Courtesy of Quentin Tarantino’s “Cinema Speculation,” which I highly recommend… one of a handful of oddballs you’ll see here on the feed in the next month or so.
A classic revenge thriller. “Taken” before the genre was run into the ground in the 2010s… back when it was run into the ground in the 1970s.
Man from Grand Rapids sends his religious daughter to LA on a youth group trip. Girl gets into porn. Man goes on the hunt for retribution against the man/men/women who contributed to her corruption.
I’ll also save you time – the reason you know the private investigator is because he’s Ray’s dad from “Everybody Love’s Raymond.” Apparently he’s never had hair.
If you enjoyed the first one, you’ll love this one.
The story itself isn’t much to write home about, but let’s be honest, that’s not why you’re here. We’re all here in front of the biggest screen we could find (preferably IMAX) to watch this in 3D because it’s the most beautiful film since “Interstellar.” Similarly, the special effects are scary good. The CGI water is so realistic it will have you questioning reality. It makes almost all other CGI since the original seem like a waste of time. In a word – breathtaking. So much so, you’ll forgive the director for wandering of for 45 minutes in the middle to just show off the technical capabilities of the special effects studio.
Story-wise, I couldn’t help but applaud the “homages” to other classic films such as (as quickly as I could mentally note): JAWS, Moby Dick, Fast and the Furious, Avatar, Titanic (including the exact score and shot of the flooding hallway), Blackfish, Interstellar, and so many more. But again, it’s so damn beautiful and well done, you’ll forgive it. In summary, it’s a story about family. Wrapped in a story about the importance of love as a cornerstone of humanity, similar to “Interstellar.”
The third act makes it all worth it, as Cameron revisits his action directing chops and delivers a superb final 45 minutes that leaves you on the edge of your seat cheering for number three. A true master of his craft, even if he only delivers one film per decade.
Strap in for one of the best action films of the 21st century. Tom Cruise may be weird off screen, but I’ll be damned, he’s one of the best to ever do it on-screen. Pure nostalgia, soaked in adrenaline, hurled at the screen at Mach 3. With a 2 minute scene between Maverick and Iceman that has more heart and levity in it than most entire drama’s in the past decade. Bravo not only to the old man, but this amazing young cast with hopefully bright futures ahead of them all! This is how it’s done!
I am absolutely loving Bradd Pitt’s wandering into highly variable roles lately! He absolutely kills it in this. The action-comedy is a tough balance to strike in order to not fall into either too-uptight or going full “Naked Gun.” This film threads the needle extremely well, and keeps you guessing even after the credits roll. I still wasn’t positive the movie was over, waiting for one more narrative twist. Well directed action and well rounded characters, with a nice weaving of mystery in and out of the plot, as the story and the train go off the rails. Chef’s kiss, some of the most fun I’ve had in the cinema all year!
Why did I combine these two? Because I’m playing catch-up, and they were essentially the same movie. Fun time, fun cast, ridiculous plots. Well done, but nothing life-changing. Perfect popcorn flicks.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 