Category: text reviews
“This is a new war. And it’s only beginning.”
In a film that tonally hits closer to the first Resident Evil film than it’s Underworld predecessors, Awakening serves up non-stop action and holds true to the quote above; it is undeniably fun to watch, but there isn’t much plot to chew on as it merely establishes the landscape and effectively leaves us with a cliffhanger for more.
We’ve covered the previous entries in our reviews for Underworld, Evolution, and Rise of the Lycans with the moody, provocative themes explored in the original trilogy. This fourth film introduces a new season for our protagonist, new storyline and locale in the same way a new creative team might take over a comic book or television series; it’s the same character (Selene) operating in a new environment with a tweaked style. In comparison with the other films, it succeeds as an entry of equal caliber (unlike the fourth Resident Evil) but has so much action and establishing to do it doesn’t offer much in the way of plot. Although video games now offer far more complex storylines, this one follows the classic first-person shooter scenario, even with a “boss fight” at the end, not unlike last year’s Battle: Los Angeles.
Viktor: I gave you your life.
Lucian: You gave me chains.
Viktor: I thought you would have learned by now after all these years; you cannot have one without the other.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans may be the least liked installment of the series. Some cite the absence of Kate Beckinsale as Selene, while some might point to the change of director (first-time director Patrick Tatopoulos, best know for his F/X work on movies like Independence Day). Since the others aren’t exactly high art, I disagree; they all reside on the same popcorn playing field. Michael Sheen reprising his role as Lucian, and Bill Nighy back as Viktor, make up for the absent Beckinsale, and Rhona Mitra adequately plays Sonja, Viktor’s daughter… whose appearance would later inspire the vampire elder to sire Selene to fill the void of her loss. The two look enough alike to make this prequel work, bringing the Underworld story full circle in a medieval tale that echoes the most classic narratives of being set free by a miraculous hero. Resonance of biblical proportion abounds, from Moses to Jesus, as the enslaved Lucian rises up to liberate his people from slavery.
“Viktor was not the savior I had been led to believe. He had betrayed us all… My only hope now is to awaken Markus, our last remaining elder, and expose the truth…”
As we review the second film in the Underworld series, Evolution, it stands among the tightest of sequels in that, like Back to the Future II or The Two Towers, it doesn’t just extend a franchise but picks up seconds after the first film’s cliffhanger ending. It expands the theme of life, truth, and purpose being upended by stark revelations: that the leaders and fathers of this world have lied and manipulated our protagonists and pointed them in the wrong direction. Although Selene believes her “only hope” is that of another Vampire leader, it turns out Marcus holds his own deeper layers of deception and is an even worse kind of evil than Viktor.
Sibling Rivalry & Consequences
The biblical story of twins Jacob and Esau tells us of two sons jealous for birthright and dominance, one a slimmer boy who whispers deceit into his family’s ears, and the other a hairy boy who is more rash and brusque. This true narrative finds an echo in the fictional narrative of Underworld: Evolution, as the deceptive Marcus and bestial William are revealed to be the immortal sons who became the first Vampire and first Lycan, their attitudes and behaviors have wreaking generational conflict and curse. Marcus now seeks to reunite with his brother, and his plan is to create “a new race created in the image of their maker. Their new God. Me.”
“I am a Death Dealer, sworn to destroy those known as the Lycans. Our war has waged for centuries, unseen by human eyes. But all that is about to change.”
The first Underworld film introduces us to Selene (Kate Beckinsale), a determined vampire warrior committed to her cause in light of the tragedy she understands took her family from her as a child. Her clan of vampires, however, has grown increasingly influenced by political machinations and decadence and she believes they’ve lost focus, sharp instincts and their sense of urgency. Like Worf on Star Trek who seemed to be the only real Klingon in his day, Selene seems to be one of the few who is actually dedicated to their mission. Her mentor, Viktor, resides in a century-long slumber so she has no one to turn to when she discovers a major werewolf pack and the potential return of the beasts’ long-believed dead leader, Lucien.
A human named Michael is drawn into the conflict, the ignorant character who realizes a war has been going on under his feet and is forced onto the Lycans’ side with a seemingly decisive bite. Selene finds herself protecting Michael and, piece by piece, everything she believed in is turned on its head. She realizes vampires within her midst have sold out their own people, enemies she believed were animals were actually the originally wronged parties, and the now-wakened Viktor, her surrogate father, has kept the gravest of secrets from her…
…my true love gave to me: HOPE and a HELPER SUITABLE.
“My dearest friend, if you don’t mind… I’d like to join you by your side…”
The Nightmare Before Christmas stands fully unwrapped as we discuss the finale in our last part of this review (just joining us? Start HERE). The Pumpkin King of Halloweentown has had his world turned upside down, falling in love with Christmastown and yearning for that bright world, but going too far, rushing to recreate it without the proper equipping and thinking he could be be the master of Christmas instead of simply enjoying it forever.
…my true love gave to me: UNCHANGEABLE NATURE?
“What have I done? What have I done? How could I be so blind? All is lost, where was I? Spoiled all… spoiled all; everything’s gone all wrong.”
Edward Scissorhands can’t adapt to sunny suburbia and is exiled to his grey castle. Catwoman can’t reconcile her issues and live happily every after in Batman Returns (and the sewer-raised circus freak Penguin just doesn’t fit in the world above either, let alone Keaton’s tormented Bruce Wayne). Sweeney Todd’s inflexible darkness inevitably consumes everything he loves, and himself. A familiar theme in several of Tim Burton’s films seems to be: you cannot change who you are. It’s no wonder he’s aiming next at the melancholy Dark Shadows.
…my true love gave to me: SYNCRETIZATION
“Making Christmas, making Christmas, Is so fine… It’s ours this time!”
Imagine you’ve been languishing in a grey world of despair since you can remember. Suddenly, your world is turned upside down, your heart filled with a joy it’s never known before! You start trying to tell everyone you know – you can’t help yourself, you’re so exhilarated! – but all you get are confused looks or misunderstanding. They haven’t seen it or felt it. You do your best to itemize, bullet-point, and break it down but you find there is a mystery and wonder to it that ultimately transcends rationale. You’re suddenly inspired: emulate it! That will show the world.
But then… but then it all goes so terribly wrong.
…my true love gave to me: SYSTEMATICS?
“I’ve read these Christmas books so many times… I know the stories and I know the rhymes. I know the Christmas carols all by heart, My skull’s so full, it’s tearing me apart! As often as I’ve read them, something’s wrong… So hard to put my bony finger on…”
Jack Skellington can’t see the forest for the Christmas trees. We’ve been unwrapping the narrative tapestry of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, and our fourth day finds Jack trying to unravel the nature of Christmas. He’s trying to become the master of it, rather than simply receiving it as the wondrous gift that it is. His intentions may not be entirely wrong – he wants to explain and share it with others – but he finds applying the scientific method falls short of full explanation.
…my true love gave to me: EVANGELISM!
“But you must believe when I tell you this, It’s as real as my skull and it DOES exist!”
Peeling back the skin to see the narrative bone structure of The Nightmare Before Christmas and it’s skeletal character, Jack, our third narrative beat finds the once-sorrowful Pumpkin King speeding back to Halloweentown after his life-changing experience with Christmas. He’s just had his nightmarish world spun topsy turvy with a divine revelation of a happy, colorful land beyond his own, a rejuvenation that fills his heart and warms his bones with a fresh sense of living that he’s excited to share. Articulation of that newfound bliss, however, proves more difficult than our skinny protagonist anticipated.
…my true love gave to me: DISCOVERY!
What’s this? What’s this? There’s something very wrong
What’s this? There’s people singing songs
As we continue unwrapping The Nightmare before Christmas, we find a hearty recipe for sad Jack Skellington. Mix one part aimless wandering, a dash of sehnsucht wondering, stir with a skeleton-snatching snow flurry and you’ve got the ingredients for Jack’s journey through a doorway to a world of light and laughter, peace and love. Transported from the grey, mundane streets and cemeteries of Halloweentown, the story’s unsatisfied protagonist finds himself in a miraculous and life-altering change of address. Jack sings ecstatically:
…my true love gave to me: DISCONTENT?
“Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones
An emptiness began to grow
There’s something out there, far from my home
A longing that I’ve never known…”
Jack Skellington is sad. So sad. In The Nightmare Before Christmas, our skeletal main character is found depressed and lamenting, and why wouldn’t he be? He’s only… uh… the best he is at what he does, loved by all his peers and co-workers, adored by patchwork women, and almost everybody recognizes him as the guy in charge. Wait a minute: he’s the Pumpkin KING, he’s a rock star, he’s the king of the world, head-liner at what seems to have been their very best Halloween ever: so what’s wrong with this picture?
‘Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems in a place perhaps you’ve seen in your dreams. For the story you’re about to be told began with the holiday worlds of auld. Now you’ve probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven’t I’d say it’s time you begun…
In addition to one of the endless versions of A Christmas Carol, and endless showings of A Christmas Story, a tradition I and many other freaks and geeks (and otherwise normal people) keep each year is watching Disney’s enchantingly odd story, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. This quirky tale of Halloween characters trying to take over the Yuletide has built up quite a following since it first sang out in 1993, with everything from music boxes to pajamas to Jack Skellington action figures rolling out each year as decorations and presents, sparking that now-frequent debate: is this a Halloween or a Christmas movie?
(hint: the answer is in the title).