Space Outcasts

Outcasts unite in space, but whilst rebellious, they are also the good guys - right? No, I'm not talking about Firefly. Not everything is about Firefly (even if it should be). No, we are talking about the latest edition to Marvel's cinematic universe. This is Guardians of the Galaxy.

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) - abducted child turned space relic hunter - stumbles across a small metal orb in the ruins of a devastated settlement. It turns out that he is not the only one wanting to be in possession of the orb as he soon under attack from warriors working for Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), a green lady named Gamora (Zoe Salanda), a talking raccoon called Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and humanoid tree sidekick, Groot (Vin Diesel), and his old hunting partner Yondu (Michael Rooker). Also on his tail are the authorities and it is them who catch up with him first, as well as a cohort of his attackers. Thrown into maximum security, Quill, Rocket, Groot, and Gamora form an alliance in hopes of escaping to sell the orb on for 14 million units. Teaming up with Drax (Dave Bautista), a hulking beast of a man-type-thing who wants Ronan dead more than anything, the group begin to scheme together. But have they bitten off more than they can chew with this orb?

'Hands and... er... Leg up!'

On paper, the ensemble sounds like someone picked a lucky dip of actors and threw them at a screen. Henry the Serial Killer, a professional wrestler, Andy from Parks and Recreation, the voice of Darth Maul, and Oscar nominated Bradley Cooper as a CGI racoon. Not to mention Vin Diesel as a tree who can only say three words. And yet, miraculously, the pick-and-dip casting has led to one of the most fantastic ensembles assembled in a superhero film, giving even The Avengers a run for their money. Together the cast are not only hilarious but also hardcore action heroes, switching from dancing fools to rocket-shoe powered, gun wielding warriors in seconds. And throughout all the fun and laughter, there is a genuine heart beating at the core of the film. Bautista's Drax's broken heart over his murdered family leaves him screaming for revenge and best friends Rocket and Groot protect and love each other in a truly touching way. As the relationships grow - not just on screen, but between audience and character - we find ourselves caring deeply about these misfits and may even shed a tear as the film reaches its climax.

Rocket had wanted Groot to branch out, socially.

Whilst remaining, at its soul, a light piece of cinema, Guardians of Galaxy has achieved something that few films manage, even in the Marvel universe. Whilst other Marvel films have tugged at our heartstrings despite their humorous appearance, particularly the Iron Man series, Guardians have managed to take it a step further. James Gunn and Nicole Perlman's screenplay is endlessly funny with well developed characters that resonate with the audience and ensure that the emotional scenes hit home harder. Aesthetically, the film is at the top of its class with strong CGI characters in Groot and Rocket, but also with entertaining, action packed fight scenes from the beginning of film all the way through to the end, and an awesome mix of songs to create a funky, groovy soundtrack.

With something for everyone, Guardians of the Galaxy will go down a storm all over the world. While it is not a new masterpiece of cinema or anything revolutionary, it is likely to go straight into people's favourite films list. One viewing will not be enough.

Best Bit? The gang cause a major fuss in prison in their attempt to escape. Groot is too eager to execute Rocket's plan and the hunt for a guards ID arm implant and a metal leg become more of a manic war than a scavenger hunt.

Cults In Space

So yesterday we looked at Pitch Black, the tense, claustrophobic introduction to the life of Riddick. Today we look at the next step in his life; the universe-exploring adventures that followed the end events of Pitch Black. Expect it to be bigger and, well, not as good. This is The Chronicles Of Riddick.

Things happen. That is a basic summary of Chronicles Of Riddick. In a bit more detail, Riddick (Vin Diesel) is on the run from a bounty looming over his head. He takes out a mercenary ship captained by Toombs (Nick Chinlund) and, upon stealing the ship, flies to Helion Prime, where the bounty originated, and is reunited with Imam (Keith David). Then a deadly race of, well, super religious cult-type people called Necromongers invade the planet and plan on converting everyone to their religion. Riddick refuses and escapes the Lord Marshal (Colm Feore) and Purifier's (Linus Roache) plan to find out more about his past (which is all handily revealed throughout the film by a prophecy spirit type thing...). Riddick escapes but, conveniently, is caught Toombs who takes him off to a prison-planet called Crematoria where, super conveniently, Jack (Alexa Davalos) (now called Kyra) is incarcerated. The Necromongers try to track Riddick with the help, or hinderance, of the Air Elemental, Aereon (Dame Judi Dench), whilst Vaako and Dame Vaako (Karl Urban and Thandie Newton respectively) make a plan, for some reason, to kill the Lord Marshal. I think. There was probably a reason for that but it was lost in and amongst all the other confusing nonsense. There is a cult that do not really like Riddick... That's about it.

Riddick's brief stint as Santa didn't work out.

It is hard to know where to start with Chronicles of Riddick... Vin Diesel is reprising his role as Riddick, and keeps the same cool, cockiness that he originally portrayed, but loses the creepy. A lot of the issues with the film come from difficulty following what is going on. There is too much happening to fully appreciate anyone's performance individually. No one performs poorly, but nothing shines either. The plot, as one may have guessed, is overly complex, with six or seven plot lines entwining, but not enough time is spend on anything. Who is the prophecy fairy person? How do some people seem to be able to suddenly stop being brainwashed? Why do the Vaakos want to kill the Lord Marshal? Something about Vaako becoming Lord Marshal himself, it seems. There are a lot of questions that have answers, but they are buried somewhere beneath all of the rubbish piled on top. Everything that made Pitch Black excellent was forgotten in Chronicles of Riddick; the tension, the fear, the suspense, the well written dialogue, the basic plot. It was all gone.

For an intergalactic army, the Necromongers are pretty Medieval.

Not to say the film has nothing going for it. From a purely aethstetic point of view, the action is captivating, and the scenery is beautiful. It is just a disappointment that the context around the visually effective moments is lost in the confusing plot. Perhaps a suitable way to watch Chronicles of Riddick is with the mute function of your television put to good use. Everything really is bigger, but in no way better.

A short review for you all. Let us live in hope that Riddick (2013) will learn from Chronicles mistakes and Pitch Black's merits.

Best Bit? Watching Kyra and Riddick play who is the best killer is the simply the most enjoyable moment of the film. Mindless action that needs no explanation.

Darkness.

So the world got a little bit excited when this trailer was released. 23 seconds of video have made people crawl out of their holes, pull on some goggles, and see the light again. Why? They've been waiting nine years for those 23 seconds. Later on this year, we will see the full feature, but for now, lets take a step back in time and see where this all started. This is Pitch Black.

Somewhere, out in space, the transport vessel, Hunter-Gratzner, is carrying 40 passengers suspended animation. One of these passengers is Riddick (Vin Diesel), an escaped convict and murderer who is being moved back to a slam. Away from humankind or even daylight. The ship is travelling in a ghost lane with no stops, and as a voice over from Riddick points out, that leaves a lot of time for something to go wrong. Incidentally, something goes wrong. The captain dies leaving the docking pilot, Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell) and navigator, Greg Owens (Simon Burke), to land the ship safely on an unknown planet. As the ship hurtles towards the ground, Fry starts ejecting parts of the ship to lose weight. At the last moment, she tries to jettison the passangers, but Owens stops her. The ship crashes leaving 11 survivors: Riddick's guard, William J. Johns (Cole Hauser), holy man Abu "Imam" al-Walid (Keith David) and three young men he is escorting on hajj, antiques dealer Paris P. Ogilvie (Lewis Fitz-Gerald), stowaway teenager Jack (Rhianna Griffith), settlers John 'Zeke' Ezekiel (John Moore) and his partner Sharon 'Shazza' Montgomery (Claudia Black), Fry, and Riddick. Riddick escapes and the crew become extremely concerned about him s but, along with difficulty breathing, a lack of water, and three suns blazing down on them, Riddick might be the least of their worries. Especially when it seems they are not alone on the planet and the darkness is approaching.

 Face-off... err... Face/hammerhead off?

 

Some people believe that everybody is born for a reason. There should be no doubt that Vin Diesel was born to play Riddick. A perfect balance of creepy and cocky that solidifies his persona as a stone cold killer. He steals the show and, apart form a brief voice over, he doesn't even talk for the first half an hour. But in that time, we see him escape twice, get caught twice, and fashion a knife out of bone in order to, what appears to be, minor hairdressing. Hmmm. His performance, alongside the will-do-anything-to-survive attitudes of Burke as Hauser as Johna and Mitchell as Fry, really creates the atmosphere of the film when the low budget-ness of everything can sometimes jar. At the start we are introduced to all the survivors just through looks but all of the actors develop their characters individually and create a wonderful ensemble performance that leaves you to decide who you like and who you would like to see die. Fantastic performances all round, but, again, it is Vin Diesel who steals the show. No wonder he got two sequels named after his character.

And next on Literal TV: Stars In Their Eyes

Pitch Black is a wonderfully cut together film. Speedy editing that captures the true essence of the movie as it develops. The first half is played almost like a sci-fi horror with Riddick appearing in the background of shots or being inter-spliced with shots of what is going on elsewhere with the survivors. The second act is more steadily paced with building suspense and tension as the darkness closes in on the characters. Not only this, but the writing keeps the character development believable and understandable, something that can get lost with big budget sci-fi thrillers. Issues rise with the 'pitch black' landscape often being reasonably well lit, but as irritating as it may be for the film pedants among you, it does not take away from the merits of the film. Wonderfully filmed otherwise; the small but bright lights beautifully penetrate the dark surroundings in the latter half of the film, a delightful, and somewhat creepy contrast, from the exciting and bright first half. 

A truly enjoyable sci-fi that contains drama, thrills, creeps, and appeals to every instinct in the human body. Vin Diesel in his perfect role (though I still await a Time Splitters: Future Perfect film with him as Cortez) and a deeply satisfying plot with some great lines. ('You said it was clear!' 'I said it looked clear.' 'How does it look now?' '... Looks clear.') A thoroughly enjoyable watch.

Best Bit? The lighting, suspense, and general action in Riddick and Johns' fight is a particular highlight of the film.

Watch this spot for a review on the sequel: 'The Chronicles of Riddick.'