Saturday, August 5, 2017

Spiderman Homecoming and War for the Planet of the Apes Short Reviews



I watched the last days in theatre Spiderman Homecoming and War for the Planet of the Apes. The first one was an ordeal and the second one was extremely good, in my opinion. Let's start by Spiderman Homecoming: although Tom Holland, the new young actor playing Spidey is very good as well, as always, as Michael Keaton playing the Vulture, it's definitely a teenager movie - logical, the Spiderman character IS a teenager - and the film will be enjoyed by teens who are the main target. But i'll go as far as to say that anyone over, let's say to be large, 26, who liked Spiderman Homecoming should seriously think about growing-up. Because all the scenes between the action scenes are really conventionals, unoriginals to a point that it is either an embarrassment or, more simply, boring. Robert Downey Jr as Stark / Iron Man is playing it like he does in the others Iron Man / Avengers movies and give the feeling that he agreed to be back because of the amount on the check. He's okay, but nothing special here, from someone who can be such a good actor.

Let's move to War for the Planet of the Apes which was much much better but which may have less success than the Spiderman. I'm not gonna say how great the visual effects are because we all know that now they can do everything and recreating a herd of apes is certainly a lot of work for VFX wizards but nothing impossible. But War for the Planet of the Apes is really one of the most interesting blockbuster of the season and the reason why is because it's a movie which "knows to take its time without losing it" to quote what famous french director François Truffaut was saying about legendary western director John Ford, and the emotion is always right which is always amazing when we remember that the apes are CGI creatures, though "played" by great actors like Andy Serkis. It's been a long time since i watched a movie where you don't have the feeling that the film editor had the nose in a stack of coke, and War for the Planet of the Apes definitely don't try to go faster than it does - or than it should - by fear to bore the audience. That said, may be younger audiences will find that the movie don't go fast enough, that's the problem when you brainwash audiences with movies build like rollercoasters. If you want to ride a rollercoaster go to a theme park, not watch a movie. War for the Planet of the Apes could even have been perfect without the scene being an analogy to Abraham dying before seeing the promised land, as i found this scene really a bit too "easy". One last thing: strangely, the scene that you can see on the poster below don't exist in the film, which is no big problem indeed.


Pictures: copyright Marvel, 20th Century Fox

10 comments:

K. Martinez said...

You know what they say about opinions. They're like assholes because everybody has one. Why don't you stick to writing about theme parks and stop insulting younger people or older people who like teenage target movies.

You're coming off as a total asshole in this article. I'm in my late fifties and I enjoy all kinds of movies. That includes silent films, foreign language films, art house films, dramatic films, comedy and popcorn films and commercial blockbusters. And I've seen a ton of movies in my lifetime. There's room for all types of films. When criticizing a film there's no need to insult different demographics of people I used to enjoy this site, but you're turning me off big time with your attitude.

Alain Littaye said...

As for as i know, we still have the right to say what we want, right? If you didn't liked it that much it's may be because i've touched unvoluntarily some point which is right.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Martinez. I am 38. And I enjoyed Spiderman a lot. And yes I think I have grown up quite successful.

Brian said...

Funny thing about his age comment regarding Spiderman Homecoming is that people say the same things about theme parks, but they are for an even younger demographic.

Unknown said...

I've been loving your site, book and work and news on Disney for years,
but seriously.. I have to comment on this weird and insulting remark you wrote..

"But i'll go as far as to say that anyone over, let's say to be large, 26, who liked Spiderman Homecoming should seriously think about growing-up." ???

Seriously?
I am 43 years old and enjoyed the movie, what is it necessary to insult anyone?
I also love Disney theme parks and I believe so do you,
being fascinated by how they do it,
how the magic works,
I sometimes get offended by people telling me to grow up for loving Disney parks
who look strange at me when they see your book on my coffee table
is that so different?

I don't get why you would go there
I'd say.. keep your opinion as far as saying how you feel
don't insult others who might feel differently

you're a good writer,
but I've never felt insulted before by anything you've written..
But I'm sorry to say that you did exactly that.

K. Martinez said...

Of course you have the right to say what you want and I said what I wanted too. It works both ways so expect a response back either positive or negative. There's nothing that says one can enjoy lets say "Lawrence of Arabia" or "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" and not enjoy something like "Spider-Man" Homecoming". It has nothing to do with maturity. Some of us are able to let go and enjoy a movie on its own level. I enjoy many types of films on different levels. It doesn't mean mature people who watch a film like Spider-Man:Homecoming and like it are not grown up. There's a large spectrum of films out there to be enjoyed by many.

And saying that a younger audiences might find "War for the Planet of the Apes" too slow is generalizing. I know plenty of young people who like older films and the pace that comes with them. And I know lots of older people who don't like movies that the perceived as too slow and they lose patience. You're painting people with a broad stroke.

Instead of focusing on sectors of the population, why don't you focus on the films themselves and stop with the intellectuals snobbery. I'm fine if you like or don't like a movie. It's putting down others who might enjoy a movie you don't like that's a turn off.

So say what you want, but don't expect me to like it all the time. If I don't like something, I speak my mind. Now perhaps I was rude in my commentary, but today you pissed me off. And I have complimented you many times before, so it's not like I don't like what you write in general. Today I didn't like what you wrote. I think you're capable of doing better than this.

Alain Littaye said...

Folks, i know i can be sometime a bit extremist in what i'm saying but when i write something it's generally the way i feel it at the time i write it ...which doesn't mean that i'm necessarily right. Now, how is it possible that anyone can feel INSULTED by what i've written is beyond my understanding? I'm not God, what i'm writing is only my opinion and, again, at the time i'm writing it and i don't expect anyone to take it as if it was the ultimate truth. So, if you felt insulted it's may be because you give too much credit to what i can say, and you shouldn't, really. I'm generally mostly right, but that doesn't mean i'm "always" right.
Now, apparently i'm older than Ken and Dominique and if i want to be honest, just ten years ago i would have probably enjoyed more the Spidey movie. Now, and for many reasons of what happened in the meantime i see only his defaults and if i want to tell honestly why, it's probably because there is no more "teenager" in me. But i don't blame anyone who still have some "teenager" in him even if he is in his mid-fifties, that's not the problem, really, anyone can do and live what he wants. So there was no reason really to feel being insulted.
Now, one word for Ken: of course there is younger people who will enjoy old movies with a slower editing or the contrary with older people but, Ken, you know exactly what i meant when i was saying that the "System" has brainwashed the audiences with movies built like rollercoasters and based on sensations rather than emotions. So, i was not generalizing as there will be - thanks God - always young people to like John Ford movies, or the ones from Orson Welles, or David Lean, but the truth is that the System doesn't make money anymore with that kind of films ( for the most as, thanks God too, there is still other kind of movies still being released each year ) and people end to get used to a certain speed of editing, but of course not everyone.
Ok, folks, Peace!, and let's move to another subject, would we?

Unknown said...

I totally agree with you!! I went to the cinema to see both films on the same day. War of the Planet of the Apes is very good, although i found the narrative was not as well conducted as in the two previous films. And Spiderman Homecoming was so, so bad that we left the cinema after one hour. This Spiderman is an autoparody, There's very little storytelling in this film, all the magic of the superhero is gone, all that stuff about the talking technologic suit leaves the character without his own superpowers, and the worst thing about the whole thing are the stupid dialogs which are pointles, don't help the storytelling, and the use of teenager argot is irritating. I saw the film in spanish, I don't know if the original version is any better, but I really agree with you anyway.

Don't pay attention to those people who feel insulted by your opinion. Their lives must be very boring and empty if they feel insulted or offended by a simple opinion. We live in an era in which there's always people who feel insulted by anything anyone says, so don't worry at all about what their stupidities.

Geoff said...

I enjoy your blog, please keep up the great work.

Disney fans can be very sensitive, it doesn't take much to set them off!

Thanks again for all the hard work, and good luck.

Unknown said...

Dear Allain,

Thanks for your elaborate respons,
good to know and read how you feel,
since I have been following your articles for many years now your opinion has indeed become worth something, don't worry, I haven't lost a nights sleep because of it, but did feel the need to let you know how I felt.

Your explanation makes it clear you didn't mean anything by it,
and I should not have taken your remark so literal.
so that's that, of course I will still be a happy follower of your blog.

Good luck to you.
And thanks for all the work you put into it all.