Hey folks, Harry here with the Sheriff that can't say yield, coming back with two reviews of the big July 4th Showdown between THE PATRIOT and THE PERFECT STORM. Now... unless something rather stunning has happened between the cut of THE PATRIOT that I saw, and the version the Sheriff here saw... I can't imagine the criticism of there not being a romance thread in the film. Now... who knows... But the version I saw had a pair of romances going on amidst the situations and they were very nicely handled as well. AS for THE PERFECT STORM... I'm getting all the more excited for this film the closer it gets. Here's the Sheriff...
Hey folks, Sheriff JT Chance returns with dueling reviews. Everyone's talking about June 30. Two titans will go to battle that day. Mel Gibson and his Revolutionary War epic, Patriot, and George Clooney and his true-story disaster The Perfect Storm. The Sheriff's seen both of 'em and here's what he thought.
THE PATRIOT
Braveheart in 1770's Colonial America. That's what everyone else is saying, but it IS NOT TRUE. Here's why. "Braveheart" appealed to men and women. Allow me to speak in broad generalizations for a moment. It had battle scenes for the men. It had romance scenes for the women. This is a tried and true formula. The Patriot has battle scenes for the men, but no romance. Most women are not going to enjoy this film. That will kill the movie in the long run. It should have a great opening weekend, but quickly trail off.
The Plot. Mel's a peaceful fellow who isn't interested in war until his son signs up and then he takes charge becoming a blood thirsty maniac fighting for his freedom. That's about it. There aren't any shocking plot twists. There aren't any unexpected developments. Just war. It's a great, beautifully filmed war. It's a brutal, realistic war. But it's just war and carnage. Sure, there's a family subplot tossed in t here, but it doesn't add anything.
The Characters. Mel is Mel in Braveheart, no real difference, and he undergoes the same emotional transformation. However, in Braveheart, you had the feeling that what he was fighting for is noble and right. In The Patriot, the war doesn't seem like a last resort. We don't see the English being total sadistic bastards. Chris Cooper, one of my favorite actors, is completely wasted. Heath Ledger is very, very good as Mel's son. He has the best role in the film and shows he has star power. Is he good enough to bring in teenage girls and their dates? Doubtful.
Overall. This is a good movie, but it won't make money. Remember, Braveheart didn't do very well at the BO and it was much better, and won Oscars. There aren't any Oscars here. Rodat is a great action writer, but he doesn't know anything about characters. Did anyone read the original draft of Saving Pvt. Ryan? It was like Rambo in WW II. Patriot should please war buffs, but the rest of America will probably be left cold. 2.5 rattlesnake bites(for those who thought "boxes of popcorn" was too girly).
THE PERFECT STORM
Please hold me back. If I hear one more person mention this movie and Twister in the same sentence, I'll tear their arm off and beat them with it. Twister was CGI effects and only CGI effects. It had no characters, no plot, nothing worth caring about. The Perfect Storm has CGI effects, it has real, well-rounded characters, it has a wonderful plot. The Perfect storm has mind-blowing special effects that are better than anything we've ever seen before, but it's the characters that make this a movie that I'll watch again and again.
The Plot. If you've read the book, the movie follows pretty closely. It's a fishing/seaside community, and a group of men and one woman take off, even though there are severe storm warnings. The storm hits and we see the characters on land and sea battle for their lives and emotional sanity.
The Characters. Clooney is wonderful, and he's been wonderful in everything except Batman. He deserves to have a hit, and I think this could be the one to turn him into an A-list movie star. All of the cast is commendable. The only exception is the relationship between Diane Lane and Mark Wahlberg. I never bought them as a couple, and that hurt several ensuing parts of the film. Both were very good, but their interactions rang hollow.
Overall: Aside from that one bad subplot, I loved everything about this. An action film with a cast we care about, effects that take our breath away, and an ending that breaks our hearts. I expect TPS to lose to The Patriot in it's first week out, but in the long haul, I believe it'll do better BO. 3.5 rattlesnake bites for a great summer film.
That's all for today. Later this week I'll review Me, Myself & Irene. Also, this weekend I'm going to the Method Film Festival in Pasadena. So, if you'll be there too, email me and we can meet up and watch some indie's together.
Sheriff JT Chance
