The heat may have been on this summer, but the box office wasn’t. Cluttered with lackluster sequels (“Independence Day: Resurgence”) and weak marketing campaigns (Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling’s “The Nice Guys”), the majority of the 2016 summer movie season proved unusually bland.
In the midst of this however, Marvel delivered a meaningful superhero blockbuster. Paul Dano became best friends with Harry Potter’s dead body. And Pixar invited us to swim back into the world of “Finding Nemo.”
While failing to reach the heights of 2015, this summer still offered several reasons to pay Redbox a visit this fall:
“Captain America: Civil War”
Eight years ago, Marvel took the reigns of the superhero genre with “Iron Man.” Twelve films later and Batman, Superman and the X-Men are still playing catch up. With both the comic book fan and casual moviegoer in the palm of its hand, Marvel could have played it safe with this one. A run-of-the-mill action fest would have brought in the dough, while also entertaining the masses. But, yet again, Marvel showed us why it’s number one.
“Captain America: Civil War” poses a question that may have crossed your mind while watching “The Avengers” or “Age of Ultron”: in the midst of the mind-blowing action taking place on screen, how many innocent civilians were killed?
Within the first half hour of the film, the Avengers are shown footage from major events in past Marvel movies, but rather than enjoying a shot of the Hulk smashing a few aliens into a building, the heroes see pieces of that building crush a bystander filming the chaos from his phone. Instead of watching Captain America throw his mighty shield, they are treated to the lifeless eyes of a woman caught in the crossfire of superhero and super villain.
Shortly following this, Earth’s mightiest heroes are presented with a document, called the Sokovia Accords, which states that the Avengers must place themselves under the command of the United Nations or retire. Tony Stark signs. Steve Rogers doesn’t, ultimately pitting the two heroes against one another and leaving the rest to choose a side.
While technically a Captain America story, “Civil War” plays out more like an Avengers 2.5, which works in the film’s favor. The Russo brothers mesh the darker tone of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” with the humor of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” masterfully balancing a plethora of characters new and old. The dialogue is thought provoking, the action is spectacular and the performances have never been better.
“Now You See Me: The Second Act”
This film definitely should have been titled, “Now You Don’t.” Despite my bitterness toward this, I was looking forward to the return of the Four Horsemen this past May. And while this is not a well-made film, there is still a lot of fun to be had.
Led by illusionists Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), infamous magicians known as the Four Horsemen are back to entertain and thieve using their skills in deception and sleight of hand. Daniel Radcliffe also joins the cast as tech genius Walter Mabry, who forces the Horsemen to steal a chip that will give him control of all of the world’s computers.
What made “Now You See Me” so entertaining was the chemistry between the Four Horsemen and the energy they brought to each of their shows. A nice subplot about a lone detective hunting down the magicians in between their shows also kept the viewers’ interest as they awaited the Horsemen’s next spectacle.
This sequel offers an abundance of plot and new characters, but not enough spectacle. While Rhodes’ subplot is somewhat interesting, the resolution of it undermines the impact of the first film’s plot twist. The replacement of Isla Fisher’s Henley Reeves with Lizzy Caplan’s Lula as the female Horseman was also an unwelcome change.
However, in the little time they do have in the spotlight, the Horsemen are once again electric. Their charisma and charm give the film just enough magic to overshadow its flawed storytelling and direction.
“Finding Dory”
A sour look crossed my face as my friends and I pulled into the parking lot of the Rave Theater in Little Rock. While I wanted to lose some sleep over “The Conjuring 2,” the rest of my friends had their sights set on the newest Pixar flick.
Bitterly inhaling my package of raspberry sour straws, I slumped into my seat and made a valiant attempt to dislike this movie. However, much like with last year’s “Inside Out,” Pixar won me over yet again with “Finding Dory.”
Ellen DeGeneres reprises her role from “Finding Nemo” as Dory: a kind, easygoing blue tang fish who suffers from short-term memory loss. All is well under the sea until Dory randomly experiences a flashback from her childhood of her and her parents. Remembering that she was separated from her family long ago, Dory races off to find her parents, relying only on her poor memory to guide her.
While this film is not a retread of “Finding Nemo,” it provides a few nods to the original, and many of the characters from “Nemo” return in supporting roles or cameos. The film also implements the voice talents of Idris Elba, Ty Burrell and Sloane Murray, who plays an adorable baby Dory in the flashbacks.
The most interesting character addition, however, is that of Hank, played by Ed O’Neill. The irritable, pessimistic, yet kind-hearted octopus warms up to the spastic, forgetful nature of Dory, and their interplay throughout elevates the film’s drama and humor.
Is it as good as “Finding Nemo?” Perhaps, but much like “Monster’s University” in 2013, “Finding Dory” differs in many ways from its predecessor and compliments it well. With sequels like “Cars 3,” (2017) “Toy Story 4” (2018) and the highly anticipated “The Incredibles 2” (2019) on the horizon, I am eager to see where Pixar takes our imaginations next.
“Swiss Army Man”
“Swiss Army Man” opens with a shot of an exasperated Hank (Paul Dano) preparing to hang himself on a deserted island. Bored, alone and without hope, a look of astonishment surfaces on Hank’s face as a body (Daniel Radcliffe) washes up on shore before his impending suicide.
Desperately searching the body, Hank soon discovers that it is without life and is very flatulent. Through a series of odd and spectacular events, the body comes to life and the two go on a “road trip” of epic proportions to get Hank back home.
The score for this film, while simplistic, is by far the most inventive I’ve heard in years. Directors Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and cinematographer Larken Seiple craft captivating visuals, and Daniel Radcliffe gives his best performance since “Harry Potter.”
Deemed the “farting dead body movie” at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, there were many who loved “Swiss Army Man,” and there were many who walked out of it. While not aimed for the casual moviegoer, underneath the surface-level absurdity of this film can be found relevant themes, genuine characters and a heart-felt story.
“Suicide Squad”
If anything, the marketing team for “Suicide Squad” did their job well. Following the critical backlash against “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” the second trailer for David Ayer’s supervillain team-up showcased a more light-hearted tone than that of last spring’s Comic Con teaser, and all of the following trailers and TV spots were edited to near perfection. The hype was real. The stakes were high. But how did it measure up?
The characters and the talent behind them are the driving force behind “Suicide Squad.” DC could not have made a better casting decision than Will Smith as Deadshot, and Margot Robbie was nowhere to be found in this movie: there was only Harley Quinn. And where there is Harley Quinn, there will always be the Joker.
All of the film’s promotional material pointed to Jared Leto’s clown prince of crime being the primary antagonist, but sadly this was not the case. The band of supervillains are instead tasked with taking on an evil more supernatural in nature, an odd choice considering that only two members of the squad actually have powers.
The film’s pacing is abysmal, its story is bland and the reason that the squad gets together makes very little sense. However, these negative aspects did not compromise my enjoyment of “Suicide Squad” as a whole because of the humor and fun brought forth by the characters and their interactions with one another. I look forward to seeing more of these villains, and I remain optimistic about the future of the DC cinematic universe.
Evan’s Top Five Fall Flicks
5. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (November 18)
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” brought an end to the beloved franchise five years ago…or so we thought. With the ever-growing popularity of J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore and recent release of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” it is only fitting to expand the cinematic universe this fall with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” David Yates is returning to direct. J.K. Rowling is writing the screenplay. Shut up and take my money.
4. “The Birth of a Nation” (October 7)
A little research on D.W. Griffith’s controversial “The Birth of a Nation” (1915) will tell you that the title of Nate Parker’s 2016 Sundance hit was not chosen lightly. Parker devoted seven years of his life to writing, producing, directing and starring in this film, which chronicles the powerful story of slave preacher Nat Turner during the onset of the American Civil War.
Witnessing the passion pour out of Parker following one of the Sundance screenings of his film was a true privilege for me, and I highly recommend checking it out in October.
3. “The Accountant” (October 14)
Say what you want about “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” Ben Affleck was by far the best part of that movie, and it appears that he will be delivering another great performance in Gavin O’Connor’s “The Accountant.”
Advertising for this film has been few and far in between, but its two trailers have grabbed my interest, while also not revealing too much about the plot. Also starring Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal and John Lithgow, this is one that I will definitely be seeing in theaters.
2. “Doctor Strange” (November 4)
Helmed by horror director Scott Derrickson and boasting a star-studded supporting cast, Marvel’s first venture into the mystic arts may prove to be its weirdest and most intriguing project since “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Also, Benedict Cumberbatch in a Marvel movie? Do I need to say more?
1. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (December 16)
Gareth Edwards, director of “Godzilla” (2014), has teamed up with a few of the minds behind “Saving Private Ryan,” “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Black Hawk Down” to bring a gritty war element to the “Star Wars” universe.
Following the events of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” “Rogue One” will expand the overarching “Star Wars” storyline outside of the Skywalker family to explore the personal stories of rebel spies attempting to steal the plans to the first Death Star.
Starring Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen and the iconic voice of James Earl Jones as Darth Vader, this film should provide the perfect amount of nostalgia, while also whetting our appetites for the arrival of “Episode XIII” next year.
By Evan Wheatley, features editor
