Abe Lincoln/Brave Review

     I just got back from the theater after a night out with some friends, and I had the privilege of seeing two very distinct films. One was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The other was Disney/Pixar's Brave. Of course, I can't help but review both of them, being the huge movie nerd that I am.

    Regarding Abe Lincoln, I found it in the long run to be an incredibly stupid action/horror movie that tried to disguise itself as a historical character piece. I am aware that it is based on a book, and the author even wrote the screenplay. However, that does not change the fact that the film itself is deeply, DEEPLY flawed. For starters, the first half of the film has almost no correlation whatsoever to the story of Abe Lincoln.

    Now I'm not gonna lie: I'm no history expert. I don't know that much about Lincoln's early history. But the fact of the matter is, the way this film starts, it acts like it doesn't even try to tie in to Lincoln's past. It seems more like a 19th century superhero movie, with a main hero who swears to avenge a loved one after they are killed by an evil force, growing up training to fight that evil, and then engaging in a secret life to slay his foes, all the while trying to keep his distance from others but ultimately failing and making close friends as well as a romantic relationship. All very familiar territory, with the only real change being the period setting.

    Then comes the second half, where the film randomly jumps forward about 30 years and our main character has grown up to be the Abe Lincoln we know from history. We're expected to believe that there's a huge conspiracy where vampires are the real power behind the secession of the Confederacy, that vampire soldiers were the reason Gettysberg was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, and that Abe Lincoln himself, pushing 60, can battle vamps on a moving, flaming train using an ax and a silver pocket watch like brass knuckles. Not to mention an ending that sacrifices all common sense for the sake of setting up a sequel. That's right. A movie about Abe Lincoln, that even references his assassination come the end, tries to set up for a sequel. Let's face it, this film is not getting any Oscars for best screenplay.

    Now after saying all this, I also realize that the film, while bad, has a certain charm to it. Once you realize that the film you're seeing is utterly stupid (and come on, with a title like Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, you know it's going to be), you can actually get something out of it. The entire movie gives off a "so-bad-its-good" vibe, everything from the acting to the story to the action sequences. Oh god, the action sequences. I already mentioned the moving train. There's also young Abe's chase with a vamp among a stampede, and a completely inconceivable fight against several vamps at a southern ball. These battles consist of exceptionally bad CGI and over the top choreography. But they're also lots of fun. And when I say "fun", I mean fun as in "point and laugh at how stupid it is that a guy can come bursting into a room and take out several vampires with a horse drawn carriage" fun. The entire movie is played straight, so that adds even more to the unintentional hilarity of the film. At the end of the day, I would classify Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter as a well-made guilty pleasure, a fun movie to watch solely for the fact that everything from the premise to the execution is hilariously bad.

    And then there's Brave. I've been interested in this film since I saw the first mysterious teaser trailer. I've loved Pixar since I was a little kid, when my dad took me to see the first Toy Story in theaters. I've been in love with almost every Pixar film since, barring the Cars movies. I sincerely thought that Pixar was pretty much incapable of making a bad film. However, after the critical misfire that was Cars 2, some were worried that the company had lost its touch, myself included. I was hoping that Brave would be a return to form for Pixar, evidenced by the concept they chose to go with. I'd seen what the company could do with superheroes and science fiction, and now they looked like they were ready to tackle epic fantasy, set in Medieval Scotland no less. The fact that this was to be the first Pixar film with a female lead also made this even more interesting. Besides Prometheus and the superhero films, this was the other movie I was hyping up for the summer.

    I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed. Brave was an all around amazing film, with a well thought out story brimming with action, humor, visual splendor, and plenty of character development. Our hero, Merida, is not only Pixar's first female lead but its first princess as well, making this Pixar's first foray into territory usually covered by its parent company Disney. But unlike Disney, who adapts old fairy tales like Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and Rapunzel, Brave is an entirely original tale that draws from Scottish lore. In terms of character, Merida blows any regular Disney princess out of the water. She's smart, she's funny, she's wicked with a bow and arrow (Katniss Everdeen and Hawkeye  would squirm), and above all she's adventurous, rebellious, and independent. She refuses to tie her fate with that of a man, and therein lies the driving force for the film.

    Merida is bound by tradition to marry one of three suitors from rival Scottish clans, less they all go to war. Her mother, Queen Elinor, has been preparing her for this moment her whole life. Not wanting to get married, Merida has a falling out with her mother and runs away, seeking help from a witch who changes Elinor into a bear. The mother-daughter team set out on an adventure to reverse the spell before it becomes permanent, all the while trying to resolve the conflict between the clans and evading the threat of Mor'du, the demon bear who took the leg of Merida's father King Fergus and left him with a lifelong grudge against all bears.

    The story itself, while clever, veers into familiar princess fairy tale tropes towards the second half, and is littered with tons of slapstick comedy (even a few partial nude scenes). While this makes the film somewhat predictable, the story is still done rather well, and is carried thanks to the emotional connection that is built up between Merida and her mother. As a consequence, it is this relationship that makes the film soar, and is by far its greatest aspect storywise. Merida instantly regrets what she's done when she sees her mother as a bear, and in the attempt to correct the spell the two grow closer even though Elinor cannot even speak. They gain a newfound appreciation for each other and realize they can learn much from one another, with Merida learning the importance of tradition while Elinor learns it's ok to try new things. Their journey is what audiences will empathize with, and while it's not tear-jerking like the beginning of Up or the end of Toy Story 3, it's still enough to make you care about the characters and their fates.

    Visually, this is one of Pixar's best films. The animation captures the beauty and ruggedness of the Scottish highlands perfectly. Castles, lochs, forests, waterfalls, ancient stone monuments, magical will o' the wisps, and demonic bears all look spectacular, not to mention how realistic Merida's wild fiery red hair is. The score is also excellent, peppered with traditional Celtic music that helps set the tone of the film. As an assault on the senses, Brave is just beautiful. So while the story may be a little familiar and therefore not one of Pixar's best, the characterization of Merida along with her relationship with her mother, coupled with the full-blown Scottish setting, make Brave a truly spectacular addition to the Pixar canon. I would highly recommend it to anyone of any age, as this is truly a family film with enough action, story and humor for every one to enjoy. Both Brave and Abe Lincoln were definitely worth seeing, even if for vastly different reasons, and in the end they more than earn their place as wildly entertaining summer films.

   

Top 10 No-Brainer Adaptations (If They're Ever Made)

    Today I got to thinking more about the state of the movie industry, and why Hollywood seems so desperate to scoop up any book, comic, or videogame that might make for a good film. There are people (very cynical people, no doubt) who say that there aren't any good ideas left, that all the ideas worth seeing have already been filmed in the century long history of cinema. I am here to say that they're wrong. While I'm as appalled as the next guy about how Hollywood can't seem to come up with anything truly original, if Hollywood is truly looking for great stories to mine into films, I've taken the liberty of compiling a list of what I think are some great works of fiction that, if done right, would make killer movies. I am aware that a lot of these have been in varying stages of development hell to be turned into actual movies, but what amazes me is that, with the amount of genre fare out there, no one has taken a crack at seriously making these films a reality.

10. The Flash- dozens of superheroes have been adapted into film, so why hasn't the Flash been given a go yet? Ok, yes, it's because Warner Brothers has no idea how to properly adapt a superhero unless it's Batman or Superman, but if you're looking for a hero who can serve as an untapped resource in terms of box office potential, the Flash is your man. While Green Lantern was an admirable attempt to introduce another DC hero, with the concept of an epic space opera, it was largely a misfire that failed to set the box office on fire. The Flash can correct that mistake.


    In a world of technology that's constantly forcing people to move faster, the Flash can be the epitome of this ideal. Here's a guy who is faster than anyone on the planet, who perceives time and the rest of the world as being slower than he is. A guy who, instead of forcing himself to play catch up with society, must slow down to truly appreciate it. Think Ferris Bueller's famous catchphrase, and the Flash as the living embodiment of it. Add in his status as a forensic scientist (think CSI with superpowers), add in Matrix-style bullet time fight sequences, and the character's trademark wit, and you have a hit movie on your hands.

9. Runaways- Marvel seems to be the king of comic book adaptations right now, so why doesn't Marvel Studios take a chance and adapt the Runaways? There was an arc written by Avengers director Joss Whedon, and the series itself is phenomenal. The series tells of six children who learn that their parents are super villains who are plotting the downfall of humanity, so they run away with their parents' stuff to become super heroes and avenge the wrongs of their families. It's an ingenious concept, with aliens, mutants, crime lords, time travelers, sorcerers, mad scientists, cyborgs, dinosaurs, vampires, gods, and the occasional mainstream superhero thrown into the mix. 


    The characters feel real, conveying actual teenage angst that doesn't come across as the type of emo-Twilight drivel Hollywood normally feeds us. The action is great, the writing is solid, there's always some humor thrown into the mix, and at the end of the day it comes off as one of the best series Marvel has, if vastly under appreciated. If this doesn't become a movie at some point in the future, then Hollywood is wasting an enormous opportunity to appeal to the teen demographic without talking down to it. 

8. Neil Gaiman's The Sandman- Neil Gaiman has emerged within the past few decades as one of  THE quintessential sci-fi/fantasy authors.  The Sandman, a comic book series published under DC's Vertigo imprint, is considered by many to be one of his greatest works. It relates the tale of Morpheus, aka Dream of the Endless, as he navigates a saga filled with epic fantasy that draws from several mythologies. 


    One of the few comics to make it onto the New York Times Best Seller list (along with Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns), there was serious talk of making a movie out of the acclaimed series back in the '90s. Several scripts were written, but the project never got off the ground. What a mistake. An amazing series that deals with supernatural and abstract concepts in a novel and sophisticated way, a proper adaptation done with the right budget and casting could be the breakout fantasy hit Hollywood needs in this dark, post-Harry Potter world. 

7. Assassin's Creed- Believe it or not, there are several video games out there with enough story to actually encompass a believable film. However, one of the best games that I think is suited to the cinematic format is none other than the Assassin's Creed series. A science fiction/historical epic, a proper Assassin's Creed film would cover the evil Templars as they force former Assassin Desmond into a machine called the Animus, which forces him to relive the genetic memories of his ancestors in various historical eras. 


   Altair of the Crusades, Ezio of the Renaissance, and Connor of the American Revolution are the protagonists players have stepped into the shoes of throughout the series. This would totally make a kick-ass film series if done correctly, tracing Desmond's different ancestors throughout history as their memories become his in his quest to bring down the Templars and become the ultimate Assassin. The game is already a perfect blend of action, characterization, and story that combines sci-fi with ancient history. Translating it to the screen, if done right, will result in the first film based on a video game that is wholly embraced by gamers and moviegoers alike, all without compromising what made the game so special in the first place. 

6. Justice League- This is really a no-brainer when it comes to adapting comic books to film. The Avengers have happened, so now it's the Justice League's time to shine. I know the concept is possible, at least on the small screen. Bruce Timm and Paul Dini's acclaimed Justice League cartoon from the early 2000's is proof enough of that. If WB can bring the same attention to story and character that the cartoon did, a Justice League film could make a killing at the box office, possibly even moreso than the Avengers due to the presence of truly iconic superheroes like Supes, Bats, and Wonder Woman. 


    Right now it's considered a pipe dream, but then again so was Avengers at one point. Its very existence has proved to the world that the audience loves good comic book movies that stay true to the spirit of the source. If WB locks in someone like Chris Nolan, Geoff Johns or Paul Dini to write and direct, we'll get a solid film that balances action with ample character development for the various Leaguers, making the film feel genuine and not half-assed the way Green Lantern was. 

5. Wonder Woman- Yeah, another comic-based property, but considering it's mostly comics that are the well for film ideas these days, it's to be expected. More than any other superhero, I desperately think we need a film for Wonder Woman. Next to Superman and Batman, she's the most iconic hero of the DC pantheon, and definitely the most recognized female crimefighter. To those who say that a female hero can't be interesting or make a good film, they're dead wrong when it comes to Wonder Woman. Her entire origin is rooted in Greek mythology. Her arch enemy is Ares, the Greek God of War. Strip away the invisible plane and modernize the costume to something more Greek-inspired, and we're in business. 


     The fact of the matter is, Wonder Woman shouldn't even play like a conventional superhero story. It should, essentially, be like a cross between 300 and Clash of the Titans, with the Spartans and demigods replaced by armored supermodels. Wrap your mind around that concept, and tell me it wouldn't be awesome. Marvel has their mythological hero with Thor adapting the Norse myths. Wonder Woman's Greek mythos would be the perfect antithesis to that. We need a good film for her to prove that superhero films with female leads can work just as well as male ones, and that girl heroes can be more than just supporting players or the stars of really bad spin-offs (Supergirl, Catwoman, and Elektra, I'm looking at you). 

4. Y: The Last Man- Now THIS is a comic book worth adapting. I came across Y: The Last Man very recently, but the series has completely blown me away. The very idea of the series has so much appeal to a wide variety of demographics that film studios would be foolish to pass this up. Picture if you will, a world where there are no men, only women. All mammals with a Y chromosome are wiped out by a mysterious plague, and females are given free reign over the Earth. Now imagine that one man, and his pet monkey, were the lone survivors, and had to trek through this new world to ensure the survival of the human race. It's an ingenious concept. 


    Women would pay to see how the world would change if they were in charge, and men would relate to the last man, Yorrick Brown, a hilarious everyman who suddenly finds himself the most valued person on Earth as the world's most eligible (and only) bachelor. The story and characters are so realistic that filmmakers wouldn't have to change much from the comic. The premise is so cinematic in and of itself that adapting it will be a piece of cake. The only challenge would be how to condense the 60 issue story into a more manageable run time. If it were up to me, I'd either go the Lord of the Rings route for film or the Walking Dead route for TV-make it as a nine hour long film split into a trilogy, or a serialized TV show that can adapt an issue per episode. Either way, this series just screams for an adaptation, and I sincerely hope it gets around to being made. 

3. Halo- Hollywood, could it really be any more simple? Halo is the most iconic video game series of the last decade. It has its own heavily crafted mythology, filled with memorable characters like Captain Keys, the AI Cortana, and of course Spartan 117 himself, the Master Chief. It has veritable threats including the various alien races of the Covenant, the zombie-like parasitic Flood, and the leftover ringworld technology of the Forerunners. The main series already has an arc that, with a little simplification, can be translated to film very easily. 


    Worried about Chief having enough character or ruining him by taking his helmet off? Put the emphasis on Cortana, or at least a core squad of Marines or ODST's, as your POV characters so the audience can connect with them. Adapt Halo: Reach first then segue into a second film based entirely on the first game, followed by a final film that adapts 2 and 3 together. If it's done correctly, Halo could be as epic as Lord of the Rings, only, you know, in space. In fact, it could even be a next generation Star Wars. The potential is there, Hollywood. Get on it immediately. 

2. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune- In terms of video game adaptations, if Halo can be the next Star Wars, then Uncharted can be the next Indiana Jones. The games, which follow the globetrotting adventures of treasure hunter Nathan Drake, are already praised for essentially being playable films. They're that cinematic. If that's truly the case, making them into actual films should be relatively simple. If done right, Uncharted can be the modern-day Indiana Jones film we all wanted Crystal Skull to be. It's one of those games that has so much attention poured into making believable characters and a realistic story that film studios would be complete idiots to not consider making this a high grade film franchise. 

1. Pendragon: Journal of an Adventure Through Time and Space- This is my absolute number one  choice for a work of fiction that has yet to be adapted into film, simply because it completely baffles me that no one has even considered it. All of the other works that I have mentioned have, at the very least, been talked about for film or TV adaptations. What frustrates me is that this series has not. Harry Potter, Twilight, and more recently the Hunger Games have made me see the potential young adult book series have to become box office juggernauts. NEVER underestimate the power of a loyal fanbase of teen readers. Pendragon has quite the fan following, myself included. It may not be as large as Potter, Twilight, or the Games, but it's large enough to create a built-in audience. I mean, if books like Percy Jackson, Eragon, The Golden Compass, or even I Am Number Four can be auctioned for films, then surely Pendragon has a shot, right?


    The series tells the tale of a teen named Bobby Pendragon, who discovers that he is part of an elite team of warriors called Travelers, gifted with special abilities, who make use of portals called Flumes to travel to different dimensions, called Territories, in order to save them from being corrupted by an evil shape shifting demon called Saint Dane. He is whisked away to a multitude of worlds, including an underwater world, a jungle world occupied by humanoid cat people, a decaying world where people live inside a virtual reality, and even three seperate time frames for Earth, including one during the Great Depression and an era thousands of years in the future. He writes down his adventures in journals and sends them home to his best friends, Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde, who go from observers to active participants in Bobby's travels as the series progresses. Like Harry Potter and Hunger Games, it's a coming of age tale, one that ingeniously incorporates riveting action, genuine pathos, and engrossing sci-fi/fantasy elements into a complex narrative that gets better with each book.


    From the moment I started reading this ten-book series, I knew that it would make for a perfect set of films. With today's technology, we have the capabilities to bring the territories of Halla to life, both the unique worlds and the extraordinary peoples who occupy them. If you thought Avatar immersed you in the environment and culture of an alien world, you haven't seen anything yet. With the right cast, script and director, not to mention a hefty budget, this could be the next box office juggernaut, powerful enough to eclipse Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games. I want this series to be a set of films, or at the very least an ambitious TV miniseries, within my lifetime, or my continuously wavering faith in Hollywood will be completely lost. 

Prometheus Review

         It's been a while since I last saw any film associated with the Alien franchise on the silver screen. I recall having seen the second AvP movie back in winter of 2007, at the time loving it, then developing something called taste when I saw the brilliance that was the first two Alien flicks. When it was announced that Ridley Scott, the director of the first Alien along with Blade Runner, was returning to the genre that he helped define by making an Alien prequel, I was at first skeptical then pumped. However, I was a little confused when Scott announced his film wouldn't be a direct prequel, but instead have "Alien DNA", as he put it. Now that "Prometheus", this so-called prequel to Alien, is finally out, how good is it? Is Prometheus actually tied into Alien? Does it work better as a prequel or a standalone story, which Scott clearly wanted due to his attempts to distance this film from the Alien series?

      In all honesty, Prometheus is connected to the Alien series and for all intents and purposes is a prequel, but the connections to Alien are only there for those who wish to point them out. For people who grew up not watching any of the alien films, Prometheus comes off as an imaginative standalone sci-fi/horror story complete with amazing visuals, genuine scares, and even philosophical questions to boot.

      Scott has assembled a top-notch cast here, with Noomi Rapace as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, Logan Marshall-Green as her boyfriend Charlie Holloway, Idris Elba as the ship Prometheus's captain, Charlize Theron as corporate agent Meredith Vickers, Guy Pearce as Weyland Corp CEO Peter Weyland, and Michael Fassbender as the android David. All of the cast members give off great performances, but I have to give specific praise to Rapace and Fassbender especially for their characters.

      Rapace's Shaw is no Ripley, but luckily she doesn't need to be. She's a scientist, albeit one still convinced that there is a God. She is seen throughout the entire film wearing and treasuring a cross that belonged to her father, and still convinced God exists even if her discoveries point to humanity's creation at the hands of alien beings. Her steadfast conviction to hold onto her beliefs is admirable, and is conveyed brilliantly by Rapace. Not only that, but she certainly holds her own during scenes of action and terror, particularly in a scene where she is forced to surgically remove an alien parasite from her own abdomen. However, Rapace pales in comparison to the film's most compelling character, who is by far Fassbender's android David.

      David is interesting, to say the least, mainly due to his childlike innocence. His performance stood out to me the most. He reminded me a lot of the HAL 9000 from 2001, in that he was an A.I. simply created to fulfill a mission and puts others in danger to carry it out. He has no feelings, yet hopes to model himself after humanity, and clearly tries to understand it. The beginning of the film has him watching clips from Lawrence of Arabia, and modeling himself after Peter O' Toole both in looks and mannerisms. Another scene where he finds the Engineers' star map and gazes at it in childlike wonder speaks volumes of his attempt to comprehend the world around him.

      But what of the plot? The plot is both the film's strength and its greatest weakness, as there are times when the film doesn't seem to make up its mind as to what it wants to be. Does it want to be a straight up horror story, modeled after the original Alien? Does it want to have its characters blasting at alien creatures while fighting for their survival, like in Aliens? Does it want to explore deep philosophical questions about the nature of God and creation, kind of like in Blade Runner or 2001? The film goes for a little bit of all three, and while it was interesting to see these themes come together, the film would have done better to pick a central premise and stick with it, instead of coming off as wanting to be intelligent the first half and then abandoning this premise for scares in the second half.

      The basic plot involves the scientists of the ship Prometheus discovering evidence that a race of alien beings called Engineers created life on Earth, and head there to meet them only to discover that they intend to utilize a black mutagen they created to wipe out humanity. The mutagen mutates creatures it comes into contact with while killing those who ingest it. It is never stated exactly why the Engineers suddenly changed their minds about us, their creation. Why did they want to exterminate us? Did we do something wrong?

      Personally, I'd like to think that it was all a big experiment to them. The running motif throughout the film deals with creation and destruction, God and man, man and A.I., parents and children. When David asks Holloway why man created robots, Holloway replies "because we could". Therein, I think, lies the motivation of the Engineers. They had the means to create life, so they did. A suicidal Engineer on ancient Earth did what he did so his race could see a new species grow, one which they could then influence. But then, once that species had grown to a specific point, they created the mutagen to wipe us out, just because they could, and maybe because they wanted to ensure that their "children" did not become a threat. Allusions are even made to the original Prometheus myth, implying that the gift of fire is creating life, and that by manufacturing artificial life in David, humans (as Prometheus) invoked the wrath of the Engineers (the gods), who seek to punish us by destroying us. At least, that's my theory.

     The fact that I didn't even come out of this film with a lot of answers, just theories, speaks volumes as to why I enjoyed this film, despite its flaws. The film doesn't resolve any of the big questions it raises, which may piss off some viewers wondering how everything is resolved and how it directly ties into Alien. But that's the joy of the film. When dealing with questions of "does God exist?" or "why are we here?", we're never going to get straight answers. The film raises them, and even implies solutions, but it's all guesswork. The audience can either infer answers for themselves, or wait until a sequel is made to get more direct answers (the film does set up for one).

     I'm not going to lie here, though: the end of the film does reveal that, given enough hosts to gestate in, the black liquid creates a creature that resembles the original Alien. And yes, the Engineers here are the species the Space Jockey hails from in the original film. However, this is an entirely different planet, and the one Engineer is not the one encountered in the first film. Like I said, the film only makes references to the original Alien. It is not a straight up prequel that bends over backwards to stuff in cameos to create connections, the way the Star Wars prequels did. For all intents and purposes, Prometheus is it's own beast, just as Ridley Scott intended, but it does exist in the Alien universe and does reveal the origins of the Xenomorphs, even though the point of the film is to raise more questions than it answers.

    The fact that we even have a science fiction film that wants to raise these questions, and spark philosophical debates among filmgoers, makes this film unique. Going in expecting this to be a full blown Alien prequel will warrant disappointment. But viewing it as a sci-fi/horror story with ambitious questions makes this a damn good movie, one of the best science fiction films I've seen in quite a while. If you want to compare it to the first few Alien films, fine, it's not as good, but it's far beyond Alien 3, Ressurection, and the AvP films. But like I said, don't compare this film to them. The references are there, but this film works best by viewing it as related to the Alien series instead of being a direct part of it.

    In the end, I'd highly recommend this film to any die hard science fiction fans who are impressed by stunning visuals, impressive characterization, genuine scares, and intelligent questions about human nature. Speaking of visuals, the ones in this film are absolutely breathtaking, with H.R. Giger's work being as great as in the other Alien movies and several wide shots of the alien planet being just gorgeous. In the end, Prometheus was definitely worth watching, whether you are familiar with the Alien films or not, and it more than earns a spot as one of the best films of the summer season.