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BlueCorsair
Reviews
Willow (1988)
A very well done fantasy flick
Being a university history major, trained to examine documents and videos for hidden meanings, and imbued with a skeptical and analytical mind, one might expect that someone like me wouldn't appreciate this kind of film. It's one dimensional, it plays on typical fantasy stereotypes, and it doesn't really have anything that previous fantasy films didn't except for... style.
Yes, I consider this a stylish film. Mostly because even after 'growing up', I can still watch this film and be as wrapped up in the story and characters as I was when I was a little boy. It's formulaic plot and generally one-dimensional characters are a large part of that reason - the film makes no pretensions of being something it isn't. It's honest, a quality lacking in so very many films these days which seem to be produced only to suit the latest fashion.
The characters are all well acted - there's no ham acting to be found here in my opinion. Clearly, the actors had fun with the roles and gave them as much life as they could. Madmartigan is man with a dark past, clearly an anti-hero redeemed by the end of the film. Airk, the 'good' general is everything one expects in a 'knight in shining armor' - chivalrous, dedicated, brave. Bavmorda is the quintessential 'wicked witch', scheming, maniacal, obsessed with power. It is these characters that play so well into the average person's conception of fantasy fare that is precisely what makes the film a success - it entertains us because it knows what we like, and what we expect to see, and then delivers it with action and a bombastic musical score.
Critics panned it for being unoriginal, but being original wasn't the point of this movie. The point was to entertain, to make us thrill to a tale of high adventure of dragons, of far away lands, of swords and sorcery. On this account, no other fantasy film (with the possible exception of Conan the Barbarian) has ever done this so exceedingly well.
Gladiator (2000)
Everything you could want, and more...
(some spoilers, not many)
Some people lament this films not-completely-accurate interpretation of ancient history, citing that though a good deal *is* accurate, other parts are not. Others deem this film unworthy due to the fact that it was too "Hollywood".
While both are valid points, I don't believe them to be at all damaging to what should be the central part of every great movie - not the cinematography, not the score, nor even the acting - but the story. A good story tells itself, as all of us should know, and a good story can overcome any other limitations.
Gladiator does just that.
Reminiscent at times of Spartacus, at others of the infamous "I, Claudius" series, Gladiator does a good job of introducing people (many who probably have only cursory knowledge of anything prior to when they were born unfortunately) to ancient times, with obvious emphasis on Rome.
The depictions of the Roman senate are correct. All of the soldier's equipment is also accurate, as are the tactics employed in the opening battle sequence. Yes, yes, yes - there was no such thing as a "thumbs up" at the true Gladitorial games, but there have to be some sacrifices to relate to the non-historically inclined.
Ultimately however, the story is what truly shines. And I'd say it's as non-Hollywood as they come in some essential ways. First of all, our hero and protagonist, Maximus, is not your typical hero, bursting with bravado and dropping one-liners like some bronze-age Swarzenegger. He is a capable man, thrust into a role he wants no part of. Right from the beginning, it is established that all he truly wants is to return home to his family, and nothing more. He dreams neither of glory, nor wealth, but peace after many years of war.
The terrible tragedy that befalls him is not of his own doing - he is a politically naiive man, defamed and stripped of rank by politicians, an entity he cannot comprehend. Embittered by the betrayal of the nation that he fought so hard to protect and expand, Maximus is a sullen, resigned character, who only shows brief spurts of contentment throughout the rest of the film - and after what happened to him and his family, he has every reason to feel this way.
Ultimately, as may (or may not) be a surprise, in VERY much anti-Hollywood fashion, our hero dies at the end. After all he has accomplished, all he suffered, he still dies anyway. This made me quite sad actually, but enhanced the emotional pull of the picture ten fold. As an almost unwritten rule, the hero does not die. Sure, he may get beaten, stabbed, shot up, and sworn at, but in the end, he still lives, gets the girl, and life goes on...
None of that happened here, and so we were fortunate to bear witness to one of the few great cinematic moments of the last decade.
9.5/10
On a purely "guy" note - wonderful combat. Enough blood and hacking and slashing to keep me properly entertained :0)