Zero Dark Thirty
For anyone but the most bloodthirsty American, the filling in of the minor intricacies in the last chapter of the War on Terror is the main attraction of this film. Watching it is an easy way to get better acquainted with the who’s who and (more importantly) who’s where of America’s Most Wanted list 2001-2011.
Which is handy. When bin Laden was killed I didn’t look into it too much, so watching Zero Dark Thirty served as a recent history lesson – which I think is how many will experience it.
I didn’t engage too strongly with Jessica Chastain’s Maya character and her struggle to be taken seriously by her CIA colleagues who are convinced she is pursuing a dead trail. Her triumph in convincing the men around her to follow the lead that eventually takes them to bin Laden seems inconsequential. If the film wants us to experience it as a feminist victory (at times it pushes this agenda but overall seems largely unsure) then it fails, if only because we all know that the highly classified nature of America’s intelligence organisations mean that the real life characters involved in ‘Operation Neptune Spear’ won’t enter public knowledge for many decades yet.
But I don’t mind too much that it fails on that level. No fictional CIA agent’s ‘personal journey’ can ever be as juicy as the actual storming of bin Laden’s compound, which Kathryn Bigelow directs with superb pacing. I caught myself with my mouth open as the helicopters reach their destination and the Navy SEALs silently rope down to the floor.
The odd thing about this film is that it’s worth seeing despite the fact that it fails to accomplish the emotional drama it sets out to fictionalise. The fast talking military speak and leaps of faith on ropey intelligence are the exciting thing – that’s why it is a good film, not because of any heart wrenching backstory.
Wreck-It Ralph
A successful modern Disney film finds new ways of presenting a familiar story. It succeeds on its surface freshness despite the underlying pedalling of proven ideas. This is not a criticism; a fresh look goes a long way in a surface medium and I am pleased to report that Wreck-It Ralph is indeed a successful modern Disney film.
Big studios learn what works from the wild failures and unexpected triumphs of more experimental fare. Wreck-It Ralph certainly has its foundations in other places. It’s central conceit of video game characters carrying on independent lives outside of human company has more than an echo of the Toy Story about it. The big heart of a designated bad guy also borrows from Shrek. Finally, the whole gamer style owes as much to the aesthetic of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World as anything else.
The story follows Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly), the stuff-smashing nemesis of Fix-it Felix, Jr., whose 30 years of watching everyone rooting for the game’s hero Felix, has him try to turn the tables and win a medal for himself at long last. Eventually ending up in the game Sugar Rush, Ralph befriends another ostracised character, the glitching Vanellope Von Schweetz, and realises that helping secure his new friend’s victory in her kart-racing game (and so secure her very existence) is perhaps a nobler pursuit.
The voice acting is the best thing about the film. John C. Reilly has complained of being consistently typecast in the role of a man-child and Wreck-It Ralph offers him the chance to almost parody himself, playing the man-child card to the max. The difference here is that his character isn’t written for the audience to poke fun at for a change; his vulnerability is central to the role. Ralph is a powerful physical presence with the simple desire to be accepted and Reilly is perfect at giving voice to this innocent agenda. Sarah Silverman is excellent too; she lends a real sparky zaniness to Vanellope whose strong individuality yet sensitivity to Ralph’s plight really rings true.
The gaming style of the film’s look is fresh like I said and it’s no problem to accept the invitation to dive into it’s world, although I think it could actually have played up a lot more to the retro gaming theme. I might be too much the Scott Pilgrim fan but it borrowed an awful lot from that film’s aesthetic without doing the whole arcade game homage thing half as well. The pixelated Disney ident before the film begins isn’t as brilliantly brash as the 32-bit Universal ident it ripped off from Scott Pilgrim and its flashing “Press Start” text at the film’s close seemed tokenistic and didn’t tie in with the film’s story as perfectly as the Scott Pilgrim “Continue? 10…9…8…etc” ending.
Nevertheless, Wreck-It Ralph is good fun, feels shiny and original (even if it isn’t quite) and has enough of a strong narrative to carry it through. Kids probably love it – (I’ve no idea, don’t know any.)
Jon Bates Writes 