The Dark Knight Rises - Thoughts

If hype were ever to be taken into consideration, The Dark Knight Rises is probably one of the most hyped ever. Add to that, being a follow-up to the hugely popular Dark Knight, expectation were through the roof. As much as I’ve enjoyed the Christopher Nolan reboot, the first 2 movies were cool but not exactly standout in my opinion. Couple the inflated expectations with my moderate enthusiasm, and I was just about looking to check out The Dark Knight Rises, not exactly counting the minutes to release. In this third and final closing installment of the trilogy, a new terrorizing villain named Bane unravels a plan that leaves Gotham City helpless, and forces Batman to reemerge.

After over 12 months of teasers and trailers I entered the theatre telling myself, this had better be worth all the drama. As the narrative slowly unfolded, a layer of mystery became evident. Being a Batman flick, this only seemed like a natural fit. As the movie pushed on, I realized that The Dark Night Rises wasn’t just an action movie, and had some pretty intense story/drama elements, that made it exceptionally gripping.  In spite of the oddly long 3 hour runtime, The Dark Knight Rises was fluid, with the story traversing seamlessly. Not once did I look at my watch, and even the slow moments were sufficiently enthralling. I remember seeing Batman Begins and thinking to myself that this iteration was very current, real, and something audiences could relate to as every day. The Dark Knight Rises builds on that, bringing in financial implications, and corporate power struggles to the mix. What makes Batman standout from most other superheroes is his human form, and I believe that audiences get to see him here at his most human and humble best. In short, The Dark Knight Rises satisfied at every level, and was an intensely fulfilling experience. The closing moments, and taking of shape of characters in the Batman universe sealed the deal for me, leaving little to be wanted.

With so many characters, an all-star cast, and multiple performances of perfection, Christopher Nolan deserves credit for meshing it all together as well. Christian Bale, already accomplished in playing Batman succeeds in portraying a human, breakable, and recluse side to the protagonist. Tom Hardy of Inception fame played Bane, and was unquestionably the epitome of grit and terror. Not for a second was his intensity questionable; making the Bane character seemingly unstoppable. Anne Hathaway played Selina, and surprised in a feisty way that perhaps only Michelle Pfeiffer has succeeded. Between questionable loyalties and immaturity, she fit the bill of the cat burglar glowingly. Michael Caine stars as Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler, bringing a level of love and care that negates the need for other family figures in the Wayne residence. Morgan Freeman plays Fox, a man who stands for all that is right, and probably symbolizes the idealistic corporate head. The combination of excellent performances and well scripted characters that have developed from the first movie adds to the list of successes and strengths of The Dark Knight Rises.

Unlike most new multiplex experiences, I watched this one on a large 70mm screen. Big is better and that indeed added to the larger than life experience. Video was clear, and tones were in keeping with the other Batman movies in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy. There were no vibrant primary colors, and night scenes were predominantly blues and blacks. Sound effects were decent, and dialog acceptable; surround stage usage was also noticeable. Probably watching this on DVD in a smaller home theatre sorta environment will probably yield better acoustic results.  Worth particular mention is the fantabulous score by Hans Zimmer; the music adding to the grandeur and intensity of the scenes, contributing in large part to the goose bumps factor.

My Recommendation: Kick Ass (All real and fantasy free…. Batman’s Finest Hour)

Universal Soldier: Regeneration - Thoughts

Some franchises don’t ever go away, and Universal Soldier is perhaps one of them. The very first and original Universal Soldier was released in 1992, followed by 2 direct to video movies. Universal Soldier – The Return released in 1999 saw the return of Jean-Claude Van Damme, and started where the original left off. 10 years later we have Universal Soldier: Regeneration; and just so you know, late in 2012 Universal Soldier - Day of Reckoning was released. In Regeneration, terrorists in Russia reacquire the Chernobyl nuclear plant and threaten to detonate charges causing nuclear disaster. Decommissioned Universal Soldier Luc Deveraux is brought in as a last resort, and will have to take on a next gen Unisol to resolve the conflict.

 

Though the franchise has been around forever, most of the Universal Soldier movies have been pretty good, if you’re into the core logic and enjoy the action. That said, I did go into Regeneration with modest expectations. My thought being, it would make for entertaining action, but that’s probably it; similar to The Return. Surprisingly, Regeneration had an unexpected layer of desolation and fear, which tied in wonderfully to the Russian Chernobyl setting of the movie. With that came an eerie chill that fit the plot very well. Luc Deveraux’s character development was interesting, and tied into the long ongoing story well. The new next gen Unisol (NGU) was intense, and set the stage for a significant and new threat. There were a few scenes that seemed questionable, like the lone American soldiers successful intrusion into the enemy camp; that aside though, the narrative process was decent. The overall slow pace, tied well into the theme of this installment of the movie. The low budget and seemingly dated setting working well too. If you like action and the Universal Soldier theme, you will probably quite enjoy Universal Soldier: Regeneration.

It would be hard to imagine the Universal Soldier franchise without Jean-Claude Van Damme, as Luc Deveraux. And interestingly, his performance has transitioned gracefully with the character development and ageing of Luc Deveraux. In Regeneration he is older, more human, and as real as his character requires him to be. The NGU is played by Andrei 'The Pitbull' Arlovski, of UFC and MMA fame. His role doesn’t involve much dialog, but he makes up for it in stone-faced intense action. He is very convincing, and it would be hard not to be intimidated by him. Most other performances were average to acceptable.

The DVD being sampled was a Region 1 US release. Video had an interesting dated dull look, something expected of VHS movies from the early 80’s. There were no vibrant colors, and primary colors were either not used much, or subdued. The soundtrack was a Dolby Digital 5.1, 6 channel surround soundtrack. Positional sound was noticeable, but sound effects as of such were nothing special. Technically both the video and sound added to the dated feel of the movie.

My Recommendation: Watch It (Unisol action in the cold of Russia)