1. Look at that poster! Blue tinted Underworld (that I hate) riff with that British dude and a whole lot of Screen Gems mediocrity on display. Wake me when it’s over… oh, wait this is pretty cool. Alright! So number one is that it was much better than I expected.
2. It was much better than I expected because I haven’t read the comics. People who like the comics hate this. I like the story so I just ordered the comics Volume 1. So if nothing else it introduced me to a new thing. Unlike Constantine, who trotted out Shia LaBeouf, so I don’t care how awesome Hellblazer is supposed to be, there will forever be that association.
3. Listening to the Christopher Young sound track as I type this up, and I really dig Christopher Young. I remember him from back in the day doing those great Hellraiser soundtracks. Now he does a lot of Raimi’s stuff. And the soundtrack has some great organ. Listen to the first track here http://youtu.be/KxzCVWH6s3g . It is sort of generic, but has a BIG EPIC MOVIE feel to it. And that was something I was not expecting from this…
4. THIS THING IS BIIIIIIIG, it is bleeding out money and mood. It feels like a big deal, like there is a whole new kind of world opening up here. You feel like you are watching a big movie, it’s all so well shot and composed and pretty to look at, not just another glorified Sci-fi movie (or Underworld sequel). One reason it feels so big, is that…
5. This world is a cobbling together of a lot of other movies. You can sort of watch it and click off the references, Blade Runner, Judge Dread, Matrix, Underworld, Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns, Mad Max, THX 1138, Aliens, and pretty much any totalitarian state drama you’ve seen. Because I like all those movies, it didn’t care. Especially the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome ending, didn’t see that coming (I never watch trailers anymore).
6. Maggie Q! She is the best actor in the film, she has the best character, she has the most interesting story. I remember seeing her in Die Hard 4 and going, whoa, she’s good, and in this she runs away with the movie, leaving Paul Bettany standing around wondering where his movie went, I’ve seen him good in other stuff, but here he’s just a Keanu graphical element moving around the screen. Maggie Q owns this.
7.Karl Urban, never cared for this guy until his dead on Bones in Star Trek made me a fan. And he is really cool in this. Sergio Leone Cowboy Vampire.
8. We’re running out of space here, so we’ll combine the two awesome supporting cast members, Brad Doriff playing an old west snake oil salesman, makes you think that the people making this movie must actually like watching movies. And Christopher Plummer, who has never been bad in a movie, and I shudder to think that one day movies will no longer have surprise bit cameos by Chris Plummer. Then what? Let’s hope Malcolm McDowell stays 58 forever.
9. Out of space. I must tell you how much I loved the animated opening that sets up the world. Kind of a Genndy Tartakovsky type thing (I just looked it up, it was him, never mind). So it starts with this awesome Tartakovsky animated thing that sets up the whole world and I kind wish they had done the whole thing in that style.
10. SHOWSTOPPER! It’s appropriate, it stops the show, it involves dynamite, a jet powered brushed metal motorcycle, Road Warrior imagery, and Maggie Q owning the movie. It’s the climax, and it be really cool.
BONUS – The scene with Brad Doriff and Karl Urban was great! A great pairing up and I love any scene dealing with greed and betrayal and comeuppance.
No comments:
Post a Comment