Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Directed by David Yates and written by J.K. Rowling that is based on her fictional guidebook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the story about a British wizard who arrives in New York City where he tries to find three magical creatures who had escaped from his suitcase as he is aided by a demoted Auror, her Legilimens sister, and non-magical baker in retrieving them as he’s been accused of unleashing a mysterious creature wreaking havoc on the city. The film is a prequel of sorts to the Harry Potter universe as it takes place in 1926 New York City as it follows around a young Newt Scamander who would write the guidebook on magical creatures. Starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Carmen Ejogo, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Ron Perlman, and Colin Farrell. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an extraordinary film from David Yates.

Set in 1926 New York City as the magical community is dealing with anti-wizard sentiment from individuals as well as the threat of Gellert Grindelwald wreaking terror around the world. The film revolves around a young British wizard in Newt Scamander who arrives to the city originally going to Arizona to bring a creature home where he would embark on a series of misadventures in the cities as he would be accused of unleashing a creature that is causing all of the trouble in the city. Among them would involve a non-magical man who would accidentally take Scamander’s luggage causing trouble when three magical creatures are loose forcing Scamander to retrieve them with the non-magical man and two other wizards. J.K. Rowling’s screenplay explore not just the wizarding world in New York City which is very different from Britain but also how they’re having a hard time trying to conceal it to the non-magical community as they’re called No-Majs.

There are multiple characters involved in the story that would play into Scamander’s search as well as him being a major suspect of the terror that is looming around the city. One of the antagonists is an anti-wizard activist in Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton) who wants to expose the wizarding world as she turns to a newspaper publisher in Henry Shaw Sr. (Jon Voight) for help as he’s busy making a senate campaign for his son Henry Jr. (Josh Cowdery). Scamander would come across Barebone early in the film though she is unaware of what he really is as the meeting would set off a chain of events when one of his creatures in a niffler would go inside a bank as he would meet the No-Maj Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) who is trying to get a loan to start a bakery. Accidental events happen where Scamander is taken by the demoted Auror Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) for his actions where they go on a chase to find the three missing creatures with Kowalski and Tina’s younger sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) who is a Legilimens that is very interested in Kowalski.

Also involved in the search for the mysterious creature that is wreaking havoc in the city is a magical securities director in Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) who believes that Barebone’s adopted son Credence (Ezra Miller) might know what it is and where to find it in exchange to free him from the abuse of Barebone. Yet, so much is happening as it play into the search for the mysterious creature wreaking havoc in the city while the three creatures that Newt is trying to find prove to be more fascinating as he has a collection of them inside his luggage which he is studying for the book that he would later create. At the same time, he is trying to learn more about his new surrounding as he is also coping with his own issues which Queenie would learn accidentally as it play into his eccentric and awkward persona when he’s around people as he’s more comfortable with magical creatures and animals.

David Yates’ direction is definitely dazzling in terms of the world that he creates though the film begins with a montage of the chase for Grindelwald as he’s only seen briefly from the back as it sets the tone for much of the film with the wizarding community in New York City struggling to hide this terror from the non-magical community despite the verbal attacks from Barebone. Shot mainly at the Warner Brothers studio lot in Hertfordshire, England with some of it shot in London and St. George’s Hall in Liverpool as 1926 New York City. The film does play into a world that is filled with intrigue but it’s also quite rich in the way the wizarding community presents itself as house-elves are doing jobs and bartend speakeasies, goblins are the leaders of the financial world, trolls are also citizens, and there’s even a government based in New York City known as the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) led by President Seraphina Picquery (Carmen Ejogo).

There are also laws that is established such as that magical and non-magical people can’t socialize while magical creatures are banned which makes Scamander’s mission not just difficult but also the need to prove that he’s not the one causing trouble. There are some wide shots in the film to establish the locations yet Yates would use medium shots and close-ups to focus on the characters as they deal with trying to find the lost creatures as well as go after the mysterious creature wreaking havoc on the city. Yates would mix in elements of suspense and humor throughout the film as it would culminate with this grand third act as it play into the reveal of this mysterious creature as well as Scamander’s suspicions towards Graves who has his motives in wanting to find this creature. Especially in his interest towards the troubled Credence which makes Tina uneasy as Credence played a part in her demotion prompting her and Scamander the need to confront Graves. Overall, Yates creates an enchanting and exhilarating film about a British wizard trying to save New York City from a mysterious creature and retrieve three others from harm with the help of two American wizards and a No-Maj baker.

Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot does amazing work with the film’s beautiful cinematography as it has a sepia-like tone to the way some of the daytime exterior looks in terms of grey skies and sunny look as well as the usage of lights for some of the scenes at night including the interiors inside Scamander’s home-made zoo inside his luggage. Editor Mark Day does excellent work with the editing for its usage of montages for the opening sequence as well as some jump-cuts for some of the action and other stylish cuts to play into the drama and suspense. Production designer Stuart Craig, with art directors David Allday and Leslie Tomkins plus set decorator Anna Pinnock and associate set designer James Hambidge, does amazing work with the look of 1926 New York City from the home of MACUSA, the apartment that the Goldstein sisters live in, Newt’s zoo inside his luggage, and the dreary home of Barebone. Costume designer Colleen Atwood does fantastic work with the costumes as it play into the period of the mid-1920s with some dresses for the women as well as the clothes that President Picquery wears.

Hair/makeup designers Fae Hammond and Marilyn MacDonald do nice work with the look of the hairstyles of the women as well as the haircuts that men had and the makeup for a few of the characters in the film. Visual effect supervisors Tim Burke, Pablo Grillo, Christian Manz, and David Watkins do incredible work with the visual effects from the design of the different creatures that Scamander has collected including his pet plant-like creature in a bowtruckle as well as the look of the city and other magical things. Sound designers Glenn Freemantle and Eilam Hoffman do superb work with the sound from the way some of the creatures sound to the sounds of terror and suspense in some of the darker moments in the film. The film’s music by James Newton Howard is wonderful for its bombastic orchestral score that play into the action and suspense as well as some low-key music for the light-hearted moments while music supervisors Alejandro de la Llosa and Karen Elliott provide a jazz-like soundtrack to some of the original songs played in the film.

The casting by Fiona Weir is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Dan Hedaya as the voice of house-elf elevator operator, Kevin Guthrie as Tina’s supervisor, Ronan Rafferty as Henry Shaw Sr.’s youngest son Langdon who wants to help Barebone expose the wizarding world, Josh Cowdery as the cruel and arrogant Henry Shaw Jr., Jenn Murray as Barebone’s adopted eldest daughter, Faith-Wood Blagrove as Barebone’s youngest adopted daughter in Modesty whom Credence suspects to have magical powers, and Zoe Kravitz in a small role as the picture of Scamander’s former lover Leta Lestrange. Ron Perlman is terrific as the speakeasy owner Gnarlack as a goblin who was an informant of Tina as it is a charming role in this mixture of visual effects and performance-capture. Jon Voight is superb as Henry Shaw Sr. as a newspaper owner who would come across a major incident as he wants to go after the mysterious creature. Carmen Ejogo is fantastic as President Seraphina Picquery as the leader of MACUSA who is trying to ensure the law and make sure the magical world isn’t exposed as well. Samantha Morton is brilliant as Mary Lou Barebone as an anti-wizard activist who wants to expose the wizarding world as well as destroy wizard and witches while being very abusive towards Credence.

Ezra Miller is excellent as Credence as Barebone’s adopted son who is troubled by the beatings he receives from Barebone as he befriends Graves who promises him a chance for freedom in exchange for knowledge of the mysterious creature wreaking havoc. Colin Farrell is amazing as Percival Graves as a magical securities director for MACUSA who is in charge of protecting wizards as he is very powerful while having his own reasons for helping Credence. Alison Sudol is incredible as Queenie Goldstein as Tina’s younger sister who is kind-hearted as well as being an accomplished Legilimens, the ability to read minds, where she knows what to do to help out her sister, Newt, and Jacob whenever they get into trouble.

Dan Fogler is marvelous as Jacob Kowalski as a No-Maj cannery worker who aspires to become a baker that finds himself being exposed to the world of magic via accident as he proves to be a helpful ally for Newt and prove his worth to the world of magic. Katherine Waterston is phenomenal as Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein as a demoted Auror who works in a lowly position at MACUSA as a witch trying to do what is right as it was the reason she got demoted while helping Newt retrieve his creatures to realize that he’s not the one that is at fault for the chaos in the city. Finally, there’s Eddie Redmayne in a remarkable performance as Newt Scamander where Redmayne provides this very odd and eccentric collector of magical creatures who arrives to New York City where he unknowingly causes mayhem as Redmayne has this air of charm into his role but also that awkwardness that allows him to be vulnerable when it comes to people as he prefers the company of magical creatures.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a sensational film from David Yates and writer J.K. Rowling. Featuring a great ensemble cast, top-notch visual effects, amazing art direction, lovely visuals, and a compelling story about a wizard’s arrival into America. It’s a film that explores the world of magic in a different setting that allow audiences to be enchanted into what the magical world in America is like from the mind who brought Harry Potter into the world. In the end, Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them is a spectacular film from David Yates.

Harry Potter Universe Films: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire - Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix - Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – (Pt. 3) – (Pt. 4) – (Pt. 5)

© thevoid99 2017

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996 film)

Based on the novel by H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau is the story of a United Nations negotiator who finds himself in a mysterious island where a scientist conducts strange experiments involving humans and animals in an attempt to create the perfect species only for things to go wrong. Directed by John Frankenheimer and screenplay by Ron Hutchinson and Richard Stanley, the film is meant to be a study of human nature and how animals tend to go into their own instincts where a man is forced to see a world that is just as complicated. Starring Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, David Thewlis, Fairuza Balk, Daniel Rigney, Temura Morrison, Mark Dacascos, Marco Hofschneider, Peter Elliot, and Ron Perlman. The Island of Dr. Moreau is a horrible and messy film from John Frankenheimer.

The film is a simple story of a man who was found stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the sea as he is taken to a mysterious island run by a mad scientist who conducts experiments in trying to create the perfect being by mixing human DNA with animals. Yet, it’s a film that explores not just madness but also human nature at its worst and what happens when these hybrids of human and animal rebel against their creator? That is pretty much the film as a whole where it raises a lot of questions but never gives out any answers that audiences will pretty much figure out as it ends up being very heavy-handed about the idea of human nature. The film’s script wants to be this mixture of adventure, sci-fi, human drama, and action but it never gels where it has no idea what it wants to be. Even as there aren’t a lot of strong character developments with the exception of Aissa (Fairuza Balk) who is the daughter of Dr. Moreau (Marlon Brando) as she is also a hybrid that is more human but is regressing to her animal origins.

John Frankenheimer’s direction is definitely chaotic and not in a very good way. It’s doesn’t just carry the problems that the script had in what it wanted to be but it also takes itself too seriously where it ends up becoming comical at times. There are also these quirks in the film that are just odd as it relates to the presentation of Dr. Moreau. Whenever he’s outside, he’s wearing makeup because he’s allergic to the sun while he’s accompanied by a miniaturized version of himself. He wears an ice bucket for a hat and speaks in a strange accent as it’s among these quirks that are odd. Shot on location in Australia, the film has an exotic look but Frankenheimer doesn’t really do much to flesh out the locations visually as he’s more concerned with the craziness that is happening. Especially as it relates to Dr. Moreau’s assistant Montgomery (Val Kilmer) who is just as eccentric as he would go off-the-wall much to the dismay of this outsider in Edward Douglas (David Thewlis).

The direction’s usage of slanted camera angles, wide and medium shots, and these sequences of action and horror definitely go overboard. Especially in the film’s climax as it relates to Douglas trying to find a serum for Aissa while Montgomery has gone insane unaware that a group of human-beasts have rebelled. It’s all over the place, a lot of characters get killed and Frankenheimer tried to infuse so much as it just goes overboard. There are also these weird sequences that are shot in in a surreal fashion that doesn’t feel like it fits in anywhere as it feels like it is from a different movie or some variation of the film. Overall, Frankenheimer creates a film that is just absolutely fucking awful in every way.

Cinematographer William A. Fraker does some nice work in the cinematography as it does display some of the beauty of the locations though some of the scenes at night are over-lit in some parts of the film. Editors Paul Rubell and Adam P. Scott, with additional work by Thom Noble, does OK work with the editing as it has moments where it tries to establish what is going on as well as feature some nice dissolves but a lot of it plays too much into conventional fast-cutting. Production designer Graham “Grace” Walker, with art director Ian Gracie and set decorators Lesley Crawford and Beverley Dunn, does excellent work with the look of the base that Dr. Moreau works at as well as a few places where the man-beasts often go to. Costume designer Norma Moriceau does fine work with the costumes as it’s mostly casual as well as some stylish clothes for Aissa as well the look of Dr. Moreau.

Makeup supervisor Mike Smithson is fantastic for the look of the creatures as well as the strange makeup of Dr. Moreau. Special effects supervisor Mike Cox and visual effects supervisors Alex Frisch and Michael Z. Hanan do some good work on some of the visual effects in the design of some of the creatures though some of the visual effects aren‘t very good at all. Sound designers Harry Cohen and Ann Scibelli, with sound editors Marc Fishman and Cathie Speakman, do superb work with the sound in capturing some of the chaos as well as some of the insane moments in the film. The film’s music by Gary Chang is alright as it has its moments for its orchestral bombast though it never does enough to standout against everything that is happening.

The casting by Valerie McCaffrey is wonderful despite the fact that a lot of the talent in the film don’t really get much to do nor work with material that is any good. Small performances from Peter Elliott, with the voice of Frank Welker, as the baboon-like hybrid Assassimon who befriends Douglas, Mark Dacascos as a leopard hybrid named Lo-Mai who gets into trouble with Dr. Moreau over his actions, and Nelson de la Rosa as this miniature mutant who is a clone of sorts of Dr. Moreau as it’s one of the oddest things in the film as they’re not given much to do. Temura Morrison as the dog-like hybrid Azazello and Marco Hofschneider as M’Ling as the two hybrid sons of Dr. Moreau where the former has a love of hunting while the latter is about books as neither of them get a chance to flesh out their characters. Daniel Rigney is awful as the pig-hyena hybrid Hyena-Swine who would rebel against Dr. Moreau as he begins to asks a lot of questions as well as turn to violence for his answers.

Ron Perlman is badly wasted as a blind goat-like hybrid known as the Sayer of the Law as this film’s conscience who tries to understand all of the shit that is happening as he’s not given anything substantial to work with. Fairuza Balk is terrible as Aissa as Dr. Moreau’s daughter who is the most human of his children as she copes with regressing into her cat-like genes as she also befriends Douglas. David Thewlis is pretty bad as Edward Douglas as a UN peace negotiator who survives a plane crash as he is trying to get out of this island as well as find himself baffled by Dr. Moreau as Thewlis is just there to be a foil and react to things. Val Kilmer is awful as Montgomery as Dr. Moreau’s assistant who tries to imprison Douglas as well as create chaos and such where he would go insane. Finally, there’s Marlon Brando in an awesomely bad performance as Dr. Moreau where it’s Brando not giving a fuck where he’s wearing an earpiece in the film and doing all sorts of fucked up shit while wearing an ice bucket on his head. It’s a fucked-up version of the mad scientist where Brando hams it up and more while not giving a fuck whether or not he’s any good in this.

The Island of Dr. Moreau is a fucking awful film from John Frankenheimer. It’s a film that had the potential to be a lot of things but ends up being extremely stupid and ridiculously over-the-top. Especially where it never dares to ask big questions and provide answers that are just idiotic. In the end, The Island of Dr. Moreau is shitty film from John Frankenheimer.

Related: Island of Lost Souls - Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau

John Frankenheimer Films: (The Young Stranger) - (The Young Savages) - (All Fall Down) - (Birdman of Alcatraz) - (The Manchurian Candidate) - (Seven Days in May) - (The Train (1964 film)) - (Seconds) - (Grand Prix) - (The Fixer) - (The Extraordinary Seaman) - (The Gypsy Moths) - (I Walk the Line) - (The Horseman (1971 film)) - (The Iceman Cometh) - (Story of a Love Story) - (99 and 44/100% Dead) - (French Connection II) - (Black Sunday) - (Prophecy (1979 film)) - (The Challenge (1982 film)) - (The Holcroft Covenant) - (52 Pick-Up) - (Dead Bang) - (The Fourth War) - (Year of the Gun) - (Against the Wall) - (The Burning Season) - (Andersonville) - (George Wallace) - (Ronin) - (Reindeer Games) - (Path to War)

© thevoid99 2016

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow

Directed by Alan Metter and written by Randolph Davis and Michele S. Chodos, Police Academy: Mission to Moscow is the story of a police academy commandant and his team of misfit graduates and a young cadet who travel to Moscow to aid a fellow commandant in taking down a Russian mafia boss. The film is an exploration into the post-Cold War relationship between America and Russia as a lot of hi-jinks ensue where a group of American misfit cops use unconventional tactics to take down the bad guys. With returning franchise cast members Michael Winslow, David Graf, Leslie Easterbrook, G.W. Bailey, and George Gaynes reprising their roles from past films. The film also stars Charlie Schlatter, Claire Forlani, Ron Perlman, Gregg Berger, and Christopher Lee as Commandant Aleksandr Nikolaevich Rakov. Police Academy: Mission to Moscow is a very unfunny and trite film from Alan Metter.

Asked to aid the Russian police force in taking down a Russian mafia boss who has created trouble by creating a popular yet addictive video game. Commandant Eric Lassard (George Gaynes) travels to Moscow with his team to aid them where a lot of craziness ensues as well as Lassard’s sudden disappearance all because he went into the wrong car. This would force Lassard’s team to work directly with the Russians led by Commandant Rakov and his aide Lt. Talinsky (Gregg Berger) who would spend much of the film trying to find Lassard. The film’s screenplay tries to inject a lot of humor into the film as it involves Captain Harris (G.W. Bailey) trying to prove American’s superiority against the Russians to bumbling results.

Yet, it feels forced as the antics of Captain Callahan (Leslie Easterbrook), Sgt. Jones (Michael Winslow), and Sgt. Tackleberry (David Graf) also feels tacked on. A subplot involving the American cadet Connors (Charlie Schlatter) trying to woo Russian officer Katrina (Claire Forlani) feels like it belongs in another film. One moment that proves to be very silly is a moment where Callahan tries to seduce the mafia boss Konstantin Konali (Ron Perlman) by being a lounge singer where it takes the story into more idiotic territory. It plays into the fact that the cops are dealing with a criminal who is quite smart and cunning as well as elements of cultural tension.

Alan Metter’s direction does take great stock into shooting on location in Moscow where he takes great advantage into shooting into some of its landmarks and locations. Yet, that is the only thing in the film that is worth noting as everything else is just uninspired as Metter doesn’t really do much to get things going. The compositions are simple yet some of the gags not only feel dated but also the game itself where it is obviously played on a GameBoy without a cartridge which is odd in a bad way. It’s among these elements in the film that makes it very hard to watch as the attempts to create something funny just feels forced and downright silly such as the idea of Captain Harris as a ballerina. Overall, Metter creates a film that tries too hard to be funny but ends up being the opposite.

Cinematographer Ian Jones does nice work with the cinematography to play into the look of Moscow as it‘s just very simple though nothing really stands out visually. Editors Dennis Hill and Suzanne Hines does fine work with the editing as it plays into some of the film‘s humor and action no matter how uninspired it is. Production designer Frederic C. Weiler, with set decorator Sergey Shiriaev and art director Ilia Amoorsky, does excellent work with the look of some of the restaurants and places that many of the characters go to. Sound editor Clancy T. Troutman does terrific work with the sound to capture some of the antics that goes on including the sound effects that Jones make. The film’s music by Robert Folk is pretty good as it brings in some themes from past films along with some Russian-inspired pieces to play into its location.

The casting by Melissa Skoff is quite good for the ensemble though many of them are wasted due to the poor script and silliness of the film. Among the small performances include Richard Israel as a game designer, Vladimir Dolinsky as a bellboy who pretends to be Lassard, Stuart Nisbet and Pamela Guest as news reporters, and Alexander Skorokhod in a terrible performance as Boris Yeltsin. Gregg Berger is OK as Lt. Talinsky though he spends half of the film trying to find Lassard while Christopher Lee ends up being very foolish as Commandant Rakov as he gets little to do in the film. Claire Forlani is alright as Katrina as a Russian officer/interpreter who befriends Connors as all she wants is a vacation while Charlie Schlatter isn’t very good as Connors as a cadet with a case of vertigo who tries to be cool when he isn’t a top cadet.

G.W. Bailey has his moments as Captain Harris as he is more helpful this time around though his attempt to surveillance things often has him in bad moments. Michael Winslow and David Graf are terrific in their respective roles as Sgt. Jones and Sgt. Tackleberry as they each bring in some moments though their schticks don’t really work in a different setting. Leslie Easterbrook is superb as Captain Callahan as the lone American woman whose job is to seduce Konali only to get into some trouble. Ron Perlman is the film’s best performance as Konstantin Konali as a Russian crime leader who tries to create the ultimate scheme where Perlman definitely camps it up in order to make things exciting. Finally, there’s George Gaynes as Commandant Eric Lassard as the eccentric police leader who spends much of the film hanging out with a Russian family as it ends up being a detriment to the film where it seems like Gaynes is in another movie than what is really going on.

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow is an awful film and definitely the worst film of the franchise. It’s a film that wanted to do so many things but ends up being very unfunny as well as dated in its humor. Especially when it features only a handful of characters that audience love where it’s clear that several favorites from past films are sorely missed. In the end, Police Academy: Mission to Moscow is a film that just plainly sucks.

Police Academy Films: Police Academy - Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment - Police Academy 3: Back in Training - Citizens on Patrol - Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach - Police Academy 6: City Under Siege

© thevoid99 2015

Pacific Rim

Directed by Guillermo del Toro and screenplay by del Toro and Travis Beacham from a story by Beacham, Pacific Rim is the story about a small band of humans trying to save the world from gigantic monsters known as Kaijus who are destroying Earth in 2020 as they emerged from a portal in the sea. The film is a tribute of sorts to the Japanese monster movies like Godzilla that is mixed in with a human story as a man tries to find redemption with a young rookie in operating a robot that can defeat the monsters. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Clifton Collins Jr., and Ron Perlman. Pacific Rim is a spectacular yet exhilarating film from Guillermo del Toro.

The film is an apocalyptic tale of sorts where humanity band together to fight these monsters called Kaijus who wreak havoc on humanity as they emerge from a portal in the pacific ocean. With the help of giant robots named Jaegers that are manned by two pilots, they’re able to battle the Kaijus but the monsters have gotten stronger and more dangerous as the world is about to go to an end where a retired pilot named Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) reluctantly returns to the fold to fight the monsters with a rookie named Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi). It’s a premise that is kind of simple in terms of what is expected in a monster movie where man-piloted giant robots have to battle these massive monsters to save the world. Yet, there’s a lot more that Guillermo del Toro and co-screenwriter Travis Beacham offer.

The film begins with Becket’s early successes as well as how the Kaijus arrived into the world and the war that forced many countries to come together and battle these monsters. It’s all told in a 20-minute sequence to establish key elements into the Kaijus as well as why Becket left the Jaeger program due to tragedy. Yet, it plays into Becket’s reluctance into returning to the program as well as the fact that his new partner Mako is someone who also had encountered tragedy due to Kaijus. Since the Jaegers had to be piloted by two people due to its size and need to be monitored mentally as it would be overwhelming for one person. It does play into the drama as well as the tragedies that Becket and Mako shared as well as Mako’s connection with Becket’s former superior Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba).

There’s also elements of comedy where it plays into two scientists in Dr. Newton Geizler and Dr. Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gorman) who are trying to understand the mind of the Kaiju where the former is a bit of a nutcase who considers himself to be a Kaiju-groupie. Yet, their story would play into not just the development of the monsters but more into their intentions as they would evolve into something far more treacherous leaving the small numbers of Jaeger pilots to be overwhelmed. Particularly as the pilots of those Jaegers have some dissent towards Becket for being responsible for the fall of the Jaeger program as well as Mori for being inexperienced. It allows Becket and Mori to connect in many ways as it would help them get ready for battle if anything is going to happen. While it has a storyline that is formulaic, del Toro and Beacham do create enough weight to the story and the characters to make sure that these are people to root for.

The direction of del Toro is quite vast in not just the scope that he presents but also in creating a world that’s in a state of war with monsters as it’s heading into its final days with very little options left. The direction has del Toro not just employing a lot of massive set pieces and battles between robots and monsters but add that human element where two people have to work together or else they will die in the hands of a monster that continues to evolve. The stakes add to the sense of drama where del Toro knows when to focus on the pilots but also balance it with the way they control the robots to fight these monsters. Films in that genre usually tend to overwhelm the audience with a lot of fast-cutting and such to present something chaotic where it’s almost nonsensical. What del Toro does in the action isn’t just slow things down a bit where he gives the audience exactly what is happening but also remind them that there’s a human story involved.

The direction also has some intimacy in the way the relationships between some of the characters are played out as it includes some comedy where it keeps the story lively without the need of too much exposition. Some of these moments include Dr. Geizler’s encounter with a black markets dealer named Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman) who carries lots of Kaiju body parts that is full of humor as it provides some insight into what Dr. Geizler wants to do but also its dangers. Its climatic battle definitely lives up to not just the spectacle that is needed but also in how big the stakes are where characters have to make decisions in not just trying to save the world but also to stop the Kaijus from creating more havoc in the world just as they’re getting bigger and badder. Overall, del Toro creates a very sensational yet entertaining film that does a lot more than what is expected in a typical summer action-blockbuster.

Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro does brilliant work with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the stylish look of the scenes set in Hong Kong to the looks of the scenes set in the sea and at the station where the Jaeger pilots and crew live and work at. Editors Peter Amundson and John Gilroy do amazing work with the editing in creating some stylish yet rhythmic cuts for the film‘s action scenes without delving into the more common fast-paced chaotic editing style by slowing things down a bit while being more straightforward for the dramatic moments of the film. Production designers Andrew Neskorommy and Carol Spier, with supervising art directors Elinor Rose Galbraith and Richard L. Johnson and set decorator Peter P. Nicolakakos, do fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the base where the Jaeger crew live at to the look of Hong Kong and Chau’s home.

Costume designers James Hagarty and Kate Hawley do excellent work with the costumes with Hagarty creating the Jaeger pilot suits while he and Hawley create more casual look for some of the characters with the exception of Chau. Visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Eddie Pasquarello, James E. Price, and Zachary Tucker do phenomenal work with many of the visual effects where it has a sense of realism in its look but also play to a world that is ravaged in chaos. Sound designers Scott Martin Gershin and Tim Walston do superb work with the sound to create layers of sound effects in the way the sounds of the robots and monsters as well as some of the locations they‘re in during the battles. The film’s music by Ramin Djawadi is wonderful for its sense of orchestral bombast mixed in with some low-key somber pieces while some of the heavier stuff includes contributions from Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.

The casting by Margery Simkin is remarkable for the ensemble that is created as it features some small but notable appearances from Paul Michael Myers as the young Becket, Mana Ashida as the young Mori, Charles, Lance, and Mark Luu as a trio of Chinese Jaeger pilots, Robert Maillet and Heather Doerksen as two Russian Jaeger pilots, and Diego Klattenhofff as Becket’s brother who was also his co-pilot. Mark Martini and Robert Kazinsky are terrific in their respective roles as the father-son Jaeger pilot duo Herc and Chuck Hansen while Clifton Collins Jr. is excellent as the Jaeger technician Tendo Choi who is the brains of sorts behind the machines. Burn Gorman is very good as the very mathematics-based scientist Dr. Herman Gottlieb while Charlie Day is very funny as the more out there scientist Dr. Newton Geizler who finds a way to see what the Kaijus are going to do.

Ron Perlman is fantastic as the black markets dealer Hannibal Chau as Perlman brings a lot of chew-scenery and humor to the film as he is also someone that knows a lot about the Kaijus. Idris Elba is great as Stacker Pentecost as Elba brings a lot of gravitas as a man who is a true leader but also carries a past that haunts where Elba also gets the chance to have a speech before the final battle that is a truly unforgettable moment. Rinko Kikuchi is amazing as Mako Mori as a young woman who is definitely a skilled warrior and knows a lot about what to do in battle but is hampered by her own memories as she knows what she has to do to step up and fight. Finally, there’s Charlie Hunnam in an incredible performance as Raleigh Becket as a former Jaeger pilot who returns to the fold as he tries to deal with his own demons while helping Mako get ready as Hunnam has this sense of humility and guilt that he carries while having good rapport with Kikuchi.

Pacific Rim is an extraordinary yet exciting film from Guillermo del Toro. Thanks to a brilliant ensemble cast and amazing technical work, the film is definitely more than just a cut above most big blockbuster action films. It’s a film that pays tribute to the monster movies of the past while giving it a new spin for the 21st Century. It’s also a film that has enough drama and humor for audiences to be engaged to as well as action that can thrill them. In the end, Pacific Rim is a phenomenal film from Guillermo del Toro.

Guillermo del Toro Films: Cronos - Mimic/Mimic (Director's Cut) - The Devil's Backbone - Blade II - Hellboy - Pan's Labyrinth - Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Crimson Peak - The Shape of Water - The Auteurs #10: Guillermo del Toro

© thevoid99 2013

The City of Lost Children

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro and written by Jeunet,Caro, and Gilles Adrien, La Cite des enfants perdus (The City of Lost Children) is a fantasy-drama film set in a dystopian world where a carnival strongman and a streetwise orphan going to an island to save children from a mad scientist. Featuring Jeunet’s whimsical yet colorful direction along with Caro’s broad visual ideas, it is considered the duo’s finest collaboration of their career. Starring Ron Perlman, Daniel Emilfork, Judith Vittet, Dominique Pinon, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Rufus, Ticky Holgado, Mathieu Kassovitz, and the voice of Jean-Louis Trintignant. La Cite des enfants perdus is a remarkable yet stunning film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro.

Somewhere on a mysterious island in the middle of the sea, a mad scientist named Krank (Daniel Emilfork) is kidnapping children so he can steal their dreams. Krank, unable to dream, is getting nightmares from the children he kidnaps with the help of his midget-wife Martha (Mirielle Mosse) and a group of cloned men (Dominique Pinon). Yet, all the children are scared of Krank as he hopes to reverse the aging process while is being annoyed by a brain named Irvin (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who the clones admire. Krank continues to look for a child that would give him good dreams so he can stop himself from aging. Meanwhile at a nearby dystopian world, a simple-minded strongman named One (Ron Perlman) is taking care of a young infant child named Denree (Joseph Lucien) who is later kidnapped by a group of men known as Cyclops.

During his search for Denree, One meets a young girl named Miette who helps him as she’s part of a group of orphan thieves who steal for Siamese-twin women known as Octopus (Genevieve Brunet and Odile Mallet) who are connected by one foot. After encountering their guard Peeler (Rufus), One and Miette go on a journey to find Cyclops and its leader Gabriel Marie (Serge Merlin). There, they see a ceremony where Martha and one of the clones get the kidnapped children including Denree where One and Miette are caught. Octopus sends a former circus performer named Marcell (Jean-Claude Dreyfus) to retrieve One for their own reasons where Marcello uses a flea to attack one of the Cyclops to save One while Miette nearly drowns only to be saved by a man in a diving bell suit revealed to be Krank’s former scientist (Dominique Pinon).

When a fuse full of nightmares comes across the ex-scientist, he realizes what is going on while Miette finds One as she also sees one of the nightmares. Realizing where Denree is, they encounter some trouble while finding a man (Ham-Chau Luong) with a tattoo on his head leading to the island. It’s up to a strongman, a young girl, and an ex-scientist to save the kids before its too late.

The film is a fantasy story about a simple-minded yet loving strongman and a young girl try to save a young infant boy from an evil scientist who is trying to steal dreams from children in hopes to reverse the aging process for himself. Yet, it is set in a world where things are hopeless as young infant children are often kidnapped while orphans had to fend for themselves. For this young girl where she meets this childlike strongman, she finds someone who can protect her while this strongman finds someone who can help him. Yet, they face a mad scientist who has become obsessed with becoming young only to lose sight of reality as he becomes dependent on finding infants who aren’t scared of him so he can live in their dreams.

The screenplay that Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro, and Gilles Adrien create explores a world that is definitely lost where there are even more crazier things in this mysterious island that is protected by mines and such. Notably as the mainland features an underground army of blind men who can only see through an electronic eye as they’re working for this scientist to kidnap children. When they encounter this strong man and a very determined young girl, all things become troubling for the scientist. Yet, One and Miette also have to deal with the Siamese-twin ladies known as Octopus who are upset over the fact that Miette has become trouble and is turning over a new leaf away from stealing.

While the story is a dystopian-fantasy film, it’s also got a lot of humor as there’s a small subplot about a group of clones trying to figure out who is the original clone. Even in some scenes where there’s a lot of strange scenarios into how One and Miette try to get out of a bad situation that does involve a lot of comedy. Even the character of Krank is comical since he is so delusional about what he wants as he is also annoyed by this talking brain named Irvin who is the film’s conscience.

The direction of Caro and Jeunet is definitely big in terms of its presentation where it is set in a world that is off-kilter and full of things where not everything works. Notably as the mainland is cramped and there’s children running around while there’s a lot of strange things happening where young children have to hide from the Cyclops. The direction is filled with stylish shots from these wide crane shots, dizzying fish-eye lenses, close-ups, and all sorts of things to maintain that sense of whimsy that Caro and Jeunet wants. Even in the way they present funny moments as well as surreal moments where reality and fiction collide such as the climatic scene at the island when One and Miette finally face Krank.

The direction also contains element of darkness in the way dystopia is presented though it’s not overtly bleak. Notably as it features some spectacular action sequences that involves not just some quirky visual effects but also suspense such as face-off between Octopus against Miette and One. There’s also some very strange scenes such as the way an accident is presented where it is this strange mix of humor and action that plays to that world of the whimsical. It’s all part of a world that is very weird that has some element of reality but it is mostly a fantasy. Overall, Jeunet and Caro create a fantastic and adventurous film that plays well to the fantasy genre.

Cinematographer Darius Khondji does brilliant work with the film‘s very stylish photography with its sepia-drenched lighting schemes for many of the film‘s interior and exterior settings in the mainland as well as scenes underwater and some more low-key colors in the island scenes. Editor Herve Schneid does amazing work with the editing by utilizing lots of stylish cuts for some of the film‘s action scenes along with dazzling cuts for some of the dream montages. Production designers Marc Caro and Jean Rabasse do spectacular work with the set pieces created from the look of the mainland with its buildings to the more quirky video cameras at Krank’s island.

Costume designer Jean-Paul Gaultier does excellent work with the costumes as they‘re quite over-the-top in the look of the Cyclops as well as the more colorful clothes most of the characters wear. The visual effects by Pitof and Pierre Buffin are terrific for the way some of the backdrops look as well as the close-ups of Marcello‘s flea that would fly to inject something into a person. Sound designer Jean-Pierre Halbwachs does superb work with the sound to create some unique sound effects in the scenes set in the island as well as other layers of mixing to play up the sense of whimsy that occurs in the film. The film’s music by Angelo Badalamenti is wonderful for its sense of orchestral bombast as well as playfulness in some of the comical moments as it’s one of Badalamenti’s best scores.

The casting by Pierre-Jacques Benichou is incredible for the ensemble that features some notable appearances from Mathieu Kassovitz as a man in the streets, Ticky Holgado as One’s master, Rufus as Octopus’ henchman, Marc Caro as a man becoming a Cyclops, Serge Merlin as the Cyclops leader, and Joseph Lucien as One’s baby brother Denree who is always eating something. Genevieve Brunet and Odile Mallet are great as the conniving Siamese-twin sisters Octopus who are determined to get rid of Miette for rebelling against them. Jean-Louis Trintignant is very funny as the voice of the brain Irvin whom the clones adore and Krank is annoyed by while Jean-Claude Dreyfus is excellent as the former circus performer Marcello who finds himself sympathizing with One and Miette over their situation.

Mirelle Mosse is wonderful as Krank’s diminutive wife Martha who helps Krank out while dealing all of the chaos in the island while Dominique Pinon is amazing as the clones and the mysterious man in the diving bell suit where he brings a lot of humor as the clones while being more quirky as the diver. Daniel Emilfork is terrific as the villainous Krank as he’s a man full of delusions and anger as he is unsure if his experiments will work. Judith Vittet is brilliant as Miette as she’s a determined child who knows how to do things while aiding One in his mission as she realized how important it is. Finally, there’s Ron Perlman in a remarkable performance as the simple-minded strongman One where Perlman gets to show restraint in his role as a man trying to find his baby brother while Perlman doesn’t get to have a lot of dialogue though he does speak French quite adequately. Notably as he makes up for it with his physical presence and ability to be funny and sensitive in his role.

La Cite des enfants perdus is a marvelous film from the duo of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. The film is definitely among one of Jeunet’s great films as it features amazing performances from Ron Perlman, Judith Vittet, Daniel Emilfork, and Dominique Pinon. It’s a film that is among one of the most imaginative and entertaining fantasy films that plays to the world of reality and fiction that is expected in the genre. In the end, La Cite des enfants perdus is a spectacular film from Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet Films: Delicatessen - Alien: Resurrection - Amelie - A Very Long Engagment - Micmacs - (The Young and Prodigious Spivet) - The Auteurs #20: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

© thevoid99 2013

Alien: Resurrection

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and screenplay by Joss Whedon, Alien: Resurrection is the fourth and final film of the original Alien franchise in which a newly-cloned Ellen Ripley returns to fight a new species of aliens with a group of mercenaries after an experiment had gone wrong. With Sigourney Weaver playing the role of Ripley once again. The film also stars Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon, Brad Dourif, Michael Wincott, Dan Hedaya, Gary Dourdan, and Leland Orser. Alien: Resurrection is a stylish yet engaging thriller from Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

200 years after the events that led to the death of Ellen Ripley, a military experiment that featured remnants of her DNA sample has finally succeed in cloning Ripley where her body contained a baby queen alien. With the newly-cloned Ripley still in containment as she contains alien blood in her body, the experiment led by General Perez (Dan Hedaya), his subordinate Dr. Wren (J.E. Freeman) and Dr. Gediman study the aliens as they wait for a ship to arrive. The ship features a team of mercenaries who had captured a group of people unaware of the motives the military has for them. While the band of mercenaries that includes Call (Winona Ryder) who recognizes Ripley as she secretly enters her cell in an attempt to kill her where Call reveals why she and the mercenaries are really here.

Instead, things go wrong when the alien experiment have the aliens break out of their containment area and kill most of the crew leaving Ripley, Call, the rest of the mercenaries, Dr. Wren, and a marine in DiStefano (Raymond Cruz) to deal with the aliens. Realizing that the only option is to destroy the ship and board on the mercenaries ship to escape, Ripley and the gang try to deal with the aliens as they kill a few while Ripley makes a discovery about the experiment that was done to her. While trying to escape the aliens, the group finds a man named Purvis (Leland Orser) who had survived the experiment as he learns he has an alien inside him that’s going to burst soon. Things become more complicated where another discovery is made where Ripley and Call realize what the queen alien is doing as Ripley realizes that new breed of alien is being made and it has to be stopped.

Throughout the entirety of the series, there is always a subplot that relates to a corporation wanting to take the sample of an alien in order to use it for bio-weapons. In this film, the military finally gets a hold of an alien for their experiment and everything goes wrong. Once again, Ellen Ripley and everything she had faced in the past reveal that everything she didn‘t want to happen has finally come true. Resurrected from the dead in order to fight the aliens one more time, she goes all out while having a new advantage that would help her fight off the aliens as she also has alien blood in her.

Joss Whedon creates a script that does reveal a lot into how Ripley was finally able to be successfully cloned yet also shows a woman who is trying to get in touch with her humanity while becoming aware of what she’s facing. There is a new conflict that she’s facing as she is a bit of an alien where she is quite reluctant to kill them since they’re really her children. It’s one of the interesting aspects of the screenplay as well as the mercenaries themselves who definitely have a motive to board the U.S. science ship as one of them in Call knows a lot about Ripley and her history with the aliens. While the script does play to formula a bit and carries lots of exposition that does go a bit overboard, Whedon is able to create a script that is very faithful to its predecessors.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s direction is definitely stylish in the way he presents the film in a visual scale as well as the fact that he was able to keep things more simple. With some unique framing from camera shots shown from above and under to create an air of suspense while emphasizing that it’s more than just a film as it’s often led by an ensemble. While Jeunet is aware that there’s a formula that’s to be played where characters do get killed off and such. Jeunet does manage to give some characters moments where they can stand out and actually give the audience something to care about. Jeunet also keeps the action exciting without delving too much into fast-paced action or shaky camera work. While the film definitely has flaws in some parts of the script as well as moments where some of the action and visual effects don’t mesh up. Jeunet does create a solid and thrilling film that lives up to some of the brilliance of the franchise.

Cinematographer Darius Khondji does excellent work with the film‘s lush yet evocative photography to play up the mood of the film with its emphasis for a bit of grain in the look as well as low-lights for many of the scenes to play up the sense of style. Editor Herve Schneid does nice work with the editing in the way the action is given a rhythm that isn‘t too fast while slowing things down for the suspense and low-key moments. Production designer Nigel Phelps, along with set decorator John W. Dwyer and art director Steve Cooper, does terrific work with the sets from the look of the labs and hallways in the spaceship to the designs of the nests where the alien eggs are to be hatched.

Costume designer Bob Ringwood does some good work with the costumes to create some nice mercenary suits for the mercenaries as well as the clothes that Ripley wears when she fights off the aliens. Visual effects supervisors Erik Henry and Pitof do wonderful work with the visual effects such as the way the aliens move and how some of the exteriors are made though there‘s some bits that doesn‘t entirely work. Sound designer Leslie Shatz and sound editor John A. Larsen do superb work with the sound to create an atmosphere that occurs as well as setting a mood for some of the film‘s suspenseful moments. The film’s music by John Frizzell is quite good for its orchestral bombast to play out the drama and action that occurs in the film.

The casting by Richard Pagano is brilliant for the ensemble that is created for the film as it includes some notable small roles from Carolyn Campbell and David St. James as a couple of scientists doing research on the aliens, Dan Hedaya as the big ship’s head General Perez, Leland Orser as a lab rat who has to deal with an alien inside of him, J.E. Freeman as the distrustful Dr. Wren, Raymond Cruz as the marine DiStephano, and Brad Dourif as the main scientist Dr. Gediman who is fascinated by the aliens. For the roles of the mercenaries, there’s Kim Flowers as the pilot Hillard, Gary Dourdan as the skilled shooter Christie, and Michael Wincott as the mercenaries leader Frank Elgyn. Jeunet regulars Ron Perlman and Dominique Pinon are great in their respective roles as the humorous shooter Johner and the paraplegic yet resourceful mechanic Vriess.

Winona Ryder is excellent as the mercenary Call who knows a lot more than her other mercenaries seem to know about the situation as she also carries a secret that would help everyone. Finally, there’s Sigourney Weaver in her fourth outing as Ellen Ripley. Weaver brings a new dark element to the character as a woman who is really a shell of what she used to be as she deals with her new alien blood as well as the fact that she’s the aliens’ mother where Weaver brings another fantastic performance as the famed character.

Alien: Resurrection is a stellar though flawed film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet that features a superb performance from Sigourney Weaver. Along with amazing visuals and top-notch supporting work from Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, and Dominique Pinon. While it may not love to the brilliance of the first two films, it does manage to be entertaining enough for fans of the franchise. In the end, Alien: Resurrection is a superb film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet Films: Delicatessen - The City of Lost Children - Amelie - A Very Long Engagement - Micmacs - (The Young and Prodigious Spivet) - The Auteurs #20: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Alien Films: Alien - Aliens - Alien 3

© thevoid99 2012

Blade II

Based on the Marvel comic book by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, Blade II is the story of a vampire hunter, with vampire powers, who is hired to fight off a new breed of vampires that is threatening a company of vampires trying to keep the peace with humans. Directed by Guillermo del Toro and screenplay by David S. Goyer, the film is the second part of a trilogy that would stand out from the films made in the original trilogy as Wesley Snipes reprises his role as the titular character. Also starring Ron Perlman, Leonor Valera, Norman Reedus, Luke Goss, Karel Roden, Thomas Krestchmann, Tony Curran, and Kris Kristofferson returning as Whistler. Blade II is an exciting action-thriller from Guillermo del Toro.

Two years after Whistler’s disappearance, Blade has finally found him in Eastern Europe where would battle various vampires to retrieve him. Though weakened, Whistler is able to recover in Blade’s secret workshop that includes Blade’s gadgets inventor Scud (Norman Reedus). On one particular night, the workshop is broken in as Blade would stop the two revealing to be Nyssa (Leonor Valera) and her associate Asad (Danny John-Jules). Nyssa is the daughter of vampire overlord Eli Damaskinos (Thomas Krestchmann) who wants to form a truce with Blade to stop a virus that is carried by a mysterious man (Luke Goss) who is a new breed of vampires that feeds on both humans and vampires. Blade reluctantly joins Damaskinos as Whistler and Scud would team up with Nyssa and her team that includes the cocky Reinhardt (Ron Perlman).

Going into a secret vampire club to find these new breeds called Reapers, they learn that they’re more powerful than vampires except when it comes to sunlight. Still, Blade wonders why the head of the Reapers didn’t kill Nyssa while Whistler captures a Reaper for Nyssa to examine. Realizing what it will take to kill the Reapers, Blade and the team go into another battle where more chilling discoveries are made into why Blade has been hired. Whistler also makes a discovery about the head Reaper and why he’s been coming forcing Blade and Whistler to fight against the enemy.

The film is a continuation of the Blade story where the half-human, half-vampire who hunts vampires is forced to make a truce with his enemy to stop a new breed of super vampires who feed on both humans and vampires. There, he discovers that not all vampires have ulterior motives while the head of this new breed of vampires has reasons that are far more personal than what is expected. While the story is formulaic in terms of what is expected in a comic-book action-thriller, screenwriter David S. Goyer does find ways to keep the suspense going as well as creating characters who are quite complex. Notably Blade as he still struggles with who he is while regaining Whistler, who was in near-death, only adds to the struggle. Still, the Whistler character is the guy that grounds Blade while the vampire Nyssa is aware of Blade’s secretive persona though she is able to get through him.

Goyer’s script also succeeds in finding humor in the story for some of the situations that occur. Notably in the way Blade would interact with foes and allies while it’s mostly very subtle. Still, it’s an action film as Goyer creates moments where it’s about the battles and the stakes in these fights that Blade would be a part of. The overall work Goyer does is superb as he creates a solid script that is a cut above the typical action, comic-book based films.

Guillermo del Toro’s direction is definitely engaging for the stylish approach he does for the film. Notably as he chooses to create a film where it has a different look and feel than its 1998 predecessor. While the film does have conventional ideas of action and fight scenes that is typical of martial-arts action-adventure with some suspense. One of the key elements that allows del Toro to do more is setting up the battle while taking his time to play with the film’s suspense and humorous moments. Notably in the former where there’s a lot of suspicion as del Toro slowly builds up the moment where Blade and Whistler think something isn’t right.

Another key element of del Toro’s direction is the way he creates an atmosphere to the setting that the characters encounter. Whether it’s the brooding moments in the sewers to fight off the army of Reapers or the world that Damaskinos lives in that is sleek yet ominous. It’s part of del Toro’s gift as a filmmaker where he pays attention to the set pieces and the objects that could play a key role in the story. The vast compositions and close-ups del Toro create is very engaging and vibrant for the mood that is set as well as the drama that unfolds. Overall, del Toro creates a very engrossing yet very entertaining film that does a whole lot more than what its genre expects.

Cinematographer Gabriel Beristain does excellent work with the stylish cinematography from the sepia-drenched nighttime interior and exterior settings for Damaskinos‘ halls as well as a dark-blue look for the chilling sewer scene. Editor Peter Amundson does superb work with the editing to maintain a leisured pace for the film while using swift cuts for some of the film‘s fights without being too fast. Production designer Carol Spier, along with art director Elinor Rose Galbraith and set decorators Jeffrey Kushon and Peter P. Nicolakakos, does brilliant work with the set pieces such as Blade‘s home base as well as the sleek look of Damaskinos‘ lab.

Costume designer Wendy Partridge does fabulous work with the costumes that include the sunlight-repellant leather Blade and the vampire team wear during the sewer sequence. Visual effects supervisor Nicholas Brooks does nice work with some of the film‘s visual effects including some of the animation for the Reapers mouth and their interior body parts though some of the movements in the fight scenes by the characters look wobbly at times. Sound designer Scott Martin Gershin and co-sound editor Mathew Waters do wonderful work with the sound from the sound of gunshots and sword clangs to the atmosphere of the club and sewer scenes.

The film’s score by Marco Beltrami is terrific for the mixture of sweeping orchestral bombast that is mixed with chugging rock music to play up the sense of excitement of the film. With additional music by Danny Saber and Buck Sanders, the score features bits of electronic music to play up some of the film‘s action scenes. Music supervisor Happy Walters provides a soundtrack that is a mix of hip-hop, rock, and electronic music as it includes collaborative tracks from Massive Attack/Mos Def, Redman/Gorillaz, Ice Cube/Paul Oakenfold, the Crystal Method, Bubba Sparxxx, the Roots/BT, Busta Rhymes & Silkk tha Shocker/Dub Pistols, and Cypress Hill/Roni Size. It’s an interesting yet engaging soundtrack as the film’s music is a real highlight.

The casting by Nancy Foy is outstanding for the ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from Santiago Segura as a vampire Blade meets early in the film and Karel Roden as Damaskinos’ lawyer who tries to conduct business for his boss. For the roles of Blade and Nyssa’s team, there’s fight choreographer Donnie Yen as the mute swordsman Snowman, Marit Velle Kile as the red-haired Verlaine, Tony Curran as the Scottish Priest, Daz Crawford as the hammer-wielding Lighthammer, Danny John-Jules as Nyssa’s friend Asad, and Matt Schulze as the brash Chupa. Luke Goss is very good as the Reaper leader Jared Nomak who is hell-bent on revenge while proving to be a tough opponent for Blade. Norman Reedus is terrific as Blade’s gadget-creating friend Scud who proves to be a resourceful aid for Blade.

Thomas Krestchmann is superb as vampire council head Eli Damaskinos who hires Blade to help him fight off the Reapers only to have far bigger motives that would make Blade suspicious. Leonor Valera is pretty solid as Damaskinos’ daughter Nyssa who aids Blade in fighting the Reapers while realizing what kind of a person he is when it comes to avoiding trouble. Ron Perlman is amazing as the vampire Reinhardt who despises Blade as Perlman gets to have some of the film’s funniest lines while never taking off his sunglasses. Kris Kristofferson is great as Blade’s mentor Whistler who gives Blade advice while being part of the team as he is aware that something isn’t right as Kristofferson also provides some wonderful one-liners.

Finally, there’s Wesley Snipes in a kick-ass performance as the titular character as he provides a calm performance of a man struggling with himself. Even as he teams up with vampires where Snipes also brings charm to his character while showing that he can seriously kick some ass.

Blade II is a marvelous and thrilling film from Guillermo del Toro that features great work from Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, and del Toro regular Ron Perlman. Of the three Blade films, this one is certainly the best in terms of its production value as well as David S. Goyer’s suspense-driven screenplay. While it may not live up to some of the films that Guillermo del Toro would do later on. It is still a great example of the kind of work he does where he will do more than just entertain by telling a story with characters that audiences can enjoy watching. In the end, Blade II is stellar yet fun action film from Guillermo del Toro.

Guillermo del Toro Films: Cronos - Mimic/Mimic (Director’s Cut) - The Devil's Backbone - Hellboy - Pan's Labyrinth - Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Pacific Rim - Crimson Peak - The Shape of Water - The Auteurs #10: Guillermo del Toro

© thevoid99 2012

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 7/13/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro and screenplay by del Toro based on a story by del Toro and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, Hellboy II: The Golden Army is the story about an exiled prince who returns in hopes to revive an indestructible army to rid humanity forever. Hellboy and his team is asked to stop the prince while dealing with new challenges that would have Hellboy question about humanity. The film is a more ambitious story than its predecessor as features elements of mythology and folklore to add more complexity to the story as Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, and an appearance from John Hurt return to play their roles from the previous film. Also starring Luke Goss, Anna Walton, John Alexander, Brian Steele, and the voice of Seth MacFarlane as Johann Krause. Hellboy II: The Golden Army is an exciting and visually-marvelous film from Guillermo del Toro.

After leaving in exile following a peace treaty between humans mythical creatures that included elves, trolls, and goblins, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) decides to return after many years where humans had overtaken the magical world. With help from troll cohort Wink (Brian Steele), they break into an auction house to kill people with a swarm of killer tooth fairies. The incident gets the attention of FBI head Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor) as he needs Hellboy (Ron Perlman), Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) to investigate. The timing couldn't have been worse due to Hellboy and Liz's relationship problems while Manning is trying to keep Hellboy a secret to the public. After a battle with tooth fairies, Liz's pyrokinetic powers would help rid of the tooth fairies while Hellboy is official exposed to the public much to Manning's dismay. After this incident in which Hellboy enjoys the public attention, Manning brings in German agent Johann Krauss (John Alexander & James Dodd), a psychic with an ectoplasmic soul contained in a suit, take lead the team.

Prince Nuada makes his return to the old kingdom to meet his father King Balor (Roy Doctrice) and twin sister Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) in wanting the two remaining crown pieces to revive the Golden Army. King Balor and Nuala refuses as Balor reluctantly has Nuada executed only for things to go wrong with Nuala fleeing. After observing the dead body of a tooth fairy, Krauss leads Hellboy and Abe to the secret troll market under the Brooklyn Bridge where they would encounter mythical creatures as Hellboy would fight Wink while Abe finds Nuala whom he falls for. After retrieving Nuala as she tells them about the crown piece she's holding, Hellboy remembers the story of the Golden Army that Professor Bruttenholm (John Hurt) had told him when he was a kid (Montse Ribe). Yet, Nuada would have Hellboy fight off the Element creature as Hellboy would succeed in saving people but a misunderstanding would have him wondering if he would ever be accepted by humanity. With Nuala staying at the BPRD headquarters, Abe and Nuala bond over books as he later asks Hellboy for advice on love. Yet, Nuada and Nuala's psychic connections would have him break into the BPRD headquarters that left Hellboy wounded and Nuala captured.

Needing to get the piece of spear out of Hellboy, Liz and Abe decided to go the old palace where the Golden Army lives as Krauss decides to help them. After meeting a goblin who takes them to the Angel of Death (Doug Jones), the figure would help Hellboy though warns Liz about the role he's destined to play. Still, Hellboy and the team decides to confront Nuada and the Golden Army in hopes to save the world once again.

What makes The Golden Army superior than its predecessor isn't just a bigger, more ambitious story. It also explores the character of Hellboy who tries to be accepted by everyone only forced to grow up as Liz makes an announcement that would change their lives. Screenwriter Guillermo del Toro creates a story where Hellboy and his team fight a prince whose ignorance blinds him as he's convinced that humanity will destroy the world. Though Hellboy might agree with Prince Nuada's statements, he is someone who lives with humans as he knows that there's good in them despite their flaws. What del Toro does is create a unique story that is mystical and also delve into reality. At the same time, another aspect that makes The Golden Army superior than its predecessor is that del Toro allows a few supporting characters to get more screen time and development.

The direction of del Toro is truly superb as he creates new worlds that Hellboy and his team explore. The film also exemplifies del Toro's love for fantasy and mythology as he brings a more broader scope to the film. Though some of the look of the creatures and worlds that del Toro bring might be considered leftovers from his 2006 film Pan's Labyrinth, the world he creates including the Troll Market under the Brooklyn Bridge is truly fascinating while holding true to mythology and children's fantasy. Notably in the film's opening prologue where Professor Bruttenholm tells the young Hellboy about the story of the Golden Army in a rich animated sequence that is truly unforgettable. The success of del Toro's direction is bringing in a balance of drama, action, adventure, and humor. The humor is very witty and sarcastic as there's a great comical moment that involves Hellboy and Abe drinking beers about their love life while listening and singing to Barry Manilow's Can't Smile Without You.

What the film does make clear is that del Toro is becoming more confident and ambitious in his vision while being grounded in just telling a story and developing great characters. He's a director that can do both in directing actors into what they should do while balancing out with visual effects and such. Notably the film's opening scene of the Golden Army story that is a mix of puppetry and animation as del Toro's use of style works. The result is a film that's more solid and full of visual splendors as Guillermo del Toro makes Hellboy a hero we all can love and relate to.

Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro does a fantastic job with his lighting style of flashy, yellow-sepia awash colors along with blue while getting to add more color for some of the film's exterior scenes. Notably the scenes in Northern Ireland as Navarro captures a wide scope to the exterior look while a lot of the film is shot in its interiors with the exception of New York City and Brooklyn. Navarro's work is definitely top-notch though it doesn't top the brilliant, Oscar-winning work he did in Pan's Labyrinth. Editor Bernat Vilaplana does a fine job with the film's editing and transitional cuts while also employing great, stylized transitions and split-shots to emphasize the film's roots in comic book form.

Production designer Stephen Scott along with set decorator Elli Griff and supervising art director Peter Francis do great work on the film's set design for the decayed but urban look of the Troll Market, the ancient yet rich world of the mythological creatures, and the BPRD base that Hellboy lives in that includes a cameo from one of the set pieces of del Toro's 2001 film The Devil's Backbone. Costume designer Sammy Sheldon does a fascinating job with the look of Nuada and Nuala's clothing that is rich and colorful that is large contrast to the more urban look that Hellboy and Liz wears. Makeup designer Mike Elizalde does great work in the look of the several characters in the film including a pale-like look for Nuada and Nuala, the looks of the trolls and the characters that Doug Jones and Brian Steele plays.

Visual effects supervisor Mike Wassel does a great job in the look of CGI-created monsters like the Elemental and the tooth fairies while adding a great visual splendor to their looks as the monsters and trolls have an innocent look as well as something menacing. Longtime sound designer Martin Hernandez along with sound editor Scott Martin Gershin do great work in the film's sound work for the growls of the monsters, the atmosphere of the different locations the characters are in and the conflicts they get into. Music composer Danny Elfman creates a sweeping yet energetic film score to accompany the film's sense of action and humor while creating great theme pieces to accompany the characters and their situations, notably Johann Krauss. The film's soundtrack is a mix of melodic alternative music, rock, metal, and surprisingly, in cheesy form, Barry Manilow.

The casting by Zsolt Csutak and Jeremy Zimmerman, who plays the auctioneer at the auction, do an excellent job in assembling the film's cast that includes a cameo from talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and a fun performance from Montse Ribe as the young Hellboy. Brian Steele does great work in playing multiple roles as the troll monster Wink along with several creatures including a spice shop owner, and the man who would give Nuala the map. Roy Dotrice is good as the aging King Balor who tries to tell his son not to revive the Golden Army. John Alexander and James Dodd do great work in playing the glass-suit wearing Johan Krauss while Alexander also does work as the Goblin who created the Golden Army. Yet, it's Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame who brings a comical, know-it-all personality as the voice of Johann Krauss, who often dukes it out with Hellboy.

Though John Hurt only makes a brief appearance as Professor Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm, Hurt's lone appearance is definitely memorable and full of class as he tells the young Hellboy the story of the Golden Army with such grace that it was good of del Toro to give him an appearance since his character is an important part to Hellboy's story. Jeffrey Tambor is good as Tom Manning, the FBI head who tries to deal with Hellboy's yearning for publicity while finding time to suck up to Johann Krauss over his by-the-book personality. Anna Walton is wonderful as Nuala, the princess who tries to hide the final piece of the crown as she also finds herself smitten with Abe Sapien as Walton's performance is truly mesmerizing. Though the character of Nuada is a bit one-dimensional, Luke Goss makes Nuada into a truly memorable villain who is just ignorant yet powerful as he tries to wipe out humanity while being a true badass who can match up against Hellboy.

Selma Blair is great as Liz Sherman, Hellboy's girlfriend who tries to deal with issues of their relationship while carrying a secret that will change their lives. Blair makes Liz into a more confident, more menacing figure than in the first film as she gains full control of her fire-starting powers while dealing with Hellboy's emotions of rejection as she makes an unexpected move into saving him. Doug Jones is superb in his work in playing three roles. While the roles of the Chamberlain and the Angel of Death are small, they're memorable for their look and presence yet it's Jones' work as Abe Sapien that is hypnotic to watch. Doing the voice of Sapien this time around, instead of David Hyde Pierce in the first film. Jones brings a new personality and innocence to the fish-like character as he deals with his first crush and love while his scenes with Perlman are wonderfully funny.

Ron Perlman is once again brilliant in his role as Hellboy by bringing that great mix of being a hero and a sarcastic figure. Yet, Perlman manages to explore the depths of Hellboy's character as he deals with rejection from humanity after a misunderstanding while pondering his role in that world. Perlman's approach to drama is subtle while getting to do more comic moments in scenes that involve Johann Krauss and Abe Sapien as Perlman's comedic timing is great. Especially since Perlman is allowed to bring a lot of charm and wit to the character of Hellboy while sharing the spotlight with his fellow actors.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a brilliant, visually-spectacular, and entertaining film from Guillermo del Toro that tops its predecessor. The film clearly shows del Toro's talent for creating entertaining stories with great visual splendor and heartfelt yet funny characters. With a great cast led by Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, and Selma Blair, the Hellboy sequel is clearly one of the year's best summer blockbusters as well as one of the smartest. In the end, for a hero that likes to smoke cigars, have some witty one-liners, and just likes to fight. Hellboy II: The Golden Army is the film to go see.

Guillermo del Toro Film: Cronos - Mimic/Mimic (Director's Cut) - The Devil's Backbone - Blade II - Hellboy - Pan's Labyrinth - Pacific Rim - Crimson Peak - The Shape of Water - The Auteurs #10: Guillermo del Toro

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