Thursday, June 30, 2016

Hardcore Henry (2016) Movie Review



Every now and then a movie comes along that you have to go and see out of pure intrigue. In 2015, it was The Gift. The trailer is shrouded in confusion and mystery. You can't help but be sucked in. This year's movie of intrigue for me was Hardcore Henry, a movie shot entirely in first person. In my mind, I was thinking there was no way director Ilya Naishuller could pull of such a concept. As I watched the trailer, however, with Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" as the musical backdrop, I knew that the preview was only a small taste of what I could expect. Barring a few expected drawbacks, I was pleasantly surprised by how well this movie was done.

That one handful of drawbacks is heavily outweighed by ten handfuls of innovation. As the audience, you're treated to dozens of setpieces through the eyes of the main character Henry. One minute you're jumping out of a sky lab, the next minute you're on a horse ranch. Even now, I'm thinking, "Oh, and what about that scene? Can't forget to mention that!" There is just as much adventure packed into the film as there is action. It's like an Eventual Uber--Just when you think you know where it's taking you, you turn in another direction. Eventually you get to your destination, but what a ride!

I appreciate the fact that Hardcore Henry is just as much science fiction as it is action. From super soldiers to villains with creepy, special powers, the film doesn't hesitate in deviating from the norm. Nothing is normal about this movie, but I mean that as a compliment. You would think that a movie jam-packed with action would be devoid of humor, but comedy is actually one of its strengths. Actor Sharlto Copley sees the most camera time playing the role of Jimmy, a human presence spread across multiple droid bodies. His ridiculous personalities and reckless behavior will have you cracking up for the majority of the movie.

The action, in a word, is truly hardcore. Think Ninja Assassin on steroids. While it may not be anything you haven't seen before, the first-person view definitely brings things up close and personal. Squeamish, beware! Blood, brains, and guts abound and may cause you to cringe a couple of times. For the most part, you're too caught up in the intensity captured in each scene to even have time to cringe.

Back to those drawbacks. First-person does have its limitations. There a few times where you're forced to see things from a boring angle and you're left wishing you could get the full scope of what was going on. I can think of a handful of times where Henry was facing a multitude of opponents and I thought, "It would be cool to see this scene panned out." On another note, I thought the storyline was a little confusing in places. Then again, let's be honest, we don't go see a movie like Hardcore Henry for the story. 

It's the story of a man who awakens from an accident with a new robotic body and is forced to fight his way through bad guy after bad guy to get to his kidnapped wife. If you can overlook a weak storyline and the occasional poor camera angle, you're in for a treat when you watch this film. I give Hardcore Henry an 84.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Central Intelligence (2016) Movie Review




Buddy Comedies are easy to do. Directors and writers, before you get your panties all twisted in a bunch, allow me to elaborate. Buddy comedies stem from a formula that has a long track record of success. You've got the Lethal Weapon series. Beverly Hills Cop. 48 Hrs. Rush Hour. The Nice Guys. The Other Guys. 21 Jump Street. You put all these movies together and one successful central theme holds true in them all: Putting a very unlikely duo together to accomplish some task that drives the movie. You do this and, nine times out of ten, you'll have a hit on your hands. It's those buddy comedies that do a little something extra that really stand out to me. Central Intelligence follows that buddy comedy formula wonderfully and succeeds in being a good movie, however, doesn't do much in the way of standing out as one of the better ones.

Twenty years ago, Rob Weirdicht (Dwayne Johnson) was the laughing stock of his school as his heavy weight made him an easy target. Calvin "The Jet" Joyner (Kevin Hart) was the only one that came to his aid during a particularly embarrassing time. Fast forward to the present and Weirdicht is back with a new name (Bob Stone)  and The Rock's physique. He connects with Calvin out of the blue which ends up taking them both down a path of espionage, tracking down government codes, and running from both bad and good guys alike.

The plot is a bit murky in some places. There are parts in the movie where I found myself asking, "Wait. what happened to who?" Completely normal for a spy movie, but this is supposed to be a comedy and I'd really prefer to check my brain at the door. While it didn't ruin the overall experience of the movie, it was a bit of a blip.

This comedy definitely accomplishes its main goal of being funny. It's always the unexpected moments catching me off guard that make me laugh the most and this movie will give you a few of those. Hart and Johnson pull this movie off largely in part due to their great chemistry. Hart is in the middle of a mid-life crisis still chasing after the life he promised his wife they would have while Johnson is trying to run away from his past and be someone completely different than the fat kid in high school.

While Hart's character was pretty one-dimensional, I thought Johnson's character was developed extremely well and added value to the overall story. Not only does your heart go out to Rob Weirdicht for the pain of his past, but you find yourself rooting for him to find that one true friend. Rob is a geek by accident, someone who is a nerd and doesn't know it. It's hard to imagine finding a 6'4" mass of muscle endearing but you do.

Some of the jokes were a miss for me, but you can't expect them all to be funny. I love Kevin Hart's standup, but, as an actor, you're predominately seeing him in niche roles. It's a role he does well, but leaves you thinking, again? Even as a black man, I feel beat over the head at times with the constant black jokes so I can only imagine the lack of inclusion other races must be feeling when they hear that repeatedly. On the one had, I get it. It's a direct reflection of the society we still live in and trying to take those stereotypes, talk about them, and make them funny. Then again, how can we ever hope to fully unify as a society if it's black this and white that? It's definitely a fine line.

If you go see Central Intelligence in theaters, you will have a great time for sure. I give it an 86.