Rating: ««« out of 4 Stars

Running Time: 137 min.

I’ve got to be honest, the hype surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens is almost absurd. It has been 10 years since the last chapter and even though the majority of people were disappointed, its fan base still continues to grow. This has always been confusing to me. I enjoyed the original films as a kid, but never to the extent that many others my age and older have. So, please don’t send me death threats for my tempered reaction to the latest installment, which I found to be fun and enjoyable but far from revelatory. Clearly, I’m just not the target audience.

Picking up 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, viewers are told that a new Empiric menace known as the “First Order” poses a threat to the universe. Don’t ask how all of this happened after the closing events of the last movie - it just came to be (admittedly, those who know the minutia of the series may know, but as someone who hasn’t seen anything but the films, it comes as a bit of a surprise). Of course, the rag tag rebellion, who are now called the Resistance, is struggling just as they were three movies ago to fight off the threat.

As this is happening, a desert planet scavenger named Rey (Daisy Ridley) finds a robot named BB8 that is hiding secret information. She also encounters a Stormtrooper gone rogue named Finn (John Boyega). The two attempt to evade capture, find their way off of the planet to safety. Of course, they encounter many of the characters from the original series along the way. Together, all must stand against the menace, who are destroying worlds with their “Starkiller”, a space station that will look very familiar to fans.

Don’t be surprised if it appears like a bit of a rehash. Most elements of A New Hope (and to some extent, Empire) are amalgamated and reused here, making this new chapter almost feel like a remake. Yes, the characters aren’t exactly the same and some have been shifted into new roles, but ultimately the framework of the story is noticeably similar. Yet while it is too recognizable and predictable at times, there are a couple of roles that make an impression.

Finn is one such character. He’s a conscientious Stormtrooper who flees from the First Order and struggles to find the strength to join with the Resistance. He’s possesses some interesting inner conflict, but is also imbued with a great deal of humor. His interactions with one particular cast member provide some of the movie’s best moments. Ridley is more than capable in the new Jedi-to-be role, Oscar Isaac is a lot of fun as a fighter pilot and the BB8 robot is a great addition, adding a lot of humor.

But there are some weak links. There are plenty of logistic questions that aren’t answered (the Resistance could be easily squashed if only a different tact was taken) and the call-back references to the original series become a little overbearing. There isn’t a whole lot of tension in the third act. The cross-cutting between characters doesn’t create as much suspense as it should and the familiarity of the scenario doesn’t help matters (we’ve seen this event happen before more than once). Finally, villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is great early on, but becomes progressively less menacing towards the final third, eventually behaving like a petulant teenager.

For all the hype that has come with Star Wars, the final product is enjoyable but perhaps a bit slight. In the original series, we saw sights we’d never seen before - space dogfights, a giant walker lumbering through the snow, even an impressive chase through a dense forest. Beyond Finn and few little additions, there’s not a whole lot that is new here.

Yet it’s still fun for what it is - a simple and entertaining science-fiction adventure (here come the death threats). I don’t know... I can watch James Bond go through the same actions every couple of years and still get a kick out of it, so this all depends on personal taste. Overall, Star Wars: The Force Awakens feeds off of fan nostalgia, works in the moment and will please most fans - just don’t expect to remember it as fondly as some of the other episodes years down the road.

Rating: «« out of 4 Stars

Running Time: 109 min.

This is a strange one. Mary Shelley’s famous novel has been updated numerous times, and the latest attempt is one of the most unusual of the lot. Despite the title suggesting otherwise, Victor Frankenstein is actually a tale about his assistant. In what appears to be an attempt to win over the masses, it also tries to be every kind of movie to every person, mixing action, horror, police procedural and romance into one package. The results are a mixed canvas stitched together from wildly varied approaches and inspirations.

Narrated by the man who would eventually be known Igor (Daniel Radcliffe), the story begins with a hunchbacked character owned by a circus and working as both a clown and occasional medical practitioner. When a beautiful trapeze artist named Lorelei (an underutilized Jessica Brown Findlay), falls, Igor jumps to the rescue and his incredible skills are noted by Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy). Frankenstein breaks him out of his awful environment and asks the younger man to help him with his secret experiments.

Before you know it, Igor’s getting a big makeover. His large hunch turns out to be an easily remedied abscess and his hairstyle goes from a Robert Smith (of The Cure) look to something of a Prince Valiant “do”. I’m not sure if that’s an improvement, but it impresses Lorelei and romance blooms. In the meantime, the pair of medical scientists are hunted by the religiously devout Inspector Turpin (Andrew Scott), who will stop at nothing to get his men.

Yep, it sounds completely ridiculous. Just as it is in execution. Did I mention that a resurrected chimp goes on the rampage at one point? As you might have guessed, there is no hint of subtlety to be found. Turpin walks around crime scenes and states what happened and why without much explanation of how he came to his outrageous conclusions (even Sherlock Holmes would be confounded). When Frankenstein’s reckless and crazed approach to experimentation reaches its heights, the amount of spittle flying from his mouth appears to increase dramatically. One can’t help but think the actors based their performances on those from classic monster movies.

There are even a couple of brief but elaborate chases and scuffles, which is extremely odd for what is usually a cerebral horror tale. They show our heroes running, sliding and punching foes - essentially, being much more adept at fighting than any bookworm should be. It all becomes very surreal during the final confrontation with the monster, which has a feel more akin to a WWE showdown than a terrifying struggle with a beastly creature.

At least it’s never boring, and it certainly looks fantastic. The production is more lavish than just about any horror movie of recent years. This includes the colorful and elaborate backdrops at the circus and the environments within the lab (both in Frankenstein’s loft and later in a large castle set). They’re full of strange objects and impressive detail. Additionally, there are plenty of neat visual tricks - when Igor talks about anatomy, we see diagrams of skeletons superimposed over figures. Pretty much every penny spent is visible onscreen.

Regardless, I can’t honestly recommend this. This retelling doesn’t really have much to say about science, creation, obsession or for that matter anything else. I ended up taking it as an intentionally campy riff on the classic tale. And I’m not even sure if that was the actual intent. Would a major studio really spend $90 million dollars on an over-the-top, silly lark? Something tells me that things just got a little out of hand and this is the resulting patchwork. Victor Frankenstein earns some cheesy B-movie smiles, but one wishes its creators had spent more time in the lab before bringing their creation to life.

By Glenn Kay

For the Sun

Makes it across the finish line with a few stumbles

Rating: «« out of 4 Stars

Running Time: 137 min.

If you’re a fan of The Hunger Games series, you will undoubtedly go to see the latest chapter regardless of what anyone thinks. And based on the reaction at the preview this reviewer attended, you’re likely to love it as well. However, it’s difficult not to note something of a change from what’s come before.

The first two films had a faster pace, an immediate sense of danger and enough subtext to make it all feel fresh. By comparison, the third title came across as slow, ponderous and obvious in its themes. And so The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 falls somewhere in the middle... the film is better than most teen lit adaptations you’re likely to see, and yet it still has its fair share of faults. This is a passable (but far from exceptional) finale.

Anyone expecting to witness epic scenes of revolt or a full scale battle should immediately temper their expectations. As the movie begins, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is officially the poster child of the revolution, meaning that her leader Coin (Julianne Moore) wants her nowhere near the conflict. Angry, Katniss sneaks into the rebel base, determined to find and kill President Snow (Donald Sutherland) on her own.

However, she’s found immediately and teamed up with boyfriend Gale (Liam Hemsworth), a mentally damaged Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), and a propaganda camera crew for the purpose of shooting more promo footage for the masses. This means that they see none of the main conflict - instead, they merely follow through the wreckage left behind and attempt to sort through a personal love triangle. At least a couple of elaborate booby traps make it clear that someone doesn’t want Katniss to survive long enough to reach Snow.

There can be little doubt that the filmmakers felt compelled to follow the source material closely; the pacing is still a little sluggish. As the series has opened up from its original arena confines, it has expanded its world considerably. Many characters have been introduced over the course of three movies, meaning several are forced into the plot so fans can see them all, even if for the briefest of moments. But the frequent introductions, re-introductions and goodbyes slow things down considerably. At least all of the performances are excellent. Had the casting not been as strong, it would be painful to watch the details of Katniss’s social life unfold as they do.

The movie also doesn’t feel as grand as expected (in some respects it comes across as smaller than previous installments) and there’s a minimal amount of pulse-pounding thrills for the finale of an action film franchise. Only two major sequences are notable within the nearly two hours and twenty minute running time; one is an elaborate trap involving an oil slick and another involves a chase through the city’s sewers.

These bits are well put together and exciting, but they can’t help but feel minor in scale. As a viewer unfamiliar with the source material, it was also odd to see a monstrous element added to the latter sequence. It’s difficult to recall seeing characters this supernatural appearing in any previous installments. While the dust-up is enjoyable to watch in the moment, the creatures still seem oddly out of place within this fantasy world.

In the end, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 has a couple of strong action beats and brings up some interesting issues about the motivations of persons in positions of power as well as those seeking to assume it. However, the effort to give every character their due and please its obsessive young viewers results in an awkwardly plotted tale. It makes it across the finish line, but stumbles a bit along the way.

Rating: «« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 125 min.

Most people remember the 2010 Chilean calamity that left miners stranded miles beneath the ground.  So it comes a bit of a surprise to see a dramatic recreation of events so soon afterward. The 33 does its best to do justice to its working class heroes, but doesn’t delve deeply enough beneath the surface and ultimately comes up a little short.

As in many disaster movies, the plot introduces the miners all too quickly; in this case, at a social function and the following morning as they start their day and head out for work. We get all too brief snippets of these people and don’t learn any more than the basics. There’s family man and optimist Mario (Antonio Banderas), his friendly but more pessimistic boss Don (Lou Diamond Phillips), as well as several other characters with a single character trait (the ladies man, the foreigner from Bolivia, the senior with a week left until retirement, and the guy who enjoys doing Elvis impersonations).

Only a few minutes later, the film’s big set piece occurs. With the men working underground, disaster strikes and rock from the mountain itself crashes down upon them. It’s an elaborate and well shot sequence, but it’s over very quickly. At least it leaves characters in a dramatic situation early. The limited resources start to cause panic, but Mario keeps a cool head and does his best to help the group survive as long as possible.

Naturally, there are a lot of men to establish and one can’t expect too much background, but these gentlemen are drawn so simply in the film that they often border on caricatures. As a result, only Banderas comes across as compelling in his efforts to keep the miners safe and sane. There’s some bickering among the workers and minor squabbling, but any incident results in a lengthy speech about believing in others or staying focused on survival. It’s a repetitive approach and makes the film feel long.

Additionally, we get little sense of the claustrophobia the miners must have experienced. The wide framing of the area the miners take refuge in often makes it appear more spacious than it should. You really should feel the walls closing in during the ordeal, but viewers never do.

Of course, there’s plenty of drama above ground, but it isn’t particularly compelling either. This includes a small group (played by Rodrigo Santoro, Gabriel Byrne and James Brolin) working desperately to increase the rate of drilling and free the men below. Unfortunately, it’s the spouses and family members who come off the worst. Juliette Binoche gets some opportunity as a family member demanding action, but many others are treated as comic relief. There’s even a fight scene played for laughs between the wife of one of the trapped workers and a mistress. The tone of the scenes feels out of place with the story being told.

And honestly, the film struggles to provide more than a simple moral. Over the course of the story, the group find a newfound respect for the importance of family. This, along with the similar motto of their brotherhood sticking together and never giving up are the themes repeated again and again. But for a project that runs at over two hours in length, there just isn’t enough meat to the characters.

These incredible men and their fight for survival may have seemed like great material for a narrative feature, but the screenplay only delivers surface level characters, and the filmic techniques don’t effectively capture the horror of being trapped in an enclosed space. In the end, The 33 is an unremarkable and generic adaptation of an incredible true story.