Snow White, Hulk and Vintage Soldier
These last evenings I've had plenty of time to spare, so I decided to catch up on some movies. Turns out I wasn't missing much. Talk about fandom raising one's expectations and going backwards when approaching a story, go me. You shouldn't start from fanwork.
Ok, the first part of Captain America was enjoyable, vintage-flavoured without being obnoxious, and kudos to the people responsible for the special effects - skinny!Steve was really believable. Moreover, Tommy Lee Jones is Tommy Lee Jones, even if a bit bloated. And I liked Peggy as a character. Sadly, the movie began its descent to hell when Schmidt took off his face and started going around with that... thing. And for being a high seat in Nazism's hyerarchy, boss to an organisation such as Hydra, in the end he was portrayed as quite the incompetent villain. You've mastered (partially) the power of the Tesseract and you can't keep decent security in your foremost base, really? Not to mention losing so many afterward because you and your minions kept important maps tacked to the walls. Then there's Steve going martyr instead of just searching for a damn parachute+autopilot #fail
Maybe I'm asking too much; but I'm beginning to see why many don't give movies-from-comics much consideration. I'm all for fun and pseudo-science, but basic logic and attention to the plot? Yes please.
And the music was just standard level.
Second movie: The incredible Hulk.
Since I had skipped it and knew Avengers instead, you might imagine my surprise and upset when I discovered who was the leading actor (read: not Mark Ruffalo). All right, Hulk's fans lived this when Avengers came out, Ruffalo isn't the real Banner, yaddayadda. But do we want to discuss about Norton's suitability as Bruce/Hulk? In my opinion, he's too thin and he lacks expression; he seems more a librarian than a scientist (no offense to librarians, of course!). Maybe that's the reason for which he wasn't confirmed afterward. I hope they won't do the same to Ruffalo, because I adore him :/
Liv Tyler was another sore point. She didn't give much depth to Betty, imo; except for a couple of situations, she seemed tired and uninspired. Hulk was Hulk, if a bit woobiefied, but well. And let's not start with the General and the same, old sadistic soldier out to surpass himself over and over.
What I liked was the impression of reality, real people with real lives, present mostly in the first half when Bruce lives in South America, but also in the university and laboratories' scenes. However, I don't think this is the best in a movie-from-comic, where incredible monsters are bound to start leaping in the mid of a crowd anytime; it must be done very right, and here reality was too documentary-style. In my opinion, at least.
Don't think I'll watch it again.
Music: boring.
And here the icing on the cake, Snow White and the Huntsman!
I don't agree with those who said that no actor was right for their role - Hemsworth does a good job at playing the rough, mostly-drunk unhappy widow; I liked him from start from almost finish. But that could be the Thor vibes talking *laughs* Well, at least he's capable of expression... something which can't be said neither for Charlize nor her stepdaughter.
Stewart, oh god. What a pain. Ok, I admit she didn't come out too badly from the scenes where a suffering face was required (tower and Black Forest): it's her face, blimey. The hallucinogenic forest scene I actually liked very much. But since I discovered the sum they gave her for this movie, I've been ಠ_ಠ #nope
Plot? Quite bland. I know it's a fairytale revisited, but. What is the target, adolescents? I don't know, but probably. Dialogues also very bland.
The screenplay was all right, with a pleasant rhythm until the battle, which was rushed (a poor pseudo-Duchy organizing an assault to a strong citadel in the space of... a day? A week? They were almost starving, where did they get supplies and horses and armours and--aggh. My brains explodes trying to apply logic). Also, some things stolen inspired by other movies: heart-tearing hand à la Indiana Jones, Nazgul-like shadows, travel by landscape à la LoTR, Edoras' White Lady, Narnia feelings in the enchanted meadow and incoronation à la Gwen's. Frequent in recent times, but never so condensed.
I truly liked the locations: the castle, the village, with realistic features such as mud, filth and gaunt people. The costumes. The special effects were also nice, with the exception of the enchanted (eugh) forest, because puh-lease.
Oh, and some ost tracks, haunting but delicate. No Beethoven or Mozart, obviously, but fine.
Tried to keep it short. Well.
Ok, the first part of Captain America was enjoyable, vintage-flavoured without being obnoxious, and kudos to the people responsible for the special effects - skinny!Steve was really believable. Moreover, Tommy Lee Jones is Tommy Lee Jones, even if a bit bloated. And I liked Peggy as a character. Sadly, the movie began its descent to hell when Schmidt took off his face and started going around with that... thing. And for being a high seat in Nazism's hyerarchy, boss to an organisation such as Hydra, in the end he was portrayed as quite the incompetent villain. You've mastered (partially) the power of the Tesseract and you can't keep decent security in your foremost base, really? Not to mention losing so many afterward because you and your minions kept important maps tacked to the walls. Then there's Steve going martyr instead of just searching for a damn parachute+autopilot #fail
Maybe I'm asking too much; but I'm beginning to see why many don't give movies-from-comics much consideration. I'm all for fun and pseudo-science, but basic logic and attention to the plot? Yes please.
And the music was just standard level.
Second movie: The incredible Hulk.
Since I had skipped it and knew Avengers instead, you might imagine my surprise and upset when I discovered who was the leading actor (read: not Mark Ruffalo). All right, Hulk's fans lived this when Avengers came out, Ruffalo isn't the real Banner, yaddayadda. But do we want to discuss about Norton's suitability as Bruce/Hulk? In my opinion, he's too thin and he lacks expression; he seems more a librarian than a scientist (no offense to librarians, of course!). Maybe that's the reason for which he wasn't confirmed afterward. I hope they won't do the same to Ruffalo, because I adore him :/
Liv Tyler was another sore point. She didn't give much depth to Betty, imo; except for a couple of situations, she seemed tired and uninspired. Hulk was Hulk, if a bit woobiefied, but well. And let's not start with the General and the same, old sadistic soldier out to surpass himself over and over.
What I liked was the impression of reality, real people with real lives, present mostly in the first half when Bruce lives in South America, but also in the university and laboratories' scenes. However, I don't think this is the best in a movie-from-comic, where incredible monsters are bound to start leaping in the mid of a crowd anytime; it must be done very right, and here reality was too documentary-style. In my opinion, at least.
Don't think I'll watch it again.
Music: boring.
And here the icing on the cake, Snow White and the Huntsman!
I don't agree with those who said that no actor was right for their role - Hemsworth does a good job at playing the rough, mostly-drunk unhappy widow; I liked him from start from almost finish. But that could be the Thor vibes talking *laughs* Well, at least he's capable of expression... something which can't be said neither for Charlize nor her stepdaughter.
Stewart, oh god. What a pain. Ok, I admit she didn't come out too badly from the scenes where a suffering face was required (tower and Black Forest): it's her face, blimey. The hallucinogenic forest scene I actually liked very much. But since I discovered the sum they gave her for this movie, I've been ಠ_ಠ #nope
Plot? Quite bland. I know it's a fairytale revisited, but. What is the target, adolescents? I don't know, but probably. Dialogues also very bland.
The screenplay was all right, with a pleasant rhythm until the battle, which was rushed (a poor pseudo-Duchy organizing an assault to a strong citadel in the space of... a day? A week? They were almost starving, where did they get supplies and horses and armours and--aggh. My brains explodes trying to apply logic). Also, some things stolen inspired by other movies: heart-tearing hand à la Indiana Jones, Nazgul-like shadows, travel by landscape à la LoTR, Edoras' White Lady, Narnia feelings in the enchanted meadow and incoronation à la Gwen's. Frequent in recent times, but never so condensed.
I truly liked the locations: the castle, the village, with realistic features such as mud, filth and gaunt people. The costumes. The special effects were also nice, with the exception of the enchanted (eugh) forest, because puh-lease.
Oh, and some ost tracks, haunting but delicate. No Beethoven or Mozart, obviously, but fine.
Tried to keep it short. Well.