"The Revenant" Review

OP-ROB RATING: ALL-STAR

                 "The Revenant" is a film directed Alejandro González Iñárritu about the legendary mountain man Hugh Glass, portrayed by Leonard DiCaprio. In the opening scenes Glass and his son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) escape an Indian attack with a few members of their hunting party. As arrows fly from every direction, the men load as many animal pelts as possible onto a river boat and push off down the water. As the “scout” for the group, Glass suggests they ditch the boat and move up on land. The captain of the outfit, Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) supports the decision despite backlash from a brutish hunter named John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). During the trek, Glass scouts ahead of the others and is surprised by a mama grizzly bear that mauls him beyond recognition. Somehow he survives and is left in the care of his son, Fitzgerald, and a teenager named Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) while the rest of the hunters move on to safety. Fitzgerald quickly gets antsy, and tries to suffocate Glass who seemingly agrees to the idea. However, Hawk interrupts the execution and confronts Fitzgerald who promptly stabs the young man to death while Glass, whose throat has been slashed by the bear, lies on a stretcher completely helpless. Ultimately, Fitzgerald hides Hawk’s corpse and dupes the kind-hearted Bridger into leaving Glass behind by falsely telling him of an impending Indian ambush. The rest of the movie is devoted to Glass and his journey back from being left for dead.

            Iñárritu’s style of filmmaking is simply captivating. His signature whip-pan movements and long takes immerse the viewer into the wild. In dynamic scenes such as the one where the hunters are attacked by Indians and shortly after when the bear horrifically mangles Glass, Iñárritu manages to create a sense of omniscience and simultaneously, total clarity. With “The Revenant” Iñárritu has made a film that looks painfully real; the wind and ice seem to bleed through the screen. It is Iñárritu’s first film since "Birdman", which won him Academy Awards for best picture and best director. In many ways, "The Revenant" seems to be the antithesis of "Birdman". This film isn't confined to a city and a dialogue heavy plot; instead the story occurs in a place that seems a million miles from civilization. Every shot reveals nature in its most raw form. From the streams to the trees to the vast mountainous landscapes, "The Revenant" is truly mesmerizing and beautiful.

             Despite superb filming, intuitive directing, and powerful acting, “The Revenant” falls short because there simply isn’t much to think about upon the film’s conclusion. While Glass’ journey is intriguing, his motivation to survive culminates in a bleary final scene in which he finds that revenge is in God’s hands and not his own. “The Revenant” is much more of a visual experience than a thought-provoking film. It’s hard to glean any meaning from watching a groaning, bloody pulp of a man crawl his way through the snow for two and half hours. If anything, “The Revenant” succeeds most in presenting the American West as a harsh environment inhabited by even harsher people.

          There are a few flashbacks that provide some context for Glass’ identity, but nothing concrete. In truth, very little is revealed about any of the characters. The main villain is John Fitzgerald. Tom Hardy probably didn’t have to spend too much time getting into character because Fitzgerald is equally rambling and incoherent as was Max Rockatansky, who Hardy portrayed this past summer in “Mad Max: Fury Road”. Unlike Max, however, Fitzgerald is singularly selfish and unlikeable. He spends the majority of the film stomping around and grunting racist comments about Indians. Poulter shows more depth as Jim Bridger, who is truly conflicted over leaving Glass out in the wilderness to die, but never gets enough screen time to fully develop. DiCaprio turns in an incredible performance as Glass, but does far more suffering than speaking. 

          There is a scene early on in the film where Glass excruciatingly drags himself along the ground gripping handfuls of dirt and snow that scrape against his flayed fingers. After consoling the frozen corpse of his son, Glass manages to crawl into a clearing onto the edge of a cliff revealing a vast and gorgeous valley below. This scene captures the essence of “The Revenant”.In a place dominated by violence and gore there is also tremendous beauty. The film is hard to watch, but there are often moments where you just have to sit back and appreciate the way the camera moves and the striking imagery it reveals. With “The Revenant”, Iñárritu proves his mastery of filmmaking while DiCaprio proves his depth and breadth as an actor. While a lack of narrative and meaning hold “The Revenant” back from greatness, the film overcomes it’s plot deficiencies through outstanding imagery and a masterful display of directing and acting.

"Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" Review

OP-ROB RATING: STARTER

“Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” is the latest installment of the “Star Wars” movie franchise conceived by George Lucas. The series opened in 1977 with “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”.  Being part of the most famous movie series in film history, “The Force Awakens” has received a considerable amount of hype over the past few years, ever since its official announcement in 2013. The man in charge of living up to this tsunami of expectation is director J.J. Abrams. Fortunately, Abrams is no stranger to this type of pressure, he handled “Mission: Impossible III” in 2006 as well as “Star Trek” and “Star Trek: Into Darkness” in 2009 and 2013, and received critical acclaim for his work with the treasured franchises. With “The Force Awakens”, Abrams has once again employed his ability to craft a blockbuster that appeals to old and new fans alike.

             As the iconic opening credits explain so well, the Galactic Empire has fallen and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has disappeared. The power vacuum created by the Empire’s demise has been filled by the equally sinister “First Order”. Combatting the First Order is the “Resistance” led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). In the opening scene the best fighter pilot in the Resistance, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), is on the arid planet of Jakku looking for a map that leads to Luke Skywalker. Dameron finds the map, only to be ambushed by stormtroopers of the First Order.  To ensure the map’s safety, Dameron stores it in his droid, BB-8, who escapes the stormtrooper attack and rolls off into the desert. BB-8 is fortuitously scooped up by a “scrapper” girl named Rey (Daisy Ridley), who quickly learns the droid’s story. Meanwhile, Dameron is taken prisoner by the First Order and interrogated by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a dark lord with extraordinary force powers. Ren obtains knowledge of BB-8 from Dameron and informs the First Order of the droids importance.

            In the midst of this opening, Rey emerges as one of two main protagonists, the other being a stormtrooper known as FN-2187 (John Boyega). During the village attack on Jakku, FN-2187 witnesses a fellow stormtrooper and presumably a friend die in thick of the fight. The dying stormtrooper reaches up to FN-2187 and in doing so wipes some blood onto the clean, white helmet. This simple detail marks an otherwise anonymous stormtrooper, and shows a glimpse at actual blood, something rarely seen in the Star Wars universe. In this brief moment of foreshadowing we are introduced to FN-2187, or “Finn”, as he is later known in the film. Finn makes it out of the battle alive, but emotionally disturbed and disillusioned with the First Order. Post-interrogation, Finn breaks Dameron out of the war cruiser and together they steal a “TIE Fighter” which they crash-land back on Jakku. Through a series of events Finn eventually links up with Rey, and their adventure begins.

            Knowing the high-stakes, Abrams doesn’t venture very far off of the battle tested Star Wars formula. Summarily there is a “Death Star”-like threat to the galaxy that must be stopped; Rey and Finn are the main heroes; Kylo Ren is the lead villain. While it is Rey, Finn, and Ren that drive the story’s narrative, there is a slew of supporting characters both new and old. Princess Leia returns as General Leia Organa, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) also make substantial contributions to the new adventure. Other characters include General Hux (Domnhall Gleeson) who runs the more technical side of the First Order, much like General Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) did in the original trilogy; in addition, the appears the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) who resembles Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) from both of the older trilogies.

             “The Force Awakens” is a passing of the baton from one era to the next. It pays homage to an older, much beloved series while spreading seeds for the new generation. This strategy keeps the film relevant to both seasoned fans and people seeing “Star Wars” for the first time. It's also what holds “The Force Awakens” back from being truly great. The film is caught in between two visions, and can't live up to either. The older characters are less potent, and the new ones are not well developed. Abrams devotes too many scenes to old characters that don’t necessarily contribute to the story, and wastes dialogue on references to previous films in order to generate laughs or strike a sentimental note. The biggest disappointment of the film is Kylo Ren. I was expecting an intimidating, formidable foe but instead saw a spoiled, insecure, little punk. While I respect Abrams more humanistic approach to creating a villain, Ren just cannot be taken seriously. In more than one scene he reacts to bad news by throwing a hissy fit and slashing up expensive consoles with his fancy lightsaber like a toddler. On the light side, the strongest assets of “The Force Awakens” are both Rey and Finn. Daisy Ridley and John Boyega bring a level of emotion to their respective characters that is seldom seen even in the original trilogy.

               While the film isn't groundbreaking on its own, it certainly shows great promise for the future. Rey and Finn are both extraordinary heroes that I'll look forward to seeing more of. Now that older characters have been dealt with, the story can move on into a world of endless possibilities. While Abrams first Star Wars outing feels a bit stuck in the past, it sets an exciting precedent for subsequent films. 

"Creed" Review

OP-ROB RATING: ALL-STAR

“Creed” is the newest installment of the “Rocky” series, which it reflects in many ways. However, this time around Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) is old and in very poor health. He doesn’t throw a single punch. If the title of the film isn’t clear enough, the main focus is on Adonis “Donny” Johnson/Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the illegitimate son of the great Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). For those that haven’t seen the films, Apollo was one of Rocky’s greatest rivals and friends who died in the ring before his son was born. In the opening scenes we are introduced to the rowdy, troubled little boy named Adonis who is spending his time in a youth penitentiary when Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad), Apollo’s widow, shows up to take in the young boy as her own. Donny then grows up in the Creed’s L.A. mansion and despite an education and a great job, opts to pursue a career in the ring as a boxer.

In most ways, “Creed” is similar to any other “Rocky” movie. The main hero is introduced with challenges and obstacles that he must overcome. There is a love interest fulfilled by a musician named Bianca (Tessa Thompson).  There are training montages and a culmination scene in the same spirit as the very first “Rocky”. Ultimately Donny ends up in the ring with a formidable fighter named “Pretty Ricky” Conlan (Tony Bellew) and must face everything he has learned and struggled to achieve. While all of these events may seem cliché and boring, “Creed” finds ways to become unique and take on a name of its own.

A defining hurdle that Donny must jump is his own privilege. Unlike most fighters, he has come from considerable wealth and opportunity. When he first shows up to a gym in Philadelphia, the trainer belittles him by giving him the nickname “Hollywood”. Even after proving his toughness with a solid victory against a hardened Philadelphia fighter, Donny still faces the challenge of earning the name Creed. Another key plotline is that of the old hero, Rocky Balboa. Rocky has finally hung up the gloves and is even reluctant to enter a boxing gym before Donny is able to convince him to become a trainer. Seeing the Italian Stallion so beaten down is quite sobering, but it confronts an actuality that the previous “Rocky” film, “Rocky Balboa” vehemently denied.

“Creed” excels under the direction of Ryan Coogler, who has worked with Michael B. Jordan before on the film "Fruitvale Station". Some of the most exhilarating shots in the film come in the big fight with Conlan. Instead of randomly circling the fighters, Coogler sets the camera over the shoulder of the man with the upper hand in the fight.  It goes from Conlan to Donny and back again throughout much of the boxing match. In "Creed" the ring feels more brutal than in previous "Rocky" films, with shots of blood splashing the mat and deep gashes being sealed up. The streets of Philadelphia also come to life in a way that showcases the reality of the city. There are scenes with dirt biker gang’s in the road; in another scene Bianca takes Donny to a local cheesesteak dive. Without romanticizing anything Coogler manages to bring authenticity to the story. Knowing the grit of the streets and the brutality of the ring is crucial for Donny to become a Creed. It is also necessary to the viewer in order to be fully immersed in the story.

The weaker points of "Creed" are in the storylines involving his mother and his girlfriend. Rashad gets maybe ten lines as Mary Anne Creed, and she essentially disappears after the first scene only to return when watching the big fight from her home in L.A. Bianca also feels dispensable to the story. Even though her character is intriguing, she doesn't add to Donny's character like Adrian (Talia Shire) did for Rocky in the first film. She basically serves as the token love interest and little else. While both of these roles were convenient for the story, their lack of purpose takes away from the final product.

Despite a relatively long run time of 133 minutes “Creed” keeps an impressive pace. The film builds steady momentum and the final fight is truly thrilling. In an ending scene that is both original and sentimental, “Creed” finishes on very strong footing in lieu of a few missteps here and there along the way. While "Creed" is not necessarily anything new, it manages to shake up an age-old story enough to bring new sparks to the narrative. With a powerful soundtrack and convincing performances from both Jordan and Stallone, "Creed" is a winner, even if by split decision.