# 554 - DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2014)

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES  (2014 - SCI-FI / ACTION / THRILLER) **** out of *****  OR  8 out of 10

(Further proof that the world is going to the monkeys...)

 

CAST:   Gary Oldman, Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Nick Thurston, Terry Notary. 

DIRECTOR:  Matt Reeves

WARNING:  Some SPOILERS and more reasons to both fear and embrace the simians - straight ahead....

 

IT'S LIKE THIS:   In 2011, we reviewed RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (review # 409).  In that awesome flick we followed Dr. Will Rodman (James Franco), as he tried to find a cure for Alzheimer's by testing an experimental drug on some lab apes, including his special pet ape, Caesar (Andy Serkis).  If you'll recall Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) tried to do the same thing in DEEP BLUE SEA (review # 144) - except her test subjects were, um, genetically-enhanced vicious mako sharks.  Anyone who saw DEEP BLUE SEA knew that Dr. McAlester's fiddling around with mother nature ended badly when said souped-up mako sharks developed human-level analytical skills and proceeded to decimate the good doc's team. 

And anyone who saw RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES knows the same thing happened - but even worse: not only did the test apes become super-smart (for apes), but a deadly virus from Dr. Will's lab also got out into the open and began spreading like wildfire throughout the world.  I should also add the apes were immune to the virus, and with their numbers growing and humans the world over all getting sick, it was fair to say the balance of power between us and them was about to shift considerably. 

Flash forward to 2014 (well, in the movie it's actually 2026), and we find ourselves in DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES - approximately 15 years after the apes first went Mensa on our asses and the Simian Flu decimated said asses.  The human population of the Earth is extremely small and is living a hard-scrabble, hand-to-mouth existence.  The one sliver of good news is the survivors have developed an immunity to the Simian Flu that wiped out 95% of the world.  The huge-ass chunk of bad news is the super-apes (still led by Caesar who is still played by Andy Serkis) have multiplied considerably.  Yes, folks, in case you were still thinking the decks were stacked in favor of the humans, allow the sight of thousands of apes rampaging through the redwoods of Northern California to be your much-needed wake-up call. 

This spells bad news for the human colony in what is left of San Francisco, led by the de facto leader, Dreyfus (Gary Oldman).  Dreyfus wants to try to restore power to at least part of the city to keep his survivors from descending into anarchy.  Unfortunately, he is told by his lead scientist, Malcolm (Jason Clarke), that in order to get the grid going again, they have to try to fix a geothermal dam across the Golden Gate bridge which is also deep in - wait for it - the redwood forests.  Do you see where this is going? 

Sure enough, during a scouting mission with his team, Malcolm encounters top ape Caesar, his rage-filled second-in-command Koba (Toby Kebell), Caesar's impressionable teenage son Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston), and a whole forest-load of other apes.  Even though Koba wants nothing more than to reduce the humans to crimson stains on the ground, the more peacable and strategic Caesar asserts his dominance and allows them to leave.  Koba is none-too-pleased about Caesar putting him in place, and if his secret glares are any indication, this is not the end of the discussion - not even close. 

Back in the shithole that used to be San Francisco, Malcolm and his hottie partner, Ellie (Keri Russell) convince Dreyfus not to send in armed troops to wipe out the apes because Malcolm thinks he can appeal to Caesar to let them fix the dam without any bloodshed.  Dreyfus is clearly eager to get his trigger on, but gives Malcolm and Ellie a few days to pull off their plan - and if there are still no results by then, he's going to wipe out all them damn dirty apes clogging up the redwoods. 

Malcolm, Ellie, Malcolm's son Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee), the loathsome Carver (Kirk Acevedo), and a few others head across the bridge and into the woods to negotiate with Caesar.   Will they succeed?  Will Caesaw allow them access to the dam in the middle of his ape colony?  Why should he help these humans whose own kind abused and mistreated him in the last film?  And even if Caesar works with the humans, how can he be sure that the volatile Koba won't fuck up everything?  And whose side will Blue Eyes choose?  His dad's?  Or Koba's?  Can the redwoods, er, San Francisco, er, the Planet be saved?  Will all this monkey business finally end? 

Four words: don't bet on it.

 

BUT SERIOUSLY:   Summer 2014 has been a season of good-to-excellent sequels.  We were first greeted by the thoroughly engaging likes of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER and THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 in early summer.  Then, mid-summer brought us HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, THE PURGE 2: ANARCHY, and 22 JUMP STREET.   Now, we have the very worthy follow-up to the great "Planet of the Apes" reboot, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, from 2011.  As with the other solid sequels this summer, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES carries the themes from the first movies - and then uses them as a springboard to branch off down new paths. 

What made the emotional center of RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES was the relationship between Andy and his caretaker, Dr. Will Rodman (James Franco).  The scene towards the end of the movie where they had to part was easily the film's most powerful moment.  While the story ended on a decidedly bleak note (the virus spreading across the world) it was also an exciting one that promised more of Caesar and his developing role of Ape Leader in future films.  DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES resoundingly delivers on that promise. 

Whereas the human-ape connection between Will and Caesar was the heart of the first film, the core this time is Caesar's relationship with his own ape tribe, to include his treacherous number two, Koba, and his rebellious son, Blue Eyes.  Andy Serkin is just as terrific here playing Caesar, as he was in the first film.  Toby Kebbell and Nick Thurston hold their own as Koba and Blue Eyes, and their relationships with Caesar is the engine that powers DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, more so than Caesar's interactions with the humans led by Malcolm and Ellie.

Speaking of the humans, they take a bit of a backseat to the apes and, just like in the first movie (and just like their ape counterparts), are a mix of the noble and idealistic (Malcolm, Ellie, Alexander), the conflicted (Dreyfus), and the downright malicious (Carver).  As the lead couple of Malcolm and Ellie, Jason Clarke and Keri Russell prove to be just a tad less dynamic and vivid than James Franco and Freida Pinto from the first film, but they get the job done reasonably well.  Kirk Acevedo is appropriately hissable as the slimy, underhanded Carver - who sees the apes as all the same: the enemy.  The versatile Gary Oldman, on the other hand, gives us a more nuanced villain - one who clearly was a very different man before the virus decimated the Earth, and now must adapt to his new environment and become ruthless to keep the peace. 

Ultimately, though, this film belongs to the apes.  We spend just as much time among them as we do with the human characters - perhaps even more.  The beginnings of  a hierarchy and social system that we saw in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES takes full bloom here, and its clear that Matt Reeves and his writers intend not to show that the apes are better than humans or vice vera.  Rather, they are exactly like each other: both groups have heroism and courage, sacrifice and kindness, villainy and treachery, simplicity and complexity.  The characters like Caesar, Blue Eyes, Malcolm, Ellie, and Alexander who recognize this are the ones best-equipped to survive the crisis.  The ones like Koba, Carver, and Dreyfus who don't are the ones who are not. 

In the end, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES wonderfully grows the seeds planted in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES three years ago.  We can't wait for the next installment in the APES saga.  If this trend continues, it will be awesome. 

 

The Last Days of Summer 2014...

Hello folks, please expect the following reviews to post between now and next weekend....

# 554 - DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

# 555 - LUCY

# 556 - GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

# 557 - TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

# 558 - THE GIVER

# 559 - LET'S BE COPS

# 560 - THE HUNDRED FOOT JOURNEY

# 561 - AS ABOVE SO BELOW

# 553 - THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (2014)

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (2014 - ROMANCE / COMEDY / DRAMA) ****1/2 out of *****  OR  9 out of 10

(LOVE STORY - for a new generation...)

 

CAST:   Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Nat Wolff, Sam Trammell, Lotte Verbeek.

DIRECTOR:  John Boone

WARNING:  Some SPOILERS and more reasons to live it up while we can - straight ahead....

 

IT'S LIKE THIS:  Hazel Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) and Gus Waters (Ansel Elgort) are not your typical teens in love.  Sure, they engage in all the expected "young-love" shenanigans like hanging out, flirting, texting each other, and giving each other serious googley eyes across candle-lit dinners.  But beneath that seemingly placid facade, our dear Hazel and Gus are more than your average lovebirds.   See, Hazel is suffering from a form of blood cancer and has to constantly lug a device around that dispenses medication into her through nostril tubes.  Gus, on the other hand, is in remission from another kind of cancer that has already necessitated the removal of one leg.  In other words, this is not your basic "boy-meets-girl" love story. 

Speaking of meetings, Hazel and Gus have their first one at a support group session for teens with cancer.  Hazel is as determined to shut everyone else out and keep her own counsel, but Gus immediately takes a shine to her.  Like a golden retriever who pledges its undying love to its owner, Gus essentially begins to bob and circle and hover and fawn on Hazel.  Despite being flattered by all this Human Puppy Dog attentioin, Hazel still puts up resistance and tries to find a way to keep Gus out of her life.  Unfortunately, in addition to being a happy Golden Retriever, Gus is also apparently a determined and formidable German Shepherd - because he just continues his campaign to break down Hazel's standoffish defenses. 

Eventually realizing that life is just too damn short to keep resisting Gus's advances, our girl Hazel finally relents and lets him in to her life.  Before you know it, our couple is living on cloud nine.  Soon, Gus surprises Hazel with the news that he has donated his wish from the "Make A Wish" foundation to her - so that she can fly to Amsterdam to meet the author of her favorite book, the mysterious and reclusive Peter Van Houten (Willem Dafoe).  Gus even finagles it so that he and Hazel's loving mom, Frannie (Laura Dern), can go with her.  All in all, it seems like things are looking up for our lovely couple. 

But will it last?  How much longer can their Cloud Nine continue?  Will Hazel's complications arise again?   Will Gus's remission end?  And what awaits them at Peter Van Houten's house in Amsterdam?  How will he affect Gus and Hazel's life?  Can Hazel and Gus have a happy ending? 

Let's just say that happy endings come in many different forms.   Some are just more subtle than others.  Sniffle...

 

BUT SERIOUSLY:  One of 1991's biggest box-office misfires was DYING YOUNG, which starred Campbell Scott as a rich young man dying of cancer, and Julia Roberts as the working-class girl who accepts a job as his caregiver - but then finds herself falling in love with him.  Needless to say, this complicates matters indeed.  Expectations were high for DYING YOUNG, what with Roberts coming off a spectacular run that began with her star-making appearance in PRETTY WOMAN (1990), continued with FLATLINERS (1990), and kept on going in SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY (1991).

Unfortunately, as mentioned above, DYING YOUNG wasn't nearly as embraced as Roberts' previous three hits.  Despite opening strong at the box-office in its first week, DYING YOUNG's attendance quickly went downhill and it ended up grossing "just" $ 33 million - significantly lower than each of of the last three Roberts vehicles.  The film's misfiring was mystifing at the time, since it was a love story calculcated to appeal to Roberts' demographic of women and the men they drag to the movies with them.  I remember watching it when it first came out, and thinking it was a little unsatisfying, but overall still pretty decent - with Roberts in fine "tough-but-vulnerable" form.  Ultimately, DYING YOUNG's under-performance could simply be because the subject matter (blatantly advertised in the title) was just not the "feel-good" vehicle that Roberts' fans were looking for that summer. 

It's interesting to note then, that the THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (a film with some parallels to DYING YOUNG) is doing significantly better business this summer.  Is it a matter of audience tastes changing over the past 23 years?  Hard to say.  Of course, to be fair, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS in based on the young-adult bestseller of the same name, meaning it has a built-in audience base that was already interested in the film's adaptation.  Furthermore, the trailer (seen above) became the most viewed trailer on YouTube up until that point in time.  But, in my opinion, something accounts for why THE FAULT IN OUR STARS is currently better-received than the similarly-themed DYING YOUNG: execution. 

In past reviews, we've talked about how execution is everything.  Good ideas can founder with mediocre or bad executions, while bad or mediocre ideas can actually succeed with clever and skillful execution.   While DYING YOUNG was not bad at all, it has a different slant and execution than THE FAULT IN OUR STARS which might have turned away its core audience.  DYING YOUNG's lovers were a healthy woman and a man with cancer (unlike THE FAULT IN OUR STARS' equally-afflicted lovers), which has a different dynamic.  Ultimately, DYING YOUNG's slant and execution probably emphasized the "cancer element" a little too much, because of its leads who are on opposite sides of the health spectrum - which might have made it a little bleak for mainstream audiences just looking for an innocuous romance.  Compared to THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, its approach is also a little too "soap opera." 

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, on the other hand, gives us two leads who are on equal footing: they both have cancer - so they understand each other's plight more.  Also, director Boone and his writers do a great job of transferring author John Green's droll, matter-of-fact tone from the novel into the screenplay.  Consequently, its the growing bond between Hazel and Gus that is emphasized, and not their ailments.  What's great about this film is how it treats its leads as full-blooded human beings, first, and cancer patients, second.  DYING YOUNG's treatment of Campbell Scott' character wasn't quite as balanced. 

Speaking of Hazel and Gus, they are perfectly-played by Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort.  Woodley is rapidly-shaping up to be a formidable member of her generation of actresses.  With her knockout performances in THE DESCENDANTS, THE SPECTACULAR NOW, DIVERGENT, and now THE FAULT IN OUR STARTS, she is clearly a versatile talent.   She turns Hazel into a compelling mix of surface toughness, hidden vulnerability, and core resilience - leavened with a healthy dose of dry humor.  It's appropriate that we are discussing this film in relation to one that Julia Roberts starred in, because out of all the young actresses working today, Shailene Woodley is the one who seems to be repeating Roberts' meteoric rise in the early 90s.  And it's completely deserved by both.  I predict that, like Roberts, Woodley will also eventually bag an Oscar for Best Actress.  It's just a matter of time. 

As for Elgort as Gus, he is similarly well-cast.  It's important that Gus be played by someone who is very attractive but also with enough of that "dork" vibe to make him endearing.  Elgort has to walk the fine line of making Gus believably sunny and optimistic, but also give him the necessary undercurrents of gravity, stubborness, and melancholy needed to make him more than just a smiling, handsome face to Hazel.  In short, what the role of Gus needed is someone who effortlessly blends "boy" and "man" - and Elgort does that wonderfully.  He is so good that the last act of this film is particularly difficult to watch. 

The supporting cast includes Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Nat Wolff, Lotte Verbeek, and Willem Dafoe.  They are all good - but Dafoe is the standout as Peter Van Houten, the elusive novelist who ultimately makes a big impact on Hazel and Gus' lives, both through the printed page and in person.  Verbeek is also a refreshing presence as Lidewij, Van Houten's personal assistant who shows Hazel and Gus some much-needed kindness in Amsterdam - and gives them a tour that they won't forget. 

In the end, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS succeeds where DYING YOUNG stumbled because it chooses to emphasize the humanity of its leads, rather than their sickness.  While the "cancer element" does play a larger role towards the last part of the movie, the script refuses to define its characters by it - choosing instead to portray them as lovers who simply want to do what lovers everywhere do: fall in love.  Nothing, not even cancer, will stop them - and you have to admire that.

In closing, I dedicate this review to anyone who has been touched by cancer, in any of its forms, in whatever way - whether directly or indirectly.  And that's pretty much all of us. 

# 552 - 22 JUMP STREET

22 JUMP STREET (2014 - COMEDY)  **** out of *****  OR  8 out of 10

(Oh, lord.  Not these knuckleheads again...)

 

 

CAST:   Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube, Nick Offerman, Wyatt Russell, Amber Stevens, Peter Stormare, Jillian Bell. 

DIRECTOR:  Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

WARNING:  Some SPOILERS and more reasons to go back to school - straight ahead...

 

IT'S LIKE THIS:  In 2012, we witnessed the big-screen version of the 80's TV show "21 Jump Street" which was titled, um, 21 JUMP STREET.  In that saga, baby-faced doofus cops Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Schmidt (Jonah Hill) were recruited to work for the "Jump Street Program" which apparently involved sending baby-faced doofus cops undercover as narcs in high schools to bust up drug rings.  If you'll remember, after much hilarity and misadventure, our two doofus heroes managed to catch the baddies spreading through school halls a new kind of drug that, truth be told, seemed more like a really potent fortune cookie.  Apparently, that's a bad thing. 

Flash forward to 2014, and our two doofus cops Jenko and Schmidt are once again pulled back into the fray by their terminally-sarcastic chief, Supeintendent Hardy (Nick Offerman), and sent back into the 21 Jump Street program.  This time, however, it turns out the office has relocated to a far-flung location: right across the street.  So what happens when a program called 21 Jump Street moves to an address that is actually 22 Jump Street?  The movie's title is accordingly changed to... 22 JUMP STREET.  Remember what they say about real estate: "Location, location, location..."

Anyhow, this time, out two doofi (plural for "doofus") undercover cops find themselves with an upgraded mission:  whereas before, they were undercover cops in high school, this time, they are going to be undercover cops in... college.  Apparently, it didn't take long for some new drug dealer to take the place of the ones Jenko and Schmidt busted before - and a new wonder drug is now being peddled to the students of a local university.  It's called WHY-PHY.  As in: Work Hard Yeah! Play Hard Yeah!  Look, I didn't the write the fucking script, okay?  If it were up to me, I would call the drug "Andrew Garfield."  So that way I could say things like:  "I sure would love to do some Andrew Garfield right now" or "Damn, I need to snort some Andrew Garfield ASAP" or "Anyone got any Andrew Garfield I can blow the shit out of?"  I don't ask for much. 

But I digress.  Anyhow, if you folks will recall, in 21 JUMP STREET a strange thing happened: lunkhead jock Jenko was fully expecting to blend in with the cool kids at the high school - but instead got sidelined with the geeks and freaks because in the new landscape of John Hughes land, political correctness and environmental activism is apparently the "in" thing.  And let's face it:  Jenko probably doesn't even know what the words "recycle" or "sustainable" mean.   As a result, it was Schmidt who unexpectedly became Big Man On Campus  because of his own leanings towards political correctness and environmental activism.  Yawn. 

Happily, in 22 JUMP STREET the Universe is back to what it should be and order has been restored.  Yes, folks...  Jenko joins a fraternity and becomes BMOC and Schmidt is banished to the Realm Of The Nerds.  Thank goodness.  I was starting to think we were in some place like the twilight zone - but somehow even more fucked-up.  While pledging for his frat, Jenko meets the improbably gorgeous Zook (Wyatt Russell), whose Sun God beauty makes up for the fact that he has one lemon of a nickname.  At least I hope its a nickname.   Anyhow, as you can imagine, two Adonis-types like Jenko and Zook who are into body-building and not much else are probably destined for each other.  Hell, even their names click: Jenko and Zook.  Tell me that doesn't make your heart beat a little faster...

Meanwhile, our geek Schmidt falls into his natural lane with the weirdos and bizarros of the art scene.  Fortunately, one of them, Maya (Amber Stevens), is actually somewhat hot and he scores a one-night stand with her.  Unfortunately, she is also their immediate supervisor's daughter.  If you'll recall from 21 JUMP STREET, their boss is Capt Dickson (Ice Cube).  And let's just say that he more than lives up to his name.  In other words, you couldn't pay me to step in ol' Schmidt's shoes for all the hairy chests in Italy. 

To further complicate matters, Jenko's growing bro-mance with Zook begins to affect his friendship with Schmidt.  Soon enough, our two doofi cops are walking around, pouting like the biggest issue they have is whether they'll ever be able to hang out again.  As if, you know, there weren't a drug problem on campus for them to solve.  And them, just because you can't have enough drama in a JUMP STREET movie, Capt Dickhead, er Dickson finds out that Schmidt has been pile-driving his sweet Maya - and begins to rumble like Mt. Vesuvius after centuries of not erupting.  Hint: run, Schmiddy - fast. 

So, the pertinent questions:  will Jenko and Schmidt be able to figure out who's been peddling WHY-PHY all over campus?  Or will their various personal entanglements make them lose focus?  Will Jenko truly choose Zook to be his next BFF?  Will Schmidt continue to wet his wick with Maya at the expense of his life?  Will Capt Dickface, uh, Dickson unleash a vat of Whoop-Ass on Schmidt?  Who is the drug dealer on campus, anyway?  Zook?  Maya?  Maya's super-bitch roommate, Mercedes (Jillian Bell)?  Richard Grieco?  Johnny Depp?  Who, for fuck's sake? 

I know: it's Holly Robinson. 

 

BUT SERIOUSLY:  In our review for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (review # 550) and other sequel reviews, we've discussed how the best sequels take what worked about the first film - and then move into new territory.  22 JUMP STREET is a fine example of that - it takes the strengths of the first film, and uses it as a framework to explore some fresh ground.  Specifically, this film has the self-aware deconstructionist irony of the SCREAM films, which gives the comedy a delightfully loony vibe.  

The way SCREAM and its three sequels skewered the tropes and cliches of the Slasher Movie Sub-Genre while adhering to them at the same time, so too does 22 JUMP STREET takes what we know about the Collegiate Comedy Sub-genre - as well as sequels and cinematic adaptations of TV shows - and alternately follows and sends them up.   The result is a wonderfully irreverent film filled with raunchy, infectious good cheer. 

As with the first film, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill bring a warm, brotherly rapport to their roles of Jenko and Schmidt.  21 JUMP STREET tested their partnership, and 22 JUMP STREET does so again.  This time, however, it is done through a hilarious framework of a pseudo-gay relationship that manages to be both ribald and respectful, at the same time.  By now, Tatum and Hill have made the roles their own, and they fully-inhabit their characters' skins while tweaking them for laughs at the same time. 

New faces include Amber Stevens and Jillian Bell as the female leads, and both hold their own, especially Bell, who is a scream as Mercedes, Maya's uber-sarcastic roommate who locks horns with Schmidt and has rapid-fire zinger comebacks for every occasion.  Wyatt Russell is also a loose, goofy delight as Zook, the "third point" in the Jenko-Schmidt-Zook "triangle."  Russell is the son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, and he bears an uncanny resemblance to his father (but with his mom's signature blond hair).   Returning castmembers include Ice Cube, Nick Offerman, and Rob Riggle.   All three hit the mark again as they did the first time, especially Offerman as the terminally-droll chief of Jenko and Schmidt's unit - no other comedian today can be so side-splittingly hilarious while maintaing a stone-cold demeanor and never cracking a single smile. 

Ultimately, 22 JUMP STREET is just as great as its predecessor.  In some way, it's even funnier - especially the final end title credits, which is worth the price of admission in itself.  Suffice it to say, stay until the very end of this movie - you will be breathless with laughter.  Now that's the way to end a comedy - on a true high note. 

The Rest of Summer 2014 Reviews...

Hi, folks... whew... busy summer...

Please expect the rest of the Summer 2014 reviews to post by this weekend.  Busy, busy, busy!

Ciao....

# 551 - THE PURGE 2: ANARCHY (2014)

THE PURGE 2: ANARCHY (2014 - ACTION/SUSPENSE/THRILLER)  ***1/2 out of *****  OR  7 out of 10

(Ah, yes.  Purge time again.  Time to blow off some steam.  Watch out, bitches...)

CAST:   Frank Grillo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, Carmen Ejogo, Justina Machado, Zoe Soul, Jack Conley, John Beasley. 

DIRECTOR:  James DeMonaco

WARNING:  Some SPOILERS and more reasons to fortify your domicile and stock up on the weaponry - straight ahead... 

 

IT'S LIKE THIS:  In 2012, a low-budget movie called THE PURGE (review # 507 ) came out and cleaned up at the box-office.  Not too surprising, since the flick had a provocative, disturbing premise that many folks tapped into:  in the not-too-distant future, the re-formed United States of America has created a new national holiday called PURGE NIGHT.  Before you start thinking this is some sort of annual "spring cleaning" event, let me disabuse you of that silly notion: PURGE NIGHT is the one night a year when all crime - including, you know, murder - is legal and okay.  As you can imagine, road rage quickly becomes a thing of the past, because now all you have to do is take down the license plate of the fucker who cut you off - and then wait until PURGE NIGHT when you can track him down and dispense some awesome payback.  With no repercussions whatsoever.  Partay!

Unfortunately, that aforementioned low budget which allowed THE PURGE to quickly turn a huge profit also hampered it, since the makers didn't have the moolah to fully realize their vision of  a future America so fucked-up that anything and everything goes once a year.  Instead, we were stuck in the rather boring company of one well-to-do family under siege from a mob of bloodthirsty "purgers."  You know a suspense/thriller is in trouble when you don't particularly care if its characters live or die. 

Fortunately, the sequel corrects that.  Armed with a bigger budget and equipped with actual sympathetic characters this time, THE PURGE 2: ANARCHY is a better, more worthwhile ride.  As with the first flick, we open during the last few hours counting down to the beginning of the Annual Purge.  Some of the moving targets this time around include:  (1) Sergeant (Frank Grillo), sexy brooding dude who has been waiting for PURGE NIGHT all year because he plans to pop a cap in the ass of the drunk driver who killed his son in a hit-and-run last year; (2) Eva (Carmen Ejogo), single-mother waitress who just wants to ride out the night with her head down; (3) Cali (Zoe Soul), Eva's teenage daughter who is about to experience first-hand just how nutty PURGE NIGHT can be; (4) Shane (Zach Gilford), stupid yuppie who makes the colossal mistake of not heading for cover soon enough before the madness starts; and (5) Liz (Kiele Sanchez), clueless chick married to Shane the Stupid Yuppie. 

Unlike the sterile suburban enclave that was the setting of the first film, we follow these five characters as they race through what looks like downtown Los Angeles, which - let me tell you - is the last place on Earth I would want to be on PURGE NIGHT.  I don't have to tell you that it isn't exactly a quiet night with tea and biscuits and the BBC for our unlucky fivesome. 

Will any of them live to see the end of PURGE NIGHT?  If so, who?  Sergeant? Eva? Cali? Shane? Liz?  Who will help them?  Who will betray them?  What nasty surprises are waiting for them as the hours wind on?  Will Sergeant carry through with his plan to kill the drunk driver who accidentally killed his son?  Or will he take the high road?  How will PURGE NIGHT turn out.

Hard to say.  I'm just thankful that PURGE NIGHT isn't a real thing.  Otherwise, I'd be targeted once a year by a bunch of angry libary patrons on waiting lists for overdue books I have yet to return.   Sorry, bitches...

BUT SERIOUSLY:  As we discussed in the opening, THE PURGE was a movie with an admittedly clever if also controversial premise that was hampered by a low budget and some ill-advised choices in scripting.  James DeMonaco's first film could've overcome its limited budget if the script would've been strengthened.  Or, more specifically, our bond with its principal characters.  Unfortunately, the first film's protagonists were a bunch of shallow, materialistic, wealth-obsessed suburanites who weren't exactly fleshed out enough for us to care about.  Instead, we were supposed to root for them by default.  Sorry, James, doesn't work that way. 

THE PURGE 2 has two things in its favor: a larger budget than the first movie ($9 million vs. $3 million) and a gallery of characters who are less privileged and pretentious, and therefore more likable than the first group.  It helps also that they are played by such charismatic actors as Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Kiele Sanchez, Zach Gilford, and Zoe Soul.  Grillo also gives us a substantially more appealing lead character than Ethan Hawke did in the original.  Grillo brings a conviction to his role that Hawke couldn't.  As a result, this second film has a more emotionally-satisfying through-line. 

Unlike the first film which was largely confined to one house and its immediate surroundings, THE PURGE 2 takes us throughout downtown L.A., both inside various buildings and out on the streets.  This gives the story a variety that keeps the film both visually and narratively interesting, unlike before with the first movie's confined setting that could've been claustrophobic and scary but instead just became tedious.   It seems that DeMonaco has learned from his previous mis-steps, giving us a stronger film this time around that truly hits the mark. 

In the end, I still have an issue with how THE PURGE 1 and 2 glorify violence.  But it's easier to forgive the second film for this because it has a much more compelling and satisfying human hook than the first one.  Let's hope that THE PURGE 3, sure to go into production because of this movie's success, improves upon its predecessors even more.   Sure, it's a very questionable premise, but when handled correctly it can produce a solidly-good thriller.  As is the case with THE PURGE 2: ANARCHY.  It's that rare sequel that is considerably better than the first movie. 

# 550 - HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (2014)

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2  (2014 - ANIMATED / FANTASY)  ***1/2 out of *****  OR  7 out of 10

( Oh, great.  More fire-breathing house pets...)

CAST:   Voice of Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, Kit Harrington, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Hounsou, T.J. Miller.

DIRECTOR:  Dean DeBlois

WARNING:  Some SPOILERS and more fire-breathing shenanigans from more flying reptiles - straight ahead...

IT'S LIKE THIS:   In 2010's HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (review # 5), we saw what happened when an ancient Nordic community of hairy fishermen and their - well, truth be told - equally-hairy wives and kids found out the pesky critters (namely dragons) they used to hate and live in fear of were actually, erm, pretty cool.  Our hero Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) befriended a feisty dragon named Toothless, who is basically like my cat Casper - but with the ability to exhale fire and destroy entire acres of beachfront property.  Well, actually, I guess that makes them exactly the same then. 

Anyhow, the first movie ended with the hairy Nordic folks embracing the dragons (after much resistance, let's be clear) and realizing, yes, they can all get along.  Even if one species is covered with scales, flies like a giant pterodactyl, and can singe an entire forest just by belching.  And even if the other one is, well, very hairy.   Proof of this is in the weekly "tournaments" the humans have with the dragons, which is like a really fucked-up version of Quidditch involving, well, dragons and lots of sheep (you have to see it to understand it).  All that matters is everyone has a good time, right?  But, as they say, the honeymoon can only last so long.  Which brings us to the second movie. 

Not long after the opening credits roll, one day while during aerial acrobatics and loop-de-loops that would make even Evil Knievel lose his lunch, Hiccup and Toothless stumble upon another group of hairy Nordic fishermen.  Turns out not all Nordic folk have, um, embraced the "Dragons-are-people-too" lifestyle.   You see, while Hiccup's village is pretty much ready to have its first annual "Dragon Pride Parade", other villages have been pretty much, well, killing dragons.  This other group of hairy nordics is led by Drago (Djimon Hounsou) and his bitch bio Eret (Kit Harrington) - and they'd like nothing more than to round up those silly flying reptiles and turn them into mulch. 

As if that wasn't headache-inducing enough, Hiccup and his gal pal Astrid (American Ferrerra) stumble upon a huge glacier with a cavern that houses what appears to be DragonLand.  All that's missing are rollercoaster rides and booths passing out cotton candy and jelly beans.  This place is presided over by a Big-Ass King Dragon, so-named because, well, he's pretty big and powerful and I wouldn't want to run into him in a dark alley.  In addition to his own flying posse back home, Hiccup worries about protecting these new dragons from wrath of Drago and Eret.  Well, actually, Eret's a lot more of a pipsqueak, so let's not worry about him too much, shall we? 

But, just because the writers are as determined as possible to make up for the first movie's streamlined and uncomplicated plot, they introduce yet another plot thread.  It seems the mother who died on Hiccup when he was young is actually still alive and living in the glacier, as well.  Turns out she didn't like how the village people were treating the dragons back then - so she chose to abandon her newborn son to live with the dragons.  She is Valka (Cate Blanchett), and let's just say it's one of the more awkward mother-son reunions in cinema.  At this point, I was ready for yet another plot thread to be introduced, one in which we discover that Hiccup has an evil twin brother who left the tribe as well because he wanted to wear ladies' underthings and dance all night to Madonna's "Material Girl."  I mean,  why stop now?

Anyhow, all these disparate subplots all combine to really fuck up poor Hiccup's day.  Compared to this shite, his task from the first flick of getting the villagers to fall in love with the dragons was an outright walk in the park.  Will he be able to save all the dragons from the nets and spears and torches of Drago's gang?  Will he be able to reconcile with Valka?  And what happens when Drago gets wind of DragonLand and its Big-Ass King Dragon?  Will a terrible hate crime be perpetrated against them?  How will this all end?

How about with one big beach barbeque?  With the dragons providing the fire?  Good luck with that...

BUT SERIOUSLY:   In past reviews, we've talked about the sequels and how they shouldn't just repeat the first film, but rather expand the themes and trek into new territory - but not too new, lest you lose the core audience.  The best sequels have managed this trick of combining the old and the new:  SUPERMAN 2, THE GODFATHER PART 2, THE DARK KNIGHT, SCREAM 2, and our next review, THE PURGE 2: ANARCHY.  Our current review fits into the same category:  HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 takes the charm and the emotion of the original - and heads into new, uncharted territory that isn't too different.

A large part of the appeal of both movies is the bond between Hiccup and his dragon buddy Toothless.  As voiced by Jay Baruchel, Hiccup is a great combination of boyish vulnerability and manly conviction.  The animation also displays this intriguing duality, and its interesting to see how Hiccup resembles Andrew Garfield, someone who has played this kind of soft-but-strong character in THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 1 & 2.   The resemblance is even more uncanny in HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2.  One can't help but wonder if the producer intended this.

Cate Blanchett, Djimon Hounsou, and Kit Harrington are some of the new voices joining the leads and their returning support, which includes America Ferrera, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and T.J. Miller.  They make a terrific ensemble, and their various characters are vividly brought to life by the animation, which this time has an almost eerie "realism" to it - compared to the more markedly animated quality of the first one.  Still, the sequel lags just a tad behind the original one in terms of sheer spectacle, but that is minor quibble. 

In the end, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, just like the first film, boils down to one simple but powerful thing: the love of a boy for his pet.  In this case, it just happens to be a feisty, fire-breathing dragon.   Go, boys...