Sorry folks but this one didn't go well for Marvel. I don't even know where to start. Acting was average, more like below average. Screenplay was as much ordinary as it could be. No surprise here. CGI was OK but it's somehow expected from Marvel. But I totally didn't like the idea of Wakanda. Hidden city in the center of Africa with tons of technology and advanced weapons and systems and so on. But how the hell did they build all of that? No explanation. It just happened. Yes, they have Vibranium, but they don't sell it. In fact they never did and for whole world they are just a bunch of shepherds and farmers. So where did they take all that money to build empire like this? I don't like movies without explanations and this is one of them. Almost nothing has been told about Vibranium whatsoever. Oh yeah, it's some super thing from the universe capable of anything. That's all the explanation you get. There are too many clichés we have already seen too many times. And we have to see them again. One example: I challenge someone for a fight because I want to kill him. And when I have the chance to kill him, what would I do? Kill him or throw him down from the cliff to the water where he can survive? But enough. If you hesitate if to watch this, I can recommend not to waste your time. Wait for the Avangers where you can also see the Black Panther. You won't miss anything if you miss out this movie.
EDIT: There has never been a movie like this that I didn't like but I really wanted to read and talk more about with other people. I guess Darren Aronofsky at least got people talking about his movie, even if people didn't like it.
What a weird movie. I really thought the sound design was great. Really creepy and creates great tension.
So Jenifer Lawerence is Mother Earth and Javier Bardem is God? Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer are Adam and Eve and the heart crystal is the apple of eden? I don't know much about the bible but that is what I got. I guess the message Daron Aronofsky is trying to say is we treat the Earth like shit. It is going to kill us all but its bound to repeat again? I don't know, it is a weird movie.
EDIT2: So after seeing this after a long time of not thinking about it I realized that Darren Aronofsky really hates humans. The bat shit crazy third act can not make up for the boring first two acts. And knowing that this is just the bible made it even worse. I don't hate this movie but I'm definitely not a fan.
Just got back from Blade Runner 2049... Holy Shit! That was awesome. Denis Villeneuve can do no wrong in my eyes after this and Arrival.
I don't want to get into the story too much as it's honestly a better thing to go into this "sequel" with minimal direct knowledge of the sequel's plot (via reviews and such). However, being familiar with the original movie and watching the 15-20 minute anime short Blade Runner Black Out 2022 (made by the director of the anime "Cowboy Bebop") are definitely recommended imo especially as the anime short fills in some holes about the "Black Out" event that is touched upon in this new movie a few times.
As for the movie itself, it is defined by fantastic direction/editing, story and acting. The themes of discrimination between humans and Replicants, what defines humanity, and what is truly "real", standout in this film even in many of the tiny subtle moments. A fantastic performance by Ryan Gosling is without a doubt the standout in and drives this film, to the point where it almost essentially devolves into a single-man epic at times (of course, in a good way). I wish that there could have been a bit more Harrison Ford, but honestly that is just the homer in me talking. In terms of the actual story and flow of the film, his presence was handled beautifully as a perfect supplement to the movie and the more important story at hand (unlike a few of his more recent reboot/remake cameos).
The runtime is a bit long at 2 hours and 45 minutes, but don't let that deter you. I honestly never felt that bored or overwhelmed by it. A few beautiful action scenes and some atmospheric sprawling set pieces are interspersed among the emotional core and chilling dialogue that drive the film to give it a great pace. I could have watched this movie all day.
This is definitely an easy 9/10 for me at minimum. Once I get a little more time, I'm definitely go in for another rewatch (hopefully in XD/IMAX 3D). I also liked how the ending was handled very tactfully, leaving room for the possibility of a sequel, but not hammering it down our throats like it was rebooting a new cinematic universe. I pray that we don't have to wait 35 years for the next one though...
You know what? I don't care that this film is completely unnecessary. I don't care that the Great Question of this franchise was answered in The Bourne Ultimatum. I don't care that the socio-political commentary is obviously struggling for relevance outside of the Bush years. I don't care that the CIA seems to not have any field assets or agents under the age of 40. I don't care that the CIA inexplicably doesn't have drones or even mentions them. I don't care that Paul Greengrass is still obsessed with handcams to the point of absurdity.
None of that makes any difference to my enjoyment of this film because I really love this character. Is it as good as its predecessors? Nope, but it's been nine years and the last movie tied everything up nicely. But, it's still Jason Bourne through and through: the amnesiac, conflicted, neo-Conservative definition of a patriot who just needs to know who the hell he really is.
There's a lot of action in the movie, with a few scenes of light plot-building segueing into car chase after car chase after fight scene after car chase. Most of the cast outside of Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, and Tommy Lee Jones were superfluous and their roles could have gone to anybody who happened to be available. Which is to say, most of the talent was wasted in this film...just like in the prior films. They knew what they were signing up for, I'm sure.
Finally, they kept the relationships between people vague, which I still like. Did Jason and Nicky date prior to the events of The Bourne Identity? We still don't know for sure, and I think that vagueness adds a deeper emotional level to the work the two actors did. I still don't really understand the connection between Tommy Lee Jones' character and Jason Bourne, and I don't actually care. This isn't anyone's story but Jason Bourne's, and he plays it close to the vest even to himself.
Will I see it a second time in the theater? No, probably not. Will I rewatch it in the future? Most definitely.
(Originally posted to Letterboxd.)
