Movie Reviews: January ’10 | The Beachside Resident

By: Ryan Dieseroth

Article Category: Movie Review Leave a Comment

Avatar
Directed by James Cameron
“Avatar,” the most expensive movie made to date, is the latest release by the King of “the Most Expensive Movies to Date,” James Cameron (“Terminator;” “Alien;” “Titanic”). The main selling point of “Avatar” is the 3-D visual spectacle of an alien planet and creatures created by the most cutting-edge digital science available today. “Avatar’s” plot is reminiscent of the manifest destiny philosophy of the early American colonists. In the distant future, big business has discovered rare resources on the alien planet of Pandora, and in order to mine it, they must relocate the native inhabitants from their homeland. As today, big business has the support of the American armed forces, and the Marines are the policy enforcers for the corporations invested in the project. A crippled marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is of special interest when his genome is found to be specific for operating an avatar, a native/human hybrid clone that can be controlled by some sort of neuro-kinetic science. But Sully, now able to walk, is soon torn between being a good marine and protecting the native humanoid population with whom he has begun to identify. The story is a tad on the soft side; not that it was bad — it just left a lot of potential on the table. All in all, “Avatar” is sure to be a blockbuster. It sneaks in at the year’s end, and should beat all 2009 contenders. Enjoy the amazing special effects and then hang in anticipation for the inevitable sequel.

Ninja Assassin
Directed by James McTeigue
One of the best things about “Ninja Assassin” is that it doesn’t star Jackie Chan or Jet Li. Any attempt to make “something” out of a “nothing” film by casting it with well-known actors wouldn’t have allowed me to ignore its negative facets, and would have taken away from what the film was trying to accomplish. Though the obscure Sung Kang represented the spirit of a ninja well, it wasn’t his acting that made “Ninja Assassin” enjoyable, but rather the way it was filmed like a comic book is read. Director James McTeigue did a great job of capturing the comic book story-feel without many deliberately choppy scenes. “Ninja Assassin” certainly has many shortcomings, but is successful at least in its portrayal of a trained killer. The flashbacks of Kang’s training were highly entertaining, as were the ways in which it portrayed his cold-hearted emotion. “Ninja Assassin” isn’t a great film, but it is cool — simply because ninjas are cool. And it’s ninjas that make this movie fun, in the same way that jedis made the latest “Star Wars” films somewhat respectable.

Invictus
Directed by Clint Eastwood
“Invictus” tells the “inspiring true story” of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela (Morgan Freeman) knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid’s collapse. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team (Matt Damon and friends) as they make an unlikely run for the 1995 World Cup Championship. “Invictus” tries hard to be amazing, but never really grasps its essential message. The moments that came close to that goal failed to make up for the film’s many other shortcomings, thus making “Invictus” merely “good.” This being the latest Clint Eastwood offering, one can’t help but see it as the latest in a string of works that are never as great as the could be, i.e. “Letters from Iwo Jima” and “Grand Torino.” When it’s all said and done, you’re glad to have seen them, but wish you’d have gotten a bit more out of them.