Category Archives: 2000s

Reviews of and posts about films released between 2000 and 2009.

Hellboy: Director’s Cut (2004)

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2007 #120
Guillermo del Toro | 127 mins | DVD | 12 / PG-13

Hellboy Director's CutA surprise hit on release, this live action adaptation of the cult comic book is an exciting and entertaining, though flawed, mix of pulp fantasy, gothic style and action.

Surprisingly, it spends more time focused on the characters than the plot; while this is nice, and those scenes are expertly played, they do seem to throw the pacing off kilter somewhat. And, in an amusing reversal of the usual action movie cliche, while the character bits are great the action scenes are a tad underwritten! The score is also pretty lacklustre: it sounds like a typical, appropriate SF/F action score, but one where the cues have all been incorrectly placed.

But these flaws are easily overlooked when the characters are such fun, the dramatic moments suitably poignant, and the action passable enough. Hopefully the forthcoming sequel can see to the faults and be even better.

4 out of 5

I haven’t seen the theatrical cut of Hellboy, hence why this is numbered.

Transporter 2 (2005)

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2007 #103
Louis Leterrier | 84 mins | DVD | 15 / PG-13

Transporter 2Sequel to 2002’s low-key, disposable-but-fun actioner.

The plot is almost senseless and thoroughly familiar from the likes of Man on Fire or M:i-2, but that doesn’t matter: the action’s the focus, and on that promise it mostly delivers. In spite of the odd bit of CG-aided silliness, or the lack of anything as inspired as the first film’s oil fight, the fights are still a lot of fun; one involving a fire hose is especially well executed. There’s also a good number of amusing moments (both intentional and not, it must be said).

It may not quite reach the first movie’s simple highs, but there’s still enough to like. More films in the series wouldn’t go amiss.

3 out of 5

Almost inevitably, Transporter 3 is on its way in 2008. Personally, I’ll wait for it on DVD, probably in a sale — but I’m somewhat looking forward to that day coming around.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005)

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2007 #102
Tetsuya Nomura | 101 mins | DVD | PG / PG-13

Final Fantasy VII: Advent ChildrenFor those who don’t know, this isn’t the seventh Final Fantasy film — it’s the second; though it’s not a sequel to the first; though it is a sequel, to the game Final Fantasy VII… which isn’t related to the preceding six. Just to be confusing, eh?

Advent Children is far from standalone then, but with the help of a DVD featurette and some concentration it’s possible to have an idea what’s going on. It almost doesn’t matter anyway: the main point is clearly the action, which is pretty spectacular. If you can bear the dense, plot-heavy first half (which does also contain several good sequences), the second is non-stop action, only occasionally marred by overactive camerawork. From a technical standpoint the CG is endlessly impressive (don’t expect it to be lifelike, just extremely good) and the freedom afforded by the format is well used.

I don’t know how satisfying fans would find this (I’m sure they’ve all seen it by now anyway), but for us lay-people, if you can ignore the plot (or put in some effort to follow it) and enjoy impressively executed fights and chases, there’s definite enjoyment to be had.

3 out of 5

300 (2006)

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2007 #101
Zack Snyder | 112 mins | DVD | 15 / R

300Highly stylised (and praised) adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel about the battle of Thermopylae.

It’s very much a Man’s Film: long graphic battles, esteemed warrior values, mostly-naked women, heavy soundtrack… This doesn’t mean it’s without virtue: it looks stunning, and while the slow motion may be overused it creates some beautiful tableaus. There’s even room for characterisation among the soldiers; these arcs may be familiar, but for once the filmmakers seem aware of that and keep such scenes to an appropriate, deftly handled minimum.

The slight plot may be stretched a bit thin and the closing speech is sadly over-written, but 300 is nonetheless an enjoyable, and surprisingly pretty, minor epic.

4 out of 5

300 placed 9th on my list of The Ten Best Films I Saw For the First Time in 2007, which can be read in full here.

Starter for Ten (2006)

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2007 #99
Tom Vaughan | 92 mins | DVD | 12 / PG-13

Starter for TenA predictable British rom-com, enlivened only by a few good moments and performances, as well as the excellent ’80s soundtrack.

You’d assume the plot would focus on the characters’ aim to win University Challenge, coupled with a woefully predictable romantic subplot; sadly, it turns out the woefully predictable romance is the main plot and the quiz only turns up now and then to lend some structure. The final contest is almost entirely devoid of tension thanks to this and the other conclusions hold no surprises.

McAvoy is likeable, though held back by Brian’s near-unbearable ignorance about life. The best performances come from Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall, both actors worth watching.

2 out of 5

Starter for Ten is on BBC Two tonight, Sunday 31st August 2014, at 10:30pm.

Before Sunset (2004)

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2007 #96
Richard Linklater | 77 mins | DVD | 15 / R

Before SunriseNine years on, Jesse and Celine meet again in Paris…

It’s as simple a premise as Sunrise, and in many ways is very similar: it’s essentially two people talking, laughing and philosophising. It’s an odd sort of sequel — it doesn’t just take the same characters into a new story, or directly continue the original. These are the same people, but they’re older and changed. It’s very reflective; it’s almost about the first film, from a different perspective. You also don’t miss a thing — its in real time from beginning to end, showing us every second the characters spend together.

Personally I didn’t think it was as good as Sunrise — it’s not as funny and it sadly closes off some of the original’s beautiful ambiguities. Part of the problem may be that I’m close to the character’s ages in the first film but a good decade out here (though, I hasten to add, that’s not solely it). In the end, it works quite nicely as a companion piece, but (perhaps) not as a film in its own right.

4 out of 5

Recently, Sunset beat Sunrise by a noteworthy number of places in Empire’s 500 Greatest Movies poll, which was an interesting result. I stand by my assertion that the first one’s better, and can only theorize that the second installment gains something if you had to wait a decade for it and, perhaps, were closer in age to the characters — the latter I believe is a fairly important aspect in what you get from films of this nature.

The Black Dahlia (2006)

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2007 #94
Brian De Palma | 116 mins | DVD | 15 / R

The Black DahliaNoir-wannabe, adapted from the James Ellroy novel based on a real, unsolved case. That case is far from the focus here: from the start the apparently-central crime is anything but, meaning the biggest let-down is that events barely follow the eponymous story.

It’s one of many problems in a film that tries hard to be a proper noir but fails in almost every respect: performances (most of which wind up flat), corny dialogue, plot, pretty-but-vacant direction, and even voice-over narration. I haven’t read the novel, but apparently it’s a poor adaptation too. What you want is a ’40s-style thriller; what you get is a weak ’40s-set character drama.

2 out of 5

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

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2007 #93
Clint Eastwood | 135 mins | DVD | 15 / R

Letters from Iwo JimaCompanion to Flags of Our Fathers, and widely considered the better of the two, showing the same battle from the Japanese perspective.

Letters focuses on the human angle, getting to know the characters as they prepare for battle (the Americans don’t arrive for almost an hour) and through flashbacks. The film aims to humanise ‘The Enemy’ but only succeeds in showing that there were some good people in a society of old-fashioned ideas; the obsession with pointless suicide over genuine use of men may be true, but still seems savage and unpractical (probably more a flaw of the real military attitude than of the film, then). No character who follows this is a good guy; likable ones survive or are Westernised. The Americans we see are a mix too (one shoots captured soldiers for no reason, for example), but this feels like a hollow attempt to depict the filmmakers’ countrymen equally rather than genuinely aiding the concept of the Japanese as good guys.

The action sequences and cinematography owe a lot to Saving Private Ryan — desaturation is becoming a war film cliché. That said, it works here, fitting the bland sandy environment and emphasising bursts of colour from blood and flames.

A mixed film then, the value of which lies not in presenting a view of war, humanity or Japanese culture, but in providing a view (or, indeed, half a view) of this one particular battle.

4 out of 5

My thoughts on the first half of this pair can now be read here.

The Cat’s Meow (2001)

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2007 #92
Peter Bogdanovich | 109 mins | DVD | 12 / PG-13

The Cat's MeowPossibly-true ‘murder mystery’ set in 1920s Hollywood.

As with the similar Gosford Park, the point lies less in plot and more in characterisation — there are some good performances, especially from Eddie Izzard, Joanna Lumley and Edward Herrmann, though Kirsten Dunst seems a bit flat in comparison. The era’s style suits her though, and the whole period is beautifully evoked; for my money the prettiest scenes are the black & white bookends.

Sadly the similarity to Gosford Park is the film’s main shortcoming: once realised, it’s clear that The Cat’s Meow doesn’t have the same subtle complexity in its story or performances. In its own right, though, there’s much to like.

3 out of 5

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)

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2007 #88
Tom Tykwer | 141 mins | DVD | 15 / R

Perfume: The Story of a MurdererRecent adaptation of Patrick Süskind’s popular novel, often considered unfilmable because of its focus on the sense of smell. Tykwer covers for that with strong cinematography, with sumptuously rich visuals and a judicious use of close-ups to evoke beauty or disgust as appropriate (the early birth scene in a fish market is particularly rancid — do not watch this right after eating!)

Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman give typically brilliant supporting performances, and Ben Whishaw is fairly notable in the virtually mute lead role. John Hurt’s narration is also excellent; he may well have the best narrative voice known to film. The ending is pretty bizarre, yet possibly very appropriate; certainly, it raises the whole story up to the level of legend.

4 out of 5

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is on BBC Two tonight, 2nd May 2015, at 11:50pm.