn't so much a junk food type of sci-fi movie as it is just an off-brand piece of candy that looks nice but is a bit stale in all the wrong places to really sit right. With a run-time of 106 minutes, it will prove fine for the eyes to sit with while resonating less with its aims that at drag a cobbled assortment of sci-fi gobbledygook across the line without being a complete success. I didn't feel that it was a waste of my time, but I did feel disappointed that it wasn't worth it just enough. I do find science fiction movies to be a fun thing to sit through, but I couldn't find this one to be just as fitting of praise as others that dared to show a different kind of reality or look.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Super Mario Bros.

Review #736: Super Mario Bros.

Cast
Bob Hoskins (Mario), John Leguizamo (Luigi), Dennis Hopper (King Koopa), Samantha Mathis (Princess Daisy), Fisher Stevens (Iggy), Richard Edson (Spike), Fiona Shaw (Lena), and Mojo Nixon (Toad) Directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel.

Review
Since today's the 30th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros, I decided to review the movie based off the video game. Before talking about this movie, let me talk a little about Super Mario. Let's be honest: The plot of the original game is simple: A plumber named Mario tries to rescue a princess from Bowser (also known as Koopa). To make a movie out of it, you have to have more plot. Whatever Super Mario game you played first (Mine was Super Mario Bros 3 on the NES, which my dad bought at a sale five years ago), Mario's legacy is one that can never be stopped, and it is has crossed over into the realm of television, cereals, anime, comics, and of course, this movie.

Yep, this one. The one from the same people that worked on Max Headroom (never heard of it)...which has had a reputation. Not just from people, but from the actors themselves. Dennis Hopper described this film as a nightmare that went over budget. Bob Hoskins said it was not only the worst job he ever did, he also said it was both his biggest disappointment and the one thing he'd change about his past. Leguizamo said in his own memoir that he and Hoskins got drunk constantly while filiming this. It's strange that Mario and Luigi's last names are both Mario (I guess that explains the Mario Bros. part)...but that's not the least of the movie's problems. The main problem is that the movie really doesn't have much of a focus to it in terms of tone. Is it supposed to be a comedy? Light hearted family flick? Adventure? Sci-fi? Dark fantasy? What is it? The lack of consistency with the tone clouds a movie that is already pretty strange. I do kinda like the idea of an alternate dimension for the Mario Bros, but it's still not done very well because it just flies by too quick to make an impact. The acting is certainly...notable. Hopper looks like he doesn't care. Now whether that means that he doesn't care about the movie or his performance in it is the question. Hoskins and Leguizamo evidently did not enjoy their experience in the movie, and it shows. Pretty much every actor is just there to say lines...though Stevens & Edson provide occasional moments of mild enjoyment

Let's talk about some of the video game stuff briefly, because I know at least something about video games. I wonder if the Princess is named Daisy because of Super Mario Land (released four years earlier) or because being known as Princess Toadstool (The name she was referred to as in the US prior to 1993) would be too weird. The Goombas are an okay effect, though them being taller than the Mario Bros doesn't make too much sense, given that in the game they are the easiest to kill. I find it very strange that Toad is now a guitar playing rebel...but then again Toad wasn't exactly endearing in the video games to begin with. Yoshi...is there for about 20 seconds. Apparently Yoshi was an animatronic effect controlled by cables and radios. It's not a bad effect, but he's only there briefly.  Koopa (also known as Bowser) is now evidently half-human, half-lizard. Nuff said. Remember Big Bertha? That fish from the third game? Big Bertha is now a big woman. The Bob-omb at least resembles the one from the game, and is probably the only thing in this movie that is loyal, sadly enough.

The movie's effects are hit and miss. The design of the city is okay, but you could honestly confuse it for any movies with a  The portal effects look more like soup and the Goombas have a certain washed out pale look to them. The movie ends on a cliffhanger...that will never be resolved. Super Mario Bros was a flop at the box office, and rightfully so. It's a movie that tries to cover too many bases to focus and please everyone while managing to be a tangled mess with no clear focus. It's sad how it seems no one who made this had fun making this, but at least it's not unwatchable. It's not a terrible movie, it's just isn't any good either. I did find it interesting that there's actually a comic strip dedicated as a "sequel" to this film, so at least something came out of this. Ultimately, this a movie that lags alongside other weird 90's movies, though not the good kind. Happy 30th, Mario. You deserved better than this.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Review #458: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Cast
Angelina Jolie (Lara Croft), Daniel Craig (Alex West), Iain Glen (Manfred Powell), Jon Voight (Richard Croft), Noah Taylor (Bryce), Christopher Barrie (James Hillary), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Mr. Pimms), and Leslie Phillips (Wilson) Directed by Alex West.

Review
The first video game movie reviewed here, and...eh? There's not much to say about Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, it's not terrible, but it's not good either. The actors are okay, except for Jolie, who is probably one of the better actors in this film. The action is a mixed bag, sometimes it looks interesting, but the decent action is undercut by the occasional slow motion shots, which is unnecessary and adds nothing to the film other than making the film about 5 seconds longer. The plot is muddy, and feels like a rejected Indiana Jones script, which either makes Kingdom of the Crystal Skull better or worse in comparison. The film doesn't last too long, though I do wonder how you can make a villain so obvious in the first 15 minutes. It's a mediocre film, it strives for adventure and only that, succeeding easily, yet emotionally vacant, so I guess it works for some.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.