H.G Wells The Invisible Man Is An Exciting And Thrilling Remake That Modernizes Its Classic Story For A New Generation

      Very few horror films receive the kind of prestige and legendary stature that the classic set of Universal horror films have endured. Over the course of the last 90 years, numerous filmmakers have placed their stamp on timeless horror stories such as Dracula, The Mummy, Frankenstein, Wolfman, The Creature From The Black Lagoon, etc. The story of The Invisible Man has seen acclaimed filmmakers such as Halloween's John Carpenter and Robocop's Paul Verhoeven deliver their own upgrades of the classic tale with Carpenter's 1992 Memoirs Of The Invisible Man starring Chevy Chase and Verhoeven's 2000 cult classic Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon. In the case of the classic dark universe, the first attempt at rebooting the iconic horror universe came with 2017's The Mummy which starred Tom Cruise. The film ultimately proved to be both a critical and financial disappointment, that instantly halted Universal Studio's plans to bring the dark universe roaring back into theaters with a fresh new batch of modern retellings of the classic stories. Fast-Forward three years later with the release of The Invisible Man, the dark universe feels as if it's getting a second chance of getting off the ground as Universal aims to make up for The Mummy's shortcomings. Luckily for the studio, that appears to be the case as the film surprises in terms of being a highly effective horror thriller, that succeeds in taking its classic story and modernizing it for today's generation.

      The plot for The Invisible Man is a loose retelling of the H.G. Wells classic story with the reboot centering around an abusive and violent man named Adrian (Played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen), tormenting his ex-girlfriend Cecilia (Played by Elisabeth Moss) after escaping his clutches, leading him to commit suicide as his final act-or did he. Convinced that he faked his death and is now stalking her while invisible, she attempts to make the authorities believe her story with much to little effect. The best way to describe the new Invisible Man story is that it's both creative and brilliant. The new version of the story has found its way to differentiate itself from the original one, while maintaining the same concept and spirit of its previous works. This version of The Invisible Man's story is smart, fresh, intense, and creepy to where it provides enough solid jump scares for the audience, that rightfully keeps them at the edge of their seat. The films greatest trait lies within its ability to surprise audiences not just with its scares, but how strong of an effort the makers behind The Invisible Man churned out. This movie essentially feels like the proper beginning of the dark universe being reborn as it's wonderfully crafted, extremely well-acted, brilliantly written, and effectively directed with impressive CGI for the shots that reveal the invisible man in the story (A subplot that comes with a clever twist explaining how such a phenomenon is able to take place in the story). For everything that Tom Cruise's The Mummy gets wrong, The Invisible Man gets right while managing to course-correct the early mistakes of the dark universe. The film is not just a testimony of how to make a proper horror movie that's effective with strong characters, it also provides hope for movie fans that there is still room for taking classic material and properly revitalizing them into reboots that can actually work.

      The acting by the films main cast is not only convincing but ends up being one of the strongest elements of the film, that makes its story work in terms of being believable. Elisabeth Moss turns in a strong performance as the films main lead Cecilia, making the audience empathize with her character as she comes across as being both vulnerable and strong. She not only does very well with bringing her character to life on the screen, but also manages to carry the film with the strength of her character. She perfectly conveys her characters paranoia and mental suffering to a T. In the role of the invisible man, Oliver Jackson-Cohen does well with his part as Cecilias ex-boyfriend Adrian Griffin, though the role leaves much to the audiences imagination in regards to the mystery of the character such as his history of being abusive to Cecilia prior to the films opening sequence. As far as the characters aggressive and sinister nature goes, Cohen nails the part down pretty well making his character both disturbing and creepy to the audience. Aldis Hodge impresses in the role of James Lanier, Cecelia's childhood friend and San Francisco police detective who helps her get away from her aggressive boyfriend at first then struggles to make sense of her characters actions when she is stalked by the invisible man. Hodge does well with conveying his characters skepticism and lack of belief in his friends claims while slowly putting the pieces together. Storm Reid shines in the role of James daughter Sydney with Harriet Dyer also being effective as Cecelia's friend as well as James ex'wife and Sydney's mother Emily. Michael Dorman delivers a notable performance as Adrian's brother and lawyer Tom Griffin with his character being effective in regards to the audience questioning his motives or whether he's in on terrorizing Cecilia in an effort to help Adrian. The cast as a whole has much to do with why this film turned out to be as good as it ultimately ends up being with the performances from the ensemble here not disappointing. Each actor and actress feels just right for their parts and brings much-needed life to them as well with each giving the film a shot of adrenaline, that makes the whole experience not only more exciting but compelling.

      The films directing by Leigh Whannell can best be described as being inspired and full of creativity. This is a director whose energetic about retelling the classic story and does so in a fashion that feels both grand, and like a great deal of thought went into making this film work. Whannell sets up an atmosphere that feels dark and mysterious with the tension steadily being built up throughout the course of the film. This is where he proves most effective as being the films director, while managing to get good performances out of his cast. The films visual effects sequences are well done but limited with the ones shown leaving an impression on the viewer as it adds to the mystical element of Adrian's character being invisible. The moments where the invisible Man is revealed are perfect and provide solid jump scares for the audience. One watching the sequences with the invisible man stalking Cecilia with glimpses of his true form being revealed generate flashbacks to both Carpenter's film as well as Verhoeven's Hollow Man. The visual effects work here is both cleverly and impressively done with it being further complimented by the films strong cinematography. The score by Benjamin Wallfisch is solid and helps to give the film an Alfred Hitchcock style feel to it in a vein similar to Psycho (An approach that Whannell looks like he models the film to take as it often gives off a Hitchcock style vibe to it. There's even a shower scene involving the main character in the film, which was added to imply that Cecilia was being terrorized by Adrian in his invisible form), with the music being exciting and full of suspense. The films editing and pacing feels just perfect for the story with the wheels continuously moving in regards to the film never losing the momentum it builds beginning with its thrilling opening sequence. Whannell made a terrific choice with the films opening sequence as it sets the tone of the film up immediately while creating a great deal of mystery for the audience. The best thing that can be said about the film is how it wastes no time in getting directly to the point with drawing its audience into the story with the bizarre scenario it presents. As a film that's meant to both entertain as well as thrill and scare, Leigh Whannell ultimately proves to be the ideal choice for the film as he gives the audience relatable characters while surrounding them with Hitchcock style suspense, that's reinforced by the films solid and effective mood.

     The screenplay also by Whannell, feels just right in terms of setting up the films story and characters with enough mystery behind them being left without going into excessive elaboration. The film never feels as if too little exploration of the characters is presented with the screenplay having the appropriate balance of character development mixed with a masterful buildup of suspense and paranoia. Right from the start, audiences immediately connect with Cecilia's character given her plight in the beginning while wondering about the dangers of Adrian's character. Adrian's character is presented as being mysterious and threatening with no backstory shown revolving around his character other than what the audience is told about him, as well as Cecilia's desperation to get away from him. Whereas some audiences may complain about the lack of development with Adrian's character and see it as a fault with the film, it actually manages to work in it's favor with creating an antagonist that the audience doesn't know much about background wise, but are ultimately intimidated as well as terrified by him. The rest of the films characters receive reasonable character development with them all feeling like they fit their proper places within the story. One can tell that a great deal of thought went into the script in regards to bringing the concept to a modern era along with giving the audience characters and twists, that manage to keep the audience glued to the screen. The Invisible Man succeeds in taking the original story and modernizing it for today's audiences, while giving them a thrill ride that's full of suspense and excitement. The films key moments that make it work are the moments when Cecilia suspects that her ex is near, or unknowingly steps away from the camera with the audience witnessing something in the background occur. Those scenes are highly effective in giving the audience the impression without showing much of anything that the invisible man is near. To some, not showing much of him in the film can make it less scary or suspenseful. However, if classic horror movies like Halloween and Alien taught moviegoers anything, it's that showing less can have a far greater impact on audiences rather than showing too much of something. The Invisible Man's script has a healthy balance of leaving much to the audiences imagination in regards to the character, while keeping the central focus of the film on Cecilia's character with the film being shown through her perspective. The films climactic scene and end twist is both shocking and clever with audiences being taken aback by it, though nonetheless appreciating the twist and turns the film delivers up to that point. It's good to see that with todays horror movies becoming more reliant on gore to keep audience in suspense, The Invisible Man relies on old school build up of suspense and characters to make everything work (A job that the film does very well).

      Audiences at this point should consider this film to be the official launching pad for the new era of dark universe films as the film manages to do what Tom Cruise's The Mummy couldn't for fans (In retrospect, that film wasn't as bad as what both critics and audiences made it out to be, it suffered from living in the shadow of the Stephen Sommer and Brendan Fraser films). For those who were profoundly disappointed with that movie, The Invisible Man reassures horror fans that it's possible to bring these classic concepts back, and make them work effectively in today's realm of filmmaking. The Invisible Man is one of the years most impressive films, as well as being an extremely well put together tale that rightfully serves as being both dark and creepy. The film is extremely well-executed, well-written and directed with top notch effects and cinematography accompanying its strong storytelling. It's not what's on the screen that terrorizes audiences, it's what's not present or shown that leaves a far greater impact on them, even after the credits roll. As writer and director Leigh Whannell shows, there's still tricks that filmmakers hoping to retell or reimagine classic horror concepts can pull to breathe new life into their stories, while showing that the game isn't entirely over for Hollywood in terms of creativity. Those craving for the proper restarting of the dark universe or those looking for a solid horror thriller should look no further as they will not be left disappointed.

Final Verdict: For those looking for a strong horror movie as well as a solid retelling of a classic dark universe tale, The Invisible Man is worth watching and will leave many surprised, particularly those going expecting it to be weak.

The Call Of The Wild Takes Its Classic Source Material And Reimagines It For Todays Generation With Satisfying Results

    

      Making a film that's based around the journey of the main character with the twist being they're an animal is a tricky endeavor. The makers behind the story must not only craft the film in a way that makes it believable to audiences, but also appealing in terms of selling it while making them emotionally invested in both the story and characters. In the case of The Call Of The Wild, the stories main focus centers around a big-hearted dog named Buck, who goes on a journey that ultimately reveals his true station in life. Based on a classic novel by Jack London, the story of The Call Of The Wild has seen numerous versions of its timeless story brought to the big screen from the 1935 version to Charlton Heston's 1972 version. The new version of the story places Harrison Ford in a key essential role as Jack Thorton, a lonely and grieving old man who befriends Buck on his life-changing journey. Boasted by a heavy use of CGI as well as a sentimental approach to retelling the story on the big screen once again, the latest version of The Call Of The Wild proves to be a reasonably satisfying remake of the classic novel that carries with it heart.

      Based on the 1935 novel, The Call Of The Wild focuses on the life of a sled dog named Buck with him moving from one adventure to another during the course of the 19th century Yukon gold rush. The newest version of The Call Of The Wild aims to not just be a typical film for audiences, but an experience that takes them on a journey with Buck showing both his struggles and triumphs in regards to finding his place in the world. One gets the feeling upon watching the film that a great deal of heart went into bringing the story to the big screen in a new form that hasn't been shown before. The audience grows to care about Buck throughout the course of the story, making his journey both an impactful and personal one for them to experience. His relationship with Jack becomes the heart of the story with the audience anticipating their union as the film progresses. The audience also grows to care about his relationship with his sled masters Perrault and his assistant Francoise. The
Call Of The Wild aims to create an
emotional journey for it audience while providing an uplifting message behind it, which says that one should not only find their place in life but live life to the fullest. It's ultimately a film that has its heart in the right place with the intention of making its audience feel a certain ounce of emotion. The movie is told with such a large amount of affection behind its story, that one can almost pardon the fact that the films overuse of CGI for the animals can become a bit distracting at times.

      One of the films key elements that makes it as effective as it ultimately turns out to be as a moving drama, is the strong performances from its main cast with Harrison Ford in particular as the the main human lead playing an elderly man named Jack Thorton, whose both lonely and grieving the loss of his son. Ford handles his role well bringing much compassion and believability to his character being both a depressed and grieving father, who shares a unique experience with Buck. Ford does a terrific job in carrying a lot of tragedy and mystery to his characters past in a way which makes the audience wonder about what happened to his character prior, while becoming connected with Jack. He does some powerful stuff here with his performance and like Buck, becomes the heart of the film. Omar Sy also impresses as Perrault, Bucks second owner whose shown to be both brave and adventurous with leading his sled dog team, with Buck as his head, on a difficult trip across Yukon Territory. Sy does a solid job of making his character likeable​ with showing him to be tough in pushing his sled team, but also seeing something special in Buck which ultimately makes him the leader of the team. Dan Stevens makes the most of his part of playing Hal, a one-dimensional antagonist in the story whose insistent on pushing his dogs to achieve his goal of finding lost gold regardless of the dangers that such a streneous task would have upon them. His character though effective, often feels like he doesn't have much of a purpose in the story other than to be the one main villain, who gets in Bucks way ultimately blocking his path. Despite the questioning behind the necessity of his character in the film, Stevens makes Hal effective as a character that the audience loves to hate. Other strong supporting roles in the film are Cara Gee as Francoise, Perrault's assistant and lover in their leading of the dog team across Yukon Territory. Gee's character doesn't immediately come across as being particularly likable due to her early mistreatment of Buck, but ends up experiencing a change of heart when he rescues her in a thrilling sequence later in the story. Gee brings with her a certain pride to her characters culture, as well as the skepticism of the audience in regards to wondering what Perrault and Jack ultimately see in Buck. Other notable performances are Bradley Whitford in his brief but effective role as Judge Miller, the original master of Buck in the films opening whom he was content with before being taken away, Karen Gillian as Mercedes, sister of Hal and wife of Charles, who takes pity upon the animals when witnessing the mistreatment they receive from Hal, and Colin Woddell as Hals brother-in-law and husband of Mercedes Charles. As a whole the cast for The Call Of The Wild proves to be a strong ensemble, that's well-put together with each actor/actress giving performances that adds something deeper to the film. One can clearly see the affection that the actors/actresses have for the story as they bring their characters to life in a way, that makes them totally convincing and believable while making Bucks journey a more special and powerful one. Despite the strong work that Ford gives with his performance, it also feels like he gets upstaged at times by Omar Sy and Cara Gee's characters as a sizable chunk of the film focuses on their experience with Buck before reverting back to his arc with Jack. On an acting note, the performances not only deliver but manage to add soul to the film.

      As a whole, the directing by Chris Sanders does an adequate job of bringing the classic novel to life on the big screen in a way that not only brings its world to life in a way that's exciting, but makes it appealing to the audience both visually and emotionally. The film is simply breathtaking to watch with it's stunning cinematography and background settings that include snowy mountains, stunning lakes, and forests (The Yukon territory scenes in particular are beautiful to watch). One of the films key action sequences that's masterfully shot is the avalanche scene involving Buck and the other dogs leading their masters on the sled they're pulling to safety. It's a sequence that's both breathtaking and every bit as thrilling to watch on the screen. Of all the different versions of The Call To The Wild brought to the big screen, the new version is the most impressive on a visual note with this version carrying the strongest production values. Sanders directs the film with a steady hand and gets genuine performances out of his actors. The film boasts a collection of thrilling set pieces that help to keep the audience engaged in the story, particularly the scenes involving Buck driving the sled or his fight with the jealous rival animal leader of the dog sled team. The films magic kicks in during its most powerful moments such as the scene where Buck moves to take the lead of Perrault's dogsled group, as well as the quiet moments between him and Jack. It's those tender moments between the humans and Buck where the films true power comes to life, and is expressed on the screen. The films overall foundation feels well-crafted and put together with a focused narrative for the most part, tight pacing, and a mystical atmosphere that feels just right for the film. The films use of CGI is impressive for the most part with the animals looking visually striking. There are some scenes where the animals effects aren't quite as convincing but not poorly handled to the point where it takes the viewer out of the movie. The score by John Powell is well done and hits all the right notes in regards to enhancing the films excitement and drama. The directing by Sanders as a whole is commendable with how he creates an atmosphere that instantly brings the audience into the story, as well as keeping them engaged. The films success was always going to hinge on whether audiences could buy into how real the animals appeared with Sanders ultimately pulling it off to where the audience can see the emotion on Bucks face, as well as the other animals in moments where their either being mistreated or experience dire situations making them appear almost human. As a family-friendly vehicle, The Call Of The Wild is a film that's handled very well by its filmmaker with a great amount of passion and love for its story.

      The films screenplay by Michael Green succeeds in trading the novels dark elements in exchange for creating a thrilling and emotionally powerful journey of self-discovery, that works as being a family-friendly experience. The film carries all the elements to make for an enjoyable yet effective adventure film with themes such as friendship, family, self-love, greed, legends, grieving, and exploring undiscovered places. The character of Buck is presented as being a three dimensional character, who fulfills a full-blown arc of going from being a dog whose content with his place in the world in the beginning to ultimately discovering where he belongs, which is with the rest of the animals in nature. Harrison Fords character Jack provides the narration of the film with him explaining to the audience what's happening in the story. The problem with this addition to the story is he describes events and moments that his character wasn't present for, making the scenario feel less real. Another issue with the film is the main antagonist Hal played by Dan Stevens. Hals character comes across as feeling one-on-one and doesn't serve much purpose in the story other than to be the generic bad guy, who must ruin the feel good experience that Buck and Jack have with their journey together. Hals character also feels like he holds back Jack's character in the story as he ultimately doesn't receive as full of a completed character arc resolution that Buck has in the story. The screenplays main highlights are the action scenes with the heart of the film being Bucks self-discovery. If one is looking for more depth and character exploration with the key figures in the story (Or want more insight into Jack's mysterious yet tragic past), they should choose the short novel instead as the film that director Chris Sanders and writer Michael Green give audiences, aims more at presenting them with an experience that's not only grand but both heartwarming and life-changing.

      Overall, The Call Of The Wild overcomes its main flaws and succeeds in giving audiences the feel good experience that the film was designed to deliver. The film is boasted by strong performances, solid CGI, spectacular cinematography with many shots and scenery being breathtaking to watch, along with a moving score by John Powell to make it worthwhile for audiences. The character development may not be as in-depth as the book, and the films narration by Harrison Ford may feel as if its stating the obvious at times, but what's shown is a well-crafted story that's told with both heart and dedication to get it right while honoring its source material. The character of Buck proves to be a likable and strong protagonist that the audience can get behind with Ford's involvement in the film being an added plus. Given that the project is Chris Sanders first live-action directed film (His previous works dealt with animation with films such as Lilo And Stitch and How To Train Your Dragon), he does a fairly impressive job of creating the films visual world while bringing the main characters to life in a form that makes them relatable and sympathetic to audiences. Those watching the film will be hard-pressed not to feel something for Buck in the scenes where he either is being mistreated or separated from a loved one. As a film that aims to reimagine it's classic source material, as well as upgrading it for today's generation of audiences, The Call Of The Wild succeeds along with providing a vital message that pertains to humanity as a whole, whether it's human or dog. It's an experience that's best experienced and enjoyed by the whole family on the conditions that a box of tissues is placed nearby for the films ending. 

Final Verdict: For both Harrison Ford fans and those looking for a film that's a faithful adaptation of a classic novel, The Call Of The Wild is an experience thats worth watching. 

Netflix's 6 Underground Delivers On Its Promise To Provide High-Octane Action Despite Uneven Storytelling

      In an era where comic book films dominate the slate of new movies released in theaters, streaming services such as Netflix and Disney Plus aim to give audiences the original content they've been craving for. With Netflix, the popular streaming service has made a strong effort to expand its variety with producing not just its own shows, but original content in the realm of Cinema with recent hits such as Bright, The Cloverfield Paradox, Roma, The Christmas Chronicles, Bird Box, and The Irishman. With 6 Underground, the intent behind its production is to create a new action franchise, that Netflix can capitalize off with the combination of Ryan Reynolds in the main role along with Michael Bay as director. Released by Netflix on December 13, 2019, 6 Underground became a huge success for Netflix with the film being viewed by a whopping 83 million members within a time period of four weeks despite receiving mixed reviews from critics. Having seen 6 Underground, one can say that the film is best enjoyed by those not looking for a deep thought-provoking story, but prefer to see Michael Bay do this thing in terms of performing his traditional style of action movie mayhem (Or "Bayhem" as his critics call it), along with capitalizing off Reynolds status as being both a charismatic and likable action star. To put it blatantly, 6 Underground is a loud, silly, relentless, frantic, and absurd action flick that's unapologetic in entertaining its audience, though it does so ultimately while utilizing all of Bay's classic trademarks as a filmmaker.

      The plot for 6 Underground centers around a group of international commandos under the leadership of a tech billionaire named One (Played by Ryan Reynolds), find themselves being presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity that requires the erasing of their histories, along with going off the grid in order to fight for justice more freely. If one enjoys the body of work that Michael Bay has produced throughout his career minus the numerous Transformers sequels, chances are they will like this film as well and accept it for what it is, as it's undeniably entertaining and fun to watch. The plot for 6 Underground feels like a mixture of A-Team mixed with The Expendables with all three stories revolving around diverse teams of individuals fighting against corrupt dictatorships. Upon watching the film, it's no mystery why both Michael Bay and Ryan Reynolds were attracted to the script, as it contains elements that allows both men to put their talents on full display with the end result proving to be a well-blending of the two worlds. Bay's unusual style of directing kinetic action mixed with fast-cuts, quick flashes, constant shaky camera movement, and frantic pacing goes hand in hand with Reynolds quick wit and heavy sarcasm, making him the appealing lead star in the film. This film knows that it's a Michael Bay flick and doesn't shy away from that fact, but capitalizes on its filmmakers ambition to be loud and insane with directing action. The film has one clear agenda behind it which is to entertain its audience with a disregard on how to achieve that goal. The film places heavy emphasis on the way it's filmed in regards to its style rather than storytelling with the films characters coming across as appearing to be rather shallow in terms of development. While the film was never designed to be a strong character study nor have tons of backstory in regards to its plot, it aims to be an experience that's full of explosions, car chases, and traditional action movie mayhem with the end result being it succeeds at doing so even if it comes across as being ridiculous at times (The films opening car chase for example, is full of unnecessary slow-motion shots and excessive gore including Reynolds character holding an eye of one of the antagonists killed early on in the film. It is a sequence that's both over-the-top and crude as it demands the audience to be both shocked at, as well as laugh at its absurdity). The film aims to ultimately be a fun yet bizarre ride for audiences with it not appearing to care how crude its humor can come across as being at certain points.

      Besides Bay's masterful directing of action sequences, the film mainly works due to its strong ensemble cast, all of whom showcase believable chemistry. Ryan Reynolds proves to be a brilliant choice as the films main lead One, with him being able to make the character both appealing as well as a delight to watch despite a lack of backstory. Reynolds has the right balance of humor, charm, and seriousness that makes him a perfect fit in the main role with him having moments where he brings the same style of wittiness and sarcasm, that made him popular playing Deadpool to the character. He helps to elevate the film from the shortcomings of its script and encourages the rest of the main cast to do the same. Melanie Laurent shines in her role as Camille/Two, showing audiences that she's the one person in the group who can effectively shoot guns and fight along with extending her talents as an actress. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo does well in his role as three, even managing to steal the show from the rest of the cast in certain scenes. Ben Hardy and Adria Arjona both impress in their roles as four and five along with Dave Franco and Corey Hawkins as characters six and seven. As a whole, the immediate ensemble cast works extremely well together and demonstrates strong chemistry, making the audience want to see them succeed on their mission despite not getting much of opportunity to know each person on a deep level as their character development is rather shallow. Other notable performances are Lior Raz as the films main antagonist Rovach Alimov, a brutal and cold Turgistan dictator with Payman Maadi as his reverse brother Murat Alimov, the person that One's team wants to swap Rovach out with ultimately. Regardless of how one feels towards Bay's films in general, it can always be agreed upon that he always manages to put together a strong group of actors/actresses that can bring life into characters who appear to be hollow with the reliance on those performers to make them believable to the audience in a way that's both convincing, and doesn't make them ask too many questions with the films primary focus being directed towards the plot, which ultimately justifies the films insane action sequences. The cast of 6 Underground prove to be economical and highly effective in making the film ultimately work along with appeal bring brought to the group.

      On a directing note, the film is directed with the same intense style and energy that Bay brings to all of his previous films up to this point. One can't help but wonder if Bay has a childlike mind to where he feels he must top each action sequence he's done before previously with something even bigger and extreme than before, almost as if he wants to overpower the audience with the action he puts on the screen. 6 Underground is undeniable proof that Bay has a clear agenda in regards to his desire of entertaining his audience to maximum effect, even if that intent comes with potentially blowing out the screen of their television sets. With the film, Bay knows exactly what he wants to show on the big screen and directs the film with that vision, allowing no restrictions or barriers to hold him back. One can essentially say that much like his work on The Transformers franchise, this is essentially Michael Bay unleashed with the main difference being he has a more grounded script with characters and a serviceable plot he can play with, along with pop culture references he can turn to for support in gluing all the pieces together. Just when one thought that Bay couldn't get anymore over-the-top and unfiltered after unleashing the Transformers sequels on the world, here comes 6 Underground with Bay demonstrating that there's no limit or roof to his extreme desire of entertaining his audience. Here he provides them with an endless combination of loud noises, gorgeous explosions, exotic females that are meant for the sole purpose of male audiences to gaze at, lots of blood, gore, and high-octane action that comes with nearly all of his films. As excessive and ridiculous as that description of those elements sound, they all manage to blend together to create an experience that's ultimately a wild ride. Bay knows who his audience is and aims relentlessly aims for them in confidence that they'll back for more with his future projects. The cinematography is well-shot with the scenery being gorgeously filmed, particularly the films action and chase sequences. Bay has a constant rythm in how he films his action sequences with the cinematography capturing all the scenes striking colors mixed with gunfire and the main characters yelling and screaming at each other. The film even includes his trademark moments of the sun setting in the background. The films editing keeps the film moving relatively steady enough to where it doesn't feel like it overstays its 2 hour running time along with being shorter than the typical 2.5 to 3 hour running time that often comes with a Bay flick. While much can be said about Bay as a filmmaker, one thing that can be said for certain about him is he knows how to make his films look appealing on a visual front with a consistent focus on fast cars, gorgeous women, and a heavy emphasis on human carnage with brains and blood being particularly focused on. Whereas Bay continues to struggle as a storyteller, he excels as being a visionary action filmmaker who knows the mechanics of delivering a solid action flick, along with giving people their money's worth.

\

      The films screenplay by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese serves as providing the foundation for Bay to conduct his routine style of delivering action mayhem. They succeed in giving the film a plot and characters, that the audience can follow in a straight-forward fashion without much confusion as to what's happening. The writers even go as far as to give brief moments of character development for the members of One's group to provide an anchor for the audience to become somewhat connected to the team. While those moments are greatly appreciated, they appear to be few and far between with the characters still remaining one-dimensional. The concept of replacing one evil dictator with his more righteous brother sounds interesting on paper with it ultimately being a strong premise, though it genuinely feels like its not fully developed here as the audience doesn't really connect with the righteous brother to care enough about the switch. Despite a strong performance from Ryan Reynolds in the main role, the character of One comes across as feeling rather bland with the audience having numerous questions about his backstory that never get answered. The main characters are shown to have faked their deaths so they can officially join the Underground 6 team in order to seek further justice, but they're never shown to really be affected by such a decision nor the emotional impact that it has on the loved ones they left behind. The script feels like a compiling of underdeveloped ideas, that's jumbled together to provide a vehicle for the filmmakers to deliver popcorn entertainment. The biggest flaw with the script is there's not enough substance there to get the audience emotionally invested in the story outside of the films action set pieces. The concept of seven people attempting to change the reign of a ruthless dictator, who rules with an iron fist while using gas on his own people is promising though never utilized to its full potential. One wishes that enough character elaboration on each member of the Underground team was given to where their connections to the films main antagonist became more clear along with the strengthening of their resolve to overthrow him.

      To reaffirm the obvious, 6 Underground is a mess but an enjoyable one which ultimately gives its audience the popcorn entertainment they desire that's not comic book related. The film is a prime example of style being put over substance, though it still manages to deliver on its promise to entertain despite feeling that it goes to extreme lengths to do so. An example is the films opening car chase that feels as if Bay is trying his hardest to draw the audience into the story while finding every absurd way of catching their eye. The film provides impressive action sequences that are constantly being switched up throughout the course of the film to keep audiences excited and not run the risk of being bored (The opening car chase, action sequence in Hong Kong, and final fight scene are prime examples). Given what one expects from a typical Michael Bay flick, 6 Underground meets those expectations head on while possessing the same consistent issues that plagued his previous works. One of the main problems that keeps Bay struggling on the storytelling front, is the way he edits his films with 6 Underground's suffering on that front as well. Although the films pacing remains consistent, the editing is both choppy and all over the place leading to the flow of the story being compromised as well as the tone of the film. Whereas the film has a scene that's presented as being dramatic, it's generally followed up afterwards by a scene that showcases humor that's either forced or just falls flat. This not only confuses the audience but makes one wonder whether this film was meant to be a serious one with its somewhat thought-provoking plot or an action comedy.  The films editing becomes one of its greatest downfalls, though the soundtrack by Lorne Balfe proves to be effective and helps bring out both the excitement of the action scenes as well as the emotion of the characters. Under no circumstances can 6 Underground be considered a great film, but it also has enough positive elements going for it to save it from being on par with the quality of Bay's worst works ( The Transformers sequels, anyone?). It's neither his best movie nor his worst, but what it sets out to do it achieves with wanting to provide both relentless carnage and mayhem for its audience. The plot is predictable as the audience knows the team will inevitably succeed in the end and switch out the brothers, but the ride there is both an explosive and awkward one that one can't help but find some form of entertainment value in it's determination to thrill. As long as one shuts off their brain, they'll be entertained by 6 Underground but won't think much else of it afterwards.

Final Verdict: For action fans as well as fans of both Ryan Reynolds and Michael Bay, 6 Underground is worth watching so long as one doesn't look too deep into its plot and not notice its shortcomings.

Dolittle Is A Fun Yet Mediocre Family-Friendly Adventure That Works Best When Aimed At Young Audiences

     

      Bringing a beloved children's classic back to life on the big screen and rebooting it can be both a daunting and challenging task as the filmmakers behind the newer version have to not only live up to the legacy of the brands name, but make the story their own along with adding freshness to it. In the case of Rex Harrison's 1967 classic Doctor Dolittle, the standard was set for future remakes to meet with their different portrayals of the character. The first attempt at remaking the classic story came in 1998 with Eddie Murphy's​ hit remake of the same title. The 1998 remake of Doctor Dolittle, proved to be such a bit hit with audiences that it led to the spawning of two sequels, the first of which was released in 2001, followed by a direct to video spin-off sequel released in 2006, this time without Eddie Murphy in the main lead but his characters daughter Maya Dolittle (Played by Kyla Pratt). With the old Doctor Dolittle franchise having wore out it's welcome, Universal Studios sought to reimagine the classic story of an eccentic Doctor who can talk to and aid animals through a different lense. Serving as a reboot of Rex Harrison's Doctor Dolittle film, the new version which stars Robert Downey Jr. in the main lead aims to reintroduce the character to today's generation of young kids along with his modern comedy counterparts. For young audiences, the new Doctor Dolittle may be entertaining and appealing enough to enchant them with the films main character, as well as his relationship with this animal counterparts. For others, the film while not being as terrible as what many critics and audiences make it out to be, suffers from having far too many familiar subplots that's been done before in previous films with the overall film struggling to find a life of it's own. As a movie, Dolittle appears to fare its strongest when it aims to entertain its young target audience, elevating it to the point of being watchable largely thanks to the charismatic performance of its main star and the films noble intention to provide a harmless family-friendly adventure for its audience.

      Based on the titular character created by High Lofting, along with being inspired by the authors second Doctor Dolittle book titled The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, the plot for Dolittle centers around a veterinarian (Played by Robert Downey Jr.), who carries an unusual ability of being able to converse with animals, being granted a piece of land to use as an animal sanctuary, where he can care for animals that can protect
themselves. When his wife dies in a tragic accident at sea, he retreats and becomes a recluse until he's called upon to save the life of a poisoned young Queen Victoria, otherwise him and his animals will lose their home. On paper, Dolittle's story sounds good and has potential to take the character in a deeper direction than what the previous film adaptations of the character have presented. The ultimate disappointment with the film is how the film teases such an ambitious yet promising desire to give a more personalized version of Dolittle's story but instead opts for a generic one in which the main character must save his animals and their home along with rescuing a person of loyalty from a sinister plot that's unraveling behind the scenes. It's not that Dolittle's plot isn't an interesting one, it's that it's plot has too many elements that feel generic and have been directly lifted from other films. While the overall film itself is mildly entertaining at best, it lacks inspiration and drive behind its storytelling with Robert Downey Jr's performance essentially being the films main saving grace. While his animal counterparts can be both charming and fun to watch at times with the performances of the voice actors along with their personalities, they lack the memorability of ones from Eddie Murphy's films with examples being Dolittle's dog from the first film or the bear Archie he helps in the second. While those films certainly weren't perfect, they succeeded at being harmless fun for young audiences and families.
Dolittle aims to be the same though one gets the feeling upon watching it that both the cast and filmmakers were trying to add something special to the film, even if it doesn't quite meet the intent for it that both the filmmakers as well as Universal pictures had in mind. The film can best be described as being a mixed bag as young audiences are sure to get a kick out of seeing Iron Man play such a whacky character like Dolittle, along with seeing him interact with the live talking animals, though they may not find much interest in the films general plot. If one looks at Dolittle through the lense of being a young child experiencing it then it works just fine as being a fun adventure, that carries with it a reasonable dose of heart. However, if one is expecting Dolittle
to be full of substance as a film, than one will see that it comes across as appearing rather weak despite an impressive visual style.

      The films key ingredient as well as it's main saving grace, is the acting performance of its main star. With the role of Doctor Dolittle, Robert Downey Jr. delivers a whacky yet likable performance as the gifted vet, who goes from experiencing loss to caring for animals. One does question why he chose to portray the character as being bumbly with the end result being a strange yet effective performance. With his role, Downey creates a character that young people can look up to while flat out saving the film from being a complete mess as the film struggles when he's not around. His portrayal of the character is different than what Rex Harrison and Eddie Murphy brought to their films, making the distinctness that each actor brings to their portrayals ultimately what makes them worth watching. While it can be argued that Downey Jr. goes overboard with the mumbling aspect of his character, he does his absolute best to inject some fun and energy to the film when it becomes clear that it's severely lacking in it at points. Michael Sheen does the best he can as Dolittle's rival (Also serving as being the films main antagonist), Dr. Blair Mudfly, an old schoolmate of Dolittle who gradually becomes impressed by his special ability to communicate with animals. Sheen knows exactly what type of film he's in and chooses to make the most of it by hamming up the camp aspect of his character. Other strong supporting roles from the human actors are Harry Collet as Tommy Stubbins, Dolittle's self-appointed apprentice. Collet shines in his supporting role and showcases strong chemistry working alongside Downey Jr. Carmel Laniado also impresses like Collet in the role of the Queen's maid of honor Lady Rose, who also becomes Tommy's friend. Collet and Laniado work well together with the audience buying into their fairly convincing friendship/romance. Antonio Banderas makes the best of his minimal yet pivotal role as the king of pirates and Lily's father King Rassouli, with Banderas making his character fun, likable, and understanding to a certain extent. Other noteworthy supporting roles are Jim Broadbent as the Queen's dishonest chairmen Lord Thomas Badgley, and Jessie Buckley as Queen Victoria. As for Dolittle's animal counterparts, the film features a star-studded cast of voices ranging from Emma Thompson as Polynesia a wise and brave macaw whose Dolittle's most trusted advisor, Rami Malek as the cowardly but noble gorilla Chee-Chee, John Cena as the happy-go-lucky though consistently cold polar bear named Yoshi, Octavia Spencer as the the helpful yet deluded duck with a metal leg named Dab-Dab, Tom Holland as the loyal lurcher Jip who wears glasses, Ralph Fiennes as the aggressive tiger Barry who shares a past with Dolittle, along with a desire to please his mom, Selena Gomez as the friendly giraffe Betsy, and Marrion Cotillard as the French fox Tutu. Like the human actors, the voice actors/actresses of the animal counterparts all work well together in their attempts to inject some much-anticipated charm to the film with the casts strong chemistry. It helps that the voice actors are all diverse in both their talents and skills, that they help to make the scenes more interesting and fun to watch when the film stalls at certain points. The cast for Dolittle remains one of the films strongest points, as well as being its primary saving grace as the talents of all those involved make the film at the very least watchable.

      As far as the films directing goes, the work done by Stephen Gaghan is nothing impressive to write home about, but feels rather serviceable for the type of family film that Dolittle comes across as being. Given that Gaghan's previous work includes hard-hitting dramas such as Traffic and
Syriana, it's interesting to see him take a story that's the exact opposite of his past efforts and give it a complete child-like atmosphere with a rebellious nature to it as the film doesn't exactly fit with the flow of recent mainstream releases. The strength of Gaghan's effort as director lies within the films visual elements such as it's cinematography, art-set decoration, and costume design. These elements all blend well together and help bring the audience into the films time period. The usage of CGI for the animals is convincing for the most part despite moments where its realism goes into question. Two moments in the film where the CGI is effectively used in a way that makes it appealing, are the films opening where the audience gets a lengthy sequence explaining the origins of Dolittle and how he became a recluse from society due to the loss of his wife. The second sequence involves Dolittle caring for a dragon, who could pass as being a distant relative of Smaug from The Hobbit trilogy due to both sharing similar physical features. The films editing keeps the story progressively moving for it's 100 minute running time, never making the film feel as if it's boring nor moving too slow. Considering that Gaghan feels like a rather left-field choice for helming this type of film compared to his previous body of work, his directing with Dolittle proves to be surprising serviceable as he gives the film the appropriate tone the plot and main character requires in regards to being both strange and unusual. The main issue with his directing however, lies within the fact that the movie appears to be confused on which specific audience it aims for with the film appearing to specifically target young kids, but carries with it a plot that aims for older audiences with a mixture of Ace Ventura meets Indiana Jones with a touch of Sherlock Holmes to it. One gets the feeling upon watching Dolittle that there's two different films trapped together in the version that audiences ultimately received for better or worse.

      Another element that helps reinforce the idea that the film is confused on whether it wants to be a kids film or one for mature audiences, is the films script written by Gaghan, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand. The script for Dolittle aims to be a comedy adventure aimed for kids, that carries with it a solving a mystery aspect to it's story. At the core of the film, the story is essentially about being different as evidenced by Dolittle's character with the overall message saying that it's fine to be unusual so long as it's in a positive way. The film explores themes that pertain to the death of a loved one, differences, adventure, guilt, abandonment, courage, confidence, teamwork, and friendship with an overall message that says by helping others, we can help ourselves. The films adventure aspects along with Dolittle's relationship with his animals, gives audiences the belief that the film was aimed for children. The film has numerous comedic moments, that fall into the category of being completely strange and random in an attempt to generate numerous laughs with examples such as a scene involving a whale flipping off humans with its fin, followed by a scene where the main character is disimpacting a dragon's clogged bowels (Yes, really). Both moments in the film are presented as being so absurd and over-the-top, that audiences can't help but laugh at the films desire to be strange with moments like those. One of the screenplays strongest elements that it introduces and quickly shies away from, is the backstory with Dolittle's character. The films opening sequence gives audiences the false impression that the story despite being family oriented with tons of humor, was going to take a more personal and dramatic approach with showing the origin story of Doctor Dolittle. What began as a promising and strong start for the reimagining of the character, that could've ended with an uplifting message regarding one finding their calling in life again, quickly evaporates into a generic adventure story revolving around a secluded and eccentric character, that's forced out of solitude to do a good deed for others when realizing what's ultimately at stake. The side characters come across as feeling forced and forgettable as they aren't developed fully enough for audiences to become invested in them. Despite the strong performances that both Michael Sheen and Antonio Banderas deliver with their roles, their characters aren't explored enough for the audience to  become invested in them, ultimely coming across as feeling like generic tropes. The biggest problem that lies with the script, is the films failure to explore the origins of Dolitte's character in-depth rather than giving audiences a vague explanation with the films brief yet strong opening.

    Overall, the film is not the disaster that it's been made out to be by both the critics and the media, but its also not a terrific effort either. It falls somewhere in the realm of being passable entertainment for young audiences, though not much else when directed towards adults. This movie works best in that regard with much of the humor being aimed towards them (Examples are farting animals, animals kicking each other in the balls, etc), along with the films overall intent to make them smile, laugh, and appreciate all living animals shown in the film in addition to finding an idol in Dolittle. Perhaps this is where the films greatest strength lies in regards to its entertainment value, as it it doesn't work very well when aimed at the rest of the general moviegoing audience. The voyage and adventure that Dolittle and his companions endure gives the film a Pirates Of The Caribbean type feel to it that only adds to the bizareness of its plot, while solidifying the argument that this film should've been directly aimed at kids all along rather than trying to appease to both groups. It can be argued that the films main character was ultimately robbed of his true origin story, but the end result isn't void of its entertainment value despite possessing it on such on a mild level. As a regular film aimed at the general audience, Dolittle falls short of expectations and ultimately serves as being an unusual misfire. However as a film that's aimed at young children, it manages to work very strongly as it can essentially be accepted for what it is. Depending though on the age of the person watching it, they may only watch it once and revert back to the previous films for more enjoyment. Dolittle works best as a mildly fun adventure film, that's aimed directly for young children as they won't care for many of the films issues that ultimately hold it back such as its blandness, the lack of true character development, a narrative that can leave much to be desired at times, uneven CGI in certain places, and jokes that either land or miss the mark. If looks at Dolittle from that perspective, it works as being an appealing misfire given that it essentially disappoints in every other aspect of filmmaking.

Final Verdict: For fans of the series or those looking for a fun family film for kids, Dolittle meets the criteria for both despite sizable flaws. Those looking for more than just a bland and generic children's film, should look elsewhere for more satisfying forms of entertainment.