Since both me and my friend had Orange Wednesdays and these films were playing an hour apart, we decided to go see both, I have a spoiler free podcast which is an extremely brief review of the films to put up when I can be bothered to edit it, but this is a more detailed spoiler filled double review feature. Enjoy!
I'm starting with Premium Rush first, because although both films are good, I definitely think that Premium Rush is the weaker of the two films and one that shouldn't have you running to the cinemas.It is written and directed by the great David Koepp and stars man of the moment, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, amongst others. And surprisingly, it's got a pretty good reaction from critics so far - with the films saving grace seemingly in its stunts and action set pieces. And what did I think? Well, let's dig in!
Plotwise, Premium Rush is a strange beast. From the way it is marketed I walked in expecting one of those really bad extreme sports movies from the 90's....what I got was...well much darker, and deeper than I could have ever imagined. We've got dirty cops, gambling addictions, The Triad and human trafficking all thrown in here somewhere, to the point where cycling is only really in the story by coincidence, and could easily be changed with something else and tell the same story - which is a shame because with the way New York's Bike Couriers are introduced...it seems like a fascinating story in itself. But this was admittedly a constant frustration throughout for me, although the film introduced a lot of interesting things much closer to home with the cycling and courier services, it kept moving away from this to tell its oddly elaborate gangster story like it was somehow a film about cycling ashamed to be so.The golden boy JGL puts on a brilliant central performance - admittedly he doesn't have a whole lot to say, or a whole lot about him but JGL himself is so charming it's hard not to enjoy every scene he gets to say a line or do something other than pedal. He really helps carry the movie between the stunts.
Premium Rush is a gorgeous movie, the camera takes these huge sweeps, to get a real sense of the busy, dangerous New York roads and the combination of stylish over-editing and lots of crazy stunts makes the cycling become insanely fun, tense and exciting to watch, it's just such an insanely fast film - it's awesome.Although I am still not entirely convinced on how complicated the plot of the film becomes... I can't deny that it works on a pacing level. During the first fifteen minutes of Wilee (JGL) cycling around, you start to wonder where this film will go...how it will go anywhere at all but as the film goes and it becomes more and more complicated, it seems to only gain greater and greater momentum and focus, as said there is no denying that the elements only seem to gel on a coincidental level but there is also no denying that building more and more into your plot as you go is a great way to keep people watching, then giving them some insane stunts is a great reward for sticking around. And trust me, this is worth sticking around for.
The only reason I'm not telling you to rush out and see this is because I'm not sure Premium Rush needs to be seen in the cinema, there is no denying that this is an insanely fun, good looking movie but I'm not sure if you shrunk it down to your HDTV you'd lose much in the experience and with so many great films already out, and coming out...I think Premium Rush is only a film you should really bother with, if you've literally seen everything else.
So do I recommend it? Although I have to give it to Premium Rush for being surprisingly heartfelt, I still also can't help but feel that 90% of the plot was completely unnecessary in a story about a guy on a push bike to the point where it does feel a little like two very different movies awkwardly glued together which really did leave me feeling torn by the end. There is no denying the entertainment value of this movie, but I honestly think you can wait until DVD/BluRay for this one.
ParaNorman is a stop-motion kids movie with horror elements and an all-star voice cast including but not limited too such talents as Casey Affleck, John Goodman, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Jodelle Ferland. Also apparently there was some big deal around the 3D in this film, but I watched it in 2D and thought it was gorgeous anyway which means either the 3D is truly insane...or adds nothing. It has been a critical success, praised for its visuals, writing and mass market appeal. And what did I think, well let's dig in!
ParaNorman is about a misfit...a guy who is a misfit because of a special gift. This special gift is seeing ghosts, and basically the plot deals with his coming of age as he must eventually use his supernatural abilities to protect the town from an extremely pissed witch in what turns out to be an incredibly thoughtful and deep story full of an insane amount of twists and turns. Although ParaNorman doesn't move with quite the breakneck pace Premium Rush does, each twist is so clever and such a slap in the face, it is in the concept and ideas that makes this one a rollercoaster, rather than the thing just screaming in your face.ParaNorman may be a kids film, but it doesn't soften its punches, it's a kids film that doesn't think all children are idiots and it works for great effect, I think adults and children can both take something different away from ParaNorman, and that is a good thing. Eitherway, both kids and adults will have to pick their jaws off the floor by the end.
ParaNorman in places is surprisingly scary, it has a great way of constructing atmosphere, it also has an incredible grasp of comedy being one of the funniest things I've watched in a very long time, this balance of being genuinely scary and genuinely hilarious plays for great effect, it's just a brilliantly written and realised film.It is also gorgeous, it is extremely stylish, extremely detailed...it is just a film that needs to be in the cinema just...I have no words, stunning, eyeporn - My God! I could rant and rave about how good this looks and never do it justice, it is just a film that needs to be seen. This is what the cinema is made for. And although there isn't that much in the way of action as such, the action set pieces are almost in the huge, spectacular visuals and brilliant direction. I mean the conclusion is truly epic and explosive, without the need for some big battle or something...all you need is heart.
Do I recommend it? If nothing else, this is the kids film of the year, an intelligent non patronising story coupled with jaw dropping visuals makes for an experience that just needs to be seen in the cinema.
Think About It!
-Locke
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