Summer of Superheroes

Summer 2012 featured a great deal of amazing movies but the most popular, without a doubt, were the films about the superheroes. So here's a brief review on all three.

Dark Knight Rises

My favourite movie of the summer and easily the year. I saw it (so far) three times in theatres. Why? Because it's just that good. The final movie takes place eight years after the second film so a lot has happened which are explained well. Wounds have barely scabbed over from the Joker's rein. But there are some new faces joining the older ones. As well as humor to defuse the tension when it becomes too dark. There is a beautiful balance between action & adventure, drama, angst, romance, humor and tragedy.

Nolan brings it back full circle as Batman has to face his fears, limitations and demons to overcome the huge obstacle that is threatening the destruction of Gotham. One of my favourite things about Nolan's films, is that there is a great amount of depth in the film. Whether it is plot or symbolism. There were many times were I felt, symbolically, Nolan was showing his audience his first film again. Spoiler Alert but for example, when Bruce was climbing up from the Pit, it reminded me of the him in the first movie trying to climb up from the well. Actually, the whole part of the film where Bruce was in the Pit, was almost a homage to the Batman Begin's well known quote: "Why do we fall, sir? So, we can learn to pick ourselves up." That's what Bruce shows us in the pit - never give up. End of Spoiler Alert. Unlike Spiderman 3, Nolan masterfully juggles with the multiple villains so that the audience never feels awkward.

But as much as I loved it, it could be easily disliked as well. For those who had extremely high expectations - it will not meet them. After the late Ledger's legendary performance as the Joker, it's hard to come even close. Also, many people will not like it simply because Nolan's ending is not the one they wanted.

One thing you should know though is that this is the last Batman movie in Nolan's series. If another Batman movie comes out, it will not have Nolan as director, Bale as Bruce/Batman or probably many of the other actors.

Avengers

The big blockbuster hit of the summer, directed by the famous Joss Wheldon. For those who don't know the name, you know of his creations: Buffy, Firefly, Angel and even Toy Story. Originally Jon Favreau (director of the first two Ironman movies) was supposed to direct but he chose to stay on as an executive producer. This movie has a little bit of everything! It has action & adventure, drama, romance, angst, tragedy and plenty of humor to keep the audiences engaged. It is entertain for everyone. It nicely balances the storyline of the four protagonists as well as the supporting characters without neglecting anyone. It is incredibly easy for the view to connect with any one of the heroes. Also, Joss Wheldon does an amazing job with dialogue as many characters have memorable lines without being cheesy.

Personally, I saw the film four times in theatres because there were many scenes that I loved. In particular, Hulk had many hilarious scenes that I died laughing.  The first time I watched it, my friend had to nudge me in the ribs to get me to stop cackling like a hyena. 

The only problem with this film is that if you haven't watched the other four series (Hulk, Ironman, Thor and Captain America) you are going to miss something because a lot of the same faces pop up in this movie.  Ideally, to watch this movie, the viewer has to be up to date on the other four series. Well, not so much Hulk, seeing as they changed the actor. Mark Ruffalo, by the way, does an amazing job as Bruce Banner (I think you found a winner Marvel)!

One other negative for this film is that it is currently the most mistake filled film of 2012. It's not that much but it is still more then any other film so far.

But it's still an amazing movie.

Amazing Spiderman

I had mixed feelings about this reboot. I loved the new actors, Emma and Andrew, but I was still sort of loyal to the older actors. I disliked strongly where Spiderman 3 left us and I did feel like they were screwing up what had great potential from the first film. But at the same time, I was wondering where's Mary Jane and who's Gwen Stacey in the new reboot? Ultimately, I decided to approach the film with an open mind.

I'm glad I did because they did an amazing job. Andrew Garfield's version of Spiderman was more easier to identify with then Tobey Maguire's saint-like approach. Andrew's Peter was multi-dimensional. Sometimes, he was angry, vulnerable and hurt and other times he is shy, friendly and funny. But overall he is a nice guy. But Andrew's approach allowed for the audience to accept it more when Peter wasn't always nice whereas I judged Tobey's Peter more harshly simply because he seemed more saintlike and naive.

Emma Stone also did a wonderful job as Gwen Stacey to the point where I was like 'Mary Jane who?' Plus, the chemistry between the two actors set the screen on fire. There were times where I blushed more at their flirting then I did at some other movie's explicit scene. I'm glad they became a real-life couple as well because they are very cute together.

This movie like the other two superhero films mentioned aboved, have the same genres; action & adventure, drama, angst, tragedy, romance and humor. This movie is also a very good compromise for a date.

Unlike the previous two films, Amazing Spiderman has a slower build to the climax because unlike Dark Knight Rises and Avengers, it is starting from the beginning so it needs screen time to set up everything.

Chances are you will either love the new reboot or hate it because you are that loyal to the Tobey's. But personally, it really does deserve to be called the AMAZING Spiderman.

'Tintin' Triumphs in Hearts

I have never read Tintin but watching this movie, I suddenly want to go buy the whole series and start reading.

From the beginning to end, you're on the edge of your seats. There were quite a few little plotlines that all tied together in the end. It was risky because it could have confused the audience but Steven Spielberg kept it easy to understand. Usually within a story, there is a certain amount of build up where the audience can learn about the characters and setting. However, there was no build up here but it wasn't awkwardly done. However, even as a person who has never read a Tintin book, Steven Spielberg managed to find a way to give plenty of details about Tintin and the other characters through the story. There was nothing awkward about it. It was a complete adventure.

One of the biggest helps in the story too was that there was plenty of humor throughout. With plenty of action and adventure, it might have worked against the audience. However, the humor brought a balance to the story. You'd be laughing even as you're biting your nails in anxiousness. It was a different humor then what is currently popular. Instead of being dark or perverse, it was what I like to call "Old humor". Similar to the "Three Stooges" but also consisted of close calls and funny catchphrases. The audience ate it up though because the theatre was alive with laughter.

One of the things I loved about Tintin was the technology used. The animation was amazing. It was the perfect combination of realism and abstract. Looking back on the movie, I am a hundred percent happy that they did not do the movie as a live action. Some of the sequences in movie could not be done in by using real people and they would have to SGI it which would have been ridiculous and the audience would have hated it. But I'm glad they did not do a full on comic version of the movie either. This is really the perfect balance of the two. While Europe has done many versions of Tintin, both comic and live action, Hollywood has not. This is their first dip into this particular comic and it is beautifully done. They've set the bar high.

Even the marketing plan for this movie is brillant. Usually once a movie is made in Hollywood, it would be released in North America first then Europe. But Tintin was playing for two months in Europe before being shown in America. Perhaps this is a nod to the European roots of Tintin or a brillant marketing scheme. I've heard that movies that do well in America are not always as popular in Europe. I'm not sure why this is, maybe it is due to the difference in societal values. But Tintin was a hit in Europe, only time will tell if it is the same here in North America.

Personally, I loved every moment of it. It brought out the inner child in everyone - adult and teen. The characters were lovable and apparently true to the comics. The actors that portrayed them did an amazing job of bringing them to life. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were hilarious as Thomson and Thompson. Jamie Bell was a brilliant Tintin. Andy Serkis was a hilarious Captain Haddock. Daniel Craig, played Red Rackham and Ivan Sakharine notoriously. Frankly, Snowy was the unsung hero in my eyes.

This is a movie worth seeing. Whether it is with your friends, family or even on a date - it's a good movie for all.

Stars: 4.5/5