Find mini reviews of all the year's movies at CINEMAN SYNDICATE. (outside link)
Bay Weekly Movie Reviews
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
This movie is less a breath of fresh air and more a stench of hackneyed comic book genre convention.
reviewed by Jonathan Parker
A dark hero takes on a creepy pale-faced killer of a villain. Long-haired and bug-eyed eccentrics sing a cheesy song of love. No, it’s not The Dark Knight nor is it Mamma Mia, it’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the creature-filled and action-packed but ultimately disappointing sequel in writer-director Guillermo del Toro’s (Pan’s Labyrinth) irreverent comic book-inspired series.
Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is a demon from the underworld who is quite literally the son of Satan. He now works for the U.S. government with other odd creatures including girlfriend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), who ignites herself with fire, and brainy Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), who is mostly fish. They fight against all supernatural threats to America. The latest threat involves a vengeful elfin prince (Luke Goss), who seeks the pieces of a crown, which when pieced together summon a golden army of giant warriors. This prince wants to wipe out the human race and reclaim the earth for non-humankind. He’ll have to get through Hellboy and friends first, who are also fighting the pangs of love. (Hellboy and Sapien sing a Barry Manilow song drunk at one point.)
Del Toro uses this movie as a showcase for his latest wacky and creepy creatures. Indeed, we are inundated by the things: there is a giant beanstalk that fights; there is a Chewbacca-styled best buddy of the prince with a cannonball on a chain for a right hand; there is a creature that is ectoplasmatic smoke consuming an old-timey aquamarine-like suit. Then there is the “troll market,” an overpopulated world of disgruntled freaks the likes of which we haven’t seen since the bar in which Han Solo shot Greedo. Indeed, if inventively thought-up creatures are your thing, than this is for you.
Unfortunately, we need some movie with these creatures, and this is where Hellboy II fails. The story is mostly Lord of the Rings-inspired cliché. Our hero’s abrasive and irreverent attitude grows weary with far too many smart-alecky catch phrases. The action is enticing, but seems to be given to us in large doses as a way to distract us from the fact that there isn’t much going on here.
Unlike the first Hellboy film, this movie is less a breath of fresh air and more a stench of hackneyed comic book genre convention. Del Toro can seem the genius when he blends his creative creature creepiness with some inventive storytelling. In Hellboy II there’s plenty of the former but not much of the latter.
Fair action fantasy • PG-13 • 120 mins.
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Fun saved by the third dimension.
reviewed by Jonathan Parker
A professor, his nephew and their Icelandic guide fall through a virtually bottomless pit and meet up with some wild adventures, and it all happens in 3-D, in the dumb-fun action movie Journey to the Center of the Earth. Without 3-D, this would be just another dimwitted adventure movie, but with 3-D this becomes an almost-campy prehistoric romp.
Geology professor Trevor (Brendan Fraser) lost his scientist brother years ago. When his late brother’s teenage son Sean (Josh Hutcherson) comes to stay, the two stumble upon a copy of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth with elaborate handwritten notes by their late brother/father. This leads them to Iceland, where they meet Hannah (Anita Briem), who recently lost her Jules Verne-fan of a father. Out looking for a scientific transmitter, the three get trapped in a cave. Searching for a way out, they fall through the biggest darn hole anyone has ever seen. Now they must try to return to the earth’s surface — while facing many a mysterious thrill and prehistoric monster.
Plot details really don’t matter. This is about 3-D enhanced action and adventure. From the moment the screen tells us to “put on your 3-D glasses now” (I love that part) to the closing credits where you still don’t want to take your glasses off because the words on the screen still look pretty cool, this movie is one wild 3-D ride.
First-time feature director and longtime special effects guy Eric Brevig not only delivers potent 3-D action but also seems to relish in the jokiness of some of the more blatant uses of 3-D effects. The opening 15 minutes feature such 3-D devices as spat mouthwash, a tape measure and a yo-yo.
Meanwhile, Brendan Fraser is the perfect action dufus star for this movie. It’s almost impossible to think of him playing a serious role or a romantic lead anymore. The guy has one gear — dumb adventure lead — and it’s a hoot. Fraser plays his action hero on the verge of being in on the joke, never taking himself too seriously and never camping it up too much. As we might expect, a Brendan Fraser action vehicle in 3-D is good dumb fun.
Good action • PG • 93 mins.
Hancock
Superhero fans will find it packs a decent punch.
reviewed by Mark Burns
A boozing uber-bruiser shambles up to his heroic calling in this fun spin on the superhero tale.
Hancock (Will Smith: I Am Legend) is an amoral do-gooder, a temperamental lush whose reckless heroics have the tendency to demolish Los Angeles’ cityscape. Consequently, Angelinos are spitting venom at their so-called protector. He seems doomed to remain the city’s lesser evil. That is, until Hancock’s path crosses with goody-two-shoes publicist Ray (Jason Bateman: Juno). Ever the optimist, Ray hatches a scheme to awaken the hero’s nobler spirit and polish his image. Hancock grudgingly plays along, discovering his forgotten past in the process of realizing his true potential.
This hero is unique amid this summer’s bumper crop of superhero cinema, his character and myth being the only fresh invention among them. A pluot amid the conventional fruits, you might say. It can be risky, nudging an unestablished, comedic superhero concept over the ledge. My Super Ex-Girlfriend fell flat, right beside The Mystery Men. But Hancock manages to fly pretty well.
Even the best superhero flicks tend to the formulaic, with smirking fanboy tributes, cheesy one-liners, clichéd characters and story hemmed by often-corny pulp lore. At its best, Hancock is refreshing for its independence. Screenwriter Vincent Ngo tinkers with a few what-ifs and emerges with a pretty original take on the genre.
Hints of other sources can be discovered: Hancock reminds a little of Superman after he was exposed to Richard Pryor’s kryptonite-lite; the context of disastrous civic consequence smacks of amusing reality check via The Incredibles; emerging lore is shaded with a darkening twist, dramatic smudging perhaps inspired by M. Night Shyamalan’s moody gem Unbreakable. Yet borrowing is light, never approaching the pratfall of rip-off.
Story is steady enough as Ray tries to shepherd the unloved hero unto adoration and higher purpose. Comedy, action and drama interplay nicely. But redemption comes suddenly, and complexities born of a fairly predictable plot twist don’t get sorted out cleanly. New and interesting dramatic angles are raised but not explored. The shift in tone is stark; the climax lacks for brighter counterpoints to float it out of the brutal. Still, the plot manages to hold center just enough to carry interest through to the end.
Director Peter Berg (The Kingdom) may let his attention wander from the story, but the action and special effects are first-rate. All the requisite feats of super-strength are present, tweaked with creative twists and comic touches.
Laughs succeed especially well in the first half. The interplay of cool heroics and their presumed real-world consequences provide sharp comedic tension between Hancock and the city of Los Angeles. His devil-may-care attitude and antipathy toward the very prattling public he serves makes for an amusing break from superhero tradition. A couple scenes lack snap and one running gag cramps up, but for the most part the humor is good fun.
Hancock isn’t spectacular, but it’s good, original fun. Superhero flick fans will find it packs a decent punch.
Good Action-Comedy • PG-13 • 92 min.
WALL•E
Good storytelling meshes with wonderful to animation to push the envelope of what an animated feature can do.
reviewed by Jonathan Parker
A small trash-compressing robot falls for another robot and subsequently changes the course of humankind in the enchanting and masterfully constructed animated feature WALL•E. Director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, A Bug’s Life) and the wizards at Pixar have done it again, meshing good storytelling with animation wonder and pushing the envelope of what an animated feature can do.
It is about 1,000 years in the future, and Earth is covered in junk and trash. WALL•E is the last of his kind, and one of the few moving things left on Earth, still carrying out his robot mission of smashing and compacting trash. Yet this cute little lonely robot also has personality. He collects things; he befriends a bug; he is enchanted by the movie Hello, Dolly! (Yes, the 1969 Hollywood version of Hello, Dolly!, which plays a critical role in the film.) WALL•E’s life changes when a high-tech robot — seemingly female, name of EVE — is dropped off on Earth to explore for signs of life. It only takes WALL•E a moment to fall head over heels, and he follows EVE on her mission that takes them both to a mother ship and ultimately to a world-saving, life-altering destiny.
To give away much more than that would be to ruin the wonder of the film. WALL•E features a clever romance and animation full of shine and sparkle, but perhaps most enticing is its vision of what has happened to Earth and humans — and robots — so many many years into the future. The movie consistently surprises us with interesting and often funny takes on our future selves. This isn’t the usual rehash of H.G. Wells’s concepts. This film has real ideas.
Essentially the movie is a silent film. Not just because virtually no words are said in the first half and the two main characters say little more than their names, but also because the way the characters interact. The film captures the cinematic dance of the best films of the Silent Era. Indeed, WALL•E is the closet thing to Charlie Chaplin since Chaplin.
Oddly, because of that, I have no idea how much kids will like this film. Will it be too slow for them? (I must admit, as the film picked up with action sequences, it seemed too slow in its storytelling and get too long.) Or will the children be enchanted and entertained? I assure you, adults will be.
Great animated comedy • G • 97 mins.
Get Smart
The flavor of the original has been diluted by being processed through Hollywood’s canning factory.
reviewed by Mark Burns
Spoof meets Hollywood action in this flubbed series-to-film remake.
Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell: Horton Hears a Who!) is an analyst for CONTROL, an ultra-secret Cold-War relic spy outfit hidden in the basement of D.C.’s Smithsonian Castle. When old nemesis Siegfried (Terence Stamp: General Zod in Superman II) resurfaces at the helm of KAOS and knocks out CONTROL’s operatives, Smart is promoted to field agent and dispatched with superspy Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway: Becoming Jane Austen) to discover and foil KAOS’s dastardly plans.
The original series was a comic gem. Don Adams, the original Maxwell Smart, created an iconic character who bumbled fluidly through goofy plots steeped in that swinging ’60s era. Episodes exuded chemistry and colorful characters, benefiting from the skewed mind of co-creator Mel Brooks. Some of that carries over. Mel Brooks consulted, at least. But the flavor has been diluted by bland and dissociate humor after being processed through Hollywood’s canning factory.
Director Peter Segal is capable of quality comedy; he does have 50 First Dates to his credit. But Segal et. al. apparently don’t get Get Smart. They deviate from the quirk and contextual slapstick for mild shock gags and fat suit flashbacks. Where Segal should borrow from his Naked Gun experience, he instead borrows from his Nutty Professor days. Eccentricity is dissolved as Segal and company lean on the crutch of tired gags, and many jokes are lamely delivered. Several bits do strike funny, but even these are undercut by the previews. If you’ve seen one, you’ve probably already gleaned most of the best laughs.
Oddly, Get Smart ends up taking itself a bit too seriously. The occasional big-budget action and violence is executed capably, but a little too much so. Such adoption of blockbuster boom gives an incongruously hard edge to the physical comedy.
Action seems a ploy to punch up unremarkable story. Nods to the original series include a few prop relics, but little of the uniquely fun vibe. By lifting Smart out of his original era, they have lost much of the charm and color. And there’s no effort to wheedle out the eccentricities of our own time, aside from somewhat successful lampooning of the war room and present administration. Instead the plot is a lazy and simplistic assemblage of predictable cliché. This undercuts the funny, too, as the fun of surprise is, for the most part, lost.
Steve Carell tries hard to make his own version of Maxwell Smart shine; hints of Don Adams pop up here and there, but Carell generally melds the character into his own awkward stiffness. It’s more successful than Steve Martin’s attempt at tackling Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau, but it still doesn’t click. Overall, the players lack chemistry. And forget wooden; the villainy is mere cardboard.
The challenge in adapting such an iconic series to film must be immense, but the filmmakers don’t really seem keen to try. They’ve merely taken its simplest skeleton and glommed on standard trifles with obvious little Post-It notes of homage. Those who’ve never seen an original episode might find it fun. But anyone who appreciates the original series will likely find it lacking.
Poor adventure comedy • PG-13 • 110 mins.
The Incredible Hulk
Just another superhero movie with well-crafted and thrilling action plus stupid romance.
reviewed by Jonathan Parker
That enormous … well, hulk … of a green monster is back, only five years after the first whack at bringing this gigantic comic book hero to the big screen, in the action-packed and wholly unsurprising action film The Incredible Hulk. This new version by director Louis Leterrier (Transporter 2) is more of what we expect from a superhero action movie — for good and ill.
Edward Norton plays Dr. Bruce Banner, a scientist accidentally zapped by dangerous gamma rays. As a result, whenever he gets angry (i.e. his pulse rate jumps to over 200), he turns into a 20-foot tall, super-strong, uncontrollable, green mountain of fury. Only Bruce’s ex-girlfriend Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) seems to understand him and is able to tamp down his fury. Meanwhile, General Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt), father of Betty, wants to unlock the key to the Hulk’s power to use it for military purposes. Enter super-agent Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) who takes his own mega-powered serum to match up to the Hulk. (Another comic-book movie with a clone-like villain.) All hell breaks loose in New York City (one can only imagine how many innocents are killed or injured), and it’s up to the Hulk to save the day.
This film is basically a redo by the folks at Marvel following 2003’s misunderstood and underappreciated version by director Ang Lee. This new Hulk film is more keen on action, less concerned with character and has more cameos and sly nods to the comic books and the old TV series. In short, it’s more like every other comic book superhero movie.
This is in contrast to Lee’s version, which tried a different more dramatic approach to the genre. The result was a failure with moviegoers and netted a mixed response from critics. This new Hulk is not any better than Lee’s quietly intense version, which has plenty of its own exciting action. It’s just different.
Ultimately, The Incredible Hulk is just another superhero movie, no better or no worse than what we’ve come to expect. The action sequences are well crafted and thrilling; the romantic parts are stupid and incredibly slow. Norton is a worthy Bruce Banner, though he plays him almost too realistically for this popcorn movie. But a popcorn movie it is, with silly plot lines and chock full of Hulk-smash thrills. Indeed, it will probably turn you green if you swallow too much of it.
Good action • PG-13 • 114 mins.
You Don’t Mess With the Zohan
You’ll get a a few irreverent laughs from Sandler’s attempt to confront crisis with comedy
reviewed by Mark Burns
The heart of Middle East conflict has never appeared so stupid. Which is both good and bad.
Zohan (Adam Sandler: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) is a superstar Mossad commando. Think Chuck Norris meets Leslie Nielsen meets Superman meets Menudo. Though Israel adores him for his antiterrorist kick-assery, he’d much rather ditch the senseless violence to pursue his true passion: making the world “sexy smooth” through hairstyling. So he ditches the Holy Land and Palestinian arch-nemesis The Phantom (John Turturro: Transformers) for a jet to New York City. On arriving, Zohan discovers a blended neighborhood and learns to step across the divide to meet Palestinians in friendship as he pursues his life’s passion. But happiness may be forfeit as his past catches up.
The ensuing nonsense revels in the high stupidity of Sandler’s more typical comedy. Surprisingly, though, this film strives to exceed the scope of its slapstick to humanize both sides of the Israel/Palestine conflict and trumpet the cause of peace.
Impatience with the conflict takes center stage as Sandler tackles the crisis and its players with strikingly direct lampoon. Israel is portrayed as the place where outdated American cool goes to die; an Israeli officer guilts Zohan into assignment by woefully promising high collateral damage otherwise; The Phantom is a hip-hop-lite folk hero who cashes in on his fame in a most American way; and the clash of societies is boiled down to a farcical grudge match full of Heroes-meets-slapstick impossibilities. Stateside, intolerant rednecks are locked in the crosshairs. Occasionally the gags and action are punctuated with flashes of topical banter on larger issue.
It all smacks of relevance, and almost seems subversively smart. Then Adam Sandler catches a Hakky Sak with his butt.
Sandler’s root humor is still overacted slapstick that feeds on stupidity. He succeeds most handily in defining Zohan and in the movie’s early Mediterranean scenes. But early potential can’t carry the whole. The movie flounders once Zohan lands stateside. Here, overreliance on running gags renders humor repetitive, especially as concerns the hero’s utterly selfless libido. Supporting characters essential to the humor just don’t click; even The Phantom proves a bit flat. And many promising jokes fail to ring funny as story shambles along through waning inspiration.
The simplified plot makes sense, but veteran Sandler director Dennis Dugan (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry; Happy Gilmore) has little discipline for making the telling coherent. Dueling arcs prevent one another from becoming prominent: Minor Palestinian expat Salim (Rob Schneider, recently the Asian minister in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) guns after Zohan for revenge and fame. Meanwhile, that “Let’s Get Ready to <trrrademark>” guy moonlights as a WASP developer who likes to yell a lot (his only talent) and tries to orchestrate the downfall of Zohan’s adoptive neighborhood. Both hold promise, but neither is explored effectively enough to direct the story or to mine humor.
Sandler et al. get kudos for confronting crisis with comedy and offering a hopeful perspective on the struggle. Perhaps this flick will improve with fresh perception, like Men in Tights and Zoolander when released on video. At first blush, though, it’s only good for a few irreverent laughs.
Fair • PG-13 • 113 min.
Sex and the City
This flick is all bright, quick and scrappy escapism dolled up with designer labels and hunky man babes set against snazzy locales
reviewed by Mark Burns
I’m no longer a manly man (if I ever was) for having been able to spell Manolo Blahnik correctly from memory. Blahnik? The designer’s famously red-soled shoes are revered gems in the high-fashion world, some creations standing out with such extravagant touches as chinchilla fur rosettes.
But in this theater, I am but an interloper in girls’ night out. But here goes.
Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker: Smart People) is a writer for Vogue magazine who’s made her name and success with a column about love, sex and the single woman. But she may soon be out of material. It seems her search for love may finally be finished, as she’s suddenly set to wed her on-again-off-again squeeze, Mr. Big (Chris Noth: Law & Order).
To bring in the conflict, reality bites back hard. Carrie’s New York City fairy tale hits a wrenching snag. Miranda’s (Cynthia Nixon: The Babysitters) marriage is on the rocks; Samantha (Kim Cattrall: Ice Princess) finds herself suffocating in the anathema of functional monogamy; and Charlotte (Kristin Davis: Deck the Halls) is cheerily empathetic. But she’s left out of the dramatic stew except as supportive friend: That ditzy brunette pepster is offered but one mild trouble that just won’t stick.
So the friends struggle through crises of the heart, mojo, and questionable wardrobe choices against the chic backdrops of New York.
Honestly, it’s a little fun. At its most basic, Sex and the City muscles up yay, shopping! and grand romance clichés to high fashion and flashes of sex bordering on soft porn. (The latter is scarring to see in a theater amid at least 43 of your delighted moms.) But the setup benefits from more wit and substance than a newbie might expect.
These material girls are infused with enough depth to make them interesting and sympathetic. But they’re not entirely relatable: My eyes rolled at the notion of cementing a deep emotional bond over an ugly (perceived fashionable) handbag.
Sharp one-liners and candid sexual humor prove charismatic. The laughs range from bathroom humor to gasps at high fashion gaffe. At best, the humor thrives in the reversal of sexual objectification and the bantering pursuit of A-list happiness. Samantha steals most scenes as she tries to cope with false inhibition.
At worst, there is thinly penned borrowing, such as a snappy gay wedding planner who’s less edgy than Martin Short in Father of the Bride.
Michael Patrick King, assembler of the original HBO series, directs a film that relies on quick summary to avoid hashing out the hairier details. Carrie’s narration most often serves as a cue for an awkward lurch in the timeline. The telling is too hasty, as the film cools its stilettos only for the immediacy of the central crises, then scrolls with increasing velocity through rebound and resolution. Such haste winnows new character Louise (Jennifer Hudson: Dreamgirls), brought in for Midwestern perspective on love and pulling together the pieces.
Essentially, that’s beside the point. This flick is all bright, quick and scrappy escapism dolled up with designer labels and hunky man babes set against snazzy locales. Its purpose is not to nourish the mind but to pleasure the senses, like some fruity cocktail. In this sense, it succeeds. Sex and the City fans will probably dig it, though I for one have no clue how it measures up against the series. Stag men, on the other hand, would do better to queue up early for Mongol.
Good comedy • R • 148 min.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Not unlike the B-movie serials to which the Indiana Jones movies pay homage, there is little in the way of smart plot here.
reviewed by Jonathan Parker
Harrison Ford returns as that adventuring archeologist Indiana Jones in the fairly rollicking if not numbskulled Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Director Steven Spielberg, who has directed all four Indy films — working with a story co-authored by Indy creator George Lucas — keeps the action coming at us with references to Indy movies past. But for those looking for more, keep looking.
Despite creeping old age, Indiana Jones (Ford, who turns 66 this year) is still trekking around the globe in search of treasure and archeological knowledge. Soviets (it’s the 1950s and there’s a Cold War on) led by psychic commander Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) are in search of a secret crystal skull, and they’ve employed Indy — forced at gunpoint numerous times — to help them find it. Indy’s adventuring partner this go round is rebel with a clue Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), who gives Indy a letter and coded treasure map from an old friend who sought the crystal skull. Onward to jungle trouble in pursuit of the skull and its secrets.
This new Indiana Jones film delivers on the action, but that’s about it. Not unlike the B-movie serials to which the Indiana Jones movies pay homage, there is little in the way of smart plot here. Sure, the film tries to interest us with a Da Vinci Code like mystery. But the more the movie explains this muddled mess, the worse it gets.
It’s the dumb action fun that we really came to see, and on that level it mostly succeeds. The opening scene announces that visual master Spielberg is in charge. Unfortunately, we are also reminded that he is in charge when the movie goes on for too long, like almost all Spielberg movies.
Best of all for Indiana Jones fans are plenty of references to the old movies, especially the return of Karen Allen, from some sort of self-imposed Hollywood sabbatical. She seems more fit for action than creaky Harrison Ford, and she still has the wisecrack punch to his stoic machismo.
Fans of Indiana Jones will enjoy this film enough. It’s more of the same — and certainly is no worse than that bubblegum mess of a second film. No obnoxious kid either, though depending on your taste, I guess LaBeouf might fit that role. Ultimately, one could do worse than forgettable summer blockbuster action with some familiar faces.
Fair action • PG-13 • 120 mins.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Pevensie children battle for life and freedom in this entertaining fantasy sequel.
reviewed by Mark Burns
The Pevensie children have barely adjusted to wartime London after returning through the back of a magical wardrobe. It’s practically yesterday that they shuffled behind some old coats and discovered Narnia, defeated the White Witch and reigned into young adulthood as the mystical world’s kings and queens.
Change is faster in their idyllic kingdom. Narnia has exceeded their legacy by some 1,300 years. Vicious invaders have usurped paradise, nearly eradicating the Narnians. Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes: Stardust) is the rightful heir to the conquerors’ throne. But a power play turns him, leading him to discover his true path and take up the noble cause of restoration. In his struggle he accidentally summons the four Pevensie sibs, and together they raise revolution against the oppressive king Miraz (Sergio Castellitto: Paris, je t’aime).
This second visit to Narnia handily outclasses the first film of the series: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Director Andrew Adamson, who helmed both, has fallen into stride, achieving a significant all-around improvement.
To start, Prince Caspian benefits from stronger adaptation. Plot moves easily among adventure, drama, humor and neat-o mysticism. This one seems better suited for popular tastes, being a magical, sword-swinging underdog epic presented in familiar format. It might also be a superior story to the first. Religious allegory still features big. But Caspian’s self-determination/mysterious ways/crisis of faith is subtler than the prior’s apocalyptic resurrection tale, making for a gentler balance of escapism and message.
Escapism blooms from ample fisticuffs, swordplay and warfare. Action crops up with appropriate consistency to drive the plot and keep the film fun. Sword scenes are more finely choreographed, and even the awkward Pevensies of old are fluid heroes. It also becomes apparent that C.S. Lewis was buddy-buddy with the Lord of the Rings’ J.R.R. Tolkien; some elements run in direct parallel to the Rings trilogy, tweaked with original Narnia signature.
Most dramatic of any improvements from the first Narnia film is the quality of acting. Where the prior seemed plastic, this one is colorful with personality. The young actors are more comfortable in the skin of Lucy (Georgie Henley), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Susan (Anna Popplewell) and Peter (William Moseley). Smarter scripting helps, as depth and sharper wit infuse everyone from the fated four to skeptic dwarf Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage: Death at a Funeral) to the scene-stealing mouse chief Reepicheep (voice of Eddie Izzard, Mr. Kite in Across the Universe).
Adamson, who also directed the first two Shrek movies, once again proves adept at punching up CGI creatures with fun personality; Reepicheep in particular reminds of Shrek 2’s Puss in Boots. Mythical Narnians interact more convincingly with the fleshed players this time around, thanks to heightened CGI realism and tighter cues. The minotaurs are particularly cool.
Caspian is a big improvement over Wardrobe, but it does not gleam perfect. Book-loyal Lewis fans might object to seeing the material diverted mainstream. Juvenile attempts at romance are clumsy and random. Epic action often devolves into a formless clatter of violence; much of the run time could have been abridged here — for the movie does run longer than need be. While the movie lacks bloodshed, there is much killing — done by the Pevensie kids, to boot — which might check parents considering a family outing.
Ultimately, this is a well-made fantasy in spite of its hiccups. Fans of the genre will likely enjoy.
Good fantasy drama • PG • 147 min.
