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(06/26/20 7:52pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
Originally intended to be released last August and then delayed for a May release, Disney finally cut bait with Artemis Fowl and dumped it onto their streaming service. Based on a series of children's books by author Eoin Colfer, the film had the potential to spawn a franchise for Disney, but given that it currently holds the terrible Rotten Tomatoes score of 10%, a sequel will probably never happen.
While I have never read the books myself, I remember them being a big deal with kids back in my elementary school. When I heard they were making a movie out of the series, my interest was piqued. When Kenneth Branagh was announced as director, I was excited to see what he could do with the source material and was thrilled at the potential for a new Harry Potter-esque fantasy series. The trailers for the movie looked intriguing and set up the potential for an epic franchise, yet Disney completely botched their opportunity with this film.
Artemis Fowl follows twelve-year-old Artemis, a child genius (who apparently has many gifts, although we never really learn what they are), as he tries to rescue his father from a mysterious villain. While trying to find his missing father, Artemis gets involved in a battle between a race of fairies who he believes has information on his father’s disappearance.
A messy plot
Let me be clear; this movie is TERRIBLE, and I usually can find something redeeming in just about any movie —not here, however. There are very few, if any, redeeming qualities to this film. Beginning with the plot, there is very little happening throughout the movie. A majority of the film takes place within Artemis’ house, with not much happening plot wise. With the character development and world building rushed in the very beginning of the film, the entire remainder of the 95 minute runtime focuses on Artemis trying to retrieve an object called the Aculos by kidnapping a fairy and keeping her hostage. What felt as if it should have taken about the first third of the movie is drawn out for the whole film, with everything wrapping up in a very rushed fashion in the end.
The movie also does one of the worst things a movie can do when banking on creating a franchise, which is that it makes the film feel like a commercial for a potential franchise without first making sure the film is at least good. There are many things throughout the movie that felt like it was a commercial, but one of the main ones was how the film ends. The entire movie builds up toward the end, only to have nothing resolved and end with the characters just now ready to begin their journey. Since it seems unlikely that a franchise will spawn from this film (at least I, along with the rest of the world, hope not), it’s frustrating that they crafted the entire film as a set-up for future sequels.
The plot also suffers from not sticking to its own mythology. While the movie had certain rules in place, many times the movie backpedaled on them to fulfill certain plot points. For example, there’s a device that allows users to freeze time around them that is introduced in the beginning of the film and reintroduced later into the third act, but there were changes in how the device was used. There could be some explanation for these changes, but they’re never addressed, and it comes off as sloppy writing. This happens multiple times throughout the movie, and it quickly becomes annoying how much the film doesn't stick to its own rules.
Boring and bland characters
Having great characters that the audience could get behind might potentially make up for a lackluster plot, yet the movie fails at that as well. Even with respectable performers like Judi Dench and Colin Farrell, the cast brings nothing to the film. Ferdia Shaw stars as Artemis, and this is his first role — which definitely shows. His performance was stiff and made his character lifeless. The supporting cast was humdrum as well, bringing hollow performances that do nothing to add to the film. It could potentially be a result of how poorly the characters were written in the script, but none of the actors stood out or brought anything to their characters to improve them.
The bare minimum
Ultimately, it felt as if the filmmakers were not trying to make an impressive film at all, but rather just a film that parents could play to distract their kids for a while. Kenneth Branagh is a very respectable director and has proven himself with some of his previous movies like Thor and Murder on the Orient Express, but here it feels like he was simply working for a paycheck. Performers like Ferrell and Dench have also proven themselves to bring quality performances, but here they too fell flat and seemed as if they were simply in it for the money.
Some might brush these critiques off and use the excuse that it’s a children's movie for its lack of quality, but saying it’s a children's film doesn't justify how terrible the movie turned out. Many kids’ movies have been able to entertain both kids and adults. Films like Harry Potter and The Goonies have been able to bridge the gap between children and grownups to make a satisfying movie for both, so it's disappointing to see a movie like Artemis Fowl where it feels as if little (if any) effort was placed into it by the filmmakers. What could have been a possible new Harry Potter or Percy Jackson franchise with a massive toy-box of a world to play in turned into a cheap, uninteresting mess of a movie with very little care put into it. Seeing the potential that was here for a new franchise with a deep mythology be completely wasted is disappointing, and it’s frustrating that a proper adaptation of the books wasn’t met.
Featured Image: IMDb
Images: IMDb
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
(06/23/20 9:47pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for Da Five Bloods.
To put it lightly, 2020 has been a bad year for just about everyone, and movie fans are among those suffering. While the handful of films released this year have been underwhelming, there have been a few diamonds in the rough, including The Invisible Man, The Way Back, and Bad Boys For Life. Beyond that, many of the big and exciting films scheduled to be released this year have either been indefinitely delayed or pushed back into next year. With theaters being forced to close down for the time being, streaming and on-demand films have been the only sources for new content.
One of the new and exciting movies to come out for streaming recently is Da Five Bloods. Coming off the heels of his critically-acclaimed film, BlacKkKlansman, Spike Lee returns to the director’s chair with his first Netflix movie. The film follows a group of four Vietnam veterans returning to Vietnam years later in search of gold and the remains of their fallen friend.
Creative storytelling techniques
One of the unique aspects of this film is how it was shot. Throughout the movie, we jump back and forth between when our characters were in the Vietnam war and to present day. When these jumps in time happen, the aspect ratio and film stock change to give each setting of the film a different feel. Whenever the film jumps back in time to the war, the aspect ratio changes to 4 by 3, and by digitally reverse-engineering the film to appear as 16mm, they were able to give it a vintage look, similar to last year's The Lighthouse. The movie begins with our characters getting ready to return to Vietnam. These scenes were shot in the standard 2:35 aspect ratio with a black bar on the top and bottom of the screen. Once our characters enter Vietnam, however, the aspect ratio changes again to a 3:2 ratio that looks like IMAX, where the black bars disappear and the picture fills the entire screen, giving these scenes a much grander feel to them. These distinctions in aspect ratio and film stock give each setting a distinct feel to help plug the viewer into the specific setting.
Beyond the filmmaking aspects of the movie, the entire cast brought their A game, with a particularly stellar performance by Chadwick Boseman as Stormin’ Norman. He took what easily could have been a forgettable performance, with a character that is only there to serve our main four, and made it the standout lead. He brings a likability to the character and has total command over the screen every time he is present. It didn’t feel as if Boseman was trying to hog the spotlight, but instead, it just felt like Boseman’s charm and natural charisma blended effortlessly with how the character was written, elevating the character to a higher level.
A passionate filmmaker
Looking back at BlacKkKlansman, one of the best aspects of that movie was how the viewer could feel the passion and enthusiasm Lee had for the film. That enthusiasm and passion is present in this film as well, and is even elevated. With the unique cinematography choices made in alternating between the different settings and other creative decisions, it shone through that the movie was the product of a passionate filmmaker.
A lackluster story
The movie starts out strongly, but unfortunately, it quickly withers away. It begins with our four leads before they go to Vietnam and moves at a brisk pace to keep the viewer engaged with the characters and the journey they’re about to endure. Once the characters get to the jungles of Vietnam, the movie continues to move along with the same quality as before, but around the halfway point, the movie starts to fall apart. Once the characters find the gold and the corpse of their dead friend, the movie becomes predictable and feels as if the filmmakers didn’t know where to take the story beyond that point. The pacing grinds to a halt and the movie drags from that point on, becoming rather clunky with its storytelling.
The ending is underwhelming and closes the story on a bit of a whimper. How they end the story for some characters isn’t satisfying and doesn't hold up to the same quality as the beginning of the film. Some of the lead protagonists felt as if they went out of character and made choices just to serve a particular message the filmmakers wanted to convey. Wanting to have some of these characters make certain choices toward the end is fine, but a few rewrites to the script probably could have smoothed out these issues and made it feel more natural than it did.
Featured Image: IMDb
Images: IMDb
Sources: Ars Technica, Byte, Variety
(06/02/20 5:00pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
(05/18/20 8:22pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
(05/18/20 8:15pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
(05/01/20 7:06pm)
The past few weeks have affected the movie industry in a variety of ways. Ever since stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders were put in place, theaters across the world have shut down indefinitely without any assurance of when they’ll reopen. With the closing of theaters, many films that were to be released in the months between March and July have either been assigned new release dates or pushed back indefinitely. Not only have movie studios and those who work on films been greatly affected, but theaters themselves have been taking major blows after being forced to shut down. With the quarantine put in place and no definite answer for when it will be lifted, the movie industry has had to learn how to roll with the punches and adapt to a new world.
(05/01/20 6:38pm)
Each day feels more like we’re living in a strange apocalyptic movie. Everything in life is canceled and grocery stores are completely out of paper products. In the midst of these strange times, many of us have endless downtime to catch up on movies and TV shows we’ve been wanting to watch. Another great opportunity to keep ourselves occupied while we’re all sitting at home keeping our distance from one another is the chance to catch up on some books we’ve been intending to read.
(03/24/20 6:00pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
One of the most powerful people—if not the most powerful person—in the entertainment industry is Bob Iger. Ever since he became CEO of Disney in 2005, he’s helped bring the company out of what many consider to be the “Second Dark Age”—during which many of Disney’s films were failures—and turn them into the dominating studio they are today. He’s been the man who pushed Disney into buying additional assets and helped them become the highest-grossing studio of 2019. Iger has been an important figure for not only Disney but all of entertainment. When the news broke that Iger was stepping down and handing over his position to Bob Chapek, many people became concerned with how Disney would continue without Iger. With this in mind, let's take a look at some of the things Iger has done for the company and the legacy he’ll leave in the entertainment industry.
(03/13/20 8:24pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
Slasher movies have been a staple in the horror genre ever since Halloween popularized the subgenre in 1978. Since its release, Halloween has inspired an entire genre and many films that have tried to copy its formula, including the Friday the 13th series. As with all franchises, there are many great films and just as many terrible ones.
(03/11/20 2:00pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
It’s no secret that video game adapted movies are not very good. Time after time, Hollywood has tried to take a popular video game property and adapt it to the silver screen with little-to-no success. Not only do these movies receive poor reviews, but box office numbers have shown genuine disinterest or distaste in these movies. Looking at the box office, the highest grossing video game movie is Warcraft with $439,048,914. For comparison, looking at a similar genre, the highest grossing comic book movie is Avengers: Endgame with $2.8 billion. These two genres are very similar, with many of the same fans, but why is the box office gap so wide? Why are so many people going to see comic book movies and not going out to support video game movies, despite the fact that more people play video games compared to those who read comic books? There’s not one simple answer. However, there are a number of reasons why the critical and box office for these movies is so low.
(02/26/20 4:26pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
The second-largest box-office market in the world is China, trailing just behind the United States. Before the coronavirus outbreak, China was close to topping the U.S. box office, but now it has become improbable. Big budget blockbusters, like Warcraft. Transformers: Age of Extension, Pacific Rim, and Rampage made a majority of their money in China and depended on those numbers to help them from not becoming complete disasters. Since China’s box office has been shut down for the time being, this has put an enormous question mark on the success of upcoming films like Mulan and F9, and the effects on the industry as a whole.
(02/19/20 7:41pm)
January is well-known for being the month where mediocre films flood the box office. In January, when movie theater traffic is low, studios usually throw out the movies they know are bad or don’t have faith in making much revenue at the box office. However, this January has been different, featuring the release of some great films including 1917, Bad Boys for Life, and even The Gentleman. Sadly, The Rhythm Section is a harsh reminder that January is still the garbage dump of months when it comes to movie releases.
(02/19/20 7:24pm)
(02/19/20 4:00pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
It goes without saying that the DC Extended Universe started out on a bit of a rough patch. Personally, I’ve enjoyed every film DC has released, but the vast majority of audiences and critics have not shared my opinion. It wasn’t until Aquaman’s release that DC cut ties with Zack Snyder’s vision of the universe and did a quick pivot. I’ve loved Aquaman, Shazam!, and Joker, and have looked forward to seeing where DC’s new direction would take us with Birds of Prey.
One of my absolute favorite movies from the Snyder era of DC movies was Suicide Squad. The best aspect of that movie was the insane and destructive relationship between Harley Quinn and the Joker. It was definitely the most fascinating part of the movie and Margot Robbie’s performance proved that she was born to play the role. She stole the entire movie, even outshining talent such as Will Smith’s Deadshot. Now, she gets to star in her own spinoff movie where we get to see her dive deeper into the character.
Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn follows Quinn after her most recent break-up with the Joker. Wanting to prove to the world that she and the Joker are finished for good, she explodes the chemical plant where their love blossomed. Now, without the protection from the Joker, this puts a metaphorical target on her back from every criminal she’s ever wronged in Gotham, most notably Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). Along her journey to freedom, she crosses paths and eventually teams up with Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), who all have their own issues with Black Mask.
(02/13/20 5:28pm)
Hello, movie fanatics and welcome to a new season of InPut2! With the upcoming release of 'Sonic the Hedgehog' we're going to talk about modern video game movies. What does it take to make a great video game movie? How do our thoughts compare to what we've already seen? Get your answers to these questions and more in this season premiere of InPut2!
(02/08/20 9:00pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
January is well-known for being the month where mediocre films flood the box office. In January, when movie theater traffic is low, studios usually throw out the movies they know are bad or don’t have faith in making much revenue at the box office. However, this January has been different, featuring the release of some great films including 1917, Bad Boys for Life, and even The Gentleman. Sadly, The Rhythm Section is a harsh reminder that January is still the garbage dump of months when it comes to movie releases.
The Rhythm Section follows Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively) a few years after her family’s death in a plane crash. When she finds out from a journalist that the plane crash wasn’t an accident, the discovery leads her down a path of vengeance as she tries to track down the people responsible for her family's death.
(02/05/20 8:41pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
(02/05/20 3:39am)
2019 has been an outstanding year for Stephen King fans. Not only was his latest novel, The Institute, released in September, but several movies and television series based on his work have come out. From films such as the Pet Sematary and It Chapter Two, to the television adaptations of Mr. Mercedes season three, to Castle Rock season two, and Creepshow season one, Stephen King works really are everywhere. With the upcoming release of Doctor Sleep (the long-awaited adaptation of the sequel to The Shining), it’s as good a time as any to rank Stephen King’s films.
(02/05/20 3:20am)
Growing up, I was introduced to the world of superheroes through films like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Tim Burton’s Batman, and even Ang Lee’s Hulk. I later went beyond the screen and became an avid reader of Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the Flash comics. I loved all of those and more, but now I get to indulge in the great superhero films of today.
(01/12/20 7:57pm)
When it was announced that Disney was going to revive the Star Wars movies, I was excited about the potential of going beyond the Skywalkers and seeing new stories and characters. The previous movies and television shows focused on Skywalkers and other stories connected to the Skywalkers story, rather than introducing new characters. We’ve seen new stories and characters introduced to Star Wars in the books, comics, and games, but I was looking forward to a live-action format. After Disney and Lucasfilms announced they were going to continue the episodic movies while also making spin-off movies gave me great hope for the future of Star Wars. However, after seeing the two spin-off movies hope had been all but lost.