Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto
Big Hero Six
Based on an obscure Marvel comic book, Big Hero 6 is Disney Animation’s first foray into superhero adaptations. You need not be up to speed on comic book lore to be able to enjoy this film as it only loosely translates its source material. It might have Marvel in its DNA (there’s even a clever Stan Lee cameo) but it is 100% Disney.
Big Hero 6 stars Hiro Hamada, a fourteen-year old science whiz who assembles a rag-tag group of heroes when an enigmatic villain in a Kabuki mask begins terrorizing the city. While this may be Hiro’s story about coming of age and dealing with loss, Baymax is the real star of this movie. Built by Hiro’s older brother Tadashi as an advanced medical care unit, this vinyl-covered robot is painfully lovable and carries the film on his plush shoulders.
Baymax represents what works and what doesn’t in Big Hero 6. He and Hiro provide the film’s biggest laughs, as the teen tries to turn this awkward marshmallow bot into a superhero, as well as its most touching moments. But, he also steals the spotlight from the film’s supporting cast. Hiro and Baymax’s teammates GoGo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred are only introduced and never fleshed out.
Regardless, Big Hero 6 is a great animated film that’s fun for all ages. Its action sequences will thrill, its story will tug at your heartstrings and Baymax will win you over with his childlike naiveté and boundless compassion. This is one Disney/Marvel film you should not miss.
To Infinity And Beyond
“Interstellar”
2001: A Space Odyssey is often called the greatest science fiction movie ever made. Any new film in the genre, no matter how small in scope or grand in scale, will inevitably be compared to Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi masterpiece. Though an entertaining, thought-provoking and visually stunning movie, Interstellar ultimately buckles under the weight of its own ideas and falls just short of its Kubrick-ian aspirations.
Set in a future where a crop blight has pushed humanity to extinction, the film follows Cooper who must leave his family behind to find a new home for mankind. Matthew McConaughey leads an all-star ensemble who deliver strong performances. Murph is the heart of the film and her love and resentment of her father Cooper is the story’semotional center.
Interstellar is a gorgeous film. We see space in all its resplendent beauty and frightening immensity as Cooper and his crew drift and tumble through the galaxy. Whereas Kubrick used classical overtures in these scenes, Nolan prefers haunting silences, which fill the viewer with a sense of terror and loneliness. Hans Zimmer’s score accompanies moments of quiet repose and mounting tension, as characters reflect and grapple with heavy decisions.
Unfortunately, Interstellar stumbles in certain key areas. The film takes its time to establish its characters and build its world but skips story beats between acts in a way that feels forced or abrupt. Some characters break their own logic while others are one-dimensional or underdeveloped. The film bears many resemblances to Space Odyssey, particularly its climax. But where Kubrick’s commentary on human nature is subtle, Nolan’s is heavy-handed, often bordering on sappy.
Interstellar is an ambitious film that sets its intellectual sights too far for its own grasp. It is not Christopher Nolan’s best film but striking visuals and powerful turns from McConaughey and Jessica Chastain make this blockbuster a flawed masterpiece.
Everything Burns
“Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1”
Katniss Everdeen returns in the first part of the final instalment in the Hunger Games saga. Mockingjay removes the macabre reality-show aspect from the past two films and brings the unrest, political maneuverings and tension between the classes to the fore.
After escaping the arena, Katniss finds herself in the middle of Panem’s presidential regime and the rebels of District 13. She must choose whether or not to serve as the rebellion’s figurehead, ‘the Mockingjay’. This film deals with heavy subject matter and despite its status as a young adult novel adaptation, it never descends into melodrama. Instead, it deconstructs what it means to be a ‘hero’, turning Katniss not into a champion or warrior but as a symbol, rallying others to battle.
Though Hunger Games never shied away from violence, it takes on a more ominous and grim tone here. Scenes depicting public executions, protestors gunned down by guards as they storm the gates and hospitals being bombed, are stark imagery lifted from the headlines that serve to further the themes this story deals with. Survival, war, and human nature are the issues that take center stage in this film.
However, the biggest problem with this instalment boils down to its structure. Since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows climactic series finales are now split in two. This means that part one of Mockingjay is largely build up for part two. Though it’s by design, it does bog down the film’s ending and leaves many important characters waiting for their cues in the sequel.
The Hunger Games was never really about the Hunger Games and nowhere is this more apparent than in this sequel. Fans of the films and novels don’t have to wait long for the end to Katniss’ story, which will be released in the winter of next year.