How can a show which only had thirteen episodes spawn a feature film? After Joss Whedon’s Firefly was cancelled in 2002, sci-fi fans howled as Fox tore another great show to pieces and created the biggest open wound in the community since NBC forced the Enterprise off the air in 1969. But following in the grand traditions of fanboys long departed, the self styled “Browncoats” aimed to misbehave and refused to let the show head off into the blackness of cancellation. By 2005, decent DVD sales and a fan writing campaign had brought the crew of our favorite Firefly class ship together for another adventure. But sadly, what we got was the worst of all worlds, a movie that is at once generic and esoteric, as well as overdone to the point of being boring.

Having watched the film before I absorbed the series it is based on (which is completely worthwhile addition to any DVD shelf or Netflix account) I returned to the film hoping that having spent some quality time with the cast of characters I would come to appreciate the film and understand the near messianic status it has within the genre. Having experienced the film from both a position of ignorance and fluency with its canon, one has to come upon the terrifying conclusion that this film fails as no other has. The casual viewer will find that they have no idea what is going on through half of the film, as Whedon exposition of character development is non existent. Between the hammed up fight scenes, we are treated to a series of crude brawls and bashed over the head with philosophical monologues to treat these characters as anything other than generic forms filling out the role in another CGI enhanced mess. Having been confused as a causal viewer, this dynamic was nothing short of tragic as a fan, watching the titanic characters of the series reduced to crude caricatures. The down to earth decency of Nathan Fillion’s Mal Reynolds is lost among the too frequent chase scenes and close angle brawls. Indeed, none of the nuanced layered and superbly flawed characters of the show appear to star in this film. Gone is River Tam’s innocent and playful side, as is Simon’s cultured reserve. But equally devastating are the long absences of Shepard Book and Inara from the film, leaving the personality of the ensemble off balance from the harmony the 9 characters created during the series. Serenity may have a shiny new look, but the ship’s heart has been scrubbed.

But the narrative as a whole is where Whedon shows that he can’t make the jump from TV to film. Aside from two unnecessary and poorly explored main character deaths (main characters final battles should never take place off screen or die casually) the whole structure of the Firefly universe comes crashing down by the completely predictable reveal regarding the Reavers. Keeping with the Wild West motif in the series, the Reavers were portrayed as men who had stared into space too long and confronted by the darkness of the human soul had become something inhuman. Terrifying yet profound, this philosophically wondrous subtext is stripped by the film, reducing the Reavers to yet another series mindless zombies created by a failed government experiment. This too undercuts the series narrative regarding the imperious Alliance, as it portrays the them not as the misguided crusaders of the series, but caricatured purple bellied fascist storm troopers. The ambiguous themes of living in a lawless frontier between utter savagery and an altruistic but tightly regulated civilization are blasted away by the superbly rendered climax as the films 28 Days Later and Starship Troopers clash in a dazzling CGI space battle. Without any emotional value in these characters, the space battle is little more than a tech demo.

Adequate performances by Fillion and Chiwetel Ejiofor as the coldly fanatical Operative barely manage to keep the film flying. Although Ejiofor’s performance is decent, hardcore fans would have liked to see another tie in to the series, such as bringing back Jubal Early or the Hands of Blue. Never the less, decent performances can’t make up for the scaled back characters being tossed into a generic plot. Indeed, the generic feel is what undercuts the film, as the lack of characterization is what confuses the casual viewer and disappoints the hardcore fan. This is not the glorious morality play it has been made out to be by internet fandom, it is a high end zombie movie with some of the Whedon charm haphazardly injected into it. These are not the characters we know or would come to love after getting into the series, they are action movie ragdolls as mindless and gray as stereotypical zombies they have to fight off.  For those hoping for the next great adventure, all they will find is a ton of 狗屎.

Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nicke Frost) are two middle-aged fanboys who travel to the United States to attend Comic Con in San Diego and then drive to famous UFO sites around the country.  On their journey they encounter an alien, named Paul (Seth Rogen) who has been on Earth for 60 years and who escapes from the custody of the US government.  The two friends overcome their initial reservations and agree to help Paul get to a rendezvous point where he will be picked up by the mothership.

Although the Comic Con scene is only a brief part of the beginning of the film, it is easily one of the most memorable. Graeme and Clive revel in the atmosphere where attendees are dressed up as various comic book, sci-fi and fantasy characters and they are able to meet the creators of their favorite works.  Both are particularly excited about meeting Adam Shadowchild, brilliantly played by Jeffrey Tambor.  Shadowchild has a general malaise for the entire Comic Con escapade yet he doesn’t dampen the spirits of the enthusiastic friends.

The two friends nerdiness allowed them to fit into the Comic Con environment, however, they are less successful at blending into rural America. Their general innocence compliments their “man-child” personas well, but puts them in dangerous situations with hillbillies and fundamentalist Christians.  They meet Ruth Buggs (Kristen Wiig), who is also a prisoner, but of her fundamentalist Christian dogma. A firm believer in Intelligent Design, she wears a shirt portraying Jesus shooting Charles Darwin, with the words “Evolve This!” underneath.  Ruth sees Paul and passes out, as another life form’s existence topples her beliefs. Graeme and Clive decide to take the unconscious woman along in order to protect Paul’s whereabouts from the government.

The movie is built upon Pegg and Frost’s sophomoric humor. There are plenty of sex and bodily function jokes, most of which are clever enough to produce laughter. However, one of the funniest aspects of the film is the amount of allusions to other sci-fi movies. Both Pegg and Frost are self-confessed nerds and they make great references to Star Wars (“Boring conversation anyways…”) and Alien (“Get away from her, you bitch!”) with some help from Sigourney Weaver.  These references are closely tied with the narrative and they feel natural.  Most of them develop Paul’s character as we discover that he has played a central role in shaping pop culture by acting as a consultant on movies like E.T.

Although Paul has a great number of laughs and is not a derivative comedy narrative, there was one element of the film that I found particularly distracting—Seth Rogen. I’m a big fan of Rogen’s work, but he seems out of place in this film. His voice and mannerisms come through the alien character and it is all seems way to familiar. That being said, there are plenty of funny moments involving Paul, but Rogen’s familiarity detracted from the overall effect that the alien has on the viewers.  Paul just seemed like one of the guys, something that didn’t make much sense in the story’s context.

Plot Summary (Spoilers Follow):

It’s 1989 and Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), software engineer and CEO of tech giant ENCOM is telling is young son Sam the story of his adventures in the computer world with a heroic program named Tron. Kevin heads off to work, promising Sam to take him to the arcade. But Kevin disappears the next day, leaving Sam orphaned.

In the present day, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) is the controlling shareholding in ENCOM, but has no interaction with the company other than frustrating the board of directors. After uploading the company’s latest operating system to the web, Sam is visited by his father’s friend Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleiner). Alan received a message from Kevin’s office in his abandoned arcade. Sam arrives and discovers a hidden computer lab, where he is transported inside the computer to The Grid.

Sam is captured and taken to the game arena. After defeating several programs, Sam is matched with a fierce program named Rinzler, who notices that he is not a program, but a user. Sam is taken before the ruler of the Grid, who appears to be his father. However, it is not his father, but a replica program named Clu. Clu nearly kills Sam in a Light Cycle battle before Sam is rescued by Quorra (Olivia Wilde). She takes him to an “off-grid” site where Kevin has been hiding from Clu.

Kevin tells Sam the story of how he became trapped. After creating the Grid, Kevin created Clu to run the Grid in his absence and make the system perfect. However, as the Grid grew, Kevin encounter a group of sentient, self-produced programs called “isomorphic algorithms” (ISOs), which held the potential to unlock mysteries of science, medicine and religion. However, Clu regarded the ISO’s as an imperfection. He executed a coup against Kevin, and defeated Alan’s Tron security program before launching a genocide against the ISOs and banishing Kevin from the Grid.

Kevin believes Clu brought Sam in to open the portal to the real world and lead the two into a trap. However, Sam disobeys his father and on Quorra’s advice returns to the Grid to find a program named Zuse, who can get Sam out to delete Clu. Sam is taken to the End of Line Club, whose flamboyant owner, Castor (Michael Sheen) is revealed to be Zuse. He betrays Sam to Clu’s guards. Although Quorra and Kevin arrive to rescue Sam, Quorra is wounded and Castor steals Kevin’s identity disc. Castor tries to use the disc as a bargaining chip with Clu, however Clu takes the disc and destroys Castor and the Club.

Fleeing on a transport ship, Kevin reboots Quorra, who is revealed to be the last remaining ISO. Their transport unexpectedly docks with a massive warship, where it is revealed that Clu has been reprogramming captured programs to create an army. With Kevin’s disc and the portal opened, Clu and his army can travel to the real world and recreate it according to his idea of perfection.

When Quorra allows Rinzler to capture her as a distraction, Kevin recognizes him as the reprogrammed Tron. Sam rescues her and takes Kevin’s disc. The three then steal a shuttle and head toward the portal, Clu and Rinzler pursuing them with Light Jets. During the battle, Kevin and Rinzler make eye contact, and Rinzler regains his identity as Tron, declaring, “I fight for the users.” He deliberately collides with Clu. However, Clu recreates the Light Jet, while Tron falls into the Sea of Simulation. Arriving at the portal, the three are confronted by Clu. Kevin attempts to reconcile with his program, but Clu beats him and takes the disc on his back, only to find it is Quorra’s. To buy Quorra and Sam time to exit the portal, Kevin reintegrates with Clu, destroying them both.

Back in the basement of the arcade, Sam saves a copy of the grid. He meets Alan, telling him that he will begin working at ENCOM and names Alan chairman of the board. He and Quorra leave the arcade just as a new day begins to dawn.

If, like the author, you had never seen a movie in 3D before, you would think that Tron Legacy would be the perfect film for a first exposure. This movie is amazingly beautiful to look at. The startlingly rendered digital landscapes, blooming with a stunning contrast of light and darkness, combined with the frenzied but elegant digital combat of actors clad in what will become the standard for futuristic wardrobe is a triumph of visual art. It would be no exaggeration to expect this film to receive a number of Oscar nominations for its technical achievements and redefine the look of sci-fi for years. Yet despite all of this, except for the two second scene where Sam is transported to the Grid, the 3D glasses do nothing to enhance the experience. If a movie as graceful to look at as this can’t benefit from that extra dimension, one has to wonder whether Hollywood’s recent fascination with this new technology is misplaced.

Misplaced faith in technology is at the heart of this films story. Given the enormous narrative potential of a journey inside the computer, the story of the film seems to pale in comparison to the genius of its visual representations. Unlike the first film, the environment of Tron Legacy feels less like it is tightly bound to the world of computing and more like a generic dystopia. The connection between users and programs is woefully left unexplored, as are the ramifications of internet culture. Unlike brilliant sci-fi, this movie fails to reflect society back at itself. Instead, we are left with a series of homages to the original movie and a number of other sci-fi classics. Thus, the film seems to skirt being incisive and deep, leaving the viewer craving a little more substance in the plot.

Yet what brings this movie together is the solid acting of the cast. Although at times he seems to be channeling “the Dude” from Big Lebowski, Jeff Bridges gives a masterful performance. His Clu is a noble addition to the pantheon of science fiction villains, at once calculating, manic and at times sympathetic. Bridges’ range as an actor is displayed perfectly by the contrasting role of Kevin Flynn, which seamlessly blends regretful melancholy and self doubt with a lighthearted levity will endear him to viewers. While Garrett Hedlund gives an adequate performance as the strong but insecure action hero, Olivia Wilde’s Quorra breaks the mold from other women warriors of the genre. Although fierce and intelligent, Quorra displays a kind of naiveté and vulnerability that sets her apart from being dismissed as stereotypical eye-candy. Topped off with a funny but threatening exhibition from Michael Sheen as Castor and a warm display from Bruce Boxleitner, the cast will show through the CGI wonderland and transport itself into the viewers hearts.

If the movie lacks the gravitas of a classic, it makes up for it as a solid action movie with an engaging cast of characters. Indeed, this film is a fitting legacy to the original, both in its clever homages and that it too will change the look of science fiction. But more than that, like its predecessor it is a genuinely fun experience. The Light Jet battle in particular will delight and enthrall viewers. This film is a perfect excuse to draw people away from their computer screens and spend a few enjoyable hours at the movies. Indeed, despite some moderate flaws in its creation, this program will serve its users well for years to come.

End of Line.

Plot Summary (Spoiler follow, review continues after picture)

The film opens with Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) lying unconscious on a beach. He is brought into a chamber and questioned by an elderly man, who speaks to him cryptically. The only things found on Cobb were a small spinning top and a gun.

Earlier, Cobb and Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are talking to Saito (Ken Watanabe), offering their services as “extractors”. Extractors can enter people’s minds through dreams and retrieve valuable secrets. In fact, Saito is the duo’s target. However, a mysterious woman named Mal (Marion Cotillard) helps Saito disrupt the operation.

The rules of the dreams are explained: Dream worlds are mazes that contain the shared dreamers, all of whom are sleeping under the influence of drugs near each other. Objects in the dream world represent manifestations of the dreamers sub conscious, including other people called “projections” which will seek to drive out intruders. Individuals hurt in a dream experience pain, but death merely causes them to wake. Time is distorted in the dream world: five minutes in the real world translates to an hour in a dream. Things that happen to the person in the real world can effect the dream. For example, if a person gets wet, it will start to rain in the dream. To determine whether they are awake or dreaming, each dreamer carries a small artifact (like Cobb’s top) to test whether the rules of physics are correct.

Having failed to gain information from Saito, the team prepares to flee from the powerful clients who hired them. However, Saito intercepts the team. He was aware of their attempt to break into his mind and was in fact testing their skills for a mission of his own. Saito doesn’t want the team to take information from someone, he wants the team to plant an idea in someone’s mind, a process called inception. If the team is successful, Saito will use his connections to allow Cobb to return to the US, where his children are waiting.

Cobb recruits Eames (Tom Hardy), a “forger” capable of shifting his identity in a dream, Yusuf (Dileep Rao) a chemist capable of creating specialized drugs for the mission, and Ariadne (Ellen Page). Ariadne is a young student who will be the team’s “architect” creating the mazes which will become the dream worlds. As Ariadne trains inside Cobb’s mind, she learns of Cobb’s hidden past: Mal is a projection of Cobb’s deceased wife who continually haunts his dreams.

The inception target is Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), the estranged son of Saito’s dying business rival. The team is hoping to seed Fischer’s mind with the idea to break up his father’s empire. To plant the idea, the team will create a three layered dream (a dream within a dream within a dream). However, due to the strong sedative used in the operation, the normal rules of death don’t apply. If a person is killed in this dream, they will be sent into the limbo state: a dream state where the time dilation is so pronounced that a person will seem to experience decades or centuries in a dream state, losing all touch with reality.

The first level of the dream is an urban cityscape. The team kidnaps Fischer, and Eames impersonates Peter Browning (Tom Berenger), Fischer’s godfather, pretending that the team wants information from Fischer. As the team gets into a firefight with Fischer’s projections and Saito is critically injured, they escape in a van and enter the second level. The second level is a posh hotel where Cobb convinces Fischer that Browning is assaulting his dreams to gain information. Convinced he can obtain information from Browning, Cobb tricks Fischer into entering the third level, a military base on a snowy mountain. Here Fischer must break into his own subconscious to discover the idea the team is planting.

As Arthur engages the level 2 projections in a shifting gravity fight and the team confronts an army on level 3, Fischer is killed by Cobb’s projection of Mal. With Fischer in limbo, and Saito succumbing to his wounds, the mission seems to have failed. Moreover, they are running out of time, as predetermined “kicks” (sudden jolts of movement which will wake the sleepers) are about to go off. However, Cobb and Ariadne go deeper to enter limbo and rescue Fischer.

Limbo is a crumbling futuristic city built by Cobb and Mal. Cobb and Mal had entered limbo and seemed to live there for decades within their own created world. However, Mal lost herself in limbo and refused to believe it was a dream. The reason that Cobb knew inception was possible was that he had performed it on Mal to convince her that the world they had built was not real. However, the idea spread like a cancer in Mal’s mind. Convinced that reality itself was a dream, she killed herself in an attempt to wake up and framed Cobb to force him to “join” her in the real world. Wanted for Mal’s murder, Cobb fled. He can’t go home to see his children and holds himself responsible for Mal’s death.

Coming to grips with his guilt, Cobb rejects the Mal projection, and it attacks him. Ariadne shoots Mal and she dies in Cobb’s arms. She rescues Fischer, who wakes on level 3 to come to meet with a projection of his own father which plants the team’s idea. However, Cobb remains in limbo to rescue Saito.

Returning to the opening scene, Cobb speaks with the elderly man (Saito, who has spent many decades in limbo) and tells him that the world is not real and that they need to leave. The kicks in the three levels activate, waking the team up in each respective level.

Cobb and the team wake in the real world. Saito picks up a phone and honors their arrangement. Cobb enters the US and is reunited with his children. Cobb spins the top to test reality, but the children distract him. The top slows and begins to wobble, but the screen cuts to black before it falls.

For a movie to be great, rather than merely good, a lot of different aspects have to blend together seamlessly. The look and sound of the film have to perfectly complement and enhance the actions of the characters, which must, in turn, be wound together flawlessly to create a compelling narrative. Perhaps drawing inspiration from a three level dream, Christopher Nolan demonstrates that he can expertly navigate each level of the creative process. The film’s neo-noir look imbues the film with both elegance and sinister overtones. Much as he did in The Dark Knight, Nolan also shows that he is a master of suspense. Viewers will find themselves genuinely tense at times when little is happening on the screen but a subtle tingle from the soundtrack creeps up their spines. The film is scary without relying on shock and its action scenes are powerful without relying on excessive pyrotechnics or jerky camera effects. In particular, the altering gravity fight scenes are the coolest innovations in fighting since the Matrix introduced us to bullet-time.

The cast, of course, makes this movie shine. DiCaprio was a perfect pick for the role of Cobb, exhibiting throughout the piece a mixture of cool and panic. If that sounds like a contradiction, it perfectly conveys the performance. Cobb is a character desperately trying to control his own guilt and madness. Driven to bitterness by reality, he desperately tries to recreate according to his desires. This masterful performance by DiCaprio is perfectly complemented by Page’s Ariadne, who has come a long way since the unfunny indie concert that was Juno. Her character displays enough brilliance and naiveté to be a charming link to reality rather than an annoying young genius that can instantly solve intractable problems. However, the unsung performance of this film has to be Cotillard’s Mal. Seamlessly shifting from tender warmth to icy resolve to burning fury, Mal is the perfect embodiment of love, fear and hatred. Her outright insanity is a perfect means of bringing Cobb’s emotions out from under his calm demeanor. Murphy’s emotional performance, while less integral to the film, is also solid, as are the great performances from the rest of the team. Each character feels layered, complex and has a role to play without devolving into a caricature.

Some have questioned why the rules of the dream world and their philosophical implications were not more fully explored throughout the film. However, focusing on these misses the point of the film. As the Matrix sequels aptly demonstrated, philosophizing can ruin a film when it is clumsily beaten into the audience’s head. Using visuals to create fantastic realities in the dream world would do little to enhance the film, while getting bogged down in the rules would put it in danger of forcing a deus ex machina. Rather, the dream world represents a setting that is itself fascinating while presenting the perfect arena to explore Cobb’s own attempts to put his own reality back together. This is perfectly appropriate: the setting allows the characters to explore fascinating concepts without driving the plot in and of itself. That Nolan was able to display simultaneous events in three different settings, all of which interact in distinctly unconventional ways, without getting the viewer lost, is also a tribute to his ability as a director.

Thus, while Inception is not a revolutionary film in that it doesn’t redefine the techniques of film making, it is an excellent example of a provocative story built around a set of dynamic characters. Without becoming dragged down in its own complexity, it presents complex ideas to the audience centered in a highly relatable story of madness in the face of loss. Without that brilliance swirling at its base, the film would turn about aimlessly. But firmly anchored, Inception spins a wondrous tale of the darker reaches of the mind.

Plot Summary (Spoilers included, review continues after picture)

The world is divided into four nations. Each nation represents an element: water, earth, fire, air which the denizens of that nation can manipulate or “bend”. Only the Avatar can master all four elements and can enter the spirit world. The Avatar is also charged by the spirits with maintaining the balance of the world. However, the Avatar vanished 100 years ago. Since then, the Fire Nation has launched an all out war to conquer the planet.

Two members of the Southern Water Tribe, a young bender named Katara (Nicola Peltz) and her brother Sokka (Jackson Rathbone) discover a young boy named Aang (Noah Ringer) in an iceberg. Aang is covered in tattoos, indicating that he is an airbender. Aang’s release from the iceberg leads the disgraced Prince Zuko (Dev Patel) of the Fire Nation to raid the village and take Aang prisoner. Zuko has been banished by his father, Fire Lord Ozai (Cliff Curtis) until he can bring the Avatar back as a prisoner.

Tests administered by Iroh, Zuko’s uncle, (Shaun Toub) indicate Aang is the Avatar. He escapes Zuko’s clutches just as Katara and Sokka arrive to rescue him. The three fly to the Aang’s home at the Southern Air Temple. Here, Aang learns that his people were exterminated by the Fire Nation because it was known that the next Avatar would be an airbender. Consumed by rage, Aang enters the spirit realm, where he encounters a dragon spirit. Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh encounter the cocky Commander Zhao (Aasif Mandvi), who mocks the exiled prince.

Aang’s group travels to the Earth Kingdom, where they begin a rebellion against the Fire Nation occupation. Katara discovers a waterbending scroll, which teaches her and Aang advanced waterbending. However, Aang cannot master the technique. Seeking guidance, he travels to the Northern Air Temple, where he is captured by Zhao. However, a masked bandit called “the Blue Spirit” arrives and rescues Aang. As they escape, the spirit is knocked unconscious and Aang discovers that his rescuer is actually Zuko. Suspecting this, Zhao arranges for Zuko to be killed. The prince survives and stows away on Zhao’s command ship. The ship is leading an armada to attack the Northern Water Tribe, armed with secret knowledge Zhao stole from an ancient library.

Hoping to master waterbending, Aang’s group arrives at the North Pole first, where Sokka falls in love Princess Yue (Seychelle Gabriel). Zhao soon arrives and launches an all out attack, while Zuko infiltrates the city and captures Aang while he is in the spirit world seeking guidance from the dragon spirit. Coming to, Aang and Katara battle Zuko. Meanwhile, Zhao arrives at the sacred pool in the heart of the city and despite Iroh’s warning slays the moon spirit Tui, which causes the waterbenders to loose their powers. However, Yue, who had been given life by the spirit as a child, sacrifices herself to revive the Moon. Iroh and Zuko leave Zhao to his fate, and he is killed by waterbenders. Aang, realizing his power and accepting his role as the Avatar, uses the ocean to drive the armada back. Informed of Zhao’s death and Iroh and Zuko’s betrayal, the firelord orders his daughter Azula (Summer Bishil) to pursue Aang and distract him before Sozin’s Comet, which will give every Firebender incredible powers, passes near the planet in three years.

The insurmountable problem with this film is the script, which Shyamalan authored himself. Why the script was not left in the capable hands of series creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, someone on the writing staff, or a drunken chimp for that matter, is a mysterious tragedy. The characters manner of speaking is repetitive, awkward and unnecessarily complex. Another unforgivable flaw is Shyamalan’s tendency for his characters to philosophize, which results in the ejaculation of vague, nonsensical monologues every few minutes. Thus, one hesitates to call the interactions between the characters dialogue, as none of them seem to interact with each other.

However, it would be unfair to hold the actors responsible for their wooden and one dimensional portrayals. Indeed, one might commend them to keeping straight faces while delivering Shyamalan’s stilted gibberish. Yet it must be noted that we are never given any insight into who these characters are. For fans of the original animation, this will be particularly disappointing, as the complex undertones of the characters are completely gone. With the exception of Aasif Mandvi’s mercifully decent performance, none of these characters seems to be capable of showing more than one default emotion. While parsing a season of television in two hours is bound to entail some details and character development to be sacrificed, there is no character development or growth at all. Forced to show all the events of the film in a runtime that is too short, the pacing feels rushed and the characters are left undeveloped. Another hour in the theater would have been worth the viewer’s time rather than leaving these bland figures dancing aimlessly on the screen.

Another particular disappointment is the fight scenes. Whereas the four elements could have been artfully blended into an extension of the characters movements, bending combat has been reduced to the actors standing still, flinging different colored CGI projectiles at each other. Unlike other films with surrealistic martial arts, there is no grace to this fighting. Perhaps acknowledging this, the film’s most memorable fight is an effectless catfight between Aang and Zuko. However, the greatest disappointment comes at the climax, when Aang realizes his purpose and masters waterbending. Instead of the climatic fight we are all expecting, we are treated to a slow paced exposition of CGI tidal waves, at which point the villains seem to calmly decide to leave. This anti-climax extends well beyond the suspension of disbelief, and constitutes the bottom falling out on the viewer’s willingness to bare witness to these terribly thought out scenes.

Whether dedicated fans of the cartoon or first time viewers, this movie will fill viewers with a mixture of anger and disappointment. Although the film is advertised as a kids movie, parents would do well by their children to save their money and purchase a used copy of this venerable and enjoyable series on DVD instead.

Plot Summary (Spoilers Follow)

The film opens in Mexico, where Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith (Liam Neeson) is being held captive. Left for dead by a pair of corrupt cops, he escapes into the desert to rescue a fellow Army Ranger, Templeton “Faceman” Peck (Bradley Cooper). En route, Hannibal encounters a disgraced Ranger, Basco B.A. Baracus (Quinton Jackson), and convinces him to aid in the rescue. On the run from the renegade Mexican forces, they stop at an army hospital to recruit H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock (Sharlo Copley), a mental patient and pilot. Fleeing in a medical chopper, they trick their pursuers into entering American airspace, where the renegades are shot down by the Air Force. This represents the culmination of Hannibal’s elaborate plan.

Eight years later, the team is now a decorated, elite combat unit stationed in Iraq. Hannibal is contacted by CIA Agent Lynch (Patrick Wilson). A group of Iraqi insurgents are transporting a set of US treasury plates being used to make counterfeit currency out of Baghdad. Against the advice of his commanding officer, General Morrison (Gerald McRaney) and Face’s former lover, Captain Sosa (Jessica Biel), Hannibal and the team recover the plates in an unofficial “black” operation. When the team returns to base, the container with the plates and Morrison’s Humvee are destroyed by contractors from the private security firm Black Forest, led by a mercenary named Pike (Brian Bloom). With Morrison dead, there is no record of the mission, and the four are arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Six months later, Lynch visits Hannibal in prison and reveals that Pike is trying to sell the plates with the help of a mysterious Arab. Hannibal strikes a deal with Lynch: in exchange for recovering the plates, the team will be reinstated with clean records. Lynch agrees and helps Hannibal escape. Hannibal frees Face, BA (who has found religion in prison and refuses to kill anymore) and Murdock. Sosa, convinced the team is in league with Pike, pursues them. While escaping from a German hospital, the team’s aircraft is destroyed by military drones. However, they escape inside a tank with parachutes, using the turret to maneuver.

The team tracks Pike, recovering the plates and capturing the Arab, who is revealed to be General Morrison. Morrison was working with Lynch and Pike to steal the plates, but faked his own death to double-cross Lynch. When Lynch discovers that Morrison is alive, he orders an air strike to eliminate the team. They escape, but Morrison, the only one who knows the team is innocent, is killed.

Desperate, Face comes up with a plan. Hannibal contacts Sosa (knowing she is being tapped by Lynch) and agrees to hand over Morrison and the plates at the LA docks in exchange for his freedom. Face then contacts Sosa on an untapped phone he had given her earlier. Lynch and Pike prepare to trap the team at the docks. Face has anticipated this, and executes an elaborate plan to draw Lynch into the open. However, when Pike uses a bazooka to sink the ship the team is using, the plan nearly falls apart until Pike is killed by BA. Lynch confronts Hannibal and a hooded figure he believes to be Morrison, shooting the figure in the head. Just as it seems as though Lynch has won, the container they are fighting in is lifted, revealing Sosa and a squad of Federal agents. The figure in the hood is revealed to be Murdock in a Kevlar helmet. Lynch is taken into custody, but the team is arrested again for escaping prison. Before he is taken away, Sosa kisses Face. As the frustrated team is taken away, Face produces a key from his mouth, repeating Hannibal’s catch-phrase: “I love it when a plan comes together.”

Anyone familiar with a flip book knows that when you put a series of still pictures together in succession, it can create the appearance of movement and activity. Sadly, this film does not seem to have mastered this basic principle of film making. The overall narrative of the film is incredibly disjointed and the plot is so poorly executed it is impossible to follow. Much of this is due to one critical error: there are three different factions chasing the team. As each of these factions schemes against and chases the others, it is easy to get them confused. Much of the time, the viewer will be trying to figure out who is chasing the team. Why the chase scene is occurring is too frequently a question that is also left unanswered. The villain’s motivations are never explained and their performances suffer as a result. In particular, Agent Lynch is portrayed as an inept bumbler, who will annoy viewers rather than intimidate or scare them. The character is such a pathetic caricature of a corrupt CIA agent that he is not even worthy of the title of comic relief. Biel’s character fairs little better, as it feels like her only role in the film is to look pretty for 90 minutes and kiss the hero at the end.

However, another reason for the film’s scattershot of a plot is that it tries to incorporate too many elements into the story. Viewers will find themselves confronted with an exhibition of clichéd twists: the jilted lovers confronting each other, the senior mentor who is revealed to be a traitor, the second in command taking his mentor’s place. The worst offender is the unnecessary subplot involving BA’s pacifism, which is unconvincing and immediately abandoned after a single lecture from Hannibal. None of these scenes are bound together convincingly into one grand narrative. The latter half of the film feels like watching several mediocre short films.

This is not to say that the film is a complete failure. A few of the individual scenes are good in and of themselves. The opening scene is decently exciting and does an admirable job establishing the personality of each of the four team members. That is where the film shines. The interactions between the four are genuine and often hilarious. While the action half of the action-comedy label is disappointing in the second half, the comedy in the first half of the film is genuinely funny. Face’s cool, quick wit is perfectly complemented by BA’s over the top personality and Murdock’s cartoonish ramblings.  All of this is brought together by a solid performance from Neeson’s Hannibal, whose calculating command provides their scenes with a focus that gave the initial action sequences purpose and direction. While some may criticize the individual characters as one dimensional, together the performances exceed the sum of their parts. These moments of comedic comity make the first half of the film enjoyable.

However, the uninspired series of action movie vignettes loosely attached to the first half lack any of these interactions. The fight sequences at the end of the film are dark and the camera is jerky, leading to a confusing and disappointing final confrontation. The ending is nonsensical and thoroughly disappointing. Pity the fools who sit through this entire movie. But if the viewer is in need of a decent laugh for 40 minutes and nothing else can help, maybe they should hire the A-Team.

The story centers around Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) an orphan from the slums who is adopted by the king of Persia after he witnesses the young boy’s act of kindness and bravery. Although not of the royal bloodline, Dastan is an integral member of the royal family. He accompanies his older brothers (the elder is the heir to the throne) and the powerful Persian army to the mythical city of Alamut. The king’s brother, Nizam (Ben Kingsley), who is serving as a mentor of sorts to the future kings, lobbys the young princes to invade the city because they were aiding Persia’s enemies.

During the siege of the city, Dastan shows remarkable skill infiltrating the city the biggest reason for Persia’s victory. The ruler of Alamut, Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), attempts to hide the mystical secret weapon of their civilization, the Dagger of Time. However, during the hectic final moments of the battle for the city, Dastan comes into possession of the weapon, yet doesn’t realize it’s full power.

Tamina is presented as the husband of the future king, a role she is willing to take only after she realizes that it will bring her closer to the dagger. During the festivities following the victory, Dastan is fooled into presenting a poisoned gift to his father, King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup). Believed to be the assassin, Dastan is forced to flee the city along with Tamina. When Tamina attempts to steal the Dagger of Time back, the weapon she swore an oath to protect, Dastan stumbles upon its ancient power. The holder has the ability to reverse time for up to a minute. After a series of argument, Dastan and Tamina agree to work together to clear the name of the innocent prince and to protect the dagger. On their journey, they encounter enemies and make new friends.Of particular significance is Sheik Amar (Alfred Molina), a gambling boss who has a fetish for his ostriches. Amar serves as some comic relief, similar to Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow in Bruckheimer’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. He certainly isn’t as funny or as important as Jack Sparrow, yet he lightens the tone of the film and allows for some good laughs.

The journey across the vast Persian Empire is perfect for showing off some incredible visuals. Filmed largely in Morocco, the desserts and vast canyons are breathtaking, and reminded me of John Ford’s classic western The Searchers. Increasing the eye candy, the film is filled with spectacular special effects that create imaginative cities and exciting fight scenes. There are a few homages to the video games, particularly the camera’s movement during fight scenes. The scenes are enjoyable, but at the same time, they don’t revolutionize sword fighting (which, I am fully aware, would be a difficult order to fulfill).

One of the bigger criticisms of the movie by some leading critics (such as Roger Ebert) was that the acting by the leading actors seemed contrived.  Although there are certain lines that seem a little awkward, I found the rapport between Gyllenhaal and Arterton genuine. The beautiful Arterton oozes sensuality and serves as a confident, strong heroine, while Gyllenhaal plays a Peter Parker type of hero (unbelievably strong, yet very self-conscious). While I was pleased with certain elements of the acting, I was surprised with the lack of screen time for Kingsley’s character. Although Nizam is an integral part of the plot, none of his scenes were especially memorable.

When I walked out of the theater, I was expecting to come to some more detracting points from the more obvious ones connected to the storyline. This was a video game movie right? It couldn’t possibly be a good film. However, the more I thought about it, I realized that although Prince of Persia: Sands of Time wasn’t going to join the pantheon of great superhero films that have been released in the last decade, it was an enjoyable ride. Although it doesn’t destroy the notion that video game movies are terrible, it certainly points the genre in the right direction. Simply put, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is the best movie based off of a video game and an entertaining summer blockbuster.

The movie scored a major coup by having John Cusack, a star of many films of the 1980s, as the lead. By doing so, it allows the audience to ask what happened to the characters like Lloyd Dobler, who were supposed to live happily ever after their eighties exploits. The answer is that they are emotional nightmares, either too clingy or too cowardly or too antipathetic to have an actual successful relationship.

Cusack plays Adam, a forty-year old who can’t keep a girlfriend because he’s too compartmentalized. His friend Lou’s (Rob Corddry) attempted suicide prompts him and his friend Nick (Craig Robinson) to rent a cabin in the ski lodge where they had many fond memories. Along for the trip is Adam’s nephew Jacob (Clark Duke), who plays the straight man to the outrageous Coddry.

"It must be some kind of Hot Tub Time Machine"

When the protagonists arrive at the cabin, the place is in shambles, but that is no worry because a sagely repairman (Chevy Chase) is able to get the titular hot tub running and that’s really all you need for a party. Through a series of accidents, the hot tub transports them back to the 1980s, and that’s when the fun begins. References to many facets of eighties culture (and even contemporary culture) appear left and right- everything from “The Drive” to Michael Jackson is lampooned. The characters provide many humorous situations as they attempt to relive the past in an attempt to keep the future intact. But if Back to the Future has taught us anything, you can’t relive the past in the exact same manner (and to reinforce this fact, Crispin Glover has a supporting role as the hotel’s bellhop).

The only problem with Hot Tub Time Machine was the lack of development of certain subplots. Though the gang references a bad time in Cincinnati that led to a falling out of the main characters, the audience is never shown what exactly happened in the Queen City. Though it can be inferred that Adam did something that cemented his reputation as a self-absorbed jerk, a reveal of the exact incident (like the Albuquerque incident in The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard) does not occur. Thus, Hot Tub Time Machine misses a key opportunity to provide more jokes and more humor.

However, this slight missed opportunity does not detract from the overall quality of the movie. This movie is destined to become a college humor classic with its many quotable lines and funny references. Plus, it’s a movie with a hot tub time machine- what can be wrong with that?

The Academy did not assist anyone in coming to this realization, however, with the beginning of its awards telecast. Though the versatile Neil Patrick Harris performed a splendid musical number that seemed to incorporate elements from the old magic of Hollywood, the opening dialogue delivered by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin fell flat. If this replacement for the traditional monologue was performed in any other year, I suspect that the Oscars ratings would have flatlined immediately. Yet, because there were some popular choices for this year’s Oscars, there was still reason for most of the country to watch. When they continued to watch, they were treated to the best that Hollywood had to offer, and the highlights used to show this year’s best picture nominees will have me racing to the theaters, or, in the case of some of the pictures released earlier this year, the mall in order to see some more of the nominated films.

Oscars intro math: Funny + Funny = Not Funny

Though some speculated that run-off style voting used in this year’s awards would lead to a dark-horse nominee winning best picture, the results had all the surprises of all number one seeds making the Final Four. However, unlike in years past, this result was acceptable. The Hurt Locker trumping all others was not like last year’s Academy Awards, in which two films of that year that were not nominated (The Dark Knight and Doubt) had a more legitimate claim to the golden statuette and all of the films of the previous year (No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Juno, Michael Clayton, and Atonement) were better than the winner Slumdog Millionaire. The Hurt Locker emerged from a field that included the most financially successful movie ever, a Quentin Tarantino masterpiece, and an animated classic, among others, in order to win. The fact that I was able to write the previous sentence shows that the victory was well deserved. This year wasn’t another chapter in the Academy’s love affair with independent movies (though The Hurt Locker will be the answer to the trivia question ‘What is the lowest grossing movie to ever win the Best Picture Oscar?’). Instead, it was a celebration of all of cinema. For this reason, all movie fans should be grateful that the Academy expanded to ten best picture nominees last summer.

When he is performing live, it is at embarrassing venues such as small coffee shops and bowling alleys. Barely sober enough to play on the stage, rehearsing with his backup band is out of the question. His small, overly devoted group of fans overlook his sub-par performances which are usually interrupted by his running off the stage to vomit. Lonely, Bad settles for company from his dwindling female fan base.

Alcoholism and depression preventing further success or human companionship, Bad is the perfect fallen star for the young reporter, Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal) to write about. Bad is happy to do an interview, but wants to keep the questions simple and unobtrusive, particularly about his current state. In the shamefully unremarkable motel room, Jean tries to probe Bad for more answers about his relationship with his ex-wife and children, but he proves uncooperative. Instead,  Bad retorts: “I want to talk about how bad you make this room look”.

Bad makes it very clear to his manager (James Keane) that he doesn’t want to tour anymore, especially at such horrible venues. However, his manager makes it clear that Bad’s lack of new songs and unwillingness to work with his old mentor Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) don’t allow him to play for more than a handful of people. Luckily for Bad, but perplexing to the viewer, he begins to have a romantic relationship with Jean and becomes a father figure for her four year old son (which ironically, is the same age his son was when he last saw him). His love inspires him to write new songs. On his bed he writes a beautiful ballad in a matter of minutes, which brings Jean to tears, not because of the it’s eloquence but as she realizes that Bad hasn’t used his gifts to the fullest extent.

However, just when things seem to be turning in the right direction, Bad’s alcoholism derails everything again. While watching Jean’s son at a crowded mall, Bad goes into a bar, begins to drink, and looses the boy. In a painful sequence of shots, Bad is seen limping around the mall screaming out in desperation to find the boy. Although he is eventually found, Jean cannot bear to see him anymore while Bad finally realizes he has to address his problem.

With the help of his only remaining friend Wayne (Robert Duvall), Bad enters rehab and successfully becomes clean. Although he was completely dismissive of the idea before, Bad begins to tour with Tommy Sweet and also writes him some songs. He expects that he can regain those ruined relationships because he has turned his life around, but it is simply not to be.

Jeff Bridges’ performance as Bad Blake makes him the front-runner for Best Actor at this year’s Academy Awards, and with good reason. He portrays an alcoholic with a realism where it is often over dramatized. In addition, the power of the role is made all the stronger by Bridges’ singing the songs himself in his rough baritone voice. Much has acclaim has been given to Maggie Gyllenhaal’s for her performance, but I was less impressed. There seem to be a large disconnect between Gyllenhaal and the character. Part of this is the way she performed the role, but it is further exacerbated by the weakness in the character relationships in the story.

Although Bridges performance is extraordinary, the reasons why Bad has a good relationship with Jean and a poor one with Tommy is not adequately explained. Bad is not a suave man, but somehow he is able to seduce a woman 25 years his junior. His overtly sexual and flirtatious conversations don’t lend any credence to why a woman would fall in love with him–yet Jean becomes smitten. In the same manner, one cannot understand why Bad hates Tommy Sweet. Played by the real-life bad boy Colin Farrel, I was expecting an unappreciative, arrogant star in Tommy Sweet. However, he is enormously appreciative and wants to help his old mentor. When they perform on stage, Tommy gives Bad all the credit while he gives him many offers to join him on tour. In my mind, I asked myself what’s not to like about Tommy?

The brilliance of Jeff Bridges’ performance is certainly the best element of the film. However, one does get the sense that Bridges’ plays a more complex character than the script created and deserves.