The comic movie tie-in started off with a bloody scene where young James Howlett killed his biological father after witnessing a family tragedy. James then activated the mutation: bone claws protruded from his hands. He and his half-brother Victor Creed escaped and hence the tale of the X Men began. Both lived for a century before being recruited by Major William Stryker into the X Team consisting of many men possessing similar qualities as him.
However, James left the team alone and lived with his girlfriend Kayla. The real action took place after six years, when James misunderstood that Kayla was killed by Victor, resulting in him taking revenge on him. Further events revealed Major Stryker to be the villain in the show as well.
Although the pace of the movie is generally alright, there was a big loophole on the reason as to why James took revenge. The foundation of the relationship between James and Kayla was quite weak given that there was no real chemistry between the pair. Moreover the typical conversation lines in the movie made it even harder to strike a chord of sympathy with the audience. Since the relationship of the couple seems questionable to the audience, it will be natural when one is bemused by the extreme end of actions taken by James.
The milieu of fast paced scenarios is nevertheless satisfactory to audience who gets a kick out of fighting scenes. However, for others it may simply be a cheap thrill. Generally speaking, the lack of character development is the biggest fault of it all. Sundry characters-whether good or bad ones appeared for a flitter of a moment and the next second, they expired. There was just not enough depth or explanation on the various mindsets of different characters. Though there are some plausibly touching or contemplative scenes, like the one in which a kind couple helped James, it was vehemently put to an end by another fighting scene. It just seems as though that James was on the path to seek vengeance just for the sake of doing it, with no logical thinking at all. One is just sucked in the whirlpool of perpetual fighting, bereft of the chance to make all the linkages and connections. Hence other than the fighting scenes, the relationships of various parties seemed pretty much spurious and bogus to me.
One may also ponder upon the notion of revenge, whether it really brings one peace and console which one ultimately seeks after the blood oath. The orthodox way of thinking will definitely be no, which is what the pg rated movie sent across in some meaningful scenes. It is therefore incumbent of the audience to decide who should be the arbiter of melting out punishment.
The ending of the movie is bittersweet and predictable in its own way. It leaves me with a troubled mind over the entire plot sustained by the weak character development and myriad of fighting scenes.
LittleTwinStar wished again.
♥ Sunday, January 04, 2009♥
Sosuke
Ponyo's father
LittleTwinStar wished again.
♥ ♥
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea Movie Review
Warning: Spoiler ahead-Below is my review of the movie. For those who plan to watch it, please do not read it.
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is a movie about a goldfish born with a girl’s head, Ponyo, who runs away from her home at the bottom of the sea and falls in love with a 5 year old boy Sosuke. She then aspires to be a human being.
This movie is produced by Japanese Director Hayao Miyazaki who has churned out other critically-acclaimed animations like My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle. The story unfolds from Ponyo and Sosuke’s point of view and is the all-time box office winner in Japan for Year 2008.
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is loosely adapted from Hans Anderson’s The Little Mermaid. It didn’t follow the original story, which is more sombre, strictly but instead injected more whimsicality and life into it. It is simple but not to the extent that will strike people as being childish. The natural simplicity of the movie makes it a great hit not only with the kids but also the adults and people of all ages. The catchy tune of the main song and the innocent lines “Ponyo likes Sosuke” “Ponyo wants to become a human” spoken by Ponyo, shown in the trailer, leave much of an impression on one as well.
This movie also differs from previous hits of Hayao Miyazaki because it is done completely in traditional hand-drawn pictures-2D. Although I initially harboured the thought that this 2D -movie might not look realistic, that thought soon went right out of my mind after I became caught up in the plot. The opening part at Ponyo’s home is extremely delightful. The vivid, lucid display of the sea creatures, plants as well as the environment is an eye opener. Furthermore, the realistic sounds of the sea and those made by the sea creatures serve as a great booster to my overall enjoyment of the movie. The ambiance created by this 2D-film is surprisingly soothing and, in my opinion, on par to that of a typical 3D-movie.
The special relationship between young children and their parents stood out in this movie. Sosuke enjoys a close relationship with his parents, especially with his mother Lisa. When he realises that Lisa is upset at her husband’s continuation to work late, Sosuke comforts her. It tugs at one’s heartstrings as earlier on, Lisa is comforting Sosuke when he gets upset over the loss of Ponyo.
On the other hand for Ponyo, things are not going smoothly. She is suffocating under her overprotective father’s wing. Her father actually loves her very much and his main agenda is to protect her from humans whom he views as dangerous. However, his display of love is underappreciated by Ponyo. This strikes a chord with many people as one may find oneself in similar situations. In some cases, a parent’s method of displaying love might not be too suitable and it results in much distress for both parties. At the end of the day though, parents love their children – near the end of the movie, Ponyo’s father finally accepts Ponyo’s decision as he loves her.
Several themes are prevalent throughout the movie. An example is the need to protect the ocean. Humans have been causing great harm to the environment for centuries. The ocean is one of man’s victims. Not being one to swallow his grumbles, Fujimoto, father of Ponyo, plans to take vengeance by garnering magic in a well. Unfortunately for him but fortunately for mankind, his powers are stolen by Ponyo.
Ponyo, on her voyage to look for Sosuke, rides on the friendly-looking waves that are akin to whales. However, to the humans, the whales spell disaster since the storm created by the waves will result in much havoc for those at sea-fisherman, boats and those on land-such as difficulty in commutating. This upset at sea may be a form of a punishment to humans who have been abusing it. It is also a parallel itself- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The simplicity of the movie is done with plenty of elegance and grace. The innocent actions of the children like Ponyo dancing and skipping happily when she is finally a human and Ponyo imitating Sosuke’s actions during dinner touch me. Perhaps the only fault found in the movie is the simplicity itself. To a cynic, it may seem too straightforward and is a minimalism of the real world which we all know is grave, graver and gravest. Nevertheless, most will find this movie heart-warming and interesting.
I have just bought Yui's 4th album-My Short Stories. It's a collection of her previous songs, I reckoned. It's more than a pity when I tore open the covering to discover that there's a big scratch on the back of the CD. :(
Besides the CD, I also bought the Physics and Math assessment book-both for my brother. Hopefully, he'll appreciate it. Taking into account the fact that it cost $50 in total, he had better do so!
I also purchased the book titled The Last Lecture by Professor Randy Pausch. It cost under $20, not counting the 20% popular discount. Anyway, it's really a great book. Hope you'll consider buying it or just watch the video online. :)
Well, don't think I have ever mention to you, but my brother's going to Malaysia this Sunday for a undetermined period to work in Aunt's company. It should be something related to commercial. Not too sure about the details.
Bye, at least for now.
LittleTwinStar wished again.
♥ Sunday, November 09, 2008♥
已经要放假了！弟弟也要考完O水准了。这未必是好事--因为之前他要求我在考完试后再给他生日礼物-Rich Dad Poor Dad 书籍。PS到大众书局去找寻，结果发现竟然是40多元！！并不像买给他。我比较喜欢The Last Lecture，这本书的价钱也比较便宜，20元左右。这些还不打紧，最最最重要的是，我还没做生日卡，而他在来临的星期三就考完了。得赶快这么做，否……
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