Movies I Saw in 2008

Within every human being is the innate desire to create lists.  The end of a year (and the corresponding beginning of a new one) somehow brings that desire even further to the fore.

It is perhaps with that excuse that I have decided to cast my take on the last year — and the one to come — as regards the realm of movies.  The upcoming year appears to be a doozy for the cinema, and 2008 wasn’t too shabby, either.   Over the next few posts I’ll be reviewing and previewing 25 months of movies, starting today with my own brief opinions on all of the 2008 film releases that I was personally able to watch (listed in order of release date, not the date on which I saw the film).

Cloverfield (January 18th)

Terrific film. While I hope it didn’t set a standard for a new filmmaking style, the handheld look at the monster-destroys-big-city genre was great, as was the innovative, annoyingly secretive marketing that surrounded the film.  Not really a classic to watch over and over, I nevertheless enjoyed it very much.  Overall, it was another well-deserved notch in J.J. Abrams’ creative gunbelt.

Jumper (February 14th)

This was a fun popcorn flick — enjoyable as long as you don’t think about it too much or try to analyze it too deeply. Rife with potential plot holes, poor characterization, and somewhat wooden casting, and also somewhat unsatisfying in its conclusion, Jumper was still a fun concept to play around with for an hour or two.

21 (March 28th)

If you blinked, you might’ve missed this teen take on the heist genre.  Kevin Spacey’s gang of college whiz kids tries to beat the odds in Vegas and does pretty well until the angst and intrigue set in.  Fairly entertaining (Spacey’s always fun to watch), but ultimately there wasn’t anything new or impressive here.  Good for an evening when nothing else is on.

Iron Man (May 2nd)

If you know me personally or you’ve followed this blog at all, you’ve probably already heard me rave about Iron Man.  If not me, than probably others who have seen it.  Robert Downey, Jr. was great; the effects, script, and other casting were spot on; and Jon Favreau treated the material respectfully without taking it too seriously.  After a string of mostly disappointing comic book movies in 2007, this was a surprisingly refreshing film.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (May 2nd)

As much as Iron Man was a wonderful adaption, Prince Caspian – which released on the same day — was one of the worst I think I’ve seen.  After some promising trailers, this movie ultimately bore shockingly little resemblance to the original work.  The difference between the inter-character conflict in C.S. Lewis’ original novel and Andrew Adamson’s adaptation is one of conflict driven by actual development versus angsty attitude added simply for extra tension, and ultimately it makes noble heroes into shallow children.  Given that most faithful adaptations receive huge praise from both fans and critics while hackneyed adaptations get panned by both, I wonder why filmmakers still insist on making unnecessary changes to the source material.  It’s no surprise to me (though it is still disappointing) that Disney has pulled the plug on the third film.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22nd)

Here again is another example of a film that strayed too far afield from its source material (in this case, the original trilogy).  This movie was too campy and disjointed to really work well.  It failed for many of the same reasons that make Temple of Doom the weakest of the original trilogy — too much silliness, villains without any real malignancy, a sidekick — plus a new one for the series: bad special effects.  Not only did the addition of CGI effects feel anachronistic, but they were so badly done as to be laughable.  Finally, let’s not forget the Shia LeBeouf “Tarzan and monkeys” incident, or the infamous “nuking the fridge” sequence.

The Incredible Hulk (June 13th)

Here’s another good example of a comic book movie done right.  While not as deep as Iron Man or The Dark Knight, this movie had all the right things going for it: a simple, respectful treatment of the original characters and story, excellent casting, and decent enough effects.  An added bonus for us geeks was the very clear groundwork Marvel Studios is laying for a future Avengers film with crossover ties between Iron Man and Hulk (appearances by S.H.I.E.L.D. and Starktech in both films, and cameos by Nick Fury in Iron Man and Tony Stark in Hulk).

Get Smart (June 13th)

Another movie worth high praise and probably the funniest flick I saw all year.  Steve Carell is perfect to resurrect Don Adams’ Maxwell Smart, and with a cast rounded out by Alan Arkin, Anne Hathaway, and The Rock (not to mention a Bill Murray cameo), this one made me laugh a lot.  I’m looking forward to seeing it again.

Wanted (June 27th)

Juvenile.  Ridiculous.  Dumb.  In other words, “ugh.”  While this movie had some good action sequences and a respectable cast, I felt it was mostly worthless.  A central element of the plot was left completely unexplained (“The Loom of Fate?”  Seriously?), while another required the audience to suspend all belief in basic motion physics (or at least have no knowledge of it).  Add in a final viewer-insulting “twist” ending and, well…let’s just say I won’t be “wanting” to see the sadly-inevitable sequel.  (For my previous reviews of Wanted, Get Smart, and Indiana Jones, click here.)

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (July 11th)

Guillermo del Toro is a terrific director, and I really enjoyed the first Hellboy movie.  Del Toro understood the material well; I thought this movie was a shoe-in.  For whatever reason, though, it also suffered from amped-up camp levels, and while it was a visual treat, the rest of it was silly and bland.  Really unfortunate.

The Dark Knight (July 18th)

Though it would be a shame to have missed out on Iron Man, I could have seen none of the other films on this list and still called it a great year having seen The Dark Knight.  Complex, thoughtful, and gritty, this movie tackles tough issues and could stand up to many “regular” crime dramas that don’t feature capes and clowns.  While there’s much to chew on after seeing this one, the late Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker is the real highlight here and was alone worth the price of admission.  This will be the flick that does a lot to pave the way for other mature, thoughtful comic book movies like this year’s Watchmen.

Quantum of Solace (November 14th)

I didn’t think there was a lot here to talk about.  Nothing really outstanding in any arena, and overall certainly not the best Bond flick — especially after Casino Royale knocked it out of the park.  Nevertheless, Quantum was enjoyable, but at this point I’m more interested in seeing where Daniel Craig and company take the franchise next.

I would love to hear your own thoughts and reviews of these and any other movies you’ve seen this year!  There were a lot of others that looked worth seeing that I haven’t yet had the chance to view, and it’s those that I’ll be taking a look at in my next post.  ‘Til then…