Independence Day: Resurgence

The original Independence Day is one of those movies that every action movie fan holds in high regard. But a lot of the charm and excitement of that movie is severely lacking in this reboot, with only the crazy destruction remaining. Is that enough to make this movie great? Not when you're dealing with the legacy of the original movie.

Twenty years after the world united against the alien invasion, David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) is in charge of alien research at Area 51 in Nevada. As the world is starting to prepare for the anniversary of the invasion, a spherical alien ship appears near the moon's space defence station. A decision is made by the global council to shoot it down in case of it being another invasion attempt. But it ends up not being a real threat at all and a bigger one is on its way. An alien harvester ship with a queen on it lands across the Atlantic Ocean (as in it's the size of it) and its up to a small team of pilots led by Jake Morrison (Liam Hemsworth) and Dylan Hiller (Jessie T. Usher).

This movie really doesn't offer much past the action. There is no real tension or high stakes. Yes there is a countdown that the good guys have to go up against to win, but there's no underdog story that was present in the original. Where the humans were going against the aliens with our old technology, in Resurgence, they are fighting with alien technology. So there's no real tension in two equally matched enemies fighting one another with no exciting underdog story to speak of. There is the introduction of the alien queen, but she is so similar to the queen from Aliens, it's unbelievable. At least she's a different colour.

What's really disappointing is that none of the characters stick out in a distinct way. In the original, you had the diverse personalities of Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Randy Quaid and Jeff Goldblum. While both Goldblum and Pullman both return, they are a shadow of their former selves. Even Goldblum, who is known for his eccentric performances, actually gives the first normal performance of his life. None of the new actors offer anything special either. Liam Hemsworth is normally good in an action flick, but it feels like he's relegated to the background. Jessie T. Usher, playing Will Smith's son is equally boring. Travis Tope plays Liam's pilot partner and I was just waiting for him to be killed off, which he isn't. As for the leading ladies of Charlotte Gainsbourg and Maika Monroe, they're both fantastic performers and don't belong in this movie. As for Nicolas Wright (or American John Oliver, you'll know what I'm talking about), his character just baffled me.

All told, Resurgence occupies a weird limbo in the exact centre of the triangle made up of action, sci-fi and 20th anniversary reboot. It's not good enough for everyone to go crazy about, but it's not terrible enough to hate. It just is.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

The Hunger Games is one of those series that I never really give any thought towards until the next film comes around, and apparently it’s been a year since Mockingjay - Part 1. Francis Lawrence - who has directed all but the first of the films – has returned to wrap-up the young-adult series with Mockingjay - Part 2. 

The nation of Panem is now in the midst of a civil war, with the rebels led by President Coin (Julianne Moore) looking to assassinate President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and unify the districts. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is recovering from the injuries that Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) has caused her and their relationship is in turmoil as he becomes more and more unstable. The time has come to take down President Snow, with the rebels planning to film Katniss assassinating him as the ultimate piece of propaganda. 

Traversing through the Capitol to reach the palace is a challenge. Snow has evacuated the perimeter and transformed it into a sadistic minefield of unique ways to die. Katniss and the District 13 unit undertake the challenging mission with her friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin) and Cressida (Natalie Dormer), who is to direct the propaganda piece. This is their best chance to take down Snow’s regime, but it’s certainly no easy task. 

There are some interesting side-stories in Part 2 that jazz up the arcs of the various characters - such as Peeta’s inability to control himself at points due to the Capitol's brainwashing, and Finnick’s marriage which gives his character more of a reason to fight for Panem’s freedom - and this is essentially still an ensemble film, however the ‘will they, won’t they, and with whom?’ love triangle between, Katniss, Peeta and Gale is beginning to wear extremely thin, and is resolved in both an expected and confusing way. The same can be said for most of the film, it reaches the point that you knew it would, but in a convoluted and stretched-out manner. Most of the film feels like a montage and is at times, difficult to follow. They could have had about five end-points before they finally finish with such an overly-sentimental, unnecessary scene that it actually detracts from the quality of the film. It’s as if the producers were desperately trying to hold on to the only half-decent Young Adult film series they have. 

On top of this there are plot-holes and timing issues that quite noticeably screw with the sense of immersion. For example at the beginning of the film, following on from the injuries she sustained at the end of the last, Katniss is almost completely unable to speak. However, no more than five minutes later, she’s up and having a healthy conversation with President Coin and Plutarch - the last filmic appearance of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman and a reminder that this movie was (largely) filmed years ago, at the same time as Part 1. Perhaps that’s why it feels so rushed. It’s uncertain how much time is passing throughout Mockingjay - Part 2, and that removes much of the tension that it works so needlessly to build up. 

To redeem itself from some of these issues, Mockingjay - Part 2 does have some pretty intense fight sequences, including a weird hot-oil chase and a sewer-system scene which is either a homage or a shameless rip-off of Aliens, depending on how you view it. The concept of President Snow evacuating the outskirts of the Capitol and filling the streets with a system of eloquent booby-traps is a pretty cool idea, but it does feel a bit-too much like it’s YA competitor The Maze Runner - perhaps it’s a big F-You from the author, Suzanne Collins to Maze Runner’s James Dashner. 

Past issues with the characters again crop-up again here, with Natalie Dormer’s Cressida as annoying as ever, Woody Harrelson barely making an appearance, and Moore’s President Coin a bland mirror of Snow, preaching a distorted view of what ultimately becomes the same ideology. President Snow is still pretty much the only likable character for me, with his eccentric bond-villian persona the guilty pleasure of the series, played expertly by the great Donald Sutherland. Although I must say Katniss is suitably badass for such a finale. Ultimately though I care about as much for the characters as I do for the world that they inhabit. 

For an impartial-viewer, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is a relatively satisfying, albeit overly long and convoluted conclusion to a series that’s never particularly gelled with me. It has its issues but keeps your attention fairly well. If you’re a massive fan, I can’t speak for how much you’ll enjoy it, but it’s certainly worth a watch even if only to serve as a catharsis for the many hours you’ve already spent delving into this series.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

I've never been much of a fan of the Hunger Games series, or indeed any of the many teenage dystopic films, apart from perhaps The Maze Runner. So walking into the latest instalment, Mockingjay - Part 1 I was a bit hesitant. So, does Part 1 continue in the Battle Royale-esque manner of the first two?

After Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) destroys the arena, Plutarch (Philip Seymour Hoffman) takes her to District 13, an underground embattlement where she meets President Coin (Julianne Moore). Coin persuades Katniss to become their Mockingjay, a symbol of revolution that will boost the uproar against the Capitol. They design a series of propaganda videos to spread the word, but Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) quite rightly suggests that she needs to send her message from the battlefield for it to have influence.

Armed with a film crew, directed by Cressida (Natalie Dormer), Katinss visits a district that has just survived a vicious bombing raid by the Captiol, to see if she can capture both the atrocities of the Capitol, and the spirit of the survivors, in the hope of fanning the flames of revolution. Whilst at the same time, she remains concerned about the state of Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and his existence within the Capitol.

With Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, Water for Elephants) reprising directorial control after the success of Catching Fire, the film takes a while to gain momentum, only really finding its stride by the second half. The story of Mockingjay seems much more focused on the political manoeuvres occurring in this Orwellian society and is clearly building up for Part 2, the final instalment in the series. Nevertheless, I was far more absorbed here than I was in the previous two films and for the first real time in the series, I'm actually interested in where it's going. I just wish the first half of this film was as good as the second.

I've never been able to understand how The Hunger Games gets such a vast array of superb actors on-board (Spoiler Alert: It's probably money) and generally they all provide decent if (certainly) not career-peaking performances. Jennifer Lawrence maintains the strong yet troubled nature of Katniss, with both Liam Hemsworth and Hutcherson supporting her well. The late Philip Seymour Hoffman is gentle and sympathetic as Plutarch and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch is still the lovable jackass that he was in the first instalments. Although Julianne Moore is less than stellar, mainly because President Coin is such a bland character, and Natalie Dormer seems to play the same smirking egotist that she does in most her roles, although I suppose it works quite well when playing a director.

Whilst for the first half, Part 1 fails to move away from the stock-standard 1984 dystopia that we've seen many times before, it flourishes more as it moves on, supported by a great cast and a handful of action scenes for good measure.

Paranoia

It's always good to see Aussies working in Hollywood, especially when it's an Aussie director working with an Aussie star, but something about Paranoia seems to miss the mark. Maybe it has something to do with an interesting idea not being translated to the screen in a definite enough manner.

Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) is a young tech guru working an entry level position for technology giant run by Nicholas Wyatt (Gary Oldman). After a night on the town using the office credit card, Cassidy is blackmailed into spying on Wyatt's former mentor, Jock Goddard (Harrison Ford).

The concept behind this film is excellent, industrial espionage that leads to paranoia from the stress of living a strange double life for the young protagonist. However, it might have come apart in the translation of idea to paper or script to screen. I am inclined to say the latter.

I have to admit that I am not all that familiar with Robert Luketic's work, although I did see 2010's spy rom-com Killers. But looking back at his body of work, he seems to be more at home working in the rom-com genre. He did direct 21, but as I understand it, that was more a heist drama than a complex thriller.

One note of praise I do have is for the performances from Liam Hemsworth and Amber Heard. Hemsworth does have actual talent and is not just swimming in the wake of his older brother Thor as some people would believe. I feel as though a performance in an indie film of some sort would do him good to show off this talent rather than a star vehicle orchestrated by a studio to make cash.

Amber Heard also gives a decent performance and has real talent also. I feel as though many model/actresses are hired more for their looks than for having talent, but Heard has both. She has a real presence when on screen and shows that she can play with experienced actors, such as when she shares the screen with Harrison Ford. I am looking forward to seeing her in the upcoming Machete Kills.

As for Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman, this two actors have been working longer than I've been alive and should know better than to take roles like this. I know they only do movies like this for the pay-check, but a feel as though with their experience and age, they can afford to pick the roles that they take.

Verdict: A premise with potential that just crumbled in the hands of an inexperienced director. Stellar performances from the younger cast members can't really save the film.