Review: Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

            "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."

Ridley Scott's Blade Runner may not have been that heavy on dialogue, but every single dialogue in that film was a gem. Denis Villeneuve's "Blade Runner 2049" too, follows the same footsteps. It is one of those sequels that can almost rival the original, at least in the technical aspects or so. 

Denis has always been an extremely talented director, and this is just another masterpiece added to his name. It easily ranks among his best works, arguably at the top, in fact. 

The film is as much of Roger Deakins (who has so far been the pre 2016 Ennio Morricone of cinematography, with 13 nominations but no win), whose every frame is a work of art, and captures the film and characters soulfully. You will seldom see a film as extraordinarily shot as Blade Runner 2049. It almost rivals the original in this aspect. 

The film is set a few decades after the original, and is from the point of view of Officer K (played by Ryan Gosling), who's a replicant hunter aka "Blade Runner", just as Deckard was back in the day. He plays the scathing and rarely smiling role perfectly, it's the most different you may see Ryan Gosling be, because for him to control laughter is probably the miracle the film keeps talking about. Harrison Ford as Deckard is brilliant as expected, he's grumpier than ever and also has a sardonic sense of humour, and has a great taste in music. Robin Wright, Jared Leto, and the rest of the supporting cast has somewhat short roles, but every supporting actor does way more than justice to the roles. Ana De Armas as Officer K's hologram love interest Joi, is probably the film's most human character, despite not being a human technically. She's one of the few characters that feel, and ones that you feel about.

The major difference between the franchise's two protagonists is that we're 100% sure of Officer K's identity as that of a new model replicant, who hunts the older models. Like Deckard, he has some implanted memories, because he never was a kid, but some later twists make the idea of him being a replicant born kid very possible, and that's when the flood of major twists starts. 

Officer K works for Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright), to whom he brings a new revelation, the miracle that he gets to hear about earlier on, remains of a replicant that gave birth some decades ago. He's then ordered to hunt down that replicant child, and who wouldn't love taking orders from Robin Wright?

But Joshi and K are not the only one tracking this mystery, as we meet another mysterious character, Niander Wallace (played by Jared Leto), who runs Wallace Corp. The mystery interests him because he's attempted to make millions of replicants in order to have them reproduce, but never has he succeeded. 

That's where the journey starts for K, as he goes on to encounter many characters, including some from the original (with Deckard being the obvious), gets his ass kicked by Wallace's favourite replicant Luv (played by Sylvia Hoeks), and eventually discovers self, with some deeply human moments. 

The film's score (by the legendary Hans Zimmer) doesn't quite feel as original as that of Ridley Scott's origin film, but it brings back the original film's vibes greatly, with appreciable nuance. Not among Zimmer's best scores, but sure as hell serves the film brilliantly. The action is very well choreographed, and is very gritty, just like the original. 

I can easily call the film as another modern classic from this year, Villeneuve really hits it out of the park, like Nolan and Reeves did earlier this year. The film's last shot describes the film itself in the best possible way. Bittersweet and self-discovering. 


                                                                    ★★★★

Review: War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Serkis, Reeves, Giacchino and rest give their career bests to make War for the Planet of the Apes a modern cinematic masterpiece.  

The latest as well as the last film of 21st Century Fox's Planet of the Apes is a lot more than the ordinary best-of-the-year blockbuster (what were the greatest blockbuster films of the last two years?), it's one of the most intense, dramatic and suspenseful films of the 21st century and an outstanding finale, which is itself quite a feat for a trilogy to have, for even Star Wars and The Dark Knight trilogy are lacking in it. 

In a year full of ambitious and too many superhero films (albeit most being great), Matt Reeves' War for the Planet of the Apes is what comes at the top and the only blockbuster film that stands tall among this year's very best films. 

The film's intro just like the film itself, edges out it's 2014 predecessor which was itself a masterpiece. We're shown a written recap of the first two films, so the ones who won't see this film because of not having seen the first two ones are left out of excuses. And after that, every moment of the film is full of thrill, suspense, emotions and extraordinary visual effects. The first several minutes show the peace-seeking apes defending themselves against an army that's hate for the apes is classically visualised on the combat helmets and is led by Colonel (Woody Harrelson) who's a Hitler-like psychopath, and is soon to be responsible for causing a big emotional blow to Caesar, which would lead Caeser into a personal vendetta against the Colonel. Caesar (Andy Serkis) is accompanied by the intimidating chimp Rocket (Terry Notary), the good spirited gorilla Luca (Michael Adamthwaite) and the sensitive but smart orangutan Maurice (Karin Konoval), all of them have the best character moments in this film. 

We all know how much of a suspense fan Matt Reeves is, if familiar with his work. From his outstanding direction in the 2011 vampire thriller Let Me In to his bar-raising 2014 predecessor of this very film, the man's relied on suspense to manipulate the audience, and here he's at the top of his game. Since Caesar and his companions leave on their journey, the very presence of a human feels jump-scary, kind of like how xenomorphs feel in the Alien films. As the plot progresses, so does the suspense and the suffering for the protagonists continues but that's what would make the final act thrills all worth.

The group is then joined by two new characters, one of them is Bad Ape (Steve Zahn), a hilarious comic relief ape that can speak. The other character is the mute human girl, Nova (Amiah Miller), who's the light of this grim film. She has not so many scenes in the film but whenever she's in the frame, she shines and serves within the genius of the visual direction of this film. She plays a vital role in one of the film's strongest and most emotional scenes, hats off to Michael Giacchino for that score, which ends as without a doubt his best work to date. 

The film brings a very interesting twist to the Simian flu, as those immune to the flu are still somewhat affected by it. The flu now mutes humans and affects their intelligence, and is one of the motives to the Colonel's envy for the apes. The colonel and his army are able to capture Caesar as well as most of the other apes. It is very reminiscent of the Nazi situation, as the humans force the apes to work before slowly killing them one by one. From here on the film's thrills and suspense exceed the bar while providing emotional build-up, as the remaining apes must save the day. And honestly, the third act of this film is one of the best I've ever seen in any blockbuster film, it's Return of the King tier.

All-inclusive, the final result is that of a rare blockbuster masterpiece that is as Hitchcockian as it's Shakespearean. It's the series' most intense and most epic title, with outstanding character complexity and development as well as a marvelous work in every technical aspect. The cinematography is extraordinary, and is full of beautifully grim shots every other minute and so is the score, as already mentioned above. 

Andy Serkis as Caesar gives his best performance, it's the most challenged his character's been and the way he tackles his character's essence in this film, an Oscar nod better come his way. Woody Harrelson's Colonel doesn't beat Koba but still manages to result as a great villain with richly written motives, he pulls off a very convincing performance. 

And now in praise for what make this film a masterpiece, the direction as well as the writing. War for the Planet of the Apes may give casuals a good blockbuster vibe but to hardcore cinephiles, it's full of well crafted foundations as a film. The script, co-written by Matt Reeves and Mark Bomback is a very strong one and remains engaging since it's inception. The direction is simply outstanding, Matt uses the Hitchcockian character reaction shots, that also give a silent film feel due to the apes' being mute and also due to Giacchino's engaging score. The cinematography within the army is very reminiscent of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987) and the Colonel may at times remind you of Brando's Kurtz from Apocalypse Now (1979). The influence from all these ideas and masterpieces is one of the most vital reasons to why this film is special. 

The film can very well be considered one of the best films of the 21st century. Reeves' success with this series has made me more and more excited for his take on Batman, about which he already mentioned that he'd take some Hitchcock influence. Coming back to the film, I think the academy should really consider quitting snubs with blockbuster films, and at least nominate Serkis and Reeves for their artistry in this epic finale. 

                                           ★★★★

Review: Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange concludes superhero movies of 2016 flamboyantly, resulting not only as a good superhero origin film, but also among the best franchise-based origin films of any kind. This year's superhero movies had fans and critics divided like never before. We experienced breathtaking cinematic pieces like Deadpool and Civil War, a mediocre X-Men finale, and two underwhelming DCEU titles. Of course, opinions might differ, but that's at least what the general consensus says.

This movie might remind many of the first Iron Man film, mostly due to several similar character traits of protagonists of each films. Stephen Strange, once an egoistic neurosurgeon sees the light in mystic arts, after losing the use of his hands. The protagonist is perfectly portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. From the American accent, to the witty humour of Stephen Strange as portrayed in comics, Benedict Cumberbatch perfectly nails the role. He's arguably the best ever live action adaptation of a superhero/comic character, above likes of Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.

Now Strange seeks a cure to his problems and ends up at what he calls a cult (and regrets later) of sorcery. The supporting cast includes great sorcerers, with overall a good impact on the film (except the unnecessary diversity). Tilda Swinton does a decent job as The Ancient One but the stand-outs have to be Benedict Wong as Wong and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo (who by the way, is a more important character than one would think). We also have Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, an ER Doc, who also shares a number of great moments with Strange.

Strange becomes a nerd of mystic arts, by continuously reading and learning about it. He soon masters a lot and is well aware of the threats that might come sooner. Mads Mikkelson plays Kaecilius, a treacherous former disciple of the Ancient One, who's not much different to most of the typical, crazy, pawn-like MCU villains. While I think Kaecilius is greatly used in the story, and is a fun character, but wasting someone as good as Mads Mikkelson is a letdown - perhaps the only letdown of this film.

We live in a time where it's rare not to have a cliche action ending in superhero films, but Doctor Strange manages to provide a splendid climax, that is on par with Guardians of the Galaxy. The end credits scene is marvelous, as it establishes this franchise better, instead of rushing it up. It makes the climax even stronger. Worry not, for there is one astounding scene that bridges Strange with other hero/heroes of the MCU. It might not be what one may expect, but it's worth it.

Altogether, what makes this movie an amazing cinematic experience is the character development Stephen Strange gets. He starts from the bottom, all lost and then he rises up a legend - stronger, wiser. He gets as much development in this single film as Tony Stark and Steve Rogers got during the second phase of Marvel Cinematic Universe. Supporting characters like Wong and Mordo are also very well developed by the end of the film (take notes Snyder). The visuals are brilliant, period. It ends up as one of the best ever films, visually. They're like Inception meets Matrix ft. Windows 98 screen-savers. Highly recommended in 3D. it is also among the very few MCU films with great scores and theme, though the main theme might remind you of Star Trek at times.

The movie balances the mythos of Doctor Strange comics with a bit of the MCU blockbuster formula, and that is what makes it a hit out of the park. The humour is very well put, and accurate to the source material, and so are the complicated dimensions that you better go explore now, in this piece of great film-making.

+ Stunning Visuals 
+ Engaging Protagonist 
+ Supporting Cast 
+ Decent Score 
+ Climax 
+ Epilogue/End Credits 

- Mads Mikkelson Wasted