Showing posts with label Tom Cruise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Cruise. Show all posts

Friday, July 21, 2017

The Mummy (2017) - Review

tom cruise mummy movie poster wallpaper screensaver image picture dark universe

The movie starts with a prologue set in England in 1127 A.D. -  A body is buried in a coffin along with a red gem/ruby/some sort of movie guffin.

To present day in England, these coffins have been discovered. Dr Henry Jekyll (Russell Crowe) gives us a quick rundown about Princess Ahmanat (Sofia Boutella), who is ruthless and beautiful. Ahmanat's dreams of succeeding her father on the throne are dashed when her mother gives birth to a boy. Ahmanat strikes a deal with Set, the God of Death. She kills her family members and is about to transfer Set's spirit into a human body when the process is interrupted. Ahmanat is mummified and then buried in then Mesopotamia (today known as Iraq).

We are then introduced to Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) and his friend/sidekick, Chris Vail (Jake Johnson). Nick and Chris specialize in stealing rare artifacts and selling them in the black market. But this time things take a bad turn and Nick and Chris are in mortal danger. Chris calls in an airstrike (much against Nick's wishes) and unwittingly sets in motion the chain of events that will change both of their lives forever.



The airstrike unearths the aforementioned tomb of Ahmanat. Turns out that Nick had stolen a map from Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis), an archaeologist with whom he had an one night stand. Jenny is furious at the deception and further warns Nick to leave Ahmanat's coffin alone.


annabelle wallis mummy movie poster wallpaper screensaver image picture

Like any self-respecting and self-assured blockbuster movie male lead, Nick proceeds to ignore her and does the exact opposite. The next is the plane sequence featured in the trailer. Chris is bitten by a spider. If this had been a superhero movie, he would have become Spider-Man. But since this is a horror movie, he becomes the undead and is forcibly shot dead by Nick.

The plane crashes and Nick is killed. He wakes up in the mortuary and is surprised to see Chris walking around advising him. If this reminds you of the Max Landis werewolf classic (An American Werewolf in London), then you are a certifiable horror movie geek.


 

Jenny deduces that Ahmanat has chosen Nick for some specific purpose. Ahmanat is sucking the life force out of people and creating her own army of zombies. She also has mind control over Nick and almost captures him after an inane action sequence.

This is where we meet Dr Jekyll makes his re-entrance in the movie. His team rescues Nick and Jenny and captures Ahmanat. This is when the movie starts losing momentum. Crowe's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde brings the whole movie down. Crowe looks bored in the role and Hyde's “transformation” is so inane that it has to be seen to be believed.


jake johnson tom cruise mummy movie poster wallpaper screensaver image picture dark universe

Universal Studios makes no pretensions about it's plans for a new movie franchise to rival that of Warner Bros. and Disney. But this would-be franchise starter is even worse than Man of Steel let alone be half as good as Iron Man. RDJ is perfect casting for Tony Stark and his alter ego. Henry Cavill is a bland Superman and an OK Clark Kent. But Cruise is thoroughly miscast in the role. He looks lost for the most part and his attempts at comedy fall flat.

Plus he looks too old to play the leading man. The makeup applied to make him look younger often distracts us from everything else on the screen. At 54, he is more than twice the age of his co-star Jake Johnson who plays his buddy character. Annabelle Wallis is 22 years younger than Cruise!

The movie is confused as to whether it is a Tom Cruise vehicle or is it a part of horror movie franchise. Director Alex Kurtzman seems to be part of the problem as Cruise seems to have had a free hand in the production. If this were Mission Impossible 6 or the next Jack Reacher movie, that would not be a problem. But a Mummy movie needs to be focussed on the Mummy. Brendan Fraser was able to do this successfully - he was a strong lead but at the same time did not hog all the limelight like Cruise does here.



The movie does not have fun factor of the Stephen Sommers/Brendan Fraser 1999 movie. Director Sommers made an enjoyable popcorn movie which I can rewatch any number of times. Unfortunately, sitting through this movie even once is a chore.

Rachel Weisz gave us one of the most memorable female leads in the form of Evelyn Carnahan. She also had a good chemistry with Fraser's Rick O'Connell. In this movie, Annabelle Wallis' character has no chemistry whatsoever with Cruise's Nick.

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Sofia does her best with a role that despite being titular is forced to play second fiddle to Tom Cruise.

Brian Tyler's score makes no impression at all. The action sequences are boring. We have seen similar scenes executed much better in other Tom Cruise movies.

Coming back to the plot of the movie, Cruise acquires superpowers of Set, destroys Ahmanat and rides into the desert with Chris. No one expects Cruise to leave this franchise anytime soon.

Only time will tell if the next movie will be a Wonder Woman and save this Dark Universe or will it be like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and sink the ship further.

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Image Sources: Universal Pictures, Dark Universe, Dentsu, Perfect World Pictures,  Sean Daniel Company, Secret Hideout

Monday, August 3, 2015

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) - Recap and Review

Tom Cruise Ethan Hunt Mission Impossible Rogue Nation poster wallpaper image picture screensaver

The opening scene is set in London. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) visits a record shop. After proving his identity using a set of code words to the store girl (Hermione Corfield), Ethan obtains the record that would provide instructions for his next mission. He has been on the trail of a terrorist organization, “The Syndicate”.

Ethan realizes that his identity has been compromised when it is revealed that the recording itself has been authored by none other the Syndicate itself. Ethan is captured and the store girl is murdered by an as-yet unidentified agent of The Syndicate.

Ethan is held hostage by Janik “Bone Doctor” Vinter (Jens Hultén). But before Janik can inflict any substantial torture on Ethan, he is rescued by Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). Ilsa is a British Intelligence MI6 agent whose present assignment is to infiltrate The Syndicate.

Back in Washington D.C., CIA Director Hunley (Alec Baldwin) is dead set on getting the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) dissolved and have the IMF's assets and agents restored to CIA. IMF Agent William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) tries his best to salvage his agency's reputation, but to no avail.


Simon Pegg Benji Dunn Alec Baldwin CIA Director Hunley polygraph test Mission Impossible Rogue Nation review poster

Hunley believes that The Syndicate is a mere excuse created by Ethan to justify IMF's existence. He even subjects Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) to weekly polygraph tests, in the hopes of getting some kind of information on Ethan. Benji loves playing Halo 5 game and hates being interrupted by such mundane details.

Benji manages to beat such tests, despite the fact that he is in regular touch with Ethan. A desperate Ethan seeks Benji's help in order to apprehend the man who killed the store girl and dismantle the organization.

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This man is revealed to be one Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). Solomon manages to stay one step ahead and has both Ethan and Benji framed for the assassination of the Austrian Chancellor.

With the IMF disbanded, Ethan has to use his wits and skills to clear his name and have the craft Lane behind bars.

The thing that struck me most about this movie was how much it has been inspired from the Sherlock Holmes stories and specifically, the Robert Downey Jr. movies Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (SH: AGoS).


Ethan Hunt Ilsa Faust Mission Impossible poster wallpaper image picture screensaver

Drew Pierce is credited with the story. Drew's previous credit include Iron Man 3 and is currently working on Sherlock Holmes 3. It is not much of a stretch of imagination that he has borrowed ideas from the previous two Sherlock Holmes movies.

In the first Sherlock Holmes movie, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) is working for Professor Moriarty. He orders her to work with Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) with the clear purpose of utilizing his detective skills to retrieve a device. When Irene Adler seems to be lagging in her mission, he threatens to have Sherlock killed. In the sequel, Moriarty poisons her in order to punish her for her failure. 

There are clear parallels between Sherlock/Irene and Ethan/Ilsa. Ilsa is Ethan's equal and outwits him a few times in the movie. Ethan also refers to her as The Woman”. And Ilsa's acting on the behest of Solomon Lane to retrieve the data from Ethan also reminds one of Irene Adler working on Professor Moriarty's orders to retrieve the device.

There is even a scene in which Ilsa undresses in front of Ethan, as he watches her naked back. Readers might remember that there is a similar encounter between Holmes and Adler in the hotel in the first Sherlock Holmes movie.


Rebecca Ferguson Ilsa Faust Mission Impossible Rogue Nation poster wallpaper image picture screensaver

At least, this version of Sherlock and Irene do not make out at any point in the movie, unlike the RDJ movies or the CBS Elementary or the recent Russian TV Series. Ilsa might still appear in the inevitable sequel...

There is an action set piece set in an opera in Austria, that should remind readers of a similar scene in SH: AGoS. Another nod is Ethan's diorama on the wall detailing what he thinks are related events and incidents that have been orchestrated by Solomon Lane. In SH: AGoS, Sherlock maintains a diorama listing what he thinks are the worldwide criminal activities of Professor Moriarty.

One of the popular fan theory surrounding the Sherlock Holmes Canon is that Professor Moriarty is a creation of Holmes, since Dr Watson has never actually seen him. This is indirectly referred to in the beginning of the movie, when Hunley states that The Syndicate is just a figment of Ethan's imagination.

Benji resembles Dr Watson in the scene in which Ethan asks him to leave stating his inability to protect him. Benji gets emotional and boldly asserts that he is Ethan's friend and he firmly intends to stick through with Ethan to the very end, despite Ethan's insistence on him leaving. In The Final Problem, Sherlock asks Dr Watson to let him face Moriarty alone to which Dr Watson bluntly refuses.


Sean Harris Solomon Lane The Syndicate Mission Impossible Rogue Nation review poster

The bad guy (Moriarty) is Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), formerly of British Intelligence. His style of working is similar to Moriarty. And just like Moriarty, Lane is referred to as He in many scenes. References are made to his vast network of resources and agents. Ilsa mentions that Ethan has met his match in Lane.

Janik “Bone Doctor” Vinter is Moriarty's right hand man, Sebastian Moran. The actor, Jens Hultén even bears a passing resemblance to Paul Anderson who played Moran in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

To quote Sherlock Holmes himself from The Empty House: “The parallel is exact”.

Coming back to the movie, the movie is not as exciting as the previous entry, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. That movie was fun and had a momentum that lasted from the first frame till the last.

This one pales in comparison. The action sequences are not as gripping. The climax involves an incredibly boring fight between Ilsa and Janik. I did like the Road Rage type kick Ethan gives to a bad guy during the motorcycle chase scene.

The abject objectification of Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Faust character is a major eye sore. There are a number of scenes in which the camera gazes too long at her posterior. At least, Ilsa is smart enough to remove her high heel shoes before each action scene. Something that another female lead character famously failed to do so in a recent global Dino blockbuster.

The movie did have some postives. The scene in which Ethan, Ilsa and Benji discuss about the simple disguise using masks not working anymore was a nice touch. As was the scene in which Benji confidently states that Ethan can hold his breath underwater for a superhuman period of time.

Recommended only to die-hard fans of the Mission Impossible franchise and/or Tom Cruise.

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Image Sources: Alibaba Pictures Group, Bad Robot, Skydance Productions, TC Productions, Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, Silver Pictures, Wigram Productions, Lin Pictures

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Book Review: The Firm by John Grisham



The Firm by John Grisham


This book is very good in terms of character development and the way Grisham moves the story forward.

The story starts with a young law school graduate, Mitch McDeere who is being interviewed for his new job with Bendini, Lambert and Locke, a small tax law firm based in Memphis. He bags a great job offer with loads of perks/bonuses. He moves in with his wife Abby into the new apartment and also gets a flashy new BMW, both provided by his new employer at lower mortgage and on a new lease respectively.

Soon, couple of Mitch's colleagues die in a “mysterious” accident. Mitch is intrigued to learn of a few more unsettling truths about the firm. Mitch hires his own detective, Eddie Lomax to investigate these discrepancies. Shortly, Lomax gets murdered and a FBI agent starts hounding Mitch.

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The plot quickly escalates to a cat-and-mouse chase between Mitch and his employer's goons. Mitch has few confidantes besides Abby: his brother Ray and Lomax's secretary, Tammy.

Grisham paces the story nicely and the reader is sucked into the proceedings, just like Mitch. The only downside is that I found it to be a little bit lengthy.Other than this, the book scores on all fronts.


Recommended for fans of legal thrillers.

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Movie Review: Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)



Director Brad Bird Tom Cruise on the set of Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Director Brad Bird with the cast of Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol is the best action movie in a long long time.

When it comes to some specific genres such as action or horror, what separates a run-of-the-mill movie from a great movie is the acting prowess on display. Granted that it is too much to ask for great display of thespian skills in an action movie, there have been many movies where the actors have tried their best to infuse some life and energy into a genre that is well known for playing it safe with some action set pieces. The actors often prove to be just eye candy while the movie lurches on from one action set piece to another. And this is where the Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol proves its superiority.

Tom Cruise Ethan Hunt Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Tom Cruise looks stylish as Ethan Hunt

Tom Cruise returns to his usual self as the dashing IMF Agent Ethan Hunt, we have loved since the very first movie in 1996. He performs most of the stunts himself and deserves credits for the same.

The movie’s ensemble cast includes Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Paula Patton as Cruise’s teammates.

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Simon made quite an impression in Shaun of the DeadHot Fuzz and Star Trek. Cast as Benji Dunn, the tech expert on the team, Simon provides the much needed comic relief amidst the insane action happening around him most of the time.

Paula Patton brings great gravitas to her role as Jane Carter, the team leader who has lost one of her men to a rogue agent.

Paula Patton and Simon Pegg in "Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol"
Paula Patton and Simon Pegg in Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

But, all these great actors are upstaged by Jeremy Renner, who proves to be the dark horse of the team. Renner is cast as William Brandt, an intelligence analyst, with a lot of tricks up his sleeve.


Jeremy Renner in "Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol"
Jeremy Renner in Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Brad Bird shows a very deft hand in his very first live action movie. Perhaps, this should not come as a surprise considering his earlier movie The Incredibles. He has also directed couple of episodes on The Simpsons. Both these animated works contain families coming to terms with one another, while they adapt to the world changing around them all the time.

Bird brings all these experiences on board to helm a gem of a action movie, that boasts of excellent ensemble acting and jaw dropping action.  The sequences inside Kremlin and atop Burj Khalifa tower deserve special mention. He successfully makes the transition from animated to real action movies and I look forward to his continued work on this series.

Highly recommended to all Cruise fans and fans of the spy thriller/action movie genre.

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