2016 Movies in Review - Part Two

As promised, here is the rest of the movies I've seen this year. Now, to be clear, there are still some 2016 movies that I plan on seeing (such as Rogue One), but don't think I'll get to them until next year. Still, there are plenty of movies to cover, so let's get started!

Warcraft

I’m not that big into Warcraft as a gaming franchise, but I admit that I was looking forward to the Warcraft movie. Seeing the trailers, it looked like they were dedicated to retaining the same look and feel of the video games, which excited me as I have always felt their aesthetics to be very solid, unique, and compelling.

As for the movie itself, I enjoyed it! It’s certainly not a perfect film, and I have a strong feeling that there’s a better, “Director’s Cut” version sitting out there somewhere, but for what it is, it really is a decent fantasy action/adventure.

First, the flaws. It’s pretty clear that this movie was edited down to fit a 2-hour running time, which is a shame as there is a lot going on here. Fortunately, there is enough room to “read between the lines” and figure a few things out on your own, but you do have to be paying attention to little details. The story itself leans a little too much on exposition, trying to set up the world and its stakes, and it’s hard to shake the “Fellowship of the Ring” feeling it has as it’s trying to set up sequels instead be it’s own movie.

That being said, I really enjoyed how it all looked, even the mocapped orc characters. They took a bit to get used to, but it wasn’t long before I was immersed in the world. And the way magic looks and works is quite amazing. If you’re gonna have a CG-heavy film, it really does help if the CG is at least high quality, and Warcraft really has some good stuff in it.

I think it’s a fun film, and it makes me excited for a sequel, which I assume we’re getting mostly thanks to its success in China. I like having high fantasy films like these, as they balance out all the superheroes pretty nicely.

Independence Day: Resurgence

Proving there is no property dead enough that producers won’t try to wring a sequel out of, people were convinced to take a shot at continuing the classic 1996 sci-fi film Independence Day, so now we have Resurgence.

To be blunt, it’s underwhelming. Not awful, but certainly mediocre across the board. For starters, the characters are fairly generic and the cast doesn’t do much with them. Goldblum seems like he’s playing nearly a different character. The whole movie really is crying out for that charismatic, over-the-top lead that Will Smith provided for the first one.

The story itself has issues as well. It seemed like every time the heroes thought of a solution, it wouldn’t work or it would introduce other problems, giving the plot a very trial-and-error feel that gets frustrating after a while. And, in an effort to expand its world, it introduces a “character” (for lack of a better word) that almost comes out of nowhere, trying to provide context for not only this film, but the last one as well. And the ending has to be the most obvious “we’re gonna make more” sequel hook I have ever seen.

That being said, there are some good things going on here. The movie does a really good job of showing how the world would be different after a thwarted alien invasion, and there is a pretty good gravity sequence in the middle of the second act that brings some life to the film.

However, it’s not enough to save it from its own blandness. Give it a look if you’re curious about how they decided to follow up on the film you remember, but bear in mind that it has none of the magic of the original. 

Jason Bourne

I did a full review of this one over here, but in short, incredibly disappointing. Between the absurd, shaky camera action scenes and blatant message mongering, this one is a mess. It’s like they wanted an interesting techno-thriller, but also wanted Jason Bourne involved, and so they took the two half-made film ideas and inexpertly mashed them together.

The original trilogy still stands out as some of the best in 21st century action cinema, and the follow up with Jeremy Renner was a great idea that could have used a better third act, but this new one is just a pure waste of time. Skip it. 

Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur has been remade so many times, it’s kind of nuts, the most famous being the one with Charlton Heston in 1959 with the epic scope and intense chariot races.

2016’s version comes to us from Russian director Timur Bekmambetov, and takes on the classic story from a very different perspective. While the 1959 version was golden age cinema at it’s height, with epic storytelling, larger than life characters, and classic sense of staging and direction, this new version is intent on a much more intimate telling. The characters really bring the story’s themes front and center, with the Atonement of Jesus Christ being more than just an occurrence, but a major part of the main character’s arc.

The film does have a few flaws, mostly in terms of pacing. In an effort to try and fit all of the story into a shorter run-time, the film moves from scene to scene pretty quickly, and it does take a bit of effort to keep track of what’s going on. As I was already familiar with the story, I would have no idea what this movie would be like for someone who doesn’t know it.

Unfortunately, most people stayed away from this movie out of fear of it being to “Jesus-y,” which means they missed out on some great action scenes, such as the boat battle, and the chariot races that matches the 1959’s version quite easily. It's a bit strange saying this, but I'm pretty confident in calling this my "Movie of the Year." 

Magnificent Seven

This year was apparently one of trying to remake classic films that would be a challenge to remake, especially considering that this one is a remake of one of the most classic westerns, itself a remake of the classic Japanese film The Seven Samurai. This one in particular would have been a massive cinematic task, so maybe that’s why director Antione Fuqua didn’t bother.

To be clear, this Magnificent Seven is not a bad film, but perhaps rather by-the-numbers. Abandoning the themes of its two predecessors, and introducing an admittedly good villain, the film instead seems to be keen on remaking every western ever made before Sergio Leone reinvented the genre in the mid 60s, using the plot of Magnificent Seven to have an excuse for several leading roles.

However, I do need to say that this movie is incredibly well made. The cast seem to be having fun, with Chris Pratt standing out as the natural smooth talker and Denzel Washington bringing his excellent gravitas to each scene. The cinematography is amazing, as we get plenty of on-shot location shooting full of beautiful wilderness vistas and people riding on through it all on their horses. All of the action is pretty well done, mixing classic beats with modern impact in a good way.

The ending does get a little dark, and overall it’s a shallower experience than the classic, but if you miss sweeping vistas and just want a good, straight forward western, Fuqua’s Magnificent Seven isn’t a bad way to spend a few hours. 

Doctor Strange

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has mostly focused on science fiction, adding in a few dalliances into fantasy, with Doctor Strange, they dive right into the bizarre. Taking some of the surreal imagery seen in the third act of Ant-Man and turning it up to eleven, Doctor Strange as some of the most over-the-top what-the-heck special-effects-driven roller coaster rides anyone has seen since Inception.

Unfortunately, the special effects are the only real standout aspect of the movie. The story, for example, is pretty cookie-cutter. You have a brilliant, rich, snarky man who gets wrecked by his own hubris and has to rebuild himself on the other side of the planet, only to become a superhero and deal with a looming evil that threatens to destroy those he loves. Seriously, if you took Iron Man and replaced Tony Stark with Steven Strange and science with magic, you’d have Doctor Strange.

Another issue is that the humor can be somewhat hit-and-miss. While some of the lines are certainly quite funny, there is this sense that some of it is kind of forced and often happening too soon after the serious scenes, resulting in rocky pacing that can’t quite flow as well as it should. 

Still, Doctor Strange is a pretty solid action blockbuster with great special effects and a neat final showdown that isn’t all punching and kicking (which was quite refreshing!). Probably one of the better films in the MCU, but certainly not the best.

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So, I guess that's it for 2016. I may do one more article where I catch up on all the films I wanted to see from this year (Hardcore Henry, X-Men, Rogue One, etc.), but it will have to wait for now. I'm planning on posting my 2017 list sometime between the holidays, so be on the lookout for that. Until then, Merry Christmas and STAY WARM! (Unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere, of course.)