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www.groovekorea.com / May 2014 108 preview by Dean Crawford It’s incredible to think that not so long ago, superhero films were something of a joke. Look at the infamous “The Fantastic Four” (1994) by Roger Corman; a film only made so the rights to the franchise wouldn’t be lost, it was so bad that producer Avi Arad ended up buying it so it would never be seen. Fast-forward six years to the release of Bry- an Singer’s “X-Men” (2000), a movie that al- most single-handedly changed the perception of superhero films forever. In addition to being positively received by critics and making close to $300 million at box offices worldwide, it also showed studios the potential in the genre if the material was treated properly. I think it’s fair to say that an absence of “X-Men” would have kept “The Avengers” (2012) from ever getting off the ground. Singer continued where he left off in “X2” (2003), but the franchise almost died af- ter Brett Ratner’s “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006). Matthew Vaughn picked up the pieces for the fourth and, in my opinion, best film in the series, “X-Men: First Class” (2011), which was set in the ’70s and showed the humble beginnings of the world’s favorite mutants. Now, three years later, the first class is re- turning, but unfortunately Vaughn is not. Sing- er has returned to direct “X-Men: Days of Fu- ture Past.” The follow up to “First Class” sees Professor X, Magneto et al in a post-apocalyptic world where mutants are losing a war with humans and are being hunted and killed. Professor X has no choice but to send Wolverine back in time to find the younger Charles Xavier to force him and Magneto to work together to stop the war from ever taking place. The cast is too huge to list here. Just know that it seems like all of the X-Men are returning for at least a cameo. You would have thought that Singer returning to direct would be a good thing, but with his last two big-budget efforts being “Superman Returns” (2006) and “Jack the Giant Killer” (2013), some (well, me) are wondering if he still has what it takes to make a good “X-Men” film. We will find out on May 22. If you had asked me six months ago if I was excited to see the new “Godzilla” remake/re- boot/rehash/whatever, the answer would have been a resounding “No!” Roland Emmerich’s 1998 version was widely panned by critics and audiences alike, and its only redeeming fac- tor was the soundtrack. It seemed to me that “Godzilla” (1954) was a relic that belonged in the past and only die-hard fans had any inter- est in seeing another film. However, a few months back Warner Broth- ers released one of the best trailers I’ve seen in a long while and, to my surprise, I couldn’t wait to see Gareth Edwards’ reimagining of “Godzilla.” I know the whole point of a trailer is to sell the film. (How many times have we been lulled into a false sense of security with a good-looking trailer? “Sucker Punch” (2011), anyone?) But this trailer was really good — it showed so much without giving anything away. It presented a post-apocalyptic world full of death and destruction, but it wasn’t loud and it wasn’t totally action packed, save for a brief glimpse of the beast. In short, it did just enough to whet the appetite. As for the film’s synopsis, according to Legendary.com, “Godzilla” will be “an epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla.” Huh? Sold. Oh, you want more? Well, how about pitting “the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.” Yes? Yes! From the premise, I’m getting a very strong “Pacific Rim” (2013) vibe, which was enjoyable enough, mainly due to the visuals rather than the story. But the director of “Godzilla” is Ga- reth Edwards. His last film was the surprise hit “Monsters” (2010), which, despite its name, featured very few monsters at all. The film’s main focus was how humans interact during a crisis. With his new offering featuring the likes of Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen to add drama to what appears to be an action-heavy epic, I think we could be on to a winner! 22 15 Action / Adventure / Fantasy 123 minutes Action / Adventure / Sci-f 123 minutes May May Godzilla x-Men: Days of Future past Directed by Gareth Edwards Directed by Bryan Singer AT THE BOX OFFICE THE BIG SCREEN Edited by Jenny Na (jenny@groovekorea.com) MUSIC & ARTS grooveCast GrooveCast host Chance Dorland and columnist Dean Crawford talk movies. Check out the pod- cast at groovekorea.com.
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108page