Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Jai Courtney
Director: Stuart Beattie
Oscar History: No nominations
Snap Judgment Ranking: 1/5 stars
(Spoilers Ahead) Because of this, I'm going to start out with the good in what is a Grade-Z action adventure (there's a reason it's being released on a cold January weekend when any rational, casual moviegoer is deciding between American Hustle or 12 Years a Slave at the theaters). I genuinely like Yvonne Strahovski, who is best known to the nerd world as Sarah Walker on Chuck or Hannah McKay in Dexter. She has a pleasing demeanor, decent comic timing, and I actually bought her as a scientist in the film, which you don't normally when it's a gorgeous blond woman who also happens to have a brilliant mind (Denise Richards as Christmas Jones, anyone?).
The rest of the film lacks her appeal and freshness, however. Aaron Eckhart, who can act and was a smart choice by the casting directors here (he's at his best when he's playing noble but damned), doesn't find any of the fun of this role. Part of what makes horror/sci-fi films a pip is that there's humor in it. The idea that vampires or werewolves or demons could walk amongst us without ever becoming apparent is absurd, and so more interactions with humanity always add a jarring juxtaposition to the film. Beattie's movie, however, does none of that-humans (aside from the two scientists) play almost no role in the film, to the point where you almost didn't need them to be on earth; this could just as easily have been on a different planet and been a regular battle of souls.
Eckhart's stoicism is balanced by Bill Nighy's over-the-top demon prince, though balanced is hardly a word to describe Nighy's work in the film. Arguably the best actor in the bunch (certainly the most critically-praised), Nighy excels in this sort of saturated villain-he made Davy Jones interesting in the Pirates of the Caribbean films and has that sort of great, lilting voice that makes him an appropriate choice for the film. Were the film dealing with subtlety, though, they would have made it mildly more believable that this man wasn't a demon. It's hard to imagine that Strahovski's scientist, in this world that doesn't actually have sunlight (I don't know if it's ever daytime in the 92 minutes of movie), would have worked for such a man without quickly leaving his employ after spending longer than five minutes with him.
The plot is exactly what you'd expect once you see the protagonists: evil demon prince, brilliant and beautiful scientist, tortured but ultimately good monster, and an angelic queen forced to carry the burdens of humanity (Miranda Otto, so underused since Lord of the Rings that I'm just glad she got a paycheck). You can find the plot without much trouble. The effects are also rather staid (though I did like what they did with Otto's Hellenistic goddess paint when she transformed into a gargoyle), and while Jai Courtney is a crazy attractive man, even his good looks couldn't save his listless work here.
That said, going to the movies with fun people makes the movie enjoyable, which may be the sign of someone who ultimately loves the movie experience every time even if it doesn't equal a great movie. What are your thoughts on this subject-do you have movies you enjoy because of the experience surrounding the film even if you don't like the actual movie? Share in the comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment