August Film Reviews

The Love Guru, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, Get Smart, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Step Brothers

The Love Guru
Releases 1 August

Ever since his big screen breakthrough with the comedy classic Wayne’s World back in 1992, Mike Myers has been Hollywood gold. Still, you would have thought that alarm bells might have started ringing when Myers decided that his new character would be called Guru Pitka, and be a spoof on Indian mystics. Not only does the concept immediately conjure up all sorts of possibilities for racism (whether intentional or not) but it also sounds strangely reminiscent of 2002’s romantic comedy flop The Guru. There an aspiring Indian actor comes to America hoping to become a star and ends up a self-help guru, this time an aspiring Indian guru comes to America and ends up a star (of sorts). Being as he is an acknowledged fan of Sellers, and having starred alongside The Guru’s leading lady, Heather Graham, in the first Austin Powers movie, the striking similarities in Myers’ latest offering can surely be no coincidence – though thankfully he has opted to play an American raised in India rather than an actual Indian for his take.

But still, the idea of doing a spoof of James Bond and assorted other Sixties spies was hardly original, but Austin Powers worked out pretty well – with Myers’ track record, you can forgive the studio for giving him the benefit of the doubt. Only the similarities to The Party and The Guru aren’t the only things that make this seem a bit familiar – there’s also the interplay between Myers and Austin Powers’ “Mini-Me”, Verne Troyer and there’s jokes and intonations we’ve seen countless times in subtly different forms from Myers before. The end result has been a critical mauling in the states – though still with relatively healthy box office returns, as fans of Myers flock to see more of the same. Sadly, however, the only cause for celebration here is confirmation that Justin Timberlake is rapidly turning into a very fine actor indeed, putting in a comic performance far superior to that of the film’s nominal star – one worth the price of admission by itself.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe
Releases 1 August

It’s nearly fifteen years since Mulder and Scully first burst onto our screens, creating one of the TV fads of the nineties.
The likes of Star Wars and E.T. may have been smash hits at the box office, and Twin Peaks’ success in 1990-91 may have shown that the television-viewing public were ready for something slightly more challenging and weird, but The X-Files was the first to combine the easily-accessible populism of cinema sci-fi with the edgy, grown-up atmosphere of David Lynch’s small screen masterpiece.
But the end of The X-Files was more of a whimper than a bang. After the immense, global popularity of the first few seasons, by the turn of the millennium the show had begun to run out of steam and ideas. The long-running villain the Cigarette-Smoking Man was written out, ongoing plot points resolved themselves, and one of the show’s two stars, David Duchovny, decided to call it more or less quits, appearing in only half of the episodes of the eighth season, and just the finale of the ninth and final season. In fact, the appearance of the first, underperforming X-Files movie back in 1998 pretty much coincided with the decline of the popularity of the show itself.
So, why now for a big screen sequel to a film that didn’t make much money a decade ago that’s an offshoot of a TV series that fizzled out back in 2002?
But ignore that – the more important question is “is it any good?” Well, the good news is that the old Mulder and Scully spark is still there and the nostalgia value of the intervening years certainly works in the film’s favour. It sensibly brushes over much of the little-watched last few seasons while still giving the fans what they want. If you used to watch The X-Files back in the early, rather than the late nineties, you won’t be disappointed. It may not be quite up there with the series’ very best episodes, but certainly has a good stab and is a decided improvement on the last outing.
But it’s still, when it comes down to it, one for the fans. Newcomers will be utterly lost.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Releases 8 August

When the first Mummy film came out nearly a decade ago, many film fans approached it with a sense of deep trepidation. It was, after all, being billed as a remake of the 1932 Boris Karloff classic. It’s one of those sacred film texts, almost up there with Citizen Kane and Casablanca, that many film buffs felt should never be remade. Sometimes, however, Hollywood comes good against the odds. Thanks to a combination of Fraser’s easy charm, some well-judged one-liners, decent special effects, a gripping plot and finely-tuned supporting cast, The Mummy ended up being one of the hits of the summer of ’99. Critics – film buffs all, and so more likely to go into screenings with negative preconceptions – may have had mixed opinions, but the public loved it. It swiftly spawned a sequel, 2001’s The Mummy Returns, which also did well at the box office, in turn prompting the less well-received spin-off The Scorpion King in 2002 – which has its own sequel (well, prequel) coming out direct to DVD this month.
And so the franchise seemed to fizzle out, with even the spin-off childrens’ cartoon series only lasting for 25 episodes before being ditched. Despite being successfully resurrected in 1999, The Mummy seemed to have been put back under wraps and sent back to its tomb.
But now, six years on – and hot on the heels of the Indiana Jones revival – The Mummy has been awakened once more. This time, however, having exhausted everyone’s patience with Egypt, the team have taken a leaf out of Indy’s book and relocated – to China. The mummy in question, being that of the first Emperor and played (in a perfect piece of casting) by kung-fu hero Jet Li. Cue all sorts of Oriental mysticism and computer-generated action as Brendan Fraser once more battles the undead, aided by John Hannah as the bumbling sidekick. The less said about the odd decision to give Fraser a teenage son this time, or to re-cast Rachel Weisz’s character when she proved unavailable rather than simply write her out, the better. Nonetheless, this is a far more successful revival than most could have hoped for and is arguably a far better sequel than The Mummy Returns. As the cliché goes, if you liked that, then you’ll love this.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Releases 15 August

The three Star Wars prequels still divide fans of the original trilogy. Only one thing is certain – if you’re of a certain age, you’ll still have a soft spot for all things Star Wars, even if you hated those long-awaited movies that came out between 1999 and 2005. The idea that there’s suddenly yet another new Star Wars film out at the cinemas may well come as a bit of a surprise, but it will still spark some curiosity whether you laughed or cried at the end of Revenge of the Sith.
As if to prove that these films were always meant primarily for kids, though with adults being more than welcome to join in, for the latest Star Wars outing George Lucas has opted for something rather different to what we’ve previously seen at the cinema. Yep, this is the Star Wars universe in cartoon form.
There have been animation spin-offs before, from the near-legendary 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special to the mid-Eighties spin-off series Droids and Ewoks. Animated versions of the Star Wars universe have been a cheap and effective way of continuing the franchise for the less demanding.
Those keener Star Wars fans will no doubt already have realized that an animated version of the Clone Wars (the galaxy-wide battle between good and evil that takes place roughly between Episodes II and III of the film series) has already been seen on the small screen running for 25 short episodes between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith from 2003 to 2005. But never fear – this isn’t just that TV version re-edited into a film to make a quick buck, but a whole new storyline featuring many of the characters from the films, including Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. With a funky new Japanese-inspired animation style, this movie is a big screen, big budget introduction to a whole new animated TV series, set to kick off later this year (in the States, at least).
Stylish and slick, it greatly heightens expectations for the TV series. Not taking itself too seriously while still treating the Star Wars universe with respect, this could actually prove to be just the thing to win back the old fans who were so disappointed by the live action prequels. Don’t let Jar-Jar Binks put you off. If you’ve ever been a fan, this could be for you.

You Don’t Mess With The Zohan
Releases 15 August

For those of us who just don’t find Adam Sandler funny, and who have seen no merit to date in any of his movie offerings, his continued Hollywood success is inexplicable.
Now, however, it’s time for a new effort from Sandler, and a fresh attempt at a brand new comic character – albeit one that seems decidedly inspired by Sandler’s friend and occasional co-star Ben Stiller.
Where Stiller’s bit of genius was to come up with a male supermodel who gets brainwashed to work as a political assassin, Sandler has effectively reversed the concept. The Zohan of the title, is the ultimate human fighting machine of the Israeli Special Forces, who quits to become a rather camp New York hairdresser. He is also, while doubtless being inspired by Zoolander, Sandler’s finest comic creation to date.
Sandler’s usual gormless expression is hidden by a goatee beard, his regular guy build replaced by toned biceps, and the whining voice disguised beneath a faux-Israeli accent (which becomes a running joke as various New Yorkers mistake him for an Arab – not a joke likely to go down well in Israel itself). Sandler is hardly recognizable. Which for his fans, keen for more of the same, may be a disappointment – but for the rest of us is a welcome relief.
This is not to say that the film doesn’t have its flaws – it goes on a bit too long, and some of the jokes are repeated a few too many times – but it is both funny and surprisingly brave, given the climate of the last few years. It’s about time we had a few more comedies about terrorism – after all, if the point of terrorism is to scare us, then surely the best antidote is to laugh at it. During the Second World War there were plenty of comedies about Hitler and the Nazis and the same happened throughout the Cold War, with the Communists a constant source of fun.
Having done the serious post-9/11 thing in Reign Over Me, perhaps the New York-obsessed Sandler felt it was time to move on. It’s hard not to feel that it’s a good thing he did. Because while this is certainly no Zoolander, as Sandler evidently hoped it might be, it is finally the kind of film in which those of us who haven’t so far been able to see his appeal can actually enjoy one of his performances for a change.

Get Smart
Releases 22 August

After the glut of remakes of 1960s TV shows back in the late nineties churned out more duds than hits, it seemed as if Hollywood had since given up on the idea. It certainly seemed to make the prospect of film versions of the semi-spoof sixties spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Get Smart seem highly unlikely.
Against all expectations, now we’ve got an updating of one of those two Sixties classics – albeit the one least well-known in the UK. It stars an American comedian who may well be a big name on the other side of the pond, but who remains a bit of a mystery to most Brits.
Instead, and perhaps unfairly, the big draw for most cinemagoers here will be the presence of Anne Hathaway. She’s been popular ever since the massive success of The Devil Wears Prada. But should all eyes really be on Anne? Just because Steve Carrell has yet to quite secure global superstar status certainly doesn’t mean he’s not up to the job of headlining a film. His long years of practice, perfecting his bumbling, incompetent persona are perfect for this part. He takes on the role of incompetent back-room spy Maxwell Smart, finally sent out into the field. Think James Bond crossed with Inspector Clouseau. And it’s probably no coincidence that Alan Arkin has been drafted in as the head of spy agency CONTROL. The veteran Oscar-winner played the bumbling French detective in the oft-forgotten 1968 sequel Inspector Clouseau, while Peter Sellers was on a break from the series.
Hathaway plays the glamorous (and decidedly more competent) Agent 99 helping Smart to fight the forces of sinister crime syndicate KAOS and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson puts in a decent turn as Smart’s idol, the super-spy Agent 23. Terrence Stamp is on great form as the evil mastermind Seigfried, Bill Murray crops up as well, and James Caan has been perfectly picked as the US President. This all adds up to a decidedly impressive and extremely well-chosen cast.
The end result – if no masterpiece – is good, solid summer family fun, with more than its share of laughs, even if they may well be rather simplistic at times. Rather than go for something to blow audiences away, the studio here has sensibly opted for well done light entertainment, and the result is spot on. Nothing too over the top, just the kind of enjoyable, undemanding couple of hours that used to be all the rage at the movies. Worth a look.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Releases 22 August

There’s a good chance that, of all the many dozens of superhero movies released during the last few years, Hellboy is the one you haven’t seen.
Of course, for those who were aware of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy comics and of Guillermo del Torro’s track record of cult Spanish-language movie inventiveness, the marrying of the two was as near a perfect selection as you could wish for.
Monsters, gloom and dread – what better qualities for a film about a demon raised by Nazis who goes on to battle evil through the latter decades of the 20th century? You can certainly see why they picked del Torro to direct – and he ended up producing one of the most underrated superhero flicks ever made. Yes, it has its flaws – the pacing is a touch slow in places, and the storyline chosen for the film version may not have necessarily been the best from the comics’ back catalogue – but the visual inventiveness was at times staggering, backed up by a wonderfully charismatic central performance by cult favourite character actor Ron Perlman. That it has managed to get a sequel may be a surprise, having only grossed $99 million worldwide on a $60 million budget, but it is a welcome one.
Enough – the cult credentials have been amply demonstrated. But why should a non-geek want to check out a film starring an actor they’ve probably never heard of about a superhero they know nothing about when they haven’t seen the first film in the series – and especially when the main villain is played by one of the twins from cheesy 80s pop sensation Bros?
Simple: this is far and away the most visually stunning movie of the summer, with a sense of design unlike anything you’ll have seen outside of a del Torro film – and with a plot that will suck you in to its bizarre alternate world in a way you haven’t experienced for years.
Plus, of course, it’ll give you a handy taster of what to expect from del Torro’s next big cinematic offering – because he’s been chosen to fill Peter Jackson’s shoes on the two Lord of the Rings prequels due out in 2011 and 2012. An appointment that was only made, it should be noted, after completion of this movie. If Hellboy II is good enough to land him the job of directing The Hobbit, then you know that del Torro must be on fire with this unexpected sequel.

Step Brothers
Releases 29 August

Will Ferrell’s place as one of Hollywood’s favourite comedians is, these days, pretty much secure. Meanwhile, his co-star here, John C Reilly, is also highly regarded. Oscar-nominated for his role as the jilted husband in 2002’s Chicago he’s built up a strong track record of powerful dramatic performances. Reilly’s comedy outings, however, have not really attracted quite so much attention. His turn as Ferrell’s sidekick in Talladega Nights stuck out more for the novelty value of seeing an Oscar-nominated character actor doing comedy than for any inherent amusement value.
So, the question is: has Reilly got what it takes to hold his own against Ferrell when they have joint top billing? This tale of two spoiled rival rich-kids whose parents get married is where we’re going to find out – because the spoiled kids in question just happen to be in their 40s, and just happen to be Ferrell and Reilly.
At this point, many film fans will have lost interest. Who, after all, wants to see adults acting as children? We get enough of that every day with the commute to work, the pettiness of office politics, queue-jumping at the supermarket and the like. But with Ferrell and Reilly on board, there’s just a chance that this could be something special. Will this be the film in which Reilly secures his comic reputation to go alongside his dramatic one?

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