CREED

Creed

Grade: A-

**Currently in Theaters**

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Tony Bellew and Graham McTavish

Premise: Determined to write his own story, the son of late boxing legend Apollo Creed moves to Philadelphia and enlists the help of the legendary Rocky Balboa to whip him into fighting shape.

Rated PG-13 for boxing violence/blood, language, and a scene of sexuality

Revisiting legends of cinematic lore is clearly in vogue this year, with Jurassic World bringing to life the dinosaur theme park imagined in the 1993 original and Star Wars: The Force Awakens gearing up to take audiences back to a galaxy far, far away, with the original trilogy’s cast members. Creed probably won’t make as much money as either of those movies, but it drops into the middle of a movie season crowded with cheesy holiday comedies, art-house awards contenders, and big-budget blockbusters, with an equally-legitimate pedigreed franchise DNA of its own. After all, Creed is the sixth film directly tied to the 1976 hit Rocky, a boxing picture starring and written by then-unknown actor Sylvester Stallone that was a box office smash and received multiple year-end awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. Sequels followed in 1979, 1981, 1985, 1990, and 2006. While none of the sequels achieved the same financial or awards-season success as the original, they cemented Rocky as an icon and a brand, made Stallone one of the richest and most successful men in Hollywood, and made Bill Conti’s theme “Gonna Fly Now” one of the most recognized pieces of music in pop culture.

While I wouldn’t consider myself a huge Rocky fan, I am versed enough in Rocky lore to appreciate Creed for its continuation of the saga as well as on its own merits (I have seen two of the films—the 1976 original and the most recent sequel, ‘06’s Rocky Balboa). Directed by Ryan Coogler and headlined by his Fruitvale Station star, Michael B. Jordan, Creed is a fresh, exciting entry into the Rocky canon that pays significant homage to the earlier films’ classic characters and settings but also manages to reinvigorate a series that had become the poster child for embarrassingly-drawn-out franchises, and this was before drawn-out franchises were a regular occurrence. Strong performances, thrilling fight scenes, a legitimate sense of realism, and some superb camerawork make this a noteworthy film that doesn’t deserve to get lost in the shuffle amidst the inferior James Bond and Hunger Games films currently in theaters. Hopefully it won’t.

PLOT

**I imagine someone could come into Creed having never seen any of the 6 prior movies and enjoy it just fine—provided they had some idea of who Rocky was—but I will briefly summarize what I think necessary**

Once just a working-class Joe with a gym membership and dreams of a boxing career, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) was given a once-in-a-generation chance to fight way outside his pay grade against the then-reigning heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), on the anniversary of the bicentennial. Coached by the weathered Mick (Burgess Meredith) and cantankerous Paulie (Burt Young), Rocky ultimately lost the bout, but, in the process, gained the champion’s respect, the people’s love, and the heart of Paulie’s sister, shy, working-class Adrian (Talia Shire). He went on to become one of the biggest stars in the sport, winning the championship belt in a rematch against Creed and then fighting a succession of celebrities (Mr. T, Hulk Hogan, Don King). He and Creed became close friends, but Rocky’s admiration for the fiery Creed backfired when, while serving in Creed’s corner as a trainer for another big fight, he failed to throw in the towel despite the fact that Creed was getting brutally beaten by a chemically-enhanced Russian juggernaut named Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Creed died from his injuries in the fight, and Rocky was left to tearfully offer a eulogy at his funeral. Later in life, after watching his trainer and beloved wife both pass on, Rocky opened a restaurant in downtown Philly called Adrian’s.

Creed is focused on the person of Adonis Johnson-Creed (played as an adult by Jordan), the child of a woman with whom Apollo was having an affair shortly before he died. Having never met his father, Adonis was orphaned at a young age and later plucked from a children’s home by Creed’s widow, Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad), and raised as her own. Though his family name and money tended to put him ahead in life, “Donnie” wore a chip on his shoulder and sought to make his own living as a fighter, not wanting any fame or glory he didn’t earn himself. Having turned out an educated and clean-cut young man, Donnie shocks his adopted mother by quitting his job and moving from Los Angeles to Philadelphia following a bit of success in low-rent fighting bouts in Mexico. There, going by Donnie Johnson, he immediately seeks out the famous Rocky Balboa (again played by Stallone), with whom he knows his father was close, and asks for help training. Rocky is still known by name to almost everyone, but, with his grown children gone and now even Paulie dead, he’s living a quiet, low-maintenance life managing his restaurant. Donnie nabs a membership at Mick’s famed old gym, Mickey’s, and works out while stopping by regularly to visit Rocky and ask him for tips. Soon, Rocky can’t resist the young man’s tenacity, or his own desire to lessen his guilt over his old friend Creed's death.

Donnie has been keeping his real surname on the down-low to avoid comparisons and favors, but when he wins a fight against a rising contender and his real name is leaked, it becomes a story. And, soon, the camp of a heavyweight champion fighter (Tony Bellew) who’s looking for one last fight becomes interested in the idea of their champ against the blood of an old champ. But Donnie isn’t sure he wants to be defined forever by his name.

What Works?

I was only particularly excited to see Creed once I had confirmed that the movie was neither written nor directed by Sylvester Stallone. I imagined this would save the movie both unbearable schmaltz and an air of pretentious ego-stroking (if you’ve seen Stallone’s Expendables films, you should understand the latter). Happily, as written by Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington, Creed has its share of sentiment but is brisk and well-paced and builds to an exciting climax. Rocky is a famous-enough cinematic entity that there are plenty of nods to the original brand, all among the movie’s best moments, especially an unveiling of red, white and blue boxing shorts styled after Apollo’s, and the perfectly-timed unveiling of the signature “Gonna Fly Now” music.

The cinematography is another highlight. We get our share of training montages, of course, but Coogler and cinematographer Maryse Alberti put together a number of impressive, lengthy tracking shots, including one epic, instant-classic shot that lasts the entire duration of a key fight, with the camera swiveling back and forth to capture each fighter’s prowess. They also know when to keep their camera still and have it linger on an image, as it does during the very artistically-rendered fighter intros for the climactic bout.

Creed only has two fully-realized characters, Donnie and Rocky, and they’re well played by Jordan and Stallone. As he proved in his breakthrough role in Fruitvale Station, Jordan is a star in the making, a fine mix of toughness and likability, a bright smile, expressive face and easy charm nicely complementing an imposing physique and a street-bred glower. Despite his presence in the recently-stillborn Fantastic 4 remake, Jordan is almost certainly bound for long-term success, perhaps the kind of longevity achieved by his main costar. Stallone, 69, has been oft-mocked for his slurred speech, unique (probably altered) facial features and corny screenwriting, but he’s nicely understated here in the classic, irresistible aged mentor role. Rocky is in his twilight years and almost could not be bothered to get back into what is obviously a young man’s game, but he achieves a certain undeniable glow when he’s shouting encouragement to his young trainee during training sessions, when he’s giving the bag a go just for fun with his huge, weathered fists, or when he’s talking about the glory days or bantering with his young fighter. After quipping and winking through his increasingly-dumb Expendables movies, it’s a treat for the actor—who’s always tried to give his characters humanity no matter their action-y surroundings—to give a real, lived-in performance.

Jordan and Stallone are given able support by a cast that includes Tessa Thompson as Donnie’s charming girlfriend, Phylicia Rashad as his mother, Graham McTavish and Tony Bellew.

What Doesn’t Work?

There isn’t much about Creed that doesn’t work. Its 133 minutes feel like 133 minutes, with multiple training montages and fights, and the climactic bout lasts a long time, but, for the most part, the movie is well-paced, enough that some parts could be longer. In fact, I found Creed so interesting that I started the lose interest as the final bout went on and on (even though I knew it would) because what had come before was so engaging. Boxing movies are a tried-and-true type and this movie can’t avoid all the cliché dialogue it could, but with Jordan, Stallone, Thompson, and the brilliant camerawork, Creed is much more notable for what it does right than what it does wrong.

Content

Like most boxing movies, Creed doesn’t really try to glam up the actual fighting, in which eyes swell shut, foreheads and eyebrows split open, and blood mingles with spit and sweat in the midst of lengthy bouts. There is also your typical PG-13 slate of cusswords (one, very informatively and amusingly, is done in sign language). And there is one brief intimate scene between Jordan and Thompson’s characters, though little is seen, as they’re mostly covered by a blanket.

Bottom Line

Yeah, it’s another sequel/spinoff/reboot, but Creed is the liveliest, most exciting movie I’ve seen in theaters in at least a month, much more worthwhile than the most recent James Bond and Hunger Games films. It pays plenty of homage to the six Rocky films while livening things up with new characters, new fighters, and some brilliant cinematography. Plus, if it’s the last-ever big-screen go round for Rocky Balboa, one of the movies’ most revisited and enduring characters, it’s arguably the best go yet for Sylvester Stallone, whose Rocky is more likable and human than ever. And if you’ve ever doubted that “Gonna Fly Now”, the Rocky theme, could get you excited and amped up, this movie will remind you how wrong you were to doubt that music’s innate awesomeness.

Creed (2015)

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Screenplay by Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington

Based on characters created by Sylvester Stallone

Rated PG-13

Length: 133 minutes

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 2

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

Grade: B-

**Currently in Theaters**

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland and Julianne Moore

Featuring Appearances by: Sam Claflin, Natalie Dormer, Willow Shields, Mahershala Ali, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci and Gwendoline Christie, with Paula Malcolmson as Katniss’ Mother and Patina Miller as Commander Paylor

PREMISE: The battle for the futuristic nation of Panem comes to a dark, violent end as poster girl Katniss Everdeen struggles to keep those she loves out of harm’s way even as she seeks to be the one who fires the last shot of the war.

Rated PG-13 for violence, scary moments, and some intense emotional content

When Mockingjay – Part 2 ended, and the screen went black just before the credits began, I glanced to my right, toward the friend with whom I saw the movie. Looking back at me, my friend shrugged and went “eh”.

That about sums it up. The Hunger Games movie series—adapted from the trilogy of dystopian Young Adult novels by Suzanne Collins—which began a very lucrative theatrical run with such fanfare and glamour on March 23, 2012 (Yours Truly’s 24^th birthday), ends with a muffled thud in this overly-sedate finale.

While it thankfully isn’t the embarrassingly overblown, video-game-meets-fan-fiction mess that was last December’s Hobbit trilogy finale, The Battle of Five Armies, Mockingjay Part 2 is so slow and uninspiring that, despite the promise of the characters’ world getting better in their long march to victory, you as the viewer yearn for the earlier days, when you were still getting to know the glossy, fantastical universe and then-rising-star Jennifer Lawrence, and still sitting on the edge of your seat during the electrifying titular arena conflicts. As was the case in Collins’ book series, with the titular Games went the series’ primary point of interest and excitement, and those ended with 2013’s outstanding Catching Fire. Part 2 might have more legitimately exciting moments than last year’s Mockingjay Part 1 but it’s still just dutifully putting together the last bits of the puzzle. Part 2, the third film in a row directed by Francis Lawrence after the Gary Ross-helmed original, isn’t a bad movie—it just largely seems like the director, screenwriters, and actors are going through the motions to finish things up, a sensation that’s way too familiar in this day and age of dragged-out cash grab franchises.

I daresay even the last Twilight film was more invigorating and ended its series on a note that made its audience more wistful.

Plot

**Viewing of Mockingjay - Part 1, if not all the other films, is strongly advised, as Part 2 picks things up right where the last film left off**

Still recovering physically and emotionally from a most unexpected assault by former fiancée and recently-rescued-POW Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), the face of the 13 districts’ rebellion against the oppressive Capitol, is in agreement with the heads of District 13 that the Capitol needs to be stopped and tyrannical dictator President Snow (Donald Sutherland) needs to be eliminated. The heads of 13, President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and right-hand lackey Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, in a role he was sadly unable to finish before his death), are only too happy to let their star join the rebels’ armies in assaulting the Capitol, provided a team of well-known rebels goes with her, along with a camera crew that can capture images of their heroes that will further inspire the rebelling citizens of Panem. So, after saying her goodbyes to her sister, Prim (Willow Shields), and friends Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and Johanna (Jena Malone), Katniss heads to the ruins of the outer rim of the Capitol city. With her are head military honcho Boggs (Mahershala Ali), her weapon-savvy friend and potential love interest Gale (Liam Hemsworth), athletic Hunger Games winner Finnick (Sam Claflin), a pack of well-trained grunts, and a camera crew led by film director Cressida (Natalie Dormer).

While the rebels are now winning the war and breaking through the Capitol’s defenses—sending the pampered citizens fleeing in terror—President Snow isn’t going down without a fight. So, in addition to squads of trained, uniformed Peacekeepers, he fills the ruins of his city with lethal booby traps, including sensor-triggered bombs, mines, flamethrowers, and even wild beasts, meant to ambush and destroy the rebel troops hurrying to the center of the city to converge on the President’s mansion. For two-time Hunger Games veteran Katniss, it’s like a new round in the arena. And the stakes are raised when her squad is joined by Peeta, who’s a well-known face and is there for the cameras, but is obviously still not in his right mind. He might be a danger to all of them. The war is rigorous and costly, but the rebels approach victory. Even so, Katniss begins to sense that the new regime is too eager to take power, and that its reign may not be that much better than Snow’s.

What Works?

When Director Francis Lawrence (no relation to the lead actress) came onto the scene to direct Catching Fire, his arrival was an undeniable gust of fresh air, eliminating the first movie’s distracting shaky cam approach and giving us glossier, more epic action and consistently striking visuals. He’s at the helm again for Part 2, and, again, he does his best to entertain those who haven’t read the books as well as satisfy those who have. Like Mockingjay – Part 1, Part 2 is a faithful-enough adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ work that, if this film isn’t as good as the second film in the series—or even the first—it’s the author’s fault, because Lawrence and his cast and crew are clearly committed to bringing the words on the page to life.

As was the case with the previous film, most of Mockingjay – Part 2 is competent—it works—but, for an action-packed finale, Part 2 is surprisingly underwhelming. That said, the director does engineer some large-scale action sequences that are grittier and more intense than anything in the earlier installments, and does his best to bring a real sense of art to the proceedings as well, with a camera that finds ways to capture quiet, lovely images. There’s a really spectacular chase scene that lasts about ten scintillating minutes that’s by far the best thing the movie has to offer, in addition to a quiet series of closing scenes of the main characters getting on with life that have a simple, lovely poetry to them. And to the filmmaker’s credit, by the end, there’s little attempt to cling to a glamorous, Hollywood-ized style that might please audiences more.

Even though the finale was split into two parts—as is in vogue with lucrative franchises these days—Part 2 still doesn’t have quite enough for its many significant cast members to do. A few who were major players in previous films (like Jeffrey Wright, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci and Elizabeth Banks) are inserted wherever they can be but are largely afterthoughts. They still manage to be effective, though, especially in the case of Malone's chatty, cynical Johanna. But the MVP of the series remains Josh Hutcherson, who, once again, manages to bring legitimate feeling to his every line, even in this constantly-brooding atmosphere. Donald Sutherland remains a huge asset in the expanded villain role that was the best and most obvious change from the books to the movies. And you wouldn’t think the secret to making a moody actress like Jennifer Lawrence more impressive would be to get her to play even more low-key, but the overall lack of noise and hysterics in her performance in Part 2, compared to the previous films, makes her one big emotional blow-up here all the more searing.

What Doesn’t Work?

I re-watched Mockingjay – Part 1 the other night for a refresher, and then I watched Part 2 this afternoon, and I can safely say what I thought before—though dutiful in recounting the developments of the bestselling book that bears their names, these movies are, frankly, not very entertaining. Director Lawrence and his cast do what they can, but it’s not enough. There’s a lot of people standing around in dimly-lit interiors looking serious and muttering at each other. There’s a lot of the blank Jennifer Lawrence stare. There are obligatory, chemistry-free scenes between Lawrence and a disappointingly-bland Liam Hemsworth that are supposed to be fraught with romantic tension but instead remind you of the worst moments of the Twilight series. There are performances by Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson that cover the exact same notes as in previous films, only this time it’s with less interesting material (Moore, in particular, could almost be reading off a teleprompter).

Part 2’s worst sin, though, is not going all the way with its material. I understand this series’ box office is predicated on teenage girls and therefore can’t really afford to drive viewers sobbing from the theater, but this movie barely sniffs the rabbit hole Collins’ text went down. It’s ironic that I’m complaining about this when it was the “Mockingjay” book’s turn into pitch-black depressing territory that scared off a lot of the series’ readers, but Collins, for her other faults, at least refused to overlook the obvious, real effects of war and loss and emotional trauma. It made for a heavy read, sure, but it was respectable and memorable. I do understand it’s difficult to convey a lot of inner turmoil from a first-person book into a movie, but you have an actress in Lawrence who has proven, both in this series and other parts, that she is unafraid to play ugly or unpredictable or hysterical (as evidenced by the fact that her one aforementioned blow up in this movie is one of the few moments in Part 2 that really delivers). I also understand this is a PG-13 movie, but given the traumatic events depicted in this film and its three predecessors—not to mention the things PG-13 movies in general can get away with these days—the overt restraint in the second half of the movie is devastating to the film's impact. There may be those who didn’t read the books who think this movie packs a punch—boy, could it have packed one if it had cut Lawrence loose as Katniss’ life unravels in the late going, if it hinted at a little more of the burgeoning madness the book chronicled. Basically, it’s too tame, and it takes away that much of the effect this underwhelming flick could have had.

Content

The Hunger Games series has never been a fantastically family-friendly one, and it still isn’t in Part 2 when there’s more war and less adventure. There are a couple of big surprises, one just the scary beginning of a chase through dark, confined spaces by creepy, eye-less, tooth-gnashing zombies that try to kill our heroes (and get a couple of them). There are scenes of bombings and explosions that obviously kill and maim people, even if the gore isn’t directly shown. There’s a hint of blood, too, and, overall, just a dark, heavy-handed vibe.

Bottom Line

When Mockingjay – Part 2 ended, and the screen went black just before the credits began, I glanced to my right, toward the friend with whom I saw the movie. Looking back at me, my friend shrugged and went “eh”. That about sums it up.

Part 2 isn’t crap, but, like Part 1, it fails to capture the excitement of the earlier films in the series. Yes, a lot of this is author Suzanne Collins’ fault, since this movie adheres quite closely to her text—everyone knows the third book was just not as good as the others. There’s one spectacular chase scene, a couple surprises non-book-readers won’t see coming, and fans of Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Banks won’t be disappointed, as their faves are back and doing what made them likable in the first place. But, overall, Part 2 isn’t very entertaining. Worse, it’s overly-restrained, seriously limiting the emotional impact this very affecting story could have had on the big screen. Its quiet closing scenes are touching, but, ultimately, this series lands with something of a thud.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)

Directed by Francis Lawrence

Screenplay by Peter Craig and Danny Strong

Based on the novel “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins

Rated PG-13

Length: 137 minutes

Z FOR ZACHARIAH

Z for Zachariah

Grade: B

**Currently on Redbox**

Starring: Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Chris Pine

Premise: A love triangle forms between three survivors of a widespread radioactive disaster.

Rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality and brief strong language

Z for Zachariah is a tasty little morsel of a movie, but it ultimately falls short of what it could have been..

I remember seeing the intriguing trailer for this movie back in the summer, and it came with the notice that it had been nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic category at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and then…I’m not sure what happened. I’m guessing the movie was never widely released, despite being based on a 1974 Robert C. O’Brien novel and starring three recognizable actors. In any case, it’s got an intriguing premise, is set to a gentle, lovely musical score and features three compelling performances, but it doesn’t feel like the total package. This is partly due to the very artsy flourishes from director Craig Zobel (based on a screenplay by Nissar Modi) that frustratingly limits the dialogue in places and forces the viewer to fill in the gaps.

It’s not the movie it could have been, but it’s an intriguing flick.

Plot

Busily caring for her family’s farm with no one but her dog for company, Ann Burden (Margot Robbie) has clearly survived some kind of widespread radioactive disaster, though, thankfully, this disaster didn’t ruin the natural beauty of the lush valley she lives in. There’s no one else around, though, so Ann goes about her regular routines of setting traps for game, milking the cows and collecting eggs from her chickens. Whenever she needs a break, she heads for the small wooden chapel in which her father used to preach and plays tunes on the piano.

One day, Ann sees another person, a person in a bulky anti-radiation suit of some kind who seems to have wandered into the valley almost by mistake. It turns out to be a scientist named John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and after he is exposed to radioactive water, Ann takes him back to her house and cares for him. When he recovers, he begins helping Ann with her chores and begins pondering the possibility of creating a water wheel at a nearby waterfall to produce hydroelectricity and power the house. There’s a hint of a spark between them, too, but John seems very hesitant, as if he’s keeping a secret from her. Soon, however, another survivor of the disaster happens across the farm. Caleb (Chris Pine), a former miner, is eager to help with the creation of the water wheel and to capitalize on Ann’s hospitality and kindness. But friction develops when John senses Caleb and Ann making eyes at each other. Ann doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but long-repressed feelings are rising and she won’t think of sending anyone away, and yet there’s a clear battle of egos between the men, one which, in their limited circumstances, could turn violent.

What Works?

Z for Zachariah is a handsomely-filmed picture and, as mentioned, has a quietly-beautiful musical score, but its appeal is unquestionably wrapped up in the performances of its only three actors, all of whom should at least look familiar to audiences. The Australian-born Margot Robbie got her big breakthrough with 2013’s Oscar-nominated Wolf of Wall Street and her star will rise even higher after she plays Harley Quinn in next year’s Suicide Squad. Chiwetel Ejiofor has been around for a while, but he got his big break as the lead in 2013’s Best Picture Oscar Winner 12 Years A Slave and got wider exposure in the currently-in-theaters blockbuster The Martian. Chris Pine is probably the easiest to recognize after his two go-rounds as Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek films. Though they have fairly limited dialogue and some of Pine’s dialogue is unintelligible because of his country-boy accent, they’re all effective. Robbie comes off the best, playing down her naturally-striking looks and believably playing a sweet, naïve southern belle you just want to hug.

What Doesn’t Work?

As stated, despite an undeniably intriguing premise, Z for Zachariah is more artsy and ambiguous than it needs to be, what with limiting the dialogue and the running time and leaving the audience guessing. While the movie avoids soap-opera dramatics and Twilight-style moodiness, the actors and set-up are good enough that you wish they were given more to do. Though I guess I should give the filmmakers props for not getting "too Hollywood" with the ending of a film that did its best to avoid clichés and obvious plot contrivances.

Content

Z for Zachariah isn’t a post-apocalyptic zombie movie or alien movie, so there’s no action, but there are a few tense moments when one character gets drunk and unpredictable, and there is a heated but un-graphic sex scene.  

Bottom Line

Z for Zachariah is a good movie that could have been better. It’s got a very intriguing premise, some great visuals, and effective performances by Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine, but it’s a little short on dialogue and entertainment value.

Z for Zachariah (2015)

Directed by Craig Zobel

Screenplay by Nissar Modi

Based on the novel by Robert C. O’Brien

Rated PG-13

Length: 98 minutes

SPECTRE

Spectre

Grade: B

**Currently in Theaters**

Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Rory Kinnear and Monica Bellucci, and Featuring Andrew Scott as ‘C’ and Jesper Christensen as Mr. White

Premise: James Bond begins uncovering clues that hint at a super-secret terrorist intelligence agency on the verge of seizing power on a global scale, which is led by a major figure from Bond’s past.

Rated PG-13 for intense action, sexuality, disturbing images and a scene of torture

Skyfall was always going to be a tough act to follow.

The 23^rd installment in the James Bond saga, which came out in 2012 under the steady hand of Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes, was a new highpoint for the saga, arguably one of the top Bond films to date. Helping the Daniel Craig era recover nicely from the doldrums of 2008’s Quantum of Solace, Skyfall gave audiences intriguing hints about Bond’s past, brought Judi Dench’s seven-film run as M to a meaningful close, introduced three likable MI6 supporting characters and an uber-charismatic villain played by a brilliant Javier Bardem. As soon as that film was over, I couldn’t wait for the next installment, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.

Spectre, the 24^th Bond film, which is also directed by Mendes, doesn’t reach those lofty heights. Some would argue it couldn’t.  Given that Spectre drops strong hints that this is Daniel Craig’s last go-round as 007, that likens its finale-that's-not-as-good-as-the-amazing-middle-installment-of-the-series effect to the final film in another recent epic saga...Spectre is basically the Daniel Craig Bond films' Dark Knight Rises. It’s a solid film and brings back a lot of the likable elements of the last film and builds on them, but it’s a little more formulaic and, bottom line, just can’t reach the dizzying heights of its all-time great predecessor. Dark Knight Rises, with its sprawling cast, time-jump plot and somewhat ambiguous ending, couldn’t match the hair-raising dread and Joker-induced wow factor of 2008’s Dark Knight. Likewise, Spectre, despite a great cast, tons of action and exciting intrigue, just doesn’t pack the punch of Skyfall. But even as it probably signals the end of an era, it’s enough of a classic Bond that you look forward to the next one, no matter who’s playing 007 when it comes.

Plot

After a self-initiated excursion to Mexico City to track a baddie, James Bond (Craig) is raising red flags at MI6 again. As the new M (Ralph Fiennes) reminds him, MI6 is still under investigation by government bigwigs believing “secret agencies” are antiquated and out of touch—the same government that is quickly moving toward shutting down such agencies in favor of internationally-connected digital information bureaus. Thus, with a government intel operative Bond calls C (Andrew Scott) seemingly watching MI6’s every move, the last thing the agency can afford is its resident devil-may-care problem child causing international incidents that could lose them all their jobs. But Bond, who’s still dealing with the after-effects of losing the previous M (Dench)--his longtime supervisor and sometime mother figure--believes he’s onto something. A trip to Rome and the wooing of a mysterious woman (Monica Bellucci) brings him information about Spectre, a super-secret terrorist organization that may or may not be related to the government movement to render MI6 obsolete.

Getting reluctant assistance from his pressured MI6 fellows Q (Ben Whishaw) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), Bond sneaks to a meeting of Spectre personnel and is alarmed to recognize the head honcho (Christoph Waltz) as someone he once knew personally. This person, it turns out, nurses a grudge against Bond, and he sends his hulking, inscrutable henchman (Dave Bautista) to give him closure. But Bond escapes, and, having recognized one of the names MI6 has that’s associated with Spectre, follows a trail of clues to Madeline (Lea Seydoux), the daughter of a disgraced, now-dead Spectre operative who wants to meet the organization that exiled her father and made an attempt on her life. With the henchman hot on their tails and the mastermind of Spectre lurking, Madeline and Bond seek to put the pieces of the puzzle together to find out what Spectre is and just why it’s after them.

What Works?

Though there are more clearly-obvious throwback elements to the older Bond films this time around, Spectre is directed with same surety as its predecessor by Mendes, and it brings the same no-nonsense, this-is-Bond-in-the-21^st-century spark. The action is exciting but gritty (the spectacular pre-credits action sequence may be the best one ever in a Bond flick), the technology is cool and, in this day and age, doesn’t seem that farfetched or unreal, and the ending, which strongly hints that Craig’s time in the tux is done, is exciting and provides a fitting potentially-final chapter without descending into schmaltz.

If Spectre is Craig’s final go-round (which it probably should be given the refreshing sense of closure afforded by this film’s ending), I will say Craig has easily been my favorite Bond actor. Yes, I’ve seen a couple of the Connery films, and I understand the he-was-the-original sentiment most “Connery people” argue, but, to me, Craig perfectly embodied the carelessly-charming ladies’ man, the mortal but relentless and cunning action hero, and the wounded man with a painful past. He made Bond a fully-realized person. His run started with the sensational Casino Royale, which gave us several all-time Bond moments and characters, stumbled with the mediocre Quantum of Solace, then roared with the spectacular, meaty Skyfall and doesn’t exactly fall flat with Spectre, even if this one is a little cheesier (see below). In this one, Craig’s performance brings all the roguish charm and never-say-die grit I’ve enjoyed about his stint, even if I kind of hope, for neatness’ sake, that this is his last hurrah as Bond.

Though if this is Craig’s last run, what’s to become of the quartet of likable actors who’ve played his supporting characters at MI6, all of whom were introduced in Skyfall and cement themselves here? It would be a shame to switch up Q from the marvelously-likable Ben Whishaw so soon, ditto for the appealing Naomie Harris as Moneypenny. Fiennes makes a great antithesis/secondary hero once again as Mallory/M. Even Rory Kinnear, who has now been one of the talking heads of the series as M’s assistant, Tanner, the last two times around, would be welcome back. Whether it’s rumored front-runners Tom Hardy or Idris Elba in the tux next time, or somebody else, I hope some if not all of this MI6 team comes back as their support.

The key new roles in Spectre are played by Lea Seydoux—who might look familiar to audiences from her time as an assassin in 2011’s Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol—and Academy-Award winner Christoph Waltz, easily recognizable for his two go-rounds as charming but lethal chatterboxes in Quentin Tarantino films. In addition to being attractive, Seydoux has a built-in toughness that’s easy to like for a potential partner for Bond—someone who is her own person (not just eye/arm candy) and who could have his back, not just a spot in his bed. Waltz has some nice moments but is somewhat underwritten (see below). Meanwhile, Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista has some fun scenes as an old-school, nearly-indestructible henchman.

What Doesn’t Work?

It must be said that, in 2015, we’ve already had a spy-based franchise film that was 21^st-century gritty, had cool gadgets and gizmos, death-defying stunts and eye-popping action sequences, familiar faces and likable new ones, a mysterious, glowering villain, and was focused on the earth-saving derring-do of the agents of an elite espionage agency under fire from government bigwigs who think the agency is a risk and is outdated and could be shut down. Yep, we already have. It was called Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. Bond is its own brand, of course, but I couldn’t help thinking back to Mission Impossible and thinking how that film, at least, managed to truly surprise and impress me with some of its many twists and turns.

Some of the things I didn’t quite love about Spectre: the impending installation of a new, all-communications-connected technological system that’s supposed to be a fail-safe—a villainous idea that’s already been suggested in multiple recent thrillers including Rogue Nation and Terminator: Genisys; Christoph Waltz’s underwritten villain—Waltz has shown in past roles that he can out-charisma anybody, and not only does he get limited screen time but his motivation for going after Bond seems kind of puny; Monica Bellucci draws the typical short straw as the Bond girl who’s only around for a couple superfluous scenes that mostly revolve around her hopping in James’ bed; there’s an ultimate torture device that for some reason doesn’t work on Bond the way it’s scientifically supposed to (at least according to the villain using it) even when it's used on him correctly; a couple of key bad guys die way too quickly and conveniently. And the confusing, seemingly-implausible idea that all the plots in all of the Craig Bond films were connected and orchestrated deliberately by one agency...I didn't like that, put it that way.

Spectre isn’t bad. It just feels a little too formulaic and a little too tidy considering the gritty, unpredictably-dramatic events of Skyfall.

Content

Like most Bond films, Spectre is light on swearing and nudity, but there’s heated sensuality/obvious sexual overtures, plenty of action that includes a few grisly deaths for baddies, and a torture device that makes our hero scream in agony. It earns its PG-13 with material that’s heavier and more realistic than your average Marvel superhero flick, but it probably won’t shock anyone who’s seen the other Craig Bonds.

Bottom Line

For me, Spectre is The Dark Knight Rises to Skyfall’s Dark Knight—it’s a solid movie, even if it can’t reach the spectacular heights of its predecessor. It’s a little more of a formulaic Bond film and the great Christoph Waltz is unfortunately underutilized as the villain. That said, the likely final Bond film to star Daniel Craig in the title role has a great cast, some terrific action, and a refreshing, upbeat ending. Until next time, Mr. Bond.

Spectre (2015)

Directed by Sam Mendes

Screenplay by John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth

Based on characters created by Ian Fleming

Rated PG-13

Length: 148 minutes

BEASTS OF NO NATION

Beasts of No Nation

Grade: A-

**Currently on Netflix**

Featuring Abraham Attah as Agu, Idris Elba as The Commandant, Emmanuel Nil Adom Quaye as Strika, Kobina Amissah-Sam as Agu’s Father, Francis Weddey as Agu’s Big Brother, and Jude Akuwudike as the Supreme Commander

Premise: A West African boy is torn from his loving family by civil war and ends up a child soldier in the rebel militia

This Film was Not Rated (NR): Contains strong, bloody violence, language, intense, disturbing images including depictions of rape and torture, sexual references, and some drug material

Beasts of No Nation, the first original film produced by and for Netflix, the online streaming service, is a haunting, engrossing film that takes a sobering look at one of the great tragedies the world has to offer, namely, the way young African boys are manipulated and turned into soldiers by blood-thirsty, power-hungry men who need bodies to fight for them in their endless conflicts. Adapted--from a book of the same name by Nigerian-American Uzodinma Iweala--for the screen, directed, and filmed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, who won an Emmy for his work on TV’s True Detective, Beasts is a frank but beautiful tour through this dark, painful reality.

Plot

In an unnamed African nation, young Agu (Abraham Attah) knows there’s a war going on in his country, but it ultimately affects him little as he plays with his friends, pranks his older brother (Francis Weddey), and listens to and learns from his father (Kobina Amissah-Sam). He has a mother, too, and a younger brother and sister, but the family is split up when word comes that the war between the government troops and the rebels is coming closer. When it does come, the war takes the lives of Agu’s father and brother and seemingly everyone left, with Agu surviving only by fleeing into the jungle, where starvation and sickness loom. But he’s rescued—if you want to call it that—by armed members of the Native Defense Force (NDF), a rebel battalion made up largely of child soldiers. First beaten and mocked and threatened, Agu is spared when the battalion Commandant (Idris Elba) takes a liking to him. In the battalion, Agu finds camaraderie and purpose, experiences alcohol and drugs for the first time, and survives initiation, which involves killing a man to prove his toughness. Though he grows to love some of his comrades in arms and experiences the thrill of victory in war, Agu can never quite digest the horror of the things he sees and does, and he wonders if God can forgive him.

What Works?

Before this project, Fukunaga was best known for directing part of the first season of HBO’s anthology drama True Detective—particularly the part with a five-minute tracking shot of Matthew McConaughey’s character navigating his way through a ghetto crawling with armed gang members. If that somehow didn’t convince anyone that Fukunaga knows what he’s doing with the camera, Beasts unquestionably will. Despite some very harrowing and disturbing content, Beasts is one of the most vividly, beautifully-filmed movies I have seen in some time, so rich and immersive it’s an incredible sensory experience. The colors pop, point-of-view shots put you in the shoes of the characters, sudden explosions and gunshots make you flinch, and the blood and mud are unavoidably real. Maybe Fukunaga is just an artist with the camera, or he knew the film would have to be especially vivid if it was going to be viewed almost entirely on screens at home, or both, but Beasts is visually-dazzling.

Fukunaga supposedly spent seven years writing the screenplay, but with the camerawork so fine, you hardly need the limited dialogue to begin prying into what you’re seeing. While the notion of child soldiers has haunted people for decades, Beasts asks us to consider that though the influence of substances, physical intimidation, and “brainwashing” may well play a part in the boys’ transition into soldiers, who’s to say part of it isn’t the boys’ desire to belong, to have purpose, to potentially get revenge on those who have scarred them, or even to just feel something again after being numbed by grief and tragedy? It’s not hard to understand why Agu so quickly agrees to join the NDF when they find him, after he’s starving, lonely, sickly and orphaned, and is given the chance to have friends at his side and a gun in his hands. And, while the horror and grief of his first kill is driven home—you wish he wouldn’t do it even though you know he will—later scenes feed you the adrenaline of battle so that you’re almost eager for the action to start. If you, as the viewer, are eager for the action to start, how about boys who are not only taught to fight and to make their own destinies, but who are simmering with grief and rage and need an outlet? I’m obviously not saying killing is right, for any reason, but this film dares to peel the onion a little bit. And the quiet, thought-provoking closing makes you wonder if there’s any coming back from this, if there is a real future for boys who undergo this trauma.

This is Fukunaga’s movie more than it is any of his actors’, but the cast, most of them unknowns, are uniformly fine. As Agu, young Attah’s role isn’t quite as showy as, say, little Quveznhane Wallis’ was in 2012’s Beasts of the Southern Wild, but it’s a brave, sturdy performance and Attah proves a very effective audience surrogate. In a wordless role as Agu’s unspeaking best friend in the troop, Emmanuel Nil Adom Quaye has some nice moments. And Elba shows multiple sides of the Commandant, a man who is intimidating, empowering, strong, inspiring, and yet petty and flawed as well.

What Doesn’t Work?

Fukunaga was really, really close to having a masterpiece on his hands—with such a vivid, clear, thought-provoking picture consisting of uniformly-brilliant visuals—but the screenplay doesn’t quite deliver. A two-hour, seventeen-minute film, Beasts is naturally more Life-Of-A-Child-Soldier than specific story, but it seems to more or less run out of plot just shy of the two hour mark. The camerawork and acting is good all the way through, and it’s not exactly hard to decipher what’s going on, and the ending will definitely leave you pondering, but the film is so adept at setting up Agu and his loving family, his desolation after their deaths and his need to belong to something—even the NDF—and many of his experiences in the NDF, that it’s noticeable when the film starts running out of gas. Part of it is the character of the Commandant, a role some have whispered could bring Elba year-end awards attention; he’s prone to giving long-winded, substance-infused speeches, but that’s it--the character doesn’t really go anywhere, and the big climactic confrontation between the Commandant and some of his frustrated troops seems like a screenplay necessity more than a dramatic change in the emotional tide. It’s like the movie inhaled deeply in the happy opening scenes, held its breath through all the trauma of the middle chapters, then hurriedly exhaled all at once so that the last 15 or so minutes were a blur.

Content

Beasts isn’t quite as dark and graphic as it could have been, but this is such a heavy, tense film that it’s gratifying that it isn’t. Nevertheless, this film would definitely earn an R rating on a traditional scale (it was Not Rated because it was made for Netflix), with bloody violence (some of it shot in graphic close-up), plenty of F-words, substance abuse, and disturbing hints at traumas like child molestation, torture, and rape. This movie isn’t for the faint-hearted, and it can very likely induce emotional reactions. Plus, with its visual-heavy structure and heavily-accented dialogue, it’s not the most accessible film.

Bottom Line

Beasts of No Nation tells the harrowing story of an African boy’s plight from happy family member to lonely orphan to accepted member of a gang of violent, trained child soldiers. Thus, it tells the story of thousands of boys—attempting to put a clearer, even more human face on one of the great human tragedies of our day. Shot with vivid intimacy by Cary Joji Fukunaga’s prying, intelligent, weightless camera, the film is gorgeous to look at and experience even when the content is ugly, and, despite a screenplay that gets a little weak late in the going, it’s a thought-provoking, emotionally-powerful experience.

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Written for the Screen and Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga

Based on the novel by Uzodinma Iweala

Not Rated (a Netflix Original Film)

Length: 137 minutes