2012 Films In Review Pt. 2

What do American Reunion, Cabin In The Woods, Lockout, The Raven, Justice League: Doom, Superman VS. The Elite, and Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Part 1 all have in common? They’re part of our 2012 films in review part 2 of course! In our part one coverage, we reviewed The Divide, Chronicles, Woman In Black, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Hunger Games, The Raid: Redemption, and Wrath of the Titans. Anything worth seeing or should you move right along with these movies? Our review, after the jump helps answer that. Disagree with our take? Let us know in the comments section!

American Reunion 2/5

What a disappointment. I quite enjoyed the previous three films in the franchise (can’t say I ever had interest in the horrid looking DTV releases, though). When the red-band trailer debuted, I was in stitches. It looked like the crude humor was back and amped up. But as I finally sat through the entirety of the film, I could likely count on one hand how many times I cracked a smile, let alone laughed out loud. The gang gets back together for a 13 (huh?) year high school reunion. That’s pretty much it. It’s fun to see Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hanigan) as parents, which is what the trailer focused on, but this story element gets glossed over for the most part to focus on the shaky foundation of their romantic relationship. Blah. What a bore.

It was nice to see Oz (Chris Klein) and Heather (Mena Suvari) return to the series, though I don’t remember their “story arc” being all that interesting. I try not to be a generic hater, but Tara Reed makes my skin crawl and is utterly useless here; in fact, her presence is detrimental to an already weak film. More Sifler (Seann William Scott) and Stifler’s mom (Jennifer Coolidge) jokes ensue, and apparently Jim’s mom is dead?! Eugene Levy as Jim’s dad, one of the anchors of the series, spends the majority of the film being depressed; poor choices. This entry of the series was written/directed by a pair of fans, taking the creative ball away from creator Adam Herz (who stuck on as producer). I think therein lies the mistake. They have a few good bits of fan service, but I never felt we were getting a genuine look into these characters again. Maybe in another 13 years, we’ll get American Midlife and things will be back to normal.

Buy ‘American Reunion‘ on Blu-ray.

Cabin in the Woods 3.5/5

Let me preface this by saying I love horror, but it has suffered drastically as of late.

I can barely remember the last time I watched a genre release that I even remotely liked. Thankfully this film hit, and although it didn’t quite floor me on the belief that a revival of the good stuff may be coming, it sure as hell kept me entertained from start to finish. The less you know plot-wise, the better. But the setup of five teens in a cabin in the woods, is of course in fine tradition. It’s what the writers do with them that makes the movie a hoot. It takes some tropes of genre and turns them on their ear, resulting in plenty of laughs. While it’s predominantly a satire, they don’t pass up the chance for some genuine freaky moments as well. The whole thing is a bit of a head-trip, so inebriation is recommended (though not required).

Now I must let it be known that (DUN DUN DUN) – I have never been much of a Whedon fan (Gasp! Shock! Horror!)… In fact I’d even go so far as to say that I kinda hate Buffy (BURN HIS EYES!)… Now, I know, this severely hurts my geek cred. But let it be said that between this and Avengers (review later), you can consider me… maybe not a full-on convert, but at the very least a strong supporter now. And thumbs up to his co-writer and director of the film Drew Goddard, who may or may not have a future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Speaking of which, catching a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth in this film is a real treat. I won’t spoil, but the most epically funny moment in the film involved him. Not sure I can look at his face and not see it and chuckle.

Usually films that get stuck on the shelf die into obscurity (just look at the other Hemsworth lead one released recently: the Red Dawn remake), but thankfully here, it appears to have not hurt the picture. Considering the budget, the film was a bit of a hit, with great word of mouth. Who knows, maybe sitting on it for two years somehow miraculously helped it. Geek hype built up for it, and putting it out so close to Avengers had to be intentional. Nice to see a plan pay off for the film’s benefit.

Buy ‘Cabin In The Woods‘ on Blu-ray.

Lockout 3/5

Right off the bat: This is more or less the Snake Plissken adventure “Escape From Space” that I always dreamed of getting. Not literally, of course, but the set up and characters feel very Carpenter-esque. And strangely, this film is far superior to Carpenter’s own foray into sci-fi with Ghost of Mars. Luc Besson has been involved with a whole bunch of scripts and productions the last few years (From Paris with Love was actually pretty good!) and Lockout gives a sci-fi flavor that he doesn’t seem to have touched since Fifth Element (don’t hate on it).

I love prison-break films. I love supermax concepts (anyone remember Fortress? Amazing film!) and I’ve had a man-crush on Guy Pearce ever since seeing Memento, so I was excited to see this since catching the trailer. Pearce plays Snow, a bad-ass chain-smoker wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage against the US. He gets his chance to clear his name if he rescues the President’s daughter, who is trapped amidst a prison under siege by inmates – IN SPACE! See how much fun that plot is? The film is a goofy and violent delight and not to be taken too seriously.

Buy ‘Lockout‘ on Blu-ray.

The Raven 3/5

I love Poe. So the concept of a murder mystery involving him in the last days of his life, tracking down a serial killer who pulls inspiration from his short stories was absolutely titillating.

John Cusack portrays the author and clearly has a ball playing a drunken bumbler past his prime, taking his last opportunity to redeem himself and give his life a level of worth. The film falls into many of the same pitfalls that most psycho-thrillers do, but the period-piece esthetics and competent direction from director James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) certainly make it worth a watch.

Buy ‘The Raven‘ on Blu-ray.

Year In Review Spotlight: DC Universe Animated Features

For those unaware, Warner Bros. has been releasing multiple DTV animated features based on DC comics superheroes annually since 2007. Being a big comics fan, especially of DC, I look forward to these nearly as much as the big budget live action comic movies that come out every year. I wanted to dedicate a special section of this mammoth 2012 wrap-up to the three titles in the line released in the last 12 months:

Justice League: Doom 4/5

JL: Doom is inspired by the first post-Grant Morrison book in the JLA series, Tower of Babel, written by Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, Superman: Birthright). The script for the film was written by the late, great Dwayne McDuffie (creator of Static Shock, writer for Justice League animated series) and was his last work before his untimely death. The plot revolves around the Legion of Doom taking Batman’s contingency plans for rogue Justice League members and illustrating a massive strike to take them down while a grander scheme is unleashed.

This film was a big deal for fans, as it acts as a Justice League animated series reunion for the voice cast. The first half is down-right amazing, and the third act battle is an entertaining action-fest. The blu-ray has many great features, including a touching tribute documentary to McDuffie on his work and personal history. Comics lost a great contributor, and this release marks a wonderful swan-song for Dwayne.

Buy ‘Justice League: Doom‘ on Blu-ray.

Superman VS. The Elite 5/5

This feature is based upon Superman issue 775 (What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way?) written by Joe Casey, who also wrote the screenplay. I’ve always wanted to see the misconceptions about Superman being some kind of wussy boyscout be addressed, and this is it to the nth degree. If you know nothing about the character or have never liked him, watch this film. It will convert you. And no, it’s not a completely out of character Superman ripping apart bad-guys and swearing or anything, but it shows just how relevant an immovable, unparalleled myth can be in modern day.

The story involves the rise of The Elite, a group of super powered beings who decide to deal with criminals in a way that doesn’t jive with Superman. Everything builds until an epic confrontation on the moon settles the score. George Newbern (Justice League) returns to voice our boy in blue, and does a wonderful job. He’s always been my personal favorite in the role. As usual, DC packed great features on the blu-ray, including a commentary by Casey and a documentary on the history of The Elite, who grew to be a major faction in the Justice League books in the early 2000’s. There’s also a lot of interesting debate about capital punishment and how it plays into the DC universe and our real world in a second doc. A solid release all around.

Buy ‘Superman Vs. The Elite‘ on Blu-ray.

Dark Knight Returns part 1 – 5/5

After the amazing adaptation of Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One last year, fans were foaming for the DCU spin on his other classic, Dark Knight Returns. Not only did they hook us up less than a year later, but instead of cramming the entire thing into 75 minutes like they have with every other DTV release, they’ve split the opus into two parts. The second half comes out in less than a month, but in the Fall, we were graced with part 1, and it’s everything a Bat-nut could’ve dreamed for.

Peter Weller (Robocop himself!!) provides the voice of the caped crusader in this tale which tells of a Gotham City overwrought with crime and corruption since the disappearance of the Batman ten years previously. As everything comes to a head, Bruce Wayne lunges out of his self-imposed retirement and starts a one man crusade against the various villains and gangs who’ve poisoned the streets of his city. I could go on and on, but there’s no excuse not to see this. Whether you’re a comics veteran or only stick with the live action films, if you’re a Batman fan (and really, who isn’t?) check this out ASAP and prepare for the second half at the end of January.

My only complaint would be the severe lack of special features for this release. There’s a short 12 minute documentary on the new Robin featured from the story, but everything else is recycled. I suppose I can dream that it’s because a suped up deluxe edition with both parts and packed with goodies is in the future. Here’s hoping.

Buy ‘The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 1‘ on Blu-ray.

In closing, check these animated DTV releases out! They are always an absolute treat, regardless of your familiarity with the characters. The special features act as a wonderful history lesson for more casual fans, and point you in plenty of directions for great graphic novels to pick up if you so desire. These also fill the void in between the live action comic releases everyone loves, and sometimes are even superior in the story department. These are PG-13 rated features, geared towards an older audience, so don’t make the mistake of lumping these in with the kid cartoons.

Check back next week for our 2012 films in review part 3. Till then, be sure to read our 2012 films in review part 1 coverage.