Movie Review: "The Legend of Tarzan"

More and more lately I am discovering a disconnect between myself and the vast majority of movie critics.  I have loved a lot of movies this year that they've hated, and that trend continues here with The Legend of Tarzan.  As far as live-action interpretations of Tarzan go, this and Greystoke are the two champs, with The Legend of Tarzan edging out Greystoke by a teeny bit.

The Legend of Tarzan is unique in that it's not an origin story.  While the origins of Tarzan are explored in a few flashback scenes (reminding me a lot of Batman Begins), the movie is really about John Clayton, Lord of Greystoke (aka Tarzan's real name and title).  Tarzan has been living in England with Jane for the past few years and has left the jungle behind him, but when he is asked to help expose a slavery ring in the Congo, he is drawn back to Africa.

Harry Potter director, David Yates, manages to breathe new life into Tarzan thanks to the modern technological wizardry that CGI enables.  The vast majority of this movie was all shot on sets in England, with pretty much all of the animals and African environments created by a computer.  This sells the reality of the story, much in the same way that The Jungle Book did a few months back.  Of course what really makes this movie resonant is not the craft on display, but the story between Tarzan and Jane.

Alexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie portray Tarzan and Jane in this movie, and they actually make you care about these two characters.  Skarsgard plays Tarzan as a stoic gentleman trying not to be the animal he was raised to be, while Robbie portrays the feistiest Jane you've ever seen.  Then there's the charisma and humor of Samuel L. Jackson as real-life historical figure, Dr. George Washington Williams, who joins Tarzan on his quest to save the Congo.  Couple that with Christoph Waltz being Christoph Waltz as the bad guy, Leon Rom, and you've got a fun, emotionally resonant pulp adventure that Tarzan author, Edgar Rice Burroughs, would most likely be proud of.

When it gets right down to it, don't listen to the critics on this one.  Your enjoyment of The Legend of Tarzan all relies on how much you enjoy the idea of Tarzan in general.  If you think Tarzan is hokey, then this movie probably isn't for you, but there is nothing wrong with the movie itself.  The script is good, the movie is well directed, the cinematography and musical score are beautiful, and there are many well choreographed action sequences.  The bottom line is, if you have an affinity for the character, The Legend of Tarzan is the Tarzan movie you've been looking for.

I give The Legend of Tarzan an 8 out of 10!

Movie Review: "Independence Day: Resurgence"

It has been 20 years since the first Independence Day hit theaters, and now we have a sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence.  Pretty much every major character is back (sans Will Smith), with Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman reprising their iconic roles from the first movie.  In story time, it too has been 20 years, with humanity having united to repurpose the alien technology left behind to improve our own weapons in preparation.  In preparation for what, you might ask?  The aliens inevitable return, of course.

All in all, Independence Day: Resurgence is a fun movie, but it pales in comparison to its predecessor, which has taken on a massive level of iconography for children of the Nineties.  While there are tons of explosions and one-liners, there seems to be something missing.  That something is the indescribable x-factor that movies like this often have that transforms them into cultural touchstones.  Now none of this is to say that Resurgence is a bad movie or a poor sequel, the filmmakers simply failed to catch lightning in a bottle again.  That is a very hard thing to do, and it only makes you more appreciate the movie franchises that have been able to do it multiple times.  Now with all that out of the way, here is where Resurgence really shines, with the new cast of young characters.

Liam Hemsworth leads a talented cast of 20-somethings -- including Maika Monroe and Jesse Usher, as Bill Pullman's daughter and Will Smith's stepson --  that steal the show.  These new characters are a mixture of orphans and children of the heroes from the first Independence Day who have the kind of resolve reminiscent of young men and women from the Greatest Generation.  It is in the scenes with these new characters that I actually found myself most engaged with the movie, which I did not think would happen going in.  However, this does not mean that the returning cast of Goldblum, Pullman, and the rest don't have good standout moments (with welcome returns from Judd Hirsch and Brent Spiner as well), but the filmmakers do a nice job of creating new heroes for a potential sequel.  Another area in which the movie succeeds is in the area of visual effects.

The first Independence Day had amazing visual effects, but the two decades since have really unshackled the filmmakers to let their imaginations run wild.  Things that would have been too expensive to do 20 years ago, can now be done.  While that could have easily been a negative, it actually works as a positive because director Roland Emmerich shows enough restraint to never make the visual effects look like visual effects.  As well, the better visual effects allow the filmmakers to show us more of the aliens this time about.  In the original movie, the aliens were only ever seen in fleeting glimpses or from the waist up.  In this one, there are multiple full body shots of the aliens, which helps to sell the reality of them better.

At the end of the day, if you were a fan of Independence Day, you will probably enjoy this more cartoonish sequel, but I use the word cartoonish in the best possible way.  The first movie had a more realistic tone, whereas this movie reminds me a lot of Japanese animated TV shows I watched growing up in the Nineties and early Aughts.  There seems to be an understanding this go around that it's all fake and meant to just be fun, and while that drains the movie of some of its intensity, it does cause you to childishly grin for most of the runtime.

I give Independence Day: Resurgence a 7 out of 10!

Movie Review: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows"

As a fan of the heroes in a half-shell, I guess I'm just gonna have to accept that this is about as good as this iteration of the Ninja Turtles will get.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is better than its 2014 reboot, but only by a teeny bit.

Out of the Shadows finds the turtles trying to stop the evil Shredder from bringing an alien from another dimension to Earth in order to take over.  Along the way, the turtles make a new ally in Casey Jones (played likably by Stephen Amell), go toe-to-toe with two new mutant minions of Shredder (the fan favorite characters Bebop and Rocksteady), and may have run across a mutagen that could potentially turn them into humans.

There is a lot going on here and it's actually a miracle that the movie makes sense for most of its runtime.  While there are a few plot holes here and there, there are none quite as gaping as the multiple ones that the first movie had.  On top of that, there are some genuinely thrilling action sequences in the movie, with the standout one involving the turtles in their tricked out garbage truck trying to stop Shredder from escaping the 18-wheeler that is transporting him to a different prison.

When it's all said and done, once the original Ninja Turtles theme song plays over the end credits, you realize you actually had fun with Out of the Shadows.  While neither of the two movies in this particular iteration match up to the first two Ninja Turtles movies from the Nineties, Out of the Shadows will entertain.

I give Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows a 7 out of 10!

Movie Review: "X-Men: Apocalypse"

The X-Men are back in the sixth movie in the X-Men franchise and the fourth to be directed by Bryan Singer.  While this is the end of the second X-Men trilogy, it also feels like a new beginning.  The main thing to understand with X-Men: Apocalypse is that you shouldn't listen to most of the critics lambasting it for its vast number of characters and storylines.  Even though there is a lot that goes on in X-Men: Apocalypse, it's all emotionally engaging and most importantly, fun.

X-Men: Apocalypse takes place ten years after the events of Days of Future Past in 1983.  The world's very first mutant from Ancient Egypt, a being named Apocalypse who thinks himself a god, awakens from suspended animation and sees how the world has become without his leadership.  Apocalypse sets out to destroy almost the entire Earth to start humanity over anew, with only those pesky X-Men standing in his way.  In a nutshell, that's the entire movie, but what gives X-Men: Apocalypse its emotional resonance is the fact that it is the sixth X-Men movie.

This is a direct sequel in the way that The Empire Strikes Back was to Star Wars.  The moviemakers don't waste time reminding us who these characters are or what they're doing, they simply assume we've watched every other X-Men movie.  While there might be a few passive fans of the franchise who do not like this approach, as a fan who has seen all of the X-Men movies multiple times, I was on cloud nine practically the entire runtime.  On top of that, this one and Days of Future Past feel like the moviemakers are finally embracing the more comic bookish nature of the X-Men.  There are a lot more fantastical images in this one that look and feel as if they were taken straight from the pages of the comic books, and as a comic book fan, that's just icing on an already delicious cake.

Overall, I absolutely loved X-Men: Apocalypse and it's my personal favorite superhero movie of 2016 so far.  I know those are fighting words, but all of my favorite X-Men are represented in this movie and shine brighter than these movies have ever let them shine.  From the teenage reintroductions to Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Nightcrawler, it's like Bryan Singer was reading my mind Professor X style to deliver the X-Men movie I've wanted for years.

I give X-Men: Apocalypse a 9 out of 10!

Movie Review: "Captain America: Civil War"

Captain America: Civil War would not have been possible if it weren't for the shared Marvel Cinematic Universe.  If this was attempted without all the other Avengers movies and Iron Man movies, this movie would not be as good, and it is proof that the Marvel model of making movies works when done with enough forethought.

In Civil War, Iron Man and Captain America find themselves at odds over a new bit of legislation that would have the Avengers answering to the United Nations.  Cap thinks the Avengers should remain free to make their own choices, while Iron Man believes they need oversight, thus the battle commences.  While there are a great many twists and turns that happen, I don't want to spoil that for anyone, because all anyone wants to really know is if this movie is worth their money, and that is a resounding yes.

Look, by this point if you haven't jumped on the Marvel Studios train, this movie wont be the thing that gets you onboard, but if you have been a fan of every Marvel movie thus far, then this is going to be an emotional roller coaster ride from start to finish.  This is top notch blockbuster moviemaking and it needs to be experienced on the big screen.  Directors Anthony and Joe Russo really get these characters, which is why it's great that they're also directing the next two Avengers movies.  Of course the greatest aspect of Civil War is that while it features a lot of Avengers and can at times feel like another Avengers movie, it still never forgets that Captain America is the main character of this movie.  While I still personally would have loved to have seen another Cap solo movie instead, like The Winter Soldier, Civil War is a great substitute.

I give Captain America: Civil War a 9 out of 10!