Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Mortal Engines and The Mule

Dearest Blog: On Friday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for Mortal Engines and the Mule.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

First up: Mortal Engines.

In a dystopian future where "predator" cities devour lesser cities whole, a young lady seeks revenge for her mother's death.

Well, you guys, I'd call this Divergent Hunger Maze thingy a disappointment, but for that to be the case I'd have had to expect something, and, truly, I did not.

Beginning with a couple small positives: Anything that is meant to be terrifyingly, impressively huge in Mortal Engines is just that. Even in 2D, the predator cities appear ready to roll right off the screen to crush the assembled...erm...half-dozen paying customers. There's also the matter of Robert Sheehan, who, for the record, is entirely to blame for my seeing this instead of the Spider-Man cartoon. A cookie-cutter role doesn't give him much to work with, but he is the most interesting thing about the movie, as he generally is in any project fortunate enough to have him. Sadly, the good news ends there. In the unlikely event this film could have overcome it's wooden, unlikable lead, Hera Hilmar, there's dodgy green screen, painful dialogue, and some weirdly out-of-synch ADR to make absolutely certain it falls on its face. The thing runs over two hours (Hollywood, please explain yourself!) and consists mostly of pointless running around and Hilmar scowling at things. If Lord of the Rings fans were hoping for something to indicate Peter Jackson was back on the right track, I guess we'll just have to keep hoping.

Mortal Engines clocks in at a bloated 128 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of futuristic violence and action."

If you want to watch something from the people who made Lord of the Rings, well, maybe just stay home and watch Lord of the Rings again. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Moral Engines gets two.

Next on my agenda: The Mule.

When an elderly horticulturist falls on hard times, he accepts a job "driving" for a drug cartel.
Unlike Mortal Engines, I *did* have some expectations for The Mule, and, sadly, it failed to meet even the barest minimum. What trailers sold as genuine awards fodder instead turned out to be a couple hours of aiming for the lowest common denominator. Clint Eastwood stars as an Archie Bunker caricature whose cluelessness and bigotry are played for laughs at every available turn.

Pedestrian storytelling holds no surprises, and performances from a pretty noteworthy cast are anything but noteworthy; however, most unforgivable is the film's criminal waste of the brilliant Clifton Collins, Jr. I'd considered The Mule to be the weekend's "must see," but I think Spidey would have been the better call here.

The Mule runs 116 minutes and is rated R for "language throughout and brief sexuality/nudity."

Nestled deep in the heart of awards season, The Mule can only be considered a bitter disappointment.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Mule gets four.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: AQUAMAN

Once home to the most advanced civilization on Earth, the city of Atlantis is now an underwater kingdom ruled by the power-hungry King Orm. With a vast army at his disposal, Orm plans to conquer the remaining oceanic people -- and then the surface world. Standing in his way is Aquaman, Orm's half-human, half-Atlantean brother and true heir to the throne. With help from royal counselor Vulko, Aquaman must retrieve the legendary Trident of Atlan and embrace his destiny as protector of the deep.

Director: James Wan

Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman

Release Date: December 14, 2018

Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language

Runtime: 2h 23 min

Review:

Aquaman is one of those properties that could have gone off the rails fairly easily much like Marvel’s Thor.  The best thing DC did was nail the casting much like they did with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.  Jason Momoa has great screen presence and he never takes himself overly serious.  He’s had a trial run with him making an impressive debut in Justice League and he proves that he’s more than capable of carrying his own film here.  The combination of James Wan and Jason Momoa make for an incredibly fun film which has a massive scope but it never loses its focus even as it becomes more and more ridiculous.  Wan does a healthy bit of world building delivering some incredibly impressive visual set pieces and action sequences.  After a bit of a slow start the film revs up and never let’s down, its energy is palpable through out even at nearly two in half hours.  The supporting cast rounds out the film with Amber Heard leaving the biggest impression with Nichole Kidman coming in a strong second.  It’s a testament to how well crafted the film is that you can overlook a few missteps like a bland villain, Black Manta would have worked better as the primary baddie, and some formulaic story beats.  Even so Aquaman is a superhero film that’s sure to please nearly everyone especially long suffering DC fans.  

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: SPIDERMAN INTO THE SPIDERVERSE

Bitten by a radioactive spider in the subway, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales suddenly develops mysterious powers that transform him into the one and only Spider-Man. When he meets Peter Parker, he soon realizes that there are many others who share his special, high-flying talents. Miles must now use his newfound skills to battle the evil Kingpin, a hulking madman who can open portals to other universes and pull different versions of Spider-Man into our world.

Director: Peter Ramsey, Robert Persichetti Jr., Rodney Rothman

Cast: Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna 

Lauren Velez, John Mulaney, Nicolas Cage, Liev Schreiber

Rated PG for frenetic sequences of animated action violence, thematic elements, and mild 

language

Genres: Animation, Action, Adventure

Runtime: 1h 57min

Review:

Spiderman into the Spiderverse is one of those animated films that is instantly striking due to it’s visual style and energy.  The visual style is so striking that it takes a little while to adjust to it in action.  Once you settle into it it’s a cornucopia of visual delights.  The character designs and lush backgrounds make for a beautifully vivid film.  Thankfully the story is just as strong as the visual.  The story is a fun superhero tome filled with great messages for kids and adults alike.  The voice cast all fit their characters perfectly with Shameik Moore and Jake Johnson sharing great chemistry.  Hailee Steinfeld as a SpiderGwen has spinoff written all over it but it’s not nearly as fun as John Mulany as Spider Ham and Nicholas Cage as Spiderman Noir.  Ultimately, Spiderman into the Spiderverse is a fun film which offers a fresh version of animation which makes it pop.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: THE MULE

Broke, alone and facing foreclosure on his business, Earl Stone takes a job as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. His immediate success leads to easy money and a larger shipment that soon draws the attention of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates. When Earl's past mistakes start to weigh heavily on his conscience, he must decide whether to right those wrongs before law enforcement and cartel thugs catch up to him.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest, Andy García

Release Date: December 14, 2018

Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Rated R for language throughout and brief sexuality/nudity

Runtime: 1h 56 min

Review:

The Mule is surprisingly funny, occasionally reflective entry into Clint Eastwood’s resume.  Eastwood’s film is impressive for its measured approach at making an unlikable character incredibly likeable.  Eastwood can be credited for this since he’s the star and director.  His performance is heavy on grandpa-ism which makes Earl Stone easy to like.  There are a few odd moments in the film where you get the feeling that Eastwood is trying to say something about race but he never really commits to that thread.  As a self reflective film, you get the sense that this subject matter hits close to home for him.  So much so that he beats you over the head with the “family is what matters” message.  Still the film offers a bevy of strong performances from Eastwood and his supporting cast even if the story itself is a bit simplistic.  

B-