Mission: Furious-ly Impossible

Last April Captain America: The Winter Soldier opened, thus ushering in a new era where the start of the summer blockbuster season has moved from May to April.  This weekend, the seven film in the Fast & Furious franchise, Furious 7, raced into theaters.  I had not seen an F&F film in the theater since the first film because I hadn't been impressed with most of the other six films.  I thought the second and third were horrible but, like Harry Potter, the fourth film sucked me back in.  Of course I walked into Furious 7 knowing it was going to be filled with even more unbelievable action and stunts we'd come to expect from Fast & Furious.  But those stunts have never been more un-believable than this.

In this installment of the franchise Vin Diesel and his crew are back and are being hunted by an old enemy's brother, played by Jason Statham, who is looking for revenge.  Enter Kurt Russell, playing a CIA operative, who agrees to help the F&F team take out Statham's character if they help him retrieve a valuable hacker and her software from foreign terrorists.  There are several other subplots in the film like Michelle Rodriguez's character trying to regain her memories, and Paul Walker's character adjusting to domestic life.  But neither of those subplot's were important I think. 

This film had a good Missions: Impossible/heist vibe to it, which was better than the last couple M:I films in my opinion.  Maybe Vin Diesel should take over for Tom Cruise.  In any event, Furious 7 takes another leap forward in giving us realistic action that actually isn't realistic.  That scene in the previews where Diesel jumps a car between too buildings? That is actually more believable than some other things that happen in the film like tumbling down a mountain in a wrecked car, and then just dusting yourself off.  Or Diesel and Statham's fight where they throw lots of punches and get hit by wrenches, but neither of them are bleeding.  Oh, and they get trapped under a parking garage and both end up ok.  I think the franchise finally stuck their toe over that line of believability.  And whoever picked that epic fight music when Diesel and Statham run at each other in slow motion needs to look at the other F&F films and realize it doesn't fit at all in this movie.  

However, the actions sequences, as always, were the best part of this F&F film.  When the adrenaline was pumping the film was at it's best and most enjoyable level.  The emotional scenes, that the actors were not able to pull off, were the hardest part to watch.  I like Michelle Rodriguez in the first F&F film, but her and Diesel don't have the range, nor chemistry, to pull off a complex love story where he is trying to make her remember their love story due to her amnesia.  That kind of soap opera belongs nowhere in this franchise.  The better subplot I thought was brought to us by Walker.  But as a father myself, maybe I just related more to letting go of the wild life and settling down for the sake of your family.

The rest of the cast was just background noise that delivered cheesy one-liners.  Like in Guardians of the Galaxy, actor Djimon Hounsou is way too good of an actor to be used so little.  Dwayne Johnson, who will always be The Rock to me, was also barely in the film.  Which was sad because I think he's actually the best actor in the F&F bunch.  He does have a nice moment at the end when he destroys a drone with an ambulance and then, what do you know, walks away ok.  Also, him handling a machine gun did give me G.I. Joe flashbacks.  

Director James Wan and his team had a difficult job after the loss of Paul Walker.  They didn't know whether to edit him out of the film, continue the film as is, or scrap the whole movie altogether.  The Fast & Furious franchise has always been about Walker and Diesel's characters.  I could tell this film tried to shift everything more on Diesel and less on Walker.  But no matter how I feel about the somewhat laughable style of the film, the final send off for Paul Walker had me choked up and almost teary eyed.   You knew this was Diesel and crew truly saying goodbye to their friend and brother.  I'm curious how the Fast & Furious will continue without Paul Walker.  His character was my favorite in the franchise, so I'm not sure if I'll enjoy it as much without him in it.  But with Furious 7 already breaking box office records you can be sure this ride will continue.

RATING: C-

The Guardians of Summer Entertainment

If you're one of my Facebook friends then for months now you have seen me post numerous things about the  film, The Guardians of the Galaxy.  It's based on an obscure little comic book that even most fan boys have never read, which is why so many of us scratched our heads when Marvel Studios announced it's 2014 release.  

I will admit, I had never read any GotG(Guardians of the Galaxy) before I heard they were making the film.  I knew the names Rocket Raccon and Groot, but not much more than that.  I decided to check out the source material, the 2008 comic book series by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan.  And I LOVED it!  It was so different from the superhero-style comics that Marvel put out.  It was weird, a little quirky, and didn't really take itself seriously. In 2013, Brian Michael Bendis relaunched the series to help people get acquainted with these heroes before the film opened, and it's been a hit ever since.  Seriously, check it out, you'll get all those Peter Quill "dad" references in the film.

Because this property was so unknown the film was Marvel's Studio's biggest gamble since their first film, Iron Man.  Park and Recreations star Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, a human who grows up with a band of intergalactic thieves. Quill finds an orb that everyone is after, including that purple guy who was at the end of The Avengers, Thanos.  Peter then finds an entourage of misfits and outsiders who decide to come together to protect the orbs power from Ronan the Accuser, a Kree criminal who wants to kill billions of people on the planet Xandar.

This film felt like The Avengers in that it was fun as hell!  There were a lot of laughs and a lot of action to make it the perfect summer popcorn film for everyone to watch.  The characters were really the thing that made it pop.  The five leads just sitting around talking were some of the best scenes.  And these characters could have turned out sooo bad.  

Being familiar with Pratt's work I wasn't worried about him carrying this film at all.  Zoe Saldana as Gamora was probably the safest bet; her being a veteran to sci-fi films like Star Trek and Avatar.  Vin Diesel's unique voice was perfect for the character of Groot, who only is supposed to say three words, ever.  But I'll get to that.  Pro wrestler Dave Bautista could have also been bad, but Drax the Destroyer seemed to be tailor made to fit his "range" as an actor. Finally, Rocket Raccon was voiced by Hollywood pretty boy, Bradley Cooper.  Sure there were dozens of animators that helped bring Rocket to life, but I think Cooper did a great job of bringing this character out, so much that sometimes I forgot it was Cooper, and isn't that the point?  

The other actors were small and really unimportant. Lee Pace as Ronan was effective, but not memorable and complex like Loki.  Djimon Hounsou(who I think should be playing Black Panther) was a waste of talent in this film.  Meanwhile, award-winning thespians John C. Reilly and Glenn Close didn't even have enough screen time to have character personalities.  The best supporting role I felt was Karen Gillan as Gamora's sister, Nebula.  She didn't say much, but carried that character with attitude.  I would have loved to have seen that sibling rivalry more, but that's what sequels are for.

Now for the knit-picking kids!  First off, the Nova Corps is Marvel's version of the Green Lantern Corp; each with tremendous power.  So why did they seem more like a pathetic, galactic, military.  None of them showed the strength a Nova Corps member was supposed to have. GotG is about opening up the Marvel "universe" so let's see the universal police be badass so people will say, "I want to see more of that."  As of right now I don't want more Glenn Close unless she plans on boiling a bunny.

Gamora seemed a little too good.  This is a girl who was raised as a warrior to kill and is the most feared woman in the galaxy.  Why did she seem as pure as Princess Leia?  Right now I fear Black Widow more than Gamora. 

"I am Groot".  That's all I've ever read Groot saying in any comic book, EVER. "We are Groot" does not make sense.  It took me out of the film.  In fact it made some people in the audience laugh at a moment that was supposed to be sad and sweet. I am Groot. That's all we'll ever need.  And as for the post-credit scene?  I found it funny, but these extra bits at the end usually add something to what is to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Is this a hint of things to come, or just a silly thing to make people laugh and say WTF?  I'm gonna go with option B.

I had high expectations for this film, and although I really liked it, I didn't LOVE it. It's a great sci-fi/comic book film that I can't wait to see a sequel too, but the plot was simple and nobody outside of the main cast is worth remembering. Well, maybe Michael Rooker.  However, I do hope this shows J.J. Abrams what today's audience is looking for in it's sci-fi/fantasy.  I had a blast watching this film, and I'm glad everyone else did too.  Now, to all of my Facebook friends who got annoyed with all my GotG posts.  You're Welcome. 

Rating:  B+

P.S. What's on your Awesome Mix?

Why I'm Excited For Guardians of the Galaxy

If you ask the average person to list Marvel heroes they'll probably tell you about Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, and Thor.  I doubt anywhere on their list will be Star-Lord.  Well, he's only one of the coolest heroes in the Marvel Universe and is the center of Marvel Studios 2014 summer blockbuster.....next to Captain America: Winter Soldier.  I'll have to admit that not so long ago I too was clueless as to who the Guardians of the Galaxy (GotG) were.  The only character I knew was Rocket Raccoon.  After I heard a movie was in the works I sought out to discover why Marvel thought this relatively unknown comic book would make a good movie before characters like Black Panther or Ms. Marvel.

Luckily my local library had the 2008 series on file so I could get acquainted with the Guardians.  To my joy, I ended up loving these characters!  Star-Lord reminded me so much of Chris Pine's portrayal of James T. Kirk in the current Star Trek films.  He's got a boyish charm, he means well, but usually is pulling his plans out of his ass as he goes along.  Ask my wife who that reminds her of.  In the series, Star-Lord recruits a team of lone-wolves and outcasts to fight impending intergalactic catastrophes.  He has to lie to them a little to get them to play along, and of course it comes back to bite him in the ass, but you knew that was coming.  The series was cancelled in 2010 after twenty-five issues.  

Last year Brian Michael Bendis brought back the GotG for a new on-going series.  Bendis re-told Star-Lord's origin and had Tony Stark tag-along as familiarity for readers.  This comic is going strong and I hope people read the first graphic novel "Cosmic Avengers" before seeing the film, which comes out in August.  After rumors that we may FINALLY get a trailer for the film this week I wanted to give you a brief rundown as to who the Guardians of the Galaxy are.

Peter Quill/Star-Lord

His father fell from the sky and fell in love with his human mother.  When Peter was a child aliens came looking for him and ended up killing his mother.  Peter ran away and made a vow to avenge his mother's death by going into space and seeking justice.  There he met his biological father, who is Prince of the Spartoi Empire, and kind of an asshole.  So Peter did what all normal kids do; he formed a gang and caused his dad a lot of trouble.

After the success of The LEGO Movie, I think this going to be Chris Pratt's break-out year.  I've always loved him in Parks and Recreations and I think the charm he exhibits as Andy will come across great as Star-Lord.

Gamora

Remember that purple guy at the end of Avengers?  Well he's a daddy.  Thanos trains his adopted daughter to become a great killer/assassin, but when she sees him for the villain he is she takes off and joins Star-Lord in taking back the galaxy from their tyrannical parents.

I think this film cements Zoe Saldana as the Queen of Sci-Fi.  She's played Uhura in Star Trek and the lead female in James Cameron's Avatar.  Adding another alien hottie to her resume just makes me want to say, "all hail the Queen."

Arthur Sampson Douglas/ Drax the Destroyer

Arthur was with his family when Thanos killed them all and left him for dead.  The being Kronos found Arthur and transformed him into a superhuman weapon to unleash and defeat Thanos.  His lust for vengeance has made Drax a powerful killer as he rampaged through the galaxy till he received justice.  I'm sure you can see why he teamed-up with Star-Lord and Gamora.

Of all the actors in this film Dave Bautista has me the most worried.  He's got the look and build to pull off Drax, but I've never been impressed with wrestlers branching out to film.  But I do trust Kevin Feige and director James Gunn that they got the right guy for the part. "All hail Feige."

Groot

This alien is strong enough to go toe-to-toe with the Hulk, but all he says is, "I am Groot."  In his native language he is saying something, but in English every sentence he says is "I am Groot."  Groot's the last of his race, the Floral Colossus,  and some would like to finish the genocide by taking out Groot.  However it's a little hard to do when the being can grow in size and hangs out with a genius raccoon with lots of big guns.

Remember The Iron Giant?  It was a great film and Vin Diesel voiced the Giant before he ever stepped into the Fast and Furious franchise.  I highly recommend watching the film, and then you'll see why Diesel is going to say more with three words than most do with a hundred.

Rocket Raccoon

As a guardian of an outcast planet full of 'Loonies' Rocket is out to keep the galaxy at peace and use his high level IQ, and bad attitude, to keep it that way.  This is the most-well-known character of the GotG, and the one most are excited to see.  

Bradley Cooper is lending his voice to this classic character and though he wasn't my first choice I have more than enough faith in Cooper.  I've been watching his career since he was on the WB show Jack and Bobby with Logan Lerman.  I just really hope he never actually is cast as the Flash like some fan boys want.

So this is just a brief history of the characters origins.  I'm not sure what spin the film will put on the characters but given that Thanos has a history with several characters we can be guess that the galactic Titan will at least appear in the film, hopefully for more than just an over-the-shoulder smile.  This film could open up the Marvel cinematic universe like the Grand Canyon.  Just the idea of the Nova Corps appearing is enough to make me giggle.  A look at the GotG toyline was just released and it just makes me crave a trailer even more.  With this relatively unknown property I feel like Marvel Studios is going to have to market the hell out of it.  I think Marvel is about to face it's toughest challenge yet in GotG, but I have every faith that it'll be awesome.  A sequel is already planned, and if GotG is a success I can see 20th Century Fox putting out a Starjammers movie at some point.
 Finally, just to paint you a funny visual, in one issue of Bendis's current run, Tony Stark sleeps with Gamora and has an awkward-after moment.  When I read that scene all I could think of was Robert Downey Jr. and Zoe Saldana.  Plus, Tony got a lecture from a raccoon afterwards.