Friday, July 29, 2016

Review: 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'

 !!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
     The much talked-about superhero smackdown 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' just made it into home media a short while ago. After watching it, I found that the film was a lot less entertaining than its premise would suggest.
     First off, the character development was very thin in this film. Character development is an important aspect to pretty much every movie's script, even if it is a sequel to a film that has already established the characters. Depending on the way it is written, it can come across as solid and help the viewer understand the motives and backstory of the character, or it can be thin and unsubstantial that fails to show audiences why they should care for the character. Unfortunately, 'BvS''s character development falls more in line with the latter version. For example, the motives for the film's baddie Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) are muddled and unclear, and his overall demeanor come across as cartoonish and cringeworthy. His entire plan is confusing and nonsensical, which makes watching all the more frustrating. Even Wonder Woman's  (Gal Gadot) presence was a bit underwhelming. Lesser newcomers such as Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons) and Senator Finch (Holly Hunter) also fail to spark interest as they seem to be there just to provide exposition or motivation or advance the plot. Because of these missteps, most of the new characters are uninteresting and unlikable (save for Wonder Woman, of course). Bruce Wayne / Batman (Bruce Wayne) was developed decently, and while it could have been better it honestly could have been worse. However, the ones that were already introduced in 2013's 'Man of Steel' were just disappointingly plain and one-dimensional, and there just wasn't any chemistry between Supes and his girlfriend Lois Lane (Amy Adams). Except for Bruce, Alfred, and Wonder Woman, all the characters seem to behave like a five-year-old. Overall, the screenwriters had a lot of potential with the characters they worked with but wasted it on poorly developed characters.
     Along with unimpressive character development, there are more than a few problems with the plot. It is littered from left to right with plot conveniences, ex machinas, that-guy-should-have-died-from-that-thing, you name it. For example, after the first bizarre dream sequences Bruce is seen high-tailing it to Metropolis to try to...oh wait, the film doesn't explain why he even thought of coming there in the first place. I mean, yeah, his building was right there in the line of fire, but Bruce did call of his employees to tell him and everyone else to get out of the building (which presents another problem: why hasn't everyone evacuated yet when there's a giant spaceship wrecking the city?), so he could have just called him from his mansion or somewhere actually safe. However, if he did have a good reason to go there he still should have got killed when that fighter jet crashed and burned on the street inches away from his car. Even more confusing is when he pulls up into he a huge crowd of people standing in the street and watching the destruction instead of, oh, I don't know, running for their lives! They eventually do, but only after a huge death cloud that came from the destroyed Wayne Enterprises building races towards them. And then, after walking through the smoke, walking by a horse (?), and saving a little girl from falling debris, he begins to grow hate for Superman after he killed countless civilians. All those problems were from just the opening scene (or at least part of it). Just to name a few more so you don't have to listen to any more of my rambling (at least for this section), some other questionable moments (and believe me, there are many) include Superman flying at Doomsday with a Kryptonite spear after it weakened him when he was retrieving it from water (no need to explain that one), a jar full of Luthor's pee that wasn't confiscated before the Senator discovered it at her podium right when the room blew up and all but Superman died, the piece of Kryptonite found somewhere in the Indian Ocean that somehow wasn't chased down by the U.S. government, General Zod's body that Luthor somehow got his hands on without government permission before he asks for permission from a government official, and people suddenly caring about Superman after he died after they were all worried about him destroying the planet. Ex machinas include Wonder Woman suddenly joining the climactic fight, Superman showing up when Lois Lane is taken hostage by an African warlord, and Lois Lane preventing Batman from killing Superman even though she had no idea where they were (or was it that the two superheroes' mothers happen to share the same first name that saved the day?). To sum it all up, 'BvS' has a script that doesn't do a lot of justice to its source material, with overused plot devices, ex machinas, and cliches. It isn't the worst script out there, but it definitely isn't the best.
     The acting in the film is probably one of the only upsides to watching it. 'BvS' stars Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Kal-El / Superman, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, and Holly Hunter as Senator Finch. I'd say that Affleck, Gadot, and Irons were the strongest performers in the entire film (even though Gadot had very little screen time). Affleck delivered the expected seriousness to the Batman character while still making it fun to watch after various actors took the mantle. Gadot showed a lot of promise in her role as Wonder Woman, and with a full-time role in her own solo film next March she will definitely have the chance to break out even further. Irons, as small as a role he had, continued the respectable and likable line of portrayals of the famous butler and servant to the Caped Crusader. Irons successfully portrayed the wise, helpful man and his performance alone is enough to give the film a bit of respect. Cavill was still decent as Superman; he didn't get better from 'Man of Steel' but he certainly didn't get worse from it. Same for Adams, who didn't deliver anything particularly special to the film but also didn't really make the character unlikable (the screenwriters did that). Hunter was actually pretty good in her role as a senator, though unfortunately we won't be seeing her in any future films. Eisenberg's performance is what really bugged me. The actual actor is pretty good in other films, but he just didn't fit this role. Lex Luthor is supposed to be a smart, cunning, unpredictable man who imposes an intimidating image. Eisenberg's version is smart and arguably unpredictable, but he lacks the kind of impact and intimidation the character should have. It also didn't help that this Lex Luthor acted more like a weird, cartoon-like Joker than the actual businessman/scientist Lex is in the comics. The acting in 'BvS' is one of the film's strongest attributes, even if some of the actors fail to impress with their roles.
     Finally, I'm going to talk about the visuals and action sequences: what this movie is mostly about (except for setting up the 'Justice League' film). Some of the special effects look pretty cool, but most of the time the CGI coupled with the messy sound mixing/editing make the action scenes loud, noisy, and pointless. I have to admit that the Batmobile chase scene and the Batman-takes-down-Luthor's-thugs scene are pretty awesome to watch, though Batman actually killed several guys (what's up with that, Zack Snyder?). The other action scenes, however, are tasteless and confusing: the punches sound like someone's hitting a cardboard box, the CGI either looks obviously animated or that it came from a video game, and the sequences have no impact at all. The climactic battle was a huge mess filled with unimpressive visuals and noisy fighting. It's hard to tell what is happening throughout the whole sequence as it all just looks like a bunch of characters fighting each other in a giant landscape of special effects. Up until Doomsday is killed (which itself was a hugely confusing finale), it's just a big mess of superheroes and a big bad living rock trying to kill everyone. But that isn't even the worst of it. The most disappointing fight scene was when the titular heroes duked it out...for a pretty short amount of time. The fight that got everyone so hyped about ended up being a huge letdown, with boring kicks and punches and jumping and charges. The two throw each other through walls and smash heads with a sink. And then, as previously mentioned, just when Batman is about to kill Superman the latter says "Save Martha" since Luthor and his thugs are holding her hostage, and Bruce yells, Lois Lane somehow finds them, Bruce yells some more, Lois explains Martha is Superman's mother's name, Bruce finds a connection (whatever it is), and they suddenly become besties because their mothers have the same name. One of the most hyped fights in cinematic history, and it all ends because the opponents' mothers' names are the same. I don't need to say anymore. So yeah, the action and special effects were definitely disappointing, and if the fights were better choreographed and visualized they wouldn't have been so boring and pointless.
     Well, that's it. My official review of one of the most hyped films of the decade, but also one of the most disappointing (though there's a difference between being a disappointment and being one of the worst films ever made). With a strong premise and talented, hard-working cast, 'BvS' should have done much better, but instead fell victim to a rushed, forced script, thinly written character development, and stale action scenes paired with messy visuals.

Character Development: C
Plot: C-
Acting: A-
Action: C-
Visuals: C+
                                                                                                                                               

Overall Rating: C+

    

Monday, July 25, 2016

Weekend Report: 'Star Trek Beyond' Warps into Top Spot, 'Lights Out' Chills Out and 'Ice Age' Freezes Up

     The reign of animated blockbusters is over, thanks to the big-budget franchise tentpole 'Star Trek Beyond', which easily took the top spot from 'The Secret Life of Pets', though it did come in quite a bit below its predecessors. Also opening were the micro-budget thriller 'Lights Out', which exceeded expectations, and the big-budget animated flick 'Ice Age: Collision Course', which delivered a more-than-underwhelming performance.
      In first place, the $185-million sci-fi action/adventure 'Star Trek Beyond' beamed up $59.3 million for a $15.1k per-theater average, which is right in line with pre-release expectations ($45m-$65m). It is the third best debut of the franchise, behind the 2009 reboot ($75.2m) and its sequel ($70.2m), continuing the downward trend of the franchise. Among 2016 releases, it is the second best opening for a non-animated or non-comic-adapted film behind April's 'The Jungle Book'. For the summer, it is the third best live-action opening behind only 'Captain America: Civil War' ($179.1m) and 'X-Men: Apocalypse' ($65.8m), which were both comic book movies sequels. Overall, this is a pretty solid debut, as the lukewarm reception to the first trailer, the absence of the beloved J. J. Abrams in the director's chair and presence of Justin Lin, and declining grosses between installments were working against the film's favor.
     Starting out with $22.3 million on Friday (including $5.5m from Thursday), 'Beyond' dipped a light 7.2% for $20.7 million on Saturday and declined a further 20.9% on Sunday for $16.3 million for a weekend-to-Friday ratio of 2.66-to-1, which falls below the 2.8-to-1 ratio of 'Star Trek' and 3.25-to-1 ratio of 'Star Trek Into Darkness' (though the latter opened on Thursday instead of the traditional Friday). This suggests that the film will fail to hold up as well as those films. However, with strong reviews (84% on RT) and word-of-mouth (86% Flixter rating and 'A-' CinemaScore), it's hard to think that the three-quel will fail to hold up as well as 'Into Darkness' (3.26x). That result gets it to a strong $193.3 million total. The previous 'Star Trek' films were able to hold their own amidst brutal competition throughout the summer, and with the only major films challenging its holding power in the coming weeks being 'Jason Bourne' next weekend and 'Suicide Squad' the following weekend, a $190 million gross or higher seems plausible.
      Last weekend's champion 'The Secret Life of Pets' continued its impressive run in theaters, dropping a solid 41.8% to gross $29.6 million for a grand total of $261 million through three weeks of play. That is a better third weekend hold than 'Despicable Me 2' (-43.3%) and 'Minions' (-53.5%). With no major family competition until 'Pete's Dragon' on August 12, 'Pets' should continue to hold up well throughout the month of July. A $320 million total is still possible for the $75-million toon.
     In a very strong third place, Warner Bros.' $4.9-million horror flick 'Lights Out' scared up a much-better-expected $21.7 million for a robust $7.7k PTA. It represents the fourth straight success of a horror film this summer, following 'The Conjuring 2' ($40.4m), 'The Shallows' ($16.8m), and 'The Purge: Election Year' ($31.5m). Strong reviews and solid word-of-mouth easily helped 'Lights Out' overcome expectations, and with a solid premise that is superior to most horror offerings audiences were clearly convinced to check out this PG-13 thriller.
     The horror film opened to $9.2 million on Friday (including $1.8m from Thursday), fell 22.1% on Saturday for $7.1 million, and dropped 24.1% on Sunday to gross $5.4 million. The weekend-to-Friday ratio here is 2.36-to-1, typical for a horror film regardless of reviews. Word-of-mouth is currently at 74% on Flixter coinciding with the 77% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that 'Lights Out' could possibly hold up better than your average horror film. In that case, a cume above $55 million is very likely.
     In a very disappointing fourth, Fox's $105-million animated sequel 'Ice Age: Collision Course' opened to just $21.4 million. That's way less than half of the previous outing in the long-running franchise, 'Continental Drift' ($46.6m) and is less than a third of 'The Meltdown''s debut ($68m). With the strongly-reviewed (not to mention highly-anticipated) 'Finding Dory' and 'Secret Life of Pets' already tearing up the marketplace, it was unlikely many were going to care for another 'Ice Age' film, which received very poor reviews that likely fended off casual moviegoers. Apparently the franchise just grew one film too long.
      The toon opened to a measly $7.9 million on Friday (including $850k from Thursday), fell 3.2% on Saturday to gross $7.7 million, and fell another 24.5% on Sunday to gross $5.8 million. The ratio here is a so-so 2.71-to-1, which is quite front-loaded for an animated offering (except for a highly-anticipated monster opener). With a 13% RT rating and 46% Flixter score, it doesn't look likely to beat the multiplier of 'Ice Age: The Meltdown' (2.87x). In that case, a $60 million total is most likely out of reach, which would signify a loss of over $100 million compared to the previous installment. However, it is doing exceptionally well overseas, where it just passed the $200 million global mark.
     'Ghostbusters' dropped quite a bit this weekend, falling 54.3% for $21 million in its sophomore frame. The $144-million franchise starter has now grossed $86.3 million, and though a possible $140 million final cume isn't anything to be sorry about Sony will have to hope for strong international returns if they want to keep making 'Ghostbusters' films.
     In seventh and eighth, Warner Bros.' $180-million adventure 'The Legend of Tarzan' and Fox's $33-million R-rated comedy 'Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates' both had identical drops. The former dipped 42.5% for $6.6 million and a $116 million cume. The film has surprisingly not fell more than 50% in any of its weekends yet, and will likely end its run with around $130 million. The latter eased 42.7% for $4.4 million and a $40.3 million gross in three weeks of play. A $50 million may be doable.
     'Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party' claimed ninth place and grossed $3.96 million, up 5,199.3% due to its 1,213 extra theaters. The political documentary is generating positive word-of-mouth among Republicans and with $4.1 million in the bank, a $15 million grand total is likely.
     'The Infiltrator' held up well in its second weekend, grossing $3.3 million (-37.2%). Though it is impressive considering its muted grosses last weekend and mixed reviews and word-of-mouth, its $12.3 million cume is still a big loss for Broad Green Pictures. Unfortunately, the Bryan Cranston drug thriller looks to fail to top $20 million.
     'Central Intelligence' and 'The Purge: Election Year' rounded out the Top 12. The former made $2.8 million (-37.2%) for a $123.1 million total. $130 million still seems possible. The latter plummeted 61.5% for $2.4 million and has now grossed $76.6 million. Though $90 million is out of reach at this point, $85 million could be a lock.
     The Top 12 grossed $183.6 million, up 18.2% from last weekend and up 29.5% from last year when 'Ant-Man' repeated atop of 'Pixels'.
     Next weekend sees the release of another long-awaited sequel in the form of 'Jason Bourne', which is expected to return the film series to its original box office glory. Meanwhile, 'Bad Moms' will try to be the first R-rated comedy breakout of the summer following a couple of duds and the thriller 'Nerve' will open this Wednesday, though it isn't expected to make much.

Monday, July 18, 2016

Weekend Report: 'Pets' and 'Ghostbusters' Slime the Box Office

     It was a fairly busy weekend at the box office this weekend, with last weekend's record-breaker 'The Secret Life of Pets' repeating on top while Sony's much talked-about 'Ghostbusters' reboot also brought up some solid figures.
     Leading the weekend for the second time in a row, Universal / Illumination's $75-million animated blockbuster 'The Secret Life of Pets' dipped 51.3% to gross $50.8 million. While that drop is a bit worse than 'Finding Dory''s (-46%), 'Despicable Me' (-41.8%), and 'Despicable Me 2' (-47.4%), it is an improvement over the studio's last outing, 'Minions' (-57.4%), which already had a built-in brand working in its favor. So far, 'Pets' has grossed a stellar $203.4 million in just two weeks of plays and can possibly exceed March's 'Zootopia' ($341.1m) to become the highest-grossing original film of the year and second biggest animated film behind only 'Finding Dory' (which also had a lot more going for it).
     Though it had to settle for second place, Sony's $144-million female ensemble led 'Ghostbusters' reboot was no slouch. Opening to $46.0 million for a respectable $11.6k per-theater average, the film debuted right alongside expectations, which tended to range anywhere from $40 million to $55 million. Obviously, it posted the biggest opening weekend launch for director Paul Fieg and stars Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig. It did a lot better than past big-budget sci-fi reboots from Sony such as 'Total Recall' ($25.6m) and 'RoboCop' ($21.7m) and nearly doubled the opening of last year's 'Pixels' ($24m). It also beat both the original and adjusted opening weekend of the first 'Ghostbusters', which was released over 30 years ago.
     Among Fieg / McCarthy collaborations, it debuted well above 'Bridesmaids' ($26.2m), 'The Heat' ($39.1m), and 'Spy' ($29.1m), though all of them played in fewer theaters. Compared to some other of McCarthy's films, it bested this year's 'The Boss' ($23.6m), 'Tammy' ($21.6m), and 'Identity Thief' ($34.6m). It is the second best opening for a live-action film starring Kristen Wiig, behind 'The Martian' ($54.3m). Just for the sake of comparisons, it outgrossed 'Red Dawn''s entire theatrical run ($44.8m), bested 'The A-Team' ($25.7m), 'The Dukes of Hazzard' ($30.7m), and 'Mad Max: Fury Road' ($45.4m) and came in below 'Pitch Perfect 2' ($69.2m), '22 Jump Street' ($57.1m), 'The Karate Kid' ($55.7m), and 'Clash of the Titans' ($61.2m).
     The CGI-fueled comedy started out with $17.1 million on Friday (including Thursday's $3.4m), dipped a miniscule 4.3% on Saturday for $16.4 million, and fell a further 23.8% on Sunday to gross $12.5 million. The weekend-to-Friday ratio is a so-so 2.69-to-1. Now it's time for figuring out how well it will hold up. If it plays like 'Bridesmaids' (6.45x), 'The Heat' (4.08x), or 'Spy' (3.81x), 'Ghostbusters' will reach nearly $300m, nearly $190 million, and over $175 million. Though its reviews are nothing to laugh at (73% "Certified Fresh" score on RT), word-of-mouth is much more mixed with a 57% Flixter score and a modest 'B+' CinemaScore, so those outcomes aren't that likely. Compared to other big-budget films with similar word-of-mouth such as 'Clash of the Titans', 'RoboCop', 'The A-Team', and 'Pixels' a total in the realm of $120 million to $150 million. Expect 'Ghostbusters' to wind up right in between those two numbers, but it there is an outside chance it will finish on the higher end.
     Occupying third place, Warner Bros.' surprise action-packed hit of the summer 'The Legend of Tarzan', which cost a whopping $180 million to produce, continued to benefit from positive word-of-mouth, dipping just 45.5% in its third weekend. In the process, it surpassed the $100-million milestone and has now swung its way to $103.4 million. While it still depends heavily on international returns to justify such a lofty cost, it should still wind up with a better-than-expected $120 million finish by the end of its run.
     Closely following in fourth was Disney's smash hit 'Finding Dory', dropping 45.8% for $11.3 million. The $200-million sequel to the 2003 classic has now amassed a colossal $445.7 million, just now dethroning 'Shrek 2' ($441.2m) to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time. With overwhelmingly positive reviews (94% RT rating) and word-of-mouth (88% Flixter score), 'Finding Dory' now has its sights set on a $475 million total, and can still make it to $500 million if it has enough gas before then.
     'Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates' fell 53.9% for $7.7 million, which is a bit worse than 'The Wedding Ringer''s hold last year. The $33-million R-rated comedy has now grossed $31.5 million and will likely end its run with around $40 million.
     In sixth and seventh were holdovers 'The Purge: Election Year' and 'Central Intelligence. The former dropped 50.1% for $6.2 million. Having banked $71.1 million so far on a $10-million budget, the horror three-quel is on the verge of becoming the highest-grossing film in the series and might pass $90 million if its lucky enough. The latter film starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart along with a $50-million price tag experienced the best hold in the Top 12 this weekend, dipping a light 33.1% and earning $5.4 million for a $117.6 million cume. Assuming it continues its spectacular holds, $130 million might be in reach for the action comedy.
     All the way down in seventh place was the Bryan Cranston led drug thriller 'The Infiltrator', which cost around $50 million to make but grossed just $5.3 million for its troubles. Since its Wednesday debut, 'Infiltrator' has earned a paltry $6.8 million. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem like the film that will do great business overseas, and with mixed critical and audience reception it's likely this won't hold on to theaters for too long.
     Disney's $140-million fantasy adaptation 'The BFG' continued its miserable run in theaters, falling 51.5% to add $3.8 million to its $47.4 million total. With unenthusiastic incomes from foreign countries, this will likely be one of Disney's and Spielberg's biggest flops, which is very disappointing as both have seen outstanding tallies for their films recently. A grand total of around $55 million is likely.
     On a much happier note, Sony's $17-million shark attack thriller 'The Shallows' continued holding up solidly, easing 37.4% and making $3 million. Its holds have been spectacular considering its genre, and with $51.4 million already $60 million may be in reach.
     Rounding out the Top 12, the Indian drama 'Sultan' plummeted 58.9% from its solid opening and made $974.8k. Though its $5.2 million domestic cume may seem small, it's doing extremely well in its home country where it has garnered $37.7 million.
     Woody Allen's 'Cafe Society' grossed $359.3k from just 5 theaters for a $71.9k per-theater average, easily becoming 2016's PTA winner. It's not on par with recent Allen films like 'Midnight in Paris' ($599k O.W. / $99.8k PTA) and 'Blue Jasmine' ($612.1k O.W. / $102k PTA), but it's still a solid debut in its own right. Expect this to expend strongly in the coming weeks.
     In 3 theaters, 'Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party' grossed $74.8k for a strong $24.9k PTA. Though this is a great opening, it was a very front-loaded weekend for the documentary (1.82x). It is expected to expand into 1,200 theaters next weekend.
     The Top 12 this weekend amassed $155.4 million, off 25.7% from last weekend and down 15.3% from last year when 'Ant-Man' ruled the competition.
     Next weekend will be a lot more active, as we are not only looking at the second weekend of 'Ghostbusters' but also the much-anticipated debut of 'Star Trek Beyond' (which is getting strong reviews so far), 'Ice Age: Collision Course (not-very-good reviews), and 'Lights Out' (which is getting stellar reviews for a horror film with 100% from 12 reviews in on RT so far).