Fans may be frustrated with the lack of twists and big reveals in the new Star Wars movie. But personally, I'm glad there isn't anything big. We don't want these films to merely become fan pandering. Vehicles for countless Easter Eggs with the stories becoming second fiddle.
This is the middle act of a trilogy. It's meant to keep the story going while presenting the perfect amount of conflict and resolution, balancing both. If it tries to do too much, it risks losing its identity and any cohesiveness developed so far.
Although J.J. Abrams directed Episode 7, and is slated to direct Episode 9, it was a good choice to get Rian Johnson on board to direct this installment.
While Abrams is a lover of popcorn entertainment that's big and full of audience-craved plot points, Johnson isn't as concerned with that. He's focused more on giving us what we actually need. He builds up momentum slowly and knows how to give us the proper climax.
Johnson also directed 2012's Looper, which I don't necessarily love, but can still appreciate. Rogue One is poetic, but doesn't really come together until the end.
This was my fear with The Last Jedi. But since it utilizes The Force Awakens to help set up much of the story, it doesn't have to focus on that as much here. And the poeticism works well for this one as the middle act. Though I wouldn't want all of the films to be like this. I like my Star Wars a bit more popcorny--just like J.J. Abrams.
The Last Jedi starts off pretty slow. It takes place immediately after the events of the last film, and noticeably struggles to pick up the well-built momentum of its predecessor as well. Much of the first half is spent with Leia and the Resistance trying to survive attacks from the First Order. It's interspersed with Rey trying to convince Luke to train her to become a Jedi Master.
This film is also much darker than the last. We've seen now that Johnson is also a big fan of the theme of finding hope amidst despair, yet constantly reminding us of that despair. Certain moments are very potent. Use the end of Rogue One for reference.
A truly bright spot in this film is the introduction of Benicio Del Toro's computer hacker character, DJ. His moral compass points to neither good nor bad. He plays for himself and adjusts accordingly. And they brilliantly utilize him to parallel Kilo Ren--albeit a less monstrous version. Both men are capable of being empathetic and selfish at the same time. Del Toro's existence in this movie is absolutely no throwaway.
As much as The Last Jedi will pride itself on staying true to its goal of telling a solid and important story first, it still has it's fair share of surprises. Naturally though, there aren't as many. We have to remember that these new stories must stand on their own at some point too.
As far as major plot points go, this film makes all the right decisions. It may not feel like a Star Wars film in the traditional sense, but it's a really amazing story executed at the highest mark.
Twizard Rating: 100
The Revenant is truly something to behold. It's beautifully shot and maybe even more impressively directed. This could have easily gone awry in the wrong director's hands, but Alejandro Iñárritu makes it look too easy.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays a fur trapper in the American Northwest in 1823. He and his crew are on the run after escaping a Native American ambush. One day, after going off on his own, he is attacked and savagely injured by a grizzly bear in a scene that will stay with you for a very long time. It might be one of the most intense sequences in film history. Nearly dying, he is deemed, by Tom Hardy's character, as too risky to be carried along with them, so Hardy leaves DiCaprio to die.
The film is really long, but riveting. Not once does your mind wander to something else. Scene after scene is like nothing you've seen before.
This film is about revenge, but it's also about moral decisions. It's never preachy, but those who wish to get something out of it will. It's hard to watch, but completely rewarding in the end. And there may have never been such a dark film that is also this beautiful to look at.
Tom Hardy, while audibly incomprehensible at times, plays grimly sadistic to perfection. From the beginning, he walks around like nothing ever bad is going to happen to him. He's cocky, but there's something subtle in his tone that makes you believe that he's unsure of himself subconsciously--even though he thinks no one notices. Perhaps they don't.
It's a no brainer that DiCaprio has given the best performance of the year, even if just for his commitment to making his character real. The film is shot in actual freezing temperatures and throughout the entire thing you really do feel his pain--just from the piercing cold itself. He's in a league of his own with this one.
But if we're going to talk about commitment, we must also discuss Iñárritu's insistence that there will be no green screen used and everything that happens will be happening for real. Last year, Iñárritu's film Birdman won the Oscar for Best Picture. This is a step even above that. Birdman was filmed in a controlled setting. Watching The Revenant, you feel like everyone on set is playing with fire. The fact that they get a breathtaking film out of it is superbly impressive.
Twizard Rating: 100
Some films try to reboot a classic and fail horribly. Not only did the filmmakers behind Mad Max: Fury Road make an incredible movie, but one that even surpasses the standards set by the originals.
But as much as the franchise owes it to this new movie for giving it life again, Fury Road also owes it to its past. Without those original ideas, we wouldn't have this film. No one would have had the guts to make this movie this day and age as an original idea. And honestly, if this film didn't already have an audience, it wouldn't have been made. It would have gotten a budget similar to Snowpiercer, and then the film wouldn't have been as effective as it is. Because nowadays in order to get $150 million to make a movie, you need some sort of franchise behind it--or the likes of a David Cameron or a Christopher Nolan. If Fury Road were an original concept, it would be groundbreaking and perhaps the most important action film of the last 20 years. But it turns out studios needed to see that it worked before signing off on this one.
But I'm glad that they did.
This time, Max (Tom Hardy) gets captured by a cult, led by Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), who uses his blood to help a sick warrior, Nux (Nicholas Hoult). Along the way, Max crosses paths with one of the cult's workers, Furiosa (Charlize Theron), who rebels against her leader by smuggling his five breeding wives out of the cult in attempts to get them to freedom.
Hardy's Max is slightly different than Mel Gibson's from the original trilogy. We are with Gibson's character from the very beginning of his transformation and see him progress. We don't see that with Hardy's. He is animalistic from the very beginning and frankly not as lovable. On the other hand, when Gibson's character would get into that mode, it wouldn't be as big of a shock since we know how he usually acts.
The humor in this one is a lot more prevalent. But it's not like your typical Avengers-like action movie humor with one-liners and clever quips--it's a lot more dark and subtle, which makes you appreciate it more.
This is the action film that I've been waiting for. I had been getting tired of the same old cliched action films of the last few years. With a couple of exceptions, they're all starting to blend together. But Fury Road is anything but cliche. And in addition to that, it has some of the best action sequences I've seen in a very long time. It doesn't rely on chance or right-place-right-time in order for the heroes to survive. It's unpredictable and consistently exciting.
While it's not absolutely necessary to watch the original films before watching this one, it's definitely worth checking them out first. Mad Max: Fury Road is the best movie of 2015 so far.
Twizard Rating: 100
The Drop is a really good movie, but what else can you expect if Tom Hardy's in it? It may be slow sometimes, and eventually you may find yourself asking for clarification, but the acting here helps encourage you to not want to look away. The depth of Hardy's character is ridiculous when you take the time to think about it. The pacing is consistent and tied together with the music creates a film that keeps your attention. You never quite know any character until the climax--then it all hits you like a ton of bricks. It's amazing. And it's impressive on a technical scale as well.
It never takes itself too seriously and Hardy is charismatic as ever. And while it doesn't break new ground as far as the crime-drama is concerned, it's perhaps one of the best servings from that genre that we've seen all year.
Twizard Rating: 97
