DVD: Divine Viewing Diversions
Twenty Years Ago at the Movies
Movies are, among other things, effective time machines, taking us here and there, to and fro, and back and forth. They remind us of where we were and what we did back in the day, or what we were doing when they, the movies, sprung upon us.
Of course, songs and photos can theoretically do the same thing, right?
Well, not exactly. After all, they can’t whisk us away to the same extent because songs lack a visual component, and photos feature a permanently engaged mute button.
Anyway, see if the following six-pack of box-office hits, all released theatrically during the summer of 2001, don’t bring back vivid memories, fond or otherwise, of the summer of 20 years ago.
SHREK (PG)
That “Shrek” was one of the year’s astounding animated attractions was evident as soon as it was released. But it wasn’t that it just took home the Best Animated Feature Oscar (the first of its kind); that was a foregone conclusion. It also insinuated its way onto the movie landscape as one of the year’s very best in any genre. Period. Consider that there have been four sequels … so far, that is. The original was a monstrously funny and deservedly popular spoof of fairy-tale yarns that celebrates the genre even as it takes it off with a parade of flourishes. Featured are the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy as, respectively, a troll, a princess, and a donkey on a quest. The sensibility is modern and irreverent, the voice work is impeccable, the fable humor is abundant and effective, the content is aimed at all generations, and the expertly judged sight gags simply win over any stubborn detractors. So, what’s not to like, if not to love?
PEARL HARBOR (PG-13)
For those of us who have been complaining for years about the off-putting style of director Michael Bay – which means those of us who have therefore found his movies shallow and frenetic and endless and pointless – this qualifies as a pleasant surprise. Just when you expect yet another breathless, over-the-top, awkward action extravaganza, Bay actually slows things down to his and our benefit. This time he trusts the source material and tells his story. Make that stories, one an old-fashioned romance, the other the docudramatic rendering of the infamous bombing attack on Pearl Harbor. Bay allows his supporting ensemble, led by Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale and Josh Hartnett, to actually give performances, which then allows us to lose ourselves in the narrative. Yes, the film is admittedly long, but at least it deserves to be. And as part of his reward, Bay’s project received four Oscar nominations – for sound editing, song, sound, and visual effects – and took home the cherished statuette for the first one.
RUSH HOUR 2 (PG-13)
The original, “Rush Hour,” teamed Jackie Chan and his improbable acrobatic proclivities with Chris Tucker and his patented motormouth patter three years before sequel No. 1. Both films were speedy action thrillers, to be sure, but both also had generous and fully engaged senses of humor. The two headliners play cops, Chan from Hong Kong and Tucker from Los Angeles, with the sequel (the first of two) applying the same successful formula – buddy fish out of water – again. This time the plot barely exists, but the audience couldn’t care less. As for the likable leads in this audience-friendly bang-bang romp, they get to showcase their energetic personalities, which is just what is called for both by the audience and by the genre. Sequels rarely resemble their predecessors to such a degree as in this case, but the film nonetheless delivers for fans of the franchise, mostly by featuring the comedic chemistry of Tucker and Chan.
THE MUMMY RETURNS (PG-13)
When “The Mummy” franchise surfaced in 1999, moviegoers seemed primed and ready for it despite a leadoff-hitter finished product that lacked not only originality but spirit. Brendan Fraser starred in both the original and the follow-up as a poor man’s Indiana Jones, who leads the way in a ho-hum action-adventure thriller about the search for a lost city, a dangerous tomb, and a raising of the army of the dead. You come out of this empty exercise realizing that some movie franchises succeed at the box office not because of their quality but despite a lack of it. The energy lavished on the special effects, such as they are, far outdistance that invested in the cardboard characters. And while this is a motion picture that traffics in large-scale escapism, for many viewers – far too many, it turns out – this will be something they look forward to escaping from rather than to. As sequels go, file this one under “more of the same.”
JURASSIC PARK III (PG-13)
If none of the four “Jurassic Park” sequels has really measured up, blame Steven Spielberg for setting the bar so high with his inspired direction of the first two installments, especially the initial 1993 outing, which was both thrilling and groundbreaking. “Jurassic Park III” manages to demonstrate that making a creature feature that’s not quite as spectacular as its predecessors is certainly not something to be ashamed of. In this sequel, the focus is on an expedition to a forbidden island where dinosaurs have essentially come to life – with our misguided help, of course. Spielberg has tossed the directorial reins to Joe Johnston, who picks up where Spielberg left off and knocks it out of the park. Here’s a movie that knows what it’s good at, knows what the audience wants, and knows how to care, thrill, and touch. Consequently, the franchise has sustained an enviably high level of quality. This is entertainment with a capital E. Hey, we may get dino-might thrillers forever.
PLANET OF THE APES (PG-13)
That goes for ape flicks as well. We’ve had nine movies in the half-century that the “Planet of the Apes” franchise has been with us. The 2001 entry was directed by Tim Burton, starred Mark Wahlberg, and was neither the best nor the worst of the franchise’s installments. In this reboot of the 1968 original, Wahlberg – in the role initially played by Charlton Heston – portrays an astronaut who crash-lands on a planet ruled by apes, who treat humans as slaves. But several locals agree to help Wahlberg escape. This is no masterpiece (for that, check out “War for the Planet of the Apes”), but it’s nonetheless an entertaining popcorn flick that comes up short in the ending department mostly because its namesake predecessor conjured one of the most memorable and admirable final shots in movie history. If you’ve never seen an “Apes” movie and you want to pick one, this is a solid choice. But if you’ve seen them all but this one, letting it slide is fine.
