Assassin's Creed

 

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Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) is a criminal who is executed for murder. It is revealed however that a shady organization run by Alan Rikkin (Jeremy Irons) and his daughter Sophia (Marion Cottilard) faked his death, and need his help with something. Callum’s ancestor hid something away that the elder Rikkin wants for his own. To do this, they use a machine that will allow Callum to relive the past memories and experiences of his ancestor. The plot feels very complicated and convoluted. I can’t speak for whether or not this movie is accurate to the game (I never played the game), so I’m judging this one based on its merits as a film. First things first, I am aware that the game series this movie is based on is rated M for Mature. So, I feel like the PG-13 rating is a hinderance more than anything. The action sequences, while impressive to an extent, feel watered down. This movie plays things a little too safe. The movie does delve into obnoxious, ugly shaky-cam at points. Thankfully, it’s never too distracting. The movie’s cast is talented. I know this. I’ve seen these actors do fantastic work in other, better movies. Most of the cast plays the movie completely flat and monotone. The worst offender of this is easily Marion Cotillard. She is an Oscar-winning actress, but he shows no emotion or investment here. Thankfully, Michael Fassbender seems to be the exception to the rule. He actually seems invested in his performance. The pacing could’ve been far better handled. When Callum enters the machine and we the audience is in the 1400s, it is a little more interesting. The problem is, we don’t get this for very long. The rest of the movie is more of a slow, plodding chore of a movie. Assassin’s Creed shows glimmers of potential, but it all feels completely wasted.  

3 / 10  

The Legend of Tarzan

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The Legend of Tarzan is directed by David Yates of Harry Potter fame. The film stars Alexander Skarsgaard, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, and Samuel L. Jackson. One of the first things I noticed about this movie was that it felt somewhat edited down. Within the first ten minutes, we get this big action set piece. I could be wrong, but it just seemed like this scene was meant to be much more visceral, almost like they were actively trying for that PG-13 rating.  On something of an unrelated note, The Legend of Tarzan makes it look like this movie is going to be an origin story, and it really isn’t. Flashbacks come in every now and then to try and just using an origin story. Unfortunately, they just feel jarring, and don’t work within the story nearly as well as they probably should. The pacing of the movie doesn’t always work either. The action sequences are entertaining, and David Yates directs them to best of his ability. Some of the slower parts of the movie can feel a bit too slow at times, and drag the movie down. Some of the backstories in this movie I found more interesting than others. They did some things with the Jane character that I liked. They changed her up a little bit, and of course Margot Robbie comes to play (as she typically does). The other character I really found myself liking quite a bit was the character of George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson). He has understandable motivations for why he wants to go into the jungle and explore. The visual effects are also pretty damn solid, for the most part. The lions and apes actually looked pretty good to me. On the other hand, some of the CGI crocodiles really could’ve been cleaned up a little bit better. Overall, The Legend of Tarzan has some noticeable chinks in its armor, but I do believe it’s decent enough for a one-time watch.

7 / 10      

Alice Through the Looking Glass

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I know I’m in a minority, but I actually enjoyed Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. It wasn’t perfect, but I thought it was decent enough. Even though Tim Burton didn’t direct this sequel, I was still kind of curious to see what this movie had to offer. This time around, Alice (Mia Wasikowska) has spent the last couple years travelling the world. She returns to London to discover that her ex-fiancée has taken over her father’s company, and has bought her family house. While a party for the man, she comes across the caterpillar Absolem (voiced by Alan Rickman in his final film role), and ultimately chases after him, returning to “Wonderland.” Her friends then task her with trying to save The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). She must contend with the humanized version of Time (Sacha Baron Cohen) and the returning Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). So, I think it will be easier to start with the negatives I have with the movie. The story is a bit of a mess. There feels like way too much going on, even more so than in the first movie. A good portion of the movie deals with the relationship between Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter, and how their relationship went south. But, when you actually see what the reason is, it just doesn’t feel all that important. The wide-angle shots feel too much, too often. Most of the time, I feel like my personal space is being violated. The acting is kind of hard to quantify. For example, Mia Wasikowska kind of walks this thin line between being good and being bad in her performance this time around. Meanwhile, returning performers like Anne Hathaway, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter do the same thing they did previously, only not as good. Newcomer Sacha Baron Cohen tries his usual schtick, and it just doesn’t work. The movie isn’t a total loss, however. The one actor I actually do want to compliment in this movie is Andrew Scott. In his brief performance, he goes suitably over the top. The movie also looks great. The visual effects are top notch, and the sets bring up the perfect amount of both weird and gorgeous. In the end, Alice Through the Looking Glass suffers from all–around messy execution. I did actually end up enjoying the movie, despite its numerous flaws, even if I think there was a much better movie in here somewhere.

6 / 10  

The Magnificent Seven

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A young woman (Haley Bennett) seeks help from bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) to get rid of a man terrorizing her hometown. From there, Chisolm recruits six other men to aid him. Antoine Fuqua directs the movie, and once again, he shows an understanding of how to direct action. The other thing I noticed Fuqua knows how to do within this movie is build suspense. The tension that leads up to many of the action scenes can only be described as a powder keg. Of course it helps knowing that Washington, Pratt, and Byug Hun-Lee are all proven action stars. The cast is excellent. Washington, Chris Pratt, Haley Bennett, Ethan Hawke, Byung Hun-Lee, Peter Sarsgaard, and Vincent D’Onofrio all work in their respective roles, and work off each other brilliantly. In particular, I enjoyed watching the actors playing the magnificent seven. These men have great chemistry, and the quiet moments involving these men actually help build their characters. In my opinion, Chris Pratt serves as the movie’s standout performer, however. Some of his typical Chris Pratt-isms are there, but they are very few. His character is a drunken gambler who is mostly likable due to Pratt’s charisma. Something I found interesting is that this movie carries a PG-13 rating. I say this because there are multiple points where I feel that the movie pushes the boundaries of its rating. I also want to compliment the movie’s production design. I can actually feel a lot of the old west setting of the movie based on the sets. The bar scenes have something of a grimy, dirty feel to them, which I honestly appreciate. Admittedly, the movie doesn’t really cover any new ground. This is a story I’ve seen multiple times before. However, the ride I was on for this movie was just a ton of fun.

9 / 10   

The Accountant

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The Accountant is directed by Gavin O’Connor. The film stars Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, John Lithgow, J.K. Simmons, Cynhtia Addai-Robinson, and Jon Bernthal.  Christian Wolff is an accountant who specializes in cooking the books for people dealing in illegal activities. He and a junior accountant for a company stumble across an embezzling scheme. The two are soon targeted for assassination, and must find a way out of their predicament. Gavin O’Connor provides a fairly unconventional take with The Accountant’s story. There are a multitude of flashbacks that help add to the protagonist’s development and backstory. The movie has something of a slow burn to it, and it actually works for me. Every now and then, some action sequences are sprinkled in, which are very well handled. Affleck and Seth Lee share the role of Christian Wolff. (Affleck is the adult, and Lee is the child). I would like to compliment both of these performers. The character is on the Autism spectrum, and both actors believably nail the mannerisms of someone on the spectrum. To be fair, the whole cast is incredibly strong. Anna Kendrick portrays Dana Cummings, the other accountant with just the right amount of quirkiness and pluckiness, while coming across as a layered character. Affleck and Kendrick actually work off each other really well. J.K. Simmons plays the law enforcement agent hunting Wolff. The other major standout to me is Jon Bernthal as the movie’s primary villain. Overall, The Accountant works due to great writing, directing, acting, and storytelling.

9 / 10