The End's not near, it's here

When Harry Potter first came to screens worldwide in 2001 I had no interest in seeing it. To my sixteen year old mind it was a blatant rip off of Lord of the Rings, of which I am a huge fan. I didn't really know anything about it except that it had a wizard that looked like Gandalf and some kid in dorky glasses.

My younger brother was a huge fan however and convinced me to read it. The first two times I tried I never made it past the first few pages. There was always something better to read. But then I tried a third time. And so begins the story of how I became a Potter fan.

What I love most about the books is its ability to take me back into childhood imagination. I remember my brother once saying to me when I began reading it that he would love to go back and be able to read it for the first time. After finishing the series I understood what he meant. JK Rowling takes you on a journey where you come to know the characters as though they were real enough to reach out and touch. It's not always the most easy read though. Through the series beloved characters are killed, and we learn things about our fictional friends we sometimes don't want to know. In a sense Rowling's books are more in touch with reality than any other series I've read before. In life loved ones die, people let you down. Harry learns this most of all.

Last Thursday my brother, father and I went to the movies and watched Harry Potter together for the last time. It had a been a tradition for us these past few years since I'd returned home, just as it had been a tradition for us to watch each Lord of the Rings film on it's opening night and again on Christmas Eve. I was both excited and a little sad as I sat down with my 3D glasses and overpriced ice cream waiting for the film to commence. Was I really ready to say goodbye? Either way I had no choice, eleven years had flown by quickly and the end was there before me.

The film starts right where we left off, with Voldermort taking the Elder wand. From there we burst into action as Harry, Ron and Hermione figure out where the rest of the horcruxes are and how to destroy them. I will not say anything about the film's plot in case you have not seen the film. What I will say though is that this was by far the most enjoyable Harry Potter film yet. I don't know if that's because knowing it was the end I latched myself more onto the story than before, or perhaps it was because David Yates has found the perfect balance between literature and film, taking out only what could be spared. The graphics have improved greatly from the last films, I particularly loved the dragon. The fight scenes are incredible and the mise en scene is spectacular.

I would not recommend this latest film for a young audience, there is a lot of violence and some scenes are quite scary. For those who have followed the story from the very start though I think you will be very happy. The end of the film, just like the end of the book is quite a treat. I am going to miss my Potter friends. It's been a great journey and I am glad I finally got on board to enjoy it while it was still playing out. However if there's one thing Rowling has taught me it's that I can return to my imagination at anytime, and that's where I'll find these incredible characters. And just as Dumbledore says, just because it's happening in your head doesn't mean it's not real.

The Tale of Fail

I was thinking about all the many wonderful films I wanted to review for my next post when I was suddenly confronted with a film that stopped me in my tracks, and not in a good way.

The film: Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

To begin with I must confess that I really enjoyed the first Transformers. It had a perfect combination of plot, action and intrigue. Sure it was never going to win an Oscar, but not all films aim for a trophy. Some films are just entertainment and take you away from the harsh realities of life.  The first Transformers did that for me. This last one did not.

I didn't go in with high expectations, in fact taking the second one into account I actually had quite low expectations. I will admit that this latest film is better than the second but not by much and certainly not enough to redeem Bay's reputation in my mind.

                                                            

The first complaint I have with Transformers Dark of the Moon is that, wonderful graphics and action scenes aside (which account for 90% of screen time), the film has the most simplest and uninspiring plot: Decepticons want to destroy Earth, Autobots want to save Earth. I wish I could say there was a more complex story within it but really there isn't. It's all just filled out with technical fluff. Shia LaBoeuf's Sam Witwicky appears to be an afterthought in the script who spends the first half of the film wishing he could be more useful (as did I). Unfortunately the lack of Witwicky wit was not replaced by a strong sense of the Transformers. They too were also severely underused.

You must be wondering what fills up the screen for the duration then, well it's simple: explosives, many over the top albeit spectacular explosives. At one point I turned to my husband and told him that perhaps Bay would be better suited filming defense weapon test films for the military. Unlimited budget. No plots needed.

The lack of story may have been forgiven though had he acquired himself a cast suited to the roles. You would think that having actors like John Malkovich and Frances McDormand on set would inspire originality, but it did not. Unfortunately they were cast in over-exaggerated roles that even their talents couldn't render believable. And then there is the case of a model being sent to do an actors job. Now I'm not saying models and actors aren't interchangeable, many have done both professions proud. Yet while Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is stunning on screen, she is not captivating. I don't think the fault lies at her feet though. With lines that can only be described as the words men wish models would say to them she didn't really have much to run with. And with the first shot of her being a close up tracking shot of her derriere I think Bay made his point loud and clear: this woman is to be seen and not heard.

                                                                Is it a car or a woman?

It's not news that Hollywood objectifies women, but I truly can't think of a recent director who does it as openly as Bay does. All emphasis on Carly is placed on her figure. At one point she is compared to the curves of a vintage car. She is beautiful, rich, the envy of all women and the desire of all men. She also only wears white, a symbolic colour no? Bay would like us to see her as good and pure, even as the camera acts as voyeur to her body. She loves the hero and so we should love her. The problem is that we never get to know her. She doesn't come with a backstory, no explanation on why she would be dating our unemployed and self pitying hero. It wasn't until after the film ended that I figured it out. They had written the script with Megan Fox in mind. When she was fired/quit they clearly decided to replace her rather than write her out. If you watch the film and picture Mikaela instead of Carly then it does actually make a little more sense, but only a little.

Finally, I could not review this film without mentioning its blatant use of Terminator iconography. You would think that in making a film about machines you would aim to avoid anything that could confuse the two films. You would think you would avoid using the strong staccato beats that are so familiar with the Terminator films. There were points that I wondered (and hoped) that Arnold would round a corner to save the day (and film). Alas he did not.

I am disappointed that the film didn't rise above the ashes of the second. I can always forgive a weak middle if there is a strong beginning and end. Sadly for this trilogy it started off soaring and has been unable to gain momentum since.

In the opinion of this reviewer when it comes to the latest Transformers installment there is not enough disguise and no more than meets the eye.