I’m continuing my series of posts ranking this summer’s releases in descending order and explaining my choices. In this post that follows, I discuss my third tier of summer movies, those in the B range:
13.) The Bourne Legacy (B)
What I Liked:
The Bourne Legacy offers plenty of thrills and excitement. Without a doubt, Rachel Weisz’s Dr. Shearing is the best part of the movie. Not only does Weisz give a great performance, but she has the best material by far. Shearing is easily the most sympathetic character. (It’s hard not to sympathize with her given the intensity of what she survives.) She’s also the one facing the highest stakes. At one point, Aaron Cross could easily walk away (and settle for his original identity).
Shearing doesn’t have that luxury. Simple survival is her foremost goal, and unlike Franka Potente’s Marie or Julia Stiles’s Nicky, Shearing is actually a co-protagonist. Weisz is just as much the star of this film as Jeremy Renner.
Once Shearing and Cross get together, the pace picks up, and the story kicks into high gear. Finally we feel like we’re watching a Bourne movie again. The scene in the lab is great. The scene at Shearing’s house is even better. The final chase scene of the movie is fantastic (if not exactly over-brimming with realism). When the movie ended, I was excited, engaged, and ready for more.
What I Didn’t Like:
Now when I say I was ready for more, let me be clear. I thought there was going to be more. Immediately. This movie has a serious pacing problem. The beginning is unforgivably slow and deliberately disorienting for no apparent reason. Legacy pointedly showcases an opening scene that not only fails to captivate the audience but more than likely creates temporary confusion, as well. Jeremy Renner is a charismatic guy and a talented actor, but Aaron Cross is no Jason Bourne. The character just isn’t as likable. His motivations seem troublingly selfish and inadequate. Until Rachel Weiss’s character moves to the center of the story, the stakes aren’t high enough to keep us interested. And then, just when the movie hits its stride, it abruptly ends in what feels in all honesty like the very heart of the middle. When the Bourne theme started to play, I literally cried out in shock.
14.) Magic Mike* (B/B-)
What I Liked:
First off, a confession: I have only seen the first half of this movie. How do you review a movie you haven’t really seen? Easy. The same way you grade a paper you haven’t really read. Just give it a B.
(Just kidding! But wasn’t that funny?)
(Anyone who’s been my student knows I hardly ever give Bs!)
Anyway, seriously, what I’d heard of Magic Mike really intrigued me. A Soderbergh-helmed cinematic look at the deceptively sinister world of male strippers based on the experiences of lead actor Channing Tatum? Sounds kind of like Oliver! (the favorite film of my childhood) with snazzier (and skimpier) costumes.
Tatum is good in the lead role, but the star turn in this movie comes from Matthew McConaughey, an actor whose talents are beginning to rise in my estimation. He plays the sleazy, sex-selling Fagin figure Dallas with a delicious hint of barely concealed menace and definitely has more charisma and screen presence than anyone else in the film.
This is kind of like a morality play with a hint of male frontal nudity. The Kid is innocence. Dallas is Corruption. Magic Mike is Everyman who must choose to protect Innocence or to embrace Corruption (not literally. I’m not suggesting he’ll run away with Dallas). The rest is eye candy.
I don’t know how the movie ends, but I’m sure of this—either The Kid or Mike is going to slide further and further into stripping. Only one of them (at best) is going to make it out. It’s got to be one of these choices: 1) Mike will save the Kid (least likely), 2) The Kid will save himself when he sees that Mike is lost, 3) Mike will save himself when he sees that The Kid is lost 4) The Kid will be lost, but Mike still won’t be able to save himself (most likely).
Magic Mike has this vibe of stale monotony and practiced casualness like nothing really matters too much. I’m positive Soderbergh is cultivating that deliberately. This movie is well crafted and intellectually engaging. I’m likely to buy the DVD.
What I Didn’t Like:
I only saw the first half of Magic Mike. It’s still in theaters, so obviously I didn’t find it that captivating. If a thunderstorm and power failure caused me to miss the last half of say, The Avengers, you can bet I would clear my schedule and make watching the rest a priority. (Plus all that deliberately cultivated casualness doesn’t really engender urgency to
watch to the end.)
As far as I’m concerned, the stripping itself is the least interesting part (though the reaction of the audience (all female except my husband) was worth the price of admission). If you’re going to this movie just because you want to see chiseled hunks baring all, I’d recommend skipping Magic Mike and going to a strip club instead. (Pretty sure you’d get more bang for your buck that way. Think of what value you could get for all those dollar bills wasted on overpriced popcorn and Coke!)
15.) Men in Black III (B-)
What I Liked:
If I were the Men in Black, I’d use the flashy thingy on everyone who saw the horrendous sequel and rename this installment Men in Black 2. Usually I’m wary of sequels that arrive a full decade later, but Men in Black III surprised me by being highly watchable, coherently plotted, and entertaining throughout. It’s not quite as good as the first Men in Black, but it’s light years better than the second.
The best part is Josh Brolin channeling Tommy Lee Jones with uncanny accuracy. Whenever Young Agent K is on the screen, it is impossible to look away (although sometimes the performance feels like a really popular party trick. You sit there, waiting for him to talk, thinking, “I hope he’ll do it again.”)
Another unexpected highlight for me was Griffin the Arcanian (played by Michael Stuhlbarg). What a charming character! And what a world of delightful possibilities he opened up! I never expected anything so inventive and fun from Men in Black III.
What I Didn’t Like:
The original movie worked so well because of the spectacular chemistry (and odd dynamic) of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Try to imagine Men in Black starring Chris O’Donnell (who turned down the role of J which was eventually rewritten for Will Smith). I’m glad we’re in the reality where Smith plays Agent J (though I like Chris O’Donnell, don’t get me wrong).
As great as Smith is in the original, his Agent J character doesn’t work as well when he’s not slightly off balance and uncomfortable. That’s why the movie doesn’t really hit its stride until J time jumps into the past, thereby making himself, once again, a fish-out-of-water. I thought the beginning of the movie was slow and dull (though my three-year-old thought the giant fish fight was the funniest thing she’d ever seen in her life). I also thought Emma Thompson’s Agent O character was puzzlingly wasted. (Why introduce her if she doesn’t really have much to do with anything?) And though the movie is a fun way to spend a couple of hours, it is pretty silly, kind of like a good cartoon.
16.) Ice Age: Continental
Drift (B-)
What I Liked:
The leering primate pirate Captain Gutt (winningly voiced by Peter Dinklage) makes this movie. He’s wonderful. His ship is essential (to the plot). His crew is a breath of fresh air. And his rollicking sea shanty is far and away the best and most memorable part of the entire show.
Wanda Sykes as Sid’s cantankerously endearing Granny is another bright addition to the cast. And as Shira, Jennifer Lopez provides a worthy love-interest for Diego (Denis Leary).
For children, the movie has a very positive message about finding a family, embracing diversity to overcome adversity, and evolving in the face of changing times. It also features beautiful animation, lots of humor, and a fantastic scene with some comically sinister sirens.
What I Didn’t Like:
The weakest in a summer of strong animated films, this movie suffers a bit by comparison to other releases suitable for younger children like Madagascar 3 and Brave.
While not glacially paced, the beginning of the movie is slow and sort of stale. Plot complications seem predictable and familiar. When teen mammoth Peaches faces a thorny social situation, for example, we can easily predict how things will eventually turn out. Even the catastrophe of the promised continental drift doesn’t feel as urgent as it probably should. When Captain Gutt shows up, things improve, but his entrance takes a while.
Basically, this installment of the popular Ice Age franchise doesn’t aim high. Like a solid but not showy gymnastics routine, it doesn’t stumble in execution but has a relatively low starting value. I give it a B-. I’ll guarantee you, it wasn’t trying for an A, and that’s okay. My three-year-old found the entire movie consistently entertaining, and it’s definitely a pretty and crowd-pleasing story that you could watch over and over again at home on TV. But it’s not trying to win any Academy Awards or rake in the year’s best reviews. It’s trying to entertain children while bringing a smile to the faces of their parents, and at that, it succeeds brilliantly.