Stoker - Stylised but a little boring

What can I say about ‘Stoker’. Well for a start it has an impressive cast, a well regarded foreign director and producers such as Ridley Scott (Prometheus, American Gangster) and Tony Scott (Top Gun). Interestingly this doesn’t translate into the world’s most enjoyable film.

On the other hand, it is beautifully stylised and it’s clear even from the opening credits that Chan-Wook Park (Oldboy) is meticulous in his direction and attention to detail. Park also paces the film well, based on the content he has to hand, but this is where I believe the movie falls a little short. Once we are shown the true nature of some of the films characters, the mystery around the motives of their actions aren't enough to keep the audience sufficiently engaged for the remainder of the film.

The story begins with the death of Richard Stoker, the husband to Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) and father to India (Mia Wasikowska) in a small country town. It’s apparent that Evelyn and India have never had the closest of relationships and that India definitely preferred time with her father.  As a consequence the tension is very apparent at Richard’s funeral. Enter Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), Richard’s travelling brother, that neither Evelyn nor India have ever met, seemingly because he’s spent the last two decades abroad in Europe. Charlie is charming, good looking but a little off centre, giving us the feel early in the film that there’s more than meets the eye with this recently returned relative. It soon becomes obvious that Charlie has an ulterior motive in staying with the Stokers and it’s very apparent that it has something to do with young India. Charlie stays on at the Stoker residence after the funeral and it’s here where the mystery begins.

 Let’s talk about the performances, which were for the most part solid. Mia Wasikowska did a fantastic job of portraying the emotionally detached and confused India, showing just enough subtle changes in her character as she realises her true nature throughout the course of the film. Matthew Goode is great as the charming uncle with twisted motives. He plays something of a similar role to ‘Ozymandias’ in ‘Watchmen’, yet a little more overtly crazy in this role. And Nicole Kidman, well what can I say, she rarely puts a foot wrong and her performance in ‘Stoker’ is no exception. She displays a range of emotional states all whilst remaining perfectly in character. In my opinion her performance was the best of the film even though not central to the films plot.

‘Stoker’ won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but it’s certainly well executed and well acted. Due to the quirky and somewhat sombre nature of the films main characters they’re not overly likable, so when we’re left with only the motives of these characters as the remaining hook, I can see most audiences losing interest. But if you like stylised thrillers, or are familiar with Park’s work, then you may want to give ‘Stoker’ a watch.

Elysium - More of a thrill ride than District 9

 

It’s always nice to see a film with an underlying social message. It’s even better when it’s a sci fi action film set in a dystopian future with robots and exoskeletons that give heroes and bad guys super human strength. Elysium delivers all this and more in the second major film from South African writer/director Neill Blomkamp.

Elysium is set in the year 2159. The world has become a pretty nasty place through overpopulation and pollution. The wealthy though, live a life of bliss on a satellite world called Elysium. Here the air is clean, the environment is beautiful, and any health issue is promptly solved regardless of how dire or severe. Delacourt (Jodie Foster) is charged with the responsibility of defending Elysium from the illegal immigrants attempting to come for the miracle cures it has available. Back on Earth we meet a small boy called Max making bold promises to a young girl in an orphanage in one of earths growing mega slums. Fast forward to 2159, life hasn’t quite turned out the way Max (Matt Damon) would have hoped. We discover that Max is now an ex con with a patchy past, striving to improve his life by working at a nearby factory. A bad accident exposing Max to a lethal dose of radiation soon has him crawling back to the criminal underworld looking for a ticket to Elysium. Max now has to battle his way to Elysium through robots and an insane South African mercenary controlled by Delacourt to save himself from certain death.

Elysium does a reasonable job of depicting a socially unjust future and all the horrible things that come with it. Some of the scripting is fantastic, particularly so from the Mercenary ‘Krugar’ (Sharlto Copley) who fans will remember from ‘District 9’. The action scenes are all exciting and the tension doesn’t let up from when we have our first taste of carnage right through to the closing credits. He goes a little over the top with the shaky camera work in some of the fight scenes, but for the most part they are exciting and well choreographed.

What can I say about ‘Krugar’. Absolutely brilliant. There were a few lines that seemed a little over the top but for the most part he has the audience both entertained and scared. It’s hard to describe what makes his ‘crazy’ so cool, but it definitely reminds you of the same sort of insane as Heath Ledger playing the Joker. He swings from calm, to enraged to joking within the same section of dialogue. Jodie Foster’s character is a little one dimensional, but displays enough arrogance and ambition to make you believe she is capable of taking the steps she does within the film. And Matt Damon, well this in my opinion is his best movie and performance since the Bourne films.

If you liked District 9, you’ll definitely enjoy Elysium. Like District 9 it has a social message, a reluctant hero and innovative special effects that are definitely worth the watch. Yes the film has its flaws but I would expect any action or sci fi fan to get a good ride from Elysium.