Genre: Science Fiction

Director: Josh Trank

Writers: Max Landis & Josh Trank

Cast: Ashley Hinshaw, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan, Dane Dehaan, Michael Kelly

Running Length: 84 minutes

Synopsis: Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.

Review: It’s not easy to be a fan of found footage movies – with the sickness-inducing camera shake and always flimsy excuses for the protagonists having a camera with them at all times, there are plenty of audience members who will not miss found footage movies if they all disappear overnight. However, Chronicle is a breath of relatively fresh air in this limited sub-genre, applying the found footage concept to the superhero movie, and the result is a very compelling piece of slightly flawed filmmaking.

Chronicle is basically an 84-minute answer to the question “what if you had superpowers?”, and it starts off lighthearted enough, with the three teenagers playing harmless pranks and messing with each other. The teens’ powers ramp up exponentially, the film quickly takes on a far darker edge, with Trank and Landis crafting a story with a number of surprising twists and turns despite what seems to be at first a very predictable film.   

One of the reasons why Chronicle works so well is in its casting – all three teenagers are charismatic in their own way, and the audience will definitely feel a connection to the trio. It may or may not be a compliment to their thespian skills to say that their portrayals of teenagers seem to come very close to real life. Of the three, Dane Dehaan is the most impressive, a Leonardo DiCaprio lookalike that plays Andrew, the most troubled teen of the trio. Trank also smartly chose to “document” some of the domestic issues that plague Andrew, which allows an insight into his backstory and fleshes out the character more than most similar films are able to.   

That’s not to say Chronicle is a perfect film – it requires a near-total suspension of disbelief, and eventually the film writes itself into a corner that it doesn’t really successfully extricate itself out of. Most glaringly, a short scene after the climactic showdown totally messes up the found footage conceit, and feels so out of place with the rest of the film Josh Trank should have simply edited it out of the movie entirely.

It’s not the only time that the film “cheats” a little, however, another example being replacing shakycam footage with steadier scenes by telling the audience that Andrew “holds” the camera with a telekinetic virtual tripod (to be honest, I am actually thankful for this). There are other sequences which do not fit into the film’s internal logic, but the movie is absorbing enough for audience members to overlook such lapses.

Made on the cheap with a budget of “only” US$15 million, the CG effects are a little hit and miss. Generally though, the effects are impressive enough, and despite the slightly chaotic end sequence, is a pretty thrilling film that doesn’t outstay its welcome. It’s definitely not a film for everyone, but given the right mindset (and a good resistance to motion sickness), Chronicle ranks as one of the first great surprises of 2012.  

Rating: *** (out of four stars)

Genre: Sci-Fi

Director: Takashi Yamazaki

Writer: Shimako Sato, based on the anime TV series Space Battleship Yamato by Leiji Matsumoto and Yoshinobu Nishizaki

Cast: Takuya Kimura, Meisa Kuroki, Hiroyuko Ikeuchi

Running Length: 137 minutes

Synopsis: It is the year 2194. The Gamilas, an enemy of undetermined form, begin an invasion of Earth. The nations of Earth pool their forces and fight back, but their armies are defeated and most of humanity wiped out.

Five years later, in 2199, space-to-planet bombs have polluted the Earth, and those who remain alive have fled underground. Even former top pilot, Susumu Kodai (Takuya Kimura), has left the military. However, a communication capsule from the far off planet of Iskandar seems to bring hope for Earth. The Defense Force of Earth equips the Space Battleship Yamato with a previously unknown propulsion system, a ‘wave-motion engine’ based on plans found in the capsule. Kodai rejoins the Force, and becomes part of the crew aboard the Yamato. With the fate of the Earth in their hands, the crew blasts off for Iskandar.

Review: If you’re of a certain age group, Space Battleship Yamato (also known as Star Blazers) would probably be part of your childhood memory. This live action “remake” of Space Battleship Yamato has made it to local theatres about three months since its debut in Japan, and whilst there are some niggling flaws, it remains a generally entertaining space opera, very reminiscent of the Star Trek film franchise, especially the reboot in 2009.

From Takuya Kimura’s involvement in the movie to the very respectable special effects in the film, it’s clear to see that a lot of effort (and money) has gone into the making of Space Battleship Yamato. There are some very impressive action set pieces, and the CGI is top notch, almost as good as first-tier American sci-fi productions. Even the end credits song is done by Steve Tyler, echoing the iconic song in Armageddon which was performed by Aerosmith. 

Unfortunately, the actors in Space Battleship Yamato are a bit too prone to hamming it up, and because of the rather melodramatic plot, some of the scenes end up being unintentionally funny. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since one doesn’t come to such a film expecting deep character portrayals, but some of the more potentially poignant moments are really undone by the cheesy acting.

Space Battleship Yamato is also guilty of trying to cram too much into its already-long running time. One particularly noteworthy offender is the romantic subplot, which really stuck out like a sore thumb and never felt like it was well integrated into the rest of the movie. Also, for such a long movie, Space Battleship Yamato still gives short shrift to many characters and their backstories, and the opening reel is particularly confusing because most of the characters aren’t properly introduced till later on. The reason for rushing through these subplots and expositions? Too many action sequences for its own good, which eventually wear out their welcome.

Despite all these imperfections, Space Battleship Yamato works well in the context of a guilty pleasure. It’s corny and cheesy like the original Star Trek series, updated with action set pieces that are closer to the 2009 JJ Abrams reboot, and ends up being somewhere in between, which isn’t entirely a bad thing. Part of why I found the movie enjoyable was the nostalgia factor, so for audiences who are not acquainted with the original anime are likely to find the film toeing closer to mediocrity. 

Rating: * * * (out of four stars)

Genre: Sci-Fi

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Writers: Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, Michael Sheen

Running Length:  127 minutes

Synopsis: Set in the present, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) – the original hero of TRON – has been missing for over two decades, disappearing shortly after announcing that he has discovered a breakthrough in his research of cyberspace. His son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) becomes primary shareholder of ENCON, but has no interest in running the family business. His pseudo-presence in the company is not welcomed by anyone except for Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), an old family friend who is still looking out for the Flynn family’s interests. When Alan receives what seems to be a message from Flynn, Sam goes to Flynn’s Arcade to investigate, but is accidentally transported into cyberspace, where he discovers the world is now ruled by Flynn’s alter-ego, Clu (also Jeff Bridges). Sam finds that Flynn is now a recluse, aided only by the enigmatic Quorra (Olivia Wilde). Joining forces with his father and Quorra, Sam needs to find a way to escape cyberspace, and also to stop Clu from crossing over to the real world. 

Review: While a fair number of viewers will look upon the original TRON fondly, it really isn’t a masterpiece by any measure – apart from the (then) amazing visuals, the film’s storyline and pacing were not great, and seen years down the road, TRON doesn’t stand up to the test of time. However, TRON has evolved into a cult classic, and understandably expectations were high for this sequel 28 years later. While TRON: Legacy would have probably been perfectly fine as a typical sci-fi action movie, it is weighed down by an overly self-important script that seems to want to elevate the film into greatness, but the attempt fails spectacularly. TRON: Legacy is watchable for its visuals, an excellent soundtrack and a handful of good action sequences, but with the confusing plot, middling performances and plodding pace, the resulting film is a very average one indeed. 

Although spiritually a sequel to TRON, the look of the grid has evolved a fair bit due to the advancements of CGI, but it’s a change for the better. The environments are mostly enshrouded in darkness, punctuated only by bright neon strips of light in white, blue and orange, but it’s a very clean look that works very well in context. However, the simplicity of the environment also means the 3D is neither immersive nor very impressive – in fact, the 3D effect is so subtle in many scenes that it seems almost non-existent. As a film that was specifically shot in 3D (like Avatar), it’s a little disappointing that so little was done with it. Technology was also employed to render the young(er) faces Tron and Clu, and while it’s quite impressive, it hasn’t crossed the uncanny valley yet. 

It’s arguably true that a movie of this nature doesn’t require much of a plot or thespian skills, but TRON: Legacy is sorely lacking in both. The film tries to be epic but falls far short – the plot is an incomprehensible mess, far more complex than it should be and explaining way too little, perhaps in an attempt to seem profound. While Jeff Bridges is perfectly serviceable as Flynn, Garrett Hedlund is unfortunately quite wooden in his portrayal as Sam and Olivia Wilde’s character is so one-dimensional she is reduced to being merely a pretty face and a pseudo love interest.  

What TRON: Legacy manages to do reasonably well is in its action sequences, especially those found in the first half of the movie. In the second half, sadly, the action tapers off and is replaced by interminable chunks of dialogue and pointless exposition that just kills the pacing of movie entirely. Another highlight is the excellent soundtrack by French electronica duo, Daft Punk. Surprisingly, most of the score is still a classical one, but with electronic flourishes. It’s perhaps the only component of the film that successfully feels epic, but the rest of the film simply doesn’t match up. 

Rating: * * (out of four stars)