Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) movie review

Overall verdict: 7/10

The Good:  Awesome special effects, likeable human characters, "feel good" story, relatable themes, easy to follow narrative.

The Bad: cartoony battles, cheesy dialogue, cliched plot, reuses many elements from previous movie, 

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Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla is the fourth Godzilla film in the “millenium era” that started with Godzilla 2000. It is the second Godzilla movie by director Masaaki Tezuka, after his previous (and relatively unimpressive) GODZILLA X MEGAGUIRUS, and this entry retreads a lot of ground covered by that movie. So much that it’s plot could be considered a remake of GXMegaguirus only with Mechagodzilla.
After the first Godzilla that attacked japan in 1954, there have been attacks by other giant monsters prompting the formation of the Anti Megalosaurus Force (AMF), an elite tactical unit given sci fi technology and tasked with fending off such attacks. A failed sortie against a new Godzilla in 1999 had prompted Japan To use the bones of the previous Godzilla to create Kiryu, a titanic robot in the form of Godzilla: a Mechagodzilla. 

Equipped with missiles, beam weapons and the dangerous “absolute zero” freeze cannon, Kiryu is a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately their first battle awakens the memories of the Godzilla whose remains form a part of Kiryu and the giant robot causes just as much damage as the monster it was designed to stop. While awaiting the next attack, the AMF scrambles to ensure Kiryu is able to remain in control.
It’s similarity to GXMegaguirus comes in not just the setup of a deadly uncontrollable new weapon that leads to more trouble than it is worth, but also the characters. The 2 main characters are Akane Yashiro, a soldier and survivor of the failed 1999 sortie racked with guilt and vowing revenge against Godzilla, and Tokumitsu Yuhara, an optimistic jokey scientist who helped with the creation of Kiryu. 

Both of them are rehashed from the characters in GXMegaguirus Kiriko Tsujimori and Hajime Kudo, complete with the scientist trying to get friendly with the cold and distant soldier. Fortunately, the character development here is more gradual and the characters themselves more likable than Director Tezuka’s prior efforts. 

The addition of Tokumitsu’s daughter and her bond within Akane gives the soldier an emotional anchor to slowly warm up to. Akane’s character arc of at first being looked down upon by fellow teammates but slowly winning over their respect to be treated as an equal mirrors a very real challenge women in male dominant professions continue to face.
The overall tale is much more focused on the human characters with a very pro-humanist slant. Godzilla himself is devoid of personality, reduced to merely being “generic threat to humanity”, an obstacle that a country can overcome through unity, dedication and ingenuity. 

It is decidedly more in the “feel good” category as compared to the more nihilistic GODZILLA, MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL OUT ATTACK. Depending on one’s taste, this could be seen as an improvement over something that was too dark or as a step backward into more idealistic “happy and kid friendly” territory.
A more objective improvement is in the special effects. Miniatures of the buildings, vehicles and city are breathtakingly detailed. Green screen effects are also more polished than what came before. 

However with detail comes a trade off, and that can be seen in the monsters themselves. The well crafted giant monsters move very stiffly; melee fights consists of awkward flailing or pushing or hugging each other while pyrotechnics go off behind them. 

Director Tezuka tried to get around these limitations by enhancing the footage with CGI and filming in a certain style involving over the top feats. This all only adds to the often cartoony feel of the battles like one scene when Mechagodzilla flies at full speed to tackle Godzilla away. Mechagodzilla comes to a complete stop upon hitting Godzilla and just stands there while Godzilla is sent careening into the distance. It is like something out of Looney Tunes!
Like Kiryu of the story, GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA is not without some kinks. For all it’s good special effects, characters and themes, you have the cartoony battles, the often over the top acting, and the cliche ridden story that we have seen twice already. 

For me, I found it very entertaining despite its shortcomings. It is a competent movie and while I did prefer something darker, I do appreciate the entertainment value of this one.


***********Review***********

Entertainment: A

Story: C+
Acting: B-

Characters: A

Music: C+

Replay value: B-

"Brains": C+

Dark Phoenix (2019) movie review

Overall verdict: 6/10

A decent though disappointing sendoff for the First Class

The Good: A more personal portrayal of the phoenix force manifestation, great acting, decent action, excellent music, good closure for the "First Class" cast

The Bad: bland directing, lacks narrative focus, lacks thematic depth, inconsistent execution of story, cannot decide if it should be a character driven drama or a team based action spectacle.

***********Review***********

DARK PHOENIX ends the Fox Studio’s X-MEN franchise with a train wreck. No this is not a critique of the movie's quality. An actual train wreck is the centerpiece for its climax. I for one did not find this movie to be the "train wreck" so many claim it to be. But it does have its issues.  In DARK PHOENIX, set 10 years after the events of X-MEN APOCALYPSE, Professor Xavier has marketed the X-men as publicly visible superheroes. On a mission to save a space shuttle, one of the X-men, telekinetic Jean Grey, merged with a mysterious cosmic entity. She becomes erratic, unsure of herself, impulsive; qualities shared by this movie as a whole.

This movie is unsure of itself. It seems unable to decide what it wants to be. The overall tone is befitting of a smaller, character driven piece centering either on Jean’s slow descent into madness grappling with her new abilities, or Charles Xavier’s pride before the fall where some of the questionable actions he did in the past have come back to bite him. I appreciated this serious darker tone very much. 

Another aspect i loved was the portrayal of Jean and the phoenix, contrasting with how they were portrayed in X-MEN 3: THE LAST STAND. In X-Men 3, the phoenix was this sort of hollywood split personality; a completely different side of Jean that she has no control over and is unaware of until it is too late and the personality of the old calm Jean is completely subsumed by the more violent, vengeful phoenix personality. 

In DARK PHOENIX, Jean is completely aware of what the phoenix force does. There is no split personality, no excuse for any of the horrors it unleashes. All of it is Jean, whether it be due to losing control, or just lashing out in anger. We see how the power tempts her and how she slowly gives in to the temptation. 

The performances by the cast are great, particularly Sophie Turner as Jean, and James McAvoy as Xavier. Every cast member brings their utmost professionalism to their role, imbuing the dialogue and interplay with heightened emotion and gravitas. Sadly, the performances seem wasted thanks to the erratic focus of the movie. In giving more focus to the overall x-team and even a mid movie reintroduction of Michael Fassbender’s Magneto, DARK PHOENIX instead tries to market itself as this big team based action spectacle instead of a character focused piece. Which wouldn’t be so bad if it also didn’t fall short in that aspect.

After past movies with big action set pieces, a pitched naval battle, killer sentinels in the future, and worldwide destruction, DARK PHOENIX movies too slowly for an action movie and only delivers two bland action set pieces; one on an uptown New York street, and another on a moving train. And even with the latter, most of the fighting takes place in the train itself.

Contributing to its blandness is Simon Kinberg’s inexperience with directing such a movie. His camera angles, how he sets up action and even how he films a dialogue seems so cookie cutter like someone ticking off a checklist. If it weren’t for the polished cinematography and special effects, the way DARK PHOENIX is shot reminds me of a tv show. Conversation? Cut back and forth from each character’s close ups. A fight? Jostle the camera a bit to make it seem more intense. There is hardly any creativity or distinct style at play in how the movie is shot. Hans Zimmer’s musical score does a commendable attempt to elevate the movie but his energetic synth and orchestral blend can only do so much.

This movie, in a word, is just “serviceable”. It has too little of emotional depth and intensity to be something like LOGAN, and at the same time it had too little visual and action spectacle to be a big ensemble blockbuster like X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. It does give some closure to the character arc of Charles Xavier, so if you are fan of James McAvoy’s portrayal since X-MEN FIRST CLASS, as I am, then this was a satisfactory sendoff. Other than that, while this is better than the previous live action portrayal of the Dark Phoenix story, it is only a middling entry at best in the 19 year old franchise

***********Review***********

Entertainment: B+

Story: C-

Acting: B

Characters: B

Music: C

Replay value: B+

"Brains": C-

Hellboy (2019) movie review

Overall verdict: 7/10

The "heavy metal remix" version of Hellboy.

The Good: awesome action, dark humour, witty dialogue, new fresh take on the character, features many rarely seem creatures from english folklore

The Bad: seemingly fragmented narrative, many flashbacks break flow of story, little development of main character, 

***********Review***********

Hellboy does not deserve its negative reviews. It is a competently made, thoroughly enjoyable adaptation of Mike Mignola’s “Hellboy: The Wild Hunt” “Darkness Calls” and “The Storm and the Fury” comic stories. It is a briskly paced film, with a tone that combines CONSTANTINE with DEADPOOL.

David Harbour portrays an angrier more quick tempered Hellboy which he describes as being more adolescent compared to Ron Perlman’s previous version. Not necessarily darker, but less at ease with himself, more rebellious, and swapping out Perlman’s more laid back attitude with a more tight wound angsty one. His performance and make up are fantastic, looking much more natural than the previous portrayal and less cheesy.

Our story starts with Hellboy in Mexico on a mission to retrieve a rogue agent. He ultimately fails but receives a dire warning which brings him to Britain. There he runs into Guargach, this fearsome boar man, who is working for the blood queen Nimue. But before he embarks on his quest to slay Nimue, requiring him to dig deep into ancient legends of King Arthur, he has to contend with The Osiris Club who are a posh uppity society who hunts giants on what they call “The Wild Hunt”. A twist of fate brings Hellboy together with Alice Monoghan, a british girl with a supernatural gift who he saved when she was still a baby. Saved her from Guargach, for that matter. Her story is fleshed out in flashbacks. Then there is the UK arm of the BPRD organisation, and the abrasive agent Daimio, whom Hellboy is forced to work with.

Already this narrative may seem fragmented, despite slowly coming together by the end. It feels like separate stories that detract from the main plot of the blood queen. However I will posit a counter argument and say it replicated the feel of reading the comic more so than any of the previous movies. Each story is like a monthly single issue. Unfortunately, unless you can appreciate this aspect, the comic style of storytelling might not be to the majority’s preference.

Thanks to the brisk pace of the movie there is little room for character development of Hellboy himself. It fleshes out its side characters through flashbacks, we see Hellboy’s origin in a flashback, Nimue and Guargach origin in a flashback. So many flashbacks that it takes time away from our main character. At times it seems he gets no development at all and is just a player put in different situations to see how he would react. The climax of this movie where a Hellboy realises his true power should have been an emotionally powerful turning point but ultimately feels too similar to the climax of the previous HELLBOY movie with less of the emotional impact.

It is not my typical style to compare a new movie with a previous incarnation featuring the same character, but HELLBOY replicates one too many story beats from Guillermo Del Toro’s 2004 HELLBOY movie. An ancient enemy resurfaces intent on unleashing Hellboy’s full power and turning him against humanity. Meanwhile, Hellboy is dealing with his personal problems, gets sent on a disastrous mission, and gets saddled with new teammates that he would rather not have. He gets separated from his adoptive father Professor Bruttenholm at one point thanks to his own emotional falling out with his father. At the climax Hellboy’s full power is unleashed and he makes a choice to not give in to his demonic nature and defeats the big bad. These plot points apply to both Hellboy movies! That is how similar they are.

Where this movie falls short in character and emotional impact, it makes up for it with some great action. The CGI is decent considering the movie's modest budget, but the action is a real thrill to follow; clearly shot and well paced. There is a lot more superhuman feats of strength compared to the movies that came before in which the action tended to be more grounded in reality. Fight scenes are intense when they have to be, and epic where it fits. The humour too falls into black comedy most of the time and it is genuinely funny. The witty dialogue adds to the energy of the script and does not feel forced. My favourite aspect is definitely the make up and prosthetics on Hellboy himself. It looks real, raw and never once feels like a man painted red with stuff stuck all over him. It looks amazing. 

So is this the worst movie of 2019? Hardly. HELLBOY 2019 is a solid action movie replicating the experience of reading a comic book, almost to a fault. Splitting a movie like issues of a comic book might not work for everyone. Although director Neil Marshall revels in showcasing UK landscapes, london and old english folklore, there does seem to be an overall lack of the same passion the director brought to previous movies like DOOMSDAY and THE DECENT. It looks great, sounds great and is thoroughly entertaining but it does feel superficial in thematic or emotional depth. Like the soundtrack by Benjamin Wallfisch, this Hellboy is to the previous Hellboy movies what heavy metal is to classic rock music. 

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Entertainment: A-

Story: B-

Acting: B+

Characters: B-

Music: B-

Replay value: B+

"Brains": D-

Death Note (2017) movie review

Overall verdict: 6.5/10

Like Donnie Darko Meets Final Destination

The Good: Decent acting, beautiful cinematography, relatable main character, well paced first half, fitting music, genuinely suspenseful, L

The Bad: rushed third act, unable to shake off the more outrageous elements of the original manga, goes off on a tangent that seems unrelated to main plot

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DEATHNOTE, the popular manga series gets its obligatory Hollywood remake. While taking liberties with the source material, it works less like a faithful adaptation and more like a alternate universe scenario of “what if a book that is able to exert supernatural control over anyone whose name is written in it, leading up to their deaths, ends up with a typical American teenager?”.

Light Turner is that teenager. He is the bullied loner from a broken family, the under appreciated smart kid sitting by himself in the corner. The law has failed to bring his mother’s killer to justice, the education system has failed to punish those that pick on him daily, all around him Light is faced with a world of injustice. Enter the death god Ryuk (an immaculately rendered CGI creation with performance by William Defoe) and the titular Deathnote. Ryuk is the devil on Light’s shoulder tempting him to use the power of the Deathnote for selfish means.

It sets up a familiar tragedy of a young person pushed to the edge by unfairness, given the power to change things, and who ultimately abuses said power to take his anger out on the world. This is the familiar stereotype of school shooting perpetrators as sensationalized by the media and Light is set up specifically as such a character. The performances by Nat Wolff (Paper Towns) as Light and Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire) as his father help sell Light’s plight and set up his expected eventual fall.

However, director Adam Wingard tastefully plays with and eventually subverts this expectation. Though Light does test out the deathnote’s power against the aforementioned bully, and uses it again to send his mother’s murderer to a nasty gruesome end, he ultimately tries to reject Ryuk’s temptation of absolute power over others’ fates. It isn’t the idealistic “with great power comes great responsibility” shtick of superhero comic books but neither is it the nihilistic trope of absolute power’s corrupting influence. This middle ground makes Light more relatable and is a much appreciated deviation from the source material. Where Light Yagami of the manga and the Japanese Deathnote movie was this cold, haughty sociopath with a god complex, Turner, in all his social awkwardness, genuinely regrets his decisions to use the Deathnote, with much of the movie being about him trying to avoid being found out, making the wrong choices as any teen in a panic would, and ultimately escalating the situation by mistake.

But things aren’t so straightforward. Into Light’s life comes manipulative girlfriend Mia Sutton who’s ambitions for the Deathnote extend beyond just simple payback. Under Mia’s influence, Light starts killing any suspected criminal based on the news. They create the persona of “Kira”, Japanese mispronunciation of “killer”, to divert police suspicion. Kira’s supernatural killing of criminals splits the world; while unlawful many support what they see as justice in an unjust world. Complicating the matter further is when Light’s policeman father gets involved in the investigations into the killings, and a mysterious super genius detective named L takes on the case.

Now this second half when L comes along is where things get shaky. I get the sense that on one hand we have this deeply personal look at the birth of a sociopath and subsequent subversion of said villain’s journey by focusing on Light himself, yet on the other hand we are tied down to the plot beats of the original manga. That means a Kira cult, a convoluted cat and mouse game between L and Light, new rules for the Deathnote, memory loss as a means to be absolved from all suspicions, etc. The generally over the top nature of the original manga just does not match the more grounded “Everyman” tale in the movie.

While Light’s dilemma of trying to shake off Mia’s manipulations, evade capture, and plan an outrageous series of events to get away scot free is thrilling and tightly plotted, the movie takes a weird tangent to explore L’s origin. L, played by Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out), is amazing. His demeanor, body language, everything is right out of the original manga. How he slowly loses it after being outsmarted time and again by Light is also well done. But the whole tangent storyline to explore his origin may have been better left to a spinoff.

One thing that got lost in the translation was that the original source material brings up philosophical and moral dilemmas, questioning the rights and wrongs of its characters’ actions, this movie focuses squarely on Light and his own struggles with the escalating situation he finds himself in. This makes the movie less deep than its Japanese counterparts.

Despite its ups and downs, I enjoyed DEATH NOTE. Like a combination of Donnie Darko and Final Destination, DEATH NOTE is suitably suspenseful, well cast, and boasts great shots courtesy of Adam Wingard making this low budget movie look much better than it ought to. Combined with the music and the cinematography, this is a loving tribute to 80s and early 90s teen horror movies with both the pros and the cons of what that entails.

***********Review***********

Entertainment: B+

Story: B-

Acting: B+

Characters: B+

Music: B-

Replay value: B+

"Brains": C-

Shin Godzilla (2016) movie review

Overall verdict: 8.5/10

The one where Godzilla returns to his roots as an unstoppable force of nature set against scathing sociopolitical commentary

The Good: naturalistic cinematography, explores sociopolitical themes, well written satire, top notch acting, decent special effects for its budget

The Bad: some questionable camerawork and framing, inconsistent effects in scenes of destruction, jerky movements of CGI creature

***********Review*********** 

Japan is back in the game with their very own new Godzilla movie SHIN GOJIRA. Where Hollywood revived Godzilla as a tribute to his more heroic role in the late-showa era “versus” movies and the Heisei era, Toho Japan has gone back to the roots of the 1954 original Gojira and crafted a modern thriller about the horrors of mankind’s misdeeds, the inaction of a government embroiled in bureaucracy and the impotence of a military in the face of this fiercer, meaner, force of nature Godzilla. .

SHIN GODZILLA is likely the first Godzilla movie to focus squarely on the political scene within the government when a giant monster attacks. Past movies have always involved Scientists, soldiers, or civilians focusing on the chaos on the ground. This movies looks into the chaos at the top as we follow young civil servant Yaguchi, deputy chief cabinet secretary (the first in a long list of designations to come). 

A regular day in the government is interrupted by the collapse of the Tokyo bay aqua line tunnel and mysterious attacks off the coast of Japan. While the aged officials hold fruitless meeting after meeting in an obvious parody of real life bureaucratic process, Yaguchi theorists that the disasters are caused by a living creature. 

No sooner is his theory shot down than an enormous tail rises out of the water. As the government scrambles but always falling a step behind the escalating disaster, Yaguchi forms a task force of unorthodox civilian experts to figure out how to stop this creature. 

As the government's tried and tested efforts become increasingly futile, USA sends a special envoy Kayako Ann Patterson with the promise of military aid and insider knowledge to this mysterious creature dubbed "Godzilla". 

The creature is growing, mutating, and taking on increasingly dangerous characteristics. Yaguchi's team is forced to think outside the box for a new way to halt its rampage before the UN deploys nuclear weapons on Japanese soil.

Contrary to the trailers, this is not the dark depressing disaster movie that was promised. Instead we are treated to one of the smartest and most biting social and political satires in modern cinema. Right in the crosshairs is the inefficient bureaucratic processes of the government and their obsession with trivial minutia which results in a complete mishandling of the crisis posed by the constantly evolving Godzilla. 

The satire comes in the fact that the film does not overly dramatize anything; what you see is as close to reality as one can get in an old fashion parliamentary government like Japan's. Each ministry out for itself, passing the buck wherever possible, defending only their own interests. Standard procedures take precedence over unconventional methods. 

Scenes of the prime minister making an announcement of Godzilla not being able to come ashore, intercut with the revelation that not only has the creature made landfall but has started trashing the town, hearkened back to the perceived mishandling of past real life disasters in Japan.

Yet the message underlying this movie is not a strict criticism of the government but an affirming call to action aimed at a new generation of leaders to unite a nation. Where the traditional methods fail, innovation and initiative will be the true weapons of the future. Yaguchi and his team represent this perfectly; outcasts from their respective fields because of their unconventional ideas. 

Their tenacity in the face of hopeless defeat soon inspires fellow citizens from all walks of life, engineers, mechanics, construction workers and other blue collar roles typically overlooked by a status obsessed people, to come together and stand against a God incarnate.

The titular monster is unlike any incarnation ever seen. It's keloid looking skin, seemingly torn in places, gives the impression of pure suffering. Yet his inhuman all staring eyes betray a being devoid of soul. It is as it was back in 1954; a soulless unstoppable force birthed from mankind's sins. The military is powerless, though not for a lack of trying. 

Where previous Godzilla movies have shown the military in a less than flattering light (cowardly, incompetent, or unable to hit such a massive creature), SHIN GODZILLA shows a military force truly giving their all, only hampered by slow indecision from the top.

The special effects used to bring this colossus to life is arguably good. No where near Hollywood blockbusters but amazing once you consider the comparatively tiny budget Toho had to work with. The naturalistic direction an camerawork courtesy of Evangelion creator Hideki Anno and his crew give the movie an almost "documentary" type feel. 

It is devoid of filters, using very natural looking lighting wherever possible, which enhances the realism of the events taking place. Though the cuts can be a bit distracting at times, alternating between rapid fire jump cuts to scenes that look as if Anno left his camera running and forgot about it. Equally distracting is some of CGI compositing on Godzilla and some of his movements which end up more jerky than a puppet's. These are just minor faults though and only an issue to the more OCD of viewers. 

Perhaps the only thing it does lack is the element of human drama. It is unafraid to show the horrible consequences of a monster’s rampage through a macro view of a country's key decision makers but in doing so it does not leave opportunity to get the audience invested in any particular character. 

More than just a monster movie, SHIN GODZILLA is a smart political thriller that satirizes an inflexible system. Those expecting a brainless action blockbuster will no doubt be disappointed. But as long as one is willing to turn in the brain and appreciate this movie for the deeper more complex themes it tries to tackle, you will find a refreshingly novel giant monster movie which the industry definitely needs.

***********Review***********

Entertainment: A-

Story: A-

Acting: A

Characters: A-

Music: B-

Replay value: B+

"Brains": A-