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Zoolander 2: Mini-review

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Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller looking far less ridiculous than he does in Zoolander 2

D+Sometimes, movie sequels are worth the wait. George Miller spent nearly 30 years developing Mad Max: Fury Road, and the result was one of the best films of 2015. And sometimes they aren’t. Ben Stiller waited 15 years after the original to make Zoolander 2, and the result is one of the worst films of 2016.

Zoolander was a satire on the fashion industry and, specifically, handsome but empty-headed male models like Derek Zoolander (Stiller) and his arch-rival Hansel (Owen Wilson). The sequel pretty much goes over the same ground, with the now over-the-hill Derek and Hansel teaming up with Interpol agent Valentina Valencia (Penelope Cruz) to investigate the assassinations of various celebrities, including Justin Bieber. Eventually, the trail leads to the villainous fashion designer from the original film, Mugatu (Will Ferrell).  

Stiller’s social satire was already on the way out in 2001, and it’s completely passé now, as nobody really cares all that much about high fashion in a social media world in which a single viral video can turn anyone into a trendsetter. Nor has Stiller found any suitable replacement targets for his barbs. Indeed, the opening segment, which pokes fun at Bieber and the selfie phenomenon, is about the only thing remotely resembling cutting edge satire in Zoolander 2. Lacking any good new material, Stiller doubles down on the idiocy humor, outlandish outfits, and celebrity cameos that occasionally worked in the original movie. However, he repeats the same jokes numerous times to increasingly lesser effect. He also adds a new character in Zoolander 2, Derek’s overweight, tweener son (Cyrus Arnold). This character allows Stiller both to insert tasteless, unfunny fat jokes into the script and, at the same time, hypocritically feign a theme of tolerance. Occasionally, the new material is funny, most notably in Kristen Wiig‘s hilarious performance as a designer who mangles the English language worse than she mangles fashion. Far more often, it isn’t, such as Benedict Cumberbatch‘s bizarre androgynous model named All. In a movie that glorifies stupidity, the single dumbest thing about Zoolander 2 was the decision to make the film in the first place.    
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Terminator Genisys: Mini-review

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Arnold Schwarzenegger

He’s back!

BRecent attempts at rebooting successful action franchises have had mixed success. Jurassic World was an enormous hit, Mad Max: Fury Road somewhat less so. Now, Paramount tries its luck with Terminator Genisys.

Because time travel and the concept of alternate universes figure so heavily into Terminator Genisys, more so than any of the other films in the franchise, the movie could be classified as either a sequel or a re-imagining. In any event, the storyline harkens back to the original film, as the final battle between man and machines unfolds in 2029. Once again, the machines send a Terminator robot back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), mother of resistance leader John Connor (Jason Clarke). And once again, John dispatches Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) to protect Sarah. This time around, however, Kyle discovers that someone else has already sent another guardian, a reprogrammed Terminator robot named Pops (Arnold Schwarzenegger), back even further to 1973 to help Sarah, and the story then diverges drastically from the familiar Terminator timeline. In Genisys, Sarah, Kyle and Pops wind up in 2017, trying to stop the machine intelligence from coming online, not as a missile defense system called Skynet, but as a mega-cloud named Genisys that links all computers and similar devices worldwide.

Critics can nitpick plot holes aplenty here, and the movie’s biggest surprise has been needlessly spoiled in many trailers. However, all things considered, Genisys does a good job of updating the Terminator mythos and timeline to account for the facts that 30 years have passed since the original film, and the concept of artificial intelligence itself has evolved rapidly in the interim. Frankly, it’s fun to see familiar names (and one very familiar face) trying to figure out a new and highly complex scenario (time travel stories are inherently complex) while fighting off three generations of killer robots. The aged Schwarzenegger, who’s now been programmed to display some emotions, including an extremely funny attempt at a smile, is the best thing about Genisys, although Emilia Clarke, fresh from Game of Thrones, reinvents Sarah Connor in an intriguingly kick ass way. Where Terminator Genisys goes wrong is in the action sequences. Director Alan Taylor never really exploits the potential of his source material but instead opts for staging scenes to maximize 3D in-your-face moments. The results, although competent and easy to follow, are a far cry from James Cameron‘s spectacular work. Still, screenwriters Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier have for the first time successfully brought the Terminator franchise into the 21st century. Like Pops himself, Terminator Genisys creaks a bit in spots but it’s definitely back.
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Mad Max Fury Road: Mini-Review

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Charlize Theron

This ultra-glamorous Charlize Theron does not appear in Mad Max Fury Road

A-Let’s cut to the chase here. Mad Max: Fury Road is the best action film in years, one that is destined to show up on all-time lists of such movies. Further, with this film on top of his original Mad Max trilogy, director George Miller cements his reputation as one of the best action directors of all time. Still further, Charlize Theron‘s Imperator Furiosa is second only to Sigourney Weaver‘s Ripley from the Alien movies as the best action heroine of all time.

Given more than 30 years since the original Mad Max trilogy to fine tune his vision of a post-apocalyptic dystopian future, Miller has created a barren desert world in Fury Road in which water, not oil, is the key to power. Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Bourne) controls a vast amount of water at a rocky outcrop called the Citadel and has become a demigod to his followers, most notably a host of hopped up War Boys, including Nux (Nicholas Hoult). Furiosa kidnaps Joe’s prized “possession,” his breeder women, and absconds with them in a heavily armored tanker truck. She soon teams up with Max (Tom Hardy), who has himself escaped from Joe’s clutches, to try to stay one step ahead of Joe’s pursuing armada.

Fury Road has a deceptively simple plot, with the bulk of the movie consisting of several intricately designed and incredibly exciting set pieces. The 30-minute finale is a worthy successor to the climactic set piece in Miller’s earlier The Road Warrior. This time around, however, Miller has the benefit of a vastly increased budget and much improved technology. Miller uses that technology sparingly, however, preferring actual stunt work over CGI and traditional cinematography and deliberate editing that lets viewers understand exactly what’s happening. The production design is also amazingly creative, with vehicles seemingly cobbled together from spare parts that prove to be remarkably versatile in the nonstop combat in which they are engaged. Miller isn’t known for character development, but the main characters here are surprisingly well drawn in one or two scenes. Tom Hardy’s Mad Max has few lines but Miller establishes the character’s emotional baggage through brief flashback moments. Charlize Theron displays her emotions more openly and movingly at times; the movie is really about her quest for redemption. Fury Road winds up being neither a true remake of nor a sequel to any of the original Mad Max movies. Instead, it is an expansion of George Miller’s vision and the art of action film making to a truly exceptional level.
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