While some will undoubtedly criticize the perhaps overly meta set-up that accounts for the first 30 minutes of this film, relative to the rest of the movie, that portion was actually my favorite part and I can't help but wish they had just gone all in on the idea. The story of a game designer who is losing his grip on reality felt fresh and unique. The rest of the movie... not so much. At the conclusion of the original trilogy, the Matrix lore was already an incomprehensible mess, but skipping ahead 60 years and dropping a whole new collection of buzzwords and exposition dumps only made things worse. All the more reason to cut ties with all of that baggage and tell some new story in which the Matrix is simply a series of videos games created by a troubled mind. Alas, that's not the movie we got, and after those first 30 minutes the film turns into an unsuccessful rehash of various elements of previous Matrix films. To make matters worse, the action is also not up to par. Even just finishing the movie minutes ago, I'm having a hard time thinking back to any memorable set pieces or sequences.
Luckily, things aren't all bad. The cast are pretty much universally solid, including both new and returning characters/actors. Jonathan Groff leans into his role as the new Agent Smith, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II sells his version of Morpheus, and Neil Patrick Harris delivers some fun monologues as the Analyst. Unfortunately, great acting can only take you so far, enough to sell hammy dialogue or even save individual scenes, but not enough to save the overall plot.
Ok wow that was good. Like really good.
Man just a lot of fun.
So plot wise this is a movie about two people both of whom are bad people. They meet happenstance and find out they're both going to the same destination wedding. Lindsay is the former fiance of the groom (he left her) and Frank is his half-brother. They both hate the groom Keith but it barely unites them as they both just hate everything.
This plotline sounds familiar because it's basically all you need to know to watch FX's absolutely excellent You're the Worst. But this is just a movie version of that pilot. So what you really look for in this movie is not so much the plot which we all know (Boy meets girl, ... , They get together), but the chemistry and how they get together. Ryder and Reeves have EXCELLENT chemistry and the writing was top notch. Which it had to be because this movie is 90% Lindsay and Frank riffing off one another. It doesn't feel improvy or forced. But the sheer endurance of the back and forth between them is impressive. They should be together based on that alone. But Keanu plays a character that in other people's hands would feel lazy and dull. I love Bruce Willis movies but ever since I learned he has a rider that says he films his parts in like 2 days and then collects his money and they film the rest of the movie. It suddenly clicks what is wrong with his performances lately. It's that he's not performing. Reeves does the oppsite here. He takes a character that is written as lifeless and stiff and he performs that stiffness. Ryder's Lindsay on paper is pathetic. Keith broke off their engnagement like a dick but she sues him and is still coming to this Destination Wedding performatively instead of saying no and sparing herself the pain. Ryder infuses her with pain and anger and spite. Yet she's develops a hesitant but honest and open affection for Frank that keeps her interesting.
This is exactly the sort of movie I would buy just to have on tap when I need something to watch that's entertaining but not stupid.
Visually stunning in my opinion, if Blade Runner was an Anime, this would be it. You can actually find a lot of similarity between this and the cult classic Blade Runner. GiTS as it's more widely known has a massive following throughout the world, based on a Manga by Masamune Shirow (Appleseed, Dominion Tank Police) and directed by the superb Mamoru Oshii (Patlabor, The Sky Crawlers) he and Production I.G (Animation Studio who have worked on The Matrix and Kill Bill Vol 1) brings use a visually stunning and beautifully animated future noir thriller. Do not let this poor quality dubbed version, stop you from seeing it, you can pick it up for couple pound in your local video store or online. But please watch the original cantonese language w/ subtitles. Better yet get the 25th Anniversay Blu-ray edition, then watch / buy Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence, then if you can watch the GiTS Stand Alone Complex 1st & 2nd Gig TV series', then watch Ghost in the Shell 2.0 the newly revised 2008 edition. A film everyone should take the time to watch, but sadly not this ruined piece of dribble. Oh and while your there grab yourself a copy of the acclaimed cult classic Akira.
"No Peace. No Pussy."
2015 saw Spike Lee release two pictures; one of them a Kickstarter project that ended up being murdered by critics and ignored by audiences who wanted nothing to do with that feature, and then this one - Chi-Raq - a late year surprise that came out of nowhere. Most people didn’t even know of this film’s existence and all over the sudden a bang was heard, Lee’s new feature would be released during Oscar season and the buzz around it was rock-solid, in fact the best of any Lee’s recent joints.
Chi-Raq is a minor comeback to Spike Lee who here produces an immensely flawed, but equally important feature. It’s good to see Lee back being this playful and charming, but above all this critical and urgent. This film might have seen its release in a premature fashion due to some awards hopefulness or maybe because the producers thought this was the best time to release this feature, but in my eyes, I like to think that Chi-Raq was released this way because its message was urgent and vital. Its observation and criticism on gang, racial, police and street violence make this movie a work that’s important to see, even in all its flaws. This urgency and critical eye is in fact the film’s biggest asset.
Even if uneven, one can’t deny Spike Lee’s good intentions. Yes this may have an agenda and yes this may be bluntly indiscreet, but I can’t be truly mad ‘cos its message is so important. Have you ever heard of Marvin Gaye’s album What’s Going On? Well Lee’s film is a bit like that. It’s message is timeless and it is sang wholeheartedly, but the truth is that it isn’t exactly subtle either. Lee here speaks wholeheartedly as he passes the message, that in my view is more important than whether or not the message is conveyed with delicacy.
Asides from the not-so-subtle sensibilities, the film does have other issues and one of them is its pace. Chi-Raq might be a satire fueled with comedy, tits-and-ass, plus some violence, but nevertheless it somehow still drags. Truth is that it is overlong – as it runs for over two hours – and in its late second act and the whole third act lag. Then we have the script; the movie may embrace a different kind of storytelling that has its own texture and sensibilities, Lee’s feature is also witty, charming and playful and there’s no doubt that no movie alike this one was released in 2015, yet Chi-Raq still features convenient and sloppy writing. The prime example is its ending where we see a bunch of guys signing treaties and giving jobs as though it's candy and thus proving world peace. Wait what?!
Yet another problem that this joint features is its unevenness when it comes to tone. Chi-Raq goes from witty satire, to gangs flick, to drama where there is tears and shouts. These moments are transitioned in a not-so-accomplished way since the film soon becomes disengaging and at times even awkward.
On the other hand the film’s positives are its wittiness and playfulness with the subject matter; the picture welcomes its off-kilter qualities. Straight out of Dear White People is Teyonah Parris who’s fire in this picture; she’s sexual and teasing as one can definitely see why Long-D would miss dat ass. Plus we have Wesley Snipes back on the big screen and he’s solid, surprisingly funny actually; L. Jackson also has a small little witty role as our narrator; John Cusack takes a break from appearing in shitty B-Movies and appears here solid, even if over the top; another highlight is Dave Chappelle’s short cameo which is hilarious!
Chi-Raq may be uneven and unbalanced, it may be too long, but it’s worthwhile, since one can’t help but to sympathize with it even if it isn’t just because of its important message.
Everyone keeps suggesting there is a paradox concerning the 5D future humans and their ability to save humanity in the past. It's really not a paradox at all. Everyone assumes humanity survived to ascend to the 5th dimension but how could humanity exist in the future if not for the actions of Cooper.. who was guided by future humans (begin endless loop).
Did anyone ever consider the other important character in the movie? Amelia Brand carried on with the rest of her mission (thanks to Cooper). I postulate that Brand used the human seeds as intended and set up a colony. A colony that would thrive and eventually evolve beyond human. Thus Earth is of little importance, and may have indeed died. These colonists, and the generations that followed, would have been told the story of a great man (Cooper) who saved them from extinction. With the ability to manipulate space-time, they would pay homage to their hero "God" by helping him in the past so he may fulfill the mission most important to him, to once again see his daughter. Plan B worked beautifully. But the 5d humans, having the power to bend space-time, decided there's no reason why Plan A had to fail.
