Summer Movies

We are firmly entrenched in summertime again and that can only mean one thing - blockbuster season at the movies. For the most part, this doesn't mean a whole lot to me, and really hasn't since I was 18 or so. It's no secret that I'm a movie snob, and certainly the summer blockbuster is the antithesis of movie snobbery as I see it. Summer is the time of Michael Bay, Jerry Bruckheimer and monster explosions, and the time when most decent, hard-working movie snobs like myself go into hiding to await the Oscar Season's fall crop of dark, introspective films that normally feature things like moody hard-luck types staring out of a car window as they contemplate life for the fifteenth straight scene where nothing really happens. Yes, I prefer those films.

There is a corollary, however, to my standard take on the summer blockbuster season which, as it turns out, is also kind of an Achilles Heel of my movie snobbery.

The Comic Book Movie.

I could take or leave a thousand different action movies, cop movies, buddy cop movies, cops and robber movies, or other such generic schlock that typically make up the menu at the Summer Movie feast, but put a comic book character into a movie, tell me about it, and my eyebrows instantly pick up. I grew up loving comic books - still have several boxes full at the Stup compound as a matter of fact - and as a result there's some pre-teen/teenage part of my brain that still thirsts for that sort of entertainment. (Plus my head is still so full of useless knowledge from those things, I'd better be into them or all that is going to waste.) I like comic books, and I like Super Heroes, and even all these years later I still want to be pumped up by them. I want their movies to succeed. To me, their success, the character's appearance in a "good" movie, validates my childhood in some stupid way.

I will add that this notion applies to the entire genre of science fiction and to a smaller extent fantasy fiction as well. I like both genres, and though I think the typical film in those genres is mostly junk, the times when something really good happens along (Lord or the Rings, Matrix, etc.) simply blow me away. Those are my favorite trips to the movies.

One downside to this is that I become really invested when one of my childhood "favorites" gets put onto screen. I end up watching more like a nervous mother than an ardent fan. I sit in the theater, kneading my hands together, thinking please be good, please be good, and so on. There's two ways this can end. Spider-Man, as an example, got it right. Tobey Maguire did a bang-up job, I thought the tone was perfect, and I got chills a couple of times. Mission accomplished - at the end I wanted to shake Sam Raimi's (director) hand like a proud father would with the coach who helped his son really shine out there. Transformers, on the other hand, got it wrong. Very wrong. By the end of that movie, all I really wanted to do was punch Michael Bay in the face for degrading my favorite sentient alien machines of all time. I hate that guy like a father hates the idiot coach who benches or misplays his clearly talented son. So there it is. The stakes are higher when I really liked the character growing up. Right now, these are my children - and you better treat them right. (On a side note, I can't wait to be an overbearing and borderline obstrusive presence at every one of my children's sporting events!)


OK, got that out of the way. On to the meat of the post, which is basically just me commenting on the Summer movies I've seen so far (two of which happen to involve famous comic book characters).


Iron Man



I didn't really know what to expect going into this one. When I heard they were making it, I just sort of shrugged. Neat. I liked Iron Man. Went through a clear and distinct Iron Man phase in my comic life as a matter of fact. In my memory, Tony Stark was kind of like the Marvel version of Batman. Not a superhero by physical power, but dependent on technology. Only Tony Stark was an alcoholic in the comic books, with many a storyline centering on the "all this power but what about the demons within" sort of thing. Good comic, though.

But even despite my history with the character, I was still rather oblivious to whole film until it arrived. Then I heard it was getting over 90% on rottentomatoes.com. Over 90 percent! I thought that was impossible or the movie had to be Citizen Kane or something to achieve that high a score. I quickly became intrigued. If "most people" liked this comic book movie, then what would I think?

Well I'll you what I thought. I dragged Gwendolyn and we both really liked it. I thought Robert Downey Jr. was amazing. What a presence! Anyway, I thought the whole thing was really good. A nice modern take on the classic Iron Man story. The movie was funny - and at several parts laugh out loud funny. Most of that was all Downey Junior, but hey it was directed by Jon Favreau of Swinger's directorial fame so I'll give him some credit too.

The only thing I was underwhelmed with was the final battle. Could have been better, but still not bad. Overall a big thumbs up.

Verdict: Thumbs Up

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull



Oh sweet God no. George Lucas resurrecting classic characters and material, dusting if off, and giving it another go 20 years later? Where have I seen that go horribly wrong before? (Let's face it, the further out from those first two Star Wars prequels we get, the worse the whole thing seems. I thought I was past this, but clearly I'm not. Looks like it's back to therapy. Let's just move on.)

I won't belabor this one. I hated this movie. It was awful on just about every level, and it had no reason to be. I've ranted about it already (in a different forum), but as time goes by my two biggest disappointments remain the following:

-Harrison Ford mailing it in. It's like he wasn't even there. Sleepwalking through scenes, babbling his lines. It was just bad. At least in Temple of Doom, a movie I don't otherwise really care for, you still had Harrison Ford being Harrison Ford. The movie was silly, but there still some top notch scenes in there courtesy of Harrison Ford delivering the goods and bringing his A-game like you know he can. Not this time, though. Very disappointing.

-Steven Spielberg. Ugh. How could you Steven? I feel like I have two sons, one good-for-nothing troublemaker (George Lucas), and one sweet little angel who is one of the best kids in the world (Spielberg). And now I've gone and found out that it was Steven, not George as I had suspected, who wrecked the car (even though George was a passenger in the car). Sure George put Steven up to it, and this is the sort of thing you'd expect from George - you know breaking stuff and ruining things - but not my sweet little Stevie. This one hurts. Steven, you're better than this. Now go to your room and think about what you've done.

Verdict: Big Thumbs down

The Incredible Hulk




Here's the first thing to realize - I'm a Hulk fan. I'm not going to apologize for it. I like it when he gets big and green and starts laying the wood. I've heard that some people don't like it when he gets angry - but I do. I get totally pumped by it, in fact. Here's another thing to realize - I LIKED the first Hulk movie. That's right. Ang Lee's Hulk. Liked it. Maybe even really liked it. (I realize I'm one of like eight people nationwide who have this opinion, but the good news is that my boy George Mount is another one of those eight and if I'm not mistaken we saw it together in the theater and hi-fived on average once every three minutes, and once every ten seconds while Hulk was schooling those Hulk Dogs.) Sure it sort of derailed near the end, but I still think it was sweet.

(I just checked rotten tomatoes again, and actually the original Hulk sits at a 61% on the tomato meter, much higher than I thought it would have. Weird)

But what about this new Hulk? Loved it - that's what. I like Ed Norton to begin with, so that's a plus, and I really liked his cerebral Bruce Banner. The action scenes were solid, and this Hulk did a really good job of saluting the comic book and former TV show by fitting in all sorts of classic homages and doing it in a way that was actually pretty cool and stylish. The Hulk's moves in his big fights were straight out of the comic book. And, just like the first go around, I get pumped when Hulk gets mad and starts schooling peeps. And further still, unlike Iron Man, which still might be the overall superior movie, the big fight at the end was pretty solid. No complaints here.

Here's my quick take on who played the characters better between the two films:

Bruce Banner - Ed Norton (current Hulk)

Betty Ross - Um, Jennifer Connelly (original) (no contest here, not that Liv Tyler was bad - actually she was pretty solid - but dude it's Jennifer Connelly...)

General Ross - Sam Elliott (original) (no contest)

Hulk CGI - This one

Special Merit Award - Hulk Dogs (They rule. Well, until they run into the Hulk).

Final Verdict: HULK SMASH!


Hancock



Interesting little picture here and I'm not going to spend much time on it. Here's my take: It started out strong, I really liked where it was heading, and then I thought it derailed about half way through. Will Smith was good. Jason Bateman was really good. Charlize Theron was meh. I wasn't a huge fan of the generic super powers in the film - Will Smith is essentially like a drunken Superman with a 'tude. Anyway, I would still say it's worth a viewing. Not as good as Hulk or Iron Man - not even close for me - but certainly better than Indiana Jones. (If you haven't seen the new Indiana Jones yet, then simply tell yourself it's still a trilogy and this was all just a bad dream. Trust me.)

Verdict: Thumbs middle, trying to go up