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The Perfect Storm (2000)

30 Thursday Jan 2014

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The sea’s fed and fostered the brave men of Gloucester,
Who sail out to harvest its plenty,
But the ocean has claimed several thousand strong names
And has left many families empty.
 
They’re stories worth telling, both sad and compelling,
But there’s one that stands out as a tale.
Six seamen were drowned and their bodies not found
In the wreck of the Andrea Gail.
 
Ol’ Captain Bill Tyne is not like a fine wine,
Bringing in less and less as he ages.
All his friends say too much that he’s losing his touch,
And his crew isn’t keen on their wages.
 
So both Tyne and his men plan to set out again:
Bobby Shatford, whose girl tends to worry,
Murph and Sully are there, as is Alfred Pierre,
And, with Bugsy, they leave in a hurry.
 
Their efforts don’t fly, and their tensions run high,
As a shark, then an accident spooks them.
Sully saves Murphy’s life, though he stole Murphy’s wife.
When they want to turn back, Tyne rebukes them.
 
They almost leave the map for the famed Flemish Cap,
Where both swordfish and jeopardy flourish.
As their fortunes emerge, three storm systems converge
And on warm Gulf Stream waters are nourished.
 
The swordfish abound; the ice maker breaks down,
So they must make a choice now together:
Let the fruit of their toil just sit out and spoil
Or attempt to sail home through the weather.
 
Wishing no more to roam, they decide to head home,
And the hurricane soon crashes around them.
They drive through the night, and yet, try though they might,
By morning, the tempest has drowned them.
 
Their friends grieve together, will miss them forever,
Will honor their fruitless travail.
Their memory survives, though they all lost their lives
In the wreck of the Andrea Gail.
______________________
 

The Perfect Storm is a disaster film that, while not as cataclysmic as many other such movies, focuses on the main six lives that were lost when the Andrea Gail sank below the Atlantic. While these six men are all flawed, they seem genuine in their actions and relationships (though Bugsy’s appeal to that single mother is inexplicable), and the eulogy at the end is truly touching. However, The Perfect Storm, like Witness, also lovingly presents a way of life that seems foreign to outsiders like me. While I would not want to be part of that world of sailing and fishing, I can still admire the unsung heroes who work so hard to bring in fish that most of us take for granted.

It’s not a perfect disaster film, in part because it tries too hard to show the extent of the disaster. My poem makes no mention of the three-person crew of the Mistral or the Air National Guard helicopter that comes to rescue them. These scenes present how the storm affected more than just the Andrea Gail, but they also distract from the six people that are otherwise the center of the movie. The Coast Guard scenes drag on a bit too long, and I can’t help but feel that they were added just to make the film longer. This, plus the strong sexual innuendo and frequent language that are probably not as bad as on most sailing vessels, detracts from what is otherwise a film with great acting and special effects. It’s just a shame that those men lost their lives just trying to make a living.

P.S. Try reading the poem to the cadence of Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Best line: “I’ll be asleep, and all the sudden there he is, that big smile. You know that smile. And I say, ‘Hey, Bobby – where you been?’ but he won’t tell me. He just smiles and says, ‘Remember, Christina: I’ll always love you; I loved you the moment I saw you; I love you now; and I love you forever. There’s no goodbyes – there’s only love, Christina; only love.’ Then he’s gone. But he’s always happy when he goes so I know he’s got to be okay – absolutely okay.”

 
Artistry: 5
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 6
Visual Effects: 8
Originality: 5
Watchability: 5
Other (innuendo and language): -7
 
TOTAL: 29 out of 60
 

Tomorrow: #335 – 9 to 5

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

24 Friday Jan 2014

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Down in South America,
The new Bruce Banner stays.
The Hulk, a monster spawned by rage
And errant gamma rays,
He’s kept contained by staying calm
For over a hundred days.
 
He seeks a cure as Mr. Green
And chats with Mr. Blue,
An online pal who gives advice
On what he ought to do.
Bruce keeps his cool, until he bleeds
And bad events ensue.
 
Military adversaries,
Led by General Ross,
Are sent to apprehend poor Bruce,
But they are at a loss
When he transforms into the Hulk
And starts to grab and toss.
 
Though Bruce escapes and journeys north,
An Emil Blonsky eyed
The power of the mighty Hulk
That was concealed inside.
He wants that power for himself,
Which Ross tries to provide.
 
Bruce heads to where his girlfriend is,
A university,
And when he gets back to the states
He’s sorrowful to see
That Betty’s found another man,
Who knows psychiatry.
 
When Betty sees her Bruce, however,
She loves him once again.
Then Bruce becomes the Hulk once more
When trapped by Ross’s men.
He saves her life and takes her off
To find a rocky den.
 
When Hulk is gone and Bruce returns,
His lover aids his quest
To find a cure, and goes with him
To Mr. Blue’s address.
There Mr. Blue tries curing Bruce
And meets with some success.
 
But when Bruce sees that Mr. Blue
Desires Bruce’s power
For science, as Ross wants a weapon,
Things begin to sour.
Then Bruce is tranquilized and Blonsky
Comes to have his hour.
 
Blonsky forces Mr. Blue
To give him more mutation,
And, with the serum Ross infused,
Becomes an Abomination.
He then wreaks havoc in New York
And wants a confrontation.
 
By jumping out a plane, Bruce turns
Into the Hulk once more.
They beat each other to a pulp,
But Hulk wins with a roar.
Bruce then secludes himself again
To wait for Cap and Thor.
_________________
 

The Incredible Hulk is a reinvention, not a sequel, of Ang Lee’s 2003 version of the Marvel character Hulk. While the original film had some good points, this version is much more action-packed and makes more sense overall. With references to the comics and the old Hulk television show with Bill Bixby, The Incredible Hulk is certainly exciting, but less memorable than other Marvel movies.

The Hulk is the least interesting of the Avengers, in my opinion, whether because he talks the least or because his focus of brawn over brain does not appeal as much as other smarter heroes. The constant explosions get old after a while, especially in the big finale, and the scenes of Bruce being hunted, though thrilling, are reminiscent of the Bourne movies. Plus, the Hulk is obviously CGI throughout.

Still, it is the best Hulk movie out there so far. During this latest viewing, I noticed that Bruce Banner hardly talks at all in the first 40 minutes or so, instead conveying the plot through actions, typing, and mere looks (and turning into a giant green rage monster). This says something about Edward Norton’s skill as an actor, and, his laconic performance stands in “stark” contrast to Robert Downey, Jr.’s fast-talking charisma in Iron Man. Though I’m a fan of Mark Ruffalo’s taking over the character in The Avengers, it’s a shame that Norton didn’t get to play Banner again.

Best line: (Betty) “The subway is probably quickest.”  (Bruce) “Me in a metal tube, deep underground with hundreds of people in the most aggressive city in the world.”  (Betty) “Right. Let’s get a cab.” (which isn’t much better)

 
Artistry: 5
Characters/Actors: 6
Entertainment: 5
Visual Effects: 5
Originality: 3
Watchability: 4
 
TOTAL: 28 out of 60
 

Tomorrow: #341: Monsters vs. Aliens

© 2014 S. G. Liput

Inkheart (2008)

13 Monday Jan 2014

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Mo is a bookbinder, but that’s not all;
He’s also a Silvertongue, as I recall,
Which means a book’s characters don’t have a choice
But to leap off the page at the sound of his voice.
He’s traveled with Meggie, his daughter, for years
In search of a novel that always disappears.
In Europe, at last Mo discovers a copy
And quickly escapes in his rundown jalopy,
For Dustfinger’s found him, a man he once knew
Who’s followed him closely and wants the book too.
Both Meggie and Mo stay with Aunt Elinor,
A haughty old lady who owns books galore.
But Dustfinger brings bandits to the chalet,
Who take them all captive and haul them away
To Capricorn’s village, where Capricorn waits
To force Mo to use his gift inside his gates.
For Mo had read Capricorn, Basta, and Dust
Right out of Inkheart; thus, his voice he won’t trust
For when they came out, his wife Resa went in.
He’s sought the book since and just now found its twin.
Mo reads riches out of Arabian Nights,
As well as a boy named Farid, but Mo fights
When Capricorn burns Inkheart without remorse.
Dustfinger craves home, so he’s sad too, of course.
Dustfinger finds that Mo’s wife has been read
Already from Inkheart to serve Cap instead.
He helps all escape in the hopes that they’ll find
Inkheart with its author, leaving Resa behind.
They locate Fenoglio, thrilled his book’s come to life,
And leave Meggie there and go back for Mo’s wife.
Then Meggie is nabbed with Fenoglio, who
Discovers that she is a Silvertongue too.
After much capturing and escaping as well,
Capricorn has forced Meggie to read and raise hell
In the form of the Shadow, a monster he had,
To kill the old author, plus her mom and dad.
But by reading the writing she writes on her arm,
She keeps the huge Shadow from causing them harm.
Instead, it attacks Capricorn, for he’s sinned,
And both he and his men blow away in the wind.
At last, all is well, and they leave (though I’ll note
That Fenoglio entered the world that he wrote).
And Dust, who is more than the fruit of a pen,
Goes back to his world and his wife once again.
_________________
 

As a film, Inkheart is not the best fantasy adventure out there, but it’s quite entertaining and features some good performances. As an adaptation of a book, it takes quite a few liberties with the source material but, overall, seems much closer to the spirit and original appeal of the book than Eragon does.

First, the good things: Brendan Fraser is likable as Mo, and Eliza Hope Bennett is cute as Meggie, his daughter, though her English accent is confusing alongside Brendan Fraser’s lack of one. Both of them take a while to get into their roles, in my opinion, but the standout is Paul Bettany as Dustfinger, who brings his character’s pathos and moral struggle to life through mere looks. He, as well as Helen Mirren as Elinor and Jim Broadbent as Fenoglio, fit their roles like a glove and are evidence of good casting. The special effects aren’t bad, especially the impressive Shadow in the finale.

Now the bad: The ending of a movie can really hurt or help it. Sometimes it ruins what is otherwise a good film (Fried Green Tomatoes), while other times it merely detracts a bit (Howl’s Moving Castle). This is another example of the latter, but it does drive me crazy. The unrealistic finale tells me two things: (a) that Meggie is a prodigy who can somehow copy the writing style of a book she’s never read in no time, and (b) that her arm is extremely long. Also, the filmmakers set up so many potential elements for the sequel Inkspell, from Fenoglio’s comparing Mo to a blue jay to having basically the same open ending as the book. But then they tack on the scene where Mo sends Dustfinger back and completely demolish any hope for a second film. No bad guys escaping, no Orpheus, no Farid pining after Dustfinger. That last point is the most maddening; the film’s Farid saying “I can’t follow him” is soooooo out of character, I can hardly stand it. That being said, the final scene of Dustfinger running to meet his wife Roxanne after nine years apart is touching (especially for my VC) and almost makes up for the stupid line that preceded it.

Nevertheless, Inkheart has the same thrill Fenoglio feels in seeing beloved characters come to life, and, as a fan of film and books, I think combining the two is a brilliant idea.

Best line: (Meggie) “You’ve been to Persia, then?”  (Elinor) “Yes, a hundred times. Along with St. Petersburg, Paris, Middle Earth, distant planets, and Shangri-La.”

VC’s best line:  (Capricorn) “Why would we ever want to go back, when your world is so accommodating, with your telephones and your guns and … what’s that sticky stuff called?”  (Basta) “Duct tape.”  (Capricorn) “Yes, duct tape.  I love duct tape!”

 
Artistry: 4
Characters/Actors: 5
Entertainment: 6
Visual Effects: 6
Originality: 5
Watchability: 6
Other (poor ending): -5
 
TOTAL: 27 out of 60
 

Tomorrow – #352: Meet the Robinsons

© 2014 S. G. Liput

#360: Eragon (2006)

06 Monday Jan 2014

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In the land of Alagaesia (which you might have read about),
Noble Dragon Riders prospered till a traitor stamped them out.
Now this Galbatorix rules the kingdom with an iron fist,
While the Varden, freedom fighters, still have courage to resist.
 
A farmer lad named Eragon, while hunting, finds a stone,
Which turns out to be a dragon egg (whoever would have known?).
Their minds are linked by a single touch, which really rather hurt.
His dragon learns to fly and sprouts in one big growing spurt.
Saphira (that’s her name) takes Eragon upon her wing
And saves him when his farm’s attacked by Ra’zac from the king.
Then Brom, a storyteller, comes and spirits them away
And says the Varden need them now; besides, they cannot stay.
He trains the boy in fighting and in magic and in flight,
And they kill the dreaded Ra’zac in a thrilling forest fight.
But Eragon has visions of an elf who needs his aid,
So leaves to save this Arya from a strong and wicked Shade.
He finds her, yet his mentor Brom, who also was a Rider,
Is wounded, but Saphira comes, and they escape astride her.
When Brom is dead, and Arya needs some medical attention,
They find the Varden’s hideout (with a guy I didn’t mention).
The Varden greet the villain’s troops with arrow and with blade,
While Eragon and dragon too fight Durza (that’s the Shade).
They win, but both are badly hurt yet manage to survive,
And all sing songs about the two who’ve kept their hope alive.

________

Eragon was a divisive movie when it came out in 2006 because it wasn’t particularly well-received by critics or fans of the book, and, as a lover of the Inheritance cycle (pretty much everything except the end), I can see why. As a film adaptation, it moves as fast as it can through the source material, which is several hundred pages long, while glossing over the details that fans especially loved (no were-cat with Angela the fortune-teller, no romantic interest for Roran, no visit to Teirm or Dras-Leona). As a film by itself, it feels much too rushed, for the same reason mentioned above. So much happens in a short time that there’s little room for character development or anything that does not immediately add to the plot. Plus, the script is pretty poor, and, like Willow, the plot bears much resemblance to Star Wars.

All that being said, Eragon is not without its good points, which earn it inclusion on this list. The Hungarian scenery (as opposed to Peter Jackson’s New Zealand) is spectacular, and the special effects are fantastic, especially Saphira, the finest movie dragon till Smaug recently came on the scene. Although most of the cast is rather wasted with roles that should have been bigger (and were in the book), Jeremy Irons stands out as best embodying his character. His presence heightens every scene he’s in, making Brom’s death truly sad. Saphira’s carrying him aloft that he may die “as a Dragon Rider” was the one improvement over the book. Rachel Weisz’s lovely voice as Saphira also brings the dragon to life beautifully. Since the filmmakers obviously left some plot lines open, it’s a shame they never made the sequels into films.

My VC likes the film even more than I and would probably have it higher on her list.

Best line (not much good to choose from): “Better to ask forgiveness than permission.”

Artistry: 3
Characters/Actors: 3
Entertainment: 5
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 2
Watchability: 6
TOTAL: 26 out of 60

Tomorrow – #359: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (yes, that’s right)

© 2014 S. G. Liput

Willow (1988)

04 Saturday Jan 2014

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Willow Ufgood is a hobbit—I mean Nelwyn—in a land
Where tall people called Daikinis will dismiss them out of hand.
In this world of tricks and fantasy, a baby girl is born
Who is destined to dethrone old Queen Bavmorda. Thus she’s sworn
That this child with the mark upon its arm will not outlive her,
But the girl is saved and sent adrift upon a rushing river.
Willow’s family finds the baby, and they keep her fed and clean,
Till it’s clear that she’s a danger, being wanted by the queen.
It’s decided then that Willow, though he’s weak and rather teeny,
Must take the child out and give her to the right Daikini.
(Before he leaves, the village sage, who gave to him this mission,
Lets Willow know he has a chance to be a great magician.)
 
The first Daikini Willow meets makes him wish to start again,
For it’s a scoundrel in a cage who calls himself Madmartigan.
When no one else will listen to a peck (a Nelwyn slur),
Willow gives the girl to him because he says he’ll care for her.
A brownie steals the girl from Mad (it wasn’t very hard),
And captures Willow too and puts him under tiny guard.
But then a fairy frees him (she is floating, ghostly sorta)
And says he must protect the girl from evil Queen Bavmorda.
He takes Elora Danan (that’s the girl if you haven’t guessed)
And meets with ol’ Madmartigan, who can’t resist a quest.
With two rambunctious brownies, Willow finds one Fin Raziel,
A sorceress enchanted as a possum by a spell.
They’re captured then by Sorsha, who’s the daughter of the queen,
But escape once in the mountains in a quite exciting scene.
Madmartigan and Sorsha, thanks in part to magic dust,
Find they each might love the other, whom they once held in disgust.
In a thrilling castle battle, the adventure won’t relent,
As they fight trolls and a dragon Willow makes by accident.
In spite of Sorsha’s joining them, Elora is abducted
By a general who takes her to Bavmorda, as instructed.
 
Willow, Sorsha, and Madmartigan, Raziel, some soldiers too
Travel to Bavmorda’s castle to at least attempt rescue.
There they try to think of some way to get past the enemy line,
But Bavmorda laughs at everyone and turns them into swine.
But Willow, who protects himself, now finally succeeds
In transforming Fin Raziel back to the human form she needs.
She cuts the animal army’s sudden transformation short,
And the next day, by a skillful bluff, they storm the enemy fort.
Though Bavmorda tries to send Elora to the netherworld,
Willow, Sorsha, and Raziel come in to save the baby girl.
When Bavmorda seems victorious and only Willow stands,
He employs a trick to make Elora vanish from his hands.
Bavmorda then is livid and attempts to cast a spell,
When lightning strikes her magic wand and sends the queen to…hell?
 
Thus Willow is the hero, and Elora’s safe and sound,
And Sorsha and Madmartigan share in love newfound.
Willow’s honored by his village for his part in their land’s freeing
And his chance to be the sorcerer he’s always dreamed of being.
______
 

Willow is an action-adventure-romance-comedy-fantasy, combining a story by George Lucas with Ron Howard’s direction. Having seen it again, it probably deserves a higher place on the list because it’s a pretty good member of the fantasy genre. Yet for all its exciting scenes and groundbreaking (at the time) special effects, it’s also strangely forgettable.

It’s really a great movie, with a lovely James Horner score and some terrific action scenes, particularly the snow toboggan sequence, which may have inspired a similar scene in Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. And yet for all its apparent originality, it also feels rather derivative. Bavmorda’s campaign to kill a newborn monarch is reminiscent of King Herod in the Bible. Likewise, Elora’s being set adrift on the river recalls Moses in the basket. The banter about being heroes makes Willow and Meegosh sound like Sam and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, while their capture by brownies mirrors a similar scene in Gulliver’s Travels. The Lord of the Rings especially feels like an inspiration (a small person comes upon something of great worth and must go on a quest, proving that no one is too small to be a hero).

George Lucas’s involvement offers another point of comparison that is more and more obvious when you think about it. It’s Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings, with a little Harry Potter thrown in long before J. K. Rowling began her series. Willow is Luke Skywalker, with sorcery standing in for the Force; Bavmorda is the seemingly unconquerable emperor; Madmartigan is the skillful, roguish Han Solo; the brownies are the comic relief droids; Airk is the friend-at-arms Lando; Fin Raziel is the elderly sage Obi-wan Kenobi; the two-headed dragon looks a little like the space worm in Empire Strikes Back; Kael with his skull helmet is Darth Vader (I almost expected Kael to start wheezing); and Sorsha is the princess Leia, though her changing from bad to good is a notable difference. (I did think that her turning against her mother just for the sake of love was a bit forced. An explicit moment of her realizing Bavmorda’s villainy would have been welcome.)

All that being said, Willow is an impressive precursor to modern fantasy and a testing ground for morphing technology, which was perfected in The Abyss and Terminator 2. The scenery is spectacular, and the score is nice, though not as memorable as others. The babies playing Elora Danan have adorable and very expressive faces that make for some hilarious looks. The brownies are both annoying and funny at once, offering cute characters for children, but the dragon’s head exploding makes Willow not quite kiddie fare. Still, as a fan of fantasy, I had to put it on the list.

Best line (from the brownies, of course): “Your mother was a lizard!”

Artistry: 4
Characters/Actors: 4
Entertainment: 6
Visual Effects: 4
Originality: 2
Watchability: 6
 
TOTAL: 26 out of 60
 

Tomorrow – #361: Megamind

© 2014 S. G. Liput

Thor (2011)

01 Wednesday Jan 2014

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Now Thor is a movie about a Norse god,
Who wields a big hammer and has a nice bod.
He’s foolish and arrogant, fearless and buff,
Heroic and such, and he knows that he’s tough.
He’s about to be crowned by his dad, but alas
Some Frost Giants steal an antique from the past.
It’s taken away from their frostbitten mitts
When a robot Destroyer thing blows them to bits.
Thor is outraged, but Odin stays cool,
Reminding his son that Thor does not yet rule.
 
When Thor rashly decides to assault the Frosts back,
He fights hard but soon he regrets the attack.
For the Frost Giant king says war’s now a fact
Because of Thor’s foolish and arrogant act.
Once back in Asgard, Odin disciplines Thor
By taking his power away, and what’s more,
He casts his son out where few people dare go,
A far distant land called New Mexico.
That’s when Thor is hit by one Jane Foster’s van.
He’s fine but confused; he is now just a man.
Jane takes the god in; she likes him (wonder why)
And can’t seem to give him a final goodbye.
She helps him to find his lost hammer Mjolnir,
Which SHIELD is researching for reasons unclear,
So he fights through their agents with never a fear.
He’s there within reach, strong in body and will,
And yet he can’t lift it; he’s not worthy still.
 
Meanwhile, Thor’s brother Loki comes to find
That he’s a Frost Giant, to whom Dad had been kind.
Through several Shakespearean lies and deceit,
He becomes Asgard’s king and plots Thor’s defeat.
He sends the Destroyer to kill his old brother
And tries to wipe out the Frosts, to please Father.
By off’ring himself for the humans, great Thor
Becomes worthier than he ever was before.
The hammer responds, and his power’s restored,
And he beats the Destroyer with hammer, not sword.
 
Then back to Asgard to fight Loki he goes,
Defending the Giants that once were his foes.
In stopping ol’ Loki, despite its great worth,
Thor smashes his only way back down to Earth.
Once Loki falls into some wormhole of sorts
And Thor’s back in honor in Asgard’s high courts,
He misses poor Jane, who seeks (not in vain)
For a way she and he can be together again.
_____________
 
Review:

All right, so the list begins with Thor, the cinematic version of Marvel’s version of the mythological Norse figure. Just because Thor is at the bottom of the list, don’t think that that means it’s not good. It is a decent superhero movie with outstanding production values and a good moral besides. But something is missing.

I’ll start by going over the main criteria for the list, what I call the ACEVOW system with a 1 to 10 scale, 1 being really poor and 10 being perfect.

The A is for Artistry, which Thor can certainly claim to some extent. Being directed by Kenneth Branagh, it has a notable Shakespearean feel mixed with the comic book references. The complexity of Loki’s plan to kill a whole race to measure up to his brother in the eyes of his father sounds like something out of Shakespeare’s unfinished works. Some scenes could have taken place on a stage; others are carefully arranged for the screen, such as a simple scene of a man’s face poking through a doorway, his face reflected in the mirror right next to him.

The C is for Characters/Actors. This is the main stumbling block for Thor. Thor himself is not nearly as interesting a character as Tony Stark or Steve Rogers, and those with whom he comes in contact are even less so. Love interest Jane Foster, her colleagues Erik Selvig and Darcy, and Thor’s four comrades-in-arms are sadly forgettable stock characters with some good lines and little else. On the other hand, Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Anthony Hopkins as Odin lend some serious acting chops to roles that could have fallen flat with lesser actors.

E is for Entertainment. Thor is highly entertaining, though rather slow in parts, even when the visual effects are at their finest. With so much mythology involved—the Bifrost, the Odinsleep, the Frost Giants, the Nine Realms connected by the branches of the cosmic tree Yggdrasil—it can easily become overwhelming to those not familiar with the source material. That being said, the writers did a pretty good job emphasizing the important elements and letting the rest just fade into the background to be taken for granted.

The V is Visual Effects, which Thor certainly does well. Between the epic battle scenes and mythological landscapes, the effects artists did a right decent job, though they’re not the best I’ve seen. Also, the costume designs were awful. I know much of it was inspired by the comics, but Loki’s horned helmet just looked stupid.

Originality is the O, which does not come into play that much, since this is an adaptation of a comic book. But I will say that the part with Thor sacrificing himself and “dying,” while noble, was completely predictable since we all knew he’d get his hammer and beat the bad guy and come back for The Avengers. That last point even removes some of the pathos of being separated from his beloved what’s-her-name at the end.

Lastly, the W is for Watchability, particularly for repeated viewings. I will say that I enjoyed Thor more this time than the first time I saw it, but, despite its sweeping vistas and great hammer strokes, it feels somehow small, like a film that doesn’t add much to the Marvel universe except another hero and a bunch of mythology that few really care about. Still, it’s enjoyable enough and does provide a good lesson: warning against arrogance and extolling sacrifice.

My VC agreed about the costumes and said the best reason to watch was Hemsworth’s abs and pecs. Women!

Best line: Thor calling Agent Coulson, “Son of Coul.” Hilarious!

Artistry – 5
Characters/Actors – 3
Entertainment – 5
Visual Effects – 6
Originality – 2
Watchability – 4
TOTAL:  25 out of 60
 

Tomorrow — #364: The Devil Wears Prada

© 2014 S. G. Liput