By David Seaman | Echo
This has been a relatively good year for summer blockbusters-but a rather strange one as well. Films involving pet dragons and alien fighters reliving one day have been critically acclaimed, while humanoid ninja turtles and exploding robots have been maligned. Fortunately before school starts, we have great movies involving space heroes and talking apes. But make sure to skip the one with a mega-powerful Scarlett Johansson.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Opened August 1 Visually spectacular and one of the funniest Marvel movies to date, "Guardians of the Galaxy" is a treat for the eyes and a genuinely entertaining film. The movie offers something for everyone, from comic book-lover, to sci-fi fan, to the average moviegoer. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt from "Parks and Recreation") likes to go by another name: Star-Lord. The sly rogue, part Han Solo and part Indiana Jones, is a human space scavenger stealing a mysterious orb. When a bounty hunter raccoon, a living tree and an assassin fight him over his prize, Star-Lord ends up in galactic prison with the would-be thieves. Along with vengeful thug Drax, the quintet manage to escape and travel across the galaxy to pawn the orb to the highest bidder. However, when the real purpose for the orb is revealed, it leads them on an adventure that transforms a ragtag group of antiheroes into bonafide superheroes. Above all else, "Guardians of the Galaxy" is fun. It's light and not too gritty, with plenty of quips and broad humor. The movie also doesn't take itself seriously but is smart enough to incorporate emotional backstories and motivations. When a film is able to make you feel for a talking raccoon as well as laugh with him, you know it's doing a good job. The characters are likable, and the movie's cartoonish visuals bring you into its world. After the sad, muted colors seen in superhero films such as "Man of Steel," it's a welcome relief for a comic book film to be colorful again. Pratt proves himself as a lead actor, and the rest of the cast does a fine job. "Guardians" sticks a bit too close to the Marvel film formula at times, but it's unconventional enough to seem fresh. It embraces its weirdness, delights in homages to sci-fi classics such as "Star Wars" and avoids the forced continuity that has bogged down other Marvel films. "Guardians of the Galaxy" wants you to have a good time at the movies. And you will. -David Seaman "I loved it. I really liked the retro action feel and the 70's and 80's pop. It's nice to see movie characters having fun and not taking themselves too seriously, compared to some other Marvel films."-Caleb Nagel, senior "Better than 'Avengers'."-Gerardo Lara, junior
Opened July 11 (second-run theaters) Unlike "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Dawn" takes itself seriously. Very, very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that in the hands of the wrong people, the whole story would come off as ridiculous. This latest entry in the "Planet of the Apes" franchise is pretty out there: after a worldwide plague, most humans have been killed off, and apes now rule the world (or at least San Francisco). A small band of humans finds apes, the apes become mad, humans and good apes try for peace, bad apes get guns and start a war with the humans. Nuts, right? It should be. But in the skilled hands of director Matt Reeves ("Cloverfield") and with a solid cast that includes Gary Oldman and Keri Russell, the film never devolves into monkey madness. The real star here is Andy Serkis, who plays the conflicted ape leader, Caesar. Motion capture technology allows the viewer to see the emotion in his eyes, the pride he has in his primate companions' work and the aching pain of betrayal. In a touching performance, Serkis shows the depths of humanity through the body of an ape. The visuals astound with lush, dark tones and cinematic backdrops, transforming San Francisco and its surrounding woods into a lost world. The apes look frighteningly real, allowing a viewer to really believe one is talking or attacking a human. With surprisingly emotional complexity among the apes, along with themes of humanity, forgiveness and compassion, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" is a must-see. You'll come away entertained and thinking from this blockbuster. -DS "I was surprised how good it was."-Gerardo Lara, junior "The graphics were really good; the emotion was there. I wished they focused more on the humans along with the apes."-Erika Nord, junior Lucy
Opened July 25 "Lucy" is not a comedy. You aren't supposed to laugh at the heroine as she smashes what looks like Pop Rocks into her face, turns into the black goo from "Spider-Man 3" and robotically discusses remembering the taste of her mother's milk, but you laugh anyway because this movie is just too absurd to take seriously. What starts out as a promising story about the limits of humanity and the potential of full brain capacity quickly turns into a ridiculous avalanche of confusing plot developments and randomness. This sci-fi action film, directed by celebrated French director Luc Besson, follows Scarlett Johansson's character Lucy, a student in Taiwan who is kidnapped by a menacing drug lord and forced to transport a new drug called CPH4 in her stomach. In an absurd and convenient twist, the drug enters her bloodstream and alters her DNA. The CPH4 in her system allows Lucy to achieve 100% brain capacity, essentially turning her into an emotionless robot with godlike powers. Besides basically being omnipotent, Lucy's most notable new skills include changing her hairdo on command, shuffling through time and space in an office swivel chair and creating unnecessary 3D displays out of thin air to impress her scientist friends. After Lucy comes to terms with the fact she's basically Superwoman on steroids, the plot of the film pretty much disappears as she spends the rest of the movie beating people and collecting more CPH4 so she can transcend to her ultimate form: an omnipresent pile of black goo. Despite countless plot holes, the film does have some high notes. Scarlett Johansson can be genuinely chilling, and there are plenty of elaborate fight scenes to keep up the pace. Morgan Freeman and Amr Waked are also nice additions to the cast, if only they served a purpose in the story. In the end, this film may be comically entertaining but is little else. If you're looking for a summer thriller, go ahead and skip "Lucy." -Austin Lindner "'Lucy' was a waste of two hours of my life. I love Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman, but I do not love this movie."-Gerardo Lara, junior "I was expecting something great and all I got was a sequel to the movie 'Salt.' And that was a dumb movie too."-Jake Rundell, senior
