Reviews
DVD
Mars Attacks
Directed by Tim Burton, starring Jack Nicholson, Annette Bening
It's rare to find a science fiction film where you wind up rooting for the alien invaders. But that's the case in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks, an oddly unfunny ode to lowbrow sci-fi, which is a genre that Burton of all people should have excelled in. In his previous films, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and Batman, Burton showed a knack for tapping into the kook of a story. Here, he introduces us to a marvelous bunch of fun-loving yet malevolent cartoon Martians who are a darn sight more fun than the humans they have come to destroy.
And it's not as if there's a lack of talent in the cast. The stars here include Jack Nicholson (who plays two roles), Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Michael J Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan and Martin Short. Unfortunately, few of them are armed with the kind of dialogue to inspire hilarity. Even Nicholson, who usually can be relied upon to spark smiles among the audience, fails to amuse as either the US President or a Las Vegas lout.
But at least he is not subjected to the humiliation of having his head super-imposed on a small animal's body, which is the fate that befalls Parker and Brosnan. So I guess we should be thankful that Burton managed to create devilish extra-terrestrials who talk in duck quacks and easily ward off the world's most powerful military arsenal. If only the script breathed as much life into the human characters as it did the uppity interlopers.
Ben Davey
Troy
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom
Many may argue that the Trojan Horse is the centerpiece of Homer's Iliad. But from the beginning of Wolfgang Petersen's adaptation of the ancient Greek poem, the audience is slowly drawn to another event in the proceedings: the stand-off between Achilles and Hektor.
That these two characters are played by Brad Pitt and Eric Bana respectively reinforces the significance of the showdown - two big names engage in a duel and only one will walk away. Those familiar with the text already know the outcome so the trick of the exercise is to establish the two characters well enough beforehand so that the inevitable loss still retains a dramatic intensity.
It works. The fight is the highlight of this extravagant two-and-a-half-hour epic. However, large chunks of the dialogue state the bleeding obvious and Paris (Orlando Bloom) cops just about the worst of it. Pitt is charismatic as the rock star warrior and Bana empresses as the stoic son of Troy. Ben Hur this ain't, however skilful editing and mammoth action sequences maintain the film's solid pace. History buffs be warned though: On occasion the script takes a few artistic liberties.
BD
The Goonies
Directed by Richard Donner, starring Sewan Astin, Josh Brolin
The Goonies comes from the minds of men who understand what children want to see when the lights go down at the theater. Steven Spielberg came up with the story and Gremlins writer Chris Columbus penned the screenplay. In the director's chair is the man who made Superman such a blast, Richard Donner. This is a first class juvenile fantasy with a nod to the power of pop culture referencing.
The heroes are a gang of youngsters whose homes are set to be demolished to make way for a golf course. But as luck would have it, they stumble upon the treasure map of infamous pirate, One-Eyed Willy. The ensuing adventure to locate the booty sees them chased by gangsters along a system of caves. Of course, there's also a water slide leading to a monstrous pirate ship; it's just that kind of a movie.
The child cast, including Corey Feldman and Sean Astin, are terrific and add authenticity to the dialogue. The villains are no cardboard cutouts either; they're more Myra Hindley than the goofballs in Home Alone. A few moments of cheap sentimentality aside, this is a near flawless combination of Indiana Jones and Stand By Me.
BD
(China Daily 05/22/2007 page20)
