Baby Driver (2017) review

Ever since he first made a name for himself in 1999 by directing the unfortunately short-lived but ultimately cult classic TV series Spaced, Edgar Wright has proven to be one of the most electrifying directors in the film industry. After Spaced ended in 2001, Wright and lead/writer Simon Pegg then went on to develop a full-blown trilogy of comedy films. While the three films (2004’s Shaun of the Dead, 2007’s Hot Fuzz, and 2013’s The World’s End) only share cosmetic similarities with each other, this collection of a zombie rom-com, a police-based action extravaganza, and a sci-fi pub crawl adventure, respectively, retroactively became known as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. This was due to the consistent appearance of Cornetto ice cream in each of the three films, with each flavor featured tying directly into the main theme of its respective film. In other words, this simple running gag ended up becoming a homage to the famous Three Colours trilogy directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski, which also based itself around themes and a color scheme that alluded to each theme. Nevertheless, the Cornetto films have gone on to become some of the most beloved comedies in recent years, establishing Wright as a fan-favorite director in the film fan community. And now, he’s back with his first film since his tumultuous departure from Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man, Baby Driver. The film was influenced by a music video that Wright had directed for the band Mint Royale back in 2003 for their track Blue Song. Said music video focused on a musically-tuned getaway driver for a gang of bank robbers. More than a decade later, Wright brings this idea to life again, this time on the big-screen, in a highly entertaining and musically-driven crime thriller.  

In the city of Atlanta, a young man named Baby (Ansel Elgort) works as a getaway driver for local kingpin Doc (Kevin Spacey). Due to an accident that he was in where his parents were killed in a car crash, Baby suffers from permanent tinnitus and often listens to music to drown out the constant humming in his ears. And while most would assume that wearing headphones and listening to music would make him a terrible driver, it ends up being the total opposite situation in Baby’s case as it allows him to have greater focus behind the wheel. Thus, he’s become Doc’s ‘lucky charm’ over the years thanks to his involvement in numerous successful heists. However, after he manages to settle all his debts with Doc, Baby intends on getting out of the crime business for good so that he can head out on the road, a passion of his that’s reinvigorated when he meets a nice young woman named Debora (Lily James) who shares a similar kind of dream. However, as Baby soon finds out, just because he settled things with Doc financially doesn’t mean that the latter will just allow him to walk away. Thus, Baby ultimately finds himself being forced back into the criminal lifestyle as he is paired with scandalous couple Buddy (Jon Hamm) and Darling (Eiza González) and impulsive gunman Bats (Jamie Foxx) on Doc’s newest planned heist; robbing a post office. But amidst all the chaos that ensues from this, Baby once again attempts to get out of the business for good so that he and his loved ones won’t be harmed any further.

There are two primary things that you’ll get out of watching Baby Driver. The first is a kick-ass soundtrack, which Baby listens to 24/7 on his various iPods. With classic tunes like ‘Brighton Rock’ by Queen and ‘Never, Never Gonna Give You Up’ by Barry White, this film is full of great songs. But the real kicker to it all is that many of them are tuned perfectly with the film’s action sequences, including a shoot-out that’s set in perfect rhythm to ‘Tequila’ by The Champs (though, in this instance, it’s a cover by The Button Down Brass). Thus, this is easily one of the most musically-driven films (no pun intended) that I’ve ever seen in my life, even more so than the Guardians of the Galaxy films. The other big thing about this film, as alluded to earlier, is its action sequences, especially its many car chases. All the car chases in this film were done practically, and they are all quite impressive and well-shot. And it’s all thanks to the always terrific direction from Edgar Wright. He truly is a genius when it comes to assembling sequences and then blending them together seamlessly through editing, while also utilizing all sorts of directorial tricks to create some truly creative (and stylish) on-screen imagery. And even though this is admittedly a more traditional story compared to Wright’s other films, he still manages to craft some genuinely suspenseful moments in the film’s second half, thanks in part to Steven Price’s foreboding score which begins to come into play during this section of the film.

Ansel Elgort immediately establishes himself as a likable main protagonist in the role of Baby. Right out the gate, it’s shown that while Baby has been involved in the world of crime for many years, he’s ultimately just an innocent kid working alongside a bunch of crooks, hence why he doesn’t spend much time conversing with his colleagues save for Doc. Thus, he fully succeeds at being a sympathetic lead to root for, and while his main love interest, Debora, is admittedly just there for the ride most of the time, Elgort does have excellent chemistry with Lily James. Meanwhile, over in the ‘criminal underworld’, Kevin Spacey is, well, Kevin Spacey but still just as memorable as always in the role of Doc, who proves to have somewhat of a ‘father-son’ relationship with Baby given their history together. And just like any Edgar Wright project, this film has its fair share of scene-stealing supporting characters. Jon Hamm is both charismatic and sinister in the role of Buddy, and he is paired excellently with general newcomer Eiza González, who shines in a breakout role as his loving partner, Darling. And then there’s Jamie Foxx, who’s full-on crazy but still completely engaging in the role of the craziest member of the gang, Bats. These characters work extremely well off each other, providing excellent backing to Wright’s trademark snappy dialogue. For the record, this isn’t a comedy like Wright’s other films but there are still plenty of humorous moments throughout this film.

Well, it’s safe to say that Edgar Wright’s got another smash hit on his hands with Baby Driver. With thrilling car chase sequences, an excellent ensemble cast, and a kick-ass soundtrack that’s tuned perfectly to everything that happens on screen, Baby Driver proves to be yet another highly entertaining entry in Wright’s steadily growing filmography. Now, of course, as I alluded to earlier, this was Wright’s first big project after his rather unceremonious departure from Ant-Man back in 2014. And as I’ve also noted before, I believe that it’s truly for the best that Wright decided to work on a project like this, where he could have full creative control over the final product, instead of one where he’d have to work under the restrictions of Marvel’s controversial (but thankfully now disbanded) Creative Committee. On that note, yes, this is very much an original film in a summer season full of sequels, remakes, reboots, etc. Thus, if you’re someone who leans more towards these kinds of films, then I’m certain that you’re going to love this film. As for me, I’m not one of those people (Don’t get me wrong, I like watching original films as much as the next person but that doesn’t mean that they’re the only films I’ll watch because I know that nothing is truly ‘original’ anymore; even Edgar Wright has admitted that this story was influenced by films like Point Break and Reservoir Dogs) but I do know a great film when I see one, and this is one of those films. And who better to bring us this electrifying thrill-ride than the guy who brought us a romantic comedy set in a zombie apocalypse and a buddy flick/pub crawl adventure built around an alien invasion?

Rating: 5/5!

Directorial Retrospective: Edgar Wright

Welcome back to another installment of Rhode Island Movie Corner’s ‘Directorial Retrospective’ series. This is where I look at the filmography of any given director in the film industry. Through this series, we’ve covered an eclectic bunch of filmmakers, from blockbuster giants like Michael Bay and Tim Burton to award-winning favorites like David Fincher and Quentin Tarantino. And today, we’re looking at the filmography of a major fan favorite amongst film buffs; Edgar Wright. His newest film, Baby Driver, hits theaters this weekend and in honor of its release, today we’ll be looking at the films that have made him such a popular director. He’s best-known for his somewhat unintentional trilogy of comedy films known as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. The reason why I say that this trilogy is ‘somewhat unintentional’ is because the primary connection between these three completely different films (the first being a zombie film, the second a buddy cop action film, and the third film being a sci-fi thriller) is the appearance of Cornetto brand ice cream. Yes, folks, these films became a trilogy because of a running gag that was brought up during the second film’s promotional tour. However, these three films have gone on to become some of the most popular comedies in recent years. And today, I’ll be reviewing all three of them plus Wright’s other major directorial effort, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Just a quick disclaimer, though; there’s one film of his that I can’t include here because it’s not easily available online. The film in question is the 1995 western parody A Fistful of Fingers, which was his directorial debut. It did have a midnight re-release a few years ago in Los Angeles, but I wasn’t there for that so I can’t review it today. But to make it up to you folks, I’ll also go over the other big thing that Wright and frequent collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are known for; the short-lived TV series Spaced. How’s that for a slice of fried gold?

SPACED: THE TV SERIES (1999-2001)

Wright, Pegg, and Frost first became known via the short-lived, cult classic TV series Spaced. Wright directed all 14 episodes of the series, which ran for two seasons and was created by Pegg and Jessica Hynes, both of whom Wright had previously worked with on another short-lived series, Asylum. In Spaced, Pegg and Hynes star as Tim and Daisy, a pair of twenty-somethings who bond over their struggles to find new living arrangements. They manage to find a flat that’s going for a cheap price but are forced to act as a couple so that they meet the landlady’s requirements. And thus, one of the most underrated shows of all-time was born; seriously, this show is awesome. For one thing, it’s chock-full of hilarious pop culture references, from Tim’s never-ending disdain for The Phantom Menace to a zombie-fighting sequence that practically served as the genesis for Shaun of the Dead. It also served as an early showcase for Wright’s talents as a director when it came to visual comedy and tight editing (e.g. an argument between Tim and Daisy is intercut perfectly with gameplay from Tekken 2). But amidst all the great dialogue and wacky geek-related imagery, Tim and Daisy prove to be an extremely likable duo. Both Pegg and Hynes are fantastic in their respective roles, and they have terrific chemistry with each other without their characters ever getting into a fully ‘romantic’ relationship. They’re also backed by some highly memorable supporting characters, including Nick Frost (of course) as Tim’s military-loving best friend Mike and Mark Heap as Tim and Daisy’s ‘eccentric’ artist flat-mate, Brian. In conclusion, while it only lasted two seasons, Spaced proved to be an excellent show thanks to the efforts of Wright, writers/leads Pegg and Hynes, and its terrific ensemble cast. If you’re a fan of geek culture and you want to see how the Cornetto team got their start, give this show a watch; I bet you’ll love it.

Series Rating: 5/5!

SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)

While Spaced only lasted two seasons, Wright, Pegg, and Frost officially made a name for themselves in 2004 with a parody of George Romero’s classic …of the Dead franchise; Shaun of the Dead. This film is many things; obviously, it’s primarily a zombie film but at the same time, it’s also a romantic comedy/drama. A good chunk of the plot revolves around main protagonist Shaun (Pegg) attempting to rebuild the relationships that he has with his girlfriend Liz, his mum Barbara and stepdad Phil (“Don’t forget to kill Phillip!”), and so on and so forth. And it’s also a buddy film; of all the films in the Cornetto trilogy, this one arguably has Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s best overall duo (in terms of their comedic camaraderie) via Shaun and his lazy but loyal best friend, Ed. Of course, all of this is happening right around the same time… as a zombie apocalypse. Stuff like this, along with all the fun horror-based visual/dialogue cues that will require multiple viewings to truly comprehend them all, truly goes to show how well-written the screenplay by Pegg and Wright was, as was the latter’s knack for great visual humor. Now, I’ll admit that, of the three Cornetto films, this is probably my least favorite of the three. Let me be clear, though, this is in no way a criticism towards Shaun of the Dead. It’s an excellently-written comedy that serves as a loving homage to the various horror films that it parodies, while also giving us likable main characters and basing it around a simple story of a guy just trying to find meaning in his life… again, during a zombie apocalypse. At the end of the day, though, I guess it’s just because, as I’ve stated before, I’m not that big a fan of the horror genre, hence why I do prefer the other installments of this trilogy. Still, this film is a total blast from beginning to end and it’s easy to see why it became such a cult classic.

Rating: 5/5!

HOT FUZZ (2007)

After hitting it big with Shaun of the Dead, Wright, Pegg, and Frost teamed up again three years later for another hilarious comedy that paid loving homage to another genre of film. In this instance, Hot Fuzz lampoons the many classic films of the action genre, from Lethal Weapon to Point Break and even Bad Boys II. And it does so to brilliant effect, once again thanks to Wright and Pegg’s fantastic writing and their knack for a keen attention to detail. Wright even manages to make ‘non-action’ moments feel like they’re epic and intense sequences through concise editing, like when Pegg’s character, the no-nonsense Sgt. Nicholas Angel, first travels to the peaceful little town of Sandford, where he’s been re-assigned simply because he’s so good at his job that he makes all his fellow officers look bad in the process. But soon, various deaths start occurring all over town, and while initially viewed as nothing more than accidents, Nicholas figures out that there’s more to the story. And without giving it away, the big reveal surrounding this whole ordeal is brilliant and the climax is full of epically hilarious action sequences that revel in all the iconic clichés of the genre. Pegg, of course, is great as Angel alongside Nick Frost as the overly eager officer Danny Butterman, Angel’s new partner who is a big fan of all the classic action films. And, of course, there are also some great cameos as well from the likes of Jim Broadbent as Danny’s father Frank, Sandford’s Police Inspector, Timothy Dalton as the seemingly sinister grocery store owner Simon Skinner, and much, much more. Bottom line; this film is a modern-day comedy classic. If you haven’t seen it before, what the heck is wrong with you? Watch it now! Come on, it’s all for the greater good! (“The Greater Good!!”)

Rating: 5/5!

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SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (2010)

In between the second and third Cornetto films, Edgar Wright took on his first big ‘adaptation’ in 2010; in this instance, the source material was the best-selling graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim by author Bryan Lee O’Malley. Wright and O’Malley worked closely on the adaptation, as the film was first announced after the release of the first graphic novel, Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, in 2004. This was right around the time that Edgar Wright was brought on to direct after he had finished work on Shaun of the Dead. This close collaboration resulted in a solidly faithful adaptation of the series, as subsequent entries were released during the film’s long development period. However, the final graphic novel, Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, wasn’t released until after the end of the film’s production, thus having some minor differences while also including some elements from the film itself. Sadly, upon release, the film did poorly at the box-office as it wasn’t able to make back its reported $85 million budget… which is a shame because it’s an awesome film that, like Wright’s other films, is full to the brim with great homages to various facets of pop culture. In the case of Scott Pilgrim, that mainly comes from video games. The whole plot of the film, in which the titular character finds himself having to fight his new girlfriend’s seven ‘evil ex-boyfriends’, feels exactly like something you’d see in a video game, and the film is indeed structured as such. You don’t even need to be a gamer to appreciate this film’s many references, as they lend themselves excellently to terrific bits of visual and dialogue-based humor thanks to the, as expected, excellent screenplay by Wright and Michael Bacall (who also co-wrote the Jump Street films).

Now, with that said, I’ll admit that parts of this film could come off as being rather weird to those who aren’t really part of the gaming/geek community. Even as someone who is a gamer, this film is steeped so far into geek culture that I feel that some may potentially be drawn off by it. Plus, it does take a little while to get going and Scott isn’t always a likable main character, as mainly evident through how he handles his relationship with his previous girlfriend, Knives. However, once Scott finally starts to fight the Evil Exes, the film kicks into high gear to become an awesome mix of action and comedy just like Hot Fuzz, and it features some of the best fight sequences in recent years. And it’s all backed by an entertaining ensemble cast; Michael Cera is great in the title role as is Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Scott’s new girlfriend Ramona. Ultimately, though, the real stand-outs of the film come from Ramona’s Evil Exes, including but not limited to Chris Evans as a ‘pretty good’ action film star, Brandon Routh as a bass player who also has superpowers because he’s vegan, and Jason Schwartzman as the leader of the Evil Exes. Again, there are a lot of weird things in this film, downright goofy even. Thus, it does sometimes feel like the film teeters on the edge of being more style than substance. However, I’d argue that the film is most certainly more than just a series of flashy video-game inspired action sequences. If you’re able to accept all the crazy stuff in this film, you’ll find it to be one of the most highly entertaining films in recent memory. In fact, it's arguably the best ‘video game based’ film ever made… and it isn’t even based on a video game! (well, not primarily, at least)

Rating: 4.5/5

THE WORLD’S END (2013)

As noted before, the Cornetto trilogy didn’t officially become a thing until after the release of Hot Fuzz, mainly due to an unintentional running gag. During the promotional tour for Hot Fuzz, one interviewer pointed out the appearance of Cornetto Ice Cream in both it and Shaun of the Dead. Wright, who had put it in Shaun of the Dead as an effective hangover cure for the character Ed and then used it again in Hot Fuzz as a homage to its appearance in the previous film, joked that this was the plan all along as a homage to Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colours trilogy. Those films, which were released from 1993 to 1994, were named after the three colors of the French flag; Blue, White, and Red. Each film was then themed around the primary ideals of the French Republic; liberty, equality, and fraternity. But as for Wright and Pegg’s trilogy, while the Cornetto reference was initially just joked about, the two eventually decided to tie it all together. As such, the Cornettos that appear in each film tie directly into their respective themes. A red strawberry Cornetto appears in Shaun of the Dead to signify the film’s bloody horror elements while a blue ‘original’ Cornetto appears in Hot Fuzz to allude to its police themes. And in 2013, this newly designated trilogy concluded with The World’s End, featuring the green mint chocolate chip Cornetto to signify its status as a science fiction story. And while I wouldn’t say that The World’s End is the ‘funniest’ of the three films, it’s arguably the best-written. Of course, being a film written by Wright and Pegg, it’s full of great visual gags, hilarious bits of dialogue, and a sharp attention to detail. For one thing, the opening narration from Pegg’s character, Gary King, directly alludes to future events in the plot, something that also occurred in Shaun of the Dead via one of Ed’s monologues. They even connect the events of the film to the names of the pubs that the main characters visit.

But at the same time, this is arguably the most well-layered script of the entire trilogy. It’s a story about a bunch of friends who attempted to do a legendary pub crawl in their hometown known as ‘The Golden Mile’ when they were younger. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to complete it. Years later, Gary reunites them all, even though the other four have clearly all moved on in their lives, to do it again, as he plans on seeing things through this time to the bitter end (“or lager end!”). Also, did I forget to mention that during this second go-around, they learn that their hometown has been invaded by robots that they refer to as ‘blanks’ or ‘smashy-smashy egg men’? It’s just like Shaun of the Dead, where a rom-com story was based around a zombie apocalypse. In this instance, we have a tale of best friends and a hometown pub crawl that’s set during an alien invasion. Ultimately, though, the whole thing about the main characters redoing something from their past ties directly into the overarching theme of the film. Gary is a person who craves for the more free-spirited adventures of his youth despite the inevitability of growing up. Thus, when he tries to do the pub crawl again as an adult, he soon realizes that things have changed quite a bit since he was younger, both in terms of how his friends have grown compared to him and how much their town has changed since the last time they were there (i.e. invaded by robots). Meanwhile, he’s still stuck in the past and it’s clear that he’s made a mess of his life because of it. By the end of the film, he admits to his best friend, Andy Knightley (Frost), that the reason why he’s still determined to finish the Golden Mile is that, in his eyes, it’s all that he’s got at this point.

This overall theme of growth is also reflected in an effective role-reversal for Pegg and Frost. This time around, Pegg is playing the immature man-child while Frost is the sensible one that tries (and often fails) to get his former best friend to grow up, whereas in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz it was the other way around. And while their characters spend most of the film at odds with each other over an incident from their past, sort of like how Tim and Mike’s friendship from Spaced was impacted by an incident when they were younger, their comedic camaraderie is still just as great as ever, resulting in two of the best performances of their careers and arguably their best from this whole trilogy. And just like the other Cornetto films, they’re backed by an excellent supporting cast, which includes Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, and Eddie Marsan as the other friends in their group (Oliver, Steven, and Peter, respectively) and Rosamund Pike as Oliver’s sister Sam, who happens to be an old flame of Gary’s. Thus, The World’s End is an incredibly satisfying conclusion to this trilogy of films that Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost collaborated on over the course of a decade. Again, it may not be the ‘funniest’ of the three Cornetto films (that honor goes to Hot Fuzz) but it may just be my personal favorite of the bunch because it’s a perfect representation of Wright and Pegg’s overall growth as filmmakers. This results in a film that is surprisingly full of emotional depth amidst all the cheeky British humor.  

Rating: 5/5!

Now, of course, if things had turned out differently, Wright’s next film would’ve been Ant-Man, a project that he’d been working on ever since the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2006. Sadly, he ended up leaving the project in 2014 due to creative differences with Marvel Studios’ now-disbanded Creative Committee. It is indeed a shame that he had to leave on that note on a film that he’d been working on for nearly a decade. Thankfully, though, Peyton Reed managed to do an excellent job in Wright’s place and made sure that the film wasn’t going to turn out as disastrous as the internet expected it to be. And to be honest, Wright was much better off working on a ‘true Edgar Wright’ film like Baby Driver instead of a film where he was clearly going to be limited by the influence of a Creative Committee (which, again, has thankfully been disbanded). Heck, right now we’re dealing with a similar situation with the Han Solo spin-off film. Its original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, left the project due to creative differences with Lucasfilm, and while they’ve already tapped Ron Howard to take over for Lord and Miller, the internet’s already anticipating a disaster because, of course, it’s the internet. But as I noted last time, I’m sure that it will turn out just fine given the franchise’s recent track record… and by that, I mean everything since Lucasfilm was bought by Disney. Because, after all, Disney’s other big subsidiary franchise, the MCU, managed to do just fine with Ant-Man even after all its scandalous pre-production hubbub. And on that note, if there are still people out there who haven’t gotten over Wright’s Ant-Man departure yet… just remember that everyone involved in that production has clearly moved on from the whole ordeal with little issue.

And that concludes this Directorial Retrospective on the almost-complete filmography of Edgar Wright. Thanks for following along and be sure to sound off in the comments below with your own thoughts on the Cornetto trilogy and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Also, you can expect a review of Wright’s newest film, Baby Driver, sometime this week. Until then… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63V-ZNDPChU

The 'Han Solo' Debacle

Well, folks, it looks like we have another Ant-Man situation on our hands and this time, it just so happens to come from the biggest franchise in pop culture history; Star Wars. It’s recently been announced that directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who have been working on a Star Wars spin-off film based around the series’ iconic character Han Solo, have departed the project due to creative differences with Lucasfilm, producer Kathleen Kennedy, and co-writer Lawrence Kasdan. Basically, it’s been reported that Lord and Miller’s comedic sensibilities as directors did not gel well with the overall tone that Kennedy and Kasdan were going for with the upcoming film, which is still set to come out in May 2018. And this situation is, overall, rather fascinating because the film has already been in production for a few months at this point. However, it’s also been reported that this creative clash has been going on since Day 1 and that the production had recently gone on a brief hiatus to review everything that’s been filmed so far. So, yeah, this is quite a controversial situation that we have here today. Already, there’s been quite a lot of uncertainty over this upcoming film given that it’s a new take on arguably the most popular character in the Star Wars franchise. And if that wasn’t enough, this will be the first time where Han Solo isn’t played by Harrison Ford; instead, Alden Ehrenreich will take on the role of the beloved smuggler. However, when Lord and Miller were brought on to direct, I think that some of this uncertainty was dialed back given their track record with films that didn’t seem like they’d amount to much; films like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 and 22 Jump Street, and The LEGO Movie. But now, with this news of their departure, it seems like that uncertainty has once again returned.

However, incidents like this are nothing new. As I noted in the intro, a similar situation happened with another Disney-owned franchise, Marvel, in 2014 when Edgar Wright left Ant-Man due to creative differences with Marvel Studios’ now disbanded Creative Committee. Despite many on the internet speculating that it would end up being Marvel’s first misfire, Ant-Man ended up proving most of its critics wrong when it was finally released in 2015 after being in development for almost a decade. Heck, this isn’t even the first time that something like this has happened to a Star Wars film. As we all know, last year’s spin-off Rogue One had to go through re-shoots to rework parts of the story, specifically the ending. And while the film did ultimately manage to do well with critics and audiences, this ‘reshoot’ situation was well-documented online prior to its release… and by that, I mean that there were TONS of articles published that wondered if it was going to be a mess before anyone ever even saw the damn film. You see, that’s sort of the thing when it comes to how the internet reacts to reports like this about how a film is going through re-shoots or a change in directors. Most of the time, the internet prematurely assumes that this means that the film is going to be a disastrous mess. And yet, this isn’t a rare thing in big-budget blockbusters of this nature. Some of the most successful films of all-time have gone through some truly troubling production issues and yet have ended up being solid successes at the end of the day. In fact, you know what film managed to overcome its numerous production issues to become one of the most beloved films of all-time? Oh, I don’t know, a little film called STAR WARS?! Yes, even the original Star Wars film from 1977 went through a rather hellish production… and look how that turned out! We wouldn’t even be here today if it didn’t end up being the landmark that it was.

But, honestly, here’s the thing about this whole situation that I’m the most pissed off about, and it doesn’t have anything to do with the film itself. Instead, it’s the backlash that producer Kathleen Kennedy has been getting online because of her role in Lord and Miller’s departure (or, to put it more bluntly, firing). In other words, it’s that old debate about producers asserting control over the films that they make at the expense of the directors that they’ve hired. And this has gone as far to the point where I’ve seen several articles that have posed the question of whether Lucasfilm should appoint new leadership, given that Kennedy’s currently the head of the studio after she took over for George Lucas in 2012. But here’s where I call major bulls*** on that. First off, let’s not forget that Lawrence Kasdan also clashed with Lord and Miller’s methods; I don’t see him getting thrown under the bus as much as Kennedy has. Also, going back to Marvel and Ant-Man for a second, I sure as hell don’t recall seeing any articles from 2014 that suggested that Kevin Feige should be replaced as head of Marvel Studios after the Edgar Wright incident. And, yes, I know that this was mainly the fault of Marvel’s Creative Committee but that’s not my point. Basically, what I’m trying to say here is that it’s just sad to witness what Kennedy is going through right now. This woman has been in the film industry for a long time and has produced several classics over the years, including several Steven Spielberg films like E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Jurassic Park. Since she became the head of Lucasfilm, she’s had a big part in the revival of the Star Wars film franchise and, so far, things have turned out quite well for it, as both The Force Awakens and Rogue One have each grossed over $1 billion worldwide. And yet… this latest directorial-related incident has suddenly made her public enemy number 1. It’s a damn shame.  

Thankfully, though, they’ve already found a replacement director. It’s just been announced that the legendary Ron Howard will be stepping in to direct the new film, and overall, I support this hiring; sure, some will argue that some of Howard’s more recent films haven’t been very good, but that shouldn’t even remotely detract from the great films that he has made in the past, like Apollo 13 and Rush. Hell, I can even do a whole different editorial on how the internet tends to judge filmmakers more for their misfires than their successes. Coincidentally enough, the idea for that editorial stemmed from another Star Wars-related debacle. This past weekend saw the release of The Book of Henry, directed by Colin Trevorrow, who will be directing Episode IX in 2019… and, to be perfectly blunt, Book of Henry did not do well with critics. Thus, several articles popped up online posing the question of whether Trevorrow was still a good choice to direct the film, something that’s persisted since he was first hired due to the generally polarizing reception towards 2015’s Jurassic World and despite the critical acclaim of his directorial debut, 2012’s Safety Not Guaranteed… but that’s another story, back to Han Solo. Bottom line, I’m still very much looking forward to this film and I do think that Ron Howard is a nice choice for director. And because this crisis was dealt with in a timely manner, it seems like the film won’t be pushed back to December as was feared when Lord and Miller’s departure was first announced. Yes, it’s sad that this happened to Phil Lord and Chris Miller, but I’m sure that they’ll recover from this the same way that Edgar Wright recovered from the whole Ant-Man situation with next weekend’s big release, Baby Driver. Meanwhile, it’s a shame that Ron Howard is now going through the same scenario that Peyton Reed went through when he had to step in for Wright on Ant-Man. Yeah, I know that it currently seems like the odds are very much against this upcoming Star Wars film but, to quote the film’s title character himself from The Empire Strike Back, “Never tell me the odds!” Given Disney and Lucasfilm’s excellent track record so far with these new Star Wars films, this new film could indeed work despite this scandalous turn of events. 

Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) review

Well, here we are once again with another crazy installment of director Michael Bay’s series of films based on Hasbro’s best-selling toy franchise, Transformers. This series has gone through quite a lot since the first film debuted back in 2007; yes, this series has been around for a full decade now. That first Transformers film, believe it or not, did do decently with critics and audiences upon release. Clearly, the hype for it at the time was huge and, for the most part, it delivered in a time when it was the ONLY live-action Transformers film. But then came the sequels, which were all subjected to some of the most savage reviews in recent years, effectively turning this franchise into one of the most critically reviled of the past few years. And yet, as someone who still fondly remembers the experience of seeing the first film in theaters way back in 2007, I’ll admit that I have genuinely liked each entry in this series. Yes, that even includes the critically-maligned sequels like 2009’s Revenge of the Fallen and 2014’s Age of Extinction. Thus, while most of the internet dreaded its impending release, I was still genuinely looking forward to the fifth installment of this commercial beast of a franchise; Transformers: The Last Knight. Michael Bay, of course, is back to direct and claims that this is his last entry in the series. But, then again, he said the same exact thing twice before after 2011’s Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction. But until we know for sure, he’s back again along with Mark Wahlberg, who reprises his role from the previous film as the series’ new main lead. And, of course, now that it’s out… the reviews for it have turned out exactly how you would expect them to turn out. This also includes my own review as, once again, I’m one of the few people out there who’d be brave enough to admit that they did, in fact, like this film… before you click away to another site, at least hear me out, okay?

At the end of Age of Extinction, Autobot leader Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) headed off into space to confront his creators over their continued attacks on the planet Earth, where he and the other Autobots have made their new home. However, as this film begins, it’s established that he’s yet to return from this mission. Thus, all the Transformers that are left on Earth are still regarded as outcasts by humanity despite more of them arriving on the planet day after day. Inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) has likewise been on the run as well, helping his Autobot allies whenever possible and dealing with the newest government group hellbent on hunting the Transformers down, the Transformers Reaction Force (T.R.F). During a confrontation with T.R.F. in Chicago, Cade comes across an old Transformer who gives him a mysterious talisman. He is then approached by historian Sir Edmund Burton (Anthony Hopkins), who tells him that he’s been chosen by the talisman to save the world from its impending destruction due to a forthcoming collision with the Transformers’ home planet, Cybertron. Now allied with Oxford Professor Viviane Wembly (Laura Haddock), Cade embarks on another journey to save the world from the threat of the Decepticons and other dangerous Transformers. The two are tasked with finding an ancient spear, once wielded by the famous wizard Merlin (Stanley Tucci, who played a different character, Joshua Joyce, in Age of Extinction), that is the only thing capable of preventing Cybertron from destroying Earth. However, this becomes problematic when Optimus finally returns to Earth, corrupted by those who created him to help them destroy the planet and rebuild Cybertron.

Despite what that seemingly simple plot synopsis may suggest, trust me when I say that a lot of crazy stuff happens in this entry of the Transformers series. As witnessed in the trailers, this film covers everything from King Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table to Nazis in World War II. And while I’ve personally never had many issues with the allegedly incoherent nature of the plots of these films, this time around… I’ll admit that there were times where I was completely lost as to what was going on in this film. Though with that said, I think that part of the reason why is because even though this film is still two and a half hours long, just like its predecessors, it goes through a lot of these new plot elements at a lightning-fast pace. By comparison, the other films tended to focus on only one Transformer-related conspiracy (e.g. the real reason behind the Apollo 11 mission in Dark of the Moon). Here, though, it seems like they’re just throwing everything but the kitchen sink in. So, yeah, the writing in this film is just as messy as it was for the other films in the franchise. But, once again, I do have to give this film credit for its technical aspects. Say what you will about these films and their mindless plots but they are, at least, well-made from a visual perspective. Michael Bay truly is one of the best in the business when it comes to this stuff and, to the film’s credit, it doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the action sequences. And, once again, the money’s, at least, on the screen when it comes to the visual effects; it just goes to show that you can never fault these films for having mediocre effects. Thus, while I’ll admit that there were times where I was completely overwhelmed by the incomprehensible nature of the plot, I was ultimately still hooked to this film by the time that the final battle rolled around.

Of course, a crazy/messy plot means that you’re not going to get that much out of this film’s characters. As is common in these films, most of them are just stock characters who are just there to be used for some awkward attempts at humor which, admittedly, is yet another recurring aspect of this series. Also, you know how a common criticism of these films has been how they tend to focus more on the human characters than the Transformers themselves? Well, brace yourselves… because this film is easily the most egregious example of this. This one is legitimately more about the human characters this time around while most of the Transformers, even the major ones like Optimus and Bumblebee, are practically reduced to minor supporting roles. Still, I will admit that from this ensemble cast, I felt that there were a few notable standouts. I still think that Cade Yeager is a likable enough main protagonist and that Mark Wahlberg’s fine enough in the role. As for the new members of the cast, though, one major standout is the film’s youngest star, Isabela Moner, as, fittingly enough, Izabella, a young girl who was a survivor of the Battle of Chicago in the third film. Since then, she’s managed to survive on her own with the aid of a few Transformer allies. And while she ultimately isn’t in the film that much, Moner does manage to make her a rather badass supporting character and I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing her return in future installments. Finally, to his credit, it seems like Sir Anthony Hopkins is having a lot of fun in this film. Despite what I said before about the film’s awkward humor, he does manage to get some of the better humorous bits of dialogue in this film along with his Transformer butler, Cogman (voiced by Jim Carter). In other words, he at least makes the most out of the ludicrous material that he’s been given.

So, yeah… here I am again in the same situation that I was in back in 2014 when I reviewed Age of Extinction, one of the worst-reviewed films of that year. Transformers: The Last Knight is, likewise, one of the most critically derided films of this year and will no doubt appear on many folks’ ‘Worst of’ list by year’s end. And, in some cases, I can see why. This film’s plot is all over the place, thus making it just as silly and mindless as its predecessors if not more so than ever before. And I’ll also admit that this was the first time where I did feel that parts of the plot were incoherent because they go by so fast even in a 2 ½ hour film. With that said, then, why am I giving this the rating that I’m about to give it? It’s the same rating that I gave to the other sequels, which makes me one of the few people out there who did like this film. Well, I honestly can’t explain why other than the fact that I’ve been a fan of these films since the beginning and that, simply put, this one just delivered on exactly what I was expecting. Yeah, there are plenty of stupid moments in this film but, by the end, I was just as hooked by it as I was by the other live-action Transformers films. And I’ll also admit that, as crazy as I know it will sound to most people, I’m still eager to see more Transformers films, which will no doubt come after this film defies its critics to become another box-office hit for this franchise. I mean, for one thing, the proposed next installment, a spin-off headlined by arguably the franchise’s greatest character Bumblebee, will be the first of these films to not be directed by Michael Bay. Instead, it will be directed by Travis Knight, who helmed last year’s critically-acclaimed stop-motion flick Kubo and the Two Strings. Who knows? Maybe… just maybe, this one could turn out to be one of the better entries in this series. I know that this is an arguably foolish thing to hope for at this point but, hey, nothing wrong with being hopeful, eh? 

Rating: Well, at the risk of being crucified by the film fan community… 4/5

Transformers: The Story So Far

Now I know what some of you may be thinking. Why the hell am I doing another installment of Rhode Island Movie Corner’s ‘Story So Far’ series, in which I go over the events in a franchise’s previous outings to catch people up on the overall story in time for the latest installment of that series, for… Michael Bay’s Transformers films? These films have NEVER been known for their writing, so why am I doing it for a series that’s been all over the place plot-wise? Well, first off, for obvious reasons; the new Transformers film, Transformers: The Last Knight, is coming out this weekend so this is meant to tie into that film’s release. And to be honest, I couldn’t think of anything else to do for it. I mean, there’s no way in hell that I could’ve done an ‘In Defense’ post for these films because I’d just be laughed off the internet if I had even attempted that. So instead, I figured that by doing this, I’ll be saving some of you folks the trouble of having to re-watch the previous films, which I will be doing. Because as I’ve made it clear in the past, I am a fan of these films; yes, even the critically-maligned sequels. Obviously, though, I’m in the extreme minority on that. However, despite being on par with the Star Wars prequels as one of the most critically despised franchises in recent years, these films still manage to be huge hits at the box-office, with the last two entries even going over $1 billion worldwide. Thus, it seems to me like no matter how much critics and film buffs rag on them, a lot of these folks will still go watch them regardless of their hatred for them. With that in mind, hopefully, this is helpful in some way, shape, or form; if not, well… I don’t know what to tell you because I’m no miracle worker. Thus, let’s look back on the ‘infamous’ saga that has been Michael Bay’s Transformers series.

(Disclaimer: I’m aware that quite a few other websites and YouTube channels have done exactly what I’m doing now, from Collider to io9 to Screen Junkies. With that in mind, I’d like to assure you, folks, that there was absolutely no intent on copying what those other sites have done in their respective posts/videos that recap the events of these films. Heck, as someone who does like these films, I’d say that this does give my post a different spin to it compared to others.)

TRANSFORMERS (RELEASED: 2007)

The film opens with narration from Optimus Prime (voiced by the character’s original voice actor from the 1984 TV series, Peter Cullen), the leader of the Autobots, a group of ‘autonomous robotic organisms’ from a planet named Cybertron who can transform into any mechanical object that they’ve analyzed, hence the name of the series, Transformers. Optimus explains that their planet had been destroyed following a long and intense war with a rival faction known as the Decepticons, led by the evil Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving). Part of the war was over an ancient Cybertronian artifact known as the AllSpark, a cube-like object that contains the power to create life by giving the Transformers their ‘soul’ AKA their ‘spark’. When the planet was destroyed, the Cube was lost as well, leading to both sides traversing across the galaxy trying to find it. It isn’t until quite sometime later when both sides learn that the Cube now resides on the planet Earth. In the present day, Decepticons Blackout and Frenzy attack a U.S. military base in Qatar and Air Force One, respectively, to acquire information about the Cube’s whereabouts. This information comes courtesy of an old pair of glasses that an old explorer named Captain Archibald Witwicky (W. Morgan Sheppard) wore when, on a mission into the Arctic Circle in 1895, came across the body of Megatron, who had crash landed on Earth when he tried to find the Cube. Witwicky’s encounter with Megatron led to the cube’s coordinates being imprinted on his glasses.

Back in the present, Archibald’s great-great-grandson Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) ends up buying his first car; an old 1976 Chevrolet Camaro. However, he soon discovers that the car is in fact one of the Autobots, Bumblebee, who can only communicate via radio/TV recordings due to damaged vocal cords (He does have a few spoken lines at the end of the film, in which he’s voiced by Mark Ryan, but then goes back to using radio/TV audio to speak in the subsequent films) and has been appointed the role of being Sam’s guardian. After being pursued by several Decepticons who are looking for his great-great grandfather’s glasses, Sam and his classmate/love interest Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) come across the other Autobots; Optimus, first lieutenant Jazz (voiced by Darius McCrary), weapons specialist Ironhide (voiced by Jess Harnell), and medical officer Ratchet (voiced by Robert Foxworth). The Autobots inform them of Megatron’s plans to use the AllSpark to create a new army and take over Earth. But when the two go to get Archibald’s glasses for them, they are arrested by a government group known as Sector Seven, led by agent Seymour Simmons (John Turturro), that has been monitoring alien activity on Earth for several years. When the group ends up at Sector Seven’s headquarters, hidden inside the Hoover Dam, they discover the still-frozen Megatron AND the AllSpark locked away inside it. However, the Decepticons soon start to attack, allowing Megatron to awaken from his frozen slumber. With the aid of a group of Army Rangers who had survived the attack on the Qatar base, including Captain William Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Sgt. Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson), Sam, Mikaela, and the Autobots head to the nearby Mission City to try and get the AllSpark away from Megatron.  

During the intense battle that follows in Mission City, the protagonists manage to defeat most of the Decepticons. However, Bumblebee ends up losing his legs after an attack from Megatron’s second-in-command Starscream (voiced by Charlie Adler) and Jazz is torn in half when he tries to fight Megatron. Bumblebee ends up giving Sam the AllSpark as the latter tries to get it away from Megatron. But Megatron soon comes after Sam, resulting in him being saved by Optimus, who tells Sam to push the Cube into his chest to destroy it, even though it would mean his death as well. Sam instead forces it into Megatron’s chest, killing him. Thus, with the AllSpark destroyed, save for a small shard that Optimus collects from Megatron’s body, the Autobots end up taking refuge on Earth. The U.S. government disbands Sector Seven and the remains of the deceased Decepticons are disposed of (for now, at least) in the Laurentian Abyss. The only surviving members of the Decepticons are Starscream, who escapes into space, and Barricade, who would later cameo in the third film where he is killed by human soldiers during the big final battle in Chicago… and yet, he is apparently set to return in the new film despite this. Ah well, anyway, Sam and Mikaela begin a new relationship and Bumblebee opts to stay with Sam. The film ends with Optimus sending out a message to his fellow Autobots who are still out there, “taking refuge amongst the stars”, to join them on Earth. “We are here… we are waiting…”   

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (RELEASED: 2009)

First off, let me answer the one question that I’m sure you all have right now… yes, Revenge of the Fallen has a plot. I know that it may seem unfathomable, but the critically reviled second installment of this Transformers series did indeed have one. It’s just that the film doesn’t get into it until more than halfway through its 2 ½ hour runtime; trust me, I legitimately timed it when I re-watched this film in 2014 prior to the release of Age of Extinction. Anyway, the film begins two years after the events of the first film. The Autobots have joined forces with the U.S. Military to form a special task force known as the Non-Biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty (NEST) to deal with any surviving Decepticons still on Earth. During their latest mission in Shanghai, one of the Decepticons that they’re hunting, Demolisher, warns them that “The Fallen shall rise again”. When they get back to base, National Security Adviser Theo Galloway (John Benjamin Hickey) scolds them for the chaos that they’ve caused in Shanghai and suggests that the reason why Decepticons are still on Earth is that they’re hunting the Autobots. He also suggests that perhaps it is time for the Autobots to leave Earth once and for all so that humanity will no longer be attacked by the Decepticons. Meanwhile, the Decepticons steal the AllSpark shard that Optimus took from Megatron’s body and use it to revive their fallen comrade at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss. Once resurrected, Megatron heads into space to meet with his master, The Fallen (voiced by Tony Todd), an ancient Decepticon who seeks to conquer the planet that he had tried to take over once before. Because as we see in the opening scene, which is also noted by Optimus in his traditional opening narration, Transformers existed on Earth long before the events of the first film and The Fallen was one of them.

Meanwhile, Sam is about to head off to college in Philadelphia. However, this also means that he’ll be leaving behind Bumblebee (because freshmen can’t have cars on campus) and Mikaela, who he promises he will stay faithful to but has trouble when it comes to saying the three words that truly matter (‘I love you’). While getting ready to make the move to college, Sam comes across a second AllSpark shard that was lodged within the clothes that he wore during the battle in Mission City. When he inspects it, he is suddenly inundated with Cybertronian information. After dealing with a bunch of kitchen-appliance Transformers that came to life via the shard’s power, which also results in his house being destroyed in the process, Sam gives the shard to Mikaela for safe-keeping. Once he gets to college, however, this new information that he has starts to materialize via symbols that he starts to see all over the place. But when Optimus comes to warn him of the impending threat, Sam insists that he wishes to live a normal life and that “this isn’t [his] war”. Soon, though, Sam, Mikaela, and his eccentric roommate, conspiracy blogger Leo Spitz (Ramón Rodriguez) are captured by Megatron and the Decepticons, who try to extract the information that Sam has from his brain. The Autobots manage to come in and save them just in time, but during the subsequent battle in a nearby forest, Optimus is killed by Megatron. With no one left to stop him, having previously noted that only a Prime can do so, The Fallen begins his plan of world domination and demands that Sam is delivered to him with the information that he has.

This forces Sam into hiding with Mikaela, Leo, Bumblebee, and Autobot twins Mudflap (voiced by Reno Wilson) and Skids (voiced by Tom Kenny). Sam deduces that the symbols that he’s seeing are a map that leads to a new source of Energon, the Transformers’ energy source. Leo then proceeds to bring them to someone who could help; a rival blogger known as ‘Robo-Warrior’. As it turns out, ‘Robo-Warrior’ is Agent Simmons, who now works at his mother’s deli since the disbandment of Sector Seven. It is through Simmons that the group learns about the Seekers, a group of ancient Transformers that still reside on Earth. They end up finding one, Jetfire (voiced by Mark Ryan), at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. and revive him with Sam’s AllSpark Shard. Although they are initially concerned to find that Jetfire is a Decepticon, he informs them that he has since switched sides. Likewise, Wheelie (also voiced by Tom Kenny), a Decepticon spy that had tried to steal the AllSpark shard from Mikaela and was subsequently brought along for the ride, switches sides as well once he learns about this new information. After transporting them all to Egypt, Jetfire informs them that The Fallen seeks to restart an Energon machine known as the Sun Harvester that absorbs energy from stars. And in this instance, he plans to use it on Earth’s sun. Jetfire also instructs them to find the Matrix of Leadership, the artifact that is used to start the Sun Harvester but can also be used to revive Optimus… which also basically makes this film a live-action adaptation of 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie since the Matrix appeared in that film as well and there was also a scene in which Optimus dies after a battle with Megatron.

Sam and the group then travel to Petra (AKA where Indiana Jones found the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), where the Matrix of Leadership is supposedly located in an ancient tomb made from the bodies of the Primes who had first stopped The Fallen from destroying Earth back in the day. While they do manage to find the Tomb and, supposedly, the Matrix, it evaporates into dust in Sam’s hands when he tries to pick it up. Meanwhile, they manage to convince Lennox and the NEST team to fly Optimus’ body and the other Autobots out to Egypt, despite not really having the means to revive Optimus just yet. Of course, the Decepticons then proceed to attack them, resulting in another long and intense battle. During this fight, Sam is supposedly killed by Megatron; however, in death, he is approached by the Primes who inform him that he’s earned the right to use the Matrix. Thus, he is revived and the Matrix materializes in his hands, which he immediately uses to revive Optimus. Jetfire then volunteers to sacrifice himself so that Optimus can use his parts to defeat The Fallen before he’s able to start his machine. Optimus does so, destroys the Sun Harvester, hidden within one of the Pyramids at Giza, and then kills The Fallen. Megatron and Starscream then proceed to flee the battle but vow that they will return. Victorious once again, the Autobots and their allies return home. Sam returns to his normal life and his relationship with Mikaela stays strong, especially after he finally tells her ‘I love you’… for now, at least. Which brings us to…

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (RELEASED: 2011)

After helping the Autobots stop the Decepticons from taking over the world twice, Sam has since graduated from college and is gearing up to find a new job. However, it’s revealed that Mikaela has broken up with him for ‘reasons’ (i.e. Megan Fox was basically booted off production after an incident in which she called Michael Bay ‘Hitler’). Luckily, for Sam, he’s found a new girlfriend in Carly Spencer (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), an assistant curator. Sam manages to get a job at a telecommunications company, Accuretta, later learning that his employers had gotten a letter of recommendation courtesy of Carly’s flirtatious boss, Dylan Gould (Patrick Dempsey), who happens to be one of the company’s board of directors. The stress of this close relationship between his girlfriend and her boss, along with the disappointment of being nothing more than a mail carrier at work, begins to put more and more pressure on Sam, who wishes that he was out there working with the Autobots instead and doing stuff that truly matters. Meanwhile, the Autobots and NEST have continued to monitor alien activity on Earth while also assisting the military in other global conflicts. On their latest mission to the abandoned facilities of Chernobyl, they come across a fuel cell which Optimus recognizes from an old Autobot ship known as the ‘Ark’.

The film’s opening sequence reveals that during the final days of the war on Cybertron, the Ark, captained by Optimus’ mentor Sentinel Prime (voiced by Leonard Nimoy), was severely damaged in battle and subsequently crash-landed on the Earth’s moon. Once this is discovered by NASA in 1961, they use the iconic Apollo 11 mission to the moon as a cover for investigating the crashed ship. Inside it contains the comatose Sentinel and a series of artifacts that he created known as the Pillars, which can teleport matter between two points via a space bridge. Optimus and the Autobots then proceed to collect the Pillars from the Ark and revive Sentinel with the Matrix of Leadership. While this is going on, Megatron and the other Decepticons, who know about the Ark and have apparently laid a trap for the Autobots, start to eliminate various humans who were involved in the manned missions to the Moon to investigate the Ark. When Sam and Simmons, along with Simmons’ personal assistant Dutch (Alan Tudyk), investigate further into the matter, they learn that the Decepticons have already collected several other Pillars from the Ark and were simply waiting for Optimus to revive Sentinel, the only one who knew how to use them. And to make matters worse, Sentinel then reveals that he has joined forces with the Decepticons in their plot to use the Pillars to transport Cybertron to Earth and use Earth’s resources to rebuild their planet. He then kills Ironhide and uses the Pillars to bring several Decepticons hidden on the Moon to Earth. When Sam tries to warn Carly, they learn that Dylan is also in league with the Decepticons. Carly is taken prisoner and the Decepticons coerce the world’s governments into forcing the Autobots to leave Earth to allegedly prevent any future conflicts. However, the Decepticons then proceed to destroy the Autobots’ departure ship and invade Chicago to begin the process of transporting Cybertron to their current location.

Sam, meanwhile, embarks on a personal mission to save Carly with the aid of Epps, who had left NEST after the events of Revenge of the Fallen, and some other former members of the task force. While initially overwhelmed by Decepticon forces, they are eventually saved by Optimus and the Autobots, who reveal that they weren’t on the main section of their ship when it was destroyed. Sam manages to save Carly and the group begins to fight back against the Decepticons, later aided by Lennox and NEST once they’re able to successfully infiltrate the city. During the battle, they manage to temporarily halt the Pillars’ transportation process until it is restarted again by Dylan. The subsequent confrontation between him and Sam results in the former being killed when he gets electrocuted by the main Pillar. The Pillar is then subsequently destroyed by Bumblebee, preventing the transportation of Cybertron from occurring and resulting in the planet’s apparent destruction. Meanwhile, Carly manages to convince Megatron to turn against Sentinel by making him believe that Sentinel will overtake him as the leader of the Decepticons if they succeed in rebuilding Cybertron. Megatron then attacks Sentinel before he manages to kill Optimus, who then proceeds to kill Megatron by removing his head and spine from his body. Optimus then kills his former mentor, bringing an end to the devastation in the Windy City. Sam and Carly reunite and affirm their love for one another while the Autobots once again embrace Earth as their home. And thus, Dark of the Moon officially concluded the arc of Sam Witwicky, the boy who became a vital part of an intergalactic war when he bought a car that turned out to be an alien robot (“Who knew?”). But this ultimately wasn’t the end for this series, as it continued in a new direction in…

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (RELEASED: 2014)

Age of Extinction served as a ‘soft reboot’ of the franchise, focusing on new characters while still taking place after the events of Dark of the Moon. Since the big battle in Chicago, the truce between the Autobots and the U.S. government has ended, as the former now find themselves hunted by an elite black ops group known as Cemetery Wind, led by government official Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer), who views all Transformers as a threat to mankind, and field agent James Savoy (Titus Welliver), who claims that he lost a sister during the Battle of Chicago. They’re also aided by a neutral Cybertronian bounty hunter named Lockdown (voiced by Mark Ryan) and immediately establish themselves as a serious threat when they find and execute Ratchet, who refuses to reveal the location of Lockdown’s primary target, Optimus. Meanwhile, in a small town in Texas, widowed inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) struggles to make a living and provide for his teenage daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz), who’s about to go off to college. When he and his business partner Lucas Flannery (T.J. Miller) come across an old, rundown semi-truck in an old theater, the three learn that the truck is, in fact, Optimus, who was severely wounded after an encounter with Lockdown in Mexico City. This then results in them being attacked by Savoy and Cemetery Wind, but they all manage to escape with the help of Tessa’s boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor), a rally car driver. During their escape, however, Lucas is killed by Lockdown.

Now fugitives, Cade and company, along with Optimus, meet up with the surviving members of the Autobots; Bumblebee, commando Hound (voiced by John Goodman), tactician Drift (voiced by Ken Watanabe), and paratrooper Crosshairs (voiced by John DiMaggio). They discover that a robotics company named K.S.I. is working with Cemetery Wind in their efforts to eliminate the Autobots. In return, K.S.I. CEO Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci) is given a rare metal alloy, which he and his associates call ‘Transformium’, to build his own robots. This includes Galvatron, who was created via data from the deceased Megatron (fittingly enough, Galvatron is voiced by Megatron’s original voice actor from the 80’s animated series, Frank Welker, who will finally voice Megatron in The Last Knight after the character had been portrayed by Hugo Weaving in the original trilogy), and Stinger, modeled after Bumblebee and touted as a ‘superior’ model to Bumblebee’s annoyance. After infiltrating K.S.I., the group is attacked by Galvatron and Stinger, as the former conveys some of Megatron’s sinister qualities and subsequently breaks free from Joyce’s control. Eventually, Lockdown enters the picture and takes Optimus prisoner, claiming that he plans on bringing Optimus back to those who created him, the ‘Creators’ AKA Lockdown’s superiors. Tessa gets captured as well, resulting in Cade, Shane, and the Autobots having to save her and Optimus before Lockdown’s ship leaves Earth per the agreement that he had with Cemetery Wind, who are given a device referred to as a ‘Seed’ that they subsequently give to Joyce, who intends on using it to create more Transformium. After saving Tessa and Optimus from the ship, along with dealing with a few enemy forces in Chicago, the protagonists learn that the ‘Creators’ used these Seeds to terraform planets and create Transformium, which also resulted in the destruction of all life forms on the planets that they used it on.

After convincing Joyce of the Seed’s dangerous capabilities, the group heads to Hong Kong to get it away from Lockdown and Cemetery Wind. Meanwhile, Galvatron, now fully reincarnated as Megatron, takes control of the other robots in K.S.I.’s inventory, fully intent on using the Seed to take over the world. After initially being outnumbered by the Decepticons, Optimus and the Autobots manage to gain a leg up on them with the aid of ancient Transformers known as the Dinobots that were previously imprisoned on Lockdown’s ship, with Optimus riding Dinobot leader Grimlock, who transforms into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, into battle. Meanwhile, Cade manages to kill Savoy as revenge for all the harm that he and Cemetery Wind have caused to him and his daughter. After the group manages to get the Seed to safety and away from Galvatron and Lockdown, Optimus ends up in a fight with the latter. Cade and Attinger get involved as well, resulting in the latter being killed by Optimus, who had previously vowed revenge against the human responsible for the deaths of his comrades. Optimus then manages to kill Lockdown with the aid of Cade, Tessa, and Shane. Galvatron then proceeds to retreat, once again vowing that he’ll return. And thus, with his faith in humanity restored thanks to Cade and his family, the film ends with Optimus heading off into space (with the Seed in tow) to finally confront his Creators. In his final narration, he warns them to “Leave planet Earth alone…” and that he’s coming for them, thereby setting up the events of this week’s new release, Transformers: The Last Knight.

And, thus, that’s the ‘Story So Far’ for the Michael Bay-directed Transformers films. Thanks for following along and you can expect a review of Transformers: The Last Knight sometime in the next few days. Given my track record with this franchise, I’m predicting that I’ll probably be one of the few people crazy enough to like it even when it inevitably gets slammed by critics. Only time will tell…

Cars 3 (2017) review

The Cars franchise has always been one of the more fascinating facets of Pixar Animation’s prestigious filmography. And that’s because while the films have been highly successful at the box-office, along with amassing an impressive $10 billion in merchandise sales, they’re generally considered to be some of Pixar’s weakest efforts. The first Cars film, released in 2006, did do well with critics but not necessarily on the same level as some of Pixar’s most beloved films (e.g. Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, etc.). Things only got worse with the 2011 sequel, Cars 2, as that film became the first Pixar film ever to receive primarily negative reviews from critics. Thus, Cars basically became Pixar’s ‘black sheep’ franchise and, if you ask me, was the catalyst for what I feel is the current internet mindset when it comes to the legendary animation company. That mindset is that if a Pixar film isn’t a ‘critically-acclaimed, 15/10 masterpiece’, then it isn’t worth a damn. This is the mindset that would ultimately affect films like Brave, Monsters University, and The Good Dinosaur. But I’ve never held Pixar to those standards, hence why I still love the first Cars film and will even argue that Cars 2 isn’t as bad as the internet puts it out to be. But now, here we are with Cars 3, which Pixar fans are either anticipating or dreading depending on their opinions of the franchise. It does promise, though, to return to the series’ original roots, and it certainly grabbed the attention of everyone when its first teaser showed main protagonist Lightning McQueen in a devastating crash. And while this ultimately may not be enough to convert those who aren’t fans of the series, Cars 3 is a worthy follow-up to the original Cars thanks to a solid and poignant story that gives a satisfying conclusion to its main protagonist’s overall arc.

Year in and year out, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) has been one of the most successful racers in the league. However, that success is soon threatened by the arrival of hot-shot rookie Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer) and a new line of racers who train using the most advanced technology on the planet to be the fastest on the race track. The growing dominance of these new ‘high-tech’ racers soon lead to many of Lightning’s old racing pals being forced into an early retirement, and it seems like Lightning’s future is doubtful as well after he suffers a devastating crash during the final race of the season. Not wanting to be forced out of the sport the same way that his mentor Doc Hudson (who, despite having passed away after the events of the first film, returns in this film via flashbacks and unused audio of his voice actor, the late Paul Newman) was back in his day, Lightning realizes that he must start training the same way that the new rookies are training if he has any chance of beating them. Luckily for him, the company that sponsors him, Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment, has just built a new training facility with all the upgrades courtesy of the company’s new owner, Mr. Sterling (Nathan Fillion). Now guided by enthusiastic trainer Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), Lightning begins a journey of redemption as he attempts to adapt to the newest racing techniques to not only stand a chance against his new opponents, namely Storm, but to also save his career.

One of the key things that Cars 3 does is that, from a story perspective, it does return to the series’ roots after Cars 2 took an admittedly interesting but ultimately rather messy diversion into the world of ‘car espionage’ which, in turn, was based around a separate ‘world tour’ story. This time around, there aren’t two different plotlines that are struggling just to co-exist with one another to the point where the main plotline ends up becoming a ‘secondary’ one. Like the first film, this one’s all about racing again and this time it’s based around an effectively poignant story in which Lightning McQueen, who was the hot-shot rookie back in the first film, now finds himself being outdone by a new generation of racers. Thus, this film manages to make the entire trilogy of Cars films have a clear beginning, middle, and end. After all, it was during a crucial scene from the first film in which Lightning learned about how Doc used to be a famous racer until a devastating crash resulted in a premature end to his career. Now, Lightning finds himself in the same situation in racing’s modern landscape. Sure, like its predecessors, this film’s plot is a rather simplistic one for a Pixar film. However, I’d argue that the divide between generations in this film, and the ways in which the characters deal with it, does give Cars 3 a great amount of emotional depth. From the arcs that the main characters go through to the film’s effective use of the character of Doc Hudson despite Paul Newman’s passing in 2008, this film is steeped in poignancy. Granted, this may depend on whether you did like these characters in the previous films but it does work in the long run.  

Of course, like any Pixar film, the animation is excellent. In fact, this may just be the best-looking Cars film yet in terms of lighting and some of the new ways in which it creates a world inhabited by cars. Like its predecessors, this film features great racing sequences that are set within fun and unique locales, like the one ‘race’ that Lightning and Cruz participate in that’s ultimately more of a demolition derby. Plus, as is also common with Pixar films, Cars 3 features an excellent ensemble cast to portray this franchise’s lovable cast of characters. And this time around, they thankfully aren’t all under-utilized like most of them admittedly were in Cars 2. Granted, the Radiator Springs crew are still just side characters at the end of the day, as the focus is more on Lightning and his trainer, but they are utilized better in this film, especially Mater. Fear not, folks, this isn’t like last time where he ended up becoming the main character whereas Lightning was relegated to what was basically a minor supporting role. Lightning is truly the main character in this film, and Owen Wilson does a great job once again in not only making Lightning a likable protagonist but also a sympathetic one in this instance given that his storyline in this is one of redemption. The big standout of the show, however, ends up being Cristela Alonzo as Cruz. Her infectious enthusiasm instantly makes her a likable character, and she’s also given a nice character arc in which we see that she can hang with Lightning and the other racers on the track. As for Lightning’s new rival, Jackson Storm, he’s a serviceable foe just like Lightning’s rivals from the previous two films. Though, at the same time, he does serve as a nice foil to Lightning in this film given that he acts the same way that Lightning did at the beginning of the first film (i.e. an egotistical show-off).

Now, if I were to be honest, if you weren’t a big fan of these Cars films, to begin with (and not just because of Cars 2; I’m talking about the entire series in general), there’s a good chance that this new film isn’t going to win you over. Like the two films that came before it, the plot is admittedly a simpler one compared to other Pixar films. And heck, this is only Pixar’s first 2017 release, so I have the feeling that this film will, unfortunately, be completely forgotten about by the internet once Coco gets released in November. However, I will always argue that these Cars films (yes, even Cars 2… it’s not THAT bad!) are much more than just ‘middle-of-the-road’, ‘below average’ Pixar films that are ‘just for kids’ and are only there to sell toys. Cars 3 manages to come full-circle on the story of Lightning McQueen on his journey to prove that he can still be as successful of a racer as he used to be in a sport that is continuously evolving at a faster rate than he is. And through a plot that does indeed have the emotionally poignant moments that you can always expect from a Pixar film, Cars 3 does succeed in this regard. No, this isn’t the best film that Pixar’s ever made, but it doesn’t have to be. As I’ve said time and time again, not every film that they make will be a masterpiece. It’s just that the unfortunate downside of all the success that they’ve had since 1995 is that the internet now expects a masterpiece from them with each new release. Thus, given this film’s measly 66% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (which, for the record, IS still a fresh rating!), I know that many out there will regard it as an ‘unnecessary’ continuation of Pixar’s so-called ‘weakest’ franchise. But, as a fan of this so-called ‘black sheep’ of Pixar franchises, I enjoyed its newest installment. And if you are a fan of these films, I think you’ll like this new one just fine. 

Rating: 4/5

Disney/Pixar's Cars: Double Feature Review (2006/2011)

This weekend sees the release of Pixar Animation’s first release of 2017, Cars 3. It is, of course, the third installment of the studio’s highly successful franchise… at least, from a commercial perspective. In terms of merchandising sales, this series has earned over $10 billion worldwide, easily making it one of Disney’s most commercially successful brands. But in terms of critical reception, the Cars films are generally regarded as some of Pixar’s weakest outings. The second film, especially, is quite infamous for being their first negatively-received film, breaking a ‘win-streak’ that had been going on ever since their first feature film, Toy Story, back in 1995. Thus, there’s quite a bit of uncertainty surrounding this new film. Will it be subjected to the same mixed reception as its predecessors, or could it potentially turn things around for the franchise? We’ll soon find out, but until then, today I’ll be doing a double feature pairing of reviews for the first two Cars films. Now, technically speaking, I did review these films before back in 2013, when I did a ‘Pixar Retrospective’ in time for Pixar’s then-newest release, Monsters University. However, those ‘reviews’ didn’t have much to them content-wise, meaning that the following reviews are going to be more constructive by comparison. Also, I’ll admit that I haven’t watched either of these films in quite some time, so it’ll be interesting to see if my opinions on them change in any way. Finally, I just want to mention that I won’t be doing reviews for the two Planes spin-off films that were released in 2013 and 2014. No, it’s not because both were subjected to generally mixed reviews and, from what I’ve read, were initially meant to be direct-to-video releases. It’s just that I wanted to focus solely on the Cars films for today’s post. Plus, the Planes films were not made by Pixar. While they were produced by Pixar’s John Lasseter (director of the first two Cars films) and are considered spin-offs of the Cars franchise, they were instead made by DisneyToon Studios, Disney’s home video division. We’re only talking about Pixar today, folks! Ka-Chow!

CARS (2006)

We start things off, of course, with 2006’s Cars, the film that spawned one of Disney and Pixar’s most successful franchises in terms of its merchandising. However, while it did do fine with critics, it wasn’t considered one of the studio’s best efforts. Thus, it could be argued that this film (and its sequel) basically went on to spawn the internet mindset which argues that if a Pixar film isn’t an outright critically-acclaimed effort (or, as I like to call it, a ‘15/10 masterpiece’), it ain’t worth a damn. Here’s where I disagree with that notion. Yes, I’ll admit that the plot of Cars is a simpler one compared to other Pixar films; in fact, many have pointed out the similarities that it shares with Doc Hollywood, a 1991 film starring Michael J. Fox which has a similar plot. And I’m also well-aware of how quite a few people have questioned the concept and logistics behind a universe in which cars are portrayed as sentient beings without human drivers. But, even with all this in mind, that doesn’t mean that the film doesn’t have any heart because it does. It’s a story about an egotistical celebrity, a racer named Lightning McQueen, who learns to have a greater appreciation for the old-fashioned charm of a simpler lifestyle when he gets stuck in a forgotten town on Route 66 while on the way to a big race. This overall arc that Lightning goes through is well-handled, and the film also does a great job of making the residents of the Route 66 town that he comes to, Radiator Springs, a lovable bunch. Case in point, I dare you not to get even a little bit emotional during the ‘Our Town’ sequence, where we see how Radiator Springs was severely impacted by the development of a nearby interstate that caused a severe blow to their town’s tourism.

These characters are portrayed excellently by a great ensemble cast that includes the likes of Owen Wilson as Lightning, Larry the Cable Guy as Lightning’s dim-witted but loyal best friend Mater the Tow Truck (I know Larry the Cable Guy isn’t the most popular comedian out there, but Mater IS a legitimately lovable supporting character), and the legendary Paul Newman in his final film role* as Radiator Springs’ resident judge/mechanic Doc Hudson, who is revealed to have been a famous racer himself back in the day known as the ‘Hudson Hornet’ before a devastating crash forced him out of the game. This, by the way, also happens to be a retroactively subtle set-up for the events of the new film, which will see Lightning go through the same hardships as his mentor. And, of course, the animation is just as great as you’d expect from a Pixar production. I do love all the ways in which the film reimagines our world through the eyes of cars (e.g. cows are portrayed as tractors (the ‘tractor-tipping’ scene… need I say more?)). So, in short, I’ll admit that my love for this film may partially stem from the fact that it was one of those films that I saw at a young age and then proceeded to re-watch numerous times when I got it on DVD. However, upon this most recent re-watch, I find that I still stand by my overall opinion on this film; that it truly is a worthwhile entry in Pixar’s prestigious filmography and an underrated one at that. No, I’m not saying that it’s one of their absolute best; some parts of it are, admittedly, kind of slow. But at the end of the day, it’s more than enough proof that not every film that Pixar makes needs to be a game-changing masterpiece.

Rating: 4.5/5

(*It’s recently been confirmed that Doc Hudson will appear in Cars 3 via unused audio of Paul Newman taken from this film)

CARS 2 (2011)

And here we are… Cars 2, the film that effectively killed Pixar’s ‘winning streak’ as their first effort that garnered generally negative reviews from critics. Sure, it did solid enough at the box-office and it did continue to impact the franchise’s impressive track record when it comes to merchandise sales. But as for Pixar fans, some felt that this was a betrayal (a criminal offense, even) from the legendary animation company to put out an ‘inferior’ film like this after all that they’ve done. Seriously, I wish that I was kidding about this, but my friend and fellow blogger Kyle Ostrum (kylesanimatedworld.blogspot.com and kylelovesanimationnmore.wordpress.com) has informed me that he once saw comments like that in online forums. Now that I have finally seen this film for the first time ever since I saw it at the Wellfleet Drive-in in Cape Cod back in 2011, what do I think about it now? Well… it’s honestly not THAT bad. Granted, though, it’s far from perfect. Ultimately, the biggest issue with Cars 2 is that the overall narrative is a messy one. The main plot consists of Lightning McQueen participating in a worldwide Grand Prix after he’s challenged by a hot-shot Italian formula racer named Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro). This then leads to him, Mater, and the Radiator Springs crew going on a world tour to spots like Japan, Italy, and London. Now that alone would be a cool idea for a Cars sequel, as it allows us to see this world of cars expanded upon in fascinating ways. But then there’s the other plot of the film, which involves Mater unintentionally getting caught up in the world of espionage when two agents, veteran Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and rookie field agent Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer), confuse him for one of their contacts. This is also a rather cool route for a Cars film to explore. I mean, sure, maybe it’s a bit ‘out there’ given this franchise’s simpler roots, but it does lead to some fun action sequences.

But ultimately, that’s the big problem here… when paired together, these two plotlines don’t properly co-exist. Despite what I said earlier about the World Tour/Grand Prix being the focus of the plot, it’s ultimately the other way around. It’s the spy plot that comes first, basically making Mater the main character of the film. And remember what I said earlier about how not everyone is a fan of Larry the Cable Guy? Well, if you aren’t... then you’re probably not going to like this film for this exact reason. As for me though, as I noted before, I am a fan of Mater the character, so I personally didn’t mind him getting more screen-time in this film. However, this also means that Lightning, AKA the MAIN CHARACTER OF THE SERIES, is relegated to a supporting role along with the other members of the Radiator Springs gang. And yet, based on the film’s teaser trailer, it seemed like Lightning was going to be involved in the spy stuff as well… that’s ultimately not the case here. With that said, though, I do genuinely like the arc that Mater goes through in this film as he tries to prove to everyone that he’s not just some goofball. Plus, the animation is excellent, as one can always expect from Pixar, and the racing scenes are entertaining as are the action sequences involving the spy characters. Thus, in conclusion, Cars 2 seriously isn’t as bad as the internet has consistently put it out to be. I mean, to be fair, if I had to rank this amongst the other films in Pixar’s filmography, it would admittedly be near the bottom of the list… in fact, maybe even the exact bottom. Still, in my book, that’s not too much of a bad thing because I don’t hold Pixar to the same high standards that the internet holds it to. And from what I’ve heard, a lot of this film’s shortcomings were just the result of Pixar being somewhat rushed into getting this film completed. Hopefully, that isn’t the case with Cars 3, which is set to re-embrace the series’ roots.

Rating: 3.5/5

And those are my [potentially controversial] thoughts on the Cars films. Thanks for following along and stay tuned, as a review of Cars 3 will be posted sometime in the next week. Until then…

KA-CHOW!