FOOTLOOSE
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars)
As I do with most 80s properties that are threatened with a remake from the post-MTV generation by MTV films, I was skeptical about this new version of “Footloose.” Fortunately, under the deft hand a Craig Brewer, we get an energetic update that doesn’t feel tired.
The story follows a high schooler named Ren MacCormack (Kenny Wormald) who moves from Boston to the small town of Bomont. There, he learns that dancing and playing rock music has been outlawed after a devastating traffic accident killed five teens after a party. Catching the eye of the rebellious daughter (Julianne Hough) of the local pastor, Ren tries to petition the town to lift the ban on teen dancing.
Remaking such an iconic film is a tough job. On one hand, you have to update the story, characters and especially the music for a younger audience. After all, kids today aren’t exactly going to rock out to the “old” music from the Kevin Bacon version. On the other hand, you have to keep the spirit of the movie true or you’ll alienate the people who loved the original.
Brewer manages to do this, keeping the story friendly and warm enough that you fall in love with the characters. Kenny Wormald is no Kevin Bacon, and he puts his natural Boston accent on a little too much at times, but he works in the role. Similarly, Julianne Hough is easier on the eyes than Lori Singer was in the original, and she’s about as good of an actor (though her voice can get annoying at times).
Still, this movie hits all the beats of the first film without trampling on its memory. The set-up of an overly conservative town that bans rock music and dancing seems a little less likely today (though if you follow some current political trends, you might disagree with that statement). But the movie pushes past that as best as it can.
I reluctantly watched the original 1984 version of the film on VHS back in the day. I reluctantly came to the new “Footloose” the same way. But in both cases, I was happy to make the journey.
The Blu-ray of “Footloose” comes with a nice assortment of special features, including commentary by director Craig Brewer, deleted scenes and a music video of Big & Rich’s “Fake ID.” There’s also a handful of featurettes that look at the making of the film and how it relates to the original 1984 classic: “Jump Back: Re-Imagining Footloose,” “Everybody Cut: The Stars of Footloose” and “Dancing with the Footloose Stars.”
The Blu-ray also comes with a DVD of the film and Digital Copy, as well as instant streaming via Ultraviolet, all of which have become good standard practice among major releases.
IMMORTALS
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars)
Bridging the gap between “Clash of the Titans” and “Wrath of the Titans,” we get another Greek myth special effects movie with “Immortals.” Directed by visually-obsessed director Tarsem, who has made fine-looking movies like “The Cell,” “Immortals” tells the story of Theseus (Henry Cavill) trying to defeat the evil King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) who wants to release the imprisoned Titans to fight the Gods.
Like Tarsem’s other films, “Immortals” looks gorgeous. It’s a digital effects set piece, improving on the relative rudimentary elements of “300” (though made on a higher budget years later). There’s some great action moments, and the characters all look fantastic with their rippling abs and bulging muscles. There’s also a comical amount of silly hats worn by practically everyone in the movie, so it’s not something to take too seriously.
The story stumbles a bit, especially in the middle, trying to keep focus on a plot that really only has about an hour’s worth of weight to it. I didn’t dislike “Immortals,” but it wasn’t terribly compelling either. These sword-and-sandal movies can be very basic, and if you’re deeply into Greek mythology, you’ll likely have some problems with the liberties taken. The Gods, in particular (featuring the always goofy Kellan Lutz as Poseidon and the pretty but sickly skeletal Isabel Lucas as Athena) are as silly as their hats.
Still, for a night of escape with sweaty abs and plenty of nipples to go around, “Immortals” can still be fun. Come for the effects. Stay for the action. Leave all other expectations behind.
The package includes two discs, the Blu-ray and a Digital Copy disc. The Blu-ray includes several special features, including deleted scenes and an alternate opening and beginning. There’s also two featurettes: “It’s No Myth” which looks at the mythology origins of the story and “Caravaggio Meets Fight club: Tarsem’s Vision” which looks at the fight choreography. Finally, a digital version of the “Immortals: Gods & Heroes” graphic novel is encoded on the Blu-ray.
WIZARDS
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars)
Even though I was a child of the 70s and 80s, I never had a chance to see “Wizards” in the theaters. Maybe it was because I was so crazy into “Star Wars” that in 1977, nothing else crossed my mind. Maybe it was because my parents weren’t wild about me seeing a movie by the guy who did the notorious “Fritz the Cat.” Maybe it was because my parents never got HBO until well after I was in college, so I missed the massive cable broadcast push of this movie.
In any respect, I feel left out that I never saw “Wizards” before this year. I adore animation, and the animation from the 70s had a certain special quality that made it endearing even today. It was made at a time when children’s animation was in the doldrums, pushed by the fast-product Saturday morning cartoons. What we still saw in theaters had some life left in it. And considering the full realization of digital effects was at least two decades away, the cell animation option was the best choice for fantasy films.
“Wizards” tells the story of two wizards who were polar opposites from birth. Born millennia after a world war that decimated civilization, they lived in a new world where old magic had returned. Avatar, the good wizard, tries to keep peace while Blackwolf, the evil wizard, commands an army of found technology. They must battle to see who will prevail over this future world.
What’s great about animation of the 70s – and particularly that of Ralph Bakshi – is that it wasn’t just about fantasy creatures. It had things to say both politically and socially. Sure, it didn’t always present it in the most subtle manner (with the all-too-obvious Nazi overtones seen in “Wizards”), but it challenges the viewer to think past exactly what’s happening on screen.
Told in an entirely different style than the work of Studio Ghibli, “Wizards” opens up a bigger world with greater themes beyond simple pretty pictures.
Using a mix of cell animation and rotoscoping that Bakshi later continues with his version of “The Lord of the Rings,” “Wizards” is a unique film unlike anything else you’ll see from this era.
The 35th Anniversary Blu-ray comes in a 24-page collectable book packaging which features concept art and other information about the production. Bakshi sits in for a feature commentary on the film as well as participates in the extended interview “Ralph Bakshi: The Wizard of Animation,” which was produced for the previous DVD release.
Additional basic features on the Blu-ray include a still gallery, a TV spot and the original theatrical trailers.
THE THREE MUSKETEERS
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: ** (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars)
There have been dozens of adaptations of Alexadre Dumas’ classic novel “The Three Musketeers,” and even more if you count the sequels and inspired-by films, from the quite good “The Man in the Iron Mask” from the late 90s to the goofy-ass “The Musketeer” featuring kung fu choreography. Paul W.S. Anderson’s version falls farther on the silly side of things, but it’s not all bad.
In general, I like Paul W.S. Anderson as a director. He’s done some weaker films (like a bulk of the “Resident Evil” franchise), but I’ll always respect him for what he did with a movie like “Event Horizon.” He continues with his crazy adaptations with “The Three Musketeers,” going farther to modernize the story than the silly Charlie Sheen version back in the mid-90s.
Telling the basic story from the book, D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman) heads to Paris to be a Musketeer. There, he meets three of the former swordsmen and gets wrapped up in an adventure with them to foil the treachery of Milady (Milla Jovovich) and stop a plot by Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz) to control France.
There’s shadows of the original story, but they’re overcome with some craziness in the middle, including Orlando Bloom overacting as a dandy villain and a flying airship battle that literally rips off the finale of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”
The film is lighthearted enough and never takes itself too seriously, and that’s the only thing that saves it at times. The look of the movie is actually quite good, and the ability to shoot in existing palaces with amazing ornamental decorations makes it visually appealing. The actors are actually pretty decent (with the exception of the aforementioned Orlando Bloom), and they actually tend to rise above the movie than play to it.
In this respect, I found the actual Musketeers to be more compelling than the film itself. In particular, Ray Stevenson is fantastic as Porthos, and he’s partnered with Matthew Macfadyen and Luke Evans as Athos and Aramis quite well. In fact, the stumbles in the main cast come from Logan Lerman as D’Artagnan and director Anderson’s main squeeze Jovovich as Milady.
It’s fun for a Saturday afternoon viewing, but it will ultimately go down in the annals of movie history as yet another forgettable adaptation.
The Blu-ray (which is also available in a 3D format) includes an audio commentary with the filmmakers and deleted scenes with filmmaker commentary. There’s an embedded featurette “Access: Three Musketeers,” which includes branching featurettes and informational spots that play throughout the film.
NEVERLAND
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars)
Unfortunately, thanks to The Asylum, the term “Syfy Original Movie” has lost any sort of quality. That’s not a dig at The Asylum, mind you, but rather an acknowledgement that this little studio that could has done so much work on that network that it has created a bit of a stigma for them.
“Neverland,” a three-hour miniseries that original aired on Syfy, suffers from this label because it’s far, far better than anything you’d see The Asylum crank out (and that’s coming from a guy who loves watching these cheesy modern versions of B movies). So don’t let the whole “Syfy Original Movie” statement fool you. “Neverland” is definitely worth a look.
Written and directed by Nick Willing, who reimagined popular books as “Tin Man” and “Alice” on Syfy before, “Neverland” tells the story behind the famous world of Peter Pan. The movie begins in London where Peter (Charlie Rowe) is a street urchin with a gang of petty criminals. They accidentally get magically transported to Neverland (another planet from Earth altogether) where they discover they never age and face a band of pirates. Their criminal benefactor James Hook (Rhys Ifans) comes along for the ride and ends up getting in good with the pirates and their beautiful captain (Anna Friel).
Unlike some prequels, which run out of steam or feel shoe-horned into the original source material, “Neverland” has a freshness that runs through its entire three hours. Sure, it has some slow moments, but it’s a lot of fun and shows a new angle on the entire Peter Pan legend without disrupting the original story.
The special effects are actually quite good, often utilizing virtual sets, which is an overdone technique on television now. However, “Neverland” manages to pack more authenticity and quality in its virtual sets than the entirety of the series “V” and “Once Upon a Time.”
The Peter Pan story is a classic, but it’s had some rocky adaptations in the past. This is far beyond the classic Disney cartoon, and it’s a much better attack on the out-of-context subject matter than Spielberg’s dud “Hook.” If you at all enjoy what the Peter Pan legend has to offer – including swashbuckling pirates, magic and giant freaking crocodiles – give this version a chance.
The Blu-ray includes a commentary track with director Nick Willing as well as spotlighted cast interviews. The featurette “Green Screen to Scene” looks at the virtual sets used in the film, and “Journey Into Neverland” features a still gallery of movie art. Finally, the “Neverland: Access All Areas” looks at the production of the film. The Blu-ray also comes with three collectable postcards from the film.
