Review of “The Purge: Anarchy”

Warning! Contains spoilers! 

This movie comes with a little bit of machete slashed baggage. “The Purge” was an interesting 2013 action-horror staring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey. That’s ‘interesting’ as in “Hay guys, this films got Lena Headey in it!” But that’s unfair. “The Purge” initially had me buy in with its simple premise. All marketing focused on the film titular theme rather than the plot. I cannot put it simpler than the automated announcer – “for the next twelve hours, all crime is legal.” That’s pretty much it. It was enough to get my mind skipping with intrigue and potential. I must point out that the original was ok. Just ok. In the post movie pub session it became clear that the setting of “The Purge” was more interesting than the film itself. Let’s hope the first (of many, I am sure) sequel will do better.

Twas the night before Purge and all over the city, people were quickly and quietly doing everything possible not to be killed when the alarms sound. A mother and daughter combo sit in their apartment hoping to survive the night and that the randy doorman doesn’t break in and have his way with them. A young couple are driving down the highway when their car dramatically and predictably breaks down. Even Green Flag have a crap response time on the Purge. Dark and brooding guy-with-lots-of-guns (Frank Grillo) gets ready for a night on the town. Of death! His son died in the previous year and now he wants pay back. Soon all our characters are thrown together and gun dude is torn between protecting them and completing his own Purge. As they move through the battle torn city we all learn the real reason behind the Purge while mumbling about how fucked up Americans are. 

This is ‘Big Daddy’ and his SWAT team getting ready to do their duty

Well it ticks most of the sequel boxes. Bigger budget, bigger cast and bigger ideas. I couldn’t help but notice that this film had dropped the ‘horror’ tag that the originally had sheepishly worn like a temporary tattoo. Our cast do a competent job of being two dimensional (but functional!) helpless semi-victims. After seeing ‘Winter Soldier’ I’m glad that Grillo has gotten a part that plays off his threatening demeanour. What was a little hard to swallow is the latent killer hiding inside each American just waiting for a plot point to drag it out guns blazing. And teenagers! If this is unfair, I don’t care. If you are in the middle of a city full of killers looking for their next victim and you find yourself teamed up with an obviously experience warrior armed to the teeth then fucking do what he says!!!  I don’t care how antsy a young adult can be it all gets thrown into perspective by a Latino with a machete and bottle of baby oil. DO WHAT THE FRIENDLY MAN WITH THE MACHIEGUN ASKS YOU TO. I’m not even going to stop hammering the point home – every time Cali (the unknown Zoe Soul) argued with our dark hero it completely dragged me out the story. This cliché behaviour deserves to be purge all by itself!

For only $100,000 you can Purge in the safety of your home

Rich people suck. You might not agree but the movie makers certainly do. Turns out the whole Purge idea was orchestrated by the rich to remove the poor from American streets. If the USA is a system built on the rich exploiting the needy then ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ takes that to its bloody conclusion. If you are white and have lots of money, this movie does not do you any favours. There is a saturation sensation of ‘other’ when the rich are involved. My top moment for the entire movie exemplifies this perfectly. Our group of survives are kidnapped and sold to a private dinner party held within a fortress mansion. The group is auctioned off and put into a closed off, pitch black sculpted garden. The tux warring purchasers disappear to ‘prepare themselves.’ By the time our heroes are crapping themselves to the max, the doors open and our rich, night vision equipped hunters enter the garden. Why so memorable? The hunters are all dressed like they are out shooting grouse. It’s so preposterous that the idea of a uniform for murder dehumanises the wealthy even further.

All in all the ‘Purge: Anarchy’ is a bit of grim fun. I don’t think it will stick with you longer than the next action movie but, once again, the theme may stay fresh. Frankly, everyone should just chill out and have a cup of tea.

I give ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ two and a half Brian faces out of five. A distinct lack of Lena Headey did not help its score.

Review of “Guardians of the Galaxy”

Warning! Contains spoilers!

Welcome to the next big budget Marvel release designed to empty our wallets and overpower our senses with more special effects than a Bronze Age river god. Frankly, I knew precious little about “Guardians” going in. That’s not to say I wasn’t excited. Talk about marketing! I didn’t know I wanted a Groot in my life but now I do. This gushing excitement all stemmed from the trailer. It was fun. Fun! Let’s hope it all comes together in a sci-fi extravaganza… Showtime!

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) had a pretty standard upbringing. After the death of his mother in America he is kidnapped by alien pirates who give up on transporting him to his extra-terrestrial dad and instead raise him as one of their own. For reasons. Now a full blown corsair, he has skipped out on his band of merry cut throats to strike it rich. His first big score is a mystical orb that someone, somewhere is prepared to spend a lot of space bucks to obtain. Turns out the orb is massively important to a purple skinned space Satan. He sends his disenfranchised terrorist buddy to go and get it. Soon out of his depth and in space prison, Quill must unite a group of disparate rogues to escape, sell the orb and get rich. Until the sphere turns out to be one of the galaxies most deadly mega weapons. Now Quill and his new chums must work together so that they can GUARD the GALAXY from the evil orb wielding scoundrel. 

‘Galaxy’ is a none stop train ride through an exploding paint factory. We must remember to keep our eyes on the end goal (enjoying ourselves) rather than looking out the window and trying to focus on the spinning detail. It does a lot and simply won’t give the audience time to digest. There is no jumping off this train – why should we? We have five primary heroes (one doesn’t speak much) all of which we need to care about and cheer for. From Pratt’s half Han Solo, half Bart Simpson protagonist to Dave Bautista’s philosophising Drax the basically-a-pro-wrestler Destroyer, each fills a handy adventuring stereotype. We also have three baddies to likewise introduce and a pirate captain in desperate need of agency. Its brisk work but the story gets it done. Just about. It’s almost fairy tailish. The characters might be thin but so is an After Eight and these characters are equally as delicious. 

The fun train doesn’t stop with a twee cast. The galaxy that requires guarding is a suitably operatic space setting. Sci-Fi can be fall too much towards the science rather than the fiction. ‘Guardians’ grabs fiction by the balls while seemingly smothering science with a plumb Dungeons and Dragons pillow case. It’s a great aesthetic that matches the grandeur of Thor’s Asgard. Memorable moments include flying into a massive alien head floating in space that is currently being stripped mined for all its lovely expensive head goo. The prison break was fantastic PG fun, although I spent most of the action trying to figure out how a prosthetic leg was going to become essential to the escape.  Life lesson 84 – never trust a racoon. Benicio Del Toro reprises his role as ‘The Collector’, a creepy amasser of rare bits and bobs. It’s self-evident that he was given free rein to explore and enjoy his time on camera and we the audience whole heartedly benefit. I hope in a future Marvel endeavour we get to hear him say “I simply must have this vintage Dinky car” on an episode of the Antiques Roadshow. It’s all popcorn chomping stuff.

"Simples!"

“Guardians of the Galaxy” put all of its money on fun and came home with the loot. It’s just great fun. When it stops to make you laugh it manages this without patronising the audience or by being self-deprecating. The perspective shifts between each character equally during the action scenes in a genuine attempt to equalise the perils and successes of our newly beloved heroes. All this comes together to leave one feeling a sense of sincere story telling rather than as a sinister screen promotion for Guardian’s merchandise. If anything, I left the screening with greater respect for Marvels comic book successes. Take note, Avengers 2 – the bar has been raised.

 “Guardians of the Galaxy” gets a solid four Brian faces out of five. Enjoy with a group of friends and then immediately reminisce in a jolly local drinking establishment.

Review of “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

Warning! Contains Spoilers!

This is the sequel to the movie that revamped the Planet of the Apes franchise but without the future setting or Statue of Liberty. But it’s got Gary Oldman and that guy who played Gollum! Showtime!

The monkey virus has all but wiped out the human race. Apes have begun showing the early signs of culture in a way that would give a National Geographic photographer a coronary. It’s an idyllic existence of tree swinging and banana tossing. All that is thrown up in the air when (surprise, surprise) humans stumble through the woods looking for a hydroelectric plant located deep in apeland. Humans must have this power source or the attempt to rebuild civilisation will fail. The magnanimous apes agree but only to avoid conflict. Because ape culture is perfect. They do not need power. In fact they need nothing at all from humans. Except antibiotics. And guns. And knowledge. And a unifying enemy. Basically, if the Americans and the Arabs could trust each other and work together, then both groups could coexist to their mutual benefit. I mean Ape and Human. Anyhow, it all goes tits up and we get a war on our hands.

 

This is a summer blockbuster so it contains a fourth of July’s worth of special effects. Andy Serkis rocks it out as Caesar (king ape) and we can connect far more with his group than we could with those blue skinned Avatar monkeys. The ape’s behaviour is alien and at the same time so similar to ours that I had to word this sentence several times because it felt racist even though it was regarding animals. I don’t want to start any monkey hate crimes. There is enough of that in the movie. When battle begins it is on an epic scale! There was enough firepower unleashed in the ape attack on castle humanity to overwhelm a small country. So many guns. Where did the apes get so many weapons? That’s easy. The film is set in a post-apocalyptic America were society has broken into anarchy during a virulent plague. Where did they get the weapons? They picked them off the floor because ‘Merica! Armoury aside, the film is visual beautiful. You will be under no doubt that this is the ruins of San Francisco and monkeys can pull of some intimidating war paint. Great success!

There are many stand out moments to choose from. ‘The battle’ holds up for pure action. At one point Koba (Toby Kebbell) leads the manic monkeys on a banzai charge. During the inevitable recreation of the Somme, Koba rides a horse headlong into machinegun fire while firing a gun in both hands. We have all had epic moments like that! Fuck ye! At one point the apes loyal to Caesar are held prisoner in an old school bus. Taking their lead from the cool as hell Maurice (Karin Konoval), a Bornean orangutan, they grab their gaolers through the bus windows.  Sitting in the audience I was expecting some neck snapping, gun stealing and gaol busting. But no – they just hold onto them through the windows. And slowly start to rock the bus from side to side. The captured guard apes realised what was coming next about the same time as myself. Having a bus role onto half a dozen baddies quickly crushed the high morals of “Ape not kill ape”.

Despite lavish millions being spent on computer graphics plus fantastic casting for all the major parts I have to give my top marks to the story. The message is simple but is told bloody well. “Dawn” plainly shows how different cultures clash due to misunderstanding and mistrust. In such an environment it is effortless (some might say inevitable) for a small group of extremists (on both sides) to create conflict. Good willed and peace loving individuals are pulled along by events and are unable to stop the avalanche of hate and violence.  This film could have been the Crusades, the Western Front or the Cuban missile crisis. Now I think of it, all of those movies have been made but without the essential ape element. Monkey President Kennedy would be soooo cool! (Tangent over)

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is a blast and well worth a viewing. It only suffers from a slightly too long running time. It is also quite new viewer friendly – seeing the original is not a necessity. Probably not the best movie for a first date.

I give “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” four Brian faces out of five.