This weekend will be a showdown of the comics. After it's opening weekend last week, I feel as though Kick-Ass needs a make-up session, and the challenger in the other corner is Vertigo comic's The Losers. Last week Kick-Ass just barely beat out the family film from Dreamworks How to Train Your Dragon, but I feel this weeks challenger should put up less of a fight. Unfortunately I did not buy the hype of The Losers. Yes, it looks cool. Yes, there is a hot chick that can kick ass and will give any guy a hard on for her flexibility and ability to handle dangerous weapons. But other than that this film lacks in a variety of areas.
As an action fan from the female prospective, The Losers left me wishing I had not wasted my time. Regardless of several "hot" male actors there was nothing that truly appealed to action fans. There wasn't quite enough action to keep me satisfied, and the overall dialog and story fell short even in comparison to some of the worst comic book adaptations like The Punisher, Hulk (Eric Bana version) and The Fantastic Four. I get that they tried to appeal to females by adding in Chris Evans who previously starred as Human Torch, but even for how bad the Fantastic Four films were we (female audience) were at least given a little skin to help us get through the painful moments of the film. But there was very little for me to hold onto during the 98 minute running time of The Losers.
The Losers gave the impression to have great potential, but after Kick-Ass and the witty dark humor I felt the dialog and story choices made for The Losers just reached too far. Granted I have not read the comics, but I have a feeling that several of the characters are not quite as bad as they are portrayed. Jensen is over the top and is almost "clueless" to an extent that is unbelievable. It's "cute" that he loves his niece but there is something about an elite special forces hacker that acts the way he does that just doesn't make it for me. Clay is the most relateable character, however his character is so one-dimensional that I just couldn't seem to like him. Aisha is a bad ass chick suffering from lack of bi-polar medication. Her history and connection to the Losers makes sense but the lead up to the reveal make it less believable as to who her character is. My only real porblem with Zoe Saldana as Aisha is the fact that I find her hard to believe as an action star. Her dancing background adds to her ability to make the appearance believable, but her acting style is hard to keep up with. I wish she would stick with drama films and leave the action genre to other actors for the time being. The best part of the film for me was Cougar and Pooch. Their contrast together made for the perfect pair in the team. Cougars lack of need to speak makes him a true bad-ass, and adds to his character as a sharpshooter.
Over all I struggled to find something steady throughout The Losers to keep me grounded long enough to really appreciate it. I guess having just come off Kick-Ass I have higher standards for comic adaptations and just wanted something more. The Losers cannot touch Kick-Ass in overall quality of entertainment. Personally I would suggest putting The Losers on the back burner and waiting to see it after it's out on DVD. But who knows, maybe I just missed the point and maybe one of you can help explain to me what I missed.
The long awaited James Cameron film Avatar hit theaters this past weekend. While opening weekend raked in an estimated $77 million in domestic ticket sales and an additional $159 million in ticket sales in 106 countries overseas -- excluding Japan and China who are still to come. This weekend Avatar did reach the #9 spot for All Time Worldwide Opening Records and the #2 spot for Top December Opening Weekend Records. However, some reports have come in saying that the blizzard that hit the east coast caused ticket sales to take a hit, but my Saturday experience at the theater proved otherwise.
I remember being bombarded by phone calls last week with several people asking me if it was worth going to see Avatar in theaters. I had heard mixed reviews regarding the film, with people commenting that it will be strictly eye candy with no substance in storyline and I felt compelled to share what I had heard. Even as I received a handful of calls on opening day from my father asking if it was something that he would understand, I still felt the need to share the mixed feelings I had quickly developed over the weeks leading up to its release. I was surprised that later in the day I had a voicemail waiting for me, practically screaming at me, that I had to go see the film this weekend. My father, who is of the older movie go-er generation, does not see eye to eye with me when it comes to movies as he is interested in the more intellectual and "family fun" style of films where as I enjoy blood, guts and insane amounts of action. To hear that he thought the movie was "awesome" and actually ended up using the word about a dozen times in a conversation that followed, I felt compelled to go out this opening weekend to see if it was really as good as he though. So Saturday morning, making plans with my movie date for the evening, I purchased tickets online to avoid at least one line and then ventured out into the first blizzard of the season.
Arriving at the theater 45 minutes before showtime, I stood in line feeling like a complete film geek, excited just to see what the film would look like since I had little expectations for there being a good storyline. My date for the evening seemed less than excited, standing in line in a bit of a stooper and neutral to everything that was going on. After finding seats in what was a much smaller screen that I was expecting the trailer began to roll. Unfortunately none of the trailers really stuck out, but once advised to put on our 3D glasses I sat in aw and awaiting what was about to happen.
With a running time of 2 hours and 40 minutes, I never once felt a lull or dramatic drop in the pace of the film. It held and captivated my attention for the entire screening and watching in 'RealD' you truly do get an experience unlike any other. I have watched plenty of other 3D shows and films with the classic red and blue glasses that give you such a horrible headache you seriously wonder why you ever bother to watch anything in 3D, but the translucent RealD glasses give you the 3rd dimension without the pain. From the opening scene straight through to the end, I fought the urge to reach out and "touch" the beautiful world of Pandora that James Cameron introduced us to. The world of Pandora is a beautiful place both in theory, vision and story, and no matter how fantastic the fantasy level became everything remained grounded in reality. From the space crafts the humans use travel in to the alien planet, to the military vehicles and weapons, to the plants, creatures and people of Pandora each element hints are reality. Nothing strayed too far from the line of what "could be".
As for the story, I was surprised by the level of depth it held. It was not your basic sci-fi/fantasy story, and it left me considering what under lying statements Mr. Cameron was making about our current standing globally. The story was thought provoking and left me thinking about social and political commentary that could be picked up and hinted at in some aspect or another. The film is visually out of this world, and the story will hold your attention for the entire running time. By the time you are ready to walk out of the theater, you will not feel like you have been sitting through a 3 hr film, unless you just downed a large coke.
If you are an Aliens fan, see if you catch the homage James Camera slips in. See if you can find the "Titanic moment". This film is a must see over the winter break. Even if you do not enjoy the story, I guarentee that you will not be disappointed by the visual effects. Although, as my movie date said, the Na'vi's skin may be a little distracting. But all in all the film is worth the sitting time. You will love Sam Worthington's performance, both in flesh and CGI. You will enjoy the grace and beauty of Zoe Saldana as her dance background adds to the Na'vi. Her movements are truly those of a trained ballerina and it made watching her leaping through the trees and during battle that much more amazing. The Na'vi, in their looks, movements, beliefs, and soul truly are amazing characters. Even the wonderful Sigourney Weaver will amaze you with the heart and soul of her character. Michelle Rodriguez players her typical "badass" self. She is just as much a fighter as she is in every other role she has played and it's fun to watch her keeping up with the "big boys" when it comes to a gun fight. Stephen Lang is that guy you will recognize but may not recall his name at the end of the film, but his performance as Colonel Miles Quaritch is everything you could ever want. And Joel Moore just makes you love him even more with each character he plays in his blooming career.
So if you want a film that will pull you right into the story and picture, go check out Avatar.
