The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) Review

The Who Who Sold The World He Fell To

So, I wonder… is The Man Who Fell To Earth the same as the Man Who Sold the World? A few things really stop this flick from shining. The main one is that David Bowie turns in a pretty piss poor performance. He does get some brownie points for really looking like an alien and contrasting how aggressively 70s everything looks. If he never played an alien in his career, you’d wonder why. It does seem like something that would be in his wheelhouse. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger after him, he might shine in a role where very little is asked of him, especially in terms of giving a layered and human performance. We are asked to care about the little white duke that is “Thomas Jerome Newton”, also known as Tommy, with him sometimes going into panic or madness. However, he comes off just like a person that doesn’t know how to deliver their lines, not an alien. “Get out of my mind, all of you!” is one particularly silly line. Whenever Tommy has to have complex emotions, Bowie comes off as wooden and having no idea what to do. Apparently he really didn’t, and thus he basically kills any chance for the film to work.

Early on, the film is defined by a shoddiness so brazen as to possibly be intentional. We see some shaky camerawork document Tommy going down a hill, then we see him wander around not doing anything of consequence. It feels very low budget and that isn’t the worst thing to strive for, but it sets a tone of being more about an experience than getting to an ending, but so much of the actual film is just mindless imagery that at best can have a meaning forced out of it. The score is also chaotic, sometimes loud and jarring or starting and stopping at random-feeling points. We get a lot of pointless shots of closeups on faces or someone walking around. Important information then is sometimes skipped over. There’s a little bit of narration when the movie otherwise doesn’t have any. It all comes off as thoughtless.

Candy Clark as Mary-Lou does lay on a lot of ham, but sometimes is moving, like when she cries about receiving money because she really wants Tommy. Her character often is chasing something, which makes her more relatable. Clark captures a decent naivety at such times that is one of the more interesting elements at play. Some of the more compelling moments are when Mary-Lou is a bit mad over her love of Tommy, who she is not ever particularly on the same page with. The other characters, and sometimes Mary-Lou, feel like stock filler that gets us to either some sci-fi visual mumbo jumbo or more likely, tits and ass. Depending on some interpretations of the story, like being about the business side of life, she doesn’t really matter much. As such, she is dressing beyond anything else.

The plot is basically incomprehensible, with the excessive visual mumbo jumbo and sudden shift in characterization of the cast making it hard to ever know what is going on. The script, especially with how Tommy is depicted at the end, wants to be clever so badly, but it forgot to really say anything or come to an actual point that means something. Sometimes we just see characters in a certain state without us knowing how they got there, like when Tommy suddenly has money or the really creepy bit where his nipple is cut open. We see Tommy just wandering around with no apparent aim, even a scene of him at a pawnshop seeming to be low on funds, only to somehow have a lot more money and resources in no time without us seeing how. Perhaps there is some way to connect all the disparate dots in this story and see it as brilliant, but such tales are always polarizing? No matter what, it is hard not to see the nudity and psychedelia as mere spectacle, or the slow dialogue-heavy scenes that take an eternity to get anywhere as just killing time.

One interpretation is that Tommy can be seen as a metaphor for David Bowie himself. He looked and felt very alien. Despite not coming from much, he managed to make others a lot of money, was able to have a lot of frivolous thrills, then ultimately got stuck in the system that made him successful. The gun-play sex party especially feels like it could be intended to reflect rock and roll excess in how gratuitous and violent it is. This doesn’t much benefit the film as seeing this as analogous to Bowie is very much just one interpretation and you have to reach outside the information in the movie to think this. Seeing this as about Bowie or more broadly about what fame does to even the most “outsider” of artists is debatably a bit clever. A lot of the movie, like the scenes of Tommy in space, are meaningless in this view.

SPOILERS

Tommy and Mary-Lou’s relationship is not well handled. They are essentially fine until one day they’re bickering and getting very heated, without a more natural transition. Their acting leaves much to be desired. In fact, Mary-Lou does a lot of jumping from loving Tommy to being over him, with her character not adding anything by the end. She could be seen as just “the girl” that might serve as a celebrity’s first marriage. Near the end Mary-Lou loves him so much that she doesn’t try to save herself when she thinks Tommy is going to murder her, and gets over how horrible it was for him to act like he was immediately. In almost no time, she is saying she doesn’t love him anymore.

The film often keeps its focus off Tommy and either on the plot or other characters. When he takes off his human suit to show Mary-Lou his true form, we don’t get much of how Tommy is thinking and feeling, but we very much do from Mary-Lou. As such, the few scenes that do focus on Tommy, notably the last shot of the film, are a bit weird. The emphasis on him acts like we’ve had some great look at him, so it should be tragic when he succumbs to his demons, but it instead emphasizes how much of a mess this all is. Similar can be said for how quickly Tommy and Mary-Lou’s relationship corrodes. We jump from them being stable to a very explosive fight. Their first argument is also the first big sign of Tommy going mad. He acts cartoonish and way more over the top than he usually has.

Tommy showing his true identity to Mary-Lou doesn’t carry the value you’d expect it to. One big reason for this is Tommy hasn’t shown much love for her or for anything, so why would he feel comfortable with this? Why not have a build up of them having a seemingly great relationship, with this being the tipping point of how much he feels for her? The sequence also gets lost in the montage of sci-fi imagery, how bad Bowie’s costume is, and how absurdly Mary-Lou acts. She’s screaming in terror, then soon enough disrobes. Also, did we have to see a closeup of her peeing? Is that one of the filmmakers’ kink? Buck Henry as Oliver V. Farnsworth’s death scene also is a real fever dream. The heavy breathing, light music, and the long time it takes to kill him makes for a really bizarre and comical scene that can’t hope to emotionally invest you in this person being killed. Him bouncing off the window he is thrown at is basically a joke, as is how obviously the falling body is a dummy.

OVERVIEW

The Man Who Fell To Earth is simply too busy. If it is about the celebrity lifestyle, then that is a bit light for a film so chaotic and more importantly so long. Such a long runtime and simple story asks to be more about the fine details, such as seeing specifics of Tommy and his life, yet so much is shown either out of context or is not given much gravitas. Many reviews essentially look outside the film, such as in viewing it as a social commentary, so it makes sense the text itself is so thin, but that also means it can’t survive on its own. Some might find this type of adventure fun, but it’s definitely a very acquired taste that to some is the definition of boring and mindless. Or maybe I just don’t get it?

Doctor Who: The Giggle // 14th Doctor Specials (2023) Review Part 3

One of the creepier images in the episode, though the VFX leaves much to be desired.

The finale of Doctor Who is a novel little concept that has in fairness been tried many times. The issue with ever doing it is who can handle not having this franchise? Even if the series managed such low ratings and disinterest that the BBC would in turn cancel it, maybe in ten or fifteen years it could be rebooted? The Giggle has never been sold as or committed to being a finale, but it does include many elements of it that do seek to offer a sense of closure. This is mainly done in the “explanation” of why the Doctor regenerated back into the Tenth Doctor and what happens after it, with it I guess seeming that the Doctor knows this is his most popular incarnation and the one who seems ideal for such a thing? We also get some returning albeit minor characters from the classic series. Will we ever get a Susan appearance? While the idea of giving the show a finale; a fake finale (which this definitely is); and regenerating into past Doctors, especially to make a point, is really fascinating and not as worthy of disdain as some would say, all these ideas are not handled nearly as well as they could have been.

The Giggle serves as the closest of the specials here to a sixtieth anniversary, though it is still light on much celebration of the past. A big thing we get is Tennant. Tennant returning is a good idea. It thematically shows how no matter how much this character changes, he remains the same and offers closure to this tenure in theory, though these specials are even light on references to the Russell T. Davies era. Considering how the Doctor witnessed a lot of strange things be done with regeneration by other time lords it works that part of the Doctor would want to be a bit strange and revisit a past experience. What other past elements we get comes in the form of a few verbal references; the welcomed but minor companion Mel, played by Bonnie Langford, predictably Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and the more fascinating return of the Toymaker. While the Toymaker’s one previous appearance was in one of the worst Who serials of the 60s, his ability to essentially shift reality and create impossible games for people to win is a phenomenal idea. Neil Patrick Harris brings a menace to him as someone who appears so bored with everything that he feels a need to be so destructive.

Thus, it’s a huge disappointment that much of this narrative is setup with little payoff. This is epitomized by a scene of Donna being approached by creepy dolls, which serve no purpose and prove no threat. The two meaningful-to-the-plot games he plays are seeing who can pick the higher card and later don’t drop a ball. Both are played as comedic, but due to their inclusion in this supposed serious finale that is trying to do so much, it muddles the tone. Beyond Harris’ performance, Tennant does sell the intensity of the Doctor’s emotions in his stress and anguish when it seems like something bad is about to happen, which comes out in a few all too brief scenes. The Doctor and Toymaker make the best of the story when talking about their experiences and specifically how they differ from humans. They’re to a degree being compared in how traumatizing it can be to go through as much as they have, which also explains why the villain acts how he does. Thus, it’s sad how little he appears.

A lot of time is spent setting up just how bad the situation is, hearing about all the things the Toymaker has done and admittedly getting some solid visuals, like the toy burning, only for a lot of this to eventually be brushed to the side. A very sudden twist is included and that just takes up the ending. Why not have the threat of the Toymaker be more connected to the twist? Maybe we could have had this be two specials, one dealing with the Toymaker with the twist part of the cliffhanger, then the last is only about the latter element. As is, this episode is so rushed. Random characters explain a lot of the plot, the cliffhanger of last episode and how it’s being resolved is similarly discussed before suddenly being pushed aside, “the Vlinx” was established as a character only to do nothing, as does Kate’s insults, Mel and more importantly Donna are barely in this, and some of the faster paced moments play as fairly comical. The scene of the Toymaker in a black tuxedo doesn’t have him even doing anything, which suggests something was cut. Same with the Doctor’s clothes regenerating with him when he first became #14. That suggested there was some weird space anomaly, but that’s not the case according to this episode.

SPOILERS

We get a really quick scene of two UNIT soldiers walking towards the Toymaker, the Doctor tells them to stop, they get killed, then he tells Kate they indeed died. It all is just very silly. Earlier, the Doctor said to Donna he wasn’t sure he could get her out alive, which is not something that weighs on the situation nearly as strongly as it should. This turmoil needs to mean something. That confession, as well as the Doctor seeming fed up with the cruelty of humanity, are good character moments in a vacuum, but come across as tossed in to make the story “deep”. The Doctor talking about order and chaos could have represented a theme that would play through to the end. Why not have it tie into how he defeats the Toymaker? The actual way he goes is absolutely absurd, losing a fairly easy game when apparently everyone else ever has lost to him. Him bragging about who has been defeated just feels like a waste of time, seeing as the Doctor doesn’t really have to do much to succeed. What if he either has to die or sacrifice Donna in order to win? What if he simply gets the Toymaker to go away, but the latter’s destruction is not even fixed?

Some of the better aspects of the story is the explanation of how the Doctor initially met the Toymaker and how the Toymaker got to Earth. The Doctor is later very clever in outsmarting the villain into letting them go. He probably understood how hopeless things were, so manipulated the Toymaker with what he knew he would want. At the same time, the Toymaker manipulates the Doctor by knowing how to cause him emotional turmoil. As such, the Doctor is often clearly fearful of him. He even offers him something… The Doctor and the Toymaker traveling together would have been a really fascinating idea. Makes you wonder if the Toymaker would steal the TARDIS. This is reminiscent of the time in the audio adventures a Nazi was a companion of the Doctor.

Ncuti Gatwa does a fair enough job, though his incarnation of the lead is devalued by this episode really just being about Tennant until the end. He doesn’t even get a chance to follow the tradition of acting really weird from the post-regeneration haze, being more about giving a bit of dialogue to the Tennant Doctor. What would have been better is if the regeneration occurs at the very end. Considering that the Tennant Doctor apparently has all the interesting baggage about the character, with Gatwa’s more of a clean slate, Gatwa’s era will probably feel like a spinoff or remake, as it might not be following many of the developments to the character that shaped the Doctor. The two Doctors saying goodbye feels like a symbolic passing of the torch, like the Doctor we’ve really known from William Hartnell to David Tennant is bowing out.

Something not covered much in the series is what causes the Doctor to regenerate into the face he does. Such a thing could tell us a lot about the character, at least making for a solid episode. The Fourteenth Doctor era hopes to offer such an explanation, with it seeming to be that it was subconscious, so he could find Donna and retire. This is concocted as something Donna just thought up, which is a lot less satisfying than if it was something the Doctor had to discover. This also spits in the face of a lot of past moments. The Doctor likes adventure, though admittedly has at times wanted to retire but felt he was unable. Wouldn’t he justify to himself now that he can do twice as much life saving? Coming up with a reason for him to call it quits isn’t impossible, but it should take a lot longer and be more about an internal struggle unlike what he’s seen before instead of being done in a few conversations in at best three episodes, but really just this one. The Doctor has already experienced the death of loved ones and failing to help people as much as he could. What’s different about now? The show must not even really believe in this, as the Fourteenth Doctor is left with his own TARDIS, which strongly suggests this isn’t the last of him. 

Hopefully it isn’t, as this “ending” is so quick and unearned. It doesn’t even distinguish itself from the many breaks of the Doctor. The emotional gravatas it is given feels like a trick just waiting to be retconned. 14 saying how happy he is retired feels way too easy, ignoring the aforementioned breaks he’s done, like between series nine and ten. The need to help that would push someone that’s gone so hard and so long fighting isn’t just going to go away. The best way to interpret this is as just a finale to the previous Davies era, as that was just a few years instead of sixty and almost every episode of it starred Tennant. A lot of the various eras of the show feel a bit distinct, but this episode still asks to be so much more and ultimately invites more questions. Even if the Tennant incarnation is just tired and wants to be both alive and retired, what about the others? Will 14 not one day die and perhaps be replaced by another risky adventurer?

While bigeneration isn’t a bad idea, it does only seem to be here for the sake of giving us more Tennant if it’s ever needed, instead of it really being dug into. A lot of exploration could occur for it and admittedly it might happen. A bit more would help the episode. There have also been a few times where we’re supposed to see Tennant off, so it’s increasingly ridiculous when he’s brought back. It does in a way make sense the Doctor could not let go of being Tennant, considering he felt he could do so much more in The End of Time. Those trying to calculate our hero’s age usually have the Tenth as around the youngest tenured, so perhaps to the Doctor, he is the one that got away? Still, it’s probably for the best that he avoids this incarnation considering that 10 cheated death once before in series four, with this episode featuring his third regeneration, all relatively soon after the last one.

OVERVIEW

Obviously it’s not objective what the best interpretation of what the Doctor is is, but Russell T. Davies’ approach of the character being essentially anything, such as that he can now do what’s shown in the episode or affirming the Timeless Child story, erases the Doctor really even being a character. He doesn’t have any wants or drive, as in an instant he could be something else. This admittedly is a problem that plagues any long running character, such as superheroes. It can get to the point where it might seem too boring to some to not go in a “this person is basically Jesus” way. It was so much more special when he was just a weird alien with a box that admittedly didn’t aspire as massive of change. As the Twelfth Doctor once powerfully said, he does what he does just because it’s kind, but that message is diluted when it’s suggested he does so because he’s really so great and special. Due to the frankly broken story of The Giggle, including the blatant attempts to force emotions out of a hat, all this comes off as laziness. What if Davies’ real reasoning is wanting an excuse to make simply a sci-fi show under the Doctor Who name instead of understanding the legacy he is a part of? He would not be the first to change things up, but he might be the first to really run with radically transforming what the Doctor is or acts like.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) Review

Is this a Wes Anderson movie?

Everything Everywhere All At Once is, true to its word, everything. Much has been read into this film in terms of commentary on the world and general themes. I must think that at some point a movie will come out and be hailed as a complex masterpiece, only for the filmmakers to at some time admit it really meant nothing and just hit the expected beats of a narrative, with far more being read into it. (I’m sorry, Duck Soup, I still love you.) At its heart, Everything seems to be firing for a simple idea of family and togetherness. Especially around the ending, it was reminiscent of a thousand other movies that were solely about “Let’s just love each other.” It’s hard to know what to think of this, whether it’s a beautifully simple resolution or anticlimactic after the very busy and complicated film it’s a part of.

To put it simply, this movie is stimulating. To be less nice, overstimulating. The film often leans into extremely fast montages that don’t always convey necessary information. One example is when we see someone “verse jump” over and over to explain where they’re getting a certain ability from. That, just like quite a lot of the story, is blinding novelty and entertainment value. You can tell some involved love old action and Kung-Fu movies, especially Chinese ones, and wanted to include fights that evoked them, while implementing elements like absurdist humor. However, something like the dildo fight or better yet a man jumping pants-less in slow motion intending to land sitting on a trophy shaped like a butt plug feel designed to only be attention grabbing, especially to a gen-z audience.

For better and for worse, the film does appeal heavily on a multitude of levels, like as a light popcorn flick, something where any little element can be looked at as commentary on several-hundred year old philosophical concepts, or anywhere in between. It might even be designed to be a bit confusing for someone on their first viewing, in hopes of repeat ones. Based on the strong focus for comedy and spectacle, it can feel like there is little to say, especially when it gets to the point of someone just yelling to be kind, instead of that particular message being discovered or earned. However, some messages are discovered or learned. Another issue is the pace, where the film can rev up to a hundred, then stops before starting again. The pessimistic view of this is to say it is edited essentially like a music video to just appeal to perceived short attention spans. No matter what the intention is, the impression is that certain elements that are built up don’t matter, as after the intensity of them being laid on, everything cools down for the next big idea.

All of the cast have a very good understanding of their manic roles. The hardest would probably be the lead Evelyn Quan Wang, played by Michelle Yeoh. She is initially an every woman before quickly having to get with the program. You can argue Evelyn should have had more time to figure it out, but there is a serviceable explanation for that. Her feelings are not delved into deeply, other than her main goal of trying to save everyone. Ke Huy Quan as Waymond Wang grounds the film into more emotional territory, with him often giving some realism to the tale, which is ironic as he is the first sign of chaos.

Stephanie Hsu as Joy Wang gives the best performance, bringing a consistent nihilism and desire to find support. Her face often has a look of fatigue on it. Due to the youthful energy of the story, she might work due to being the youngest cast member and thus having the most ability to relate. My favorite performance is Jamie Lee Curtis as Deirdre Beaubeirdre, who brings a dry wit and inherent absurdism due to how out of place she looks and how much fun you can tell Curtis is having. She’s easy to love. The supporting cast are consistently wonderfully charming and entertaining, but arguably serve as filler.

SPOILERS

Based on how quickly Evelyn was to embrace the multiverse, even to the point of punching Deirdre and possibly considering killing her daughter, you could imagine the movie would end in a twist that no supernatural events occurred and the lead is just off her rocker. It’s at least surprising her family isn’t more critical or concerned about her behavior. This idea of coming off as nutty about something is an old trope the filmmakers might have enjoyed. Based on the ending, where everyone seems fine, was there any need or point to Evelyn punching Deirdre? What about all the destruction at the IRS or the marital tensions between Evelyn and Waymond? Same with Evelyn apparently stabbing Waymond.

The heart of the story are the discussions between Evelyn and Joy’s alter ego Jobu Tupaki. They discuss their opposing views on the world, showcasing the nature and thought process of Jobu, ultimately proving she’s misunderstood. So much information about Jobu being portrayed by her just telling Evelyn is rather boring, though the expressive and symbolic visuals help in making up for that. Later, we are thankfully shown Evelyn overcoming Jobu’s strength and nihilism through the visuals. The best example of this is when they’re rocks, which is beautifully and creepily simple. Same can be said for when Evelyn adopts googly eyes on her as a rock and Jobu in turn rolls off a cliff.

Whether or not the reconciliation of Evelyn and Joy is earned is up for debate. It is too easy, with Evelyn merely saying to Joy she wants to be with her, which could have already been figured. This does summarize the main issue of the style of the movie not being able to sustain its substance.

OVERVIEW

Everything Everywhere All At Once is a very good spectacle, benefitting from how rich and colorful it looks. It’s an extremely lovable and watchable work that will probably serve to influence many people that see it. While some say that a thing that tries to appeal to everyone appeals to no one, this might be the exception that proves the rule. Though it can come off a little disjointed, the constant stimulus that also gives a lot of food for thought to those looking for it works in the film’s favor. However, due to its limitations and how “2022” it feels, there is the concern of the movie soon going out of date, with down the line a new story essentially filling this role of delivering some very typical messages in the flavor of the time, such as not demonizing your children. The lack of subtlety could be seen as positive or in vogue, but grow stale later. The picture still deserves and probably will have some legacy going forth. Also, I was genuinely rooting for Raccacoonie and its owner. I’d also like to have hot dog fingers and play the piano with my feet with Jamie Lee.

Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder // 14th Doctor Specials (2023) Review Part 2

A frame from the episode

Wild Blue Yonder at its heart is a simple and effective mystery. Wisely, it uses the space-filling scenes of walking and talking to give some degree of development for our leads. As such, there is a lot to like here, though as a whole the product suffers serious issues. While much of the information we learn about the story of the episode is nice, it mostly comes down to “The Doctor can’t figure it out, so he wanders around until it clicks.” At one point the antagonist explains part of it for the Doctor, which is a trope that doesn’t allow for real intrigue. Why would a villain do that? However, just like last time, David Tennant and Catherine Tate clearly know the show well and handle the absurdities admirably. Their interaction with Isaac Newton, played by Nathaniel Curtis, is very funny for what it is. It would’ve been nice if this episode was more about them flying around to different time periods and having such novelty adventures. Seeing Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott again is heartwarming. It is wonderful we got to see him before he died, which he did before even filming all his scenes for these specials.

Both The Doctor and Donna have scenes where we get a good look at the sorts of stressors and trauma they’ve gone through. The scenes of The Doctor are especially good, due to it following the general theme of The Doctor trying to force down the pain of adventures gone wrong. Donna talking about her family moving on falls flat due to the stakes never being very high. However, it would work under a more intense situation. The episode sets up the threat as particularly villainous, but once again the Doctor can almost magically think a way through. Donna, who generally is not going to give up without a fight, seems too quick to here.

This episode’s antagonist and sets are not unlike how such are handled in the budget episodes the show does, where the Tardis team and usually other characters are on a ship and a baddie tries to get them. As such, it is a real shame this is supposed to be part of a very short anniversary series when we could be focusing on something that either tackles the main story of why the Doctor regenerated into Tennant or the history of the show. Even the structure of the story is similar to other cost-friendly outings. This episode would work a lot better with the next Doctor and companion. This could explore how those two think and will interact with each other. Maybe the next companion is the type to quickly become so stressed she is convinced she will die and thus she discusses her wish for her family to move on from her, as Donna does here?

The visual look of the story and the baddies are both effectively creepy and unsettling. With the latter, it can be looked at as a metaphor for confronting your own personal demons. The exploration of the lead’s inner emotions, especially in response to the villains, feels like a tease when the episode would feel more complete if it came to some resolution. This doesn’t mean to fix their problems entirely, just to make them seem like it led to a point. One episode that did this quite well is Vincent and the Doctor, which looked at how the depression of a person both informs themselves and those around them. Another issue is how convenient a lot of it is, such as the salt shaker.

SPOILERS

The pacing could be improved, like in the beginning when the leads cool off emotionally, so the Doctor and Donna are seemingly about to start the usual of exploring a new environment. Next, the Tardis goes away, they both get inflamed, and the Doctor uncharacteristically judgy, before going back to exploring. What would work a lot better and be more suspenseful is if the two wander around, problems start arising, so they decide to leave only to find the Tardis is long gone. That could continue the escalation of tension, instead of setting it up. Seeing as the Tardis has never “run away” before, it’s ultimately a disappointment when the issue was so low scale and easily beatable.

The Doctor comes off as idiotic for leaving Donna behind. This could’ve served the story or themes by tying into the Doctor feeling like he could’ve handled the situation with the Flux better. Alternatively, what if the Doctor deliberately did this so as to defeat the baddies? Maybe he needed to use the Tardis to analyze fake Donna in some way? Can we at least see some fury from Donna for how horrifying and traumatic that would be? How can she ever forgive the Doctor for that? Here, she seems cordial with him in the end.

OVERVIEW

Similarly to the last special, my takeaway is that while this is a decent piece of Doctor Who, it is lacking in much real adventure or meaning that could make the tale more engaging or meaningful to the overall narrative of this era. This episode has several different tones, from goofy absurdist sci-fi, to drama, to everyone severely lacking confidence, to having it in droves. Why not treat these three stories with Tennant as a coda to his era, which admittedly would be a bit difficult due to The End of Time essentially being that? New ground these 2023 episodes could cover is how the Doctor impacts the family of his companions well after they’ve met him. It could cover what would lead him to regenerate into a past life. While that will probably be detailed next special, it could’ve been more prevalent throughout. We could also see more past characters. Following all this, the first series with Ncuti Gatwa could have all the concepts of these Tennant episodes, but spread out. One episode is committed to being absurdist, another focuses on a historical figure, another is really depressing, etc. Regardless, Wild Blue Yonder is fair enough when taken on its own terms, though is too by the books.

Doctor Who: The Star Beast // 14th Doctor Specials (2023) Review Part 1

When did this show become normal to me?

The Star Beast is more style over substance. Those that are getting back into Doctor Who for Russell T. Davies will find a lot of his trademarks, which maybe were emphasized more heavily for this outing that is designed to appeal to people that had fallen off the show since Davies left in essentially 2009. In fact, a lot of it is laid on a little too thick. Essentially at random, David Tennant as The Doctor can burst into some witty or comedic tangent. The mock trial is the prime example. While that and many other scenes do a disservice to the tone, they are at least entertaining. Tennant himself is very breezy with the material, doing a better job than most would at balancing all these disparate tones.

The opening scene of Tennant and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble monologuing about their past encounters and where their minds are at proves succinctly that these actors have a solid grasp of their characters, even when their lines are extremely unnatural. To give the writing some credit, it seems this opener is not even supposed to be canon, just being here to establish the episode. Much of the information is said later on in the story, so why even have this? Tennant is also in front of a greenscreen of space, which implies he’s just out in the stars standing on literally nothing. One of the biggest issues with the 2000s-present era of Doctor Who is how it can be mostly serious, but include odd bits of absurdity that really pull you out of the moment. While it’s good and also common for this show to go for these stylings, some scenes really ask to be taken seriously and they just can’t be because of this sort of thing. They can be balanced a lot better.

The pacing also is often very fast, with little time to let us sit in a certain situation, which makes that situation feel pointless. A lot of information is shot out in long exposition from characters in ways that don’t feel realistically written or it doesn’t make sense why they even would be monologuing. The music choice can also be offbeat, like the light guitar music after the opening titles that sticks out against the intimidating setup. A very common problem in the show that is especially bad here is when the heat gets down on the Doctor, but then he pulls his sonic screwdriver out and saves the day with far too much ease. Later, there’s a wheelchair that also just seems to be able to do whatever is needed for the plot.

The best performance in the episode is the relatively lowkey Jacqueline King as Sylvia Noble. Sylvia is rightfully terrified that her daughter might die, though then when required the character will stay off to the side, even when you’d think she would want to be more active and trying to keep Donna safe. Her pain is also played for laughs, when it could make for a really touching and dramatic plot point if taken seriously. You regardless can’t deny how heart wrenching it is when she’s yelling at Donna that the alien right in front of her isn’t real, because she’s so afraid of what will happen. Catherine Tate herself is very effective in her role of a selfless mother and person in general that always wants to do the right thing, while being easily agitated.

Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble gives a fine portrayal, as well. It would’ve been better if her story of feeling like an outcast connected more to the main plot. It arguably does a little, but the general disconnect makes her feelings come off as tacked on. That being said, it’s certainly not uncommon for shows like this to include relatively blatant commentary of whatever is going on culturally. Also, Rose being trans does play into the storyline and it couldn’t easily be replaced with something else. It does feel like we are being given a message, as opposed to a story, when this comes up. Rose is supposed to be fifteen, though Finney was eighteen and looks a little older.

Note that this episode is pretty much the closest thing to the 60th anniversary special. It aired on the 25th of November, two days off of the actual day of the 23rd. Thus, it’s disappointing how few references there are to the history of the series. Hopefully such a thing would be included in the later episodes with Tennant, possibly whenever it’s explained why the Doctor looks like a past incarnation. Considering the fact that it was established on the 50th anniversary that the Doctor may regenerate into his “favorite” incarnations essentially explains this.

SPOILERS

Rose trying to hide Beep the Meep from everyone else doesn’t serve much purpose. Donna immediately finds the Meep. There’s not even a scene where Rose’s sneaky leanings lead anywhere. Later, Rose talking about feeling like she has gotten over her issues and is finally herself is pretty silly. Her problem was with feeling like an outcast due to dealing with transphobes. Those people have not gone away, nor has her dysphoria. While of course it is possible to change your mindset with that stuff, she would not just get over her stress in a second. This is a very ham fisted way to tie up Rose and her story, which could have just left her an open book that could be explored later. It also would’ve been interesting if the episode covered the fact that if she had not trusted Beep the Meep, the Meep may not have been able to do as much damage as was done. The Doctor was similarly loosely responsible for some of the deaths the Meep caused, which is not taken very seriously or even looked at.

The Doctor seemingly made Donna remember him so she knew what buttons to press, but couldn’t he have just told her which to press? The scene of him realizing that Donna will have to die just flies in seemingly at random, like the script will contrive any reason to make it appear Donna will be killed. Tate and especially Tennant do a good job portraying this struggle, despite some theatrical dialogue and some yelling which furthermore is desperate to pull at the audience’s heart strings. What would’ve made this land better is if this was all covered over a few episodes. Maybe the Doctor feels Donna is destined to die, but he tries to keep her safe, then after a few hours of screen time he realizes he can’t? He even shows off things like the sonic screwdriver, which could remind her. That sort of moment would fit a lot better in a story just about Beep the Meep and new characters and not Donna.

One highlight is Donna acting brassy like she’s done in the past, being annoyed with herself for giving up her lottery winnings. With very little difficulty or fanfare, the day is saved essentially by the Doctor and Donna pressing a lot of buttons, as opposed to something more complex. Beep the Meep has a very over the top villain voice and overconfidence, yelling about how the Meep will win immediately before being defeated. Beep the Meep literally destroying the streets before that is undone is such an absurd way to “save the day”. Why even show such destruction if it means nothing? The workaround for how Donna can live after getting her memories back is quite clever, other than her and Rose to a degree just “letting it go”.

The sudden cliffhanger is, just like much of this episode, a little too convenient. Seeing as Donna is now learning about her past, why not just have her decide to go with the Doctor, instead of it happening by accident? I feel bad for Sylvia.

OVERVIEW

As a Doctor Who fan, I really enjoyed this. However, The Star Beast suffers in delivering a structured and competent narrative, feeling like a collection of tropes. As an example, there are points where the heroes would be worse off if something happened even a few seconds off from when it did. Embracing the silliness of this concept, as seems to be done by the way the creatures look and their names, works in isolation, but it should’ve been married to a story that will let that thrive. The lightness of the threats and how clean most of the issues are does not fit with the fifteen year long storyline of Donna and her threatened safety, which asks for something more serious.

Gravity (2013) Review

Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone

Gravity is a novelty. Its story and visual look are very unconventional, so on its own it’s interesting due to its advancements in digital effects and unique plot. The film focuses on Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone, who is often thrown around and consistently disoriented. She is decent enough as an audience surrogate, though has almost no personality or character traits, which makes the story really fail as a typical movie. If the special effects were really stunning or the drama really thrilling, maybe that would be enough? The lack of development of Stone makes her feel like a video game character, which makes sense when matched with the CGI and fake-looking graphics around her. This makes for a really awkward viewing experience.

Stone doesn’t learn anything or change at all. Not to excuse that, but the movie doesn’t even commit to that, as we get a few moments of vulnerability or backstory for her. These matters, like her daughter having died, don’t functionally contribute anything. That information could be removed or replaced easily. There’s little meaningful stakes, with it often apparent Stone will get in some trouble before moving on. George Clooney as Matt Kowalski is an odd choice for someone to play an astronaut. He does some of his normal quipping and acting like an asshole, sometimes being comic relief. This does lead to one of the main issues with the story, especially when trying to get into it.

Bullock and Clooney are Hollywood actors. They look like Hollywood actors. There’s little sense of “we are seasoned scientists or astronauts getting down to business”. Their lack of emotional depth and understanding of their scientific dialogue makes it feel like two people playing characters. Lesser known actors would’ve been ideal. Perhaps if you showed this movie to someone who didn’t know who Bullock or Clooney were then this would not be an issue?

Some of the directing is solid, with it succeeding in making us feel distress or claustrophobia, which adds to this film working more as an experience to slip into, rather than a proper movie or story. Shots of Ryan trying to relax or something sudden happening draw you in with the use of wide shots or changing the speed of the camera. The opening of the film is also effective. You might expect a movie like this to open on a normal environment that gets tense, like if we saw everyone go to space and then things start going wrong. We get added intensity from starting unfamiliarly. 3D effects however almost always date movies and this is no exception, especially when watching a 2D version of it. Little things can come into focus, as they’re supposed to be 3D.

SPOILERS

The opening just feels like a series of events with little pacing or fluidity. Building tension and establishing relationships would work to make this feel more like a narrative. Everything is just fine before it isn’t. Events occurring seemingly randomly is a frequent issue, such as when Kowalski and Stone are making their way shortly before a jam, wherein Kowalski quickly sacrifices himself. Ryan is afraid of losing him, but we don’t see her traumatized or lonely or anything. She just keeps on her way. You’d think Ryan would be more distressed by everyone having died. Her later imagining Matt is a nice moment that implies she’s holding it in, though we should’ve gotten more. There also isn’t any reason to “hold it in”. The few emotional scenes, such as of Ryan accepting that she will die, aren’t used to let us into her, they are intended to mine easy sympathy for her.

OVERVIEW

People analyze themes in the movie, though they play more as window dressing than as something that feeds into the story. They’re incidental. Still, Gravity is quite short. Some of these sorts of stories want to feel excused to be absurdly lengthy, so it’s appreciated that this one decided to be short enough to keep its charm running throughout, though some just won’t be able to meet the film on its terms and will just be constantly bored.

Red Dwarf S03E06 The Last Day // Series 3 (1989) Review Part 6

A frame from the episode

Context for those unfamiliar with Red Dwarf (Spoilers for S01E01 of the show)

Dave Lister, played by Craig Charles, is the last man alive. He’s living in the mining ship “Red Dwarf” with a hologram of his dead roommate, Rimmer, played by Chris Barrie; a member of a species of evolved cats, “The Cat”, played by Danny John-Jules; a computer on the ship, Holly, played by Hattie Hayridge as of series three; and also as of series three, a robot, Kryten, played by Robert Llewellyn. Rimmer died due to a radiation leak that killed everyone on “Red Dwarf”, except for Lister and non-humans.

“The Last Day” is the first episode to really focus on Llewellyn’s Kryten. Whether or not one counts “Kryten” as a Kryten-focused episode is a matter of debate. Regardless, Llewellyn pulls in a much better performance here than previously, giving reason to his “robotic” and narrow minded behavior. He does a good job of keeping the character’s inhuman qualities, while giving him some emotions and feelings. This episode also shows everyone as not only a team, but tolerant of that dynamic. Kryten doesn’t ever seem to understand the bond living beings can have for each other. That being said, he genuinely seems to like the others to a degree. Apparently androids are not supposed to enjoy their work, but Kryten often seems to. According to this episode, Kryten doesn’t, but wants to get in “Silicon Heaven” when he dies.

My personal theory was someone at some point reprogrammed Kryten to actually like chores, though it was imperfect, with the dislike of it sometimes coming out. Regardless, him genuinely liking that, and how that might contrast with what the others want and feel about it, is more interesting as it’s generally different than a real person. Even if a person likes chores, imagine doing them often everyday and with little else to do? It’s also arguable that him taking the load off things by doing chores and being another character to interact with has leveled tensions, so he brings in a contrasting personality.

Lister does get some development, as well. Namely, a big part of the “Kryten” episode is that Lister doesn’t seem to like that he’s treated as just a servant. That comes up again here, with him not wanting Kryten to always make him breakfast. However, for the most part he is content with treating him like that, though you can tell Lister often views Kryten as a real friend. For better or for worse, this inconsistency and use of Kryten makes Lister less likable. No one here is supposed to be, so that’s fair enough. It’s a shame that this dulls the clashing personalities of Lister and Rimmer, as Rimmer has been fine using Kryten as just a servant. At least have someone point out how Lister has changed. On another note, we learn more of Lister’s past, being abandoned by his parents as a baby. Ideally, this could’ve come up in an episode more about this. “Marooned” would’ve been a great place for this development.

The Cat is weirdly unselfish. An arguable reason why is he enjoys feeling the team support and the attention that yields him. Lister in particular likes Cat. He’s even excited to give something to Kryten. A possible explanation is he knows he would probably be able to get it back from Kryten later. Rimmer is weirdly absent from this episode. He does take a little opportunity to try and assert dominance over a character, but Chris Barrie overall isn’t in his normal scene stealing mode.

The episode takes a while to get going, with the setup being a bit dry. It even takes some time to introduce Rimmer and longer for the Cat. The party with everyone discussing their feelings and trying to give Kryten a good time works as character development, showing their comradery, and also as comedy. A favorite is Kryten getting drunk and falling off his chair. Surprised that didn’t rile up the studio audience, like how the smeg ups can. That scene had me dying. The positive momentum continues with Gordon Kennedy as Hudzen, who is intimidating while also getting laughs.

I’m glad this was the last episode of the series. We’re maximizing the time with Kryten, thus increasing the impact of his leaving. The fact that at this point he was only in one series makes it believable he was only a one off and could’ve actually left here.

SPOILERS

This episode is more true to one of the original ideas of the show than most, that the world of the show is incredibly cruel. Holly, as an example, seems to be aware there is more to life than what they do, but is confined to how they are, not even having a body. Kryten and the other service droid suffer trying to fulfill orders, apparently in a misguided attempt to get into Silicone Heaven, which may not even be real. For everyone else, they have more of a natural drive to live which is often challenged in violent ways.

Defeating the purpose of a service droid, Hudzen almost killed everyone. Sure, he was insane, but you would think the developers would want to avoid that. Apparently Lister is a target due to being “barely human”. What does that even mean? If Lister is the only human still alive, why would the machines be sold to humans specifically? Just sell the product to who or whatever. It’d be like if products were made today specifically for dinosaurs. Before things get violent, Rimmer gets out of the way. I had wondered why, though this actually makes sense considering he still has human emotions and thus would have that trigger instinct to avoid getting hurt.

In the next episode, Kryten is being taught how to lie. If that had been before this episode, the lie here would work much better. Kryten at one point makes a joke that involves saying something not true. While the whole bit is quite good, it should’ve been saved for later.

SERIES OVERVIEW

Series three tightens the dynamic of the characters and changes the formula a bit. It focuses more on crazy and foreign entities come to trip everyone up, with Lister, Rimmer, The Cat, and Kryten tackling four corners of a comedy troupe. The tradeoff of this is that Holly and to a lesser extent The Cat are underutilized. Still, both are not only still funny, but get some very good material.

Character drama was pretty central to the first two series, but now it’s more muted and the focus is on action. The one episode that is very character focused, mostly featuring Lister and Rimmer talking, needs an incident to cause that situation. In the early series, they did that just because. Both tones work well. What probably would’ve been for the best story wise is if you’d get a mix of both. Maybe one episode is pure action, then the next pure drama, sometimes with the comedy at the front, sometimes a bit more subdued.

In terms of those characters, they feel quite different when being little more than a certain “funny role”. They feel less like real people and are thus less relatable, though it’s hard to deny the humor that comes from that. This also goes against Rimmer’s consistent desire to be taken seriously. Here he lays on just being a funny and stern guy. In fact, all the characters change up their personalities for the sake of what the story needs of them. Two notable examples are how Kryten goes through a whole arc in his series two appearance, seeming ready and able to be his own individual that can do things like insult someone, but he was then basically reset to how he was and is now essentially going on the same journey, but much slower. When he said in “The Last Day” that he is finally having fun, my mind just went to him riding a motorcycle around the universe last series. Servicing the arc are the generally funny scenes of him being subservient to others. He is underplayed usually, which is for the best as Llewellyn’s acting leaves something to be desired.

The other example is how The Cat sometimes doesn’t seem to care about anyone and other times does. The reason might be that Cat has value in being part of the “Red Dwarf Posse” and likes that feeling. He also seems to respect his crewmates more. A broader case is how mainly in this episode, the Dwarfers are being needlessly confrontational. While that goes with their general energy and spirit, it goes against their selfish desires. They sometimes get into danger when it’s not necessary and sometimes even to help another. While the first two series work better as narratives, especially one that develops from one episode to the next, series three beats them out solely by being funnier and doing nothing else superiorly. Even the weaker installments have some good stuff, so there aren’t even bad episodes. Still, the dull periods are definitely there.

Rank from weakest to best: “The Last Day”, “Backwards”, “Marooned”, “Bodyswap”, “Timeslides”, “Polymorph”.

WALL-E (2008) Review

One of my favorite shots of the film

The greatest strength and weakness of Wall-E is its simplicity. The way that that’s a problem is how basic the story and its structure are. The lack of innovation there makes for a movie that is a little dull, due to lacking many tricks up its sleeve, as you pretty much always know what’s going to happen next. The best types of family movies have more that can appeal to an adult. This film does provide that, just not in the storyline. The animation and by extension aesthetic are very pretty, reminiscent of classic sci-fi, while giving its own twists. The dark subject matter it depicts has a soft edge to it, like it’s something a child would imagine, which creates a very unusual and extremely relatable feeling. Someone that worked on the movie said a planet filled with trash is the type of dystopia a child would imagine.

It is arguably a little strange seeing a robot character, the protagonist of Wall-E, be so much like a human child. An added “edge” to make him feel more distinct, but still inspired by that would help a lot in making him interesting. His almost complete lack of speaking makes for an endearing character, especially as we can sense whatever it is he’s thinking or feeling. Especially to a fan of silent cinema, this is not new, but it does add to the otherworldly and innocent sense. If this movie was made for adults with a human lead, you can imagine them doing something like getting hurt and cursing, which would create a very different vibe and make it too human. Also, as someone with difficulty speaking, I’ve always found Wall-E very relatable.

The character of Eve does have a few particularly sharp moments, such as when she is at her most vulnerable. Her character development is otherwise weak, with her dramatically switching from her more aggressive self to being a lot softer. The first thing she does when she meets Wall-E is too out of character with how she later is and makes her harder to relate to. There’s no reason she couldn’t have been simply neutral when meeting Wall-E, instead of how she is. Their romance is also very straightforward and uncomplicated. While not “realistic”, it mirroring a child’s understanding of a relationship is heartwarming. Thus, it works. Some of the character development the leads do have is emphasized very nicely with the romance. In fact, the scene of them where Wall-E has a fire hydrant is so warm and cinematic as to capture an undefinable sense of joy and love and be the best scene of the whole movie. It’s a work of art.

The vintage sounding song playing over a shot of space at the beginning sets the mood very well. Wall-E and the humans only have these artifacts to grasp to in terms of understanding their society and their future. This leads to contrast as the positive music continues over shots of the trash. Shots like the overly pristine ship and the planet of trash are very memorable images that also tell us about how the characters and their worlds are. It’s believable why Wall-E might be reluctant to be cleaned after living on a dirty planet, as it’s familiar to him and not apparently wrong. Seeing as he may be lonely, Wall-E just sorting things works as a way for him to ground himself and keep busy.

The appearance of old footage of live action people suggests this movie is set in the future of our current society. The intended message is that this is the future if we don’t take care of the planet. Otherwise, it is a little confusing why there would be live action people here. The little comedy moments throughout the film come off as forced and really aren’t needed.

SPOILERS

“A moment to be loved a whole life long.” playing as Wall-E sleeps alone in his dark place is really saddening. It doesn’t make much sense why Wall-E would fall for Eve, who is so hostile, so it seems likely he’s just falling for the first robot he sees. Wall-E accidentally destroys a lot of stuff and gets him and Eve labeled “rogue robots”. This really could’ve gotten Eve in a lot of trouble. This seems to go into a more common theme of the misfit robots seeing Wall-E as a leader, with them all essentially saving the day, showing the common but effective narrative of outcasts being what is ultimately needed to straighten out society. The complacency of humans has made them fat and apparently reliant on computers, which could’ve stopped them from ever feeling fulfilled. In fact, the antagonist is a well intentioned robot following humans’ now outdated orders.

When Eve shoots a “halt” sign, I hope she wasn’t killing a fellow robot. After never talking loudly, it’s chilling to hear Eve shout “No!” when Wall-E is injured. The humanity of her comes out here more than ever. Interestingly, if Wall-E was a human, he would’ve been killed by his injury, though instead he makes a full recovery later. Wall-E briefly being reset at the end doesn’t amount to anything. It just seems designed to tug on the heart strings. Admittedly, it does work at making you feel sad. It also mirrors the beginning when Eve was cold and Wall-E had life to him. The ending could’ve gone for something that plays off of the themes of the narrative before and not be so random feeling.

OVERVIEW

One reason the leads have so much personality is because they barely talk, which gives a pretty and surreal vibe throughout the whole story. WALL-E does work best as a movie for kids. It thrives off of the sense of innocence and simplicity the story and tone have, with things frankly not ever being too serious. A strong message is sent with what we learn. Adult media could easily have been too heavy handed. Still, it would’ve been very much ideal to have a bit more depth here, at least some twists so you don’t really know what’s going to happen next.

Iron Man (2008) Review

A frame from the film

It can be believed why Iron Man has become cemented in pop culture. It embraces both its limitations and the then-modern trends, featuring lots of fun excess. If this style of “constant stimulation and really simple stories” isn’t for you, there’s not much to go off of here. Even some actors here that have done great stuff in the past, like Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, are way too one note. Basically everyone here is just an archetype with the possible exception of the protagonist, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Downey is clearly a charismatic guy and pulls off some emotion and humor, though his character does very little developing. He’ll be in one mind, then the other. His attitude of “Doing whatever it takes to help people” is basically unwavering, despite how the character was early on. Thus, he seems too perfect and a little bit of grayness to him would go a long way.

The movie opens well on a frame of grand scenery. Afterwards, it becomes overstimulating with lots of brash humor and music, seeming to be trying to make this movie feel modern and distinct from what you might expect. Despite the character of Tony Stark having a defining quality of wanting to do the right thing, both in the beginning and later on he seems mildly misogynist. Tony’s ability to both be rude to women and then immediately get with them further perpetuates how movies like this treat women as objects. The only female character with any development, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, only seems to exist to service Tony. A little bit of scantily clad ladies are tossed in, probably to get a few more eyes in the theater seats. A little romance and comedy are forced in here and there. Especially the romance could so easily be cut, with little chemistry between the participants.

Characters like Ho Yinsen, played by Shaun Toub, don’t serve any purpose other than to help Tony, not even coming back into relevance at the end. Why does this person want to help Tony? Even some of the lesser antagonists are made to seem like they have something to do and are intimidating, only to come to nothing. When Rhodey says he’s not going to drink, only for him to be doing so next scene, he comes off as a very weak character. What got him to change his mind? This shows the character as only mattering for the sake of a little light comedy and having little real point.

The pivotal moments of seeing Tony in his varying suits and trying them out are really striking. There’s a sense that the game is really changing and the stakes are being built on. Each new stage adds a sense of intensity and adventure, with some problems fixed and others needing to be figured out. A lot of the shots of the suits and the following action scenes are some of the best looking moments here, being really stylized. It’s a shame that we get a pretty lame reveal of the proper Iron Man outfit. We see Tony putting it on, then flying in it. It’d be better to only get a good look once arriving at his destination.

There’s a decent critique of Capitalism, with it being stated it’s made easy to have no accountability and ignoring or actively hurting people in poorer countries makes companies money, so they let horrible things happen. Not that I think this message was intended, but even near the end, Tony endangers innocent people by being careless and/or testing inventions, which could be a commentary on how rich people care more about their novelties than other people. The government is also shown to be complicit or actively hurting people.

The movie was a lot more violent than I was expecting. There’s a huge body count and some of it has a bit of realism, being really sudden. Still, the cartoon physics is quite absurd. After an explosive goes off next to Tony, it’s hard to believe he’s not more seriously injured or dead. In fact, there’s numerous points where he should’ve died if the physics was accurate, but in the movie he’s fine.

SPOILERS

There’s sharp tonal whiplash where after some light conversation, everyone except Tony seemingly dies. Instead of being able to see Tony react to how his weapons are being used by malicious people, someone just tells him about it and how he should feel bad. There’s no subtlety. When Tony and Yinsen were building the prototype suit, why did no one see they obviously weren’t building what they wanted and stop them?

Later, why would Tony keep flying up as ice surrounds his suit? This does match how overconfident he can be. He masters his suit way too quickly when you think he’d struggle more. This could go to challenge his seeming perfection and aid in the final fight. While it’s hard not to be captivated by Tony’s “liberation” of a society by gang members, it symbolizes rich people doing charity for small groups, instead of doing things on a grander scale that don’t look as good for their image. In the context of the movie, the scene is fine. You can imagine Iron Man always running around saving people, but the subtext of him just occasionally helping people is pretty uncomfortable.

When we learn of Obadiah being an antagonist, he suddenly becomes cartoonishly mean. This comes down to him pointlessly explaining his plan to Tony, which only hurts him. The last fight scene ties off the film well, with Tony having to defeat Obadiah despite having many disadvantages. The way Tony defeats Obadiah is clever, though there’s a few contrivances that get him his victory. If Tony had been struggling with his suit earlier, the fight would be more intense. Why feature Obadiah being set back by the icing issue, if he would be fine in little time? Obadiah continues to come off as an idiot when he keeps shooting around Tony, without hitting him.

Tony’s rambling at the end about how he’s not like a superhero seems to be trying way too hard to distinguish this movie series from past superhero media. It’s a little too heavy handed, though Tony frankly saying, “I am Iron Man.” is a great line, simply and gracefully distinguishing itself from the understanding of superheroes most would have, without being overdone or out of character.

OVERVIEW

Despite the generally positive reception, Iron Man is too empty beyond the surface. Even some of the more unexpected ideas, like the Capitalism critique, don’t serve the story as much as it should. It’s still a decent action romp. There is another excellent line in the mix from a minor character, “I hope you’ll repay me with the gift of iron soldiers.”

The Invisible Ray (1936) Review

Karloff and Lugosi in the film

The Invisible Ray has the story of a corny b-movie, but does offer some quality elements that make it more interesting. The acting is relatively strong, especially when it comes to Boris Karloff as Dr. Janos Rukh and Bela Lugosi as Dr. Felix Benet’s complicated relationship. Something that made the first half of the movie reasonably strong is that while everyone has their strong opinions on each other, they put that aside for the sake of maturity and also helping others. These sorts of stories usually turn towards the characters hating each other, so it would be frankly novel to have otherwise. The second half plays way too much into old tropes. The weakest and most hammy moments are in the second half, though not exclusive to it.

Another big issue is Frances Drake as Diana, who is lacking in much characterization, more being a focal point for the men. Her marriage to Rukh and involvement with the various characters could’ve been used to emphasize certain points about the story, mainly that some don’t like or understand Rukh, but obviously she does to some degree, or else she wouldn’t have married him. Rukh’s mother, played by Violet Kemble Cooper, essentially fills the role of being someone that seems to relate and appreciate Janos Rukh. If the mother had not been a character and instead her scenes reworked to be for Diana, especially the mother’s last in the movie, the scene and Diana herself would arguably be more poignant and meaningful.

The other main players seem like they are supposed to have more relevance, but ultimately amount to very little. Frank Lawton as Ronald Drake is essentially just eye candy that doesn’t have a presence in the same way female characters in these sorts of movies often are. Karloff and Lugosi, however, have great chemistry and make the movie. You can tell their characters have strong opinions on each other, even when they first appear in the movie together. It would’ve been nice to learn more about them, though that’s not necessary. They both have the same desire to help people and use their scientific minds. As events occur, their different views manifest in their own ways. Sometimes that means some cheesy shlock, but more often than not they have an uncomfortable tolerance of the situation. Also, it’s fun seeing Bela be a good guy.

The opening text is pretty silly, basically trying to say the technology in this movie could exist one day. There’s an amusing shot where Diana walks across a hallway as dramatic music plays. Possibly the best scene in the film is when Rukh describes the solar system as we see shots of the solar system and those watching it. The editing does wonders to make things feel otherworldly and like Rukh has really been onto something. The scene oozes atmosphere and intrigue. The movie doesn’t have much to do with space, which does let this moment down a bit.

SPOILERS

Rukh has random moments that foreshadow his villainy, even before he gets poisoned. Rukh’s madness is shown (briefly after being poisoned) when he terrorizes some Africans in order to get them to help him. He later kills a dog, albeit by accident. When Diana goes to see Rukh after he knows he can kill people with a touch, he’s such a jerk to her and acts like nothing is wrong. Why be so rude? Rukh and Benet are later way too comfortable being close to each other. For all they know, what Rukh has got could be transmissible through breath or if Benet touches something Rukh just did. After Benet cures Rukh, he touches him. How does he know he isn’t getting something dangerous on him? He wouldn’t know how good the anecdote is. Rukh should’ve immediately quarantined and not interacted with people unless done very safely.

Rukh’s turn to murder is foreshadowed subtly when he is enraged that Benet has shown some of what they learned to others, so the dangerous power wouldn’t all be in Rukh’s hands. He was right. Rukh shouldn’t be the only one with that control. Karloff is a little too hammy when he learns Diana is leaving him. Despite that weak spot, minutes later we get one of Rukh’s last moments of humanity and normalcy when he cures his mother’s blindness. Janos looks genuinely shocked and joyous that he helped her. His mother doesn’t forget this is a horror, and is afraid. It’s a great scene with both giving great performances.

When Rukh starts his killing, Benet becomes way too much of an idiot. Hilariously, he drops a negative that proves Rukh killed someone. The scene is so clumsy you could about believe Lugosi dropped it by accident. Instead of immediately reporting Rukh, he seems to do nothing. Rukh is then able to take another victim’s life. Benet and Drake’s plan to get Rukh is even more absurd. It endangers them, Diana, and plenty of innocent people. They know Rukh has gone nuts, so would they really know he would not kill someone uninvolved? Benet at one point nonchalantly says that anyone that touches Rukh dies. If one didn’t know conventions of this era of cinema, you might think Benet was actually a villain who wanted people to die, not that that is the case.

Rukh is able to sneak into an event by convincing a professor to go into a dark alley and take a sip of a drink. You’d think the guy wouldn’t have been so foolish. When Rukh and Benet see each other later, both talk instead of immediately going to kill the other. Why wait when Rukh just wants Benet to die and Benet has to consider the safety of the others? In fact, Rukh later has the opportunity to kill Diana and would’ve if he hadn’t decided not to. The two have a bizarrely casual conversation. Rukh seems to be trying to convince Benet of why he deserves to die instead of just doing it. He then says, “It will be easiest just to shake hands.” Benet understandably goes for his gun, but did Rukh think Benet would just let himself be murdered for no reason?

Later, Drake is weirdly casual about the fact a killer is after him and his wife and he could very well end up dying. Diana later doesn’t seem to try very hard to stop Rukh from killing her new husband. Do Drake and Diana even like each other? Rukh’s mother destroying the cure to Janos’ poison and thus causing him to kill himself is a powerful moment that plays on their scenes throughout. It’s tragic she would have to do that, but it makes sense because she knows what he’s been doing. Still, Rukh’s actual death and the ending as a whole play too much into being over the top and too dramatic. While you can imagine why the mother would’ve killed him, it’s a shame we didn’t get much on how she’d take something so morbid. Their relationship was so touching in the movie, it’s a shame that wasn’t concluded in the last moments or at all, which would’ve made for a sharp ending.

OVERVIEW

The Invisible Ray is a lot of fun, but don’t take it too seriously. The third act drops way too much of what was working about the film.