There Should Have Only Been One

I'll never forget when I was 17 years old and was at the movies with my father. I can't recall the film we were watching but a trailer came on and my dad, who rarely gets excited about films, couldn't hold back his excitement. The trailer was for The Bourne Identity. My father had read the book and he spoke of it's intrigue and mystery so naturally I had to read it too. I ended up being the only one in the family to read the trilogy. I fell in love with the chaotic world of Bourne. I eagerly anticipated The Bourne Supremacy and was a little stunned to find that they had completely parted ways with the novels, however The Bourne Ultimatum was so much fun I didn't mind at all. The latter two films were directed by Paul Greengrass, a director who is able to keep a handle on the story whilst creating thrilling action scenes. All three Bourne films were written by Tony Gilroy, a very talented screenwriter. 

After hearing that Matt Damon didn't want to do another Bourne film I resigned myself to the fact that the films had come to an end. Hollywood however will never let a cash cow die. I was both excited and a little apprehensive when I found out that a new film entitled The Bourne Legacy was being made. When I saw that it was being written by Gilroy I realised that there was nothing to worry about, until I saw that Greengrass was not on board. Rather than replacing Greengrass with an equally skilled director producers handed the reigns to Gilroy, whose directing credits had only two films (Duplicity, Michael Clayton). But what is quantity when there is quality? Peter Jackson was relatively unknown when he took on Lord of the Rings, and look at him today. So I swallowed my doubt and went to watch the fourth Bourne film.

Although the film is called The Bourne Legacy this is not a film about Bourne. He is merely the tip of the iceberg as the film quotes. This installment follows Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), a soldier who is part of a program designed to create super soldiers. After the CIA failed to capture Bourne they go into disaster mode and decide to shut the program down, which basically consists of killing everyone involved. On that list is Cross and Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) a scientist who administers the medication to the soldiers. Cross and Shearing go on the run from the relentless Col. Eric Byer (Edward Norton) and his team who sit in the comfort of their office whilst tracking the two down. In the previous Bourne films Jason fought to catch up with the CIA, to find out the truth he desperately searched for. In this latest film it is the CIA who are trying to catch up, and they really aren't very good at it, Cross and Shearing are always two steps ahead.

Cross is not Bourne and the film takes great pains to remind us of that. The source of his super strength is from the medications he's been taking, whereas Bourne's skill set was purely from training. If this was Batman Cross would be Robin. Cross also has his memory, he knows his past, he figures out quickly what's going on and he is able to make decisions based on those facts. Shearing has a much more important part in the film than women in previous Bourne films. Cross would not have been able to survive without her. Both Renner and Weisz have great chemistry on screen. Although their characters are never shown to be physically involved there are more than enough glances and hand touching to get the point across.

Renner is a great upcoming actor who I believe has a long successful career ahead of him. With films like The Town, The Hurt Locker, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and The Avengers behind him he already has made a name for himself in tinseltown. He brings vulnerability and integrity to Cross and you really can't help but root for the guy. Perhaps if this was it's own film, without the Bourne name being attached to it then there would have been more opportunity to explore this character more. As it is however Cross seems as though he's always two steps ahead of the CIA but three feet deep in Bourne's shadow. Anything he can do Bourne can do better.

The main issue with this film is the directing. The marriage of Greengrass' direction and Gilroy's script in the previous two films meant that both story and visual were at their best. With Gilroy wearing both screenwriter and directing hats there was a loss in quality of both. The greatest flaw is the ending, or lack thereof.  There is a spectacular motorbike chase scene and then two minutes after that ends we hear that famous Moby song signaling the end of the film. It came on so abruptly that I felt there must have been a mistake. And there was. Gilroy forgot to write an ending. The hollywood demon must have sat on his shoulder all along because the film sets itself up for sequels. The problem however is that the film can't stand alone, whereas all three previous Bourne films could. So many questions are asked, very few answered. I have a feeling we may never get them answered.

My recommendation is that you go see this film knowing that you'll get great action scenes, talented actors playing underwritten roles, and an incomplete story. This is not a Bourne film, Jason Bourne jumped off that roof and perhaps we will never see him again...but remember, this is Hollywood and cash cows never die.

The Avengers Assemble

This post will be full of spoilers, because this post is written by an Avengers fan, for Avengers fans. And if you're an Avengers fan then you've seen this movie at least once by now. So for the rest of you, you need to stop what you're doing and go to your local cinema and watch this movie...now!

I have been a complete nerd in anticipation of this film. I have spent countless hours reading up all about the Avengers, trying to gain what knowledge I could. I have never read the comics before but came to know of them, like many, through film and TV. I've watched and re-watched all the films leading up to this one. If you haven't seen the others films before The Avengers then you need to do two things. 1. stop reading this because as I mentioned it's going to be full of spoilers. 2. Go and watch the others first. Trust me, it's better to know Bruce Banner before you know the Hulk. It's important to know why Captain America seems a little out of time, why Thor would risk all that he did to get back to Earth, why Iron Man ...dammit just watch the other films.

This is probably as good a time as any for me to say to Joss Whedon, I salute you! Thank you for breathing life and heart into this film, which could have gone any number of ways really. Not only is it highly enjoyable and full of wonderful fight scenes and stunning visual effects, it's also got a soul. I like how the film takes its time. Every character gets their own entrance, and so they should. This is an ensemble piece after all.

So who are our Avengers? Well first there's Captain America, aka Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), the brave, kind super soldier who has been asleep for 70+ years. He missed a date with the lovely Penny Carter. Then there's Iron Man, aka Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist (his words, not mine), he's back with his arrogance, his charm and his wicked suit. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) arrives with a bang, literally, in search of his brother who he wishes to take back to Asgard for sentencing. I had been wondering how he would return considering how Thor ended. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) mentions that the all father must have conjured up dark power to get him to Earth. It's obvious that Thor has one mission, get Loki, get the tesseract and go back to Asgard. His presence on Earth is costing Asgard something, and that's the reason he can't just run off in search of Jane. We will have to wait till Thor 2 for that reunion. The Hulk, aka Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), is the muscle of the group. He's a green, mean fighting machine. Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), brings his excellent archery skills to the mix. Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) brings exceptional spy skills and some kick ass moves, as well as a little touch of femininity to the group.

They are quite the ensemble. To say they don't get along at the start is an understatement. Rogers can barely stand Stark. Rogers, a soldier who would jump on a grenade to save those around him can't really handle the arrogance that Stark exudes. He accuses Stark of working only for himself, never being capable of sacrificing himself for others. You can't really blame the guy for feeling this way. However there's a depth to Stark that we've come to know and love in the Iron Man films. I really loved the scene when Stark took the nuke and risked his own life for everyone else. He can be cocky as hell but he's a hero. There's also a great fight scene between Iron Man and Thor, who are arguably the two most arrogant members of the team.

However there is a friendship that comes out of this film which is really moving. Stark is not known for his subtlety and when he meets Bruce Banner he's eager to see him become the Hulk. However it becomes apparent that Stark wants Banner to embrace his true self. There's a similarity between them, an understanding even. They both became something they didn't really ask for. Where Stark has turned this into his advantage Banner has continually struggled. As the film progresses we get to see Banner embrace his whole true glorious self. After Stark has seemingly sacrificed himself for the others it's only fitting that it's Hulk who catches him falling from the sky.

I have to mention of course the wonderful Tom Hiddleston in his performance of Loki. I'm not always a fan of comic book villains, I find they can be overdone and lose all sense of reality. Loki however is a villain I truly love. I hope they never get rid of him. The character is deliciously villainous whilst also maintaing some sense of humanity (if you could call it that). He can play both menacing mastermind and spoilt obnoxious child at the same time. Every minute of him on screen is captivating.

Apart from Hiddleston, honorable mention has to go to Ruffolo who breathed new life into the Hulk. To be honest he's been my least favorite Avenger, until now. The scene where he kicks Loki's ass was so great, the whole cinema applauded. Before when there was talk about him having his own reboot I was skeptical, after seeing this film however I am all in.

And of course I have to mention the wonderful Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg). He's been our guide through the films leading to this one. Every time we saw him we were reminded that S.H.I.E.L.D has eyes everywhere. We got to know a little more about Coulson in this film. For instance he recently broke up with a gal, and he's a huge fan of Captain America. He also finally got to know what that gun does. So thanks Agent Coulson for your dedication and hard work.

The film ends with the Avengers going their separate ways but we know they will return when Earth needs them (or when The Avengers 2 starts filming). We also have Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2 to keep us happy until then.

Obviously reading this means you've watched the movie, which means I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. So let's just agree that this film was awesome, Joss Whedon is a legend and Loki was adopted.

M:I4 Ghost Protocol

I'm not always a fan of Tom Cruise films. I find he either gets it right or gets it terrible wrong. I try not to let an actor's personal life interfere with the way I judge a film, but sometimes with Tom it's hard to do. Between his antics on Oprah and all the rumours about his Scientology beliefs floating around it's hard to take the man seriously sometimes. Yesterday I went and saw Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to report the Tom Cruise is back in business.

The film is an action through and through. From start to end there's barely a moment to breathe, but it's a good thing. The plot itself is very simple. The IMF is shut down after the President declares Ghost Protocol and so Ethan Hunt and his team have to rogue in order to stop a Russian madman from detonating an atomic bomb. I have to say, I really missed the good old days when the enemy was always the Russians, the threat, an atomic bomb. These days most action films are set in the Middle East with terrorism being the main focus. Obviously these films are American and therefore entirely one-sided and completely devoid of historical facts. Nevertheless they are entertaining.

Cruise's Hunt was significantly less annoying in this 4th installment. I remember in M:I 3 there were some terrible one-liners. This film worries less about dialogue and puts the emphasis on the stunts, which is what a good action should do. There is one scene where Hunt has to climb up the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, using only some gloves that have electronic suction. Of course technology is not always to be trusted and there were some edge of your seat moments. I usually don't respond strongly to action scenes but that one literally had me on the edge of my seat. 

Hunt's team consists of Jane (Paula Patton) an IMF agent, Benji (Simon Pegg) the techie, and film's comedy relief, and Brandt (Jeremy Renner) an analyst with an interesting past. We first meet Hunt in a prison in Budapest. His escape route is nothing short of spectacular. The team then head to the Kremlin in Russia, then onto Dubai and finally India to take down the enemy. The film makes great use of these various locations, particularly Dubai. 

If you're looking for a pick me up in this bizarre time of year that is the week between Christmas and New Years then check out Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. It's packed full of action and fun and promises not to take life too seriously.