Back in 2005 it was a strange thing to see the first adaptation of Frank Miller's fantasy noir series hit the screen. Along with Batman Begins it fed into what would become a new trend; grittier comic book films and adaptations which took far less liberty with the source material. With its bizarre white on black blood effects and the use of less than realistic physics, Sin City was a fresh experience even if its separate components were all derivative and the style was one step along from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Despite some clichéd elements the ninja cannibals and mutated killers were so out there that they balanced out the femme fatales and crooked politicians. Meanwhile nine years passed, the term 'Nolanised' entered film debate as a pro and con, and people are tired so many chroma-key backdrops.
In those same years, almost a decade later, Robert Rodriguez became associated with things like the Machete films instead a more production association with Quentin Tarantino. Instead of gritty characterful crime thrillers there was just a lot of low budget nonsense. The days of a rebel without a crew, or even projects like Desperado, were long gone. So it's no surprise that this time around nothing feels right even if on the surface everything looks vaguely the same. Lacklustre is the best, or perhaps kindest, way to describe the parts that work here. It still looks interesting but somehow everything has been downgraded, including the music and the quality of the performances. The narration is still a big part of the storytelling again but feels far less effective. Even returning cast members seem tired and uninterested. There is a little spectacle but the ideas being used are far more reigned back.
It seems that after using up the strongest stories from the comic series, they felt it was best to write some new material. Which doesn't make a lot of sense when Hell and Back could have worked wonders. Instead there's a continuation of the Nancy plot that was used in the first movie, but it doesn't feel like a natural progression at all (as well as raising some continuity issues) and its ending is pretty cringe worthy. The final third of the film is a tedious chapter that tells the story of a gambler looking to outwit people that are clearly way higher on the food chain than him. The reasons for all of this are pretty vague to say the least and it also has a conclusion that feels badly fumbled. The writing and execution overall is completely lacking. But what of the source material used? It's the title of film and the chapter which should have been the more engaging part, since it was written in advance.
The casting at least works with Eva Green and Josh Brolin taking centre stage. These are stars who have some experience after all. The tone of the source material means that things can be more in tune with the previous film, and staging it before The Big Fat Kill was a logical choice because they had time to expand on several returning characters. It's able link up little mystery dialogue bites for those who hadn't read the books. But like the rest of this long delayed follow up it feels completely lethargic somehow. There are still sword wielding Japanese girls, the heads still roll and a few of the visuals remain striking... but it's all so unimpressive. Any sparks of electricity have been lost. Maybe waiting so many years was a mistake, or perhaps their intentions of a sequel were not genuinely enthusiastic. As a result it's all too little too late.
1/5
BONUS REVIEW
HERCULES (2014)
Elsewhere Dwayne Johnson stars in yet another take on ancient Greek legends, in a film that is a far cry from the eye popping spectacle of Jason and the Argonauts. While not a complete mess by any means the light plotting should have gone far deeper into ideas that are repeated during the story - that myths are fabricated by men who make themselves into heroic figures. It's a self aware film that hints at being fun but never quite gets going. It features characters that speak with modern sensibilities (including a rather foul mouthed John Hurt) and battle sequences which have some moments of entertainment value. But it doesn't really manage to be either a serious look at these characters or a dumb b-adventure movie. They do include a few creature effects which aren't too bad and things are generally well paced, but it's just all so lightweight in terms of acting and drama. A little push in one direction or the other would have done a great deal but instead it just exists as a kind of half finished idea without the fantasy finesse or the total schlock factor which might have done better.
2/5
