“Dumbo” (2019) Movie Review

    Disney Pictures has been starting to turn it’s classic animated film library into live action movies for a few years now.  “Alice in Wonderland” was the first of the trend in 2014 and has been followed with the likes of “The Jungle Book”, “Maleficent”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Cinderella”, “Christopher Robin”, and “Alice Through the Looking Glass”.  The latest remake Disney has unveiled is “Dumbo” which is the classic tale of a young elephant trying to find his place in the world.  My girlfriend and I had wanted to see this movie for a few weeks now but we finally got to see it this week.

    The film follows a WW1 veteran and his children as they work in a traveling circus.  Holt, the father who lost his arm in the war, was once a trick rider for the circus but is now tasked with taking care of the newly purchased elephants Mrs. Jumbo and her new baby.  The baby elephant was born with giant ears and the owner of the circus considers the baby to be a freak of nature.  Holt is assigned with hiding the newborn elephant’s ears during his first performance but his ears end up becoming exposed anyway leading the audience to turn hostile on the poor baby elephant.  Mrs. Jumbo goes into a rage in defense of her son and ends up being sold off because she is deemed dangerous.  The baby elephant is given the name Dumbo shortly after he is separated from his mother.  Dumbo isn’t like other elephants though as Holt’s children later find out.  Dumbo’s large ears allow him to fly!  Following this revelation, Holt’s children hatch a plan to reunite Dumbo with his mother.

    The film received decidedly mixed reviews from critics who seemed to mainly complain that the film “lacked heart” compared to the original Disney classic.  Now, everyone is entitled to their opinion but I have to respectfully disagree with those critics.  I thought the film showed a lot of heart and in some ways is a better kid’s movie than the original.  The moral of “Dumbo” remains in tact in both incarnations of the film but the live action remake also dumps the racist subtexts the original had.

    The film succeeds largely due to it’s cast.  Colin Farrell gives a solid performance as Holt.  Michael Keaton plays against type as the antagonist of the story.  Danny DeVito shines as the owner of the traveling circus.  It was fun seeing Keaton and DeVito together again in a mini “Batman Returns” reunion.  Speaking of “Batman Returns”, “Dumbo” was also directed by Tim Burton.  Burton’s visual flair and his love for Art Deco style actually plays into “Dumbo” very well.

    At it’s core, “Dumbo” is a sometimes cute and sometimes heartbreaking movie that pulls all the right heartstrings.  The movie teaches us the value of being different.  I really enjoyed the movie and cgi used to create Dumbo was top notch.  This is a movie you can take the kids to see and not have to worry what you are exposing your children to.  It is also a movie you can see as an adult and feel like a kid again and I personally feel like that is important sometimes as well.

Grade: B

“Shazam!” Movie Review

    When this project was first announced, I was very excited about “Shazam!” because I knew how amazing it could be.  The comic book featuring the character is original and heartwarming.  Plus the prospect of DC expanding their film brand outside of proven commodities like Superman and Batman was a refreshing sign of faith in their own properties.

    The film follows a young foster child named Billy Batson who keeps running away from his foster homes in an attempt to find his biological mother.  After defending his current foster brother from bullies at school, Billy is teleported to a magical realm where a wizard named Shazam transfers his power to him.  The primary job of the wizard is to keep the seven deadly sins imprisoned.  Billy is challenged from the get go by Thaddeus Sivana.  As it turns out, Sivana was actually rejected by the wizard Shazam to be his champion which led Sivana on a quest to release the seven deadly sins.  Can Billy Batson stop him now that he is the new Shazam?  No spoilers from me.

    Now I can finally discuss my thoughts on the movie and I loved it!  It was everything I hoped it would be and more.  The film was both hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt at times.  “Shazam!” isn’t your typical superhero movie and works largely because of that.  At it’s core, “Shazam!” delivers pure wish fulfillment, which is why comic books were made in the first place.  What kid doesn’t dream of becoming a superhero?

    “Shazam!” has an interesting comic book history.  Before Marvel released their “Captain Marvel”, there was Fawcett Comics’ own Captain Marvel, the character later renamed “Shazam!”.  In the original comics, Shazam was the name of the wizard who provided Billy Batson with his powers by saying his name (like in the film).  This may be hard to believe now, but at one time, the comics featuring Shazam outsold the likes of Superman.

    This isn’t the first film adaptation of “Shazam!” made to the surprise of some.  In 1941, “Adventures of Captain Marvel” serial hit the silver screen and delighted audiences.  A few decades later, the tv show “Shazam” ran from 1974-1976 and was about as corny as corny could get.  Speaking of films, this modern “Shazam!” also references many other films in fun ways.  The best reference to me was the “Big” reference, seeing as “Shazam!” is basically “Big” crossed with “Superman: The Movie”.  I also enjoyed the several nods to “Rocky” since the film was also set in Philadelphia.

    A large part of the success of “Shazam!” comes from the cast.  Zachary Levi does an amazing job as Shazam and channels his inner kid amazingly.  Asher Angel is also a great find as Billy Batson.  Angel and Levi do such a good job channeling each other that it seems perfectly feasible that Billy Batson and Shazam are one in the same.  I thought Jack Dylan Grazer did a phenomenal job as Freddy Freeman, Billy Batson’s foster brother.  Mark Strong did a good job capturing the tragedy behind Sivana and his evil doing.  Director David F. Sandberg delivers a special superhero movie that really separates itself from the pack.

    The movie is a treat for all ages.  It features many amazing special effects and imaginative visual gags that will delight the entire family.  It is also full of surprises, from cameos to nods of things to come.  Much like “Iron Man 3” and “Batman Returns”, this film also makes for a fun new non-traditional Christmas film.  Be sure to stay after the credits for a treat, but don’t get your hopes up that Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam will appear.

    “Shazam!” marks yet another success for the DCEU as it tries to course correct after “Justice League”.  At this rate, the DCEU might just become the juggernaut of a franchise the MCU has become.  So, if you are looking for a great movie, just say the word.

Grade: A-

WHAT IF TIM BURTON DIRECTED A THIRD BATMAN FILM?

    When a project is killed or changed in a drastic way, it’s impossible to know how the original vision would have played out.  We can gather some information here and there about the development of a project and get a feel for what it might have been however.  One of these projects I am going to discuss is the film “Batman Forever”.  Now, “Batman Forever” did actually get made, by it was originally developed with the idea that Tim Burton would once again direct the sequel.  Tim Burton had grown tired of the Batman franchise and his clashes with Warner Bros. over his vision of what the films should look like.  Burton preferred a more adult and gothic theme while the studio wanted to veer towards a more kids friendly direction.

    Warner Bros very much wanted to cross market the film.  This had proven successful for Batman in the past but business like McDonalds and Kenner reportedly didn’t feel comfortable with the direction Tim Burton went with “Batman Returns”.  A latex fetish inspired Catwoman and a disgusting perverted Penguin weren’t ideal figures for kids toys.  They wanted Warner Bros. to make a toned down “Batman Forever” and Warner Bros. wanted that sweet licensing money.  A compromise had to be made but Burton ultimately did what he felt best for all parties and walked away from the project.  Warner Bros. then hired Joel Schumacher and the studio got their tie-in money.

    What if Tim Burton had stayed on though?  Would have the film have changed that much?  Let us look at everything we know and go from there.  First of all, Tim Burton would have had to reach some sort of compromise with the studio.  That being said, they probably could have settled for something more in line with his first “Batman” film which has a marketing juggernaut.  It would have ratained the gothic style but with some of the more disgusting and adult oriented themes toned down a notch.

    We also know the film would have only featured one main villain, The Riddler.  In the Schumacher film, Jim Carrey played the role in a very over the top and campy fashion.  One has to believe Burton’s Riddler would have been more or a deranged and calculating mad man.  He was set to have a question mark shaved into his scalp if that gives you any indication on his visual appearance.  The characters of Scarecrow and a returning Catwoman were also slated to appear at various states of development.

    As for the overall film, no script to my knowledge has leaked online which would tell us how everything would have played out.  It is possible no definitive script was written and the Tim Burton version never made it past brain storming.  We know that Tim Burton wanted this to be his last Batman movie and intended on capping everything off.  The film would have focused on themes of fear, redemption, and moving on from tragedy.  We also know he wanted the film to be called "Batman Continues" as opposed to "Batman Forever".  "Batman Forever" always sounded like a better title for a fourth film anyway.  Imagine the marketing department getting to design "Batman 4 Ever" merchandise.  I would also imagine it would have been very likely that Danny Elfman would have once again scored this film.

    Now if Tim Burton had returned, there is a very good chance Michael Keaton would have returned as Bruce Wayne/Batman as well.  He was attached to the project until Joel Schumacher took over and he disliked his direction of the franchise.  I liked Val Kilmer in the role but it would have been nice to see Micheal Keaton receive a proper send off.

    Michael Keaton would not have been the only returning cast member.  Michelle Pfeiffer was also expected to return as Selina Kyle/Catwoman at one point.  Warner Bros. were even developing a spin-off for Pfeiffer which later became the Halle Berry starring train wreck.  Billy Dee Williams would have also likely returned but only as Harvey Dent since Two-Face wasn't set to be a villain in is version.  Tommy Lee Jones was later recast in the role.  Also, like in the Schumacher films, Michael Gough and Pat Hingle would have returned as Alfred Pennyworth and James Gordon.

   Despite not loving the character, Tim Burton had plans to include the character of Dick Grayson/Robin as far back as his first film.  He would later get cut from both films but his inclusion was so close to happening in "Batman Returns" that an actor was cast for the role and signed for a contract which included "Batman Returns" and "Batman Forever".  Marlon Wayans was ultimately Tim Burton's actor of choice.  The part later was recast with Chris O'Donnell as Robin but Wayans still got a sweet paycheck as part of a play or pay deal.

    The new characters the film was set to introduce was The Riddler filling in as the main antagonist.  Now only two names were thrown around as serious choices for Tim Burton, Robin Williams and Mickey Dolenz.  Robin Williams would likely have turned the role down since he turned it down for Schumacher as well.  He was upset at being used as bait to score Jack Nicholson in the first "Batman" movie.  This leaves Mickey Dolenz as the likely person to have been picked by Tim Burton.  Mickey Dolenz is most famous as a member of the group "The Monkees" although he is actually a pretty great actor as well.  Would Warner Bros. have been okay with a member of an older rock band as their co-lead?  I can't imagine they would be happy.  (Although I love the choice).  The secondary villain of Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow was being eyed for Chucky himself, Brad Dourif.  Dourif plays creepy so well that this would have been a fantastic choice.

    Lastly, Burton had actually cast a new lead actress in the role of Dr. Chase Meridian.  Rene Russo was going to star opposite Micheal Keaton.  Unfortunately for Russo, when Keaton was replaced with Kilmer, she was deemed "too old" for him and Nicole Kidman was later cast to replace her.

    There is so much mystery revolving this project but it is still fun to think what might have been.  In another world, "Batman Continues" would have been released over "Batman Forever".  It's hard to say if it would have been good but it would have definitely been different.  Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoy the rest of my blogs.  Have a good day!

SOURCE: www.imdb.com