A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

            A Wrinkle in Time, based on the novel by Madeline L’Engle, tells the story of a young girl named Meg, who wants to know where her father has been these past four years, after disappearing suddenly. When three astral beings come in the form of the Misses, Meg must now travel the universe with her little brother and friend, Calvin, to find her father, and defeat the darkness approaching rapidly.

            Let me clarify, that I have not read the book the film is based on, so my judgements are purely as a movie. Even with that in mind, I was curious to see how Disney would attempt A Wrinkle in Time after a decade. Back in 2003, Disney had put out a made-for-television movie, but it sadly wasn’t as big with audiences; what resulted was Disney losing the rights, and only being able to retain them back after the sad passing of Madeline L’Engle in 2008. Disney was just so eager to spit on L’Engle’s grave, weren’t they?

            Now from what the trailers were showing, all I could think was “This looks mediocre,” and part of me was expecting it to turn out the same as John Carter or Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, where they try to create this lush and beautiful world that looks stunning, but doesn’t have anything else to back it up. However, unlike those two examples, A Wrinkle in Time doesn’t engulf you into its world or philosophy in anyway, nor do they even get you interested in this adventure. The film spends so much time on how it looks and what it’s trying to represent for its female audience, that it constantly forgets that it’s supposed to be telling a story.

The dialogue is painfully forced, as they say what’s happening on screen, what the characters’ motives are, and tell us what the message of this movie is so much, it actually made The Meteor Man look subtle. Hell, if I hadn’t known this was coming to theatres and I listened to this, I would have assumed it was another lame Disney Channel movie, like Descendants (it’s that bad). Don’t believe me? They make a Chris Tucker reference in the movie…I repeat: A WRINKLE IN TIME, a KIDS movie, based on a book from the SIXTIES, makes a Chris Tucker reference. And it was Mindy Khaling saying “Daaang!” as Reese Witherspoon strips and transforms into a Salad Falkore. I don’t necessarily put the blame entirely on Jennifer Lee, despite the fact that it’s her script, because I put most of the blame on Ava DuVernay; the way she directed the film, she doesn’t know where to put the focus on the visuals or have the characters’ dump exposition, every five minutes. And when you finally get to “not Pandora,” it’s such an empty space, even with some of the CG flowers and giant Oprah Winfrey they insert. The amount of CGI used in this film, even from something as simple as filming in a FIELD, looks painfully obvious, and even the blue screen effects are a heavy reminder of that, as some of it looks unfinished. It gets so distracting and completely takes me out of the experience. Same can be said for the rest of the worlds, where some of them looked like it was something out of Fant4stic. It’s so dull and it has plotholes everywhere.

The three misses barely do anything in this movie, and at the points when they actually try to do something, it ends up being completely pointless to the movie; they spend so much time on sequences that either take forever to get to or go nowhere, you could have easily cut most of their scenes and it’d be the same film. And Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Khaling, and Oprah Winfrey look so bored to be there, like their business was solely to get a paycheck from Disney. The friend boy, played by Levi Miller (Peter Pan from Pan), is there because…he needed work, I suppose. The little brother in this film is annoying, both in how he’s written and how he acts; I know we’ve seen the little child genius trope done so many times before, but this one categories itself into that special hatred that only spawns from the worst written comic reliefs in film. He had nothing worth interesting to bring up, the villain wants him for…something; when he’s taken over by the villain, it never gets satisfying, because he’s worse when he IS possessed. Like, shut up, you brat!

The only actors I liked are Chris Pine and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who play the mother and father of the main girl. While their characters were never something I thought about much, the way they interact with each other and Storm Reid as Meg, you really get a feel for this family bond that they all share. Just wish the rest of the film was like that, especially considering these two are barely even in the movie.

Overall, A Wrinkle in Time is the worst film that Disney has put out in such a long time. I know some people want to argue that it’s a kids’ movie and I shouldn’t complain, because I’m not the target audience, but that’s what makes it worse. We aren’t talking about one studio that doesn’t do well with family entertainment, we’re talking about THE family friendly entertainment company, who made a movie that treats its audience like they’re children and plays it safe constantly. This film is everything bad that people typically associate with Disney in a less than two-hour movie, forcing down our throats this whole trope of love conquers all and always be brave, padded in with lackluster visuals, a downright bad narrative, and characters you come out hating by the end; it’s the worst film I’ve seen so far this year.

Rating: F

Black Panther (2018)

After the events in Civil War, T’Challa returns to Wakanda to be crowned king, in place of his late father. As he is conflicted with being a superior king and fixing past mistakes, the ghost of his father’s past comes back in the form of Eric Stevens, aka Killmonger, who aims to bring Wakanda more into the rest of the world.

Back in the 90’s, after the possibility of comic book movies showed a brighter future, thanks to Tim Burton’s Batman films, Marvel had been desperate to try and get a successful movie out in movie theatres. Despite having failures with Howard the Duck, The Fantastic Four, and The Punisher, the team was eager to do a film adaptation of the Black Panther, especially when they had blockbuster star, Wesley Snipes, eager to play the lead. However, after numerous turn downs, mostly because it got confused for a film about the Black Panther political party, not the superhero, as well as conflicting issues between Snipes and directors approached, like John Singleton, pre-production lasted up until Marvel went bankrupt and the film was put on hold; since then, Snipes left the project, but eventually got to be in a successful superhero franchise, in the form of the Blade Trilogy.

            With the MCU’s tenth anniversary knocking at their door this May, we only have one more film before we see the Avengers return for their Infinity War. And after finally getting his big screen debut in Captain America: Civil War and having to wait through Spiderman’s recycled filler bag, it seemed like the world was really excited for the highly anticipated and long desired, Black Panther.

The hype for this film was through the roof all over the world, and with very good intention. What we were looking at with Black Panther, wasn’t just going to be the typical Marvel Studios superhero movie that we’ve seen before; we’re diving into cultures that have yet to have a respectable presentation brought to them, that wasn’t just foreign criminals. Not only that, but you’ve got both a predominantly black cast and a black successful film maker, Ryan Coogler, fresh off of Creed and Fruitvale Station helming the movie.

Does the film live up to its hype? For the most part, I say yes. Black Panther is not only a damn good addition to Marvel’s caliber, but it’s the best first solo superhero film they’ve given since Captain America: The First Avenger. Ryan Coogler beautifully illustrates an image of Africa that just looks so fascinating and beautiful; Wakanda depicts a perfect balance between past and future culture, and the sci-fi element of it never feels out of place from what we’ve seen before from the MCU. Along with the cinematography by Rachel Morrison, you truly can breathe in all of the wonder that’s captured in frame. Even in the social commentary part, discussing Wakanda’s involvement politically, does get brought up quite often, and it never felt preachy, which is surprising, since that was one of the biggest problems that Wesley Snipes had with his production. It makes sense, considering Marvel Studios has mostly focused on comedy and action, so to have a film that has a bit more of the calmer tones and drama, it feels rewarding to get something different.

Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa is once again fantastic. What I love about his character that separates him from most of the other Marvel heroes, is that we aren’t focusing on another snarky, sarcastic, asshole, who quips with almost everyone he talks to; T’Challa is of royalty in a sacred country, he takes himself and his position very seriously, and with how sudden he has to take charge after losing his dad, you constantly see the guilt and responsibility that’s been bestowed upon him, and he does make it clear that he may not be ready, but will not cower down. However, while Boseman does give a memorable performance, his character isn’t as interesting as he was. It didn’t really feel like there was a set goal for him, up until halfway through the movie.

This brings us to Killmonger, and…I’m laying it here, this is the MCU’s best villain since Loki. Both of them are outsiders, they both are connected with a royal family, in a land beyond normal reach, and the hero is another family member, but one of them wishes for their people to be more involved with the rest of the world, whereas the other wants to lead father’s path. Sure I’m diving into this deep, but you can’t help but point them out; but instead of a Frost Giant raised as a Norse God, we have a royal who was left on the streets of a country that doesn’t have the same kind of hospitality that other nations had. And Michael B. Jordan’s performance is his best since Creed. He truly is the real star of this show, and considering this is his third main role in a Ryan Coogler film, it would make sense that Coogler would know how to bring out his best; plus, after Jordan’s last comic book movie, I bet he’s thrilled to have ONE good one on his resume. The supporting cast all do great as well; Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, T’Challa’s spy love interest, Danai Gurira was absolutely badass as Okoye, Daniel Kaluuya (recent Oscar nominee for Get Out) as W’Kabi, the head security and T’Challa’s best friend, is also fantastic, Foresti Whitaker, Angela Basset, and Winston Duke as some of the leaders are also great as well. Martin Freeman also returns as Everett Ross, but this time has a lot more to do in the film, especially in the climax.

In terms of complaints, some of the CGI, especially in a falling scene, felt like it still need finishing; although, coming off of Justice League, and the heavy use of effects they did for that $300 million mess, it’s not that much of a bother to me. The only cast member who I felt was underused was Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue; he wasn’t bad, but it felt like he was being rushed out of the movie. It felt like they had two different ideas for what they wanted to do with a Black Panther movie and a sequel, but decided to do both, in case they didn’t get a sequel…well, considering the film has crossed the $500 million mark, and is still climbing the box office strong, I feel like Disney would definitely want a sequel if it means money.

Also, this is more of a nitpick, but with the end credits scene, you’re not missing much; while I am glad that they’re doing less of the referencing and “build-up” for future movies, I was hoping maybe they would save that for the end credits scene more, like maybe they would reveal the final infinity stone, since Infinity War is next. Again, just a nitpick, but that doesn’t affect the movie.

Overall, if you haven’t seen Black Panther, then I highly suggest you do when it comes out. Even from just a visual standpoint, it’s worth seeing on a big screen; the scope of this film, the story we follow, the contrasting battles between hero and villain, the messages and themes of being the proper successor that people need, and just the vast way in which they show a futuristic African country is absolutely gorgeous. Ryan Coogler, once again, delivers a solid movie.

Rating: A-

Early Man

            Before Tim Burton and Henry Selick made the world of stop-motion animated movies more mainstream, one company that always comes to mind that perfects it is Aardman Animation. This British company has put out some of the most imaginative and darkly fitting animated shorts that really left an impact on me as a kid, but that’s not to say they had their soft side. Thanks to Nick Park, one of their many talents, the world has been introduced to many amazing works such as Creature Comforts, Shaun the Sheep, and the always likable, Wallace & Gromit. They always bring such a quirky but comfortable presence to each of their shorts, in that delightful manner that always brings a smile to my face.

            Aardman has explored into the world of feature films before, but Nick Park has only brought himself to directing three: Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and his newest release, Early Man. The film follows Dug, a young caveman who pines for the tribe to hunt for bigger food. When the people of the bronze age come claiming their land, they must compete in a game of football (soccer) in order to win their home back. In other words, think Space Jam meets The Croods. That last part isn’t actually far from the truth, but we’ll get to that later on.

Now I will say this, I thought the movie was good, but I wouldn’t say it’s Nick Park’s strongest work. But before we get into that, let’s talk about what this film does right. Starting off, the animation is wonderful; seeing a stop-motion film in theaters is one thing, but when you have Aardman bringing it to life, there’s something nostalgic about it that truly makes me feel like a toddler again. Each of the characters has something distinct about their looks to really make you point them out from a distance. And while they do tend to use CGI in some spots, the highlights are when you see the sculpted figures, because it just feels real. I also love the sense of humor it has; while it is mostly caveman puns, I still found myself chuckling at it due to the cast’s delivery. They even throw in some more subtle jokes, or ones that have the perfect amount of buildup to them, and each time it makes me laugh.

The voice cast, while having on-screen talents, are still really good. Each of them feels like they’re having a field day with balancing a sense of class, with some of the more darkly funny moments you don’t expect. The two biggest highlights were with the hero and his villain. Eddie Redmayne portrays the protagonist, Dug, and he really gives a remarkable performance. In fact, I’m going to be honest, I thought it was Rob Paulsen doing the voice; Redmayne’s inflection, some of the ways he delivered his dialogue in some spots, it literally sounded like Pinky from Pinky and the Brain. I might be the only who thought that, but feel free to disagree. The other, is Tom Hiddleston as Lord Nooth, who plays him like a very snooty French king. On paper, he’s not an interesting character, but Hiddleston puts so much into his delivery, that even on some weaker jokes, he managed to make it funny. He definitely made this one of the funniest villains in recent animation.

            This film has had some comparisons made with the previous cave man animated movie, The Croods, and they’re not wrong to assume that. Originally, the film was set to be a collaborative effort with Dreamworks, and it was announced back in 2007; however, after their contract was up, both studios went their separate ways with the concepts. Which one do I prefer? Well, while Early Man has more effort put into the animation, being stop-motion and all, I have to admit The Croods is the better movie all together. Looking back at it, The Croods took me off guard with how serious it took the themes of change in one’s world and conquering fears of the unknown world is a deeply strong message that can also inspire kids to discover the world more. The message in Early Man that I took was be willing to look past history, and learn from the mistakes caused by greed and fame; it’s good, but I just felt The Croods was stronger.

Not only that, but the main issues I have with Early Man have to do with the story and pacing. The bridging between acts two to three just felt slow and relatively uninteresting. I mean, the way Nooth tricks Dug into surrendering just feels out of character for Dug was building things up to. It felt like the film was supposed to end twenty minutes ago, but they needed something to pad out to just barely under the 90-minute mark. And after recently re-watching Shaun the Sheep, and seeing how excellent the pacing and importance each scene carried, this was too noticeable to ignore.

Overall, is Early Man a film I would recommend? Considering Aardman doesn’t get enough credit as is, absolutely. Even with its weaker products, much like Pixar, Aardman Animation just has such charm and likability to it, that it’s hard for me to call bad. With enough likable characters and solidly performed humor, you get invested so much in the story, that the some of the faults are worth it. I know that Black Panther is out this weekend, but I do highly suggest going out to this one as well, when you get the chance.

Rating: B+