Tag: Angelina Jolie

Eternals

Post author By Mark
Post date November 7, 2021

With 25 films under its belt, it feels like there is little left that the MCU has not yet explored. Their 26th effort Eternals, from Oscar winning director Chloé Zhao, aims to subvert expectations again with an epic, history-spanning cosmic adventure that introduces audiences to a new team of space-travelling, god-like heroes. But what should be the most vibrant and distinct Marvel film ends up one of the most bland – a cold, strangely emotionless slog that descends into CGI madness. When the most satisfying piece of an almost three hour long film is the post-credits scene, you know something is wrong, and Eternals is one of Marvel’s weakest efforts to date.

While the rest of Earth’s heroes were off fighting Thanos and any number of other threats, a team of 10 immortal space warriors – the Eternals – existed on the planet, tasked by their Celestial (giant space god) creator Arishem (David Kaye) with protecting the species against otherworldly abominations, the Deviants, but otherwise leaving the human race to fend for itself. With the Deviants all but defeated, the team disbanded to live out separate existences until the creatures’ return forces Sersi (Gemma Chan) and Sprite (Lia McHugh) to rally their family of heroes – the Superman-like Ikaris (Richard Madden), mind-controlling Druig (Barry Keoghan), warrior god Athena (Angelina Jolie), leader Ajak (Salma Hayek), Bollywood star Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), speedster Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), super-strong Gilgamesh (Don Lee) and genius Phastos (Bryan Tyree Henry) – to uncover the cause of the Deviant resurgence and save Earth from certain destruction.

That’s an absolutely barebones summary of the giant film that is Eternals; which immediately struggles under the weight of juggling ten main characters, a world-ending, history-spanning storyline and connecting it all the to the biggest shared cinematic universe of all time. That MCU link means the army of writers that contributed to the script go into overdrive from the get-go to explain where the Eternals came from, why they didn’t fight against Thanos and where they’ve been for all this time, regardless of how uninteresting that all is. It’s the first sign that something is wrong, with Zhao’s film taking on a cold, business-like tone; giving the sense that boxes are simply being ticked rather than a meaningful examination of character or the fascinating found family dynamic.

A large portion of the film is devoted to assembling that family – as Sersi and Sprite travel the globe reconnecting with everyone – and this is easily the most enjoyable aspect, with snappy banter and a light tone (apart from Richard Madden’s permanently dour Ikaris) keeping things fun as you come to understand the dynamics of the team. Barry Keoghan and Bryan Tyree Henry are particular standouts, both layered characters with their own demons; with Keoghan’s Druig frustrated at being kept from using his powers of mind control to simply cease conflict. Henry’s Phastos has a much more sobering burden to carry – tasked with drip-feeding technological advances to humanity, including those of a negative persuasion – that forces the guilt ridden god to do some serious soul searching. Never in short supply are the usual quick fire Marvel jokes of course, but they rarely hit as intended, a shame considering the comedic talent in Nanjiani alone. He tries his heart out – Kingo’s other life as a Bollywood superstar makes for some great one liners and a standout side character in his valet Karun (Harish Patel) – but Madden and Chan bring things down by never seeming to know how to respond to his levity.

Despite being the lead characters of the piece, Ikarus and Sersi are woefully underwritten, with Zhao choosing to show their relationship through the ages as well as telling us. It’s a heavy-handed approach made especially worse when the two come together and couldn’t have less chemistry; opposite thematic mouthpieces constantly discussing huge, world-ending stakes rather than estranged lovers that were together for 5,000 years. That’s a problem that is rife almost everywhere you look: over-explanation. Eternals is cosmic sci-fi on a grand scale and the characters are constantly discussing it; throwing in new facts and reviewing assumed knowledge at every turn. Yet you never fully feel that you understand what is going on until the third act devolves into the tried and tested “big CGI battle”. It seems as if Zhao is constantly shooting for thematic examinations of how different experiences shape different responses to life only to be pulled back into familiar territory to reset the pieces for the next Marvel instalment. Sadly ironic that the only scene that seems to fully see out its vision is the post-credits scene teasing a future film.

Audiences have endured Marvel’s bad villain syndrome over the years in more than a few films but Eternals’ might be the worst yet. The Deviants are a thoroughly uninteresting race of dinosaur-like creatures – all tendrils and snapping teeth – that serve as nothing more than glorified CGI punching bags to put our heroes powers on full display. Unlike the endless streams of enemies in an Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy, there is no charismatic leader behind them all. Discovering the origin of the Deviants doesn’t make them one bit more interesting as villains; they continue to crop up only to be thoroughly knocked back to where they came from: rinse and repeat throughout. What should be a bone-shatteringly vicious showdown at the halfway point is undermined by the hazy way Zhao chooses to shoot the action; a combination of a shaky camera and terrible lighting making things almost as incomprehensible as that infamous Game of Thrones episode.

Perhaps it’s Chloé Zhao at the helm fresh off her Best Director Oscar win or the promise of the next great superhero team that makes Eternals feel like such a disappointment. What should be another slam dunk hit from a studio that has made billions out of well characterised heroes and their action-filled exploits feels strangely hollow and devoid of life; a largely humourless affair that feels both universe expanding and inessential at the same time. The fantastic cast is largely wasted, the villains are only that in the most base sense and the plot alternates between an incomprehensible mess and the worst parts of the worst Marvel films. The heroes might live on but Eternals feels destined to fade from the Marvel memory.

Eternals stars Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Bill Skarsgård & Kit Harington – In cinemas now.

5/10

Tags Angelina Jolie, Barry Keoghan, Brian Tyree Henry, Chloé Zhao, Eternals, Gemma Chan, Kit Harington, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Ma Dong-seok, Marvel, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek

Movie Reviews

Those Who Wish Me Dead

Post author By Mark
Post date May 26, 2021

There’s something to be said for the appeal of the 90 minute movie. Why waste time on a 2 hour epic of you can get in and out, telling your story in a focused and efficient way? This is very much the case for Taylor Sheridan’s new thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead, a tight, well paced story of a traumatised firefighter forced to push her personal demons to the side to help a young boy on the run from assassins. There’s not a surprise in sight of the predictable storyline, but Sheridan aims to entertain and he does that by cutting most the fat around Angelina Jolie and company, with only a few ham-fisted metaphors distracting from their journey. It also doesn’t hurt that the supporting cast is phenomenal, with Jon Bernthal, Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult injecting energy into characters that would otherwise have bored rather than excited. Those Who Wish Me Dead doesn’t aim to do a lot, but what it does it does well.

Jolie’s jaded firefighter Hannah is something of a blank slate, thanks to a lifeless performance that never manages to bring the audience onside in any meaningful emotional way despite the life-or-death stakes. With a rebellious streak and a past trauma established early on, it isn’t long before our heroine is confined to a fire-watch station far above the trees for a significant chunk of time. From there everything that possibly could go wrong does; from lightning storms to shootouts, and Jolie barely manages a look of mild shock let alone terror at having her quiet shift descend into anarchy. Fortunately she is paired for most of the runtime with Finn Little’s escapee Connor; frightened and on the run after narrowly escaping a violent clash with assassins Patrick (Hoult) and Jack (Gillen). Little is giving it his all in his performance; a sympathetic but not entirely helpless kid who is clearly rattled by the recent events that cost him his father (Jake Weber), putting on a brave face to deliver the message entrusted to him. The chemistry between the pair doesn’t exactly send sparks flying even if Little is trying his heart out, but Connor’s presence softens Hannah’s rough exterior just enough for a few genuinely touching moments.

Hoult and Gillen’s meticulous assassins are a breath of fresh air in a genre often populated by hapless goons in pursuit of the heroes. They are genuinely intelligent people – Gillen especially, who slips right back into his Game of Thrones character’s villainy with ease – thinking strategically to capture their targets and leave as few traces as possible. Alas, this is a movie, so that antiseptic approach to crime soon goes out the window when Connor escapes and Jon Bernthal’s police chief Ethan arrives on the scene, forced to assist the hitmen in tracking down the boy. Ethan is more than a match for the two and the constant battle of wits and survival between the two sides is far more engaging than Hannah and Connor’s storyline, to the point that when they finally do intersect you’ll almost wish you hadn’t, as the film descends into a clichéd third act confrontation; undermining the intelligence of its characters in favour of wrapping everything up neatly. It is also where a lot of those heavy-handed metaphors are shoehorned in -particularly that of fire, which feels like an afterthought and a device to drive Hannah into battle rather than the examination of the firefighter lifestyle that the opening 20 minutes wastes time having you believe.

While its story isn’t going to win any awards for originality, Taylor Sheridan’s thriller succeeds in telling its narrative in a taut and streamlined way, with characters that demonstrate genuine smarts. The script (also co-written by Sheridan) wisely recognises that it doesn’t need to give you tons of backstory to these characters and that simply presenting them as capable people in harrowing situations will bring the audience on-side, extracting all the tension it can before it overstays its welcome. Jolie’s rigid acting doesn’t ruin the film thanks to an excellent supporting cast, with a special mention to Finn Little’s powerful performance. Those Who Wish Me Dead may not burn up the box office, but it should be enough to brighten a lazy Sunday afternoon once it hits streaming.

Those Who Wish Me Dead stars Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult, Aiden Gillen, Finn Little, Medina Senghore, Jake Weber, Tyler Perry & Jon Bernthal – In cinemas now and streaming on HBO Max in the US.

Tags Aiden Gillen, Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult, Taylor Sheridan, Those Who Wish Me Dead, Warner Bros

Movie Reviews

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Post author By Tydus
Post date October 21, 2019

The original Maleficent was a gamble for Disney back in 2014, being one of the first of what would become a seemingly endless stream of modern updates to animated classics. Based on the familiar tale of Sleeping Beauty, the film shook up the source’s story and characters to create an entirely new tale – one that became a template for several future Disney films in the following years. While the core plot itself was fairly standard, Maleficent found success with its darker tone, stunning visuals and a defining performance by Angelina Jolie as the titular sorceress. It’s been five years since the original, and we now find ourselves presented with its follow up fantasy sequel: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Aiming to build upon the foundations of its first chapter, the film certainly manages to go bigger and bolder the second time around. However, while it may be a longer and more brutal adventure than the original, the sequel suffers from a standard plot and pacing issues throughout – saved only by some amazing sights and the efforts of its three immensely talented leads.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil picks up several years after the events of the first film, with a grown Aurora (Elle Fanning) ruling over the enchanted woods and its creatures as the Moors’ human queen. When she’s asked for her hand in marriage by the neighbouring kingdom’s Prince Philip (a recasted Harris Dickinson), she quickly accepts. This doesn’t sit too well with Aurora’s godmother Maleficent (Angelina Jolie), who despises and distrusts all humans following some rough dealings with them in the past. This hatred is only fuelled upon meeting Philip’s mother, Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), who seems intent on driving a wedge between Aurora and her adoptive mother. What follows these opening minutes is a lengthy adventure that never strays too far from this base concept. Where the film does attempt to move away from expectations or present something new, it often leads to drawn out and unnecessary world building – most of which amounts to very little in the grand scheme of things. It feels as if much of the story and plot devices were pulled together from a range of ideas and narratives, rather than developed as one cohesive tale that flows from beginning to end. The first film also covered almost all of the lore and events of the original Sleeping Beauty, and this has forced the sequel to get creative in places – albeit to mixed results.

Thankfully the original duo of Fanning and Jolie return to reprise their respective roles, and continue to do a fantastic job of carrying the audience through the adventure. Aurora becomes a fish-out-of-water for much of the film, struggling to balance the expectations of her new life, those she is charged with ruling over in her woodland home and the fury of her protective guardian. Fanning conveys these conflicts perfectly, bringing maturity and strength to her former role while also maintaining the charm of a young girl raised in an enchanted forest. Then comes Jolie, who once again appears to have been born to play the dark sorceress Maleficent. Stealing just about all of the film’s biggest scenes, her character commands every major conflict and challenge that the tale throws out. She’s the titular character for a reason, and her one of a kind performance is easily the film’s biggest redeeming feature.

Rising up to challenge Maleficent this time around is Michelle Pfeiffer’s Ingrith, queen of the kingdom bordering the Moors and Aurora’s soon to be mother-in-law. As expected, Pfeiffer brings an incredible amount of experience and pedigree to the powerful queen, creating a villain that does well to rival Jolie throughout the film. However Queen Ingrith is often a bit too heavy handed with the villainy, with some late attempts at explaining her behaviour doing little to justify how evil she eventually becomes. From the moment she steps on screen, she’s been written to be completely loathed by audiences at every turn. To be honest; Maleficent really didn’t need a second chapter, and creating one sees Pfeiffer’s character suffer from having to go from a complete unknown to a remorseless villain in a very short space of time.

Rounding out the cast is the Queen’s son Philip, who plays the typical Disney prince in search of his princess. Despite being re-casted following the first film, the switch to Harris Dickinson doesn’t hurt things too much and he does well to bring some life to his character’s limited scenes. Another returning character is Diaval (Sam Riley), who continues to act as Maleficent’s right hand and confidant. Riley’s screentime is as limited as it was in the first chapter, however he injects the film with a bit of charm and wit while also shedding light on Maleficent’s more guarded emotions. With so many characters already sharing the screen, it’s hard to imagine being able to expand the roster any further – however the film also manages to introduce two new faces in Conall (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Borra (Ed Skrein). For reasons I won’t spoil, the two share close ties to Maleficent herself and both attempt to make an ally of her for their own means. While the two actors do well in their respective roles, the characters themselves ultimately just exist to extend the plot further than it ever needed to be – again feeling like another product of a needless sequel. There’s also a significant amount of time given to developing these characters and their connection to Maleficent around the halfway point, which is at odds with an eventual conclusion that feels rushed and disjointed by comparison.

Yet while the extended runtime might not always be spot-on from a narrative perspective, it does give audiences more time to take in what is admittedly a beautiful looking film. The effects on display are some of the most vivid and realistic visuals seen in any recent fantasy epic, with lush green forests and grand castles completely capturing the Disney fairytale vibe. The woodland creatures are all intricately detailed and brought to life, and Jolie’s imposing black wings are so well done and perfectly woven into her movements, you’d swear she was born with them. These sights are in addition to the huge amount of costume and design work that has also gone into every piece of the film – many of which outdoing the already amazing work from the original. Maleficent’s horns and gowns are insanely well done, and are offset by Aurora’s floral numbers and Queen Ingrith’s outrageous pearl and jewel encrusted sets. While the excellent visual work doesn’t completely save the plot here, it certainly goes a long way in creating a sight worth seeing on the big screen.

All in all, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a fine attempt at a sequel that had no real reason to exist. Its three strong leads and beautiful world create a real spectacle alive with action and colour, however it’s unable to escape the basic plot and needlessly drawn out world building lying beneath it all. Fans of Jolie, Pfeiffer or Fanning and those who enjoyed the original will be the ones who stand to enjoy this the most, as the film doesn’t quite stand tall amongst some of the other strong stories that have been told in cinemas this year. Yet while it may not reach the starry heights that it was aiming for on its second outing, when Maleficent: Mistress of Evil does shine – it shines bright.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil stars Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Harris Dickinson, Sam Riley, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ed Skrein – In cinemas now.

Tags Angelina Jolie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Disney, Ed Skrein, Elle Fanning, Maleficent, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Michelle Pfeiffer