There are two different kinds of biopics. Ones that try to cram an entire person's life into a single film and ones that opt to focus on a particular, pivotal chapter in a person's life. Sam Taylor-Wood's film Nowhere Boy falls squarely into that category, focusing on the early years of John Lennon, his unique home life and his first forays into rock and roll music.
John Lennon (played by Aaron Johnson) was raised in Liverpool, England by his Aunt Mimi (played by Kristin Scott Thomas) and Uncle George (played by David Threlfall), who took him in when it became clear to them that his mother, Julia (played by Anne-Marie Duff) was incapable of raising John herself. When his Uncle George dies suddenly, John discovers that his mother has been living just a short distance from him all this time, living with her husband Bobby (played by David Morrissey) and her two daughters. Reunited with his free-spirited (and likely bi-polar) mother, John feels a sense of freedom he didn't with the far more practical and strict Mimi. She introduces John to rock and roll music who is immediately taken with it, especially Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. At the same time, John finds himself torn between two households: the strict but caring Mimi and the loving but troubled Julia. As his love of music continues to grow, John decides to form a band of his own with some of his schoolmates. After their first performance, John has a chance meeting with Paul McCartney (played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and the two hit it off as John invites him to join the band. As they practice together, Paul pushes John to write his own music rather than focusing on playing covers of other people's music. Things come to a head though when Julia's more free-spirited influence comes to exacerbate John's own rebellious instincts.
The film was directed by Sam Taylor-Wood and written by Matt Greenhalgh. They wisely keeps a strong focus on John Lennon's home life and how those relationships helped forge his future. The film goes to great lengths to avoid ever saying "The Beatles", although there are a few cheeky Easter eggs for viewers. The film kicks off with the opening chord of "A Hard Day's Night" as it opens on a teenage John Lennon running through Liverpool. There's a lingering shot of Strawberry Field, a children's home in Liverpool that inspired "Strawberry Fields Forever," and a scene where John gets refused entry to The Quarry, a venue the Beatles would famously play. The filmmakers even do a fairly good job traversing the minefield of contradictions that make up reports of John Lennon's early life. For example, there are differing accounts of whether is was Mimi or Julia that bought John his first guitar. The film compromises by having Mimi buy it initially, but then Julia buys it back after Mimi sells it when John gets in trouble for skipping school. There are a few moments of blatant fabrication in the film, such as a physical altercation between John and two of his bandmates that never really happened. But other than that, the film does a reasonably good job keeping true to the truth.
The performances are quite good. Aaron Johnson really embodies all the different aspects of John's personality, from his mischievous and rebellious side as well as inner turmoil and insecurity. Kristin Scott Thomas turns in a great and multi-layered performance as Mimi. It would be so easy for her to fall into dragon lady mode but she avoids that wonderfully. Yes, Mimi is strict with John and is very no-nonsense and practical, but her love for her nephew still comes through and its clear to the audience that she is doing what she thinks is best for him. She does show support for his musical aspirations as well, even if she doesn't always understand it and their tastes in music diverge. Anne-Marie Duff is quite good as Julia and really captures her mood swings and struggles in a convincing way. As much as John enjoys being reunited with her, it becomes clear that she is ill-equipped to be a parent, acting more as a friend to John, and not a great influence at that as she allows him to cut school. Duff really conveys how much Julia loves her son, even though she is completely incapable of taking care of him. Thomas Brodie-Sangster is an interesting choice to play Paul McCartney as the two really don't look anything at all alike, but he does a fairly good job in the role and McCartney himself did admit he came off cooler in the film than he felt he was in real life, so there is that at least. Besides, I have to give Thomas credit for learning to play the guitar left handed really well for the film while actually being right handed.
Nowhere Boy is an intriguing look into a largely unknown chapter of the life of John Lennon and covers his teenage years, his formation of his first band that would eventually evolve to become The Beatles everyone knew (the film covers not only his introduction and friendship with Paul McCartney, but later George Harrison as well). But it also takes a look at his unique home life and the two women who helped shape him into the person he would become. It's probably a lesser known film, especially to those who are not huge Beatles fans, but it's a well made and well acted film that is worth seeking out.
I've been a Beatles fan ever since I first heard their music as a kid. Growing up, my Dad had the car radio perpetually tuned to the local Oldies station, so I gained an appreciation for classic Rock and Roll from a young age and The Beatles were a definitive part of it. But, since I was never around for the actual days of Beatlemania, I've had to turn to films that portrayed what it was really like at the time. Aside from the classic A Hard Day's Night, one of the best examples is Robert Zemeckis's directorial debut, I Wanna Hold Your Hand.
The film focuses on a group of four friends, Pam (played by Nancy Allen), Rosie (played by Wendie Jo Sperber), Janis (played by Susan Kendall Newman) and Grace (played by Theresa Saldana), who are traveling from their hometown of Maplewood, New Jersey to New York City to try and get into the Ed Sullivan show to see The Beatles perform. Of the group, Rosie is the most enthusiastic of the group as she falls into hysterics at even the sight of a cardboard cut out of Paul McCartney. Pam is about to get married and trying to be practical about her impending nuptials, but decides to go along anyway. Grace is an avid photographer and is plotting to get her own pictures of the Fab Four. Janis, on the otherhand, looks down her nose at The Beatles music and is planning to protest the show. Deciding to start at the hotel the Beatles are staying at to catch a glimpse, Grace figures they need a Limo to get as close as possible and convince their friend Larry (played by Marc McClure), who has access to one, to help. Also joining them for the ride is Tony (played by Bobby Di Cicco), who hates the Beatles and wants to disrupt the broadcast. Their plan works, but in the ensuing chaos when Tony is mistaken for a Beatle, the friends get separated. Rosie makes it into the hotel and crosses paths with a Beatlemaniac named Richard (played by Eddie Deezen) before getting thrown out by a hotel security guard (played by Dick Miller). Grace tries to sneak into the studio but is stopped by a stagehand who promises to let her in once the show starts...for $50. Janis starts to soften in her opinion of the band when she meets Peter (played by Christian Jutter), whose Dad is holding his tickets to the show hostage until his son gets a haircut, losing the mop top cut he has now, leading Janis to team up with him to get the tickets back. Meanwhile, Pam manages to catch a glimpse of the Fab Four as the depart through the back of the hotel and manages to sneak up to their room, overcome by the sight of their belongings. All of this leads to an assortment of shenanigans as each of the characters tries to scheme and sneak their way into the Ed Sullivan Show before the show starts.
The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script he wrote with Bob Gale. The two of them manage to craft an amusing ode to Beatlemania while crafting plenty of hoops for our hapless characters to jump through in pursuit of their prize. At the same time, the way they both show and don't show The Beatles at the same time is ingenious. Using a combination of stand-ins, either far away or obscured, along with footage from the actual show they manage to get away with it. Which is just as well as the film's story is with the kids anyway as they try to get into the show. What Zemeckis and Gale capture so well within the film is how it feels to be a fan of something as well as the excitement and euphoria that can come along with that against the backdrop of maybe the most hysterical and excited fans, ever. Yet, they never make fun of the character themselves for their fan driven pursuits and we as the audience want to see each one of them reach their goal. They also keep the action moving at a strong pace as we move from one misadventure to another. Zemeckis also elects not to have a standard score to the film, instead populating it with a number of Beatles songs throughout. It's also a nice touch that the four main girls' initials correspond to each of the members of the Beatles.
The acting in the film is great, starting with Wendie Jo Sperber who is a force of nature as Rosie. She is a massive fan of The Beatles and carries a handheld radio with her throughout the film, flying into a panic any time a drawing for tickets to the show is announced, even jumping out of a moving car at one point to call in. In an amusing running gag, she doesn't even stop to put money in the pay phone and instead just throws a handful of change at the phone. As the film progresses, her path keeps crossing with the Beatle obsessed Richard and Eddie Deezen brings him to life in all his obnoxious, hilarious glory as Richard manages to hinder Rosie's attempts to see the Fab Four more than he helps. Nancy Allen has fun with her character's arc as Pam, who finds herself second guessing her engagement through the assorted adventures she has herself. Theresa Saldana is a lot of fun in portraying Grace's single minded determination to getting pictures of the Beatles and willing to pretty much do whatever it takes to do it. I also appreciated her blossoming relationship with Larry, who Marc McClure brings his character's shy, nervous self to life. I also loved how their storyline turned out, although I won't dare spoil it. I also enjoyed Susan Kendall Newman as Janis, who starts off the film as a bit of a snob, looking down her nose at the Beatles because of their popularity, but comes around to it the more immersed in the fandom she becomes. I liked her unlikely friendship with the much younger Peter, and their scheme to get his tickets to the show from his strict father, along the way finding an equally unlikely ally in Tony.
This film kicked off the filmmaking careers of Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. They would reteam with Steven Spielberg (who produced this film) the following year with 1941 (which would carry over four cast members from this film as well, Wendie Jo Sperber, Nancy Allen, Bobby Di Cicco and Eddie Deezen) and are probably best known for creating the Back to the Future trilogy. Still, as far as debuts go, this is a pretty strong one and is certainly one of the more underrated and lesser known screwball comedies. The film was recently remastered for release through the Criterion Collection and the results are fantastic. If you are a fan of the film, like I am, it's the version to have. If you haven't seen it, and are a fan of the Beatles, I wholeheartedly recommend checking it out.
"I told you this was all going to end badly."
Jim Jarmusch's zombie horror-comedy The Dead Don't Die is likely to be one of the more polarizing films of the summer and much of it will depend on where your sense of humor falls. Because I'm not going to lie, this is a much weirder film than the trailers let on. Which for me is by no means a bad thing, but it's not going to be a movie for everyone.
In the small town of Centerville, local chief of police Cliff Robertson (played by Bill Murray) and Officer Ronnie Peterson (played by Adam Driver) are patrolling their peaceful hamlet, noticing certain strange things going on, including it being bright and sunny at 8 o'clock at night. They are joined by a third officer, Mindy Morrison (played by Chloe Sevigny), to look over their sleepy hamlet of a town, as well as the corpse of Mallory O'Brien (played by Carol Kane), who passed away recently while in custody and they are still waiting for someone to pick up from the coroner's office the next town over. Among the colorful residents are Bobby (played by Caleb Landry Jones), who runs the local gas station/comic book and novelty shop, the local hardware store owner Hank Thompson (played by Danny Glover), the new and decidedly odd mortician Zelda Winston (played by Tilda Swinton), the local farmer no one else likes, Frank Miller (played by Steve Buscemi), and the local motel owner Danny Perkins (played by Larry Fessenden). Things escalate when the dead start to rise and climb out of their graves. At first it's a pair of zombies, one that is played by Iggy Pop no less, who attack the local diner as it is closing up. The bodies are discovered the following morning by the three officers, who aren't sure what to make of the situation although Ronnie suspects it might be zombies. He's proven right when the following night the town finds itself overrun with the walking dead. Following the guidance of Bobby and Ronnie, the three officers are faced with trying to defeat the growing threat, with some unexpected assistance from Zelda, who turns out to be quite handy with a Katana sword.
Jim Jarmusch wrote and directed the film, clearly drawing inspiration from 70's era zombie films, primarily the Romero zombie films, such as Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead and infusing his tale with a very dry sense of humor, with flourishes of the absurd, including a very unexpected plot twist towards the end (that the characters even admit as such) and some equally unexpected fourth wall breaks. For good measure, there is also a fair amount of social satire, much like Romero did, with jabs at the lack of respect for the environment and attention given to the growing threat of climate change, with the plot suggesting that polar fracking has impacted the tilt of the Earth and might be responsible for what is happening, as reported on television several times through the movie from reporter Posie Juarez (played by Rosie Perez). How one correlates to the other is not made clear, but the movie is probably too goofy for it to really matter anyway. Much of the film's humor is derived from the characters' comically understated reactions to the horrors around them, as well as the absurdity of the zombies themselves, many of which resume activities they did when they were alive, such as tennis, lawn mowing or getting coffee. This is mixed with genuine horror elements and a good amount of the requisite gore one would expect from a zombie flick, which makes the characters' reactions all that much funnier, at least to me.
For this film, the cast is quite impressive. Bill Murray, who memorably had a cameo in another Zom-Com Zombieland, leads the cast as Chief of Police Cliff Robertson. He's a laid back Chief, content to take the night shift so his officers can have the night off and used to not much happening in his little burg. Adam Driver is clearly having fun as Murray's Smart Car driving deputy and the two share most of their scenes together. Any time they are alone in their squad car talking are some of the highlights of the movie. They play off one another so well. Tilda Swinton, as could be expected, steals every scene she is in as the oddball town mortician Zelda. She was absolutely hilarious in her role as a Scottish Buddhist who is also a badass with a Katana sword, taking out any zombies that cross her path. Chloe Sevigny gives the film some heart as Mindy, who is the only character that seems to have the appropriate response to the events of the film. Tom Waits shows up in the film as the town's eccentric hermit who watches the events unfold from a distance. Playing one of the first zombies to rise, Iggy Pop is pretty amusing as he shambles through the movie looking for flesh...and coffee. Carol Kane has a similarly amusing cameo, except she's craving some chardonnay.
I caught a sneak preview screening of this film with two good friends of mine and between the three of us, I liked it, one of my friends liked it and one did not like it. All are valid responses and I feel a perfect illustration of what I anticipate the reactions to this film to be. Some will be down with it's very dry humor and satirical weirdness and some won't. And that's okay. It's going to be a polarizing film and audience mileage will definitely vary. But, if you are hankering for something a little more unique, a little more oddball, this one might be the ticket for you.
It's hard to believe that Speed is 25 years old today. It was a surprise breakout hit in the summer of 1994 that confirmed Keanu Reeves, then best known as playing Ted "Theodore" Logan in the Bill & Ted films, as a a bona fide action hero and at the same time launched the film career of Sandra Bullock. After all this time, the still holds up as a non-stop thrill ride all it's own too.
When mad bomber Howard Payne (played by Dennis Hopper) has an extortion attempt foiled by SWAT team members Jack Traven (played by Keanu Reeves) and Harry Temple (played by Jeff Daniels), he comes up a new scheme. He plants a bomb on a Los Angeles City Bus. The threat is simple: Once the bus goes over 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If the bus goes below 50 miles an hour, the bomb explodes. He even calls out intrepid hero to give him the details. Jack races off to find the bus, but he's too late, the bomb is already armed. Leaping from a moving car onto the bus, Jack finds himself amongst the assortment of morning commuters, including one who thinks Jack is there for him. He pulls a gun and in the ensuing scuffle, the driver gets shot. A fellow passenger, Annie (played by Sandra Bullock) takes the wheel, who ironically is taking the bus after losing her license due to speeding. With no other choice, Jack and Annie have to figure out how to keep the bus above 50 while making their way around the city of Los Angeles and it's incredible traffic, while Harry and their boss Mac (played by Joe Morton) try to track down the bomber and figure out a way to defuse the bomb.
Speed marked the directorial debut of famed blockbuster cinematographer Jan de Bont, who keeps the action running at an intense momentum. From the moment Jack finds out about the bomb on the bus, the film kicks off and barely slows down for the duration of the run time. It's a testament to the filmmakers, de Bont and screenwriter Graham Yost (along with uncredited re-writes from Joss Whedon) that the film works as well as it does. They manage to pile one problem onto another onto another, including the big action sequence of the film, jumping the bus over is missing section of freeway. This was pulled off for real, with a specially rigged bus to perform the stunt, with the missing piece of freeway removed digitally. With a fleet of specially rigged buses, a small army of stunt drivers, and the free reign of a recently completed section of Los Angles freeway, the filmmakers had the freedom to create a number of incredible and tense action sequences. The momentum of the film is helped by a fantastic score by Mark Mancina that keeps the momentum of the film going from beginning to end. I remember vividly the first time I saw this movie and feeling physically exhausted by the time we got to the third act of the film.
Keanu Reeves had dipped his toes in the action genre with Kathryn Bigelow's fantastic thriller Point Break, but it was here that he really came into his own as an action hero, making the role of cowboy cop Jack Traven his own. Cinema is littered with cop heroes and with Jack they take things up a notch, with his character being a bonafide daredevil and maybe a bit nuts. At the beginning of the film, Harry is quizzing Jack about what he would do when facing a gunman with a hostage, Jack responds he'd shoot the hostage. When that very scenario plays out a short time later and Jack actually does it, Dennis Hopper gives a priceless reaction that clearly says, "Damn, and I thought I was crazy." Speaking of Hopper, he makes for a great adversary, delighting is making Jack and the rest of LAPD jump through his hoops as he manages to stay a step ahead of them at almost every turn. Sandra Bullock was a rising star at the time Speed came out and filled the role with a perfect level of girl next door charm that made her character so memorable. It didn't hurt that she had really good chemistry with Keanu Reeves as well. Jeff Daniels makes the most of his sidekick role to Reeves, making his character funny and lovable even though for the most of the picture he's stuck in the office, talking to Reeves via phone.
Speed still holds up remarkably well 25 years later and is just as thrilling as it ever was. It helps that the majority of the action was all done with practical effects and real stunts as CGI as we know it today was still very much in it's infancy. It's the perfect combination of a simple but effective premise, great actors and some truly daring stunts to make this one of the more memorable action films of the 90s.
Aside from Avengers: Endgame, the Elton John jukebox musical biopic Rocketman is easily my most eagerly anticipated movie of the summer. The film is a honest look into the early life of Elton, with lavish musical numbers and larger than life flights of fantasy. Honestly, telling Elton's life story any other way just wouldn't do it justice. And as a lifelong Elton John fan, I loved every minute.
The film kicks off with a look at Elton's childhood, then known as Reginald Dwight (played by Matthew Illesley, Kit Connor and finally Taron Egerton), saddled with a distant father (both emotionally and literally as he was often stationed away from home), and an emotionally cold mother (played by Bryce Dallas Howard). The best support he gets as a child is from his Grandmother (played by Gemma Jones). When Elton begins to show a prodigious talent for music and the piano in particular, able to re-play music after just hearing it once, it's his Grandmother that supports him the most, which leads him to a scholarship to the Royal Music Academy. When his parents eventually divorce, Elton finds another positive influence in his life, his eventual step-dad Fred (played by Tom Bennett), who introduces young Reginald to rock and roll music and encourages his musical ambitions as well. It's during the time that Reginald begins playing with a band, Bluesology, that he starts to figure out what he wants to do, including coming up with a stage name Elton John. It's the moment that he meets Bernie Taupin (played by Jamie Bell) that things really begin to change as they develop a fantastic partnership that continues today with Bernie writing the lyrics to all the songs as Elton writes the music. The two develop a music writing partnership that becomes the through-line of the entire film as Elton's career takes off like, well, a rocket, engages in a rollercoaster of a love affair with John Reid (played by Richard Madden), and battles substance abuse problems.
Dexter Fletcher directed the film from a script by Lee Hall who both play with the genre of the Music Biopic in really interesting ways with this film. It hits the usual touchstones of this type of film, but yet does it in a way that is a bit more unconventional. For starters, the movie is a full blown musical fantasy, with the songs used not so much in their chronological order but for hitting the right emotional notes. Which means we have kid Elton singing "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" in a massive musical number that transitions from a pub fight to a full blown dance number at a carnival, transitioning from kid Elton to late teens Elton, ushering Taron Egerton into the picture in the process. You also have Elton and his parents breaking out into "I Want Love," a song that wasn't released until his 2001 album, Songs From the West Coast. The film also has it's share of fantastical elements such as Elton playing the Troubadour for the first time in a performance that was so energetic and exciting people described made them feel as though they could levitate to in the film Elton and the audience literally levitating. Another one would be Elton at his lowest point singing a duet with his younger self on the bottom of his pool. Yet, within all of this, the film is a searingly honest portrait of Elton's life. The film does not shy away from his troubled childhood, his sexuality, his relationship with John Reid and his substance abuse problems. The film's narrative is framed by Elton in a group therapy session in rehab, which in another of the film's fantastical flourishes, he enters in a garish orange and red devil outfit that is slowly discarded as the film goes on until he's laid bare and is sitting there in a plain, brown bathrobe. It's a terrific visual choice that really gives a cue to Elton dropping his defenses and opening up. I also have to give props to the costuming folks on this film for their flawless recreations of many of Elton's most famous outfits, including my favorite: the sequin Dodgers uniform from his legendary Dodger stadium concert.
There was a whole brew-ha-ha earlier this year when word got out that Paramount was wanting to edit the film down to get a PG-13 rating and honestly, I have to say I am so glad the filmmakers won that battle and got to release the film they wanted because a scrubbed clean version of Elton John's life would not have resonated nearly as well as this film does as it does not shy away from the darker elements of his life, as Elton himself quipped, "I have not led a PG-13 life." There is an honesty to this film that adds a real poignancy that transcends all the spectacle to become genuinely moving. That is not to say the film is gratuitous as it is far from it, but at the same time it doesn't shy away from some of the darker times either.
Taron Egerton gives the performance of his career (at least thus far) as Elton John. He manages to channel Elton throughout the film perfectly giving the performance all the energy and emotion that it requires. Along with that, he does all of the singing throughout the film, giving his all to every song with an impressive gusto that even impressed Sir Elton himself. He give it his all and never shies away from some of the uglier moments of Elton's life (the man was famous for his tantrums after all). But the lowest of lows make the highs feel all the more triumphant, especially once we get to them to the point where he literally walks away from it all and checks himself into rehab and I for one wanted to stand up and cheer. Jamie Bell is equally great as Bernie Taupin, who plays of Egerton really well and you believe these two would be long time friends even from their first meeting, bonding over their shared love of Country Western music. Bell does well showing Bernie as a steady rock in the craziness of Elton's life. The two never have fight and the closest they come to it in the film is Elton biting Bernie's head off before going on stage and even then he turns around and immediately apologizes. In a lot of ways, their relationship is the true love story of the film even though it was always strictly platonic, but both have described the other as their brother and both Egerton and Bell put that across beautifully.
Richard Madden's turn as John Reid is the other main man in Elton's life through much of the film, both romantically and as his business manager and is a far more tumultuous relationship as he starts off as a charming guy but as time goes by, his far more manipulative, tempestuous and downright abusive side comes out. Madden does a great job balancing both sides of the role and it's easy to see why Elton fell for him. Bryce Dallas Howard likewise gives a fantastic performance as Elton's rather cold and distant mother who does a great job of portraying the complicated relationship between her and Elton. It was a tricky role to play but she pulls it off really well. Gemma Jones is great as Elton's loving grandmother Ivy, and she gives the character a real sense of warmth and genuine support that was otherwise missing from Elton's life.
It's easy to want to compare Rocketman with last year's Bohemian Rhapsody, not the least because there is some overlap between the two as John Reid figures into both films, although he is curiously portrayed much warmer in the latter film than here (although this film is very much from Elton's perspective, as Elton was a producer on the film, and their split was far from amicable as Elton did wind up taking him to court, so that likely plays into his depiction here). But more than that, there is a difference in how the films were approached. Between the two, this is by far the more satisfying film and the film that Bohemiam Rhapsody should have been. It was honest and poignant as it really delved into the warts and all look at the life of Elton John. To illustrate further, I walked out of Bohemian Rhapsody thinking it was a reasonably entertaining film. I walked out of Rocketman really wanting to give Elton John a hug. That should say it all right there.
I have been an unabashed Marvel Cinematic Universe fan ever since the original Iron Man caught me completely off guard back in 2008. Now, 11 years and 22 movies later, we come to the concluding chapter of the MCU's Infinity Saga and my god do they ever stick the landing. Much has been made of the three hour run time of the film but there is not an ounce of fat in this film. It is lean and moves at a steady pace in a truly epic way. The challenge with this review though is going to be how to review this while maintaining this film's ample number of surprises.
Following the events of Infinity War, our intrepid heroes are left reeling and trying to put their lives back together in the face of unparalleled defeat. Half of all living beings on Earth were wiped out by Thanos' snap. Left to pick up the pieces, they try to find a way to live in this new world they are faced with. Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey, Jr) is stranded in space with Nebula (played by Karen Gillan) trying to find a way back to Earth. Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) retreats to a settlement with the remaining Asgardians on Earth. Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) leads a support group for others impacted by the Snap and Natasha (played by Scarlett Johansson) is keeping the midnight oil burning at Avengers headquarters, keeping tabs on the others, while also trying to track down, with help from Rhodey (played by Don Cheadle), Clint Barton (played by Jeremy Renner), who went off the map after losing his family to Thanos. Bruce Banner (played by Mark Ruffalo) has made peace with his inner Hulk and is trying to move on with his life as well. Things start looking up when Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) is suddenly released from the Quantum Realm (where he got stuck at the end of Ant Man & the Wasp). Horrified at what happened while he was gone, he develops a daring and bold plan to set things right, turning to the Avengers for help, needing everyone's help to pull it off.
The film was directed by Joe and Anthony Russo from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. What they manage to accomplish within the runtime of the film is fantastic as they pay homage to the previous 21 films in the series, tying everything back into this film and making it look so seamless in the process. The manage to juggle a massive cast of characters while at the same time giving every member of the team their moment to shine. This film is absolutely epic in scope with so many parallel storylines as our plucky heroes try to undo what Thanos did. At the same time it is all easy to follow as all the plot points converge together. The film also, in that now classic Marvel way, transitions seamlessly from thrilling action to gut-busting laughter to heart wrenching emotion. But even more so here because this film really feels like a conclusion of sorts. Sure, many of the heroes featured will go on to more movies, but this is the last outing for a number of them and the filmmakers really craft a meaningful final goodbye for them. I know I'm being really vague here, but there are so many surprises in this film I really want to preserve.
Robert Downey Jr, the one who kicked it all off, makes his tenth appearance as Tony Stark and continues to find new depths in the character, showing the mileage his adventures have taken on him. Chris Evans likewise gives a great performance as Steve Rogers, who is trying to figure out his place in the world Post-Snap. The film also finds a really clever and amusing way of showing how much Steve has grown and changed over the films. Chris Hemsworth gives one of his best performances as Thor, who has perhaps lost more than any other Avenger, between losing his home world of Asgard, his brother Loki, and half of his people and is living with the remains in New Asgard, reveling in utter defeat, a broken shell of the God of Thunder he once was. And yet, the way Hemsworth portays him is fantastic. You can tell that everything he has been through has taken a drastic toll, but he is still able to pick himself up and be a worthy team member to the Avengers. Yet, Hemsworth finds a great balance with the character, showing Thor putting on a brave face and yet underneath you can tell he wants to scream underneath. Scarlett Johansson also has a nice turn in this film as the defacto leader of The Avengers in the absence of both Tony and Steve, left to keep things running with the fractured remains. It was also nice to see Jeremy Renner getting more to do this time around as Clint Barton is left reeling after the loss of his entire family, taking him down decidedly darker path than before. It's a bit meatier that what the role has been in previous Avengers films and Renner runs with it wonderfully. Mark Ruffalo also has a great turn here as Bruce Banner, finding him in a rather unexpected place Post-Snap. I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil it.
Overall, Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of the last 21 films and is an ending of sorts. Of course the MCU will continue on in many ways after this, but it feels like a definitive ending with some wonderful callbacks to just about every movie in the series up to this point. I'm tap dancing around spoilers here so forgive me for not elaborating. The film more than earns it's three-hour runtime as it jumps from plot point to plot point leading to an epic and emotional climax. It's a hell of a film, especially if you're like me and been following this series since the beginning. It may just be their best one yet.
I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this movie to come out. Oft rumored since the Superhero craze started, Shazam, took a surprisingly long time to make his way to the silver screen compared to many other Superheroes. However, I am happy to report that the film was worth the wait.
Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel) has bounced from foster home to foster home since he was separated from his mother at a carnival when he was a small boy. He lands in the home of Rosa (played by Marta Milans) and Victor Vasquez (played by Cooper Andrews), who house an assortment of foster kids, including Freddy Freeman (played by Jack Dylan Grazer), the resident superhero fanatic. When Billy sticks up for the bullied Freddy against two school bullies, he finds himself unexpectedly whisked away to the lair of the wizard Shazam (played by Djimon Hounsou). There he is given the powers of Shazam, and every time he utters the name he is transformed into his ideal adult self (played by Zachary Levi) with a range of superpowers and an impressive superhero costume. Understandably freaked out, Billy turns to Freddy for help with being a superhero. The two team up to figure out what Billy's new powers are as Freddy helps him become a real life Superhero. Meanwhile, Thaddeus Sivana (played by Mark Strong) is searching for the power of Shazam for himself ever since he was a boy and was summoned himself by the Wizard, but deemed unworthy. Since then, with demonic powers of his own, he wants to claim Billy's powers for himself. It's only a matter of time before Billy encounters Sivana leading to an epic battle between good and evil.
The film was directed by David Sandberg from a screenplay by Henry Gayden. They have managed to create what is probably the funniest and most lighthearted film in the DCEU. First and foremost, this film is just flat out fun from beginning to end. They find the right balance with the film with the humor and the very real threat of Sivana coming after Billy for his newly bestowed powers. There is a lot of humor in the film though, mainly coming from Billy and Freddy trying to figure out how to utilize his new powers, drawing from their knowledge of superheroes like Batman and Superman. They also get into their fair share of mischief, utilizing the adult stature of Shazam to get them out of school as well as purchase alcohol (which amusingly they immediately discover they hate). They also do a good job of playfully ribbing some superhero movie tropes that I found quite amusing. The heart at the core of the film is Billy needing to let himself be open to finding a new family. He has spent a good chunk of his life trying to find his mother but has not been able to locate her. Savvy audiences can probably guess the outcome, but the payoff is touching regardless. I also did appreciate a couple decent plot twists in the film that I won't dare spoil. They also manage to work in a couple amusing movie nods, including one that should have been so obvious I can't believe I didn't see it coming.
Zachary Levi leads the cast and does an impressive job of playing a kid in a man's superpowered body. He does a great job capturing that boyish glee that really makes the role work. The is a sort of pure joy that comes through in his performance that I really enjoyed. Asher Angel does well as the boy Billy Batson and has more of the dramatic lifting to do in the film, but is up to the task, making Billy one that is easy to sympathize with. Jack Dylan Glazer is a lot of fun as Freddy, who captures the sort of excitement any superhero fan boy would be if they found out they were friends with a superhero. Mark Strong makes for an intriguing villain and shows the characters layers quite well. As a kid, Sivana was constantly berated and torn down by his father and older brother and Strong does a good job showing how that constant torment warped him into the power mad adult he is. Strong does a great job bringing the character to life and makes Sivana a formidable threat, especially for someone very new to the superhero game like Billy is. Djimon Hounsou adds some real gravitas to his role as the Wizard Shazam, even if it is a small part in the movie he makes a strong impression with his limited screen time. Also, as a side note, I find it amusing that he was also in Captain Marvel, since when Shazam originally published he went by the name Captain Marvel.
Overall, Shazam is a lighthearted and fun addition to the Superhero genre. It's refreshing to see a DC Superhero film that is bright, colorful and not taking itself so seriously. This reminds me of the joys of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, especially the first two. It's not perfect but the imperfections, mainly the climax drags on too long, are mere nitpicks in a film that was just a pure joy to watch from beginning to end leaving me with a big dopey grin at the end.
