Okay guys, we’re almost to Summer. We’re almost out of the transition from the dump months to the blockbusters, and let me just say…this April was not great. Not terrible by any means, but there were definitely some tough ones. However, like any month there was one movie that had me over the moon. Take a guess which one? SPOILER: It’s not The Huntsman.
The Boss
Oh, Melissa McCarthy, why can’t even movie you do be Bridesmaids? When you’ve got a good movie to work with (The Heat, Spy, the aforementioned Bridesmaids) you’re hysterical. But Tammy? Ugh. Identity Thief? Meeeeeeeeh. The Boss looked like it was gonna be the typical bad side of McCarthy; unlikable woman goes to jail, get released, tries to work her way up in the world by being a horrible person and doesn’t learn anything. Did I guess correctly? Yup!
It’s not that The Boss is totally devoid of laughs. It’s definitely better than Tammy. But it’s just like every other bad Melissa McCarthy movie. Like I said, her character’s unlikable, she does horrible things to people who don’t really deserve it, we’re expected to laugh, we don’t. McCarthy is very likeable, and her work with director Paul Feig shows it. But she needs to be more discriminating when picking projects, maybe stop being directed by her husband, Ben Falcone. Above all, stop playing this type of character! I want to like you, not watch you get mauled by rabid dogs.
Score: 4/10
The Jungle Book
Until a few months ago, I was only mildly looking forward to The Jungle Book. However, after seeing some trailers and getting a feel for how it was going to be, they got my dollar immediately. And trust me, it was money well spent. Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Chef), The Jungle Book remakes the classic Disney film, expands on what made it so wonderful, and creates a fantastic movie filled to the brim with heart, laughs, and excitement.
Every time I see great visual effects, I think to myself “how they can top this?” Well, Jungle Book just may top them all. Almost the whole movie is CGI, and yet it feels so real, so seamless. After a few seconds I believed I was really looking at a tiger, a panther, a bear, a pack of wolves, whatever. The world Disney has created here is a living, breathing creation, proving just how far visual effects have come over the years and how just how immersive they can be.
But what really gave the movie its charm were the performances and characters. Baloo (Bill Murray in one of the best his best roles) and Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) are awesome mentors for young Mowgli, the former fun, carefree and lighthearted, the latter serious and protective, both well meaning and only wanting what’s best for the young man-cub. Idris Elba plays Shere Khan to perfection, making him a profoundly threatening presence that the original version couldn’t quite rise to. Even newcomer Neel Sethi was a pretty good Mowgli. He still has some growing to do as an actor (he’s, like, ten years old), but I believed him as the character and he did a good job interacting with an all-CG world.
Finally, we get to director Jon Favreau. Favreau has always been a great director. Iron Man, Chef, and Elf show his talent for storytelling as well as his range. However, The Jungle Book might be his masterpiece. After this, he can do whatever he wants if he couldn’t already. A Star Wars movie, perhaps? A guy can dream.
Score: 9/10
Hardcore Henry
I’ve got to admit, even as a big action fan I was very worried going into Hardcore Henry. The trailer didn’t wow me. The first-person gimmick has failed before (Doom, anyone), and even then it’s usually only lasted a few minutes at most. How could you keep it up for an hour and a half? The basic story of a cyborg trying to save his wife from waves of baddies with the help of badass Sharlto Copley (District 9) could be fun, but it’s pretty small-bore stuff. However, as I settled into the movie I ended up really enjoying Hardcore Henry.
A movie like Hardcore Henry doesn’t work without some kickass action, and oh boy does it deliver! The action is, well, very hardcore, bloody and gritty, and an absolute joy to watch for fans of the genre. The movie’s first-person gimmick could’ve been a big headache, but it ended up enhancing the experience. Granted, I understand why someone would get sick of it, but I considered the experiment a success. Also, I really was not expecting much from the story, but to my surprise I found myself feeling for our plucky cyborg. For someone who we never see, it’s easy to root for Henry along his trials, tribulations, and betrayals.
However, this is very much a movie for the video game crowd. If your opinions on video games are anything more than “eh, they’re okay”, then this is the movie for you. If you don’t care for them or are over 40, don’t bother seeing it. It pains me to say this, but the film’s low box office take is no surprise. I hope Hardcore Henry finds a bigger audience out of theaters. I have a sneaking suspicion that a cult audience is just what it needs.
Score: 8/10*
*If you’re over 40, then it’s probably gonna be 5 at best.
The Huntsman
Snow White and the Huntsman was an alright fantasy movie, nothing more, nothing less. I really didn’t care about seeing another one, but I tried to keep an open mind. There’s a lot you can do in a world like this and with these characters, and fantasy is possibly my favorite genre. But after seeing The Huntsman, my only thought is…why oh why was this movie made?
To get the one good thing out of the way, Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain have really good chemistry. They’re both great actors, and I’d love to see them team up again in a better movie.
Everything else in The Huntsman is a massive pile of crap. First, I was expecting a prequel from the trailer. Turns out the movie is mostly a sequel! If you’re saying “but the evil queen died in the first movie”, well, they bring her back in the stupidest way possible, and it only goes downhill from there. The magical sister rivalry, stupid plot twists, and a heaping helping of fantasy cliches combine to make a story that’s both much worse than it could’ve been but could’ve made a great spoof movie if it were just *a little* sillier. Charlize Theron (great actress) phones it in as Ravenna, and Emily Blunt (even better actress) gives her only bad performance to date. Not even the visual effects are all that good. If you can’t even make your fantasy movie look pretty, you know you’re up shit creek.
Once again, why was this movie made? I have no idea who it’s for. Was there a mob of rabid fans clamoring for another Huntsman movie? Well, you guys blew it. Sorry.
Score: 3/10
Hopefully I get to finish up the month with Key and Peele’s hopeful magnum opus, Keanu. And next week, I get to see Captain America: Civil War! Awesome…
Pierce at the Movies 