Benz Eye View: Napoleon

I hope you guys had a Happy Thanksgiving! After all the thanks to family and friends, let’s begin with the movie review.

DISCLAIMER: I know some bits of Napoleon Bonaparte’s history, but I do not consider myself an expert in his life. I will bring this note up later, but I want to let you know as I review this movie since it will affect what I think.

Pros:

1.) Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte is excellent with his subdued, calculated, and fierce performance. You might see his performance as boring since his facial expression is usually stoic and emotionless, but I personally see him as someone who is focused and determined to keep his country safe from his enemies. The rare times he has to show emotions are usually focused on his wife, Josephine (played by Vanessa Kirby), and that is because he is free to fully express what he is feeling to the woman he has been close to for so long. Joaquin Phoenix is a talented actor, and he can surely play one of France’s greatest rulers.

2.) This is a simple pro: the costume and setting designs fit the timeline on which this movie takes place. From the messy streets of France after the French Revolution to the burning city of Russia during the Napoleonic Wars, the movie displays the designs well enough to differentiate the different countries, cultures, and wealth status. I am stating the obvious, but I still like to give the designers credit for it.

3.) One of the biggest focuses of this movie is the relationship between Napoleon and Josephine. The filmmakers did a good showing how complicated these two are from when they first met to their marriage to their divorce. Napoleon and Josephine love each other, but their duties to France drive a wedge between the two. Despite that, they try to make their marriage work, but that comes with many complications. The movie establishes their relationship well…

Cons:

1.) …However, as much as I want to like this movie, there are some major drawbacks. The first con being is that I feel like I am watching a CliffNotes version of the historical events of Napoleon’s life. This statement can be applied to any historical film since it is nearly impossible to show the entire life of a single famous individual, but what I mean is that the movie does not fully explain the events of what happened in some scenes. There is a brief explanation and the movie moves on; it assumes you know the history of those moments, and since I am not a Napoleon Bonaparte and French historian, I do not have a complete clue what has happened (especially since the movie talks about it instead of showing it). One example I can give is about Napoleon’s relationship with the Emperor of Russia, Alexander I (played by Édouard Philipponnat) started on good grounds, then sometime later, Alexander I suddenly betrayed Napoleon for the British Empire with little to no explanation other than a voiceover by Napoleon. I hope for your sake that you do know his life and French history because the movie is going to give you a somewhat quick version of it…

2.) …Even if you can forgive that, I doubt you can forgive the pacing and the writing. The story feels short and slightly rushed at the same time because it feels like certain historical moments and/or important plot points have been rushed and/or skipped thanks to the previous con (and this movie is over two hours and thirty minutes). I feel like there is a longer cut of this movie where some of the confusing and missing plot points are explained and shown better in detail. I do not know if there is going to be an extended cut in the future, but if there is, I hope it is better than what this cut has shown.

3.) I am a little disappointed that this movie rarely shows any battle sequences. I know the movie is focusing more on Napoleon’s rise to power and his relationship with Josephine, but the few battle sequences are pretty good and I wish there were more. This is a little biased of me since I expected to see some great battles in a movie about a popular French leader who is known for leading his army well. Still, what the movie has slightly makes up for it, but not completely.

Overall:

I do know of Napoleon Bonaparte: one of France’s biggest leaders and conquerors in history, but I barely know much about him. The man made a huge impact in the world considering his military tactics and rise to power, and a movie about him was certainly inevitable. Directed by Ridley Scott, this movie could end up being one of his best or worst movies since he has been a mixed bag these days. After watching it and thinking about it, I sadly have to say that this movie leans somewhere in the middle. It is not a terrible movie, but it feels like it could have been so much better. Something was holding it back; maybe it needed to tell/show (especially show) more about Napoleon’s life or balance out what needed to be shown/told in a small amount of time.

Add that historians did not like this movie for its inaccuracy, and you are going to have to watch this movie more as pure entertainment rather than historical fact. Napoleon Bonaparte did leave his mark on history, but I doubt many can say the same thing about this movie in the movie industry.

6/10

Benz Eye View: The Marvels

I have never seen people care less about this MCU movie other than blind die-hard fans. The first Captain Marvel gained a billion dollars worldwide, though I am sure it is because it is the last MCU movie to watch before Avengers: Endgame. Will she make or break that record again alongside her two superheroic allies, or did she just get lucky because of the hype of Avengers: Endgame? Let’s find out in this next addition to the MCU Marathon with The Marvels.

Pros:

1.) I will give credit where it is due: Brie Larson as Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel has improved her acting compared to her previous movie. Instead of a dull and emotionless character who has been told to control her emotions, she is now more open to her emotions which Brie Larson does a decent job. It does not save her character, but at least she is trying especially since I know she can act.

2.) The one character who stood out over all the characters is Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel (played by Iman Vellani). She is the only character that I like for several reasons: I found her to be a relatable religious girl who is also a geek, which is why I like her in Ms. Marvel despite it not being good. She knows when to have fun while also being serious when the situation calls for it. Iman Vellani did a great job balancing her character from being a complete fangirl without being overbearing. I still would not mind seeing her in the MCU in the future, and I imagine her being better than Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau (played by Teyonah Parris) if she continues to grow well.

3.) One plot point in the movie is that Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau have the ability to switch places when they use their powers at the same time. This is actually pretty cool in terms of filming because the movie can show off some decent VFX shots of the characters switching, especially during fight scenes. In fact, there is a scene where the three characters practice using this maneuver to better coordinate their fights. This is not a bad idea, and I will give the movie some credit for a decent attempt at a conflict and film technique.

Cons:

1.) The main villain, Dar-Benn (played by Zawe Ashton) is one of the most forgettable villains in the MCU. If I had to describe her character in a sentence, she is a less interesting version of Ronan the Accuser (and he was not that great of a villain either). She has a decent motivation, but considering the movie does not do anything with that background, and the actress herself is as intimidating as a flower, Dar-Benn (a name that is easy to forget) might as well as join Malekith the Accursed in the bin of forgotten MCU villains.

2.) Apparently, the filmmakers (or rather, Marvel Studios) did not learn their lessons from the previous movie, because the writing is ridiculous and absolutely poor. From its rushed pacing to poor character arcs, I have plenty to say about what is wrong with this movie. Nick Fury’s (played by Samuel L. Jackson) character does not match what happened to him back in The Secret Invasion; in fact, there is a side plot involving the Skrulls that makes that show look even worse. There are a couple of sequences involving singing and cats that are completely out of place and it seems like the Disney animation crew were somehow involved in this idea that should never be in this movie (I am speculating, but that is what it seems like). The movie does not seem to care about most of the newer characters, because they are barely utilized despite having some (by some, I mean little) importance to the plot. The biggest issue is that there is absolutely no tension at all considering how predictable the story is (i.e., Carol and Monica’s shaky relationship is resolved easily), and I am sure the audience knows that since there is barely any hype around this movie.

3.) Even the filmmaking is surprisingly bad in some areas, especially during the fight scenes. Some of the cinematography is not properly shot well, the editing seems sloppy in its execution since it is not always clear what the audience is seeing, and I swear that there are some scenes missing in these fights, especially when the three main leads begin swapping places for the first time. In that sequence, the movie follows one of the characters as they try to fight some typical baddies, but we do not get to see the other characters’ reactions when they switch, making it seem like they have gotten used to it already. I get why the filmmakers did not want to show it since it may get repetitive, but it ends up feeling disjointed and unnatural when the three leads are somewhat fine with it now. Maybe Marvel Studios should stop hiring people who just started in the film industry and get some better professionals.

Overall:

Despite gaining a billion dollars when it was first released, Captain Marvel was one of the worst MCU movies I have seen with its boring protagonist and uninteresting plot; and the only reason it succeeded was it preceded Avengers: Endgame. When The Marvels was announced, nobody cared other than blind die-hard fans and a certain group of people that I will not name. After watching this movie, everyone has a good reason not to watch it: it is awful. How awful is it? To put it simply, it is slightly worse than the last movie despite learning a few lessons.

I do not care if this is an important movie to watch in the MCU going forward, or especially the mid-credit scene that reeks of desperation; if Marvel Studios continues to create lower-quality work compared to the Infinity Saga, then the audience will lose interest. Even I am starting to suffer from superhero fatigue considering the lack of creativity considering how the Multiverse Saga is going despite some good films and TV shows here and there. If you never liked Captain Marvel to begin with, you are definitely not going to like this movie. Instead of going higher, further, and faster; this movie is heading lower, nearer, and slower.

3/10

Benz Eye View: Loki (Season 2)

Welcome back to the MCU Marathon where we will now look at what is arguably the most popular MCU TV show’s second season. Will Loki hit a second home run and reinvigorate interest in the MCU, or is he just delaying the inevitable? Let’s find out in this next addition: Loki (Season 2).

Pros:

1.) Not only is Tom Hiddleston as Loki doing a fantastic job as usual, but all the other actors also did an amazing job. It is thanks to their performances that these characters have nearly perfect chemistry from Loki to Mobius (played by Owen Wilson) and Victor Timely (played by Jonathan Majors) to Renslayer (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw). I would love to see more of these people interact in the MCU…

2.) …What also helps is that nearly all major characters are compelling in their own ways. The most obvious ones are Loki, Mobius, Victor Timely, Sylvie (played by Sophia Di Martino), Miss Minutes (voiced by Tara Strong), and a new character named Ouroboros (played by Ke Huy Quan). From their reactions dealing with the fall of the timeline to their conflicts and motivations constantly pushing them, these characters stand out. Loki is trying to stop the timeline from collapsing for personal reasons, Mobius is being pushed to see his original variant counterpart despite him insisting that he is not interested, Victor Timely is an innocent man who could turn into He Who Remains if tempted by Renslayer and Miss Minutes, Sylvie wants no part of the TVA and the timeline’s downfall despite all of the conflict is her fault, Miss Minutes is possibly one of the creepiest characters in the MCU, and Ouroboros is one of the most charming nerds ever. I like most of these characters, and they waste no time to take action and stand out.

3.) I mentioned in the first season of Loki that I am not a fan of timeline movies/TV shows (with a few exceptions) when they go to more complicated areas of time traveling, but this season actually makes the timeline jargon easier to understand for the most part. Putting aside that the concepts of the TVA and time traveling in this show are still cool, the writing makes it easier for the simple layman to understand what is happening, especially when the TVA and the timeline are collapsing thanks to Sylvie’s actions. The danger has escalated since the last season, and you do not need to be a timeline guru to understand that thanks to the better writing…

Cons:

1.) …However, the writing is not done perfectly. There is still some technical jargon that is hard to understand, and this is because when the exposition is long, it drags and sounds complicated. It can be overwhelming at times, but this gets fixed as the season progresses. The writing has gotten better in some places, but it still has its faults.

2.) This show does have some slow-pacing issues. This was fine in the last season because the conflict did not have that big of an urgency. This season involves the entire timeline falling apart and the TVA may face its end, and there are scenes where characters are talking about the current situation and their feelings on any matter while the timeline is about to collapse. These characters need to hurry or everything will be doomed. It is fine if a show/movie takes its time on certain issues, but not when there is a time limit where everything falls apart at any given moment.

3.) A small nitpick here, but I wish this season focused more on Kang the Conqueror (Victor Timely does not count) rather than fixing the timeline as the main conflict. Kang and his variants are out there trying to take over the multiverse and that seems to be a bigger issue than the timeline falling apart. I can understand why it is not the main focus since that issue will be dealt with later in an Avengers movie, but I wish that it is, especially when this season did a fantastic job showcasing Kang as a threat compared to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania where he was a wimp. I am willing to wait a bit, but considering the current state of the MCU, my patience is wearing thin.

Overall:

Despite having a few issues here and there, I thought the first season of Loki was excellent alongside building up Kang the Conquerer as the new big MCU villain. Now that the second season is out, I can safely say that this season is just as good as the last season. While there are a few new issues here and there, it is made up by fixing some of the old issues from last season and improving on this season as a whole. I am still not a fan of time-traveling movies and TV shows, but Loki (and many of the time-traveling movies and shows before it) has proven that it can be done right if written well. If you like the character and the previous season, you will definitely like the second season since it is filled with glorious purpose.

Watch It

I will say that the one thing that hurts this season of Loki is the current state of the MCU. People may not care as much since the quality of the MCU has been decreasing, and I am hoping (yet also doubting) that the payoff of Loki Season 2 is worth it. Then again, with the next MCU movie that just came out, this may be a fragile hope.