Tag: J.K. Simmons

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Post author By Mark
Post date December 20, 2021

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and no, we’re not talking about Christmas, we’re talking about the new Spider-Man film No Way Home! Quite possibly one of the most hyped films in MCU history, there was a lot riding on Tom Holland’s latest outing as the web-slinger and sufficed to say No Way Home lives up to all these expectations and then some; a more mature chapter in Peter Parker’s story that feels like an appropriate culmination of everything Holland has gone through and a celebration of the character’s rich on-screen history. Despite the all-star lineup of the web-head’s greatest foes, director Jon Watts never lets the story slip away from Peter, telling a quintessentially Spider-Man story that perfectly straddles the line between huge, explosive action and the everyday struggles of the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

Peter Parker’s (Holland) life is in a shambles after Mysterio unceremoniously ousts his identity as Spider-Man to the world at the end of Far From Home, prompting the young Avenger to turn to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in an effort to erase the world’s knowledge of this fact and restore some semblance of normality to the lives of Peter and those closest to him. When this inevitably goes awry, Strange and Parker unwittingly fracture the multiverse, causing villains from all manner of non-Disney owned, Sony produced Spider-Man films to tumble into the MCU, including Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Willem Dafoe’s (all-time great) Green Goblin. Now tasked with capturing these intruders before they can wreak havoc on his universe, Spider-Man is forced to contend with the full weight of his actions and the true responsibility of being a hero if he has any hope of saving the world once again.

Reassembling these characters from previous films may seem on its face an obvious case of fan service, but No Way Home consistently finds fresh angles to approach these characters without tarnishing their legacy; natural extensions of previous narratives or chances to redeem an ill-received prior outing rather than simply being well-known punching bags for Spidey to wail on. Jamie Foxx’s Electro for example has far more personality this time around, free from the shackles of his nerdy, awkward persona in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and now a laid-back, wise-cracking bad-ass; a far more appropriate character for Foxx to play and one that he excels at.

At the other end of the spectrum is Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, whose story wrapped up perfectly in Spider-Man 2. He certainly didn’t need more screen-time but what we get here is a fantastically fun and fascinating furthering of the character audiences know and love, with Molina hamming it up in the best way possible as the medically grumpy fish-out-of-water scientist turned supervillain. Those big, bombastic action sequences are all well and good but it’s the quieter moments that really justify Doc Ock’s return; a tortured soul desperate for a reprieve from the voices in his head and, like Peter, a return to the somewhat normal.

However it’s Willem Dafoe who cements his place as the greatest on-screen Spidey villain, slipping back into Green Goblin almost 20 years later and making it look completely effortless. On an acting level alone it’s fascinating to watch Dafoe contort his face and switch between the two personalities at war within Norman Osborn’s head on a dime; his voice dropping to a menacing growl as a sneer spreads across his face. But it’s the energy of pure, chaotic evil that he brings to the MCU that makes him Holland’s fiercest foe to date, wanting nothing more than to make Spider-Man suffer and relishing every second of pain he puts him through. Screenwriters Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna do a great job ensuring they aren’t just trading on audience goodwill, building on the foundation of Norman’s lust for power established in 2002’s Spider-Man and taking it to the logical next step as he covets an entirely new universe to subject to his will.

In a film this crowded it might be easy for Holland’s Spider-Man to play second fiddle but – despite all the colossal world expansion and inevitable sequel set-up – No Way Home very much feels like the next chapter of Peter Parker’s story. With that comes an almost perfect balance between the small-scale problems that define a good Spider-Man story – girl troubles, college admissions and otherwise balancing the mundane with the extraordinary – alongside the huge, multiverse-ending stakes. This is still a young boy coming to terms with his responsibilities as a hero and the stakes of not committing fully to either of the lives he is attempting to live have never been felt more than they are here. Cumberbatch is an excellent and intriguing choice to shepherd Peter into that next phase of his journey, not as paternal as Iron Man and certainly not as nefarious as Mysterio, Doctor Strange doesn’t shy away from delivering hard truths, a necessary push that makes for some incredibly satisfying moments when the going gets tough.

No matter how crazy the plot may get we are always locked into Peter and how he approaches this latest challenge, particularly how it affects those close to him and his sweet relationship with MJ (Zendaya), who finally comes into her own as a central protagonist rather than a quirky side-character. This being an MCU film, things never get too dour (perhaps to some viewers chagrin) and the jokes fly thick and fast, with Jacob Batalon’s Ned stealing every scene he is in with absolutely pitch perfect comedic timing, never failing to have the audience guffawing at even the most juvenile of jokes. But this is Holland’s film and it is the best he has ever been in the role, due in large part to the amount of emotionally heavy material thrown at him in the script; we feel the desperation in Peter’s actions and the weight of what he must do to correct the mistakes he has made. No spoilers here but it warrants mentioning that – following a third act that ranks up there with Avengers: Endgame in terms of sheer wish-fulfilment awesomeness – the ending is one of the most cathartic, triumphant conclusions in all of the MCU; a perfect jumping off point should they (most probably) continue to further Spider-Man’s story but also an incredibly satisfying conclusion should this truly be the end, something neither of the other actors who have played the wall crawler can claim to have had.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is easily the best of Jon Watt’s trilogy and perhaps more impressively one of, if not the best Spider-Man film ever. The culmination of Peter Parker’s story as a young, inexperienced web-slinger is a rollicking rollercoaster of fun and action sure, but one that manages to pack big stakes and crushing emotional weight onto Holland’s shoulders that he handles beautifully. The returning villains are all an absolute blast to spend time with again, the surprises we can’t spoil will have audiences in a fervour and the supporting players are all genuinely excellent in the way they impact Peter’s journey from boy to Spider-Man. Don’t let the title fool you, with this film Tom Holland proves definitively that he is absolutely at home as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, J.K. Simmons, Jon Favreau, Tony Revolori & Benedict Wong – In cinemas now.

10/10

Tags Alfred Molina, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, J.K. Simmons, Jacob Batalon, Jamie Foxx, Jon Favreau, Jon Watts, Marisa Tomei, Marvel, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland, Willem Dafoe, Zendaya

Movie Reviews

The Tomorrow War

Post author By Mark
Post date July 6, 2021

Every streaming service nowadays seems to be gravitating towards big budget entertainment in the quest for dominance in the streaming wars. Whilst these types of films are usually reserved for the big screen, the recent pandemic changed everything, prompting studios to offload their films to streaming in the hopes of recouping their losses. The latest blockbuster offering comes from Amazon in the form of the Chris Pratt-led The Tomorrow War; a sci-fi action film in the vein of Edge of Tomorrow which has clearly been made with the goal of being seen on the biggest screen possible. The loss of that big screen sheen is felt considerably when viewed on a home TV but there is still a considerable amount of big, dumb fun to be had here, even if The Tomorrow War isn’t the most original or memorable addition to the genre.

The world is forever changed when a strange portal opens, revealing soldiers from 30 years in the future who are waging a desperate war for survival against an alien species dubbed the Whitespikes. In a global scramble, the governments of the world unite to initiate a worldwide draft, conscripting ordinary civilians along with military who are able to withstand the time travel process, to join the fray and save the planet from eventual extinction. When ordinary science teacher Dan Forester (Chris Pratt) is drafted, leaving behind wife Emmy (Betty Gilpin) and young daughter Muri (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), he discovers he has a more personal role to play in the fight for humanity than anyone could have known. Joined by the now adult Muri (Yvonne Strahovski) Dan races against the clock to uncover a weapon to defeat the Whitespikes before they can overtake the last secure military base on the planet and destroy the device which allows for the past to supply soldiers to the battle.

Sounds big and dumb right? That’s because it is. Are the complex time travel plot-holes glossed over and forgotten in favour of furthering the plot? You bet. Come in and start nitpicking the litany of nonsense and you’ll be disappointed. The name of the game here is spectacle and The Tomorrow War absolutely delivers in that sense, constantly topping each act with a healthy dose of explosions and wacky plotting as if Michael Bay had directed Independence Day, only with less American flags and product placement.

The quieter moments don’t work quite as well as they should, with the exception of the central relationship between Pratt and his daughter, which writer Zach Dean takes full advantage of, using the two versions of Muri as a way for Dan to do some self-reflection on how he treats his family in the present timeline. It’s clunky and not all that subtle storytelling but the tearjerker moments between Muri and Dan hit where they need to, offering a glimpse at a more personal side to Pratt’s otherwise infallible action hero.

Make no mistake – Pratt is the sole reason The Tomorrow War holds together as well as it does. His extremely likeable presence and general everyman demeanour helps to anchor even the most outlandish action sequences. Dan Forester is no Peter Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy but Pratt retains that charm and a smidge of the smart-assery that made that character so endearing. Forester isn’t anything outside the usual mold of characters Pratt has played but there is a reason that he is as bankable a star as he is and this type of relatable action hero is the foundation of that brand.

Outside of Pratt are a handful of solid enough performances, the most notable including an absolutely gigantic J.K. Simmons (who looks as if he’s ingested copious amounts of super-serum in order to finally catch that menace Spider-Man) and the criminally slept on powerhouse Sam Richardson. Richardson has consistently delivered stand-out supporting performances in comedies like VEEP and Good Boys and it is great to finally see him showcasing those skills in a big-budget film like this, even if his usual zaniness is somewhat muted. Apart from the odd joke from Pratt here and there Richardson is tasked with shouldering almost all of the films comedy and delivers more often than not, playing a scientist so supremely out of his depth in the field of war that he yells “shit” every time he fires a bullet.

The Tomorrow War is exactly the type of goofy, overblown fun that would be perfect viewing for the big screen, with action and sound that demands the most high-end systems to immerse yourself in the story. The loss of that environment does diminish the experience significantly but this is a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and isn’t aiming to push boundaries in the story or character departments, never pretending to be anything other than big, flashy popcorn munching entertainment. Pratt still proves himself more than capable of carrying these big tentpole films with his charm and the supporting cast around him all pull their weight enough to ensure boredom never sets in, with a new joke or flashy set-piece never far out of reach. The next Edge of Tomorrow? No. A silly, fun time sitting on the couch stuffing your face with snacks? You could do a lot worse.

The Tomorrow War stars Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge, Ryan Kiera Armstrong & J.K. Simmons – Streaming on Amazon Prime now.

6/10

Tags Amazon, Betty Gilpin, Chris Pratt, Edwin Hodge, J.K. Simmons, Jasmine Mathews, Keith Powers, Sam Richardson, The Tomorrow War, Yvonne Strahovski

Movie Reviews

Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Post author By Mark
Post date March 22, 2021

Director’s cuts are not an uncommon occurrence in the movie industry. We’ve seen classics like Blade Runner and Apocalypse Now improve upon the already iconic finished products and some not as successful attempts (sorry George Lucas). Zack Snyder’s Justice League may be the most deserving of all for its director to be given a second chance, with the original 2017 film caught in a storm of personal grievances and restrictive studio mandates which eventually led to his replacement by Avengers director Joss Whedon. The resulting product was a surface level fight-fest, with nary a full character arc in sight, that attempted to please studio executives rather than the fan base rampant to see out Snyder’s vision, which began with 2013’s excellent Man of Steel. Finally, after years of vehement online support, Warner Bros acquiesced, allowing Snyder to present his full, gigantic 4 hour vision of the ultimate DC super-hero team-up on streaming services around the world. Does it live up to the hype? Yes and no. Let’s get into it.

For the uninitiated, the broad strokes of Justice League centre around Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) attempting to recruit a team of super-powered individuals to fight against the oncoming threat of Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), an intergalactic being hell-bent on destroying the Earth and cultivating it into an apocalyptic wasteland for big bad Darkseid (Ray Porter). In order to do this, he must collect the DC equivalent of the Infinity Stones, the Mother Boxes; three cubes scattered across the globe which, when combined, create an unstoppable force to change the planet to the user’s will. As the newly formed Justice League – now including Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) – clash with Steppenwolf, they begin to realise that their only way to achieve victory may be through some less than ethical means and a recently deceased Kryptonian.

Simply put, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is the vastly superior version of the film, feeling like far more of a thematically and tonally consistent sequel to Man of Steel and Batman v Superman than Whedon’s cut. Narratively it is a very similar beast, with majority of the big action set-pieces remaining intact, but where Whedon’s version threw away character development and story in favour of quippy one-liners and mindless filler scuffles, Snyder restores these aspects, with a particular focus placed on the characters of Cyborg and Steppenwolf, two of the most underserved and generic characters from the 2017 film. Cyborg’s origin and relationship with his father is the emotional centre of the film, leaving the baffling question as to why Whedon chose to remove the only fully fledged character arc from his movie. Fisher is wonderful as the troubled half-man half-machine, conflicted over his feelings towards his father’s work that left him alive but cost him his mother and any semblance of a normal life. No longer does Cyborg simply become a hero after a pep-talk from Wonder Woman, but from some serious soul-searching and forgiveness, a theme Ben Affleck’s caped crusader learnt the hard way in Batman v Superman.

Ciarán Hinds’ incompetent villain Steppenwolf is also reworked into a more sympathetic character this time around, less concerned with collecting macguffins to destroy the world than he is to serve out a debt owed to Darkseid and win back his place as the right-hand man of DC’s answer to Thanos. Sure this may be shown in something of a clumsy and eerily relatable way, with Steppenwolf communicating with his boss via a series of magical Zoom calls, but using redemption as a motivator following an implied betrayal of Darkseid makes for a much more interesting character. Steppenwolf’s revamp extends to the visual side as well, marking a significant upgrade for the creature who has gone from a poorly rendered, gladiator armour wearing alien to a ferocious, spike clad minion of death, worthy of the threat Snyder insistently reminds us he is to the newly formed league of heroes. The scenes involving Steppenwolf also showcase a new feature of the Snyder Cut: the R rating. Gore features heavily as Steppenwolf slices and dices his way through scores of Amazonian and Atlantean soldiers, who explode in puffs of viscera at the blade of his lethal axe. It’s an unneeded touch for sure, likely to alienate the ever-present audience of young children who come to these films to see Superman and Wonder-Woman kick butt without any evidence of actual harm, but it certainly fits in with Snyders MO of throwing everything at his likely last outing in the DC universe.

That’s right, all the quirks that come with Zack Snyder’s style are present here on a scale larger than anything we have seen before. That includes some truly cringe inducing dialogue, a return to the gritty, grounded characters of before (gone is the giddily childish humour of Whedon) and as much slow-motion action that the human mind can physically endure before exploding. Seriously, at times it feels like a quarter of the film is just slow-motion shots of our heroes narrowly avoiding a bullet or pushing something out of the way of harm. The lack of a restriction on runtime allows for all sorts of overindulgence on Snyder’s part, from an extended scene of hymns to Aquaman sung by an Icelandic village to an almost Return of the King number of endings, including the much hyped “Knightmare” sequence, which serves as an intriguing, if unfulfilling look at where Snyder’s proposed trilogy of films would have gone. Jared Leto’s singular scene as the Joker here is better than the entirety of Suicide Squad, even if it is about a fraction of the length of that mess, but doesn’t elevate the film significantly or warrant a complete viewing on its own merits.

The continued narrative of Superman continues to be Snyder’s greatest contribution to this iteration of the DC universe, even if he doesn’t lean into the character’s moral compass as much as in Man of Steel, with his endlessly positive message of hope ringing louder now than ever. It is genuinely exciting to see him return to save the day, and the touches of Hans Zimmer’s Man of Steel score in Thomas Holkenborg’s completely re-recorded and otherwise rather generic score are goosebump inducing during the climactic fight scenes. Cavill’s performance is one for the ages and the fact that this may very well be the last time we see him don the blue and red (or black this time around) suit can’t help but feel bittersweet, especially given this film’s lack of importance to the overarching DC story going forward, with Warner Bros declaring Whedon’s cut the canonical entry in the franchise. There is some retribution in knowing that Cavill’s last appearance as the Man of Steel isn’t marred by a digitally removed moustache (Google it) but here’s hoping it isn’t the last time we see him on-screen.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a fascinating experiment of a film. Whilst it is an undoubtedly good thing that Snyder was allowed to see out his full creative vision, the fact remains that this version of the superhero epic – whilst superior to Whedon’s – is at times a bloated, directionless cluster bomb of a movie, with the director let loose to throw everything and the kitchen sink into the viewer’s eyeballs: the good, the bad and the godawful slow-motion (seriously stop doing that). As a continuation of his previous DC work, this feels like a satisfactory, suitably epic conclusion, even if the epilogue scene doesn’t convey that sense of finality. While it is easy to look at the Snyder Cut as a win, it also represents something of the toxic side of fandom, where “fan ownership” of characters leads to the bullying of studios and individuals into getting what they want. I’m more than curious to see what Zack Snyder would do with the sequels to this film and I genuinely hope they get made, but only if the creative team has genuine interest and supports the project, not as a result of a bunch of bullish, entitled fans. When part of the fandom turns as dark as Darkseid’s minions, no one wins.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League stars Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Ciarán Hinds, Amber Heard, Joe Morton and Henry Cavill – Streaming on HBO Max in the US and on Binge in Australia now.

Tags Amber Heard, Amy Adams, Ben Affleck, Ciarán Hinds, DC, Diane Lane, Ezra Miller, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, J.K. Simmons, Jason Momoa, Jeremy Irons, Jesse Eisenberg, Justice League, Ray Fisher, Willem Dafoe, Zack Snyder, Zack Snyder's Justice League

Movie Reviews

Palm Springs

Post author By Mark
Post date November 25, 2020

Andy Samberg is one of the strongest voices in the modern comedy scene, having built a cult following on Saturday Night Live for his zany digital shorts and transferring that into superstar appeal with police comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Even given all that talent and success, the thought of mixing his quirky, over-the-top comedy with the plot of Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day is something of a tough sell. What could Samberg possibly bring to the table that wouldn’t feel like a cheap imitation? I’m happy to report that the answer to that question is “a hell of a lot”. Palm Springs is Samberg’s best performance to date – with the funnyman digging into a dramatic side most audiences wouldn’t think he had – in an extremely charming, funny and surprisingly deep journey to find purpose in a life that is only ever lived for one extremely repetitive day.

Sandberg plays Nyles, a cynical alcoholic forced to relive the wedding of Abe (Tyler Hoechlin) and his girlfriend Misty’s (Meredith Hagner) best friend Tala (Camila Mendes) on a loop, thanks to an ill advised trip to a nearby cave in the idyllic Palm Springs desert. With Nyles slowly descending into a pit of laziness and despair, all seems lost until he woos Tala’s sister Sarah (Cristin Milioti). When an incident results in Sarah following Nyles into the time loop cave, she finds herself stuck in the same cycle, cursed to relive not only the wedding, but some incredibly personal and destructive secrets. As Nyles spends more and more time with Sarah he rediscovers his lust for life, falling head over heels as he learns just how important connection is to the human experience and how essential Sarah’s company has become. Hanging over Nyles’ head this whole time is the ever-present threat of Roy (J.K. Simmons), a fellow prisoner in the time-loop with a vendetta against Nyles, constantly on the hunt to capture, torture and kill him in ridiculously over-the-top ways.

What is most surprising about Palm Springs is just how well the film balances the zany, quirky comedy with the more poignant, dramatic moments. Scenes where Nyles and later Sarah get into all sorts of nonsensical shenanigans are just as hilarious as you would expect; from stealing and crashing a plane to choreographing entire, overcomplicated dance routines. A lot of these sequences are carried out through the use of montages – riffing on Groundhog Day and other 80’s comedies – but a surprising amount of character development is snuck in to these scenes; as the increasingly strange pranks bring Sarah’s previously high-strung, self-loathing personality in line with Nyles’ carefree outlook on life, as she learns to not take herself too seriously. Nyles in turn realises the impact that surrounding yourself with good people can have on life and begins to open himself up and share with Sarah. When the comedy simmers down and the dramatic scenes rise to the forefront, you understand perfectly where these people are at in their relationships and care that much more about them when the eventual spanners are thrown into the works late in the film. It’s a credit to director Max Barbakow that these montage scenes – a technique generally written off as filler – say so much without exposition dumps or otherwise contrived rom-com tropes.

A huge chunk of that credit also goes to Samberg and Milioti, who prove to have tremendous chemistry together as they bounce off each other with sharp-tongued jokes and smart-assery. Samberg definitely gets his Jake Peralta moments in here, going into comedy overdrive with his trademark exaggeration and face pulling. It works here as well as it works in Nine-Nine with several grand moments that have Nyles taking centre stage at the wedding and making a giant fool of himself. The time-loop conceit provides a fresh canvas for Samberg and Milioti to go as big as they want time and time again, as no one from the wedding actually remembers anything they have done previously – to hilarious effect. Milioti proves herself a more than worthy scene partner for Samberg’s antics, matching his intensity and sometimes surpassing it as her reaction to her predicament is much newer and less measured than Nyles, who has been stuck for an indeterminately long period. Likewise, she handles the dramatic moments excellently. The character of Sarah is saddled with far more baggage than Nyles and Milioti’s raw and genuine performance goes a long way to keep the character charming and likeable, even after we discover her past mistakes.

Outside of the strong performances and constant stream of jokes, what you’re left with is a fairly standard romantic comedy plot, following most of the genre’s typical twists and turns to a conclusion you can pretty much guess a mile off. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means as the film does a hell of a lot to differentiate itself from the rest of the pack, but at the end of the day you’re not going to be blown away by some pivotal twist at the eleventh hour. It’s also slightly disappointing that the film features such a phenomenal supporting cast of comedic talent who never truly get a chance to shine. Connor O’Malley and Chris Pang get a few solid laughs as a groomsman and officiant respectively (the sight gag of Pang’s outfit alone is gold) but nothing that resembles any sort of character development. Likewise Meredith Hagner’s Misty is incapable of taking any responsibility for her terrible actions against Nyles, a plot thread which pops up a few times and always seems like it is being built up for some larger arc for her to reflect on herself, but which never arrives at any payoff. Again, the film is clearly centred around Nyles and Sarah so this isn’t a huge surprise, but it would be nice to see more from these young comedic talents. The only side-arc that gets any closure is J.K. Simmons who is perfectly cast as the overly aggressive and misunderstood Roy. Drawing on his experience as the always angry J. Jonah Jameson, Simmons goes to some pretty dark (yet funny) places in his quest for revenge before ultimately finding peace in his predicament, giving the character a nicely cathartic send-off.

Andy Samberg has come a long way in his comedic career and it has never been more apparent than in Palm Springs, a film that is so endlessly watchable thanks to its clever blend of sci-fi, humour, heart and Samberg’s career-best performance. Cristin Milioti is an excellent scene partner for the SNL veteran and the pair’s chemistry and banter is so good that it becomes easy to overlook the fairly paint-by-numbers plot and the underuse of the film’s smorgasbord of fresh young comedic talent. Despite its similarities to Groundhog Day, Palm Springs manages to be just as essential to the romantic comedy genre, a modern twist that takes the concept and repurposes it for a new generation in hilarious fashion. Like its time loop premise, this is a film that you’ll be watching again and again for years to come, hell I’ve watched it twice in the few days it has been out already.

Palm Springs stars Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, Meredith Hagner, Peter Gallagher, Tyler Hoechlin, Camila Mendes, Chris Pang, Connor O’Malley, Dale Dickey & J.K Simmons – Streaming on Amazon Prime in Australia now and on Hulu in the US.

Tags Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Meredith Hagner, Palm Springs, Peter Gallagher, Tyler Hoechlin

TV & Streaming Reviews

Defending Jacob

Post author By Mark
Post date May 31, 2020

In today’s television landscape it seems like there is a new streaming service almost every other week. The rise of streaming titan Netflix has seen the emergence of several competitors, some more successful than others, including Amazon Prime, Disney+ and most recently, Apple TV+. The latter has been treading water for a few months now and with its initial lineup offering little hype for the service, consumers have been left wondering just when we’d see some more genuinely exciting, must-watch content. Well that wait is over with the release of Defending Jacob, Apple’s latest crime-drama limited series starring none other than Chris ‘Captain America’ Evans in a role far removed from his super-hero alter-ego. Whilst it may not be the must-see series that turns people onto the service, Defending Jabob is nevertheless an engaging, if familiar at times, legal procedural/murder mystery which is raised above other similar series by stellar performances from Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell and J.K Simmons.

Defending Jacob begins as former District Attorney Andy Barber (Chris Evans) takes the stand to be questioned at a trial. The circumstances of the trial are not clear to us but the series of questions asked of Barber serve as the impetus for flashbacks retelling the main series of events. The book on which Defending Jacob is based, written by William Landay, utilises legal transcripts as a framing device to take the reader back to this trial. It’s an inventive concept in the medium of a book but in terms of a crime-procedural television series, it unfortunately doesn’t come across this way and feels clichéd given this device’s prevalence in the genre. Within these flashbacks we focus on the murder of a young boy named Ben Rifkin (Liam Kilbreth), a classmate of Andy’s teenage son Jacob (Jaeden Martell). Initially in charge of investigating the case, Andy is unceremoniously removed when Jacob is accused of the murder and taken into custody. From here on out we follow the Barber family, including matriarch Laurie (Michelle Dockery), as they prepare for a trial to prove Jacob’s innocence, uncovering a web of secrets and lies that haunt the Barber name and which threaten to destroy the peaceful Massachusetts community of Newton and the show’s well meaning, seemingly ordinary family.

Whilst the framing device of the trial might not be the most original, what differentiates Defending Jacob within the genre is the decision to focus not on the murder itself per se, but on the psychological aspect of committing a murder. How does one commit such a despicable act and do Andy and Laurie really believe that their son is capable of such a thing? It’s a fascinating route to go down and creator Mark Bomback and series director Morten Tyldum play with viewers’ expectations in giving you almost all the details of the case and the factors that are at play from the outset. The series doesn’t rely on cheap twists (for the most part) and instead presents a deep dive into each of the three members of the Barber family, making you question whether you really know any of them at all at one point or another. Evans and Dockery are fantastic (we’ll get to them later) but the central cog in the wheel here is Jacob himself, Jaeden Martell. He’s so perfect in the role as what some might consider the typical annoying teenager but he takes it a step further, switching gears constantly to make you feel for the terrified boy thrown in the deep end and facing life in prison but who also seems to be harbouring a darker side – just off-kilter and dark enough to give you serious doubts about his innocence. It’s a difficult juggling act to keep you so invested without making you feel he is completely innocent, completely guilty or so unlikeable that you don’t care anymore and the young actor pulls it off with a finesse that many veteran actors would be unable to achieve.

The series’ decision to let the story breathe and just sit with these characters for so much of the show might just be audiences’ biggest problem with it. While it allows for rich development of the characters, the series often introduces plot lines, seemingly to fill some of the air time, often leaving them unfinished and potentially leaving some viewers feeling cheated. The series doesn’t necessarily abandon these plot lines however, so much as it leaves them open-ended for interpretation. Take the characters of Ben’s parents for example: they have just lost their only son and are obviously struggling under the ridiculous weight of such a traumatic event. Tyldum and Bomback revisit these characters periodically throughout the show as an examination of how people cope with these situations and to illustrate the impact of the murder on the wider community outside of the Barber family. Other, less psychologically reflective storylines which are left unanswered can confuse and frustrate the audience, just as the characters in the series are confused and frustrated. This feels more like an intentional choice which works wonders to invest you and put you in the shoes of the characters, rather than to fill run time with unfinished storylines.

Despite its weekly episodic role-out, Defending Jacob is very much suited to the binge-watching streaming era, and this is the way I would recommend you watch it. Continuous immersion in the story and characters only deepens your investment and for a show that wants to make you think and potentially reflect on your own life, the longer it can keep you thinking that way the more successful and impactful it is. Whilst the ending may be polarising to some (no spoilers) it is very much in line with what has come before and your satisfaction with it will likely be elevated if you have continuously lived with these characters and their struggles.

The other key element which elevates Defending Jacob from a mundane crime drama is the phenomenal cast, led by Evans, Dockery and Martell. Evans is amazing here, given the chance to do something wholly different to Captain America: a suburban father with a dark past who has buried feelings of guilt and anger deep within himself and finds himself flung into the spotlight, forced to reflect on his life; bringing long buried emotions to the surface. It’s a quiet measured role, with Evans taking the full span of the series to unfurl Andy’s motivations and worsening emotions as the screws tighten around the family. Whilst his chemistry with Dockery isn’t anything particularly special, he is clearly in command of his own character and through his facial expressions and carefully considered dialogue we feel for the Barber patriarch, who is either undergoing a particularly bad spell of luck or is receiving his just desserts, depending on which way you look at it.

Dockery, similarly, is great; given more of a chance to show her character’s emotions outwardly, her response to certain secrets and revelations is truly heartbreaking and you feel that this is a woman in the terrible situation of having to confront the fact that she may not know who her son is; that he may be far more evil than she ever could have imagined given their seemingly enviable suburban life. Last but certainly not least is the great J.K. Simmons, who plays the small but integral role of Billy Barber, Andy’s incarcerated father whose involvement in the case is seemingly limited at first but comes to have more significance than expected. Simmons is outstanding as the slightly unhinged estranged grandfather to Jacob who has been absent his whole life. There is a sadness behind his eyes as his attempts to reconcile with Andy are batted away and Simmons displays an extraordinary ability to switch between that sadness and a blinding fury in the blink of an eye.

While it may not be enough on its own to entice you to subscribe to Apple TV+, Defending Jacob is nonetheless an outstanding slice of courtroom drama/crime procedural television which is given significant weight and purpose through outstanding performances from the entire cast, led by Chris Evans, and the director and creator’s willingness to deviate from the norm and explore an aspect of these stories that is often underdeveloped or forgotten about entirely. Despite some clichéd story beats which have become a staple of the genre and a lack of chemistry between Dockery and Evans, Defending Jacob is still an engrossing watch that will introduce you to a new side of Chris Evans, and if this is any indication of things to come, then the former star-spangled Avenger’s future looks bright.

Defending Jacob stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel & J.K. Simmons – Streaming on Apple TV+ now.

Tags Apple TV+, Chris Evans, Defending Jacob, J.K. Simmons, Jaeden Martell, Michelle Dockery, Morten Tyldum