A Studio’s Failed Recycling Project
August 15, 2015
Fantastic Four (2015).
D: Josh Trank. DP: Matthew Jensen. W: Jeremy Slater, Simon Kinberg & Josh Trank (based on Marvel comics by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby). Starring: Miles Teller/Michael B. Jordan/Kate Mara/Jamie Bell/Toby Kebbell/Reg E. Cathy/Tim Blake Nelson.
This summer’s comic book installments are ending on a rather low and controversial note. The release of Twentieth Century Fox’s new version of Marvel’s Fantastic Four has sparked twitter declarations from young director Josh Trank, claiming he’ll never work on a comic book movie again. Despite the hoopla I think it safe to say that regardless of creative intent some comic books are just not cinematic material. The Fantastic Four is one of them for me.
This Fantastic Four immediately segregates itself from Tim Story’s 2005 predecessor Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer in its realistic intent. This makes creative and marketing sense as the remake’s purpose is to allow Twentieth Century Fox to retain the rights to the Fantastic Four and not let them revert back to Marvel, now owned by Disney. This is the same reason Sony remade its Spider-Man franchise. Searching for a new direction hiring young director Trank seemed ambitious and exciting. Trank’s first directorial effort was 2012’s Chronicle. A feature about a group of friends who discover something supernatural underground that gives them all superpowers to disastrous effects. This cast includes Michael B. Jordan who appears as Johnny Storm here. A great memorable little film that resided on character rather than effects, Trank’s footing is surely gone in Fantastic Four.
The film runs through a brief original story of Reed Richards (Miles Teller) as he puts together a teleporter in his garage and befriends Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) whose family owns the junk yard Reed steals from. Discovered at a science fair, smelling a lot like Spider-Man here, Reed is invited to attend a prestigious institute run by Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathy). Dr. Storm’s children Johnny (Jordan) and Sue (Kate Mara) help Reed to develop his transporter with the guidance of misguided genius man child Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebball). The band of geniuses decide once their project works to send themselves to the new dimension they have discovered and voila, weird powers.
With only a few moments of humor and not a lot of charm Fantastic Four cannot save itself from its boring plot. Hard not to suspect a character named Von Doom, Kebball might be the best thing about the film. When he gazes at Mara’s Sue he looks like he might want to eat her viciously while everyone else is off playing scientist. When he returns it’s rather magnificent, his voice sinister without a mouth hearkening back to some sort of Star Wars nightmare I had as a child. Teller is alright, but better is other things he has done, same with Jordan. Bell is lost in his Thing, but it is digitally rendered very admirably. What makes the kids likable ultimately is Dr. Storm and the cheesy, but momentarily effective performance by Reg E. Cathy. His efforts to connect all of his children for a common purpose does eventually ring true, if not just in his anguishing discovery scenes of each kid’s powers.
Fantastic Four only runs about one hundred minutes, but feels vastly longer. Sadly the studio apparently meddled so much with Trank’s original cut that they demanded re-shoots. Even if unaware of this it is not hard to miss Mara’s wig she wears in the added scenes, a sad reflection of a dispute that has clearly upset Trank and ultimately the project. All in all the film is watchable, but rather lousy something I think I’d feel reading these comic books.
Second Portion Disappointment
March 26, 2015
Insurgent (2015).
D: Robert Schwentke. DP: Florian Ballhaus. W: Brian Duffield, Akiva Goldsman & Mark Bomback. Starring: Shailene Woodley/Theo James/Miles Teller/Ansel Elgort/Kate Winslet/Naomi Watts/Jai Courtney/Mekhi Phifer/Zoe Kravitz/Octavia Spencer/Ashley Judd/Maggie Q/Daniel Dae Kim. (Based on Veronica Roth’s novel of the same name)
In a market saturated with young adult adaptations, it is difficult to standout and stand alone within your series of films. The Divergent Series, written by 20-something Veronica Roth, chronicles Beatrice/Tris Pryor (Shailene Woodley) as she lives in a city built around factions defined by personality traits. Last year’s Divergent covered Tris leaving Abnegation (selflessness) to join the Dauntless (fearless) when she came of age. This year’s adaption of the second novel, Insurgent, picks the story up again with Tris on the run as the Erudite faction leader Joanna (Kate Winslet) continues to seek out and destroy anyone classified as divergent. Yes, that’s a lot of names. And no they aren’t all necessary.
Insurgent is the weaker of the two films, but for a variety of reasons that also have to do with the strength of Roth’s series to begin with. Now out of the faction training world, Insurgent must cover massive amounts of ground as Tris and her group of Dauntless go into hiding and then on the run. A beautiful overhead tracking shot opens the film, but is sadly used again and again. Joseph Trapanese’s score pulsates way too frequently, actually detracting from the drama and action onscreen. This simply is the more difficult book to tackle well.
What is probably the saving grace of the series is Woodley. Sporting her cropped hair needed for last year’s The Fault In Our Stars, Woodley does provide some realism and access to the heaviness of the choices Tris must make. However, unlike the previous film the audience gets so sense about the progression of her personal life. Not to gripe, but the decision to have sex with her boyfriend Four (Theo James) is a weighty and complex one. Here it is brushed past like it’s just plausibly acceptable, like the three male screenwriters simply did not know how to handle writing that scene. James is still all beef cake thunder as Four and the couple do have chemistry even if the age discrepancy from what Roth wrote gives me the giggles.
Insurgent certainly moves at a clip as it spatially must cover lots of ground and no one is given many chances to breathe. Sadly this means that certain characters are removed and plot beats changed. If the film were better this wouldn’t be a bother. What surprisingly doesn’t elevate the series is Winslet as the baddie, despite her best efforts. Her cold is just not cold enough. But she’s better off that Naomi Watts who appears as the factionless leader who doesn’t look powerful enough to have ever been in Dauntless, no matter how much metallic eye shadow is slathered on her face. I think it’s a diservice to audience by Summit to have us try to believe this dystopian reality is crumbling, but the potential new leader has time for a full face of make up? While they live in a warehouse…
Ultimately, Insurgent is able to handle its violence realistically with the tole, like in the novels, weighing heavy on its characters. Yet the end seems surprisingly upbeat, which makes me wonder what else might be changed down the road. The special effects during the simulations are also beautiful, but did not warrant a 3D release. Lastly, what can be taken away from the film is the humor and charm of Miles Teller. An actor not to miss from last year’s Whiplash, watch out for him and go back to see his film The Spectacular Now with Woodley, just might change your viewing of this series.
I’m Just a Teenage Dystopian Story, Baby
March 29, 2014
Divergent (2014).
D: Neil Burger. W: Evan Daugherty & Vanessa Taylor. DP: Alwin H. Kuchler. Starring: Shailene Woodley/Theo James/Kate Winslet/Jai Courtney/Ashley Judd/Tony Goldwyn/Miles Teller/Zoe Kravitz/Ansel Elgort/Maggie Q/Ray Stevenson/Mekhi Phifer/Ben Lloyd-Hughes/Christian Madsen. (Based on Veronica Roth’s YA novel.)
Another addition to the YA film adaptation catalog, Divergent joins fellow Liongsate/Summit owned Twilight and The Hunger Games as the surge to bring profitable YA book series to the screen continues. Concluded in three books, Veronica Roth’s series has had the chance to sit back and scope out its franchise predecessors (and natural box office comparisons). Director Neil Burger did just that and was able to create a look that feels independent of previous franchises.
Lacking the sappiness of spineless Bella in Twilight and gaining the active strength of Katniss in The Hunger Games, Divergent centers on Tris Prior whose grown up in a post-apocalyptic/post-epic big battle world where citizens are categorized around basic human personality traits and values. Honesty (Candor), selflessness (Abnegation), bravery (Dauntless), harmony (Amnity) and intelligence (Erudite) groups attempt to coexist with each faction taking on certain community responsibilities. At the age of sixteen members of each faction take a test to guide them into picking their adult faction. And of course this is where the heroine is to be found. Discovering she might not fit in any one faction, Shailene Woodley’s Tris makes a choice. And despite it’s derivative nature the basic fact that author Veronica Roth has our female protagonist make choices allows the series to be compelling to read and to watch. Tris is not a reactor like Bella, she is not a victim of circumstance, rather she forges her own future. Much like The Hunger Games‘ Katniss, Tris is a female character not defined by trite romance, but her convictions and choices she makes.
On critics and audiences’ radar since 2011’s Oscar winning film The Descendants, Shailene Woodley adds this film to her canon of young adult themed work. Last summer’s The Spectacular Now was a festival darling that put Woodley back on the map and will be joined by this summer’s adaption of John Green’s novel, The Fault in Our Stars. Woodley is all limbs, hair and eyes here, lending a softness to Tris that nicely expresses her selfless upbringing. Her chemistry with Four (Theo James) works and is paced well against the accelerating backdrop of the film’s main plot (intelligence is power to overcome human nature? snooze). Although neither performance are deeply complex or genre breaking, James and Woodley build enough layers with what’s given to them. It is still young adult fair, right?
Striding in and out of Tris’ way is Kate Winslet as Jeanine Matthews, emphasizing the boring bits of the script and clear breeze for the Oscar winner, she’ll at least have more to do in the next film. Ashley Judd is remarkably resurrected as Tris’ mother although both her and Woodley wear far too much movie makeup to be living in a selfless and no mirrors allowed community. Menacing and the most memorable though is Jai Courtney as Eric, the dauntless leader and James’ Four’s rival. Pierced and tattooed, Courtney exudes the true nature of his faction and adds weight to the impending darkness and death in the plot. Both Judd and Courtney will remind audiences that ultimately this is more an action movie than anything else.
Although not tackling the sequel, Insurgent, director Neil Burger creates a rustic world that visually blends the new with the decrepit. However, at certain points music cues provide silly breaks in the flow of the film and as quickly as Woodley’s bruises seem to disappear the trappings of the genre seem to reappear (cue the concluding voiceover). Yet, Divergent is engrossing and evokes less eye rolling than is normally expected. Remaining mostly faithful to its source novel, a few less people die and certain events and characters are condensed, it surely is a decent addition to the YA canon.