Movie Review: LONE SURVIVOR

LONE SURVIVOR
Director: Peter Berg
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, Eric Bana, Yousuf Azami

Based on the book of the same name by Marcus Luttrell, Lone Survivor takes us front and center on the impact of Operation Red Wings, a reconnaissance and surveillance mission to track down and capture Taliban leader Ahmad Shah (Azami) in 2005. Marcus Luttrell (Wahlberg), Michael Murphy (Kitsch), Danny Dietz (Hirsch), and Matt Axelson (Foster) were the four Navy SEALs assigned to this covert mission in the mountains of Afghanistan. Their hideout is quickly compromised by the locals and their cover is blown. It is only a matter of time before the four of them are faced with an army of Taliban gunmen. Their survival skills are put to a test as they are clearly outnumbered with no hope of rescue.

Director Peter Berg penned the screenplay and keeps the story solely on this raid. The film only covers the three days surrounding the mission and, as the title suggests, how Marcus Luttrell was able to survive. There is no back story or supporting characters outside of those involved with the situation. The film opens and closes with real life photos and videos of the men involved to offer a look into the regular lives these men led until they decided to risk their lives for our country.

Berg holds nothing back as he puts the audience right in the middle of the action and does not let up for the majority of the movie. Even though the audience knows the outcome, it makes the tension and suspense just as strong as you know what is about to unfold is unbelievably brutal. The blood and violence is so realistic, you churn and writhe in your seat as you can practically feel the bones breaking as our characters tumble down mountains and get shot at repeatedly. The film is loud and in your face as the bullets and explosions go off like they are happening next to you. It is no surprise that the film has been nominated for two Oscars for Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

Words cannot really describe how you feel afterwards. Your body is shaking and you know your heart has probably skipped a beat due to the never ending intensity. I guess I cannot speak for others, but that was my reaction. The year 2013 in film had numerous movies set at such high intensity, and this one may just take the cake. I cannot imagine what it would actually be like to be in that position, yet so many men and women volunteer to serve our country knowing this may happen. The film really shines a light and puts things in perspective for what the members of our military go through. You may see this film as a stance on how unjust the war is or you may see it as a call out to the brave nature and honor these soldiers deserve. It is a powerful film, to say that least, about brotherhood and survival and should touch a nerve no matter where you stand on our involvement in the war.

The last film Peter Berg directed was Battleship which received horrendous reviews. Hopefully he has redeemed himself here with this unflinching story. Foster, Hirsch, Wahlberg, and Kitsch make for a great unit and you really feel the connection these men have toward each other especially at a time like this. Berg and Wahlberg, who also serves as producer, had some troubles getting the film financed with many people taking pay cuts in order to have this important story told. It is unfortunate that the film is not on more people's radar as it could open some minds on what members of our military have gone through.

RATING: ****1/2 (4.5 out of 5 stars)

Movie Review: BATTLESHIP

BATTLESHIP
Director: Peter Berg
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker, Liam Neeson

When you decide to make a movie inspired by a two player children's game, where do you even begin? Let’s start with two very good looking brothers. Long haired Alex (Kitsch) is the deadbeat brother that can’t seem to get his act together. He is living off the couch of his older more mature brother, Stone (Skarsgard). They spend Alex’s birthday getting drinks at the local bar having some heart-to-heart conversion. Naturally, Alex gets distracted by beautiful blonde Samantha (Decker) who is at a bar stool all alone. In order to impress her, he breaks into a convenience store and steals a chicken burrito that she is craving. The cops show up as his not-so-stealth moves set off every alarm in the store. Alex gets tasered as he desperately tries to give the burrito to Samantha. Stone is livid as Samantha happens to be the daughter of his Navy Admiral (Neeson). Alex joins the US NAVY in order to get his act together and be with Samantha.

NASA has discovered that there is another planet that could have conditions similar to Earth’s. This means there could be a chance of intelligent life on the planet. They have designated a compound in Hawaii to send signals from a satellite to this planet in hopes of a response from the life forms that might exist. Years later, a response finally comes through. Alex and Stone are participating in the Navy’s RIMPAC opening ceremony exercises. During the exercises, it becomes apparent that five alien ships are approaching the Earth’s orbit. They crash onto Earth hitting Honk Kong and various locations around the Hawaiian Islands including where the Naval exercises are taking place. Alex, Stone, and company are second guessing if this is real or part of the drills. They determine this is no exercise and these aliens are far more than what they could have anticipated. They are a no-nonsense powerful species with massive vessels. You may recognize that the missiles from the aliens look just like the pegs used in the game.

I was hesitant going into Battleship when it first opened. Was it going to be a good popcorn summer action flick or would it be a long drawn out mess like Transformers? I was pleasantly surprised how much fun I had while watching a movie inspired by a game. Let's be real, it is no Marvel's The Avengers or Terminator 2: Judgment Day. With that being said, it is not as horrible as one would think. The actions scenes are loud, big, and very explosive. Berg wastes no time in getting right to the action. There is maybe twenty minutes of exposition and character set-up, but the battle begins pretty quickly after that. You don't need to wait until the final act to see ships blow up. These types of movies do not usually have the best screenplays. This is no exception either. The weak script leads to some pretty corny line readings by some of the actors, especially Rihanna. Maybe I should lay off her as this is her first movie. The production design of the aliens and their vessels seem very unoriginal. The vessels are basically Transformers as they shift around and contort to fire off the missiles. I appreciated that the aliens were given a very human look, but their body armor looks like a rejected Iron Man design. If you can get passed the cheese ball moments and bad one-liners, I think you can still have a lot of fun with the movie. It’s an action movie, and the explosions are pretty fun to watch. The aliens are pretty ruthless leaving any character, big or small, subject to an early death. Sure the movie could be way better and the filmmakers could have made some riskier and original choices, but the movie provides a mindless break that is sometimes needed in the summer.


RATING: *** (3 out of 5)