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Reviews
War Horse (2011)
Daring in Scope but Lacking In Substance
War horse is a film set during World War 1 that tells the story of a British cavalry horse and its journey throughout various battles and adventures in war torn France. Although the movie attempts, and occasionally achieves, heartfelt moments and themes of humanity in war it is severely hampered by a PG-13 rating and a rather unconvincing view of the war. Very early on in the story it becomes apparent that the movie is going to pull every punch when it comes to an accurate depiction of WW1. While it attempts to depict the horrors and atrocities of the war, much of its emotional impact is lost when the camera pans away from any and all bloodshed on several occasions. That being said, a hard R rating wouldn't necessarily fix every issue that I had with Warhorse. If the filmmakers were set on releasing a movie that appeals to a more general audience then I suppose they succeeded to some extent. The most glaring issue that I had was with movie's tone. The sappy and overwhelming earnest tone that the movie takes feels like it would belong more in a children's film rather than a Steven Spielberg directed war movie. Glimpses of the great movie that this could have been, had a more gritty and realistic approach been taken, do show through at times. Unfortunately, just as any momentum is made to this endeavor, the story redirects to relying upon painfully obvious cliches and story beats that have been used to grater effect in frankly better movies.
What results from these aforementioned issues is a movie that is rather underwhelming and predictable. Some really strong performances and top notch cinematography are present, but they can't quite save the project from mediocrity. I would however tentatively recommend Warhorse to those with children who are old or mature enough to watch war movies but aren't quite ready for some of the more grisly movies of the genre. If viewed as a non threatening PG-13 family movie, Warhorse better achieves its desired effect. For anyone interested in a much more substantial movie about WW1, I'd recommend something like 1917.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
A Genre Defining Masterpiece
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is an engrossing and deeply fascinating film that offers a detailed look into naval warfare in the early 1800s. It faithfully adapts the works of Patrick O'Brian by telling the story of the British warship, the HMS Surprise, and her crew's mission to seek and destroy a French privateer during the early phases of the Napoleonic Wars. The story highlights the hardships and brutality of the conflict, exemplifying the myriad dangers and perils that sailors faced before, during, and after battle.
The story is centered around the film's protagonist, Captain Aubrey (played by Russel Crow), and much of the plot revolves around the cat and mouse hunt between the two ships that are set upon each other's destruction. Several intense naval battle scenes punctuate long stretches of tension and subsequent character development as this time is used to demonstrate the juxtaposition of both the fierce camaraderie and the growing resentment and unease between sailors at war. While the pacing could be seen as slow and perhaps plodding at times, the strong performances and painstaking attention to detail make for a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience. How much the viewer enjoys him or herself however, is really dependent on how he or she enjoys either history or maritime adventures, so take my fervent recommendation of the movie with a grain of salt. The score of the film is also worth mentioning as it is one of the best examples of atmospheric ambiance in a manner that is simultaneously accurate to the period portrayed and effective at establishing tone in various types of scenes throughout the film.
All in all, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is one of the foremost examples of a movie about naval warfare and is an absolute must see for enthusiasts of the genre or anyone with even a passing interest in the subject of maritime history.
Score: 9 out of 10
Brother Bear (2003)
Good but not Great
Brother Bear is an extremely bipolar film that at times, creates emotionally impactful scenes centered around relatable and likable characters only to squander much of its own potential with a weak second act, inconsistent writing and some questionable direction decisions.
Set in prehistoric Alaska, Brother Bear establishes a fairly unique atmosphere by drawing inspiration from Native Alaskan folklore and centering around an Inuit village populated by colorful and compelling characters. The movie dedicated several scenes, especially in the beginning, to establishing the culture and societal structure of the tribe. This is the greatest strength of the film as it does a fantastic job of immersing the viewer in a culture that is rarely explored by movies of this genre. It also does a great job of introducing the film's protagonist Kenai, voiced by Joquin Phoenix, and his two brothers Denahi and Sitka. Their personalities and relationships with one another are distinctly established in the opening scene of the movie and effectively sets the stage for the resulting story.
Without spoiling the plot, I'll discuss only plot elements that were clearly laid out it in trailers and promotional material, the story focuses on the main character being transformed into a bear as a punishment for a particular transgression. While this plot is certainly not original, Brother Bear surprisingly makes the most out of what could have been a tired and cliched story structure by introducing enough unique elements to set it apart from other movies with similar story beats.
Where the movie begins to diverge from its initial tone and strong characterization is in the second act. After the central characters and conflict are established, the movie abruptly becomes a sort of road trip movie until a solid finish to the film refocusses the meandering plot. While this idea is not conceptually terrible, in execution, it comes across as unnecessarily forced, predictable, and at odds with the more realistic and grounded tone set up in the beginning of the movie. This is exemplified mainly by the subpar writing of dialogue for the animal characters. While an attempt is made to explore the juxtaposition between the societies of the animals and the humans, this is severely undermined by dialogue laced with modern lingo, references, and over the top stereotypes.
The voice acting is passable, never reaching greatness but not truly horrible either. There are some instances of pretty apparent under acting but this is caused more by weak writing in key scenes and poor direction than it is by laziness or incompetence by the voice actors. Perhaps the most questionable aspect of the movie is it's musical score by Phil Collins. The issue isn't really the songs themselves but more of the ham-fisted way they are crammed into scenes that would have been better served with instrumentals. There is one scene in particular where a dramatic and pivotal conversation between the main characters is completely hijacked by one such Phil Collins track. What should have been a heart rending and emotional exchange is essentially ruined as the conversation fades out only to be replaced by Phil Collin's vocals. One huge positive for the movie however is in its animation. It's classic 2-D animation style lends itself nicely to the setting as both the scenery and character models are very well done.
While I admittedly went way more negative than I initially set out to when I started writing, I still feel that despite its issues, Brother Bear is a solid Disney flic that succeeds more than it misses. The biggest issue that I had with it is that it is a good movie that could have and should have been a great movie. It had all the makings of an all-time classic Disney movie but squandered its potential and, in turn, falls into a category of a solid B- kid's movie. Some minor character alterations and script revisions could have gone a long way to improving what is an enjoyable but ultimately frustrating movie.
Score: 7/10