Marvel's The Avengers ★ ★ ★ ★★

Superheroes made to rule us 

Release Dates
Australia 25th April, 2012 UK 26th April, 2012 USA 4th May, 2012

Other Countries Release Dates

 UPDATE TO THIS REVIEW 14/5/2012

            Having just seen Marvel's The Avengers for a second time with the kids on the weekend, I am updating my rating from 4 1/2 to 5 stars. This film really hits the mark in its aim and for that it deserves a perfect score.
            When I attended the preview, despite receiving fabulous Avengers 3D glasses and a free popcorn and drink, (thankyou gorgeous Disney people), I felt it lagged in a few spots.  On second viewing though, I thought, ''What the heck was I thinking? This is the best fun you can have at the movies.'' 
             If you get a chance see it a second time, see it in 2D.  I haven't seen the 2D version but my fellow reviewers assure me it is better in 2D thanks to different editing and sharper images.
             The snarky reviewers ages eleven and nine also loved it. In fact, tough critic aged eleven said it was the best film he had ever seen. To put this in perspective he has, so far in 2012, seen thirty-two films on screen. 
             One thing for sure, when it comes to Marvel's The Avengers, once is not enough.

THE ORIGINAL REVIEW

      
             Picture our recent Easter and birthday, extended family dinners.  The conversation, instead of the usual sports scores, has altered to movie totalling.  “Have you seen ‘Captain America’?  ‘Thor’?  Can I borrow your ‘Iron Man’ DVD?    Do I need to see ‘The Hulk’?  I need to prepare.”

One unconscientious relative had not seen any of the Marvel Super-hero films.  So, over the past two weeks they greeted us with exclamations of, “We’ve seen ‘Captain America’ now.  It’s ‘Thor’ tomorrow.”  Young and old already purchased their tickets too.  They are not waiting more than a week to see this one.

Well, we’ve all waited a long four years since that torturously tempting Nick Fury cameo at the end of ‘Iron Man’.  The delicious taunts, that there may be an ‘Avengers’ film, continued a few months later in ‘The Incredible Hulk’.  By the time the ‘Captain America’ and ‘Thor’ films released we knew it for fact.  ‘The Avengers’ was coming and all sign posts pointed to something very special.

The idea for ‘The Avengers’ first surfaced during the production of ‘Iron Man’ when producer Kevin Feige had a notion that S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division) could be part of both ‘Iron Man’ and ‘The Incredible Hulk’.

Says Feige, “We started looking at the list of characters in the Marvel Universe that hadn’t been taken by other studios: Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow, and I thought, isn’t that interesting; all of these characters happen to form one of the most popular comic book series—‘The Avengers’.

“When the idea of a Nick Fury cameo started coming up, we called Sam Jackson, and he thought it was a cool idea,” continues Feige.  “It was his enthusiasm about it that led us to shoot that end credit scene and what he says to Tony Stark in the scene, ‘You’re part of a bigger universe, you just don’t know it yet.’  The line was also Marvel telling that to the audience as well.”

But it all came together when Joss Whedon (Director and screenplay) was assigned the task of bringing these huge franchises together.  “Joss Whedon came in and was very interested,” recalls Kevin Feige.  “I have known Joss since 2001 and I told him that one of the most important things with ‘The Avengers’ is it needs to stand alone and you need to structure it in a way so that people can watch the film without having seen any of the other Marvel films and get the story start to finish.”

Says Whedon, “Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America don’t seem like they could co-exist and ultimately that is what intrigued me and made me go, ‘This can be done and this should be done.’  These people don’t belong together and wouldn’t get along, and as soon as that dynamic came into focus, I realized that I actually had something to say about these people.”

And say it he does in 142 minutes of action, laughs, and incredible special effects that will please the most anti-popcorn blockbuster patrons.  It is non-stop ride from an early scene at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters when Thor’s brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), arrives through a portal created by the mysterious Tesseract power source upon which S.H.I.E.L.D. has been experimenting.  Loki, with his serious ego problems, has decided he’s going to subjugate Earth by bringing a huge army through an enlarged portal using the Tesseract.  Apparently, humans were “made to be ruled.”

Loki sets off to orchestrate his master plan after turning Hawkeye (JEREMY RENNER) and a couple of key S.H.I.E.L.D employees into his mindless minions using his groovy, long, walking stick-like weapon.  Meanwhile, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), with the help of Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), sets about assembling the superheroes we have come to know and love to create ‘The Avengers’.  

But Steve Rogers /Captain America (Chris Evans) is only just coming to terms with the fact he has been asleep for seventy years and isn’t keen.  Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has returned to Asgard a hero, having redeemed himself on Earth.  Dr Banner/The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is not excited either to return from his isolated, safer life in India.  Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is busy working on his own green power project.  And didn’t S.H.I.E.L.D reject him from the programme anyway?  

It seems Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), the world’s greatest spy, is the only one taking all of this seriously.  She seriously wants to rescue her ally, Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) from being super-evil thanks to Loki.  His skills, as the world’s greatest archer, would sure come in handy during an invasion.

But these guys all have super-egos and in the case of Banner, super alter egos.  “We’re not a team.  We’re a time bomb,” quips Banner.  And, of course, Tony Stark freely admits that he doesn’t play well with others.  The real fun is watching these irreverent super-heroes come together.  Not only is the action intense, but the one-liners erupt from each character with such speed, you find yourself laughing and knuckle clutching almost simultaneously.

The true skill of Whedon’s script and direction is the extension of each character’s story from their own previous films without interfering with the pace.  Add to that, convincing, WOW special effects seamlessly choreographed with little navel gazing— and when there is NG, as Thor discovers, you get it slapped out of you quick smart—and you have an unrivalled theatrical blast.

Do you need to see the other films before ‘The Avengers’?  No, but I must warn you, that once you’ve enjoyed this film, you will want to see all the previous films and this one again.  So, you will be busier than a hiveful of Superheroes for the following few weeks.  Loki was right.  We film-going mortals were made to be ruled, at least temporarily, by ‘The Avengers’.

Read Fun Facts on Marvel's 'The Avengers'... Click here

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Marvel's The Avengers Fun Facts

I thought you would love some of these fun facts about The Avengers and the making of this blockbuster movie.  We're almost there.  The wait will soon be over. Enjoy

 

·     “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the Marvel comic created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The first “Avengers” comic was published in September 1963 and the lineup consisted of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man and Wasp. Captain America joined the team in Issue #4, after being revived from being trapped in a block of ice. This film brings together Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) when they are called to duty by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

·         Production on “Marvel’s The Avengers” commenced on April 25, 2011, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the production shot onstage at Albuquerque Studios and various locations in and around the city until Thursday, July 28^th. Other filming locations included Wilmington, Ohio; Worthington, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio and New York City. The shoot lasted a total of 93 shooting days on 1^st unit and 47 shooting days on 2^nd unit.

·         The huge, impressive Helicarrier Bridge set was built on a soundstage in Albuquerque. This iconic home base for the peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D., whose director is Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), resembles an aircraft carrier, but it’s no ordinary carrier—it can actually fly. The filmmakers wanted to embrace that key element of The Avengers history and give the fans a real thrill when it takes to the air. To achieve the exterior of the Helicarrier, the filmmakers shot on a runway at the Albuquerque International Sunport. 

·         Another classic Marvel vehicle, the Quinjet, is also making an appearance in the movie. The Quinjet is essentially the jump jet that The Avengers use to go to and from the Helicarrier and to go into battles. The Quinjet design fits in with the Helicarrier—the same technology that allows the Helicarrier to work has been incorporated into the Quinjet. But at the same time the silhouette of the Quinjet, the cockpit, the engines on the back and the weaponry make it feel as though it could actually exist today.

·         In the very first issue of the comic book “The Avengers,” almost 50 years ago, it was Loki, Thor’s brother, who was causing the trouble that brought all the Avengers together for the first time to defeat him. In the making of the movie, Marvel stayed true to that setup. Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, is a much stronger villain on Earth than he is in his own world of Asgard and wreaks havoc in “Marvel’s The Avengers.”

·         Chris Hemsworth (Thor) felt that being on location was like summer camp, where no one really knows each other but everyone hangs out together and has a great time. However, Hemsworth did know Tom Hiddleston (Loki) from “Thor” and developed a great relationship with him on that film that carried over to “Marvel’s The Avengers.”

·         To play expert archer Hawkeye, Jeremy Renner received training from Olympic archers on how to use a bow properly. He learned the basics of archery as well as the proper positions, but one of the most difficult tasks Renner had to master was the consistency he had to employ in drawing back the bow, which is difficult to do when drawing back fast.

·         Scarlett Johansson was more than happy to reprise her role as Black Widow in “Marvel’s The Avengers.” The talented actress says she is a huge fan of the character and is happy that fans liked her as Black Widow, a role she originated in “Iron Man 2.” In “Marvel’s The Avengers,” during her scenes with another highly skilled S.H.I.E.L.D. operative, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), the audience will be let in on some of their backstory and get a glimpse of their longtime working relationship.

·         When the cast and crew of “ Marvel’s The Avengers” flew from Albuquerque to Wilmington, Ohio, they didn’t have to go far to reach their new shooting location. The production’s charter flight landed right next to the film set at Clinton County Airpark, a massive complex complete with a 9,000-foot runway and a one million square foot, state-of-the-art shipping facility that would double in the film for parts of the interior of the iconic Helicarrier.

·         The famous battle cry in the comic book, “Avengers Assemble!” is a call to arms for members of the team to fight “the foes no single superhero can withstand.” During production, Chris Evans (Captain America) borrowed the famous command to gather up his fellow cast members when he sent out text messages to them to come together for a night on the town in Albuquerque after a long, hard week of work on the production. 

·         Shooting in Central Park is never easy, but what about when you put the entire cast of the film at Bethesda Fountain on Labor Day weekend? The cast, crew and filmmakers got to find out firsthand as thousands of onlookers gathered to see something that held the attention of even the most hardened New Yorker—the entire cast of “Marvel’s The Avengers” in costume, including Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in their Asgardian finery. For the actors in the film it would be the first time they were all on set together in over a month and also the last time they would be shooting together. For director Joss Whedon the challenge was to keep his cast focused. “It was like a circus crossed with a class reunion,” laughs the director. “Paparazzi and fans were everywhere and the cast was so happy to see each other, talk and catch up because they enjoyed hanging out together.”

·         The film’s second unit shot a chase sequence in Worthington, Pennsylvania, at Creekside Mushroom LTD, the former home to World Famous Moonlight® brand Mushrooms. Creekside was the world’s largest mushroom-growing facility and the only underground mushroom farm in the United States. For the production, shooting at the facility meant gaining access to the 150 miles of tunnels 300 feet below the ground. Without power, prepping the tunnels for the chase sequences that involved Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) took months—but it all paid off with spectacular results.

·         With so many fight sequences in the film, many of the actors, including Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner, participated in extensive fight training with the stunt team. Cast members trained with fight choreographer Jonathan Eusebio. Renaming the gym the “Stunt Dojo,” Eusebio and his team trained the cast in different fighting styles, including medieval fighting techniques, Wushu, Kung Fu and Kali. 

·         For three weeks, the production shut down East 9^th Street in Downtown Cleveland to prep and shoot one of the larger action sequences. It was the talk of the town for months and attracted thousands of curious onlookers, who watched the street transform from empty buildings to a bustling New York City street complete with subway stop and popular storefronts with facades. The production design was so convincing that rumors circulated about new stores opening on the street.

·         Another challenge for the production design team was transforming Cleveland’s historic Public Square into an exterior location that would double for Stuttgart, Germany. The production changed words on the facades of the buildings to German and added a ”biergarten” to the square. Local workers in the area loved the changes and hoped the upgrades to the square (new flowers, plants, picnic tables and lampposts) would stay in place after filming was completed.

·         Despite being a secure location that only cast and crew members could access, one fan’s persistence caught the eye of “The Avengers” cast and crew at the Airpark set in Wilmington, Ohio, when she made a big poster-board sign welcoming the cast to the city and requesting that the actors autograph a T-shirt that was in a bag. The sign was such a hit with the company that they passed it to the set. Filmmakers were able to contact the fan and she was given a tour of the set, an “Avengers” crew hat, a meet and greet with director Joss Whedon and, of course, the cast’s autographs on the T-shirt she had placed by the sign. It truly was a day to remember for one lifelong Marvel fan. 

·         Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Tom Hiddleston was not exposed to American sports, but that all changed during production as he was able to watch a Cleveland Browns preseason football game on the sidelines, attend a Cleveland Indians game, throw out the first pitch, and be courtside at the US Open to watch several matches.

·         In shooting one of the bigger action sequences in the film, director Joss Whedon enlisted the help of 25 members of the Ohio-based 391st Military Police Battalion to be part of the scene in which New York City is being attacked by unknown forces. The troops were brought in to add a layer of authenticity and give the combat scenes realism. And realism is exactly what the MPs delivered with their 50-caliber machine guns and Mark-19s. The film crew was blown away by their firepower and teamwork and Whedon was also impressed and appreciative as he posed for pictures with the Battalion after the scene was completed.

·         For special effects to pull off the destruction of a New York City street, special effects supervisor Dan Sudick involved precision pyrotechnics and well-timed car gags so that the production’s stunt people could safely maneuver through the explosions and flipping cars. To pull off the large pyrotechnic event, Sudick and his team rigged 28 explosions, which went off in a wave fashion down the street to simulate an air attack. The sequence also included setting up 14 cars down the middle of the street, which included ‘cannon cars,’ ‘flipper cars,’ ‘pyro’ cars as well as a big semi truck that exploded. Sudick and his team pulled off the impressive sequence without a hitch and even though it was shot on East 9^th Street in downtown Cleveland, it still made the cover of the New York Post with the headline: “Save us, Thor!”

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Marvel's The Avengers - Black Widow Interrogation

First film clip released from Marvel's The Avengers

 

It’s just another day at the office here…

Look what just arrived in my inbox and minutes later, here it is just for you.  My husband commented, what more could a man want as he watched this clip.  I could be offended but I have to agree.  Bring on April 25 - well actually April 19 for me with the media preview. I know, I know, I have a great job.

Marvel Studios presents “Marvel’s The Avengers”—the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson, and written and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble April 25.

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Wrath of the Titans ★ ★ ★

Feel the Wrath, Stay for the Creatures

Release Dates
Australia 29th March 2012 USA & UK 30th March 2012

Other Countries Release Dates

 

One of the first movies I ever saw at the cinema was the 1963 ‘Jason and the Argonauts’.  The fight scene with the skeletons is still vividly etched in my mind as one of the highlights of my early movie going days.  Apparently, this one three minute scene took four months to produce in those days before computers.

Thanks to ‘Jason’, I have a soft spot for these Gods versus Mortals films.  They are not popular with the critics, with good cause.  As I watched ‘Wrath of the Titans’, I attempted to remember the plot of its predecessor, the 2010 ‘Clash of the Titans’.  But it had become hopelessly muddled in my mind with ‘Prince of Persia’, the recent ‘The Immortals’, and possibly even a few ‘Mummy’ films. 

These films all have one thing in common, they are a boy's own adventure if a boy were allowed to let his imagination run wild.  An in-depth plot is the last thing we are meant to expect.  They are squarely aimed at those who enjoy big men leaping around with swords and tridents, fighting ancient creatures breathing fire and lava, and battling Gods who are pretty handy with lightening. ‘Wrath of the Titans’ is another episode in this fantasy genre.

A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus (Sam Worthington), the demigod son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) is attempting to live quietly as a village fisherman as the sole parent to his 10-year-old son, Helius.

 The Gods, however, are not living peacefully, and are losing their immortality thanks to the mortal’s lack of devotion.  Kronos, the father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Poseidon (Danny Huston) is rotting in the dungeon of Tartarus in the cavernous Underworld.

Hades, fearing the loss of his immortality, hatches a plan with Ares (Édgar Ramírez) Zeus’s son—who has a real inferiority complex when it comes to his half-brother Perseus.  Together, they capture Zeus, imprisoning him in Tartarus, in order for Kronos to siphon off his power in order to take over the world again and punish the mortals.

Perseus, determined to rescue Zeus, begins an odyssey, accompanied by warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son Agenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy) searching for way into Tartarus to free Zeus.  Along the way, he must fight some powerful mythological creatures and navigate his way through a dangerous revolving labyrinth.

“There’s truly a smorgasbord of action to be had in this movie,” says visual effects supervisor and second unit director Nick Davis, who also worked on the first film.

As the title indicates, 'Wrath of the Titans' called forth some mammoth and mythical adversaries to pit against Perseus: the multi-headed Chimera, three one-eyed Cyclops, an army of double-bodied Makhai, and one powerful, menacing Minotaur. His most formidable opponent is, of course, Kronos, the gargantuan, father of Zeus, Hades and Poseidon, who is on the verge of breaking free and bringing hell down on the earth.

The first foe Perseus meets is the Chimera, a fire-breathing beast with the heads of a lion and goat, dragon-like wings and a vicious snake’s head at the end of its tail.

The creature was primarily produced via CG, but the damage it created was a combination of visual and special effects. Neil Corbould, special effects supervisor on both this and the prior film, explains, “In order to keep the audience guessing ‘Was that real? Was that CG?’ I find it’s better to marry the computer elements with practical ones, for a more seamless end result. It allows the atmosphere you generate—in this case, bits of ash or other light materials—to interact with the actors as well. So the destruction brought about by the Chimera was achieved on set, and enhanced later by the visual effects team.”

The strength of this film is in its visual effects and full on action, so don’t expect more than average dialogue scenes.  Even if the actors keeping their own accents are a little puzzling, the action is convincing.  If I think back to my first brush with the Gods in “Jason”, it wasn’t the story that I remember; it was the relenting and merciless skeletons advancing on Jason.  Don’t see this for the plot or the acting; see it for the wonderful monsters and creatures. Just like ‘Jason’s’ skeletons, they’re memorable.

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THE HUNGER GAMES IS AUSTRALIA’S #1 FILM

Read my review here Hunger Games Review

THE HUNGER GAMES has claimed the #1 spot at the Australian box office with the largest opening weekend outside of the United States, ahead of the UK ($7.1m)and Russia ($6.2m).

The first chapter in Suzanne Collins’ dystopian trilogy earned a staggering $9m on 471 screens across Australia from Thursday to Sunday, beating the first instalment of Twilight ($5.4m).

The film is expected to take US$155m from Friday to Sunday in the US, the biggest opening for a non-sequel and the third of all time, behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($169.2m) and The Dark Knight ($158.4m).

Roadshow Films Managing Director Joel Pearlman said: “This is an extraordinary result.  Australian audiences flocked to cinemas over the weekend to see the first of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games novels realised on screen.  Co-starring Australia’s Liam Hemsworth – we are delighted with these box office results.”

May the odds be ever in your favour.

“The Hunger Games is rousing, thought-provoking and one of the best films of the year so far.”

4.5 STARS

Nick Dent, Sunday News Ltd

“The best most, compelling elements of Collins’ chilling visions of the future are brought vividly to life...a solid and spectacular effort that promises even better things to come.”

Leigh Paatsch, News Ltd

“the bones of Collins’s story ensure an enthralling time”
Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald

“the most intriguing heroine a Hollywood blockbuster has seen”

Craig Mathieson, Sun Herald and Sunday Age

The Hunger Games is rated M and was released in Australian cinemas nationally on March 22.

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The Hunger Games ★ ★ ★1/2

Odds on to be a Winner

Release Dates
Australia 22nd March 2012  USA & UK  23rd March 2012 
Other Countries Release Dates

It was almost two years ago when I first heard the words, “The Hunger Games,” followed by “You must read the book.”  So I did, like 26 million others.  I didn’t love the book.  It’s hard for a Mother to read a book like this.  Something changes in your chemistry after having children and you find yourself accidentally placing your mind in a Mother’s position at the loss or injury of a child.  It always hurts a little.  However, I did feel the book was a fascinating and horrible idea that was executed well.

In The Hunger Games we enter a world of the future, where an unexplained uprising has left America a country governed by the Capitol, led by President Snow (Donald Sutherland). To maintain control of the impoverished Twelve Districts, whose sole purpose is to provide for the needs of the Capitol, the government has created the spectacle of the Hunger Games. Each year, two adolescent Tributes, one male and one female, are chosen from each district via a ballot on Reaping Day, They then play in a futuristic ‘Survivor’ battle to the death, with every minute detail broadcast live across the land. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), from District 12 volunteers herself after her little sister, Primrose, is chosen.  Katniss leaves behind her one true friend, Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and heads to the games accompanied by the other District 12 Tribute, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson).

Much of the book and film is devoted to the fluff and pageantry surrounding the games.  Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) is the over-the-top show host, commentating on the contestants and the killings, as if they were attending a spelling bee; Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) is the much admired Game designer; and the Tributes are each assigned personal stylists and mentors. Our heros, unfortunately, must also make do with a drunken, depressed mentor, Haymitch (Woody Harrelson).

The catchcry of the games, “May the odds be forever in your favour,” does not seem to apply to them.  But Katniss is no ordinary girl and her cunning, wit and determination to win are not to be underestimated.  Things become even more complicated when Peeta reveals he has feelings for Katniss.  But is this part of a strategy?

It is a violent concept, pitting children against children, and the violence is minimised using an extremely annoying handy-cam shake during any death sequences.  But the idea cannot be muted and it is intriguing that young adults find it so compelling.  It may say a lot about a generation or it may simply be our modern version of the Roman Coliseum games.

When the film went into production, there were about 8 million copies of the trilogy of novels in circulation; by the time production wrapped there were 12 million and now the number has exploded to over 26 million. The first novel has since spent more than 180 consecutive weeks and more than three consecutive years to date on The New York Times bestseller list. Collins went on to write two more best-selling books in the series, Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

Gary Ross, the director and co-author of the screenplay with the book’s author, Suzanne Collins, first witnessed the impact of THE HUNGER GAMES and Katniss Everdeen on his own children. “I’d heard people raving about THE HUNGER GAMES and when I asked my kids about it, they kind of exploded and started going on and on until I had to stop them from telling me the whole story,” he recalls. “Their enthusiasm was so infectious, I went upstairs, started reading, and by 1:30a.m., I said ‘I have to make this movie.’ It was that impulsive.”

Right away, Ross had an unwavering vision of what lay at the heart of THE HUNGER GAMES’ appeal. “I saw there was something really beautiful happening underneath the story. It’s obviously a viscerally exciting tale of survival within a lurid spectacle of the future. But I think what really compels people to pass the book from one person to the next is that it is at bottom about one girl, Katniss Everdeen, finding her own humanity. She begins as someone who only wants to fight for herself, for her personal survival – yet what she finds in the course of the Games is something more important than even staying alive. Her heart opens and she becomes someone who’s willing to sacrifice for something bigger."

Suzanne Collins, the book’s author, understood that the film would necessarily be its own experience, no matter how faithful to the book’s essence. “When you’re adapting a novel into a two-hour movie you can’t bring everything with you,” she notes. “Not all the characters are going to make it to the screen. For example, we gave up Madge, cut the Avox girl’s back-story, and reduced the Career pack. Then there was the question of how best to take a book told in the first person and transform it into a satisfying dramatic experience.”

Do you need to read the book to enjoy the movie?  Should you read the book after you have seen the movie?  The answer to both questions is a YES.  Katniss’s rich inner thoughts and commentary certainly make the book a different experience.  In the film, the wizardry of technology creates a convincing future world. Jennifer Lawrence’s undeniable skill makes her a worthy Katniss.  Whilst the film isn’t the best that it can be, it will still satisfy most cinema goers.

This film and the following two of the trilogy are certain to be mega-hits, whether reviewers like the film or not.  To steal a Hunger Games phrase, “The odds will be forever in their favour.”

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21 Jump Street ★ ★ ★ ★1/2

SAME ADDRESS, BRILLIANT RENOVATION

Nope, never did!   Just wanted to state up front that I have not seen one minute of the original eighties series, 21 JUMP STREET, which set Johnny Depp on the road to stardom.  But my husband has and he was bouncing excitedly down the theatre corridor to the screening of the new 21 JUMP STREET Film.

Apparently it was a very cool series. Well it had Johnny Depp, so that I get.  However, a lot of these old hit series do not translate well into modern film.  They tend to become corny, cash grabs, that fade quickly onto DVD.  I can remember a very bad experience with MOD SQUAD (one of my faves of the seventies) where , half way through the screening, I couldn’t stop my feet from removing me from the cinema.  Yes, it was that bad.

So the question you are going to ask me is: Does it live up to the series?

The answer, drum roll please, or should I say machine gunfire in the air, is…

Yes. It (insert swear word starting with F here)ing does live up.  I add the swear word because it deserves its MA15+ rating in Australia and R in the States. The profanity and sex jokes run from the opening scene until the last car chase.  But these guys make swearing funny—very, cover your mouth oh that is terrible, funny.

21 JUMP STREET, pairs Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) as enemies in high school who find themselves graduating as friends from Police Academy.  Schmidt is the smart nerd and Jenko the good-looking muscled and not so bright other half of the team.  After fumbling a park arrest on the bicycle beat, they are transferred into the secret Jump Street unit, run by the tough Captain Dickson (Ice Cube), whose charming turn of phrase constantly includes four letter words, Mother, and the slang for the male appendage.

From there they are sent undercover to a high school—youthful appearances and back packs in tow—where they must track down the dealers and suppliers of a new designer drug. Jenko thinks he has the undercover persona worked out, having, only a few years before, been top dog at school.  They soon discover that everything is not what they expected and Schmidt can’t resist rewriting his bad High School nerd memories even at the expense of the case and his friendship with Jenko.

The film is not a remake of 21JUMP STREET but, according to producer, Neal Moritz and executive producer Tania Landau, more an update of the premise. They admit that it wasn’t until Jonah Hill became involved that the project really came into focus. 

“It’s a great concept,” Landau says.  “Two young-looking cops go undercover at a high school, and against all odds, bust a drug ring.  We make a lot of action movies, so that was how we saw the direction for this project, too.  But things changed when we had lunch with Jonah and he suggested doing it as an R-rated action comedy.  Suddenly it all fell into place.”

Jonah Hill, who also executive produced and wrote the story, along with screenwriter Michael Bacall, says that it started with a simple question: "I asked myself what would it be like to relive the most important time period of your youth—high school.  You think you have all the answers that you didn't have then, but then you get back there and realize those answers are all wrong. You then immediately revert back to the insecurities and problems you had when you were seventeen."

Bacall explains, “At first, nothing goes as planned for the characters.  These guys treat it like wish fulfillment—‘Oh, if I only knew then what I know now’. But all of the information that they have no longer applies.  Jenko—who was always the cool kid back then—falls in with the nerds, and Schmidt—the nerdier of the two—falls in with the cool crowd.  It’s a total role reversal.”

It’s this role reversal concept that elevates 21 JUMP STREET to more than another tired action comedy cashing in on an iconic series.  Put a slick script together with two actors, who are clearly having the most fun you can have whilst being paid millions, and you have one very cool action comedy.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum enjoy perfect chemistry together and the film never forgets it has one job, to make us laugh and then make us laugh some more.  If you want to see the original series buy the DVD.  If you want to see what could be one of the best comedies of 2012, see 21 JUMP STREET.  It is (beeping) awesome.

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