"Hardcore Henry" Review

OP-ROB RATING: BUST

“Hardcore Henry” is an action film directed by Ilya Naishuller that was entirely shot using a GoPro camera. From start to finish it is in first-person point of view, much like a video game. The main character is Henry, a man living in the future who awakens in a hovering medical laboratory and with an arm and a leg missing. Estelle, (Haley Bennett) a woman dressed in a white lab coat, proceeds to attach Henry’s missing limbs with mechanical replacements. While Estelle works on Henry, she explains that he has amnesia due to the accident that resulted in his injuries. She also explains that they are husband and wife, even though he cannot remember. Estelle leads Henry into a separate room in the laboratory where his “speech module” is to be installed. However, as the technicians prepare to give the main character a voice, a group of heavily armed soldiers break into the lab and kill everyone with the exception of Henry and Estelle. These men are led by Akan (Danila Kozlovsky), a telekinetic, sociopath who maliciously wants to steal Henry’s technology in order to create his own army of super soldiers. In the commotion, Henry and Estelle escape the lab in an escape pod, that crash lands on a busy freeway below. However Akan and his soldiers soon catch up with the couple and Henry is blasted off of the freeway after being shot by a taser. This leaves Henry separated from Estelle and on the run from Akan and his soldiers.

“Hardcore Henry” has minimal plot, minimal character development, and minimal believability. However, in the case of this film none of those shortcomings matter.  The POV filming technique and non-stop action are supposed to be enough. “Hardcore Henry” is a one trick pony through and through. While the POV filming compliments some scenes well, for the most part it acts as a negative, making simple scenes annoying and even unbearable to watch.  For instance, when Henry grapples with a mercenary in a one-on-one melee, the POV works fantastically. In the skirmish Henry punches and grabs at the man who is suddenly shot by a sniper, and his head explodes right in front of the audience. It’s a shocking sequence made even more effective by the POV. On the other hand, the film is full of chase sequences that are enough to give anyone a headache. The cuts are choppy as Henry runs from point A to point B jumping over stuff and occasionally falling down. The constant shaking drains from the environment in which the story takes place. A film technique designed to put the viewer in the shoes of the subject does exactly the opposite in these frantic sequences. Henry is running and fighting for the majority of the movie, and this makes it very hard to get a grip on any particular setting. Some viewers may find the POV more agreeable than others, but there is no denying that is robs the viewer of a concrete and omniscient eye.

“Hardcore Henry” is also too hard-core for its own good. There is a numbing effect to the violent action and loud noises. If you received a nickel for every bone Henry breaks throughout the movie you would easily refund your ticket. Aside form hand-to-hand combat; there is an abundance of explosions and almost non-stop gunfire. By the end of the film, Naishuller has to resort to pure absurdity to illicit a fitting grand finale. The last fifteen minutes of “Hardcore Henry” are so over-the-top, it proves nothing except for Naishuller’s lack of craft and judicious use of violence in his film. A great director can make your ears ring for days with a single, well placed gunshot. Anyone who saw “10 Cloverfield Lane” would know.

Lost in the scuffle of “Hardcore Henry” is an entertaining performance delivered by Sharlto Copley as Henry’s ubiquitous fighting partner and advocate, Jimmy. Most of the time Jimmy gives Henry information and saves him from various situation, each time reappearing as a new version of himself ranging from a Russian homeless man to a Michael Jackson enthusiast. Copley is lively and refreshing whenever he shows up, yet his sporadic appearances often feel wasted when the action starts up again.

However, one could argue that “Hardcore Henry” serves its purpose, and stays true to the one trick of POV action. Perhaps the film is supposed to be excessive and unrelenting in its ferocity. Even in this aim, “Hardcore Henry” pales in contrast to films that have followed the same formula. Director Gareth Evans’ “The Raid: Redemption” and “The Raid 2: Berendal” are both similar to “Hardcore Henry” in that they are driven by action. Storyline and character development get tossed in the process. Unlike Henry, Evans’ characters fight using martial arts techniques that are a marvel to watch.  “Hardcore Henry” is brutish in comparison. Most of the time Henry shoots his enemies, and on occasion rips their hands apart gripping their fingers like two ends of a wishbone.

Ultimately, “Hardcore Henry” doesn’t put enough support around its POV focus to make a worthwhile full-length feature film. The trailer is far more enjoyable than the hour and a half slog. Seeing one fight sequence in “Hardcore Henry” is to see them all.  For some people, the action may be enough to entertain, but this film is as voiceless and forgettable as its main character.

"10 Cloverfield Lane" Review

OP-ROB RATING: ALL-STAR

Remember the movie “Cloverfield” that came out in 2008? It was about an alien attack on New York City and the entire movie was supposed to look as if it were filmed on a handheld camera. Fast-forward nearly a decade and “Cloverfield” has given birth to a sequel called “10 Cloverfield Lane”. Both films involve science fiction, and both were produced by J.J. Abrams. However, “10 Cloverfield Lane” is a much different movie in almost every other respect. It stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle, a woman who flees her fiancée after a fight and ends up in a horrific car accident. She is run off the road by a pickup truck and awakens in a concrete walled room where she is chained up.  An obese, rugged looking man (John Goodman) greets her by vaguely explaining that there has been an attack on earth and that he saved her from the car accident and brought her to his underground bunker. Michelle reacts as any normal person would after being abducted, but the man shrugs off her anxiety and frustratingly tells her “You need to eat. You need to sleep. And you need to show me a little bit of appreciation”.  After the sketchy conversation he finally introduces himself adding, “My name’s Howard by the way”.

After being unchained, Michelle meets Emmet (John Gallagher, Jr.), a young man who helped build the bunker for Howard. Unlike Michelle, Emmet forced his way into the bunker after the first signs of the attack, which he describes as an unnatural bright red flash. Howard reiterates over and over the dangers of going outside the bunker. A lifelong conspiracy theorist, he believes the attack could be alien and must have resulted in some kind of fallout or air contamination. The single window at the entrance to the bunker reveals two dead pigs that have been chemically burned almost beyond recognition. Despite Emmet’s testimony and the dead pigs, Michelle remains skeptical of the entire situation. And now we’ve reached spoiler territory, so I will back off. But in any case, as the evidence piles up Michelle must decide what to believe is the truth. It is her life that depends on it.

 For the record, I didn't enjoy the first Cloverfield movie. The concept was cool, but the shaky camera took away from the suspense and blurred any special details the movie had to offer. A great thriller thrives on the little things like subtleties in dialogue or seemingly unimportant objects in a room that come together to tell more of the story or provide some kind of shocking revelation. “10 Cloverfield Lane” is certainly detail minded. Most of the movie takes place in Howard’s bunker, which consists of four or five rooms. What a man chooses to put in his survival chamber says a lot about him.

Howard is an especially interesting character. He has all the stereotypes associated with a longtime conspiracy theorist, such as loads of nuclear fallout books and pamphlets as well as a military background. Although Howard projects himself as a “man with a plan”, he is always somewhat anxious about every situation. His desire for control is the kind that cannot be satisfied with other human beings around. In one scene the three are playing a board game that resembles “Catch Phrase”. Emmett is holding a card for "Little Women", and prompts Howard by pointing at Michelle to queue "woman". Howard can't seem to find the word, saying stuff like "little girl" and "little princess". Apparently "woman" is not in his vocabulary and he fails the round. It is an enthralling and strange scene that could suggest any number of things about Howard that I am still trying to figure out. It is scenes like this one that complicate the characters and elevate "10 Cloverfield Lane" above your average series of thrills.

Although both Goodman and Gallagher, Jr. deliver excellent performances, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is the most impressive in the role of Michelle. Far from your average "scream queen" she is resilient, resourceful, and fiercely determined to discover the truth. In many horror/thriller movies, the protagonist does stupid stuff all the time. Like going into the empty house or looking around the sketchy corner to investigate a strange noise. Michelle rises above these annoying faults and it is refreshing to watch. Throughout the story she never believes anything that the audience wouldn’t and reacts to perilous situations with the efficiency of Jason Bourne (Matt Damon).

          Perhaps the most effective aspect of “10 Cloverfield Lane” is its use of sound. The movie is relatively quiet most of the time. There are a few songs played on the jukebox and some light rumblings outside the bunker. It is the judicious use of loud noises that make the slamming of door, the banging of a table, or the discharge of a gun sound so loud and so shocking. A movie I reviewed last year called “Sicario” starring Emily Blunt shared the same mastery of suspense through sound. The loud noises are crucial to the thrills in “10 Cloverfield Lane” and they don’t disappoint. While the final act of the movie was somewhat dissatisfying, “10 Cloverfield Lane” defies your typical sequel and results in an innovative and entertaining thriller.

OP-ROB NOTE: The actor who plays Emmet, John Gallagher, Jr., is also in a movie called "Short Term 12" starring Brie Larson. It's on Netflix if you get bored and need something awesome to watch.

"Zootopia" Review

OP-ROB RATING: ALL-STAR

“Zootopia” is about an ambitious young bunny named Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), who lives in a modern society where animals all get along, predator and prey alike. Despite the pleas of her protective parents, Judy ditches the idea of becoming a carrot farmer and pursues a career as a police officer. She overcomes all adversity and graduates the police academy at the top of her class to become the first police bunny ever. Upon graduation, Judy is sent to Precinct 1 located in the heart of the great city of Zootopia. Judy’s parents caution her to be wary of predators like lions and tigers and bears, but especially of foxes. As Judy’s parents see it, despite how far society has come in the world of “Zootopia”, some animals will always revert back to their “savage” ways. Judy reluctantly accepts the anti-fox mace spray her parents give her and hops on the train to the big city.

Zootopia is nothing short of a grand metropolis with gleaming buildings and distinct neighborhoods. Just a few include the “Rainforest District”, “Sahara Square”, and “Tundratown”. Judy is stationed in the downtown area where she is rudely greeted by her superior officer, an Ox named Bogo (Idris Elba). Judy the bunny looks out of place in a room full of tougher animals such as Timberwolves, Cheetahs, Lions, and Rhinos. Bogo addresses the room about fourteen missing persons from around Zootopia and promptly assigns all of the tough animals to the separate cases. He sticks Judy on parking duty, making her nothing more than a “meter maid”. Through a series of events, Judy is allowed to investigate a case regarding a missing otter named Emmett Otterton. Her lead witness in the otter’s disappearance is a clever fox named Nicholas “Nick” P. Wilde (Jason Bateman). Judy and Nick become a kind of team when investigating the case, which leads them all around Zootopia and into a grand conspiracy involving the highest members of government.

For all of the colorful scenes and silly characters, there are certain points in which “Zootopia” is for adults rather than kids. In one scene Judy and Nick stumble into a metro car that has been turned into what resembles a meth lab where creepy ram named "Doug" stomps around in a gas mask mixing chemicals. His yellow suit is reminiscent of Breaking Bad. At one point Judy and Nick are led to a “naturalist” club called “The Mystic Spring Oasis”. Judy and Nick gawk at the naked animals meditating and doing yoga around the club while they try to gather information. What would this scene look like in a movie with humans? These two scenes and many others exemplify a level of grittiness that was surprising for a children’s animation film. In another scene the duo encounter a crime boss named "Mr. Big", a tiny rat, who hilariously resembles Don Corleone from "The Godfather". "You come into my house the day my daughter is to be married" he says... I couldn't stop laughing.

In the world of animation, details are often what make a movie great. “Zootopia” nails everything on the spectrum. There are little parodies including Starbucks as “Snarlbucks”, Macy’s as “Mosuey’s”, and Lululemon as “Lululemmings”. More importantly, the animals have a full gamut of facial expressions that give them life, and make them a real character. Although “Zootopia” is set in a fictional world, there is plenty to take away from the movie and apply to real life. In several scenes, “Zootopia” plays around with this real life application. When Judy and Nick have to identify a license plate number and go to the DMV, all of the workers are sloths…literally. Early on in the story as Judy is working as a meter maid, a frustrated driver yells at her, “my taxes pay your salary lady.” These were jokes most of the kids in the theater wouldn’t understand but drew plenty of laughter from the parents. More importantly, “Zootopia” confronts the ever-contemporary political issue of xenophobia and racism. Throughout the film, there are conflicts between predators and prey. The film dares to ask, can predators be civilized? Or will they always revert back to their biological behavior?

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of “Zootopia” is its versatility. It has the makings of a fun children’s animation film, a detective thriller, a coming-of-age story, and a politically charged drama. Amazingly, “Zootopia” succeeds in all of these endeavors. The directors of the film, Byron Howard and Rich Moore, have extensive experience in animation as well as clear-cut political views regarding diversity and acceptance. In many ways “Zootopia” is the anti-Trump of animation films. While “Zootopia” doesn’t quite match the brilliance of Disney Pixar’s “Inside Out”, it is certainly one of the best animation films I have seen in recent memory, and bears a vitally important message about the world we live in today.

P.S. The movies theme song ("Try Everything") is performed by a gazelle named "Gazelle". She is Zootopia's version of Shakira, and the song is definitely worth a listen.