Tag: Chris Hemsworth

Review: Furiosa – A Mad Max Saga

When Mad Max: Fury Road came roaring back onto screens in 2015, it reminded us of two very important things. First and foremost, George Miller’s power as a visual storyteller was accelerating. That, and Australia has long been the perfect backdrop for a post-apocalyptic hellscape.

Watching FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA at the premiere in early May at the magnificent State Theatre in Sydney, that local connection was tangible. From the presence of the cast and crew, including Chris Hemsworth in his first local film to date, through to cheers as familiar names and faces appeared on screen, it was a screening that arguably disproved the tall poppy syndrome we in the Antipodes wear like a badge of honour. Shot in the NSW towns of Hay and Silverton, it’s been almost four decades since Mad Max has felt quite this home grown.

Set several decades before the events of Fury Road, young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) is taken by a Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus (Hemsworth). Growing up in this harsh environment, she is soon embroiled at the centre of a war for a citadel run by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme).

The difficulty faced by all prequels is that we already know how it all turns out. Charlize Theron’s Furiosa arrived on screens as a fully-formed character, eclipsing even Tom Hardy’s tortured soul on screen. (Indeed, Miller and co-writer Nico Lathouris had extensively scripted Furiosa’s backstory for Theron to draw on). Yet this is George Miller and there’s very little chance that you won’t feel the burn of his pacing or go over old ground – even over the course of 148 minutes.

Stylistically matching much of Miller’s previous series entry, the first shock comes with the sheer amount of green we see in the ‘place of abundance’ glimpsed in the opening act of this film. The rest of the movie is split into booklike chapters, running us up and down the Fury Road in, hanging off or crashing into a giant chrome-plated war machine. While arguably not quite as gobsmacking as it was almost a decade ago, it’s nevertheless filled with so many cataclysmically impressive set-pieces that it scarcely matters if any of it makes complete sense.

Taylor-Joy slips into this world with seemingly effortless grace, allowing audiences to combine her performance with Theron’s in our head-canon. Hemsworth is clearly having a ball playing a decidedly non-heroic type, almost as if the prosthetic nose he sports was all the excuse he needed to let his freak flag fly.

In many ways, FURIOSA feels like an extended appendix to Fury Road, especially given that Miller ends this by leading us by the hand into the story’s ‘sequel.’ So, did we need this story? From a narrative perspective, perhaps not. Yet as fans of high-octane movies, we greedily accept this meaty specimen of action fun, especially in a cinematic landscape that occasionally feels as barren as a post-apocalyptic Australia.

2024 | Australia, USA | DIRECTOR: George Miller | WRITERS: George Miller, Nico Lathouris | CAST: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, Lachy Hulme | DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal Pictures (Australia) | RUNNING TIME: 148 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 23 May 2024 (Australia), 24 May 2024 (USA)

May 16, 2024
Review: Thor – Love and Thunder

Let me tell you the story of the space viking, Thor Odinson. When he was first introduced as a Phase One member of the soon-to-be-formed Avengers, he was a character ripe for parody. Kenneth Branagh touched on this briefly, but it wasn’t until Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok that Disney/Marvel owned the inherent silliness in the God of Thunder.

This irreverent approach to the material is still evident from the start of THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, Waititi’s first official follow-up by way of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Following a dark intro in which the grieving Gorr (Christian Bale) vows to slay all gods, we first encounter Thor (Chris Hemsworth) working off his ‘dad bod’ and fighting alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Yet this only gets the film so far, stumbling through a cameo-filled first act and a series of storybook flashbacks that immediately make us question who the audience is supposed to be. Back on Earth, former flame Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is diagnosed with inoperable cancer, but finds hope when the hammer Mjölnir chooses Jane to be the Mighty Thor. So the Thors in stereo team-up to fight Gorr, even as Jane slowly loses her mortal strength in the process.

There’s lot of fun to be had with this concept, but the tone swings faster than Thor’s Hammer, stitched together on innuendo and so many Guns n’ Roses tunes. As a central villain, Gorr is a good choice, overcoming Marvel’s ‘weak villain’ problem that has plagued the series for some time. Bale gives it his all, seemingly transforming physically every time we see him. Still, the film seems less concerned with his antics than the group of children he has abducted. Indeed, there’s an interesting psychological parallel between the death of Gorr’s child and his abduction of Asgardian children, but the film doesn’t even consider this a plot point worth pursuing.

A centrepiece sequence in which Thor meets Zeus (Russel Crowe with a scenery chewing Greek accent) and loses his clothes is the kind of high camp we expected based on Ragnarok. However, it too is a bright light in a loose and chaotic narrative. Case in point, only moments later, all the colour is literally drained from the film for a dark journey into a shadow realm. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER is not so much a movie but a series of scenes.

By the time we get to the last act, it feels like the script was still being was cobbled together after production had started, throwing elements against the walls and seeing which of the four quadrants they stick to. There are times when literal deus ex machinas are tacked on to give it some of that Endgame climax magic. Characters neglected since the beginning are suddenly remembered, and it feels on balace as though whole swathes of story have been cut out.

The real crime is not knowing what to do with Tessa Thompson, who is left to literally watch romantic events unfold or sidelined entirely because nobody quite knew where to fit her into the story. When she does appear, we’re reminded of the commanding presence she had in the previous films. Here we can’t help but feel like she is being set-up for a spin-off series.

Which is perhaps where THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER stumbles the most, arriving as it does in a sea of Disney/Marvel content on screens of all size. As one of three feature films — and as many Disney+ series — in 2022 alone, it certainly brings the big-budget thrills one would expect from a theatrical outing. As just another piece in the content puzzle, one can’t help but feel that this is the kind of narrative Disney could have peppered out over a mini-series on their streaming service with a few tweaks.

As is the way with serialised storytelling, we are assured that Thor will return. Mid and post-credits sequences hint at the future, and — following Eternals and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — seem to be where Marvel make all their major casting announcements too. Here’s hoping that wherever Thor Odinsson lands next, it lands with the force of a lightning strike. For now, it feels like the distant rumble of a storm that’s passed.

2022 | USA | DIRECTOR: Taika Waititi | WRITERS: Taika Waititi, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson | CAST: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 119 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 7 July 2022 (AUS)

July 10, 2022
Review: Men in Black International

The fourth film in the Men in Black franchise had a strange journey to the screen. A few years ago, Sony was hacked and it was revealed that a crossover between MIB and the 21 Jump Street franchise was planned. While that was scrapped, the Thor: Ragnarok duo of Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson slip into the black suits for a global outing.

Atop the Eiffel Tower in 2016, Agents H (Chris Hemsworth) and T (Liam Neeson) fight off the Hive to save the world. 20 years earlier, young Molly witnesses an incident that will lead her to obsessive pursue recruitment by the MIB as an adult (Tessa Thomspon). She achieves her goal, but the H she encounters is a cocky shell of his former self.

MEN IN BLACK INTERNATIONAL doesn’t stray too far from the formula, pairing a rookie with a veteran to uncover a hidden secret within MIB itself. Screenwriters Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (best known for Iron Man and Transformers: The Last Knight) are interested in the chaos of the franchise, pinging from London, to Marrakesh, Naples, and back to Paris.

Undoubtedly one of the biggest appeals of this chapter is the wonderful team-up of Hemsworth and Thompson, fresh from being Asgardians of the galaxy in the MCU. At the film’s best, the self-aware verbal sparring and mismatched buddy comedy works well. The addition of a small digital friend in Pawny (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani) adds a fun dynamic, although the character won’t be for all tastes.

On the other hand, there isn’t a villain as strong as Vincent D’Onofrio’s cockroach in the first film, which is perhaps the weakest link in the movie. There’s the element changing Twins (played by French performers Laurent and Larry Bourgeois a.k.a. Les Twins), who silently rip up cities and send the heroes running. When the overarching villain is revealed late in the third act, it should come as no surprise to anybody who has seen a film in the last few decades. (Hint: just look at the cast list).

Where MIB continues to shine is in the effect department, building on the canonical aesthetic and updating the future tech for modern palates. The Twins have some neat effects of morphing the environment around them, although no effect seems to have been able to deal with a poor choice in wigs for Rebecca Ferguson.

While MEN IN BLACK INTERNATIONAL may not be as fresh or engaging as the original, it has enough consistently fun moments to tip it over the rankings past Men in Black 3. The denouement wraps things up a little too neatly but paves the way for a sequel, and despite any minor quibbles with the formula, it would still be great to see this team back in black.

2019 | US | DIR: F. Gary Gray | WRITER: Art Marcum and Matt Holloway | CAST: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall, Laurent Bourgeois, Larry Bourgeois, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson | DISTRIBUTOR: Sony Pictures Releasing (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 115 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 13 June 2019 (AUS)

June 13, 2019
Review: Avengers: Endgame

It’s hard to be neutral about something as huge as AVENGERS: ENDGAME. After 22 films, multiple television series, and countless mixed-media tie-ins, either you’re invested in at least some of these characters or wilfully avoiding them. Either way, producer Kevin Feige and directors Joe and Anthony Russo bring home this saga in a way that fans and casual viewers alike will be unable to forget.

Picking up on a sombre note, several weeks after the dramatic cliffhanger to Avengers: Infinity War, the galaxy ponders how they will move on after the loss of half their people to Thanos. When the remaining Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy are reunited with some old friends and new, they hatch a plan to undo their losses and restore hope.

How does one even begin to write about something like this? Aimed squarely at the people who have been following the story since 2008, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s screenplay leaves no stone unturned in pulling together a unique combination of a sci-fi, heist, thriller, melodrama, and epic battle film.

In doing so, every character is given their due. It’s difficult to discuss many of them without revealing some spoilers. Indeed, anything that’s not in the trailer is probably a spoiler. (#DontSpoiltheEndgame) Yet the original six Avengers all get conclusively suitable arc closures, whether it is through a natural progression of their stories or via some clever narrative looping. Some other odd pairings, like Nebula and Rocket, nod to the success of the unlikely breakout hits on the way to this climax.

Is the back half of the film shameless fan service? You’re damn right it is. Do large chunks of the film feel like a greatest hits package? Of course they are. Yet after almost two dozen films worth of world-building, Feige and the Russo brothers can be forgiven for feeling that the kitchen sink is not nearly enough. As Natasha says earlier in the film, “I get emails from a raccoon. Nothing seems crazy anymore.“

Taking that as a cue, the Russo brothers turn everything up to a scale hitherto unseen. It’s not up to 11. It’s beyond 11. It’s at least one more. While it’s hard to know exactly how much of the reported $316–400 million budget (shared with Infinity War) went into this finale, we can probably guess that a large part of it was on the battle that takes place in the heart of the third act. It’s like Lord of the Rings made love to a Jim Starlin comic and the child of that union grew up to be AVENGERS: ENDGAME.

For all the sturm und drang, it’s a film full of characteristic humour as well. Some of this is quite broad – including anything involving a physically altered Thor – while other moments are sly winks to knowing audiences. Which isn’t to say that tears won’t be shed before bedtime. Filled with emotional departures, reunions, and other huge moments, there are points where I wasn’t sure if I was going to laugh, cry, cheer, or emit a strange combination of all three. AVENGERS: ENDGAME has its cake and devours it whole. It deserves every damn crumb.

Even with the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer playing in front of most screenings here, where the MCU goes next is something we can only guess at. The door is left open for alternate tales from elsewhere in the universe, even if it is the end of the road for some characters. Yet it scarcely seems to matter. AVENGERS: ENDGAME lives up to its title by letting a monumental story come to a close, bringing together a group of of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, and to fight the battles that we never could.

2019 | US | DIRECTOR: Joe Russo and Anthony Russo | WRITERS: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely | CAST: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 181 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 24 April 2018 (AUS)

April 24, 2019
Review: Avengers: Infinity War

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a decade old and, as of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, a total of 19 films deep. It’s a fact that will get bandied about a bit in the countless reviews that will pour onto the the Interwebs over the coming days and weeks. Some will speak of Marvel fatigue, while others will sploosh in fanboy and fangirl delight. Yet what both sides of the fence are getting at is the significance of the series on the cultural landscape.

Whether you connect with the Marvel films or not, the series of movies that began with 2008’s Iron Man have all meant something to the viewers. Whether you were introduced to the characters on the screen, or have been reading their printed adventures for decades, this series has offered an unprecedented chance to develop superheroes across a multitude of platforms. Now it’s all coming to a head.

Picking up immediately after the events of Thor: Ragnarok, the Asgardian god of thunder runs afoul of universe conquering Thanos (Josh Brolin). With the Mad Titan intent on collecting the six Infinity Stones and taking over the universe, the worlds of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange intersect to stop the coming threat.

Given the scale of the film, there’s so much to process here. For much of the first act, invested audience members will sit with our sloppy grins agape at the spectacle. Some of it is simply the unique couplings of characters, such as the unlikely success of Thor and Rocket, or the Sherlocks in stereo of Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch. This is as much as celebration of character as it is an event, and it would take a separate review to list all the wonderful quips, cameos, and nods to lore.

Structured around these small clusters of teams, AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR is mostly an accelerating car with scant regard for the destination. A legitimate complaint might be that this bloats out the running time for the sake of giving every character time to play. This might be true, and at 149 minutes it tests audience endurance levels and bladders. Still, at this late stage in the game, isn’t that what we’ve signed up for?

The effects and photography are unsurprisingly top-notch, which is not exactly a shock for a film that reportedly cost between $300 and $400 million to put on screen. There are at least half a dozen points in the film that will rattle the roof off with audience applause, from the Wakandan battlefront to the lightning filled arrive of a certain Asgardian. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s script tempers this scale with some sharp dialogue and innumerous one-liners. Indeed, James Gunn is said to have had a hand in the Guardians of the Galaxy’s lines.

Ultimately AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR needs to be considered as part of a larger whole. On one hand, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have never made any secret about this being intrinsically tied to the as-yet-untitled fourth Avengers film. More than that, it’s the culmination of an idea that began as a post-credits sequence a decade ago. It’s an emotional, sometimes downbeat, and always powerful piece of storytelling. The best part? It’s not over yet.

[stextbox id=”grey” bgcolor=”F2F2F2″ mleft=”5″ mright=”5″ image=”null”]2018 | US | DIRECTOR: Joe Russo and Anthony Russo | WRITERS: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely | CAST: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 149 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 25 April 2018 (AUS) [/stextbox]

April 25, 2018
Review: Thor: Ragnarok

Comic book movies have often been labelled “too serious,” as if the fantastical nature of the medium doesn’t warrant sophistication. So it’s a pleasure to see that Taika Waititi’s approach to THOR: RAGNAROK is one of pure absurdist fun that’s also reverential to the source material.

It’s been two years since the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and twice that since Thor: The Dark World. After Thor (Chris Hemsworth) unmasks his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), posing as the Allfather Odin (Anthony Hopkins), he sets in motion a chain of events that leads to the resurrection of Hela (Cate Blanchett), the goddess of death. Stranded on a distant planet, the Grandmaster (Jeff Golblum) makes Thor fight for his life against old “friend from work” Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).

From the opening scene, it’s clear that THOR: RAGNAROK will never miss an opportunity for a gag. It’s a rather self-deprecating humour too, as if Flight of the Conchords had organically grown into a show about space vikings. Waititi himself plays a character named Korg, and his distinctive Kiwi accent acts as a laidback tourist in this fantastical world. It’s actually going to be interesting to see how audiences from outside the Antipodes relate to this singular sense of humour.

There’s little in the way of an emotional core to the film, as Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost’s script flies by the seat of its pants through a narrative that is equal parts Norse mythology and pure comic bookery. Strangely this is never a detriment to the film, and it should come as no surprise that the god of thunder works best when placed in the heart of a swirling maelstrom.

Against phenomenal CG environments, making full use of the existing Asgardian world, Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh backs the visuals with a retro synth-heavy set of ambient sounds inspired by Jean-Michel Jarre. Hemsworth pulls on the comedy chops of Ghostbusters‘ Kevin while kicking ass to the tune of Led Zeppelin. The elements combine to make Thor every bit the cinematic hero he has always deserved to be.

It’s also a delight to have Hiddleston back on screen as something other than the primary antagonist too, using all his charm and guile to serve as Hemsworth’s foil rather than his foe. Similarly, Ruffalo (as both Banner and the Hulk) gets to expand on his green goliath in the absence of another solo outing. Indeed, the events of this movie are partly inspired by the 2006 Planet Hulk comic book event.

On the side of villainy, the Grandmaster reaches peak Goldblum, quite literally stopping speeches in the middle of sentences to add to the wackiness of it all. Blanchett shows a massive appetite for munching on large chunks of the scenery, but both she and pseudo-villain Karl Urban have a ball doing it.

THOR: RAGNAROK sits quite happily alongside the original Guardians of the Galaxy as a tale that both expands the Marvel cosmic universe and provides plenty of laughs while doing it. As always, be sure to stick around through the credits for a taste of things to come, and one last gag on the way out the door. Avengers: Infinity War may promise to have the most Marvel characters in a single film, but they will be hard pressed to have as much fun as this one.

[stextbox id=”grey” bgcolor=”F2F2F2″ mleft=”5″ mright=”5″ image=”null”]2017 | US | DIRECTORS: Taika Waititi | WRITERS: Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost | CAST: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 130 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 25 October 2017 (AUS) [/stextbox]

October 20, 2017
‘Thor: Ragnarok’ teaser trailer arrives with a smash

You really can’t go wrong when you open a trailer with Led Zeppelin. The highly anticipated teaser for THOR: RAGNAROK has arrived from the land of the ice and snow, and it’s god a hell of a sense of fun about it.

With the exception of a small cameo in Doctor Strange, it’s been a couple of years since we’ve seen Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on screen. In Marvel Studios’ THOR: RAGNAROK, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok – the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization – at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger – the Incredible Hulk!

The trailer seems to continue much of the humour from director Taika Waititi’s series of ‘Team Thor’ shorts, including that priceless final line of the teaser. The rest of the reel is a perfect blend of familiar characters and fast-cutting action.

THOR: RAGNAROK drops in Australia on 26 October 2017, followed by a US release on 3 November, from Disney.

April 11, 2017
New photo and synopsis from ‘Thor: Ragnarok’

Marvel has released a new photo and official synopsis from the upcoming THOR: RAGNAROK, the third film in the Thor series and the 17th under the Marvel Cinematic Universe banner. The photo depicts director Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) alongside star Chris Hemsworth.

“In Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok – the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization – at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger – the Incredible Hulk!”

It’s interesting to note that the summary explicitly references a clash of the titans between Thor and Hulk, incorporating elements of the long-rumoured Planet Hulk arc making its way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s not specific mention of Benedict Cumberbatch, but patient viewers of Doctor Strange will know his appearance has been telegraphed, and was indeed confirmed by the studio this month.

Shot in Queensland, the film also stars Tom Hiddleston, reprising his role as Loki, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins. It is released on 26 October 2017 in Australia, and 3 November 2017 in the US, from Disney.

January 6, 2017
Review: Ghostbusters (2016)

Pitting a new generation of SNL cast members against paranormal threats, the divisive remake is fun, funny and funky in its own right.

It’s impossible to separate Paul Feig’s GHOSTBUSTERS from the 1984 original. It’s not just the name and iconography that connects it to Ivan Reitman’s supernatural comedy, but it’s a comparison that Feig invites by aping its structure and formula. Yet while it is difficult to wholly treat the 2016 paranormal investigators and eliminators as distinct entities, the strength of the cast is certainly is own flavour of Twinkie.

Mirroring the iconic New York Public Library haunting, Feig opens in a stately manor and a completely absurdist tone to the dialogue, instantly distinguishing it from the sardonic humour of Bill Murray and co. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) finds her tenure at Columbia University threatened when an old book she wrote with Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) on the paranormal resurfaces. Erin’s confrontation of Abby, now working with experimental nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), coincides with the beginning of an invasion of ghosts in the city. Teaming up with subway worker Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), and their dippy receptionist Kevin (Chris Hemsworth), the team must prove they are not frauds.

If the first Ghostbusters saw a group of SNL comedians defying expectations, then the GHOSTBUSTERS reboot is a cast at the top of their game laughing in the face of the same burden. Fully aware of its own cultural impact, Feig and co-writer Katie Dippold (Parks and Recreation) work that into the script at every opportunity, commenting on message board snipes (“Ain’t no bitches gonna hunt no ghosts”) that echo the visceral bile spewed by trolls at the very idea of this remake. It’s both a strength and an Achille’s heel for the film, hip enough to be conscious of its audience, but saddled with the need to address them repeatedly.

GHOSTBUSTERS plays to the strengths of its leads, carefully taking time to give each a backstory, rather that simply transplanting them into existing characters. Wiig and McCarthy share an easy on-screen presence, slipping effortlessly into a straight/funny dichotomy in several seemingly ad-libbed scenes. McKinnon’s comedy is a bit more erratic, and while it may try the patience of some, but her maniacal joy over her various tinker toys is as infectious as it is overwhelming. Hemsworth steals many of the scenes he’s in, a clueless antithesis to Annie Pott’s Janine Melnitz, but no less charming. Hemsworth shows his versatile range of physical comedy as well, proving there’s life beyond the spandex for him. Yet it’s Jones who gets some of the best lines as a counterpoint to the nerdish scientists, and unlike Ernie Hudson’s everyman approach, she adds literal street smarts as a vital part of the team.

At the same time, the script lacks a strong through-line, absent of the rich mythology than Dan Aykroyd painstakingly wove between the one-liners and marshmallow men. Neil Casey’s Rowan is a weak default villain, never achieveing the same pervading threat of Gozer or a Carpathian’s river of slime. Andy García as the Mayor of New York City, with an assistant in the always terrific Cecily Strong, is mostly perfunctory as the bureaucratic roadblock. Instead, the film follows the modern conventions of origin stories, perhaps giving a little too much breathing room to an often freewheeling plot filled with cameos from all the surviving original cast members.

GHOSTBUSTERS works best when it is a straight-up joyous 21st century celebration of its own legacy, complete with slime baths, proton blasts, and giant creatures stomping through New York. In the familiar finale, McKinnon’s Holtzmann chaotically rips through a horde of oncoming spectres, gleefully mowing them down with her inventions. It’s the kid let loose in candy store, which is exactly what Feig gets to do with this outing, one that achieves its aim for the most part. If the hints at the end of the credits are any indication, we’re in for more nods to that canon in the near future, and this can only be a good thing.

2016 | US | DIR: Paul Feig | WRITERS: Katie Dippold, Paul Feig | CAST: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Charles Dance, Michael Kenneth Williams | DISTRIBUTOR: Sony Pictures | RUNNING TIME: 116 minutes | RATING: ★★★½

July 11, 2016
‘Ghostbusters’ theme song with Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliot, plus new featurette

Who ya gonna call? Missy Elliot! The GHOSTBUSTERS theme from Ray Parker Jr is one of the most famous movie themes of all time, and now it has received an update for the rebooted film coming out next month. It’s sure to cause “fan” outrage because it is “different,” but it’s already been played several times in The Reel Bits headquarters. There’s also no trace of Bobby Brown anywhere, and for that we can be eternally grateful.

The original song hit the top of the charts in 1984. Later claims from Huey Lewis were that it referenced his song “I Want a New Drug”. Ghostbusters II updated the track with Run-D.M.C. to include a remix and a rap to go along with it. This 2016 version, officially titled “Ghostbusters Theme (I’m Not Afraid)” features the emo stylings of Fall Out Boy with a pretty rad bit from Missy Elliot in the middle. Skip to 1:40 for a bit of Misdemeanor.

The new featured is simply titled “Slime”, and it’s an extended look at the sliming sequence that we saw in brief during the trailer. Directed by Paul Feig, GHOSTBUSTERS stars Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth and hit Australian cinemas on July 14 from Sony.

June 24, 2016