WARNING: Spoilers ahead!
So today me and Futuna watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Speed Racer(if Iron Man wasn’t full house, it’d be a hat-trick flick treat for us! Yeah we didn’t watch it yet, so spare us the details will ya?). Both films are awesome in their respective genres and weren’t disappointing. Here’s my hard-earned 2 cents;
Crystal Skull was a classic-archeology action adventure film in its own right. It’s remarkable how the filmmakers managed to maintain the overall look and feel of the film. It was like watching it 19 years ago, except that Indy is 19 years older. The film has dozens of thrills and funny moments, but the only downside for me was the fact that the whole story was based on extraterrestrial(read: aliens) findings.
To me, UFOs(as much as I believe they exist) and zombies are the easiest(or lamest?) and quick “excuse” or motive for any mystery/thriller-ridden film to end or based on. But then again, as its previous films, they do deal with a fair amount of paranormal theme, and since this film may be Harrison Ford’s last of the franchise(Shia Le Bouf would do a good job in continuing the tradition in the coming sequels(if there’s any), IMHO), maybe George Lucas and Steven Spielberg decided to end it with a BANG!
The end of the film would be more appealing to me if the aliens weren’t too typical and familiar looking(humanoid figure, big head(with skull made of crystal, hence the title) and eyes, skinny, long arms and leg) and if the spaceship wasn’t too metallic and big, saucer-like look. Regardless, I still give it two thumbs up for bringing back the good old Indy adventure nostalgia! I’d have my money on it anyday rather than Tomb Raider or Mummy or National Treasure. Heh! Rating: 4/5
Read Crystal Skull review from The Independent here. And The New York Times here.
Speed Racer, was, well, speedy! In all its colorful bright neon light orgasm galore! A real eye-candy treat for all you CGI freaks out there. Full of (really)fast paced action and cool, slick looking cars and gadgets.
But if fans of the Wachowski Brothers(and Sister?) are looking for another Matrix-like story and twist, forget it. It’s a straight forward PG-rated film with lessons on morality, love and family values shown throughout with abundance of stunning visual effects(and maximum use of green screen I presume).
I guess this film is more of a “fun ride in the park” for the filmmakers who just want to go all out with the CGI expertise and skills at their disposals and joining the anime/manga adaptation to silverscreen bandwagon(Leonardo DiCaprio will produce the already cult-status Akira for live-action film next year) and cashing some money while at it. As long as it do justice to the original version and the audience are entertained, right? Rating: 3.5/5
Read Speed Racer review from The Independent here. And The New York Times here.
0 Responses to “Reel Deal”