Before it was re-branded “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,” it was simply titled “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Though the title promised great adventure, director Steven Spielberg and writer Lawrence Kasdan managed to deliver a hero every audience member could watch and relate to, no matter what the circumstance. Harrison Ford managed to depict a ruthless space pirate in “Star Wars” and brings that same charisma and enthusiasm to Indiana Jones, a big screen hero who is dashing and cunning, but just as average as anyone else venturing in to his world.
Tag Archives: Adventure
RoboCop 3 (1993)
RoboCop really isn’t that good of a hero, when you think about it. After killing off an evil businessman and a lethal gang in the first film, and stopping the production on a vicious war weapon in the second film, nothing has changed. Detroit is still under control of OCP, and even worse, RoboCop is all alone. With “RoboCop” really just a kids superhero in the nineties what with an animated series, video games, and short lived TV show, the producers try to appeal to his fan base by giving the final “RoboCop” a PG-13 installment and showing little progress story wise.
RoboCop 2 (1990)
“RoboCop 2” in spite of the script from the once legendary Frank Miller, repeats much of the same beats as the first film. It’s twice as violent, and uneven in tone, but it’s basically the first film all over again in many respects. OCP is planning to release another new robotic police officer, they want to make RoboCop obsolete yet again, there’s a vicious violent gang on the loose and wreaking havoc, and they have some connections to OCP.
RoboCop (1987)
Paul Verhoeven’s science fiction revenge picture is a film that’s thankfully shown very little wrinkles since its introduction in 1987. While “RoboCop” is by no means a masterpiece, it surely does succeed in placing itself in the higher echelons of science fiction where its hero is a victim, even when suited in a heavy metallic coat of armor, blasting away every criminal within eye sight.
Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
I wasn’t too crazy about the first “Kick Ass.” The attempts to take Mark Millar’s homophobic misogynistic fantasy and tame it for broader audiences failed. And it failed fantastically once it watered down the cynicism and introduced that stupid rocket pack. I never understood the appeal of adapting the comic, either. Since I never really bothered to finish “Kick Ass 2” the mini-series (Millar’s “edginess” gets exhausting after the thirtieth anal sex joke), my frame of reference is nil, so “Kick-Ass 2” is a fairly fresh experience as a sequel to a movie that could have done without one.
Mutant Hunt (1987)
I love in “Mutant Hunt” how after the hero Riker fights off the goons who can stretch their arms, cut off their limbs, smash walls, and explode when stabbed, the heroine looks on and proclaims “They’re not human.” NO SHIT! You think?! And you also have to appreciate a guy who lives in a house with white concrete walls, but still finds the time to hang weapons along the walls. All of which can work when he wants them to. No replicas for this schmuck. And seriously, who the hell hangs machetes on their walls?
Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013)
Marvel and MadHouse team together to offer fans of Iron Man a really fun and unique animated adventure with Tony Stark and Iron Man. And while it’s short on plot, it more than compensates for that short coming with some dazzling animation, and an excellent sense of pacing that keeps “Rise of Technovore” absolutely engrossing. Though most of the anime efforts from Marvel with Madhouse have the capability of slowing down, “Rise of Technovore” is always moving and always fun.