DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS

 Benedict Cumberbatch     Elizabeth Olsen     Chiwetel Ejiofor     Benedict Wong

Xochitl Gomez     Michael Stuhlberg     Rachel McAdams     Patrick Stewart

            The strange wonders shown in this continuing saga of the Marvel universe(s) are a testament to the talent in filmmaking we’ve come to expect from Marvel, with a fine blending of story (Michael Waldron, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko), cast (Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, et al.), music (Danny Elfman), stunning  special effects and cinematography (John Mathieson).  All of these efforts are woven together into a spell-binding whole by director Sam Raimi.  Visually and emotionally, its powers draw the viewer into another colorful, fascinating, and sometimes terrifying world.

            One must carefully attend to the plot because of all the complexities involved in multiple universes with characters appearing in more than one, often with subtle differences among their different manifestations.  

            The hubris of Doctor Strange Cumberbatch), so evident in the previous (2018) story, is short-lived in this one.  Although starting out with his usual confidence in trying to incapacitate a huge octopus-like monster creating havoc on city streets and intent on capturing one small girl, Strange finds himself in need of assistance. He gets no small number of come-uppances from Wanda/Scarlet Witch (Olsen), a girl named America Chavez who is able to transverse universes at will, and others including the Doctor Strange in another universe.  Eventually, he is brought before the Illuminati summoned by Karl Mordo (Ejiofor) to sit in judgment of him.

            But throughout, there are major struggles with Scarlet Witch who appears to be power hungry, wanting to maintain her control in all the universes using Darkhold forces.  To do that, she is after America to steal the girl’s powers against the wishes and efforts of Dr. Strange who feels duty bound to protect America, who first appeared to him in a dream, although later she informs him that he was actually in another universe.

            As in the previous Doctor Strange, human conflicts are dramatically brought into the drama.  Significant here are the pull of motherhood on a woman, humans’ need for power and control, the duty of the strong to protect the weak, the wisdom of cooperation vs. going it alone, and the challenge of maintaining human relationships and managing grief and loss.

            Marvel movies are noteworthy for their broad-based appeal to young and old, fans of variable genres, and for their many historical, mythological, and literary references.  That they are based on comic books—usually considered light reading—must bring a smile to many.  Those who grew up on and have loved comic books might well say, “I could have told you so.”

            For those who love fantasy/action/adventure films that keep you on the edge of your seat, this is very likely to appeal.  In addition to the high drama and glittering visual display, it has human themes and moral conundrums worthy of post-theater discussion.

 

A mind-blowing experience traveling across multiple universes all of which have humans, some of whom appear in more than one, albeit with differing characteristics.

 

Grade:  A                              By Donna R. Copeland

THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING

Louis Ashbourne     Dean Chaumoo     Tom Taylor     Rhianna Dorris

Rebecca Ferguson     Patrick Stewart     Angus Imrie

     Written and directed by Joe Cornish (Attack the Block, Ant-Man, Hot Fuzz), the film is an entertaining mix of fantasy and reality, weaving together tales from King Arthur’s Court and contemporary life at Dungate Academy, where the main four young characters attend school.  It starts out with two fast friends, Alex (Ashbourne) and Bedders (Chaumoo) being bullied by two older students, Lance (Taylor) and Kay (Dorris). Alex and Bedders are nerdy kids who are interested in magic, and are derided by Lance and Kay.  Lance promotes himself as “king” of the school, and uses every opportunity to show it, backed up by his sidekick, Kay. 

     Alex is brave and fights back, especially in defense of his friend.  And one day, when he is running from Lance he ends up at a construction site, briefly assuming himself safe.  But in a confrontation with Lance, he falls over backwards off a fence onto a pile of dirt.  Lance and Kay leave him for dead, but when Alex comes to he sees a huge sword stuck in stone. Curious, he pulls it out with some effort, and runs home with it.

     This is where his and Bedders’ nerdiness comes in handy.  They notice an inscription on the sword written in Latin, and in an example of Cornish’s exquisite blending of history and modern technology, they look up the inscription on Google Translate and find that it says that the sword belongs to King Arthur, son of Tintagel (not a person, but an island).  Putting that together with a book Alex’s missing dad gave him with the message, “to the once and future king”, they begin to wonder mildly if it is Alex who is that “once and future king.”  

     This actually gets corroborated by a strange new student at school who does amazing things, simply with some kind of ritual he performs with his hands and arms.  Merton/Merlin (Imrie and Stewart) informs Alex that he is indeed “the king”, and that he is charged with preparing for a major battle with someone evil for ownership of the sword.  This is Morgana (Ferguson), King Arthur’s half-sister, who has been chained up in vines against a rock for centuries, struggling to get free. She is convinced she is the rightful heir to the throne, and knows that her success requires that she possess the sword (Excalibur).  

     Alex and his three friends/enemies (he needs the aggressive qualities of the bullies in his quest), whom he has knighted, set off to Tintagel Island to locate the entrance to the underworld and wage battle with Morgana.  Along the way, Merlin in his younger and older forms will guide and sometimes rescue them on their quest.  Their journey is engaging; it’s only at the very end the movie starts falling apart.  It would have been better if the last half-hour had been edited out.

     Production design (Marcus Rowland), cinematography (Bill Pope), and special and visual effects make this an enchanting journey that will keep children and adults raptly engaged.  The dragons that appear in the night-time with their brilliantly lit swords trying to catch up with and attack the seekers are truly terrifying, and the way old trees uproot themselves to train the king and knights in fighting is cleverly done and humorous at the same time.

         Alex(played by Director Serkis’ son)is a surprised but charming hero who wins you over with his wonder, valor, and smartness, which Ashbourne gracefully captures.  Chaumoo as Bedders portrays an interesting kid whose loyalty and whose interest and devotion to magic is admirable, as well as providing welcome levity at times.  Tom Taylor gives us a picture of an overly entitled, spoiled rich kid who needs to have his ears pinned back from time to time, but is one who finally learns from it.  Rhianna Dorris evinces the loyal follower who is not quite ready to stand on her own.  Imrie and Stewart playing the young and old Merlin grab your attention and keep you fascinated.  Finally, Rebecca Ferguson convincingly shows us a ferocious, hag-like figure whose greediness for power is unmatched. 

     With all its fantastical, other-world glamour, The Kid Who Would be King contains teaching moments for children (and adults in these modern times) about the necessity for cooperation in overcoming adversity, on the values in the chivalric code (honoring those we love, not being wanton, speaking truth at all times, and persevering to the end in any enterprise), overcoming disillusionment, and the value of diversity in any endeavor.  

If only the chivalric code would be applied in our troubled times!

Grade:  B+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

LOGAN

Hugh Jackman     Patrick Stewart     Dafne Keen     Boyd Holbrook     Stephen Merchant     Richard E. Grant

     Wolverine (Jackman) looks older and has become a grumpier version of his earlier gruff persona.  He has a persistent cough, but refuses to talk about it or any of the other troubling aspects of his life.  His whole intention at this point is to keep his beloved Charles Xavier (Stewart as Professor X) functioning and get enough money for them to sail away from everyone and live on a boat in the high seas.  The mutant Caliban (Merchant) serves as a houseman for Charles and Wolverine in their temporary bunker-like quarters, and complains about the fact that they are likely to leave him behind. 

     Charles has apparently become demented and has visions of mutants.  Logan dismisses these, and just wants Charles to take his medicine that controls seizures that are strong enough to make all the surrounding area around him shake like an earthquake.  But there are those who are tracking Wolverine and appear out of nowhere asking/begging for his help, whom he impatiently and brusquely dismisses.

     The first person to approach is a Donald Pierce (Holbrook) who represents an illegal bio-engineering company in Mexico named Transegen, which is trying to round up as many mutants as they can find, particularly some recent escapees who were being trained to be soldiers.  Wolverine definitely wants no part of this.  Then there is a Mexican woman with a young daughter desperately seeking his help, but he feels no responsibility and walks away.  You sense his complete weariness and burning desire to get away. 

     When he does acquire the money for the boat he arrives home only to find a young mutant girl there, warmly greeted by Charles.  “She’s the one I’ve been telling you about”, he says to Logan proudly.  Logan will soon find out more than he wants to know about the girl, Laura (Keen), and why she has turned up at his house.  He will also discover that the Transegen Company is determined to capture as many mutants as they can, no matter what it takes to do it.  They are enraged about the soldiers they’ve “grown” in their facility refusing to fight.

     Director James Mangold’s Logan is in the tradition of fine X-Men films with suspense, intrigue, action, and fully developed characters, still with a little humor sprinkled in.  Dramatic elements are more apparent this time; for instance, Charles’ pleas for Wolverine to enjoy himself more as a normal human being are touching.  There is a melancholy feel to this one, the third of the Wolverine series, because Jackman says it is the last Wolverine film he will make.  Apparently, he put his heart and soul into every scene and is pleased that everything about the film that was important to him has been included. 

     Fight scenes are choreographed artfully; but as in many action movies, I find my sense of logic and reality tested, as when a group of mutant children with special powers are being chased by Transegen’s men, they’re able to use their powers at some times but not others. 

     Jackman and Patrick Stewart have a lot of chemistry in Logan, showing the older man trying to counsel the younger, only to get a curt comeback. Yet, it’s clear that the two characters have deep affection and loyalty to one another.  Dafne Keen’s Laura becomes a central figure in the film, and she carries it off beautifully, exquisitely portraying herself as a mutant with a penetrating, knowing stare, ferocious countenance, and immeasurable fighting skills.  She very likely has a bright future ahead of her.  Boyd Holbrook and Richard E. Grant deftly portray sinister characters, one with brute force and the other with a chilling demonstration of a researcher gone rogue.

An intriguing and fitting end to the third and last of the Wolverine series.

Grade:  B+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

GREEN ROOM

Patrick Stewart   Imogen Poots   Alia Shawkat   Anton Yelchin   Callum Turner   Joe Cole   Mark Webber   Macon Blair

          In Green Room, you get to follow five members of a punk rock band (The Ain’t Rights) across the country trying to land a gig wherever they can.  Resources are scant, they sleep on the bus if need be, and they may have to siphon off gas from cars in parking lots for fuel.  We first see them play to an almost empty house for just a few bucks, so in desperation, when they get a tip for a club in Portland, Oregon, they head for it. 

       They’re greeted and play a set just 20 minutes after they arrive, and the audience, initially cold, warms up to them.  (Pay attention to the appearances of those attending; it will give you a clue as to what’s in store.)  After they perform, the band is shown to a room where they can relax and prepare for the next set, but…they come across a body on the floor with a knife sticking out of her head, her  hysterical blonde Amber (Poots) who seems to be familiar with the club, and a huge man with a gun who locks the door. 

         At first, band members have no idea what is going on, but they are sharp, and quickly realize that they need to take steps to protect themselves and wait for the police to arrive.  Part of the horror of the film is our being shown what is going on outside the room and outside their awareness while they wait.  The room becomes significant, because during the course of the story, it becomes a safe harbor.  “Green Room” has a number of connotations.

What we are shown outside is Darcy Banker (Stewart), the owner of the club, and his extensive operation.  The plot thickens when we learn the nature of his business, what he wants from the band, and their intuitive sense that they are in sinister circumstances.

        This is an extremely violent film with multiple grisly murders.  Horror movie fans will find much to their liking, but others should think twice before attending.  Fortunately for my ears, there are only brief intervals with The Ain’t Rights’ screeching music with unintelligible words.

       Green Room is being praised as the feature following Jeremy Saulnier’s well-received previous film, Blue Ruin.  It is high on suspense, and some of the actors and their characters spark interest.  Foremost, of course, is Patrick Stewart in a completely new role as the club owner, a white supremacist named Darcy.  He’s as creepy as they come with his oh-so-reasonable attempts to persuade the band to come out of the Green Room.  Also impressive is Imogene Poots as a seemingly quirky dumb blonde who turns out to be not only cool and calm, but sharp and skilled as well.  She drew laughs more than once with her deadpan utterances.  Macon Blair, the star of Blue Ruin, is perfect as Darcy’s reluctant assistant, the only character among the thugs that seems to have a conscience. 

There is suspense, blood, and gore aplenty in this newly released horror film.

Grade            B-                                    By Donna R. Copeland