Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Watch (Film) - Review

We've seen tons of vulgar comedies, and we've seen tons of alien-themed movies, but we haven't seen them mix all that much. The Watch is here to change that, with big names Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill, as well as Richard Ayoade, who sticks out in a fashion that begs even the previews for the film to point out. It's a great enough concept to hold a film, and surely Jonah Hill can't be in a bad movie?

It's a great concept done well, and yes, the jury is still out in regards to whether or not a movie casting Jonah Hill can flop. It's funny and it feels good, though a few things bog it down and take away from the masterpiece it could have been.


Ben Stiller's character, Evan, is introduced to us via humorous narration from the character himself. Evan adores his ironically boring town so much that he creates clubs, lovingly commands a large department store and involves himself in its politics. He's very by-the-books and rather lame, for lack of a better term. He takes a big hit when one of his workers, a lovable dork, is murdered in his store. It's a genuinely emotional scene but very smartly remains light-hearted due to its quirky execution.

This compels Evan to create a task force run by concerned citizens of the city, and the basic premise is created when Franklin (Hill), Bob (Vaughn) and Jamarcus (Ayoade) volunteer. Led by Bob, the three volunteers take this as a way to have fun instead of the very serious direction that Evan is taking. The group's early actions are less than exciting, but their role as the neighborhood watch becomes much more relevant when they discover that aliens from outer space are responsible for the death of the lovable dorky worker.

Antics ensue.

The main crew has wonderful chemistry together. Vaughn is the loud, dim-witted bro-dude that pulled immediate laughter out of me whenever he'd merely shout about something that isn't nearly worth shouting about. Jonah Hill plays a strange outcast, channeling the great mix of awkward confidence that the actor is known for. Ayoade's character injects very British humor in the film which helps to vary the style of comedy. Stiller's character acts as the reaction and alleviation to and for the crew's loud and crude escapades, which works well in assuaging their ridiculousness.


It's a goofy movie. It takes the concept of a bunch of loud middle-aged-frat-boy-types along with an uptight fellow attempting to save their city from destruction by aliens, and runs with it. They go out and blow stuff up with a weapon they find, sing obnoxiously in the car with a round of beers after a minor victory, shoot their foes a cartoonish amount of times to ensure they are dead, and more. It's energetic, moves quickly and flings itself in your face. It's hilarious and has an inviting good time.

The plot follows the conventional structure of a mystery. They learn that the aliens wear the skin of their victims which opens up a very wide range of suspects. I felt that at least half of the big reveals were rather predictable, as they were very heavy on the red herrings, but most of these remain fun to at least watch. I was very pleasantly surprised with the last reveal at the climax, which I didn't see coming in the slightest.

There are two subplots between Vaughn and Stiller's characters that attempt to, for the most part, turn the comedy-switch off for what are intended to be captivating yarns to follow. Stiller's character is having problems with getting his wife pregnant and doesn't know how to tell her, and Vaughn's character struggles with raising his teenage daughter. These feel a bit banal and are certainly uninteresting, especially taking into consideration that I'm not particularly moved by Stiller or Vaughn's character on any serious level, as the movie is much too goofy for me to actually get invested in these characters in any significant way. Comedy does accompany these subplots, and they both tie up at the film's conclusion in a rather satisfying fashion, so it isn't too much of an issue.


The laughs simply work, without too many falters. No gag is especially original, but seeing Vaughn boast about his ability to expertly pee in a cup and Hill hit on a pair of attractive twins at a high school party really hits the spot. The cops, which serve as the most prevalent supporting cast, are entertaining. One is cocky, unfriendly and appropriately dense, and the other is a humorously named dummy who doesn't even speak. Some of the vulgar humor, especially of the sexual ilk, comes off as a bit forced, but those moments are of the minority. The Watch trucks forward with an onslaught of jokes that were varied enough to keep me laughing up until its action-packed and pleasing conclusion.

It's a good flick. The casting is more or less perfect, the film more than competently kept things moving, and boy did I have many a laughter. It's not masterful, as the movie beyond its comedy and mystery is weak, and even the former comes off as contrived at times. But overall I had a great time and wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone able to see an R-rated movie who's looking for a primarily mindless comedy. The Watch is a laugh-out-loud roller-coaster mystery about an alien invasion, and for Christ's sake, Jonah Hill is in it.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Batman The Dark Knight #11 - Review

Apparently issues #1-9 of The New 52's Batman The Dark Knight sucked, but I wouldn't know because I jumped on at #10 when writer Gregg Hurwitz came on board. It was easy for me to jump in and I was impressed by its mature Scarecrow-centric story but I wasn't blown away. This issue ups the ante with a very entertaining issue that will have me digging into my wallet each month as long as the quality stays consistent to what #11 delivers.

Scarecrow is capturing children and torturing them with a gas that makes them very fearful, and did the same to Commissioner Gordon as to stall persecution by the police. It's really quite horrifying and surprisingly dark for a T-rated book. These kids leave having symptoms similar to children that undergo sexual abuse and it's quite heartbreaking. Like last issue, there is a tear-jerking scene in which Batman very gently talks to a little girl who was a victim to Scarecrow. It's very effective.

There's a scene towards the beginning in which Bruce Wayne has to turn down time with his girlfriend to investigate the capture of the Commissioner, which is a good subplot to show how obtrusive Bruce's second life is. There are evil folks like Scarecrow abusing children and capturing Gordon: Bruce surely doesn't have time for a girlfriend. Does any superhero?

David Finch's art works very effectively for the type of story that is being told. The detailed, expressive, and dark artwork is equal parts impressive and gloomy. The two-page spread of the Batmobile a few pages in is a highlight, second only to the disturbingly-drawn Scarecrow.

The issue ends on a frightening scene that puts Batman in a very vulnerable position for issue #12. It's a great read. It looks great, nails a dark tone, and tackles mature subject matter effectively.


Grim Leaper #3 - Review

Grim Leaper, a four issue mini-series written by Kurtis J. Wiebe along with artist AluĂ­sio C. Santos has been absolutely fantastic thus far. Lou and Ella meet when they discover that they both have the same curse: When they die - which happens quite frequently - they leap into someone else's body that live around the same general area. They obviously fall in love, making this, as the cover of each issue proclaims "A story to die for," but, albeit, a very unromantic and gruesome one thus far. Issue #3 changes that, delivering the most heartwarming and romantic chapter thus far, while still remaining entirely absurd. 

Lou and Ella go on a cute date to the zoo after a charming scene finding the two of them together again after the death of their previous bodies in the last issue. It's here that we finally see the two lovebirds sitting down and getting to know each other more, which is sorely needed if Wiebe wants this to be a "love" story. This is abnormal for Grim Leaper, especially considering that not only does the direction of the plot change, but Lou's narration becomes a lot more tame, but it works. The "love" needed to be fleshed out more and this issue does it. 

This date does build up to an incredibly awesome turn towards morbidity with a great scene towards the end of how these bodies die, though. Which is made even better by Santos's stylized artwork. 

It's a superb issue, and ends on an exciting last-page reveal for Grim Leaper's conclusion next month. 

***

The back-up this time around in the "MORE LOVE STORIES TO DIE FOR" section is "Apple Of My Eye," written by Jeremy Holt and illustrated by Chris Peterson. The main character, a seemingly middle-aged man, is in love - or perhaps in lust is a more accurate depiction - with Siri, the horrifying (at least in my opinion) voice-operated AI on the iPhone 4S. It's a silly story with a brutal and arrestive execution. I enjoyed it. 

Station456 Comic Reviews - Cancelled

"Station456 Comic Reviews" is being canceled in favor of my old style of posting reviews for individual comics in individual posts. I'm going back to my old style because it makes it easier to promote my work and allows me to only talk about books that I feel particularly compelled to talk about. Sorry for the inconvenience. 

But, I'm about to start working on three reviews, so hold on to your underpants!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Station456 Comic Reviews - July 18th, 2012

Introducing... "Station456 Comic Reviews"!

Every week, I will get together all of the new release comics I pick up and throw together a post giving my thoughts on each. There can only be one "STATION456 PICK OF THE WEEK"! This prestigious award is reserved for the most entertaining book of the week. The focus is on new releases, but I will sometimes discuss older comics and other comic-related goodness in the "Station456 BONUS ROUND." 


-- Without further adieu, let's get to this week's books! --



Justice League #11:

The New 52's Justice League was good-old-fashioned dumb comic book fun up until issue #9, in which the new villain "Graves" was introduced. Graves wrote a book evangelizing the Justice League, calling them modern day gods, but shifted to a new perspective once they failed to save his family from their devastating deaths. He's a cool villain with a badass design, and subsequently the new arc has been great. Justice League #11 seems to be firmly establishing the vision and scope of this new arc, and gives us some entertaining pages in doing so. 

Graves uses his powers to make each member of the Justice League see loved ones die in spirit-form in front of their eyes. We of course see the obligatory death of Bruce's parents, but what I thought was really interesting was Cyborg seeing himself, since he's half-dead. This is further explored when the Justice League reaches the source of all this madness and only Cyborg can see the entrance because he's walking the line between life and death. I loved all of that.

Wonder Woman's love interest Steve Trevor - along with his family - is being targeted by Graves as he has a link to the Justice League, which causes our heroine to attempt to go rogue saving him in a rather brutal, murderous fashion. This leads to some really fun tussles between Wonder Woman and members of the Justice League; particularly Green Lantern and Superman. This not only highlights the detail-rich and jaw-dropping artwork, but also the book's clever writing seen through jabs members of the Justice League throw at each other. I especially enjoyed Wonder Woman's quips at Green Lantern's sexual performance.

There's a pretty awesome last-page reveal, too, that really has me curious as to where the next issue is taking this story.

Oh, and there's also a continuation of the SHAZAM story that has been backing up Justice League for more than a few issues now, but I didn't read it and don't quite plan on doing so.

But.

Surprisingly, considering an issue of Saga came out this week, this is my...
STATION456 PICK OF THE WEEK

Nightwing #11:

The current run of Nightwing has been a little all over the place, really. It started with a slight crossover to Scott Snyder's Batman, then headed into a story about the new villain Saiko, then took a break from that to do a Batgirl crossover, then went back to the Saiko story and finished that up, and after that there were the two issues for the Night of the Owls crossover - ALL IN JUST 9 ISSUES. Issue #10 started a new arc that I can only hope it's going to stay focused on. Nightwing has been framed with the murder of two men, whom happen to be brothers in a group known as the Republic of Tomorrow.

This was a fun issue, and when I say fun I don't just mean entertaining. It's purely fun. It's not deep or thought-provoking and Dick Grayson isn't in deep shit, it's just fun. Dick is characterized a lot like Spider-Man in this issue, handling himself in a loose, comedic fashion.

Half of the issue is action-oriented, which is entirely fun. The other half is an assortment of short scenes giving more information about Dick's circus he's running, his relationship with Damian Wayne, the cops investigating the crime that he's framed of committing, and the group of villains that Dick is fighting against, which adds an appropriate amount of fun drama.

It's fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it, "We're both trying to solve who killed the your friends" and all.

Saga #5:

Saga is the brilliant story of star-crossed lovers in alien quarters of space. And when I say brilliant, I mean it: This book is funny, creative, gut-wrenching and gorgeous, making it an incredibly enthralling read. It's quite possibly the best book I follow month to month, at the moment. This week's chapter may be my least favorite so far, but that really isn't saying that much: Saga #5 is great.

Our two star-crossed lovers battle their way out of their predicament that we were left with at the end of the last issue, delivering the most action-oriented scene we've seen in Saga thus far. It looks impressive and shows us what our leading man can do when it comes to combat, and also, afterwards, gives us what's almost certainly the most heart-warming scene so far, through a cute family moment amongst the two and their baby Hazel.

We also see progression for two of the fellows that are out to get the small family. IV, a member of Saga's TV-headed species, is further characterized here as a common military general who doesn't quite understand - or perhaps just blocks out - the horrid implications of his work. The Will, a human who travels alongside his lie-detecting cat, is further characterized as a ruthless assassin that stands wholeheartedly against especially evil things, despite doing quite evil things himself for a living.

All of the progression of these two folks is excellent character work, and the artwork throughout the whole book is colorful, stylized, expressive bliss. The last-page reveal is fittingly shocking, albeit a bit anti-climactic in its build-up. This last page could mean we have to say goodbye to one of the established characters - one of my favorites, actually.  

Saga #5 is great, with it's top-notch artwork and impressive characterization. I was never amazed like other issues have managed to do for me, but at the end of the day, it's Saga, which is a good thing more-or-less intrinsically.

***

STATION456 BONUS ROUND:

Retro Comic Review - Twisted Tales #9 (November, 1984):

My local comic shop had a special going on awhile ago, that allowed you to get a free mystery set of five or so Mature Readers comics hand-picked by the staff with select trades and graphic novels. I was glad to take advantage of this deal and was impressed by the seemingly high-quality of the freebies, but never actually read any of them. Until last week. Or so. I read one of these comics. Just one.

A flip through Twisted Tales #9 enticed my feeble teenage boy mind with glimpses of its violence and sex. An actual read left me quite satisfied. This comic is a compilation of four unrelated "twisted tales," and it's rather entertaining.

The first of which is a silly, wacky story following two comic creators are writing the very pages that they occupy, at one point shoving a finger at the audience. It's dumb cheese that I'm tempted to call an excuse to show naked breasts to its probable, secret target audience of adolescent boys. The second is a classic-style ghost-story about a set of car-less headlights that haunt a certain road, and it's really exactly what one would expect. Which isn't to say that it isn't enjoyable to read, because it is. The third is probably the most interesting, with its unreliable narrator telling a story about subject matter that he's prone to falsely see due to a mental illness of his. This adds a rather brilliant layer to what would have been a standard story about horrific happenings while off to the countryside during summer break. The fourth is by far my favorite, as it spearheads the "twisted" label more than any of the other issues. A man already going through the growing pains of his new lifestyle with the woman he just married is depressed by the unexpected death of his daughter. The end shows us that his new wife is far from who he thought she was, and is really satisfying. 

All of the stories are well-written and look great with their colorful, expressive artwork that is distinctively retro to my modern eyes. I enjoyed my read, and I'd say it's worth hunting down if it won't run you too much.

Showing Off - New Daredevil Poster:


Pretty nice, right? I complimented the poster when I saw it in one of the windows of my local comic shop and asked if I could buy it. They told me I could have it for free in a few weeks like the good chaps that they are, and here it is.

Ah. ^_^

***

Okay, that's it for this week! Overall I was quite impressed by each of the comics I picked up this week, and the things discussed in the STATION456 BONUS ROUND more than pleased me. My comic shop didn't get Daredevil #15 and Catwoman #11 in today, but they're holding them for me for next week, so expect them in the STATION456 BONUS ROUND then. But, until then, tell me what comics you picked up this week and anything else going on in your world of comics in the comments below!

-I'm out!-

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Station456 Comic Reviews - July 11th, 2012

Introducing... "Station456 Comic Reviews"! 


Every week, I will get together all of the new release comics I pick up and throw together a post giving my thoughts on each. There can only be one "STATION456 PICK OF THE WEEK"! This prestigious award is reserved for the most entertaining book of the week. The focus is on new releases, but I will sometimes discuss older comics in the "Station456 BONUS ROUND." 

-- Without further adieu, let's get to this week's books! --


Avenging Spider-Man #9:


At the beginning of this issue, we see Peter hopping on a plane ride with Captain Marvel to Boston to go see his Aunt May. Things become complicated when they run into a masked vigilante having a run-in with robot cops after an accusation of bank robbery. I tend to prefer the care-free, fun style of Avenging Spider-Man over Amazing Spider-Man's focus on character drama, and this issue reminds me why. Avenging Spider-Man #9 is all comedy and action and pretty colors and it's awesome.

I love this masked vigilante character that I assume is entirely new. She claims that she stole from the bank in order to give money back to the people, as she believes that this federal bank is corrupt and needs to be fought against. She eventually calls herself Robyn Hood and is totally an Occupy protester to the extreme. She's great. 

The book is filled with laughs, and they don't just all come from Robyn Hood. Spider-Man is at his corny, joke-spitting best, and Captain Marvel is no stiff. The book is more than colorful and suitably expressive too, with good looking action. 
Loved this issue. It gets the...
STATION456 PICK OF THE WEEK

Batman #11:


Hot off the heals of Batman #10, Scott Snyder ends his beloved and quite massive Court of Owls arc this week with Batman #11. Bruce and Lincoln March duke it out for the majority of the issue, exchanging dialogue along with punches. It's a satisfying battle that sends the two all over Gotham City, delivering some pretty explosive action. It looks great thanks to Greg Capullo's solid artwork that doesn't call attention to itself, letting Snyder's artwork grab most of the attention. 

The issue ends with a smart conversation with Dick, bolstering the ambiguity of the conclusion to this arc. We don't know if Lincoln March is really Thomas Wayne or not, and we don't get a crystal-clear account of how the Court is recovering from the Bat-Family's triumph. Which is a good thing, because there's now two more massive things to float in the minds of Batman fans until future writers inevitably satiate our desires. 

The excellent final page and the conclusion of the "The Fall of the House of Wayne" back-up do a great job of saying goodbye to this superb Arc. I wasn't surprised or excited by this issue but it did a good job of ending what's going to be remembered as an important chapter in Bruce's life. 

Batman and Robin #11:

The new Batman and Robin arc that started last issue has been really cool so far, with two issues under its belt. Last issue we saw that a new team of crooks made up of henchmen that have been seriously injured by Batman are forming, and we also saw that Damian Wayne is at odds with Jason Todd. 

In this chapter, we see Damian fight Jason with memories of the Joker's violent assault on him with a crowbar,  and Jason fight Damian with comments about his upbringing and hostile disposition. It's an interesting idea to have two Robins fighting with each other like apes declaring their dominance, and it's fun to watch them pick at each other's dark pasts and character flaws. We also see the new group of villains wreaking havoc on Gotham City, branding their victims with Bat symbols to make them wear Batman on their persons just as they have to with their injuries. They're a fun set of characters with really neat designs. 

The artwork looks very nice, as always, with its dark color palette and overall edgy look. There's a particularly stunning display of artwork through a two-page spread towards the end of the book. 

Good stuff. Love the current Batman and Robin run.

Spider-Men #3:

In Spider-Men, 616 Peter Parker is plopped into the Ultimate Universe with Miles Morales. The first two issues were lots of fun, the first simply getting 616 Spidey into the Ultimate Universe and the second getting the characters to further understand what's happening. This issue is filled with a ton of action that honestly makes this issue feel like mostly filler. 

Mysterio throws an army of Spidey villains at the Spider-Men - Venom, Green Goblin, Doc Ock, etc. - through the power of illusion. None of the action is very clever, as it's really just a flood of classic villains flinging themselves at the duo. It all looks nice, because the artwork is very impressive, but it mostly fell a little flat for me.

The issue does end with a suitably dramatic conversation between Peter and a drug store clerk about the famed Ultimate Peter Parker, and a last page reveal that is going to lead to some serious tears next issue.

This chapter was okay. It will work better in the trade.

Swamp Thing #11:

I wasn't crazy about the first six issues of Swamp Thing but things got exciting for me at issue #7 when Alec became Swamp Thing again; this time for good.  Last issue left Swamp Thing resting in a swamp after the big battle in preceding issues and love-interest Abby getting attacked by Anton Arcane. In this issue, well, he wakes up. 

What we see is a brawl between Swamp Thing and Anton Arcane, and it's pretty great. The dialogue is satisfying and often very creepy, and the art looks great. I'm not sure if I prefer Marco Rudy's artwork over Paquette's, but it can certainly be said that it is more unique and eerie.

The issue ends with an incredibly exciting transition to the Animal Man/Swamp Thing crossover starting in issue #12 of each book.

I can't wait for Rot World.

***

And that's it for this week - no bonus round this time! A pretty good comics week for me, but nothing mind-blowing. What do you think of this new series on my blog? Leave your suggestions, comments and critiques below! Also, tell me what books you picked up this week and which comics you've been reading in general!


- I'm out! - 

Sunday, July 8, 2012

The Amazing Spider-Man (Film) - Review

Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy is fantastic - especially the stellar second film - but when I saw the trailers for The Amazing Spider-Man, I started to question why I even enjoyed Raimi's films. The trailers for the new film, from director Marc Webb, promised a sweet new suit, a potentially enthralling subplot about Peter's parents, a Spidey who's more spry and cheesy than Toby McGuire ever was, a villain who felt missing from Raimi's universe, and the beautiful Emma Stone as the love interest.

I had very high hopes going into The Amazing Spider-Man, and I wasn't disappointed. The latest obligatory superhero flick is tons of fun and serves as a better start for inevitable sequels than Spider-Man did back in 2002.

Spidey's new suit looks sweet.
The Amazing Spider-Man takes basic Spider-Man plot threads and makes them much more contemporary, delivering a relatable Spidey for the current generation of kids and an interesting take for those already familiar with one version of Spider-Man or another. The lives of his parents before they passed away, the rise of this film's villain, and how Peter gets the powers of a spider all cleverly intertwine, forming a strong basis for this new universe. The brilliantly written and impressively acted characters takes that basis and runs with it.

Peter Parker - played by Andrew Garfield - is still a science wiz and a photographer but he's really more of a hipster than a nerd, considering his skateboard, arrestive glasses, tight jeans, stupid haircut and youthful good looks. He's a great character but he simply oozes with charm during the romantic scenes with his love interest Gwen Stacy, played by the aforementioned Emma Stone. The progression from awkward spurts of conversation to holding each other in their arms is gold.

The romance is very strong in this film.
Peter's lovable Uncle Ben sets the thematic framework of the film. The classic "With great power comes great responsibility" line is further explained in this movie, when Ben says that Peter's father lived by the notion that anyone with the potential to do great for the world has a moral obligation to do so. It's no wonder that just about every take on Spider-Man uses this motto: It's an excellent angle for a superhero movie to take.

This motto is of course what compels Peter to make use of his new-found superpowers when he eventually is bit by the spider and becomes a masked vigilante. We see Peter defend what he has become with his Spider-Man persona through arguments with Gwen's dad, who also happens to be the Chief of Police. This leads to a compelling relationship between a man who believes in order versus Peter who merely values good. Garfield under the cowl as this film's Spider-Man is more-or-less flawless: He's sarcastic, funny, heroic and looks great in his yellow-eyed, spandex costume. There's a hilarious scene in which he mocks a crook he finds on the street and completely dominates him, showing off how fun he is, and a touching scene in which he removes his mask for a scared little boy in danger before saving him, which shows off the more nuanced emotional angle of the character.

This is all great, and I think they nailed Spider-Man as a character, but my biggest issue with this movie can be seen through two scenes pertaining to his origin. These two scenes show Peter using his new found abilities in public, unmasked, turning what could have been clever ways to introduce his powers into frustrating scenes that had me scratching my head wandering how these didn't lead to him being discovered. One of these was so bad that I was practically praying in the theater for it to be a dream.

The villain in The Amazing Spider-Man is Dr. Curt Connors, played by Rhys Ifans. He begins as a scientist who follows more-or-less the same motto as Peter, attempting to use cross-species genetics to the medical benefit of the world. Connors crosses himself with the genetics of a Lizard, seeking regenerative powers to fix his crippled arm. The side effects are too strong and he soon becomes corrupted by his new reptilian influence and attempts to evolve the city past humanity into the monster that he has become. It's a typical mad scientist character, but it still manages to be absolutely entertaining due to Ifan's endearing performance as the human that turns into the hulking, creepy monster.

Curt Connors before his transformation into Lizard.
The action is never as thrilling as the final act of The Avengers or the train sequence in Spider-Man 2, but it's still very impressive. Spider-Man flinging himself about, fwipping webs at his foes, as well as Lizard throwing himself around, smashing walls like they're made of paper never disappoints. The set pieces displaying Spider-Man and Lizard duking it out are all entertaining, but none particularly blew me away mostly due to their lack of creativity. What did blow me away, however, was the very striking stereoscopic 3D, which looks especially good when Spider-Man is swinging around the city.

The Amazing Spider-Man nails pacing. I don't remember a single part of the movie that isn't important, and never did I feel like they dragged anything out. The movie masterfully balances drama, comedy, and action, make me choke up, laugh, and smile respectively. 


The movie ends with a series of well-done dramatic scenes followed up with a clever last-line that introduces a dilemma that will no doubt be tackled in future films. I would prefer a more positive spin than what was provided, as this was, throughout, more of an exciting film than a serious one, but it does a great job of opening up for a new film on a very dramatic note. 


The Amazing Spider-Man succeeds as a fun superhero flick that's more than dramatic enough to keep viewers invested in what's going on. Spider-Man's secret identity isn't protected as much as it should be, and the ending is a little harsh for what is mostly a vivacious ride, but the movie remains successful. The characters are excellent, the action is entertaining, the drama is moving and the romance is lovable. What's almost certainly going to be a series of films is off to a solid start.


--edited on July 9th, 2012--