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Artistik
Artistik's stats
- Review count6
- Helpfulness votes0
- First reviewJune 15, 2008
- Last reviewMay 7, 2012
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.2
Artistik's Reviews
Overall rating
5
/
5
The Perfect Superhero Movie, Assembled
PostedMay 7, 2012
Artistik
from Manorville, NY
Age:35 to 44
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:monthly
Dialogue
5
/
5
Special Effects
5
/
5
Art Direction
5
/
5
Acting
5
/
5
Story
5
/
5
Camerawork
5
/
5
The movie all super hero movies should aspire to emulate. The Avengers builds on the recent success of Marvel Studios solo projects, encapsulating the best of the best in the Marvel Universe. Despite having a large cast, The Avengers manages to juggle significant amounts of screen time, giving each of the individual characters their due. While certain characters don't show tremendous growth, everyone has their moment to shine, and none of them feel extraneous or tacked on as fanboy service.
Robert Downey Jr. steals the show with his absolute ownership of the role of Tony Stark, delivering an award worthy turn as the supremely cocky and confident billionaire playboy, not afraid to trade quips or blows with the sharpest of minds and boldest of warriors. His inventive and brilliant mind is on full display, with his mischievous nature shining as brightly as his Iron Man armor.
Chris Evans continues to craft his "man out of time" Captain America as he plays the super soldier of the '40s adapting to the 21st Century. Slight touches in speech, such as the way he addresses Black Widow (at one point referring to her as ma'am) cement his anachronistic performance, reminding you that he is from the oldest of schools, enforcing the backstory already built without bludgeoning us over the head with constant call-backs.
Mark Ruffalo delivers a dual role with great aplomb, equaling (if not perhaps surpassing) the quality of Edward Norton's somewhat bookish portrayal of Doctor Bruce Banner. Thanks to CGI, Ruffalo also was the first actor to play not only Banner but the Jade Giant as well. One of the things I judge when considering a successful job at being the Hulk is how well the actor (or computer) captures the rage that drives the Hulk, and Ruffalo screams, strains, twitches and jerks like an enraged monster would.
Scarlett Johansson is stellar once again as the Black Widow Natasha Romanov, the femme fatale who knows how to get information from even the toughest of subjects. Far more than just the token female, she is first built into the ultimate fearless agent of espionage, then nearly broken by the most fearsome thing she knows, only to push through and be a vital key in saving the day.
Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton, the sharpshooting Hawkeye, brings the same cocky demeanor the actor delivered in his brief cameo in Thor. It takes a special actor to sell the bravado needed to wade into combat with super humans armed with only a bow and arrows, and Renner delivers.
Chris Hemsworth once again delivers as the Asgardian Prince Thor, bringing a somber dignity barely masking the fiery temper and arrogance that he has learned to suppress as heir to the throne of Asgard. Hemsworth gives Thor that slightly aloof demeanor of someone who truly doesn't understand humans, but knows that there is greatness within them.
Tom Hiddleston continues to make the role of Loki his. Gone is the veneer of good that he hid behind for much of the Thor movie, but that doesn't mean the Lord of Lies is done with his manipulations. His master scheme is truly complex and twisted, and his evil grin gives him the aura of the Devil himself.
Other supporting actors continue to shine as they have in the previous components of this movie formula. Sam Jackson's Nick Fury continues to be a true bad-ass. Clark Gregg's Phil Coulson continues to be common touchstone for the heroes and fans alike. Gweneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts is and excellent intellectual foil, emotional anchor and muse for Stark, a womanizer who has found his woman. Stellan Skarsgård returns as Erik Selvig, giving viewers another familiar face and holds together the core of the film. And newcomer Colbie Smulders gives the perfect tough-as-nails essence to SHIELD Deputy Director Maria Hill.
Humor. Emotion. Action. Drama. This movie has all of it, and in abundance. The score is by Hollywood veteran Alan Silvestri, and delivers the drama and the thunder when appropriate, but also characterizes well, such as the stringy Eastern European sounding Black Widow theme, and the patriotic and rousing Captain America theme. Add in the awesome use of AC/DC's Shoot to Thrill for Iron Man's suitably dramatic entrance, and you're tapping your feet for nearly the entire movie.
Pros well paced, great story, great actors, perfect characterization
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
WE Watch The Watchmen
PostedMarch 7, 2009
Artistik
from Manorville, NY
I have waited 22 years for this movie. I’ve been rewarded for my patience.
The Watchmen was revolutionary and one of the most relevant and important comics ever released. A simple murder mystery that transforms into a globally impactful suspense thriller, Watchmen showed that comic books were not just for kids anymore. Those looking for that type of impact from the movie will be disappointed.
Some might find it confusing, but the mix of mystery, action, violence, drama, and intelligence that the story conveys should still entertain casual viewers. For true comic book fans who know that not every panel can make it to the big screen, this movie is 22 years of anticipation made worth while.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
1
/
5
Spirit Crushed
PostedJanuary 4, 2009
Artistik
from Manorville, NY
Unfathomably bad. Jokes so cheesy they'd be bad in 1940 when the character was created.
Eva Mendes stumbled over every single bad girl jewel thief cliche. She has been quoted as saying she's being more selective in her roles. I guess she means she only takes bad ones now.
Samuel L. Jackson's Octopus was the worst character ever encountered in a comic movie, with some of the worst dialogue ever committed to paper.
Poor Scarlett Johansson should have known better than to take this script. She was completely out of her element here.
The movie wasn't even one of those "so bad it's funny" movies, which is what I suspect it was trying for.
Avoid at all costs. It will crush your spirit.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Dark Victory
PostedJuly 20, 2008
Artistik
from Manorville, NY
The way Batman should be done. Christopher Nolan has crafted another masterpiece. There was a precipitous drop off in quality between The original Tim Burton Batman and the sequel, Batman Returns (not to mention the abysmal follow ups). There is no sophomore slump here. The Dark Knight not only meets the high quality mark that Batman Begins set, it surpasses it. Pleasant surprises galore, including a cameo from the first movie that gave the movie a real sense of continuity. Superb acting, including a brilliant Heath Ledger as the Joker, who was truly the personification of random chaos and insanity. My only hanging point was what my friend calls the "Bat Voice." I staunchly defended Christian Bale's vocal portrayal in Batman Begins as a necessary element of intimidating criminals, but here, he just sounds like a victim of voice immodulation. It's hard to yell in a whisper and not sound like a fool. Morgan Freeman gives his usual excellent performance, Michael Cain is still a God, Gary Oldman continues his evolution into Commissioner Jim Gordon, Aaron Eckhart was an admirable, if stiff, Harvey Dent, and Maggie Gyllenhaal finally gives Rachel Dawes some character and believable emotion, unlike her predecessor, the Pod Person known as Katie Holmes. Watch for her shining moment when she and Harvey are both placed in peril.
Top notch stuff.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Iron Man
PostedJune 15, 2008
Artistik
from Manorville, NY
Congratulations, Marvel. Your first project as your own studio, and you've make a tremendous splash in the movie industry!
Iron Man is a tricky hero to get right. He's gone through many crisis in his four color incarnation, and there are several key storylines that Marvel could have chosen to tell the tale. But they made the right choice. Back before every comic storyline was an Earth shattering event, Marvel took one of their main characters and tore him apart, destroying his personal life, his business, and even his ability to act as Iron Man, and truly redefined his character, finally allowing Tony to find redemption in his defeat of Obediah Stane. Kudos to Marvel Studios for choosing this as the representative storyline for their movie.
The success of any comic book movie depends on how well the lead can play the human alter ego of the hero. Robert Downey Jr. ACED Tony Stark. The macho ladies man veneer, surrounding the fragile damaged soul beneath, done to a tee. Add in some of the coolest action sequences, some great humor, and a ton of Easter Eggs for the fans (including THE most fan-exciting post-credit sequence in movie history)!
I heavily recommend this movie to everyone, not just comic fans, and I applaud Marvel for opening their movie history with a blockbuster success.
Make Mine Marvel Studios!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
The Incredible Hulk...
PostedJune 15, 2008
Artistik
from Manorville, NY
This movie was incredibly entertaining. In any super hero movie, the key to the lead's success invariably lies in how well he plays the alter ego, the human side of the character, and Edward norton plays Bruce Banner exceedingly well. The eternal struggle to control our inner demons, balanced with the hopes of transcending the violence and hatred in the modern world... he sells you on it. The action was was great, with some eye popping special effects and dynamic storytelling. William Hurt performed admirably as the father torn between duty and family. The countdown clock of Days Without Incident was a very nice touch.
There are even nods to the original television series, some obvious (Lou Ferigno) some not obvious to the casual observer (the theme song making a mid movie appearance, the opening scene incorporating elements of the TV's opening). And above all else, the final scene makes a dramatic move not often seen in any other movies.
This movie cannot help but draw comparisons to Ang Lee's Hulk, and it might not be fair to both movies. In this day and age, people have such short attention spans that they feel the need to have lock solid continuity, and they can't understand that two movies that happen to star the same characters MIGHT just be two different tellings of the tale. This is NOT a sequel, and the only connection it has to Ang Lee's Hulk are three characters.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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