Spy Review

   

     The summer comedies officially kicked off with Paul Feig's "Spy". Although this film isn't a laugh your ass off every second kind of movie, there are a few scenes that will crack you up. There are other aspects of this film that stick out though.
      The action scenes are very well choreographed. Paul Feig showed off his to ability to not only make a compelling comedy, but also presents the audience with very high paced grueling fight scenes.
      The main character, Susan Cooper, is played by the clumsy and hysterical Melissa McCarthy. Although, some of McCarthy's previous films show her dim wits and clownish personality can get a tad bit old at times, she has a bit of a fresh character in "Spy". We see how she develops from a CIA desk guide into a spy that actually goes out into the field and tackles new missions. Feig did a wonderful job of giving us a believable character to get behind.
      The highlight of this movie, surprisingly, was Jason Statham. Jason Statham plays the loose cannon spy known as Rick Ford and he practically steals every scene he is in. Statham showed off his comedic chops in this movie with the overbearing, egotistical personality that comes with the character. Truly a delightful surprise for this film.
      Although there are many other perks to this film, there are some flaws as well. When I go to see what was supposed to a comedy, I expect to laugh a whole lot (if it's good, that is). Unfortunately, spy didn't have me laughing too much. There were a few one liners that cracked me up but nothing memorable. Statham is what makes the comedy fun but even he doesn't get a whole lot of screentime I think Feig focused too much on the action and didn't give those hilarious moments the audience got with his previous films such as "Bridesmaid's" or "The Heat".
      All in all, this is a solid and fun film. I wish there was more laugh out moments but still a delightful movie. Definitely, worth the see in theaters.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10

Mad Max: Fury Road

   

     Beautiful...sheer, beautiful chaos. There's really no other way to describe Mad Max: Fury Road. George Miller absolutely hit a home run with this film. From start to finish, this film is visually breathtaking and an emotional roller coaster. Unfortunately, I have not gotten around to seeing the original three films so I won't be able to give you a comparison but I kind of think this film stands on its own.
    While this film lacks in narrative and isn't necessarily a movie full of rich dialogue, we the viewers are presented with a visual spectacle. Miller's post apocalyptic world is full of despair and anguish but the audience can see the beautiful technicality and work that is presented to us with this film. Although most of the film is shot in the desert, Miller does a fantastic job of giving us well angled and gorgeous scenery. The cinematography is quite breathtaking at moments and presents the audience with a grand spectacle. Other interesting aspects are the physical items. The cars themselves are pretty much weapon heavy, dirty, four wheeled monsters but they are so well crafted that it almost makes you feel overwhelmed. The costumes do an outstanding job to display the roughness and pain that these people are going through.
     Often times action films have an act to be your stereotypical plot line with cheesy dialogue. We get fairly decent dialogue and an intriguing storyline. Although there isn't a whole lot of dialogue and story depth due to immense action that surrounds most of the scenes.
     The character chemistry between Mad Max (Tom Hardy) and Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) is intriguing and pretty well developed. You see the characters start to evolve and warm up for each other as the film progresses. However, they aren't the only characters that made their mark. The slave women play great supporting characters, along with Furiosa, show that women can play more than just "damsel in distress" stereotype. Very well done and freshly done by Miller.
     Still the best part of the film are the action sequences (no question about it). Miller gives us a fast paced, over the top action that fits perfectly from beginning to end. The quick camera changes are beautifully edited and chaotic. Miller does this thing with quick camera changes but it seems as though the action is a tad bit sped up. It's sounds a little silly but it works fantastically.
     My only complaint with this film was the lack of Tom Hardy we got. Although he got a lot of screen time, I would have liked to see a little more dialogue and focus on this character. However, that hardly takes away from this visual masterpiece.

Rating: 9.8 out of 10