reviews for sept. 28

Junior Birdmen (Printable Version , E-mail to a Friend )
Flyboys gets grounded; Fearless relies on comfort zone

Standard Fare
 
The first weekend of autumn seemed like a last gasp of summer, what with a couple of action movies—their big sets, big action scenes. It was a nice change, actually.
 
Not sure if I can put my finger on why, but movies just don’t seem to hold the magic they once did. Maybe that’s all my perspective. Maybe I can’t see the magic anymore because I spend too much time being a “reviewer.”
 
Whatever the reason, going to see these two movies was kind of refreshing. One was a martial arts epic, the other a flick about fighter pilots in WWI. Simple. They were Fearless and Flyboys.
 
First up, Fearless. Because I enjoyed it more.
 
It’s 1910 in China and the world has arrived. In an attempt to humiliate the Chinese people, the outsiders have brought their best fighters and challenged anyone in China to beat them.
 
Only wushu master Huo Yuan Jia (Jet Li) rises to the challenge. When the film opens, Huo Yuan Jia is engaged in a four vs. one contest. He quickly dispatches the first three fighters quickly. Easily.
 
As he prepares for the fourth fighter, he flashes back to the rest of his life and the path that led him to becoming the country’s most talented martial artist.
 
These Chinese martial arts epics, from what I’ve seen, have similar plots. At one point, even Jet Li has commented on it. He said, “Usually action films have a formula: good guy gets in trouble, his wife dies, friends have problems, so he goes to the mountain, learns martial arts, comes back, and kills the bad guy.”
 
That’s kind of true for Fearless. Yes, it’s based on a true story, but for the purposes of the film, they made the life of Huo Yuan Jia fit the mold.
 
What’s it got going for it? Beautiful cinematography and martial arts. The “acting” seems sorta cheesy, but then again, it’s consistent with other films of the genre. Perhaps these are just cultural differences, and if so, which criteria should we use?
 
If you judge Fearless on cinematography and martial arts choreography, it’s pretty good. I understand there are all manner of wires and harnesses in play, but a lot of what you see on camera is the skill of Li. The cat-like agility and uncanny reflexes. It’s wholly engrossing to watch. You can’t see a Jet Li fight and not see the beauty in the carnage. Which is the point, after all.
 
Fearless, apparently, is Li’s last martial arts film. He told one media outlet, “I stepped into the martial arts movie market when I was only 16. I think I have proved my ability in this field and it won't make sense for me to continue for another five or 10 years. Huo Yuanjia is a conclusion to my life as a martial arts star."
 
Apparently he’s off to make documentaries and such. I really haven’t been following Jet Li for the whole 20 years or so he’s made films. The first place I remember seeing him was in Lethal Weapon 4, just eight years ago. Seems like his career has been relatively short.
 
Then again, he’s just wrapped the action thriller Rogue, which co-stars Jason Statham. Li’s playing an assassin. I imagine he’ll kick a few people. I take it that what he means by “a conclusion to my life as a martial arts star,” is that he’s done making these historical epics about monks and swordsman. Perhaps.
 
Bah. What do I know? I imagine it’s hard to turn down $5 million when someone offers it to you to play pretend for a couple of months.
 
Either way, I guess Fearless isn’t a bad way to take a bow and exit the stage. Sure, the plot is predictable. Sure, his acting is pretty bad. But the fight scenes were sure fun to watch. I guess for this time of film, that’s all that really matters.
 
No Red Barons
 
He’s not in here, so don’t go in expecting to see him. To be honest, I hadn’t thought about The Red Baron in years. I remember researching him as a kid because he gave Snoopy so much trouble.
 
Flyboys is inspired by the real life story of the Lafayette Escadrille, a group of American men who volunteered to fly for the French military in the days of WWI before America agreed to join the fight. These guys were the first American fighter pilots.
 
To them, war was honorable. Some were the sons of millionaires.
 
Not Blaine Rawlings (James Franco), however. His parents died and left him the family ranch, which he tried to keep up but lost to the bank. So he beat up the banker. When the sheriff informs him he’ll be arrested if he doesn’t skip town, Rawlings heads overseas and volunteers for the LaFayette Escadrille.
 
Once there, he and his fellow volunteers begin to learn many things. How to fly. What war is really like. The only American already in camp is Reed Cassidy (Martin Henderson), a flying ace with more than 20 kills to his credit. Reed has a pet lion named Whisky and isn’t too keen on making friends with any of them as he doesn’t expect them to be around too long.
 
And he’s mostly right. As soon as they’re in the air, they’re being shot down. On their first mission, two don’t make it back.
 
When he’s on the ground, Rawlings is trying to figure out how to have a relationship with Lucienne, a French woman he initially mistakes for a prostitute (I’d rather not explain the lead in for that; it’ll take too much space).
 
In the air, he’s trying to learn his craft and stay alive.
 
And that’s more or less the story.
 
Unfortunately, the stuff on the ground is what drags down Flyboys. There’s nothing wrong with the acting, though most of the dialogue is junk. Entire scenes should’ve been excised from the film, which last a bladder-stretching 139 minutes.
 
And then there’s the matter of the story being entirely predictable. Every time you knew what was coming, even at the end when Rawlings faces off with the Black Falcon.
 
The aerial battles make Flyboys tolerable. The effects are completely convincing. You can’t tell what’s live and what’s computer-animated, though if I had to guess, I’d say most of it was animated. Spectacular to watch. Best dogfighting I’ve ever seen in a movie.
 
I just wish there was more to it. I like a good battle scene as much as the next guy, but the film was too simple, too cliché, too amateur-hour in terms of story.
 
And the length thing is almost a deal killer. It’s enough to make a large part of the film feel, well, almost boring. You’ll fidget in your seat and wonder when either the next fight is coming or the end of the movie.
 
I’m not saying it’s bad. I enjoyed watching most of it. I just don’t think it’s all that good, either. It’s unbalanced. It’ll be great to rent.
 
And that’s that. See you next week.