MOVIE REVIEW: Sterzer’s brief summer sampling
This summer’s Hollywood offerings saw a lot of comic book adaptations, a lot of surprise hits and a lot of really bad flops.
Unfortunately, it was one of the worst summers overall for sequels and hit films. The big winner was Disney with three hits, and the big loser Ben and Jenn in their huge flop “Gigli.” Here are brief reviews of three of this summer’s offerings.
“Hulk:” Grade C-
After the success of “Spider-Man” last summer, Hollywood jumped on the bandwagon releasing such comic adaptations such as “LXG” and “X-2.” But unlike some of its predecessors, “Hulk” is a disappointing shadow of what could have been a fun summer romp.
Perhaps the biggest problem with the film is director Ang Lee and the techniques from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” he used in “Hulk.” The deliberate shots of nature, slow sweeping shots of character emotion and stars bounding off trees and mountain tops worked great in that film, but they take away the harsh humanity of “Hulk” and turn it into an green-tinted art film.
Not even the stars could help the overstuffed script. Substance and relationship was traded for brooding, pointless dialogue and a story line lacking energy and drive. We only really get to see the Hulk in action three times throughout the film, and are left instead with two hours of back story, flashbacks and special effects.
Maybe it will be like the X-Men films and subsequent ones will be better. But if this is the best they can do, then no amount of temper tantrums will help them keep an audience base for their sequels.
“Pirates of the Caribbean:” Grade A
“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” was not only a well-made movie reveling in the swashbucklers Hollywood had lost the knack for, but it had class, humor and great special effects. It was a great adventure movie with characters you came to know and love.
Johnny Depp gives one of the most versatile and enjoyable performances of his career, and Keira Knightley’s feisty heroine proves the actress can hold her own against the likes of Depp and Geoffrey Rush.
The skeletal effects that brought the cursed pirates to life were amazing. The final sword fight taking the characters into and out of the moonlight (changing the villain from human to skeleton over and over again) was so seamless it was hard to tell where the CGI left off and the actors danced through the scene.
The film also features direct throwbacks to the Disneyland ride for those watching for them. The most obvious is the pirates in jail trying to entice a dog (with the keys in his mouth) with a bone.
“Seabiscuit:” Grade B+
“Seabiscuit” was the little film that could. This film about an undersized horse and an oversized jockey (Tobey Maguire) has become the word-of-mouth sensation of the summer.
I’ll admit it is a feel-good movie, and most of these are rife with cliché. But this film’s story about overcoming the twists life throws at you and realizing that just because a person is broken doesn’t mean you throw them away had enough oomph to overshadow the sappy moments. This was a great ensemble piece with amazing performances by Chris Cooper and Jeff Bridges. My biggest gripe with the film is how slow it seems to flow. Sure the races are exciting, but the rest of the drama is almost as exciting as watching a snail race. The historic stills of the era may add to the feel of the movie, but they interrupt the rhythm of the movie and detract more than they add.
Now, I’m not saying “Seabiscuit” is not worth seeing. It really is one of the better offerings the American public was given this summer. And the word-of-mouth for this more holiday-like offering is lucky. But maybe we’re trying to say that we don’t rate summer flicks on the number of explosions they include.
Jared Sterzer is a senior majoring in business information systems. Comments may be sent to jwsterz@cc.usu.edu.