July 8th, 2008
We went and saw Hancock on the weekend after some debate about if it was indeed worth going out to see it. Â We obviously went and I’m glad we did (for the most part, something happened that I’ll talk about in a different post and has no connection to the film).
I went in expecting a light, hopefully funny big special effects film. Â Light is not the word I would use to describe it because it has an unexpected level of depth that made it more rewarding than the ads promised.
I will not comment on Will Smith’s status in Scientology as I don’t try and let that effect me when I watch a film. Â Will is really good and delivers some hilarious lines as well as really great performance. Â There is one scene in particular where he gets angry with some criminals and lashes out that was a really interesting scene in my mind. Â It explores something that is rarely done so with characters such as Superman (maybe Wonder Woman). Â With all that power if you reacted in a human way it would be devastating, do I dare say it “with great power…”
The real comic genius in the film though is Jason Bateman whom I never thought I would think is brilliantly funny but he just is (thank you Arrested Development). Â His timing and delivery is always spot on but he also delivers a great performance.
Visually the film is so enjoyable, there are great special effects and there are a couple of shots that could be lifted directly from a comic book.
There are some plot points though that are so unbelievably obvious that I’m pretty certain the director realised and figured why not leave that aspect in there and treat the viewers like intelligent individuals and doesn’t try to expect us to be surprised.
Great non-comic book comic book movie… if that makes sense?
Popularity: 5% [?]
Categories: Movies |
Tags: arrested development, comic book, hancock, jason bateman, Will Smith | 4 Comments
December 28th, 2007
When I said a couple of weeks ago to go out and read the novel I am Legend it was before I saw the new movie. Now I beg you to watch the movie (if you like movies, that is) and read the book afterwards. The novel in no way will be ruined by watching the movie but vice versa is a different matter.
Now before we get into this I’m not entering a “the book is better than the movie” debate. There is no debate. The book is a brilliant piece of literature that they should make children read in school. The movie on the other hand is a brilliant apocalyptic drama, performed impeccably by Will Smith, which looks awesome and is inspired by the novel.
The movie is inspired by the novel it is not a direct interpretation of it. Which is why, if you go into this film hoping to see the book on screen you’ll be disappointed and will probably cheat yourself of a great movie experience.
The first thing that is great about I am Legend is the visuals, I mean really great. We’ve all wondered what it would be like if humanity was removed from the planet and the cities were slowly reclaimed by nature. I think that I am Legend manages to show this without going over the top with vines hanging off the tallest skyscrapers that is often the hallmark of a deserted city. There is a couple of tongue in cheek references to films on the posters in the abandoned Times Square, most notably the Batman/Superman poster.
Will Smith is possibly the only actor in the world that I could see in this role which is a credit to him and the casting director. Smith is playing the last man on Earth which pretty much means the whole film is carried by him.
One thing that did strike me in the production was the use of the media, something like seven billion people have died but there are still movie posters on the walls which would have been so important to so many people had they not been dying or being killed. Material objects no longer matter despite the importance placed upon them by society before the end.
There is a bad side to the film though that I have to address, bloody CGI. I read somewhere that they originally wanted to use just actors as the zombie/vampires that humanity had become but realised that they needed a CGI edge to them.
They were wrong.
The creatures look wrong.
They look as though they’ve been taken from Smith’s earlier film I Robot in the crowd scenes. What is it with vampire zombie mouths having to open wider than normal anyhow? Who decided that was good idea? It just detracts from the characters and removes believability. Fortunately this does not ruin the film, well for me anyway.
Watch it, then go out and read the book.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Categories: Movies |
Tags: I am Legend, Movies, Review, Will Smith | 8 Comments
December 11th, 2007
With the year very quickly approaching its close I remember that at the beginning of the year I gave myself a target of reading 30 books (I think it was 30 it may have been 35 or something like that). Well I don’t know how I went but I certainly read a lot more this year than the previous and that was the intent all along.
In the last couple of weeks I managed to get a little reading done, I started the Janus gate trilogy of Trek novels, read a couple of short stories by Paul Aster and some science fiction short stories. On Saturday though I read for the first time the classic I am Legend by Richard Matheson. I wanted to read it before the new movie version hits cinemas.
I’m not sure why though as vampire books don’t tend to interest me, I guess it was the whole apocalypse thing that drew me towards it and on impulse I had to get it and read it.
My sudden desire though and the Brisbane book market had different things in mind and I was forced to wait two whole days whilst Borders got it in. Usually the Borders staff irritate me but the woman who served me at the counter is really good and clearly enjoys books and assured me that I was in for quite the treat with I am Legend.
She was right.
An amazing novel that I could not put down and read within hours of starting it. I can see why Stephen King feels that reading it helped give birth to his own writing.
There is a straight forward directness in the manner of the writing that often accompanies the era of science fiction (40s/50s) that it was written. John Wyndham has a similar style (and similar themes I suppose) and is even reminiscent of HG Wells style in the Time Machine.
I love the idea of a lone survivor of a vampire plague who goes about his daily business surviving and we are let into his world for a brief tour. The character of Robert Neville will be one that stays with me for a while due to the very three dimensional writing as he expresses all the emotions of being the only survivor.
The other thing that probably didn’t hurt when I was reading this was that I have completely forgotten the Omega Man and what ever problems it may have. Now I don’t know if I can watch the new film without judging it too harshly, the novel is in the company of the greats and I wonder how well it can survive a glossy Hollywood treatment no matter how talented the cast. I am though happy that Will Smith is the man in question as the fact remains if anyone can pull it off it would be him. They have changed one aspect that I do think is a real shame, in the novel Robert is a factory worker and he teaches himself from library books about blood and disease as he tries to work out what happened. In the movie he is the biologist who possibly started the virus (I don’t know, maybe that’s wrong, I think it’s on the website or something). The everyday man journey is reduced slightly but I guess you only have an hour or so to tell the story so you have to fast track some things.
So if you haven’t read it go out and do so before seeing the film, it’s not a long book but it is worth every page!!!!
Popularity: 8% [?]
Categories: Books |
Tags: Books, Borders, Brisbane, I am Legend, John Wyndham, Movies, Richard Matheson, Robert Neville, Stephen King, vampires, Will Smith | 9 Comments
