It: Chapter Two - Film Review

It: Chapter Two demonstrates how little director Andy Muschietti had left in his bag of tricks following the first film. It’s got all the same problems as its predecessor - lame, repetitive scares and an overreliance on computer-generated trickery. Add to the mix a frantic, unfocused storyline, which never manages to find its way and an unnecessarily long running length and you’ve got a film that never manages to live up to the charms of its predecessor. It’s a tonal mess, leapfrogging horror for comedy at nearly every and plays plays out many of the same beats as the first film, but without the benefit of that film’s pre-teen cast and their energetic chemistry.

As I mentioned in my review of the first film, It is my favorite of Stephen King’s novels. While it’s typically labeled as nothing more than ‘the one with the creepy clown,’ people neglect to mention it’s also a genuinely affecting and thoughtful coming-of-age tale. Aside from King’s standard unforgettable scares and terrifying imagery, his story said something profound about the nature of growing up, the importance of friendship and the bittersweetness of leaving your childhood behind.

There’s an overabundance of narrative and thematic ground to cover in this 1,100+ page tome. While the novel intercuts the grown-up Losers’ story with that of their childhood counterparts’, Muschietti and company opted to split the adult’s portion and the kids’ portion into two separate entities. On paper it seems like a smart idea, but the reality proves otherwise. In King’s novel, the intercutting format allows the reader to rediscover the adult Losers’ childhood memories as the characters’ do. When the two stories are split in two, all it accomplishes is further re-emphasizing information we already know, drawing attention to the repetitive nature of the story. We know how things will play out because we’ve already seen the entire story in the first film and this robs It: Chapter Two of much of its potential for suspense and mystery.

Somehow three hours feels both too long and not long enough. The first hour’s chaotic pacing and editing finds It: Chapter Two’s screenplay struggling to discover its way. I don’t envy Gary Dauberman, the sequel’s sole screenwriter. He’s tasked with re-introducing no less than seven characters, catching us up with their adult iterations and sending them back to Derry for a showdown with an evil clown. The sheer amount of information thrown at viewers makes it difficult to register the reunion between these characters. We’re supposed to believe these are the same life-long friends we’ve come to know and love, but because we’ve spent so little time learning who they are in the present day, it doesn’t feel like we know them at all. Whereas the source material frames the battle between the Losers and Pennywise as an epic showdown between the forces of good and evil, the film version portrays it as little more than ‘group of kids fights scary monster.’ There’s no sense of the greater stakes and it makes the battle at the center of both these films feel insignificant.

The film never recovers from the disconnect between the adult Losers and their younger counterparts. While the ensemble is strong, made up of the likes of James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader, there’s little chemistry between them. Hader, as has already been stated, is the highlight here. His youthful performance brings the energy and humanity It: Chapter Two sorely needs. His interactions with James Ransone’s Eddie provide many of the film’s best moments.

The remaining cast members, while giving solid takes, are surprisingly stiff and awkward. McAvoy never seems comfortable in the role of Bill Denborough and it doesn’t help that his and Chastain’s ‘romance’ feels shoehorned in. The lack of chemistry between the adult versions of these characters holds It: Chapter Two back from hitting its emotional beats. Every time the film flashes back to the Losers as kids, it reminded me just how well the young ensemble worked as a unit and how much the first film benefited from their involvement. Their presence is sorely missed this time around.

And then there’s Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise the clown. It’s as if Muschetti didn’t trust that Skarsgard’s take would be frightening enough. At nearly every opportunity, the performance is amplified by hokey computer-generated effects that diminish the work Skarsgard is doing. Maybe it’s just the reality of the situation: the more you see of Pennywise, the less scary he is. Seeing as how we’ve already seen an awful lot of him in the last film and nearly three hours worth of him in this one, it’s no wonder Muschetti struggled to make it work. But the addition of morphing, CGI faces don’t help the cause and, in fact, take away from Skarsgard’s effectiveness in the role.

Just as ineffective are the goofy, computer-generated monstrosities that pop out of every which corner to terrify our heroes. There are a few genuinely effective scares, such as when Jessica Chastain’s Beverly pays a visit to her childhood home, or a scene in which Pennywise lures a young girl to her demise under the bleachers during a sporting event. The film’s final act also features a number of inventive sequences that give it a much needed jolt. For the most part though, the scares play out in exactly the same way: a disembodied voice lures one of our heroes off to a dark, secluded area where a monster is waiting to pop out and provide the obligatory jump scare. This happens to every single one of the main characters, and it plays out in nearly the exact same way every time. Any potential for terror is diminished by the repetitiveness. It ends up being annoying more than anything else.

Sadly, It: Chapter Two feels like an obligatory comedown from the unexpected high of the first film, almost as if the filmmakers themselves weren’t sure how to live up to expectations and decided to scrap the whole attempt. Ultimately this adaptation fails because it lacks the emotional nuance and sense of stakes established in Stephen King’s novel. By honing in on cheap scares and cramming in unnecessary subplots, Muscheitti loses the essential heart of the story. His ambitions are admirable, but the final product sinks rather than floats.

FINAL RATING: 2/5

Toy Story 4 - Film Review

There’s no need to fret, Pixar fans. Toy Story 4 is good. In fact, it’s better than it has any right to be. Especially when you consider how perfect a conclusion Toy Story 3 was to this story. Once again, Pixar demonstrates their winning blend of humor, heart and family-friendly excitement paired with the standard gorgeous visuals.

All that said, Toy Story 4 is also the first in this series to feel inessential. The thematic territory explored here had already been explored to perfection in the first three films. Despite some great new characters (as well as some old favorites) and some intriguing ideas, the film never reaches the same heights as its predecessors. But while it lacks the freshness of Toy Story 1 and 2 and the emotional gut-punch of 3, Toy Story 4 is still solid entertainment from one of the most reliable studios out there.

This time around, we find Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang living out their new lives with their new kid Bonnie. Woody’s struggling to find his place in this new environment. He’s no longer the leader and clearly not one of Bonnie’s favorite toys. When Bonnie returns from Kindergarten with ‘Forky,’ a new toy she made out of a spork, some googly eyes and a popsicle stick, Woody takes it upon himself to protect him and ensure he stays by her side.

This becomes complicated as Forky is resistant to being a toy. He knows he’s trash, like, literal trash, and longs to fulfill his true purpose, making a mad dash for the closest waste bin whenever the opportunity presents itself. When Forky escapes during a summer road trip, Woody gives chase and winds up running into his old flame Bo Peep. During his time with her, Woody discovers there may be potential to pursue another, better life. But is he willing to give up his life with Bonnie and his friends to do so?

Does any of this sound familiar? You could pick out many of the plot points from the previous Toy Story films: Woody helping a toy realize it’s a toy while they try to get back to their kid (#1); Woody realizing he has the potential to live another life outside of the one he’s familiar with while his friends try to rescue him (#2); trying to figure out one’s place when the life you’ve known is no longer an option (#3).

There are a few interesting ideas presented here that we haven’t seen before, one of them being that children are essentially gods and can give ‘life’ to toys. But screenwriters Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom and director Josh Cooley steer clear of that complex and potentially problematic subject matter. (You can only ponder the nature of existence so much in a family film) Instead, they focus on Woody’s displacement, his feeling that he lacks any purpose in his new life with Bonnie.

Well, kind of.

Honestly, the film can't decide if it's about Woody or Forky. About halfway through, Forky takes a back seat to Woody's story. The writers sort of set up Woody’s conflict at the film’s start and there’s an emotional payoff near the end. Overall though, his character arc feels a bit undercooked resulting in emotional beats that lack the impact they need. And what about Buzz, Rex, Slinky Dog and the rest of the gang? Well. They’re there. But there isn’t a whole lot for them to do aside from fretting and worrying. The massive ensemble is just too unwieldy and the characters we know and love end up getting left behind. Buzz in particular doesn’t have much to do, and although the screenwriters try desperately to get him involved at any given point, they’re unable to give him much purpose here.

Toy Story 4 also suffers from a general lack of conflict. The villain introduced here, Gabby Gabby (voiced by Christina Hendricks), is well-developed. Her ventriloquist dummy henchmen are the stuff of genuine nightmares. But, for reasons I won’t spoil, the threat she presents ends up being more of a minor one. I appreciate the creative team’s attempts to present a different kind of villain, but it robs the film of much of its suspense.

But while Toy Story 4 may be lacking in the storytelling department, the creative team fills the gaps with superb visuals and colorful new characters. First we’ve got Keanu Reeves’ Duke Caboom, a Canadian motorcyclist and daredevil, who provides nothing but pure joy whenever he’s on-screen. We’ve also got Bunny and Ducky, voiced by none other than Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. These characters keep things feeling fresh and fun, providing some of the film’s biggest laughs. (They also feel like fodder for a potential Disney+ series down the line.)

Look, I get it. Toy Story 1-3 are masterpieces. It was only a matter of time before we’d get to one that was just plain ‘good.’ And I get that these films are money in the bank for Pixar. (You’ve gotta pay the bills somehow.) Perhaps Toy Story 4’s biggest accomplishment is that despite being a clear money-making venture, it feels like a genuine, heartfelt storytelling effort as opposed to a cynical cash cow.

But maybe, just maybe, it’s time to really really close the book on this film series. You got away with it this time, Pixar, but it’s time to let Toy Story go. As this wonderful film series has taught us: nothing is meant to last.

And that’s okay.

Captain Marvel - Film Review

Captain Marvel, the latest entry in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, provides ample entertainment and a much appreciated ‘Girl Power’ message to inspire the young’uns. It features plenty of 90s references to get your nostalgia senses tingling and an adorable kitty cat, which is an element I will never fault any movie for including.

It’s also another by-the-numbers superhero origin story that doesn’t strive for greatness so much as it just checks off all the boxes we’ve come to expect from Marvel Studios. You’ve got your generic CG-powered action sequences here, a joke or two (or twenty) there. Throw in some Avengers Easter Eggs to make fans the world over positively wet themselves with glee and, baby, you got a stew going. But it’s a lukewarm stew at best, joining the ranks of such middle-tier MCU episodes as Ant-Man, Doctor Strange and most of Phase One.

At the very least, Captain Marvel is relatively fast-paced and fun. The Writer/Director duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck of Half Nelson and Sugar fame try their darndest to spice things up with some weird, non-sequential storytelling pulled straight from the Christopher Nolan screenwriting handbook. In some ways, the zigzagging story helps distract from the fact that there isn’t a whole lot to engage with. It hits all the standard superhero beats, but rarely offers up much inspiration. Since these ‘self-contained’ origin stories tend to fall outside the primary, overarching storyline featuring the characters we’ve come to know and love, they can’t help feeling insignificant in the process.

As Vers, a.k.a. Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, Brie Larson is...fine. She’s been great in other roles, but with her performance here, I couldn’t shake the vibe that she’s already over the whole Marvel thing. To be fair, the screenplay doesn’t give her a lot to work with. There isn’t much of a reason to invest in Carol’s personal journey because it’s not entirely clear what that journey is. She might be tough, she might be snarky (a little too snarky, if I’m being honest - some of these one-liners are painful), but she’s not very interesting. Maybe it’s the dull ‘I don’t remember who I am’ trope she’s saddled with, or maybe it’s because she’s able to take on every foe with what appears to be minimal struggle, the latter being especially noticeable during the film’s climax when she demonstrates a full mastery of her abilities without much of a learning curve. Whatever the reason, Captain Marvel lacks an engaging arc for its titular character. Lots of people around Carol keep telling her how wonderful she is and why she’s such a powerful person. It would have been nice to see a little more evidence as to why, not just a fifteen-second montage of her getting up at different points in her life to stand in for a total absence of character development.

But let’s be honest. The true star of Captain Marvel is not Brie Larson. It’s Ben Mendelsohn as the film’s villain Talos. As Talos, Mendelsohn is charming, threatening and, for reasons I won’t spoil, incredibly endearing. Talos’ journey in this film is far more captivating than Captain Marvel’s.

Oh, and Goose the cat is great too, because...you know...he’s a cat

Despite the standard plotting, there are some genuine twists and fun surprises as the story plays out that lend Captain Marvel some much-needed flair. I enjoyed the ‘buddy cop’ angle between Captain Marvel and Nick Fury; Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson have solid chemistry and play well off each other. But, as is often the case with these origin MCU entries, the film doesn’t feel the need to do anything more than the bare minimum. The 90s nostalgia gives the film a unique flavor, but the references don’t delve much deeper than the surface. The soundtrack takes great pleasure in milking some of your favorite hits from the decade, but the song selections are a bit on-the-nose. I guess Boden and Fleck are trying to follow the example set by James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, but it never gels in the same way. A particular song choice during one of Captain Marvel’s climactic fight scenes is more cringeworthy than anything else.

Look, Captain Marvel isn’t terrible, but it just feels so run of the mill, giving into the worst inclinations of the MCU’s origin stories. What should have been a unique, standalone entry ends up being little more than a less-than-satisfying appetizer for next month’s main event. The film’s tagline ‘Higher. Further. Faster.’ really should have just been ‘High enough. Far enough. Fast enough...to hold you over until Avengers: Endgame.’