Ender’s Game may be based on the influential 1985 science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card, but the film adaptation – finally coming to fruition nearly 30 years after its publication – sadly lacks the same kind of impact as the source material. But then again, let’s take this from the top.
The film – written and directed by Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) – takes place in a future world where Earth’s military forces rely on exceptionally gifted children to protect them from the looming threat of the Formics, an insect-like alien race that once invaded the planet. Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and his team take particular interest in one young boy – conveniently named Ender (Asa Butterfield) – whom they believe can end (get it?) this ongoing conflict once and for all, becoming humanity’s greatest hero in the process. That basic premise begins with Ender’s recruitment by Graff and follows his ascent to command, all while Ender himself doubts his own ability to lead as well as the true intentions of his various authority figures. Continue reading Review: ‘Ender’s Game’→
Now that the autumn leaves have officially fallen, it’s the perfect time to reflect on this summer’s movie season. This year’s crop of blockbuster releases (or wanna-be blockbusters – looking at you, The Lone Ranger) feels like a mixed bag of quality. Some films proved themselves worthy of the hype (This Is the End, Star Trek Into Darkness) while others were more lackluster affairs that failed to match the significant pre-release buzz (World War Z, Elysium). Still, few films managed to capture the essence of what made summer films so popular to begin with.
The birth of the crowd-pleasing, popcorn-munching summer film arguably took place in May 1977 with a little film called Star Wars (though a case could be made for Jaws, which predates it by two years). George Lucas’ space opera took audiences by surprise, transporting them to a world they’ve never seen and providing what still stands as one of the most unabashedly fun films of all time. The Avengers unquestionably owned that title last year, and while Man of Steel may perhaps be my personal favorite Hollywood blockbuster of the season, no film released in summer 2013 embodies that sense of escapist entertainment as well as Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. Here’s why. Continue reading Why ‘Pacific Rim’ Was the Event Film of Summer 2013 (Sorry, ‘Man of Steel’)→
The twin apexes of the superhero genre are undeniably Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. While the former proved that a film about a costumed hero can truly be art, the latter broke the mold for how comic books can be brought to life, converging several franchises into one blockbuster event. However, one great distinction needs to be made about both films: they’re rated PG-13.
Even while some of Nolan’s trilogy strays close to extreme violence, the truth is that R-rated superhero films have yet to establish themselves as reliable box office draws. The mediocre box office performance of films like Dredd and Watchmen underscore an apparent hesitation from audiences to embrace R-rated superheroes. So the fact that Kick-Ass 2 even exists at all is a bit of an anomaly. Continue reading Review: ‘Kick-Ass 2’→
