A review: The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave is an apocalyptic survival story, told through the eyes of Cassie Sullivan (Chloë Grace Moretz). She's just like any other sixteen year old girl (crushing on boys/going to parties) until the day a UFO appears in the sky outside her house. As ten days pass without the authorities being able to make contact, it seems harmless enough. And that's when the first wave of destruction suddenly hits. This is quickly followed by the second wave. And then the third. And the fourth. With the help of Evan Walker (Alex Roe), Cassie's now faced with the difficult task of navigating a new and frightening world in order to reunite with her brother.

I can't claim to be a connoisseur of alien invasion stories (or catastrophe movies in general) but the first half of The 5th Wave felt refreshingly realistic. Not only did the gradual destruction of the planet make sense but so did Cassie's family's reaction as well. I'm sure there are a variety of responses when faced with the unknown but I'm only used to seeing the one where the family haphazardly starts throwing everything into the vehicle and going off to somewhere equally unsafe. That's why I was thoroughly surprised and delighted that The 5th Wave gave us the opposite: despite the UFO hovering above their city, the Sullivans try to wait it out. What that means, for us as viewers, is that we get to experience Cassie's neighborhood emptying at the same time as her school gradually looses its students. It's almost like watching a slow and anxiety-invoking destruction of their society.

Now, I'm not at all opposed to a bit of romance in these types of movies (to be honest.. it feels like the best of both worlds) but when it's predictable and poorly timed with a hint of stalking, I'm less enthused. See – I'm sure love can be found whenever/wherever, but is it really likely that one'll stop to make out in a collapsing building, while desperately trying to find one's brother in time? Also, and I can't stress this enough: any movie with the “I liked you from the moment I saw you, so I proceeded to follow you around wherever you went” trope, automatically looses its credibility. As a result, The 5th Wave ends up with two conflicting halves – the realistic first half and the second (unrealistic) Twilight-y half, which leaves me feeling like I've watched two separate movies.

© 2015 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved..**ALL IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC. F

Used with permission.

A review: Astérix: Le domaine des dieux

The year? 50 BC. The region? Gaul. Surrounded by four Roman military camps lies a tiny nameless village untouched by the expanding Roman empire. Their secret? An endless supply of the magical potion that makes them seemingly invincible. Thanks to the druid Miraculix they can go about their business as usual; hunting wild boars and “discussing” the freshness of the fish (i.e. just fighting in general). However, César has grown tired of their constant defiance. In hiring a young architect to surround the village with Roman buildings, he's abandoned force for indoctrination. So sure that this will make the Gauls surrender to him once and for all, he's forgotten to take Astérix and Obelix into consideration.

I grew up with the adventures of Astérix and Obelix and I feel that this movie really succeeds in recreating the charm I remember. Being young when I read the comic books, I was more in love with the characters than anything else (honestly – most of the content went right over my head) and to my delight the animators have kept the varying body shapes that I remember loving so much. This means that all the nationalities presented come in various sizes. Most of the focus of the animation itself has gone into character details such as Obelix's velvet bows or Astérix's slimy cheek (because he's been struck by a fish) and since this movie is so heavily centered around the people, I don't miss any elaborate backgrounds. Some of the more action-packed scenes even feel like copies straight from the comic books and, being a big fan of that type of physical comedy, I giggle my way through most of it.

I fully understand why today's animation is made for both adults and children and I appreciate the step in that direction, but I find myself repeatedly wishing for a movie made only for grown ups. For the ones of us who like animation but dislike anime. Such a movie would mean I could avoid the suffering I go through when Le domaine des dieux suddenly transforms Obelix into King Kong. I'm sure the kids love it and it does turn the action up several notches, but to me - who's always admired Obelix more than Astérix, it feels like a blasphemy. The smart, thin Astérix is already portrayed as the leader of the dumb, fat Obelix. To turn him into a food-obsessed monster as well only further increases the detrimental message that fat people are meant to follow and lack all forms of self-control.   

© 2014 les Éditions Albert René / Goscinny Uderzo © 2014, M6 Studio, Belvision, M6 Films et SNC.
All Rights Reserved.

Used with permission. 

A review: Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland takes place in Victorian England; a very fitting backdrop for the free spirited and determined Alice (Mia Wasikowska) who wants something more out of life than to simply conform to society's strict rules for the perfect behavior and appearance. Ever since she was a little girl, she's felt different. She's had dreams of the strange "Wonderland" every night and even though her father has done his best to convince her that they are just dreams, Alice doesn't hesitate to follow the white rabbit when it does show up in real life one day. Falling down the rabbit hole, it turns out Alice's father was very wrong. Wonderland IS a real place; a dictatorship where the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) rules mercilessly. To aid her, she has the monstrous Jabberwocky. If, however, Alice fights the Jabberwocky.. the people will rise up agains the queen's tyranny once and for all.

The first half of this film consists of both undefined characters and surroundings. There are no real connections made between us as viewers and the myriad of characters that we're hastily presented with. And even though them turning into background actors might help the movie feel even more surrealistic and dreamlike, it doesn't help the overall plot. If the Jabberwocky indeed threatens the population, I want to care for the population! Otherwise I won't root for Alice to kill it. And it's hard to care for the people of Wonderland when you don't know the people. This is why, when Alice meets the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), there's finally a character besides her to sympathize with and care for.

Maybe because she's convinced that she's in her dream, this Alice is completely fearless and wholeheartedly goes after what she wants. Even if she's afraid to do it! After discovering Wonderland's realness, she keeps on going with her gut anyway, making all the decisions and bowing down to no one. The "my path is the right one and no one can tell me otherwise"-thinking is a trait that I feel normally would have been ascribed to a male character (or as Alice puts it: 'I'll decide where it goes from here.'). That's why I feel that Alice is not just a new female warrior to add to the list but one with a fresh point of view as well. And so, for me, she becomes the entire reason to watch this movie.

©Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Used with permission.

A review: Cinderella

Cinderella follows the story of Ella (Lily James). She's grown up with both her parents in the countryside, being as loved and cared for as it is possible to be. When her mother all of a sudden dies, she leaves Ella to take care of a father that's never really gotten over the death of her mother. When he finally decides to remarry, Ella ends up with two stepsisters and a stepmother to tend to as well. While he goes away on business, Ella is gradually and unknowingly indoctrinated into her future role as Cinderella and as the news of her fathers death arrives, the staff is dismissed and her transformation into servant is complete.

Lots of movies have strong female protagonists that fight for what they want but strong doesn't always have to equal warrior. In Cinderella, it's fantastic to watch the powerful leading lady use anything but her fists. Instead, her power comes from knowing herself and the kind of life she wants to lead. In following her dreams she meets her Fairy Godmother and the magic she is bestowed is the reward for being true to herself. Refreshingly enough, this self-esteem also affects the prince (Richard Madden) and has him reevaluating his life after they've met for the first time. 

There are bits I could have done without; mainly the ending (and honestly - if someone chased me because I left a dance, I'd kick him in the balls), but aesthetically the movie really hits the nail on the head. I feel the bright colors, the glitter and the crystal shoes really help to drive home the point that life CAN be a fairy tale, despite tribulations, if you're just true to who you are.

 ©Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Used with permission.

Sherlock is bae: a comparison

Sherlock Holmes (two movies total)
The most action packed and esthetically pleasing, though the crimes are never thoroughly explained and therefore hard to fully grasp.
  
Sherlock (Robert Downey Jr.): Almost TOO eccentric (he's hyper and needy at the same time). And you're never given a clear insight into his methods, which makes him unpredictable and hard to connect to.  
Watson (Jude Law): The best Watson, in my opinion. He is bossy but supportive. Independent but caring. He doesn't let Sherlock walk all over him - and he's not dependent upon him either.
Moriarty: I'd say medium level scary - like that tiny black lump on the floor that makes you jump because you think it's a spider..

Moriarty? 

Sherlock (tv series)
Detailed crimes that really shows you how Sherlock can see what no one else does. Truly a one-man show! The only downside is that Sherlock's such a genius he's become a sociopath that lacks warmth. 

Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch): He picks up on everything = easy to root for him to solve the crimes. Infuriatingly robotlike with no empathy = easy to want to give him a poke in the eye.
Watson (Martin Freeman): Brings a lot to the story by being himself rather than by contributing with knowledge and partnership. Sort of a shoulder angel for Sherlock (which he needs). 
Moriarty: Eerily unpredictable and by far the scariest Moriarty. 

 I'm still savoring the third season of Sherlock, since the fourth one won't air until 2016..

Elementary (tv series) 
An unpredictable re-telling where nothing really is as you expect it to be. It even shows you Sherlock as a teacher - not a god. It's a crime series though, which makes it easy to predict when the killer will be revealed. 

Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller): He's the most human of the three and truly cares about people - he even heartbreakingly loves a few. The most sensitive and therefore my favorite.
Watson (Lucy Liu): A true partner. She has real knowledge and helps to solve the crimes as a second detective. What's great about this Watson is that she does it for herself; because she gets something out of it.   
Moriarty: Meh. Neither really threatening nor very scary.