This Weeks New Releases For Home Video featuring MI Rogue Nation

With four movies to mention this week why not start with Four...meaning the Fantastic Four.

Fantastic Four
Directed by Josh Trank
Screenplay by Jeremy Slater; Simon Kinberg; and Josh Trank
Based on the books by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Starring Miles Teller; Kate Mara; Michael B Jordan; and Jamie Bell



Four young outsiders teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe which alters their physical form in shocking ways. The four must learn to harness their new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

This will not be a review but a look back at why things went wrong.
1- It starts with this and because of this...every thing else snowballs down a cliff. Just look at the Avengers. They each had their own films. Thus during those said films they had plenty of time for character development. So we come to The Fantastic Four. We have four main characters played by four of the best young actors in Hollywood. There is just no time for character development and we almost do not care about them.
2-Because 1, we get more talking then action.
3- Because of 1. when we get action we see a lot of just watching, then throw in bad special effects.

I did not hate the film as much as most critics, and on for home watching it is worth a look see..2 stars out of 5 for one of summers biggest disappointments. After many tries at The Fantastic Four, it may be a film that just cannot be made properly.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION
Directed and Screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie
Starring Tom Cruise; Jeremy Renner; Simon Pegg; Rebecca Ferguson; Ving Rhames; Alec Baldwin; and Sean Harris

Alec Baldwin, representing the CIA, wants to disband the IMF. Why? I don't know, but I can tell you this spy vs spy movie is better than any new James Bond film (And recent Bond films have not been that bad). It's exciting, and funny, and full of energy.There are great and fun action sequences on an airplane; in an opera house; under water and on a motorcycle, that can put those CGI filled Fast And Furious films to shame. Plus knowing Tom Cruise likes to do his own stunts it leaves you holding your breath. Director Christopher McQuarrie should also get a lot of credit for this excellent  and intense action thriller. From London to Morocco the film looks great, and the action sequences with a shaky cam puts you in the action.
As for the plot? I was confused often but I went with it because the film kept pushing forward at high speed. There are betrayals and deceptions around all the turns in this spy thriller, you really do have to just pay attention and hope it gets cleaned up and understood in the end.

One of the big differences in this film is Cruise lets his costars take center stage often. We see a lot more of Simon Pegg, which means a lot more humor, in fact there are some very funny moments. We also see a strong female character in Isla Faust a British Intellgence Agent played by a new comer, a fantastic Rebecca Ferguson. We also have Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames playing, well, Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames. And most important it would not work without a really good bad guy in Sean Harris.

Negatives? Maybe a few plot holes and maybe the film could have been shortened (maybe cutting short some chase scenes).

Still.....4 out of 5 stars for MI Rogue Nation. The best Mission Impossible yet...hands down. Real fun.
 

TED 2
Directed by Seth McFarlane
Screenplay by Seth McFarlane; Alec Sulkin; and Wellesley Wild
Starring Mark Wahlberg; Amanda Seyfried; and SethMcFarland (Voice)



Newlywed couple Ted and Tami-Lynn want to have a baby, but in order to qualify to be a parent, Ted will have to prove he's a person in a court of law.

I have to start off by saying Ted, the first film, I was not a big fan. In fact I thought it was a one joke lazy screenplay of a film. I was pulled into Ted 2 because I thought the trailer was funny. Well I was kinda right. TED 2 I thought was a little bit funnier. Still....not a very good movie.
Problems: The film is all over the place with tone. It goes from a foul mouthed Teddy Bear to a long love song being sung by Amanda Seyfried to a funny bit with a pot field with the Jurasic Park score.
I think the problem is that McFarland's writing is more appropriate for television, where it is a 22 minute episode usually surrounded by one joke. With feauture length films, he sticks to a joke and runs it into the ground and over a span of two hours (he needs better editors) it falls flat. The bear jokes; the pot jokes; the running of movie stars in and out of the movie just falls flat.
The positives? Wahlberg should get more credit playing off a bear who is not really there, he makes it believable, it must be hard to do. Seyfried as a young pot smoking lawyer, is really funny in her second outing in a McFarland film (A million ways to die in the west).
Ted 2 I give 2 out of 5 stars for another McFarland disappointment. Maybe I just do not get his, pounding a joke to death humor. Well, at least I got more laughs in this one than the first Ted, just not as many as I hoped.

MAZE RUNNER THE SCORCH TRIALS
Directed by Wes Ball
Screenplay by T.S. Nowlin
Based on the book by James Dashner
Starring: Dylan O'Brien; Ki Hong Lee; Kaya Scodelario; Dexter Dafdan; and Thomas Brodie Sangster



In this next chapter of the epic "Maze Runner", Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and his fellow runners face another challenge: searching for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known as WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with the smell of death. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD's vastly superior forces and uncover its shocking plans for them all.

I was surprised by how much I liked The Maze Runner. I think it may be because of O'Brien. He is so damn likable. He has no special powers by creating fire or jumping and climbing off buildings, he is just a smart kid that happens to run fast. And yes there are a bunch of effects in each of these films but O'Brien makes it work.
They find out the Maze was just a test and now they must decide who is with them or against them. I love everyone of the characters including two new "Runners"  Jacob Lofland and Rosa Salazar. Also they added three great adult actors into the mix in Lili Taylor; Barry Pepper; and Giancarlo Esposito. Throw in the return of Patricia Clarkson who I still cannot decide whether she is good or bad, which adds more tension to the series.
As for the film and screenplay. It is a exciting yet violent film. Almost shockingly violent for a youth film with zombies (that really freaked me out) and many a bloody gun battle. The film was 2 hours and 20 minutes, maybe a little long but it kept me interested, again that goes back to the likability of O'Brien.
A negative would be what most of these adapted youth novels have a problem with. They do not have an ending with the second book or film. It shows maybe how great of a writer J.K. Rowling is because she was able to create a resolution or ending to all her books. In this film and Divergent and Hunger Games there really is not an ending in the second round, so comes across as a place holder without a defining ending. This is a problem we do not put money down for a film without an ending.
4 out of 5 stars for this exciting and well acted scary film.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.