A New Space Odyssey

WALL-E

Whether or not the geniuses at Pixar Animation Studios are incapable of wrongdoing is yet to be determined. What is perfectly clear is that they are unwilling to produce any movie with substandard production values. In fact, there is no moviemaker in the world today more consistent than Pixar. Their animated movies are gorgeous, touching, funny and bold, and the new standard against which all computer-animated films are judged. Their only real competition is Studio Ghibli, the company which produces the films of acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki.

Pixar's latest success is the story of WALL-E, a waste-allocation droid from the year 2700. Long after human beings departed Earth in search for a cleaner planet, WALL-E is still earthbound, sorting through the mountains of trash left behind. His is a lonely life, brightened only by small trinkets he discovers in his daily rummages and the company of an indestructible cockroach. Then, unannounced and without warning, a giant spacecraft lands near WALL-E and changes his life forever.

"WALL-E" is a technical marvel and Pixar's most ambitious film to date. Not only does it contain a touching love story and many funny jokes, but it also tackles issues of environmentalism, technology and consumerism. That's not to say that Pixar used "WALL-E" as a platform for some political agenda; the primary theme of the movie is hope: hope for the future, hope for the planet and hope for the plucky, naive robot named WALL-E.

"WALL-E" is also ambitious in its use of a cast made predominately out of robots. There are very few human voices in the film; most of the noises are robotic and conceived by sound guru Ben Burtt, who won a Special Achievement Oscar for the sound effects of "Star Wars." Remember Chewbacca's growl, the hum of a lightsaber and R2D2's beeps and whistles? All were created by Burtt.

"WALL-E" was written and directed by Oscar-winner Andrew Stanton, who also brought to life "Finding Nemo." Stanton has a wonderful imagination and can portray onscreen all the beauty and mystery of the unknown, whether it's a thousand feet beneath the waves or a thousand light years away from Earth.

In the past four years, Pixar has turned out three of its greatest movies and shows no signs of slowing down. Their animators are precise and imaginative, their writers have an understanding of the human condition, and their directors tell tales with the gentleness and demonstrativeness of a bedtime story.

*** 1/2 out of ****

East Meets West...Again

Rush Hour 2

When we last saw Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) and Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) they were onboard a plane headed for Hong Kong. They had just unmasked the head of a criminal syndicate and had rescued the kidnapped daughter of a Chinese consul. They had done all this despite interference from the FBI, violent opposition from the syndicate and a significant culture barrier between the two policemen: one from Hong Kong and one from Los Angeles.

When we next see Lee and Carter, at the beginning of "Rush Hour 2," they have already arrived in Hong Kong and are struggling to find some rest and relaxation. Carter, the more loud-mouthed and irreverent of the two, is especially anxious to meet women. Unfortunately for both men, Lee is constantly being called away on criminal cases. Then comes a new tip: Ricky Tan, the leader of a criminal organization, is suspected of killing two translators at the American Embassy. Lee, fortified by his overpowering sense of duty, volunteers to track down Tan and solve the case; Carter, distracted by his overpowering libido, grudgingly agrees to help.

Viewed specifically through its plot, "Rush Hour 2" is not very different from its predecessor. In both movies, the two cops search for clues, fight deadly assassins and are blocked in their investigation by a myopic government agency, this time the Secret Service. "Rush Hour 2" distinguishes itself, however, in its use of comedy. The jokes in "Rush Hour" were born from the misunderstandings between Lee and Carter, but the jokes in the sequel are based on their complete comprehension of each other.

The screenplay, written by Jeff Nathanson, also has some very funny lines that are very politically incorrect. Lee, who is Chinese, and Carter, who is African-American, trade racial barbs with each other in a very playful and benign way.

As in the first movie, the action in "Rush Hour 2" is exciting, funny and fluidly choreographed. A fight scene at a massage parlor early in the film is especially creative and hilarious, as Lee and Carter, wearing only their bathrobes, fight a small army of Tan-sympathizers.

The supporting cast of "Rush Hour 2" is a decidedly mixed bag. Although Ziyi Zhang is perfect as the cold and ruthless assassin Hu Li, Roselyn Sanchez is underwhelming as the friend-or-foe Isabella Molina. The biggest disappointment is John Lone, who plays Ricky Tan. Lone stole every one of his scenes in "The Shadow," where he played the last descendent of Genghis Khan, but in "Rush Hour 2" he is unimpressive and ultimately forgettable.

In any event, the main draw of the "Rush Hour" movies is Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, who have developed a strong sense of chemistry and are very funny together. Chan, a student of the silent film comedians, and Tucker, a stand-up comic, bring two unique perspectives to physical and verbal comedy. Theirs is an odd couple to be remembered.

** 1/2 out of ****

Turtle Power

TMNT

From the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" played a dominate role in popular culture and in the imagination of children. Born in comic books, the four turtle brothers - Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael - were reinvented on television (an animated show which ran for nine seasons), on the big screen (three live-action films) and in video games.

Then, around 1996, when the television show was cancelled, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" began to lose its relevance. It survived, in one form or another, for seven more years until 2003, when FOX revived the franchise as a Saturday morning cartoon show. Four years after that, the fourth Ninja Turtles film, simply titled "TMNT," arrived in theaters.

Unlike the previous three film installments, which used live actors, "TMNT" uses only computer-generated imagery (CGI). Its focus on action over comedy is also a departure from the earlier films and especially the orginal animated series. Grittier, darker and packed with action, it belongs more to the comic books where the Ninja Turtles first appeared.

The story of "TMNT" is surprisingly complex, considering its main audience is young children. We learn, in opening narration by Laurence Fishburne, that 3,000 years ago a great warlord found the key to immortality in an inter-dimensional portal. His unlimited life came at a cost, however, as his three brothers and sister were turned to lifeless statues, and thirteen fearsome monsters escaped the portal from a far away world.

The movie then flashes forward to the present. Leonardo (James Arnold Taylor), the oldest of the turtles, is alone in the jungles of Central America, training himself to become a better leader. Back in New York City, his brothers wait impatiently for his return, having settled into mundane jobs. Then come strange sightings of walking statues and rampaging monsters.

"TMNT" is fast-paced, action-packed and faithful to its comic book origins. The animation, stylized CGI, is artfully rendered. The story, at once fantastical and poignant, touches on themes such as the loneliness of immortality, the competition among brothers and the danger of pride. Although the quiet moments in "TMNT" are brief, they are undeniably heartfelt.

The future of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," for now, seems to be the current FOX show and the comic books, which include two ongoing publications "TMNT" and "Tales of the TMNT."

Although the extreme popularity the franchise once enjoyed might be lost and gone forever, "TMNT" is a pleasant reminder of the irresistible appeal of these characters. Remember: many people, when they hear Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, think of Ninja Turtles and not Renaissance painters.

*** out of ****

Getting Dumber

Get Smart

What ever happened to the American comedy? For a country that has turned out brilliantly funny movies, from the likes of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Frank Capra, Mel Brooks and Woody Allen, we're sure turning out duds, and at an amazing rate. Silliness has given way to stupidity and satire has given way to sarcasm.

The latest unfunny flop is "Get Smart," a new movie based on the spy spoof television show that ran from 1965-1970. "Get Smart" was a product of the Cold War and was hatched in the wonderfully demented minds of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, who penned "The Graduate." In the words of Brooks, "it's an insane combination of 'James Bond' and Mel Brooks comedy."

The show starred Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, a bumbling secret agent from CONTROl, an American intelligence agency. He was joined on his missions by Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) a sexy and competent spy who routinely saved Smart from his own mistakes.

Just as James Bond had difficulty adjusting to a post-Cold War world, so does "Get Smart," released 38 years after the original series ended, find itself in a world without a default villain. Writers Tom Astle and Matt Ember resurrected KAOS, the Soviet counterpart to CONTROL, which is run by Siegfried (Terrence Stamp). Without the context of the Cold War, however, KAOS is just a rogue terrorist group, and serves mainly as a plot device.

On the other side of the fence is CONTROl, run by the Chief (Adam Arkin) and filled with agents (Dwayne Johnson, David Koechner), R&D geeks (Masi Oka, Nate Torrence) and analyst Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell). When CONTROL is breached by an unknown party and the identities of its field agents are compromised, Smart is promoted to a full-time agent and partnered with 99 (Anne Hathaway). Soon they're off to Russia to investigate the breach and discover what sinister things KAOS has been planning.

What keeps "Get Smart" from achieving full-fledged comedy status, besides the fact that many of its jokes fall flat, is its weird ratio of action to laughs. Much too often jokes are replaced with stunts and action set-pieces. A chase scene late in the movie involves a helicopter, an out-of-control SUV and a rampaging locomotive. The entire movie feels more like a third-rate Bond film than a Brooks/Henry creation.

The saving grace of "Get Smart" are its actors, all of whom are perfectly cast, with the exception of the leaden Hathaway. Stamp, Arkin and Johnson are particularly funny and refuse to take themselves too seriously. The biggest treat is Carell, whose comic acting is irreproachable. Carell, who looks like Don Adams, departs from his predecessor's deadpan style and makes Maxwell Smart a compassionate and sensitive agent.

Unfortunately for Carell, the lousy script and heavy-handed direction, by Peter Segal, don't due him justice. His version of Maxwell Smart is worthy of sequels; this incarnation of "Get Smart," uninspired and often juvenile, is not.

** out of ****

Going Green

The Incredible Hulk

We are now officially knee-deep in the summer of superheroes. It began May 1 when "Iron Man" made its way into multiplexes (it's still showing in many theaters) and continues now that its Marvel counterpart, "The Incredible Hulk," is showing nine times a day and pulling in millions. July will bring audiences two more, "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," based on the Darkhorse Comics character, and "The Dark Knight," director Christopher Nolan's continuation of the Batman story.

"The Incredible Hulk," which is not a direct sequel to Ang Lee's 2003 film "Hulk," is a solid entry in the genre and fits nicely into the storyline Marvel is attempting to construct before it releases "The Avengers" in 2011. Although information about that film is only slowly becoming available, it will probably star Iron Man and The Hulk, and might potentially include the superheroes Captain America, Thor and Ant Man, all of whom have their own motion pictures due out sometime between 2009 and 2011.

In contrast to most superhero flicks, "The Incredible Hulk" dispenses with its hero's creation story in the opening credits. We learn, in brief snippets, that gamma radiation has turned an ordinary scientist, Bruce Banner, into a hulking green giant, capable of incredible feats of strength and uncontrollable bursts of rage. When the audience meets Banner (Edward Norton) he's on the run from the authorities, hiding in a Brazilian suburb, and carefully monitoring his pulse and anger levels. Extreme stress, we discover, can trigger Banner's transformation from a normal person to the superhuman Hulk.

Through a twist of fate, Banner is discovered by the army and tracked down by General "Thunderbolt" Ross and a squad of commandos, including career soldier Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth). What follows is an exhilarating chase through the city streets, which culminates in a fierce battle royale in a bottling plant. From there, Banner escapes Brazil and heads north, back to his home in the United States.

"The Incredible Hulk" has just what you'd expect from a superhero movie: plenty of action and spectacle. In addition to the fight in the Brazilian plant, there's a rousing skirmish on a Virginian college campus and a brutal street fight in Manhattan. Spread among those action set-pieces are scenes of humor and serious tenderness. The scenes between Banner and his estranged girlfriend Betty (Liv Tyler) are especially touching.

Only in the third act does "The Incredible Hulk" begin to lose momentum, as it becomes increasingly bogged down in violence and destruction.

The summer of superheroes has scored two hits, but it's far from over. "Hellboy II" arrives July 11 and "The Dark Knight," perhaps the most highly anticipated movie of the bunch, premieres a week later. It will be interesting to see how each stacks up agaisnt "Iron Man," "The Incredible Hulk" and the ever-expanding Marvel universe.

*** out of ****

The Best Movie of 2008 (so far)

Prince Caspian

What a difference three years make. In 2005, only 36 months ago, the first film installment of "The Chronicles of Narnia" appeared in theaters. "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" earned nearly $300 million and won an Oscar for achievement in makeup. Conservative Christian activist groups, which endorsed the movie because of its Christian theology, took credit for its financial success. More likely it was a massive advertising campaign and the extreme popularity of the source material, penned by C.S. Lewis, which ranks among "The Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" as the most famous of fantasy books.

"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," a polished family-friendly film, told the story of the four Pevensie children – Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy – who fell through a magical wardrobe into the mystical world of Narnia. After their adventures concluded in Narnia they returned to England, circa 1940, from where they had come. The movie was pleasant and charming, suffering only from wooden acting from its adolescent leads and a prolonged battle scene that disagreed with the whimsical nature of the story. It was an acceptable beginning to a long story, flawed in many ways, but important in establishing the beauty and majesty of Narnia and the personalities of its main characters.

Flash forward three years to May 16, 2008 when part two of the "Narnia" saga, "Prince Caspian" debuted in theaters all over the country. Unlike its predecessor, "Prince Caspian" is not a charming story about four human youths lost in a mystical land; it is a medieval battle epic filled with all the grand and romantic themes which are rarely found in blockbuster films in the twenty-first century. In "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" Narnia was a place to be discovered. In "Prince Caspian" Narnia is a place to be saved.

In "Prince Caspian" the Pevensie children are each one year older, but Narnia has endured a long 1,300 years. A castle, in which the children sat as kings and queens of Narnia, has been reduced to ruins. Their former friends have long since died. And, most troubling, the magical inhabitants of Narnia – talking animals, dwarfs, centaurs and griffins – have disappeared and been replaced by Telmarines, conquerors from a foreign land.

"Prince Caspian" introduces a host of new characters to the Pevensies, who, along with the god-like lion Aslan, are the only returning characters. The most important is the titular character Caspian (Ben Barnes), the Telmarine crown prince driven from the throne by his usurper uncle. Most of the first third of the movie is devoted to Caspian's coming to terms with his situation – powerless and alone – and his relationship with native Narnians, whom he thought were long extinct. Caspian and the Narnians have a common enemy, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), and form an alliance to reclaim Narnia for its rightful owners.

The remainder of the first third is devoted to the Pevensies' search for answers in a new, more dangerous Narnia. Their guide in this journey is a cantankerous dwarf named Trumpkin, played wonderfully by Peter Dinklage. Trumpkin guides the children to the woods, where Telmarines are scared to tread, and finally encounters Caspian and his growing army.

"Prince Caspian" marks a huge rise in quality over its predecessor. The acting is better, as is the writing, directing and storytelling; very strange because the director, screenwriters and four main actors are unchanged. What is most interesting is the change in tone. "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" established Narnia as a Garden of Eden, troubled only by the serpent (the White Witch). In "Prince Caspian" Narnia has become more of a biblical Jerusalem, troubled by invaders, internal strife and destruction.

The battle scenes in "Prince Caspian" are creative, thrilling and lengthy. A nighttime castle siege, occurring late in the movie, involves airborne and earthbound warriors clashing with each other above and between dark castle walls. The final battle, fought mostly on a grassy field, is a beautiful and symbolic clash between the ferocity of man and the supreme power of nature. Throughout everything is the influence of Lewis' religiosity, although much less obvious than that in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

"Prince Caspian" is a substantial movie, in terms of special effects, size and scope. It is probably more closely related to the "Lord of the Rings" movies than its 2005 predecessor.

"You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember," says Trumpkin to Lucy, the youngest and most faithful of the Pevensie children. That may be the overriding theme of "Prince Caspian," that innocence must eventually be lost and that even the great monuments of Narnia, once towering and pristine, must someday fall down.

**** out of ****