It’s about a son who never got to know his father, is now stuck with a man who beats him and his mother, and has to create a fantasy world where someone will come save him. When you look at Serenity through the eyes of Patrick, it becomes a far more interesting, and far sadder movie. It’s also clear, with Strong’s character working for a company called “Fontaine” and the film wrestling with the nature of choice and compulsion, that Knight has most likely played Bioshock, so he’s not ignorant of the medium. Video games are the storytelling medium for a new generation, and when you factor in the nature of choice and motivation that games present, it makes a lot of sense for Serenity to be a video game. If Patrick had been writing a novel about his father, perhaps the twist would be more “reasonable”, but it makes more sense for it to be a video game. I assume the “video game” aspect of everything will catch some people off guard, but for me, it makes sense. Even if you don’t like the movie, I think you’ll at least admire its gall. If you want to go in cold-and you absolutely should before anyone spoils this movie for you-please stop reading now, and come back after you see Serenity. In order to explain why I like the movie, I’m going to have to reveal the twist because talking around it is both a disservice to the film and to you, the reader. But overall, I think the twist serves the movie well and gives Serenity a heart where before there was only tired clichés. And I’ll admit that the twist doesn’t work completely because it forces you to reevaluate things that no longer make sense in the new context. For some people, the twist won’t work and it will render a film where they had already checked out as unsalvageable. The twist is stunningly audacious and the kind of swing for the fences where I have to respect the ambition involved. But I wouldn’t call Serenity predictable because I was stunned that Knight actually went for it. Just enjoy the scenery.I made a guess early on (about twenty minutes into the movie) about what the twist could be, and I turned out to be right. He’s a supremely repulsive villain worthy of this guilty-pleasure genre.īut is Hathaway’s heavy-breathing Karen a damsel in distress or a femme fatale? Why does everyone in this tropical paradise seem to know a little too much - and is McConaughey hallucinating the whole damn thing?ĭon’t overthink it. Djimon Hounsou also has a few nice moments as Baker’s God-fearing first mate, who tries to steer his captain away from “temptation.”īut it’s Jason Clarke ( “Chappaquiddick”) who steals the show as Frank Zariakas - Karen’s kinky, champagne-swilling hubby from hell. Still, his Oscar-winning leads work hard, sometimes too hard, to hook us. Cain formula with a clever digital gimmick worthy of Christopher Nolan, but some of his dialogue is overripe to the point of rot. Writer-director Steven Knight mixes a tried-and-true James M. Jason Clarke steals the movie as Anne Hathaway’s sadistic husband. It’s hard to stifle giggles when he’s bare-assed for the umpteenth time. Alas, there’s very little “Body Heat” in this waterlogged “Double Indemnity” revamp.Īnd McConaughey needs to keep his pants on.Īs a weathered Iraq War vet-turned-angler, he drops trou repeatedly: To seek comfort (and cash) in the bed of sugar mama Constance ( Diane Lane, wasted), to jump off a cliff for daily “baths” and to, uh, teach Karen a lesson about loyalty. With its pulse-pounding, blue fin tuna fishing scenes (you read that right), enthusiastic humping and a video-game plot twist, “Serenity” could have been a nifty noir potboiler. Karen ( Anne Hathaway) is a mysterious blonde from his past who pops up in his remote beachside village with a proposition, roughly along the lines of “Feed my sadistic husband to the sharks and I’ll give you $10 million.” Now playing.īaker Dill ( Matthew McConaughey) is a boozehound boat captain barely earning a buck taking ugly American tourists fishing aboard his twin-engine cutter, the Serenity.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |