I’m back with a few new movies reviews, even though the movies aren’t so new anymore. It seems like the summer wasn’t really chock full of awesome movies, and honestly feel that I went to fewer movies this summer than I have in many years. No movie sticks out to me as super memorable, but I would have to unexpectedly pick Guardians of the Galaxy 2 as my favorite film that I saw this summer. Needless to say, it sort of peaked for me early. I did add a few smaller indie films to my list (like The Big Sick), but am looking forward in seeing what the fall offers at the movies.
Cars 3
While the Cars films are my least-favorite series in the Pixar universe, I have enjoyed the first two films for what they were. That being said, the second Cars film is dead last on my Pixar film list. The first Cars film has its charms, most notably the scenery of Radiator Springs and the characters that inhibit there. The biggest issue of the second film was that it was taken completely away from Radiator Springs and put the focus on Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy), the goofy sidekick to the actual lead character, Lighting McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson). This third film heads back in the right direction, and although enjoyable enough, ultimately doesn’t feel super memorable. The story begins with Lighting McQueen being outshone on the race track by a new, and younger, car. After an accident, Lighting McQueen changes tactics and gets a new coach and team. Led by scrappy Cruz Ramirez (voiced by Cristela Alonzo), he tries to get back in shape to prove he is still the best race car. The overarching theme of the film is aging and change. With a nice message and positive ending, as well as beautiful animation, the film is good (even with my personal sadness over the lack of Bonnie Hunt’s character, Sally). It just doesn’t offer up the magical Pixar experience so many of their films have had. There have been a lot of sequels in Pixar’s line up the last couple of years, so I am holding out hope that this November’s new Pixar original Coco will bring that bit of magic this film was lacking.
War for the Planet of the Apes
This was one of the films I was most anticipating this summer, and couldn’t wait to see how these intelligent apes would continue to develop in the story. The trailers for the film did look a bit too dark and depressing for me though, with such a focus on war. I was very impressed with the previous two films in the franchise, especially given that my mom and I would often watch the original 1968 film these films are based on when I was a child. I thought the first two films were creative and the characters very well crafted. The third film begins with the apes living as a community, with humans still on the hunt to find the ape ruler Caesar (performed by Andy Serkis), who has become a legend. After Caesar suffers a huge loss, he must battle his demons as he plots his revenge, leading him to The Colonel (Woody Harrelson), a savage military leader. An illness is continuing to sweep through the humans, which also unexpectedly puts a young human girl into the apes midst.
For me, this story just did not connect with me as much, and for some reason felt let down in the direction it took. I was anticipating something different and maybe a more direct lead-in to the original Planet of the Apes story. The film is quite vicious at times, with both the actions of Caesar and The Colonel, with constant almost-deaths for the apes that felt a little over-done. The character that really stood out to me was Bad Ape (Steve Zahn), an ape who came from a zoo, whose character brought much-needed humor and light to the story. I could have watched another film with him, he was that affable and engrossing. I still felt like I had questions as the credits rolled, and the ending of this film definitely felt like the end of a trilogy, so I’m not sure those questions will be answered. I think I held on too close to the original films throughout this series, and the payoff wasn’t quite there for me in the end. While I left the film dissappointed, I was still appreciative of what the trilogy has been as a whole, even if the ending wasn’t what I was hoping for.
Dunkirk
Telling the story of the battle that ensued in World War II, Dunkirk keeps the viewer in the perspective of a select group of men who were trapped, hoping for a miracle. The films does not have truly have a lead character or distinct storyline on any particular person, but it manages to work and keep the viewer engaged. I liked being in the one perspective of the men actually at Dunkirk, without seeing people outside the moment. Most war film seems to have perspectives of people outside the scene, like family members, leaders in the country the soldiers came from, or the opponents they are fighting. This film stands out as a fresh take because it tried something different, without over-dramatizing or taking a “true story” and really changing it for entertainment value. I admittedly had a couple of confusing moments here and there, wishing I had a bit more knowledge of the events going in (specifically during a scene when the men were hiding out in a boat, which then they found themselves being shot at). Performances from Tom Hardy and Mark Rylance are added for a bit of star power, but if you are a Harry Styles fan, he also manages to blend in without taking away from the other performers. The film makes you think about how it would feel to be out on those beaches, feeling helpless, and the visuals of the story are striking. The film doesn’t need huge action scenes or graphic moments to display the struggle, as the intensity of the beach and waters that surround them tell the story best.
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