BorisV Reviews

12 (2007)

A meager attempt to climb the Cinema mountain

[5/10 · 24 October 2007]

It fails in comparison not only to original "12 Angry Men", but to many great films by Nikita Mikhalkov himself. I mean the ones he made 25-30 years ago.

"12" is shallow and pretentious at best, but with some rather formidable actor's performances. Through the whole movie you can't get rid of this strange taste in your mouth: director is more concerned how to impress you, rather than to discover the truth. This is really pity since the author still has some ammunition to impress you with, from being an excellent actor himself, to displaying a good craftsmanship here and there. But what's the point?

It might even get an Oscar, though. Well, it's not the first corny and superficial movie in that category, and certainly not the last.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

mixed feelings and thoughts

[5/10 · 31 May 1999]

Going to see The Phantom Menace was at first exciting, but after the movie I felt rather disappointed. The script wasn't written well, and all the jokes were completely flat. In the beginning at least you could try to stifle a giggle, but later you yawn and wait for the flick to end. Obviously every outcome is laid out in front of you even before you sit down in the theater if you have seen the other three episodes. Once all the characters have been introduced our pre-introduced, you may as well predict what they will do. The special effects are stellar, though, showing what movie-makers are capable of showing. Originality has almost disappeared in this movie, and basically every alien has some similarity with anything else on TV or anywhere else. Personally I felt a bit uncomfortable for a rather foolish reason when the "big battle" was taking place with all those fancy ships and blasters. Where were the X- and Y-wings? When were those AT-ATs going to show up? The events of this movie obviously take place before all those well-known ships and objects were invented, but the "old" vehicles look pretty neat too. Episode I is the perfect example of how a prequel sets the stage for the rest of the acts. The end partly pulls you along into the fourth Episode, and the entire story line just flows. In the first Star Wars movie, the old characters who appear in Episode I actually tell of tiny things that actually happen in this film. The saga is truly shown and expressed, but without the heart and laughter as in the first movie. I feel Lucas is losing his touch, and I won't be surprised if Episodes II and III would be complete failures. The magic of Star Wars seems to be disappearing, and this film is the proof.