Roland Emmerich's Midway Provides Audiences With A Much Better Alternative to Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor

    

       The fall of 2019 so far has brought surprise hits such as Todd Philips Joker, as well as numerous box office flops despite achieving critical acclaim (Terminator: Dark Fate, and Doctor Sleep come to mind). That trend continues with Roland Emmerich's ambitious WWll drama titled Midway, a passion project of the big budget filmmaker, who's gone on record in citing the battle he experienced in terms of receiving financial support for the film. The end result led to Emmerich fundraising the films $100 million dollar budget, making it one of the most expensive independent films of all time. The film outside of the historical topic it covers, draws heavy inspiration from classic 1970's War films such as Midway 1976, which starred Charlton Heston, and 1970's Tora Tora Tora, which showed the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor through the viewpoints of both the American and Japanese military. Despite conquering the box office on Veterans Day weekend, the film received mixed to negative reviews from critics with much criticism aimed at the films lack of character development along with the films narrative issues. Both major criticisms can't be any further from the truth surprisingly. Midway is not a perfect film by any means as its pacing feels choppy with the film struggling at times to juggle the attack on Pearl Harbor, along with The Doolittle Raid and ending with the Battle Of Midway. The overall film however, proves to be a reasonably satisfying effort coming from a filmmaker like Roland Emmerich, making it stand as being one of his strongest directorial efforrs thus far behind Independence Day and The Patriot. At times, Midway feels like the movie that Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor aspired to be in both the entertainment and historical department, but ultimately fell short of the mark due to copying the Titanic formula with a sappy love story that placed the attack on Pearl Harbor second to the story rather than being the main focus. Midway gets closer to reaching that mark despite its main fault of trying to cover all the major events leading up to the Battle of Midway.

      The plot for Midway begins with the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor with the film covering the aftermath, including the first six months after the attack with the American fleet and Imperial Japanese Navy clashing in a decisive naval battle, which became a significant turning point regarding the Battle for the Pacific during WWll. With the Battle Of Midway, Emmerich shows the scope and significance of the battle through the eyes of the leaders and soldiers who fought it on both sides of the coin. By doing so, he boasts a strong cast of actors that includes the talents of Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Keean Johnson, and Etsushi Toyokawa. Emmerich presents his story in an epic fashion, that makes it feel like a war film made straight out of the 1970's era with a visual look, that draws heavy comparisons to Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor. Whereas that film centered the attack on Pearl Harbor around a corny love triangle. Emmerich's Midway stays focused on the historical events surrounding the battle of Midway with most of the characters being based on actual people. The way that the film juggles both the American and Japanese viewpoints of the Battle for the Pacific, makes it come across as feeling like a distant sequel to Tora Tora Tora. Both films share a similar narrative and story structure in which they focus on the events leading up to the films key moments with both sides motives explored. However like Tora Tora Tora, Emmerich's film struggles with the character development coming across as feeling forced along with certain events feeling randomly thrown at the audience, making the editing feel choppy despite the films noble effort to showcase all the major events in the first six months of the American and Japanese battle in the Pacific. Midway manages to overcome its issues largely thanks to Emmerich's decision to keep the film focused on the history aspect of its story, making the lack of character development for the younger characters forgivable. Midway tries very hard to be the film that Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor attempted to be in regards to honoring its history, while providing popcorn entertainment for the audience. It succeeds at being the latter as well as being a more noble war film than Bay's picture, but it's shortcomings ultimately hold it back from being a great film.

      One of the films key elements that makes it work is the performances from its main cast. Keeping the tradition of classic war movies by establishing a strong cast as well as the typical Roland Emmerich disaster flick, which carries with them an endless cast of talented actors, Midway proves to be no different than either type of film and has performances that range from being solid to strong for the most part. The older actors in the film perform much better than the younger ones with Woody Harrelson and Dennis Quaid delivering the best performances next to Patrick Wilson as the young intelligence officer Edwin Layton, who tried to warn others about Pearl Harbor before it happened. Woody Harrelson shines as Chester W. Nimitz, commander of the U.S Pacific Fleet who takes the information of Wilson's character to heart. Luke Evans does well playing Lieutenant Commander Wade McClusky, who leads the crucial aeriel attack that led to the sinking of two Japanese fleet carriers in the films climactic Midway battle sequence. Dennis Quaid commands the screen as vice admiral Halsey with the audience admiring his characters persistence in leading his men despite the revealing health issues with his character. As far as the performances of the young actors go, Ed Skrein impresses in the role of playing Dick Best, dive bomber pilot and squadron commander in the United States Navy during World War ll. Skrein does well in showing the courage and smart decision making, that his character conveys, which helped lead the Americans to victory in the battle of Midway. Mandy Moore gives a notable performance as Ann Best, wife of Dick Best, whose both supportive and fearful of her husbands decision. Luke Kleinyank and Keean Johnson deliver strong performances as young pilots Clarence Dickinson and James Murray. On the Japanese side of the story, Etsushi Toyokawa does well playing Admiral Yamomoto, commander-in-chief during the early years of the Pacific War as well as overseeing the attack on Pearl Harbor with Tadanobu Asano delivering an equally effective performance as Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi, who led a fierce campaign against the American fleet during Midway, along with ultimately choosing to go down with his ship when defeated. In terms of the films performances, the cast as a whole deliver strong performances with it being evident that they're paying tribute to their real-life counterparts. Even Aaron Eckhart shines in his minimal role as Lt. Jimmy Doolittle with the film showing his character leading the Doolittle Raid along with his characters realization of the aftermath of their mission with the Chinese allies forces being constantly bombed and slaughtered by the Japanese for helping the Americans during the war. The performances along with Emmerich's directing, are what make the film ultimately an honorable tribute to those who fought and died during the Battle of Midway.

      In the directing category, Roland Emmerich demonstrates both respect and admiration for the films subject matter with him delivering his strongest directorial effort since The Patriot. Emmerich presents both sides of the war and does so with respect and determination towards showing the events that led up to the Battle of Midway, giving both parties involved in the Battle of the Pacific an equal balance much like what was shown in Tora Tora Tora. Given that Emmerich is a fan of 1970's Cinema, he shapes and molds his war film to feel like a movie that could've fit in well during that era combined with the technology of Michael Bay's epic blockbuster. Emmerich succeeds in creating aeriel battle sequences, that are both impressive and compelling to watch with strong visual and sound effects. The films cinematography is grand along with the art-set decoration, and costume design giving the film a 1940's feel along with making the battle sequences stunning to watch, particularly the attack on Pearl Harbor and Midway's epic battle. Given the films 138 minute running time, Emmerich keeps the story moving with a steady hand in regards to the films pacing. He blends intense action sequences with moments where the audience is brought up to speed with the status of the war through the action of the main characters, as well as the dialogue providing the information necessary to move the story along. Whereas The Patriot glorified American patriotism and largely fictionalized events in it's story, particularly the main character with the film making him out to be a William Wallace type character in Braveheart, as well as the concept of black slaves on his plantation working for free, Emmerich sticks to the facts in regards to telling the story of Midway and chooses to give an honest portrait of courage, true heroism, and the use of one's intelligence which led to one of the greatest surprise comebacks in military history. Emmerich here is about paying respect to the past and he does so with sincerity, heart, and a desire to be both informative for young audiences, as well as delivering solid popcorn entertainment in the process. In those regards, he succeeds though he's no Steven Spielberg when it comes to making a war movie as incredible as Saving Private Ryan or Christopher Nolan in terms of making a well-crafted piece of filmmaking such as Dunkirk, which blends both technology and top notch storytelling together. What helps Emmerich here is the fact that he has a strong and compelling story to work off along with an all-star cast, who each add something to the film with the characters they play. The director whose track record suggests him to be either a hit or miss director in terms of making satisfying and largely unsatisfying films, appears to be at his best when handling stories, that revolve around the themes of patriotism and sacrifice, as evidenced by the films solid script.

      The films screenplay by Wes Tooke is strong and chooses to lay out the events leading up to the Battle of Midway with the script giving a well-balanced side of both the American and Japanese military forces trying to outsmart the other in regards to winning the war. While the film does a very good job of showing the events leading up to Midway, the pacing and story suffers from feeling crammed together with the story beginning with the attack on Pearl Harbor along with shifting to the Doolittle Raid, then reverting back to Midway. Those are the three main events that the film focuses it's narrative on while placing character development second. Unlike Bay's Pearl Harbor which puts the history secondary to the romance, Emmerich and Tooke keep Midway front and center in their story, with the characters having moments where they receive sizable development. The characters on the American side of the story, that receive the most development are Dick Best with him struggling to lead his squadron in bombing attacks on the Japanese carriers, while struggling with the realization that he may not come home to his family. Wilson's character is also given a large amount of depth with him struggling to uncover the Japanese next move in terms of striking Midway, with his frustration being visible in regards to the lack of seriousness his warnings about the attack on Pearl Harbor was given prior. Dennis Quaid character is shown to be fighting health issues despite choosing to lead his men to victory, and Harrelson's character being eagar to beat the Japanese at their own game, along with allowing Wilson's character a chance to prove himself to Washington. The Japanese admirals Yamomoto and Yamaguchi are explored with both men attempting to attack the American carriers unexpectedly, while slowly expressing doubts and facing the realization that for the first time, Japan could lose against an enemy. Unlike the criticisms aimed at the film which accuse it of being short on character development, Midway has moments where it attempts to flesh out it's large ensemble of characters, but it always stays focused on the bigger narrative of the story, which is the films climactic battle sequence. Tookes script is well-written in a way which steadily builds up the tension on both sides leading up to Midway with both the American and Japanese forces knowing very well that their chances of winning the overall war depend on the success of Midway. Emmerich and Tooke do a fine job of keeping the story focused and keeping the audience engaged in the overall narrative of the story with characters they can care about while even empathizing with the opposite side. The development of the younger characters may not be as in-depth as their older counterparts, but it's effective enough to make the audience root for their survival and victory.

     Midway is not a perfect war film as it suffers from minor faults, but the overall work succeeds and thrives from an entertainment standpoint, as well as honoring those who fought in the Battle of Midway along with those involved in the events leading up to it (The Doolittle Raid for example). Given that the film is handled by Roland Emmerich, he remains surprisingly mature and approaches the subject matter in both a serious and dedicated fashion to telling this story. While his work here won't win him any award nominations, Emmerich shows that if one gives him material that's historically based and demands accuracy, he is ultimately capable of pulling it off and delivering a reasonably solid film. For everything that Michael Bays film gets wrong in regards to presenting a film worthy of paying respect to it's history subject, Midway gets right and does it better with virtually the same intentions. It doesn't try to deter away from the subject of Midway by focusing on a love story, rather the film keeps everything simple and focuses on the two sides of the battle, which became a significant turning point in the war. With solid acting from a strong cast, steady directing and strong writing with some impressive CGI, Midway succeeds in presenting a modern version of the Battle of Midway, while showing the stakes and the faces of those involved. It's as honorable of a film as one can ask in showing the brotherhood, the courage, the strength, and sacrifice that went into achieving a victory that became a significant turning point in WWll, along with showing the intelligence that went into outsmarting the opponent. Given what this film could've ended up as if it didn't have the care and sincerity that the filmmakers give the story, Midway proves to be a solid homage to those who fought for a better future, while portraying both sides as being human.

Final Verdict: For history buffs as well as those looking for an entertaining war flick, Midway is worth watching as it both entertains and respects the story it's telling.

Doctor Sleep Uses Its Shine To Produce A Worthy Sequel To The Shining

      Making a sequel to a successful film is by no means an easy task as the challenge is presented to not only match the standard set by it's predecessor, but to exceed expectations while being surprising. Making a sequel, however, to a cult classic that's been engraved in Cinema history with a legacy that spans nearly 40 years, is an even harder and daunting task as the filmmakers must live up to the legacy of the original film, while providing a story that serves as being a worthy continuation of the first film. In the case of Doctor Sleep, the filmmakers behind it faced the challenge of building upon the legacy of Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror classic The Shining, along with adapting Stephen King's sequel novel to the big screen in a fashion, that not only honors the first film but tells it's own story. Gone from the sequel is Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duvall's characters with the sequel focusing on a now grown and recovering alcoholic Danny Torrance, played by Ewan McGregor and his struggle with dealing with his special abilities referred to as "the shine". Whereas most horror sequels pale in comparison to their predecessors as the same tricks and scares are bound to be less thrilling and effective the second time around, Doctor Sleep proves to be the rare exception to the rule and genuinely surprises as not just being a good horror film, but a sequel worthy of being placed in the same sentence as The Shining. While Doctor Sleep never tops The Shining in terms of quality, it holds it's own and stands as being a terrific effort to match the quality of it's predecessor.

      The plot for Doctor Sleep takes place decades after the events of The Shining, and centers around a now adult Danny (played by Ewan McGregor), constantly tortured by memories from his past finds himself struggling with alcoholism. While coping with his inner demons, he ends up being tracked down by a teenage girl named Abra (Played by Kyliegh Curran), who convinces him to help her find the people responsible for horrific acts of violence against children, especially upon realizing that they both may be targeted themselves. Doctor Sleep doesn't set out to remake The Shining nor lean on it for comfort. Instead it manages to co-exist as it's own story, while respecting the past and making numerous callbacks to it's predecessor. While Stanley Kubrick's masterful directing can never be surpassed, director Mike Flanagan does a fantastic job of crafting a story that feels like a love letter to fans of not just Stanley Kubrick but Stephen King as well. Doctor Sleep feels like a natural sequel to The Shining with audiences believing the state of Dan's character in the film. What's impressive about Doctor Sleep is how it starts off being a separate story connected to The Shining with the films third act essentially mirroring the climax of the first film. The film was clearly made with love and admiration on Flanagan's part to make the fans of The Shining proud, along with making a film that's closer to what Stephen King's vision of the film looks like. That wasn't the case with The Shining as it's common knowledge that both King and Kubrick clashed over the direction of that film with King praising the films visual look, but ultimately being displeased with the end result. Doctor Sleep feels like King's attempt to make the story in the way he envisioned the first one to be, while acknowledging the legacy that The Shining left with audiences with numerous callbacks. The film is a true sequel to the original as the performances, the directing, the writing, and films cinematography are top notch, and made from a place of love with respecting the legacy of The Shining.

      The films acting performances are a huge part of why the sequel succeeds the way it does in regards to being a stellar sequel. It was always going to come down to the casting of Danny, that would make or break the story in terms of audiences accepting it as a continuation of The Shining and luckily with Ewan McGregor, he proves to be a perfect choice for the role. McGregor is great here and effectively brings the character of Dan to life, making the audience empathize with him while rooting for his character to use his shine again. This sequel is Dan's story and Flanagan, King, and McGregor tell it in such a compelling and richly satisfying fashion with McGregor's performance being the key. Rebecca Ferguson does a terrific job playing the films main female antagonist Rose The Hat. She excels at being creepy, intense, and brilliant with her role as she steals the film when McGregor isn't on the screen. Kylie Curran impresses as Abra Stone and works well with McGregor when both are on screen together. Curran succeeds in making audiences care about her character while helping to draw a parallel between her and Danny's character in The Shining. Cliff Curtis is likable as Dan's loyal and caring friend Billy Freeman. With a limited role, Curtis impresses in terms of how effective he makes his character appear. Other strong supporting roles in the film include Zahn McClarnon in a creepy role as Crow Daddy, Emily Alyn Lind as Snakebite Andi, Selena Anduze as Apron Annie, Robert Longstreet as Barry The Chunk, Carel Struycken as Silent Sarey, Bruce Greenwood as Dr. John, and Zackary Momoh as David Stone. Along with the films directing and writing, the performances from the cast are key to making the story work with everyone bringing their A game to the story and adding freshness and energy to it. The true standout performances come from Mcgregor, Ferguson, Curran, and the side characters of the cult group called The True Knot.

      The directing and writing by Michael Flanagan works extremely well here giving the film a supernatural/psychological thriller feel to it. Flanagan stays true to the themes of the original film in regards to addiction, family, magic, and mental illness while incorporating themes into the story involving loneliness, self-reflection, the loss of loved ones, and justice. The films main message that Flanagan drives home, is that ones past will find them regardless of how hard they try to keep it hidden. Flanagan directs this film like an old-school style thriller with setting up a dark and serious tone while eliminating the gore and cheap jump scares, that's become a tired old trend in today's horror style of filmmaking. The films visual look is perfect with its cinematography presenting an eerie atmosphere with a score that gives a commanding presence. Flanagan's true craftsmanship as a director shows with the films final 30 minutes, which serves as an amazing callback to Kubrick's film as well as bringing Danny Torrance's character arc full circle. Watching the film. one genuinely gets the impression that the writer-director is a huge fan of the source material, and therefore gives his all into bringing this story to the big screen. The cinematography has moments where it mimmic's Stanley Kubrick's long take and camera panning technique used in his previous films. The films sound and visual effects are at its most effective when the story shifts to its supernatural moments. Those are the moments where the film comes alive, and is essentially at its most impactful. The film is long with a running time that spans 150 minutes, but the story always maintains a steady pace and never feels drawn out or boring. Knowing that as hard as he could've tried that Kubrick's masterful style of directing could never be matched, Flanagan doesn't try to and instead goes his own direction with Doctor Sleep with a script that's written as a distant sequel, but becomes firmly lined up with its predecessor by the films phenomenal third act. In terms of directing, Flanagan deserves major props for being courageous enough to take a classic film like The Shining and present a sequel, that stands on its own as being creepy and highly effective while being written, directed, and acted with both heart and passion.

      The films screenplay by Flanagan does a fine job of covering Danny's journey since the first movie, as well as giving audiences a broader idea of what "the shine" is and showing others that carry such magic. The film is not scary but remains suspenseful and thrilling through the exploring of such a unique concept that's surrounded by dark and sinister twists in the story involving young children being abducted and killed by the dangerous cult group called The True Knot. The main difference between The Shining and Doctor Sleep is whereas The Shining played out more like a classic horror movie thriller, Doctor Sleep plays out like a fantasy horror film in a vein similar to The Ring. Both movies are different but compliment each other through connecting storyline's and parallels. The progression of the films plot and character development feels believable and convincing making the story feel like a part drama, part horror movie with a supernatural edge to it that often feels hypnotic. The dialogue by the main characters often reaches the level of brilliance with McGregor's character delivering a chilling yet powerful monologue such as the one he delivers to Abra in which he says: "You need to listen to me. The world's a hungry place. A dark place. I've only met two or three people like us. They died. When I was a kid, I bumped into these things. I don't know about magic. I, I always called it "the shining." The films antagonists make for strong and creepy villains with them being giving a demon style presence, that makes the audience both fearful and devastated upon seeing them pursue others and absorbing their shine.

     In the end Doctor Sleep proves to be both a compelling horror story on its own, while serving as being a great sequel to The Shining. What holds it back though from being on the same level as its predecessor, is the chilling vibe moments that Kubrick created with the original. The use of new actors in the roles of characters brought back from the previous film, also slightly robs the film of its maximum impact despite the performances not being bad (The Grady twins being played by different actresses for example with no disrespect to actor Carl Lumbly, whose effective in the role of Dick Hallorann). One wishes that instead of casting Alex Essoe in the role of Danny's mother Wendy Torrance, that Flanagan could've brought back Shelly Duvall in the role through the use of CGI (Much like how Edward Furlong's John Connor was briefly revived in Terminator: Dark Fate). The film is packed with powerful moments of nostalgia, which takes audiences right back to The Shining such as the moments of action that occurs at the Overlook Hotel as well as the reprisal of the infamous bathtub sequence, the gushing of blood in the hall, the use of the ax from the first movie, the reappearance of the Grady twins despite different actresses playing them, and the usage of the maze once again with the same style cinematography being reused. Doctor Sleep makes endless efforts to meet the legacy of its predecessor head on, while distancing itself far enough to make its own footing on the franchise. It has all the basic fundamental elements that a sequel needs in order to thrive with the audience immediately becoming invested in Danny's story, largely thanks to the films writing and McGregor's performance. Rebecca Ferguson proves to be a captivating antagonist in the story as well as Kyliegh Curran in a surprisingly brilliant performance, that makes the audience care about her character. Doctor Sleep may disappoint some horror fans for not being scary or frightening enough, but what it excels at is providing a well-executed psychological thriller, that is richly entertaining, masterfully told. and surprises as being a rare sequel that lives up to the hype. The film is further proof that creativity and risk taking in Hollywood isn't extinct gone just yet. Doctor Sleep earns its stripes as being a solid sequel for fans of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, as well as fans of Stephen King's best-selling novel.

Final Verdict: SEE IT

Harriet: A Flawed Yet Honorable and Inspiring Tribute To An American Icon

      Movies based on historical events or people, are usually made with two objectives in mind. The first is to entertain the audience its aiming for with the second being to inform them about the event or persons being covered in the story. In the case of Harriet, the film aims to achieve both along with jump-starting what's hoped to be a strong campaign for the film heading into award season. The film is a significant achievement for the reason being it's the first Hollywood film to focus on the life of Harriet Tubman, an African-American female slave who managed to not only free herself from a life of enslavement, but in an act of pure heroism, freed nearly a thousand slaves while coining the term "Be free or die", which appropriately stands as being the films main tagline. With the story of Harriet Tubman, it was always inevitable that the filmmakers would take certain liberties with the story by altering events and creating fictional characters to help fill in the blanks of what was missing from the person's life to help complete the story in the form of a full-length feature film. This is a common practice that's done with many historical dramas and biographies as no history film is 100 percent accurate. However in the case of Harriet, the film has come under heavy fire and criticism for some of the films creative decisions in regards to telling its story. While these additions to the story can be looked upon as being formulaic, they don't ruin the overall experience of the film as Harriet remains an effective and generally inspirational/moving experience for audiences, that does justice to it's main historical figure with a terrific performance from Cynthia Erivo in the lead.

      The plot for Harriet focuses on the life of Harriet Tubman with the film showing her escape from slavery, along with her freedom turning into both her passion and dedication to free other enslaved African-Americans, as well as helping to abolish slavery. The film properly shows how Tubman's actions made her one of the most significant members of the Underground Railroad, as well as becoming an icon of inspiration in American history. The narrative behind the film focuses on Harriet's slavery, her escape from enslavement, and her desire to free others including her own family members. The filmmakers behind the film wanted to show how she went from being an ordinary slave to becoming a Moses type figure in regards to supposedly receiving visions from God due to a blunt head trauma she received as a child. The film shows how her faith helped push her towards performing her heroic deeds by giving her both strength and hope, while inspiring others to follow her. The film also attempts to fill in the missing blanks in regards to the more personal aspects of Tubman's life with the film showing her to be at one point married before being separated, which also led to her escape. The story also shows her attempts to free her family members while setting other slaves free. The moments where Harriet experiences her visions are presented in a way which makes them compelling in showing the audience whats going on both inside and outside of Harriet's mind. Watching the film, it's evident that a great deal of passion and dedication went into telling Tubman's story with the film showing her courage, strength, and tenacity in full force along with presenting a human side to the legend. With the film and Erivo's performance, audiences get to experience the transformation of Tubman from a slave who feared being caught to someone who turned that fear into not only courage but the will to fight for others. Harriet doesn't tarnish the legacy of Tubman like some reviewers claim. Rather it honors her while giving audiences an understanding of why she chose to break free and help others.

      One of the key elements that makes Harriet work as being a satisfying biography is the terrific performances delivered by the films main cast, particularly Cynthia Erivo in the title role. Erivo is phenomenal as Tubman, delivering all the required emotions in regards to showing the progression of Tubman from slave to freedom fighter. Her character is engaging to watch and provides both the heart and soul of the film. The success of the story being told on the big screen was always going to hinge on the actress chosen to portray the iconic figure, and Erivo proves to be worthy of playing the role. The films other strong performance goes to Leslie Odom Jr as abolitionist William Still, who helps Tubman set free the slaves she rescues from her camp. Joe Alwyn shines as playing Tubman's former slave owner Gideon Brodess, serving as the films main antagonist. Alwyn portrays Brodess as being a character whom the audience automatically despises with him putting Harriet and her family up for sale to keep his farm afloat, while harboring mixed and confused feelings towards Harriet. His character doesn't fit within the white savior narrative that some audiences have claimed his character to be, as he definitely comes across as being the main villain in this story, but is also shown to possibly treat Harriet better than what she would've received from other slave owners due to his complicated history with her. Other strong supporting roles are Clarke Peters and Vanessa Bell Calloway in moving performances as Harriet's parents, Ben and Ritt Ross. Omar J. Dorsey does well as Bigger Long, a slave catcher rumored to be the best in the area whose hired by a vengeful Gideon to pursue Tubman. Henry Hunter Hall does equally well and shines in his performance as bounty hunter Walter, who begins pursuing Tubman at first then becomes an ally once he witnesses her in action. An example is a key scene involving her character leading a group of slaves through a swamp after experiencing a vision, making him believe that God is guiding her. Other notable performances are Joseph Lee Anderson, Antonio J Bell, and CJ Macbeth as Robert, Henry, and Junyah Ross. The cast as a whole does a terrific job of bringing this story to life with the portrayal of the characters not only being interesting but relatable to the audience. Whereas some aspects of the writing may come across as being questionable. the films acting, directing, and visual style always remain on point.

      The films directing by Kasi Lemons is strong and well-crafted with Lemons making the story come across as feeling like a personal human drama mixed with quick cut action sequences. At times, Harriet comes across as feeling like a historical yet female-empowered action movie, especially when the story takes off with her escape from captivity followed by her efforts to free the other slaves. The moments where the actors are given the creative freedom to play out dramatic scenes, are ones that are handled well with the overall executions being hard-hitting. Lemons keeps Harriet's story moving with a brisk yet steady pace with limited amounts of exposition and Harriet's visions being used in both a visually striking and compelling fashion to connect with the real events of the story. These moments, when they arrive, make an already captivating story even more thrilling and eye-opening as the film explores the prophetic side of Tubman's story as well, as the impact her visions had on those around her. The films pacing is perfect for the story as it sets up Harriet's escape from slavery early on, while building on that momentum for the rest of the movie, with the audience feeling the anticipation that she will return to free the rest of the slaves. The cinematography, costume design, and art-set decoration are top notch and brilliantly weaved together to make the film visually appealing along with being emotionally empowering. The moments where the cinematography shines through are those involving Harriet's visions, which include the use of blue lighting, ultimately giving them a commanding presence in the scene. The films score by Terence Blanchard is terrific and goes hand in hand with the films acting and directing. Blanchard strikes the right balance of emotions with his score in helping to drive the moments in the film which showcase Harriet's compassion for others, her fear of being captured while escaping bondage, and her dedication as well as resolve to return to free other slaves. He also manages to bring out the intensity of the scenes where Tubman is being pursued or goes back for the other slaves, making them compelling moments in the film. Whereas the films third act struggles to find it's footing with the rest of the story (It feels rushed and convenient almost like it knew it had to wrap up it's story with limited time to spare), the bulk of the film is steadily paced and directed with a firm hand on the wheel. While Kasi Lemons work most likely won't push her to receive an Oscar nomination for Best directing, she does a solid and worthy job of bringing Harriet Tubman's story to the big screen in a way that feels heartfelt and detailed in ensuring it's properly told.

      The films writing by Gregory Allen Howard and director Kasi Lemmons is reasonably decent in terms of transforming Tubman's story into film, but also happens to be the main area where criticism is directed towards it. Given that Howard and Lemmons utilized fictional characters and events to help piece together a coherent story, that flows naturally, they did a reasonably decent job though nothing that warrants a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination. One can understand the criticism aimed at the invention of two African-American bounty hunters in the film with no record of them being involved in the actual events surrounding Tubman's life. While their characters can be viewed as individuals who became inspired by Tubman's actions (Particularly the one that joins Tubman in her quest upon seeing the result of her heroic deeds), the other Hunter played by Dorsey comes across as being cold, calculated, and determined to catch Harriet without any regard of the fact that he's essentially pursuing one of his own. The biggest issue that some audiences appear to have with his character is the fact that there is no historical accounting of such a characters involvement in Harriet Tubman's story, though that doesn't mean such a type of character didn't exist in that time period. It's also interesting that audiences have an issue with that character but didn't object to Samuel L. Jackson's character in Django Unchained. As for the films accusation of it driving a white savior narrative with the character of Gideon Bross, there's not enough evidence in the story with the character to make that claim. He comes across as being a brutal, selfish, manipulative, and evil antagonist in the story. His character is full of sinister intentions and tries to use his past history with Tubman as a way of keeping her from running as shown in the sequence where she makes her escape by jumping off a bridge into a river. The screenplay for Harriet doesn't perform a disservice to her character by showing these liberties taken with the story, rather they are there to flesh out the story in an attempt to make it more engaging as an action-packed drama based around historical fact. Harriet's writing is neither a bad nor terrible effort by any means, but can also be considered as feeling standard and by-the-numbers for a biographical drama that makes the story feel padded at times. One can certainly appreciate the effort in showing a more personal side of Tubman compared to the legendary status she holds in both pop culture and American history. One does appreciate that they explored the idea that at one time her character could've been in love and bound to another person, but was prevented from living a happy life due to a life of enslavement.

      In the end, the only crime that
Harriet commits as a film is one in which it does what other historical and biographical dramas have done, which is to show history in a way that's overdramatized, larger than life, and ultimately empowering to watch on the big screen. It doesn't seek to dishonor the person it glorifies, and attempts to take what's already a thrilling piece of history and flesh it out further. The story of Harriet Tubman is presented in a way that honors the real life figure, while showing an experience that was significant and even miraculous given the overwhelming opposition she faced. Harriet's story is effectively told and stands as being one of the strongest films of the fall heading into award season. It's hard to tell if the movie itself will qualify for any major award nominations given the controversy the film has faced since it's release, but the film is most deserving of nominations for Cynthia Erivo for Best Actress along with nominations for Best Cinematography, Art-Set Decoration, Best Score, and Film Editing. Not everyone will like Harriet and may take offense to how certain historical elements of the story are portrayed, but others will appreciate and feel empowered that a story as powerful and well-told as Harriet Tubman's, is finally brought to the big screen in a fashion that's appropriate and honorable.

Final Verdict: For both film and history buffs, Harriet is an experience worth watching and enduring.

Terminator: Dark Fate Succeeds In Giving The Series A Strong Finish

 

       When looking at Hollywood franchises that have spawned over the course of several decades and generated numerous sequels, that resulted in both box office success and critical acclaim, The Terminator franchise is one that's ultimately a mixed bag and has endured hard times. The first Terminator directed by James Cameron, was made for a budget of only $6 million and became a box office hit in October 1984, along with becoming a hit on home video. The film not only put Arnold Schwarzenegger on the map as being a household name, but also launched the career of legendary filmmaker James Cameron, who later went onto direct it's epic sequel along with Aliens, The Abyss, True Lies, Titanic, and Avatar. It would be another seven years before Cameron and Schwarzenegger reteamed along with Linda Hamilton for a sequel to their smash hit with Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Not only was that film an even bigger box office smash garnering $204 million domestically and over $500 million worldwide, it received unanimous critical acclaim while going down in film history as being one of the rare movie sequels that outshines the original, while pushing the technological aspects of its storytelling with its groundbreaking visual effects. Sadly, that's where the franchises good fortune seemed to have ended as every sequel and attempted reboot, that came afterwards paled in comparison to the standard set with the first two films along with declining box office returns. Jonathan Mostow's
Terminator: 3 Rise Of The Machines though being a modest box office success, made less than its previous installment and received reviews far below the praise the first two movies got. That film was later followed by the first attempt to reboot the franchise with Terminator Salvation starring The Dark Knight Trilogy's Christian Bale in the main lead as John Connor with Charlies Angels 1 and 2 director MCG at the helm. That film ended up getting worse reviews than Rise Of The Machines, and did irreparable damage to the series reputation. It would take a full six years before a second attempt to reboot the series emerged with Terminator Genisys. This time Game Of Thrones and Thor: Dark World filmmaker Alan Taylor took the them and attempted to wipe the slate clean by erasing all the previous sequels post T2, but while doing so, erased the first two movies in the process. The end result confused and frustrated both audiences and fans of the series. With Terminator: Dark Fate, the film marks James Camerons return to the series as both producer and co-writer of the film teaming up with Deadpool director Tim Miller at the helm. Their strategy of revamping the series was to give the series a Force Awakens style makeover by ignoring everything post T2 and continuing the story of Sarah Connor by bringing back Linda Hamilton to reprise her role in a Han Solo type of set up with newer characters being written to pass the franchise torch to with Arnold Schwarzenegger returning as another T-800 model. Terminator: Dark Fate marks the fourth film made after Terminator 2: Judgment Day, as well as being the third attempt to reboot the franchise. Thankfully, its the one reboot that actually works as Dark Fate easily beats the previous three films in quality, while providing a fitting closure to the Sarah Connor story arc. It's the truest sequel that audiences have gotten to Cameron's first two masterpieces, even if it never reaches the same heights of those films.

      The plot for Terminator: Dark Fate takes place over two decades after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day with Sarah Connor (Played once again by Linda Hamilton in a triumphant return), and a cybernetically enhanced human (Played by Blade Runner 2049's Mackenzie Davis) teaming up to protect a young girl (Played by Natalia Reyes) from a newly advanced liquid Terminator (Played by Agents Of Shield's Gabriel Luna) that's programmed to hunt her down. Along the way, they receive help from a much older Terminator model (Once again played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) with ties to Sarah's past, who may be their best chance for success. With Dark Fate, Tim Miller and James Cameron make an ambitious and smart move to ignore all the previous films post T2, and set their story up to be the real Terminator 3, which it feels like in many ways. In addition to ignoring the previous films outside of Cameron's creation, both him and Miller choose to go back to the basics with the first by having the story action-packed and keeping the story grounded within a 48 hour time frame, which is the timespan the first two movies were set around. This helps to keep the story and adrenaline constantly going with the audience getting to know the new characters such as Dani played by Natalia Reyes and her female protector Grace played by Davis. Although this is Tim Millers movie given he's the director of the ship, the story and narrative has Cameron's DNA planted all over it. The film takes numerous bold risks with it's plot including a major plot twist which happens in the films opening scene, that will shock and leave fans polarized. Though if one were to look at it in the context of the story and the way it advances Sarah Conners character by giving her a new arc, it makes sense and is symbolic of the fact that the film essentially feels like a conclusion to Sarah Connors story arc while handing the torch to a new generation of characters. Dark Fate very much carries with it a Force Awakens type feel to it in which Miller and Cameron give the fans numerous amounts of nostalgia with structuring the film to resemble the first two movies closely while presenting newer characters that feel like the equivalent to Rey and Finn. The film feels like the Terminator film that fans have been waiting for, and what they should've gotten in 2003 instead of enduring one failed reboot attempt after another. This is the closest that fans will ever get to seeing Cameron back at the helm in terms of delivering a worthy sequel to his masterful work and honestly, that's not a bad thing to say as Dark Fate despite it's minor faults, does a very good job of being that film while standing on its own feet.

      As for the films acting performances, the cast shines through here and demonstrate strong chemistry in terms of working together as a group. Linda Hamiltons return is a major step in the right direction for the series as her presence feels heavy in the film. Hamilton once again delivers another terrific performance as Sarah Connor and essentially brings her characters arc full circle. It's amazing to see how this character went from being a vulnerable waitress in the first film to becoming a badass warrior/tragic figure in the sequel. Hamilton is amazing here with her return really bringing the heart back into the films story, as well as giving the film the emotional weight the story required to live up to the first two. Newcomer to the series, Mackenzie Davis shines in her role as the cybernetically enhanced human Grace. She not only delivers a strong performance, but commands the screen when paired against Hamilton with the two characters rubbing shoulders while forced to work together to protect young Dani. Natalia Reyes proves to be extremely likable and sympathetic as the female John Connor of the story. She does a good job of bringing a sense of vulnerability to the part, while showing her character to be capable of leading the future resistance against the machines. Gabriel Luna shines in the role of playing the Rev-9, the films new villain that's an advanced Terminator unit sent back in time to terminate Dani. Luna does a really good job of creating an icy cold villain, that pays homage to both Schwarzenegger's work as well as Robert Patrick as the T-100 in the first two films. He's arguably the third best villain in the series, beating Kristanna Loken's TX, and Jason Clark's evil John Connor in Genisys. Given that Luna's work prior to Terminator: Dark Fate was promising as Ghost Rider in Agents Of Shield, it's nice to see him get a role that places his talents front and center. While he never measures up to the standard set by Robert Patrick in the role of the T-1000, Luna succeeds at crafting his own villain that's effective and helps bring the series back to it's old school roots of being chased by a killing machine. As for the role of The Terminator, Schwarzenegger delivers his strongest performance in the series since T2. His older program named Carl, serves as being a different take on the iconic character and brings back the human aspect of his character from T2 despite being a different model. His characters subplot will likely divide fans as they'll either love what Arnold and Cameron did with his character or reject the character of Carl entirely, especially with what he does in the films opening, which is destined to be a topic of controversy among fans. As a whole, the cast all deliver terrific performances and appear to be right on the ball in terms of making their characters believable and sympathetic. Unlike the previous three films, the audience has characters they can root for in this one with Hamiltons return playing a huge part in this movie ultimately being worthwhile.

      The films directing by Tim Miller for the most part is solid as he gives a strong effort to give the film the same kind of emotional weight and mind blowing action that Cameron delivered with his films. Given that his previous work before Dark Fate was the first Deadpool, Miller seemed like the ideal choice for directing a Terminator movie with Cameron pushing to get the best work out of him. Make no mistake, Miller is no James Cameron when it comes to storytelling and masterfully crafting his films, but his directing feels more on point with the continuity of the series than the works of Jonathan Mostow, MCG, and Alan Taylor. One also greatly appreciates that he returned the series back to it's R rated roots with the adding of blood and gore when the Rev-9 performs it's kills, as well as Sarah's excessive use of the F-word despite it feeling a tad forced at times. Miller gives the film a brisk pace with the action starting immediately once all the films key players are established. The film follows a structure that feels very formulaic to that of T1 and T2 with the main characters being on the run throughout the movie with the enemy chasing them. Despite being an inspired choice for helming this movie, Millers directing is serviceable though a little disappointing in a sense that he doesn't possess the craftsmanship of his producer, though one clearly see him trying to fit the piece in the puzzle with the other films. One wonders what this film would've turned out like had Cameron not been involved with it and just left Miller to do his thing. The end result probably wouldn't have turned out as well as it did cause it's clear Cameron had his hand on the project with the film ultimately benefitting from his input.

      In terms of the films screenplay, the script by David Goyer, Justin Rhodes, Billy Ray with a story credit by James Cameron works hard to bridge the story for Dark Fate with Cameron's first two films. The screenplay is easily the strongest of the post T2 films, even though it has moments where the writing struggles or feels like a missed opportunity in a sense. An example is the character of Sarah Connor confiding to Grace and Dani that she hunts Terminators and drinks until she passes out to ease the pain in her life. The audience never gets the opportunity to see her do either of those prior to her big entrance in the story, whereas Cameron showed audiences her struggle while being in the mental facility in T2. Little moments such as showing the internal struggles the main characters are fighting can go a long way to conveying so much even if it's a small scene. Another example is Arnold's new model named Carl, his character is a unique and interesting depiction of a Terminator that murdered in cold blood and through time and self-reflection, which the audience never gets a chance to see (A flashback showing his characters transformation would've been effective), he learns the mistake he made and begins to help the resistance by protecting Dani and Grace from the Rev-9. Carl's subplot is a rather interesting one that had promise to be as effective as Arnold's transformation from machine to human in Terminator 2, but the problem is Carl's subplot despite being effective and one of the films best moments, feels a bit rushed in a sense. It deserves applauds though for shifting the films narrative away from being essentially a mixture of T1 and T2 meshed together in a reduxed version, and attempts to give audiences something new which it succeeds at along with the newer characters. Arnold looks his best here performance wise and his reunion with Hamilton is a special moment for fans (Though it's the exact opposite with their characters on the big screen). Overall, the scriptwriting works in making for a satisfying film despite moments of rough dialogue such as Sarah Connor declaring that she hunts Terminators and drinks until she passes out, that's followed by her saying "is that a good enough resume for you". Moments like that show the dialogue being forced as well as her delivery of the iconic line once said by Arnold in previous Terminator films with her saying "I'll Be Back".

Overall, Terminator: Dark Fate is the sequel to T1 and T2 that fans have been long waiting for. It works not just as being a continuation of T2's story, but as a film that pays homage to the past while reinventing the story with a new generation of characters. The film is not perfect as it lacks Cameron's unique style as a director and doesn't push the boundaries of technology that T1 and T2 did, especially the latter. The films visuals effects here are impressive, but the film has far too much compared to how well-balanced T2 was in terms of going from practical effects to outstanding CGI involving the T-1000, that still holds up to this day better than most effects driven movies. Miller does a very good job of keeping the story moving at a fast pace, while allowing the characters and plot time to develop with impressive action and car chase scenes in between. The film feels like it really does benefit from Cameron's involvement in the project, though one will always wish he stepped into the directors chair and wrote the film himself instead of just producing and giving Miller the story for the new film. What works with the film is that the audience cares about the characters again, which is something that can't be said about the previous post T2 films, along with the film going back to the basics and being lean, intense, fast-paced and basic with it's narrative like T1 and T2 with utilizing those films formula. Although the film does bear the sin of being too close to resembling those films for comfort, the nostalgia helps to bring familiarity to the proceedings while breaking in the new characters, who manage to be appealing. The film was always going to depend on the return of Linda Hamilton for it to work and here she does great job with reprising her role once again and continuing Sarah's journey. This may very well end up being the final Terminator movie as early box office reports show the film underperforming. In all honesty, if this is to be the last film in the series, that is not a bad thing as the film manages to bring a fitting sense of closure to the series, while leaving the door potentially open for further sequels which will most likely never happen due to the film opening with just $29 million at the box office on a budget of $185 million. Terminator: Dark Fate isn't the great film the two Terminator films it pays homage to are, but it's very good at wiping the slate clean with the franchise and ending the series with a respectable level of dignity compared to had it ended without it. One just wishes that James Cameron decided to abandon his numerous Avatar sequels, and just get fully behind the new set of Terminator films as he should've directed this one. Despite the film not having the groundbreaking technological advancements of the first two movies, Dark Fate has heart, energy, and the desire to make past wrongs with the franchise right and gives fans the proper Terminator 3.

Final Verdict: For Fans Of Terminator 1 and 2, Dark Fate is a worthy successor in the franchise that's worth seeing in theaters.