7 minute read
Films Of The Summer- Part 2
FILMS OF THE SUMMER
PART 2
Words by Harry Moore
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
At long last, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman finally unite as their unkillable mutant personas while the remnants of 20th Century Fox are put out to pasture. Marvel’s multiverse folds in on itself once again for nonsensical superheroic purposes, forcing Deadpool (Reynolds) and Wolverine (Jackman) to work together to save their world from erasure.
It is an expectation that a Deadpool movie will come with an abundance of self-referential in-jokes about everything from comic book movie cliches, the machinations of movie studios and the tabloid gossip about the actors starring in the film, but here the meta-nature is pushed to breaking point as the winky jabs go beyond just being the character’s sense of humor to being key elements of the plot. With “Deadpool & Wolverine,” it isn’t just important to be caught up with the latest on-screen events in the Marvel universe, but it is just as crucial that you know the general ins and outs of Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in order to follow along with Deadpool’s quest to join the MCU. It is also necessary to remember long-forgotten characters from superhero fare of a bygone era as cameos are paraded across the screen as a kind of victory lap after years of irrelevance. Do you remember Jennifer Garner’s Elektra? Well, she’s back in nostalgia form. “Deadpool & Wolverine” isn’t so much “Inside Baseball” as it is “inside intellectual property portfolios,” in what ultimately resembles an action figure collection being smashed together.
A briefly fun exercise that is ultimately messy and needlessly chaotic. Directed by Hollywood journeyman Shawn Levy, “Deadpool & Wolverine” has little style or visual flair, often looking more like a commercial than cinematic.
What the film does have going for it is Hugh Jackman returning yet again to the role that may well go down as the definitive superhero portrayal. For over 20 years and 10 movies of wildly varying quality, Jackman’s turn as Wolverine has been a near-constant benchmark-setter through every phase of Hollywood’s love affair with spandex. It is a bit of a surprise to see Jackman wield the claws again after letting Wolverine ride off into the sunset in James Mangold’s “Logan,” but he steps back into the role with ease, offering both genuine pathos to the character and being the straight man foil to Reynolds’ chattering. Jackman’s Wolverine is the rare figure in fandom culture to have universal approval. Jackman can return to this character as many times as he wants, and it will always be a pleasure to see his work. Deadpool, on the other hand, appears to have run out of tricks, with what was once a kind of daring breath of fresh air into a genre that has seemingly been running on fumes indefinitely, is now tiring and rudderless. “Deadpool & Wolverine” is emblematic of a lot of Hollywood’s modern output, another entry to another endless franchise that is overly reverential toward past films that were never thought highly of to begin with.
ALIEN: ROMULUS
Horror director Fede Alvarez brings his dark and gory sensibility to the world of xenomorphs and face-huggers with “Alien: Romulus” which opens on a remote mining colony with a group of long-time friends believing they have found their ticket off of the rock through an abandoned space station nearby. Only they soon learn that there is a reason the station has been abandoned. The “Alien” franchise has traditionally been a series that is unafraid to take big swings with each of its entries since its first sequel where James Cameron blew up Ridley Scott’s space-set haunted house into an action extravaganza. Alvarez is a competent horror filmmaker, but he takes no such swings with “Romulus” and instead does what many modern sequels do and act with complete fealty to the original with what ultimately feels like the best-made and well-funded fan film you have ever seen. “Romulus” is successful in what it sets out to do; the creature effects and sets are unanimously strong, and the cast are all committed even if their characters are little more than fodder for the aliens to dispatch. But it’s just a little disheartening that the film never reaches out for something just a little more bold. As a monster movie “Alien: Romulus” is an enjoyable time with many tension-filled sequences and creative visuals but as an “Alien” movie, it leaves something to be desired.
TWISTERS
A crew of storm chasers drive into the heart of tornado country in this disaster movie sequel from Lee Isaac Chung. There is something very satisfying about the simplicity of Twisters. The film hardly reinvents the wheel, but it hits all the notes of a blockbuster disaster movie to perfection. Chung, director of the acclaimed drama “Minari,” shows great awareness of how to structure an event spectacle — from legibly portraying the twister-made destruction to shooting his actors so they look like big screen stars — it is an impeccable introduction to the big leagues for the ascendent director (it also brings a greater contrast to how poorly made “Deadpool & Wolverine” was). As for the cast, Daisy Edgar-Jones is charming and reliable enough to be the film’s protagonist, while actors like Anthony Ramos and our new Superman David Corenswet, among others, provide a lot of color in the supporting ensemble. But once again this summer, this is the Glen Powell show as the burgeoning movie star lights up the screen whenever he is on it and does a great job of imitating his former co-star and mentor Tom Cruise. “Twisters” feels less indebted directly to its ’90s predecessor than it does toward the general event films of that era, relying more on an engaging story, charismatic actors and showstopping effects than on lore and famous characters. “Twisters” succeeds more than it has any need to.
TRAP
The latest thriller from M. Night Shyamalan follows Cooper (Josh Hartnett), a father who is taking his teenage daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert by her favorite pop star, Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan). However, after seeing an excessive police presence, it is revealed that the concert is doubling as a sting operation to capture an elusive serial killer known as “The Butcher” who we soon learn is Cooper. Shyamalan’s film then plays out in real time as Cooper calculates his escape from the trap set before him without letting his daughter in on his dark secret. Shyamalan has had a unique career arc, arguably a victim of his own early success, he was heralded as the second coming of Spielberg after making a run of hits in his 20s with “The Sixth Sense” and “Signs.” But then came the fall with “The Happening” and “The Last Airbender,” and Shyamalan’s name became more synonymous with self-indulgent nonsense. But like many movies, Shyamalan’s career is a story told in three acts, as with his last few projects he has gone smaller with subversive thrillers like “Split” and “Old” and managed to reignite some of that spark that made him such an exciting talent over 20 years ago. “Trap” continues with this trend and might be the strongest entry of his newly-found groove. “Trap” plays like a cat-and-mouse thriller crossed with an escape room or a level from the Hitman game series as we see Cooper’s every move to try and evade his would-be captors. Shyamalan puts a lot of trust in his leading man who delivers a multi-faceted performance by believably balancing between being a dorky dad and a cold-blooded killer. Hartnett, who has also weathered a challenging career trajectory, demonstrates why he was once touted as a potential movie star with this strong turn that will likely put him back on casting agents’ shortlists. “Trap” is an inventive thriller that feels both classical in form and modern in setting, and signals an exciting new phase for both its star and director.
