The Films of Quentin Tarantino

MY TARANTINO FAVORITISM
by Reymundo Salao
Oftentimes Disturbing
The Guardian, January, 2004

I feel it would be a great sin of negligence for me not to make an article/review/feature story on Quentin Tarantino and his new film "KILL BILL". There are only a few filmmakers that I love with utmost bias: David Fincher (Se7en, Panic Room), Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects & the popular X-men movies), Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Lock, Stock, & 2 Smoking Barrels), Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead Trilogy) and Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mall Rats, Chasing Amy). I would have loved to include John Woo on this list but then when he made the ultra-ugly-garbage of a movie which is Mission: Impossible 2, I lost my respect for him. Tim Burton too, but he made that awful "Planet of the Apes" remake, which to my opinion insults the reputation of the original 1960s version of the film.

Quentin Tarantino is like the numero uno among my list of "to worship" filmmakers. He may not be as deep as Stanley Kubrick (2001:A Space Odyssey, The Shining) or Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now), he may not even be as far-fetched as David Lynch (Brazil, Twin Peaks, and Lost Highway-the film I really REALLY want to watch, but I guess local film distributors are too stupid to realize that people would love to watch a bizarre and mind-bending film sometimes even if it does not star some Hollywood jackass like Tom Cruise or J-Lo). No, Tarantino may not be up to the same caliber as these filmmakers, but Tarantino has his own planet of fans that "get" his style. After all, his style has proven to be appealing to all kinds of audiences.

Tarantino's early works include writing the story of the controversial film "Natural Born Killers" which was directed by Oliver Stone. It was a violent film in its most literal form. The story follows a couple out on a murderous rampage, and in their journey, interesting and enlightening points of view spring up, not to mention, letting people see the reflection of how ugly the system exists, how hostile and violence-loving our cultures have become, and how media glorifies that insatiable lust for violence.

Then came the finest film created under the classification of low-budget: "Reservoir Dogs", written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. A gangster parable of the criminal underworld. Tarantino's style employs a sense of B-movie nostalgia. Rough cuts, 70's music, actors from obscurity (the only ones recognizable on this film are Harvey Keitel and Michael Madsen). And along with all those aspects, inject the impressive storyline, to perfect the blend that opened the doors for Tarantino. "Reservoir Dogs" was literally a reservoir dog which barked loud enough to be heard by the entire film art community. Tarantino was on his way to godhood.

Just in time to welcome the era which I would refer to as kind of a modern renaissance era (the 90s was a decade when art was in its most raw and most prolific form ever: The music was grunge/alternative, which was the most artistic form on the expression of music, and the films and filmmakers which came out were milestones: Robert Rodriguez, Luc Besson, etc), Tarantino became a king as he released "Pulp Fiction" which created waves across the film globe (not so much with us, though, apparently many of our local brothers and sisters were more thrilled with Forrest Gump and that TGIS tagalog teen TV series, which seems to be a copycat of the "Friends" formula). "Pulp Fiction" redefined the norms of film. True, it was a gangster movie, but it had the appeal that keeps you in your seats with gusto. I was in my late teens, and it was then that I realized that you don't need big special effects, stunts, and famous actors & actresses to make a spectacular movie. All you need is a good storyline and a keen sense of style that adds the beauty of the film. Back then; Samuel Jackson was just an extra (If you watched Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America", he was the robber in the restaurant), an utter nobody. In Tagalog movie equivalence, he is rapist numero tres in a bad Caparas biopic. But "Pulp Fiction" gave him a lead role, which later made Sam Jackson one of the most famous movie actors in film history (he can now laugh at Eddie Murphy who's making flop films like "Daddy Day Care" and "Pluto Nash"). The film also pulled John Travolta from obscurity. It was a time that he was struggling in the movie world for a decent film job, his last role was in "Look Who's Talking" where he was destined to become a forgotten actor. But then, Tarantino used his nostalgic 70's appeal to add to the world of "Pulp Fiction". It was even better that he had a large belly at the time; it made him a character that is more the anti-hero. But then again, in the world of Tarantino films, all people share the trait of being an anti-hero jerk. Along with Travolta in this film are Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman, who is now the lead character in Tarantino's "Kill Bill".

"Pulp Fiction" was a big series of underworld parables jumbled into one storyline, then intentionally cut the sequence in order to divide the parables from one to the other. Many of you may ask the question why he mixed the sequence of the parables. In my opinion, he designed it in a way, that the final parable was the most meaningful one (Sam Jackson's character Jules Whitfield decides to quit the criminal underworld and decides to "walk the Earth" as a bum). Like "Reservoir Dogs", Tarantino employed the nostalgic style of the 70's look. The music was superbly edited into the most appropriate sequences. The script was also magnificently laced with devilish wit. Tarantino makes every bit of dialogue, no matter how irrelevant it may be, irreverently precious ("If you yell at me, it makes me nervous, and if I get nervous, I get scared, and when mother##ckers get scared, that's when mother##ckers get shot" while pointing his gun at Tim Roth) .

After the hype of Pulp, Tarantino went back to writing, and wrote "From Dusk till Dawn", and turned it over to his "brother" Robert Rodriguez to direct. His storyline still had that underworld edge, but this time, it was injected with an oldies horror appeal, as it is revealed that the storyline wanders into being a vampire flick. Tarantino (who moonlights as an actor) even plays a lead part on this film. It was a bizarre experience just getting to appreciate "From Dusk". It was no doubt that I loved it, but it was like discovering how delicious spaghetti and shanghai rice can get to be, when mixed. It was spectacular, but it leaves you mumbling "Outlaws and Vampires? Wow! That was some weird trip!"

When his third film "Jackie Brown" came out, he didn't get much bravado from it. Understandably, people would expect it to catch up with the quality of his last work, which was a bit near impossible to do. But "Jackie Brown" had its beauty and charm that lives up to what a Tarantino film should be. Perhaps it was because "Jackie Brown" was a bit more feminine than Pulp, and the main storyline has some love story in it (at least, its not as mushy as most love stories). It was still Tarantino, just wrapped in a subtler packaging. It never gets old, because in the first place, it's nostalgia. It celebrates what is already old, stylizing it, making it (in the most cliché of terms) "cool".

(to be continued. With the KILL BILL vol.1 review. tripxyde@yahoo.com)

MATRIX REVOLUTIONS

THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS
The Guardian, October, 2003

Usually, whenever me and my barkada watch a grand film, most especially ones who influence a religious following, like the Star Wars saga, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and the X-men series, we find time to hang out on a café or bar and discuss the film. We talk about how good or how bad the film is, and we discuss and try to dissect the other aspects of the film we just watched. Of course, MATRIX REVOLUTIONS have given us quite a lot to discuss about.

Unlike the so-called high brow critiques of film who dismiss sci-fi flicks like STAR WARS and The EVIL DEAD series as “mababaw”, there are many of us who see beyond just the special effects and the action, and see the philosophies and the prolific messages that are embedded in these stories.

THE MATRIX TRILOGY is one sci-fi saga which is rich in these subliminal philosophies. In fact, there are cults and groups of people who liken the Matrix storyline into religious ideas. Weird as it is, some of them even liken Neo to Jesus Christ. I’m serious, there are people bizarre enough to think of these things. Try to research this in the internet, by searching “Matrix and Jesus Christ” in any search engine like YAHOO! Or GOOGLE, and you’ll find out what I’m talking about.

But truly, MATRIX SAGA does carry within itself intelligent ideas. Chronologically, as based in the storyline in ANIMATRIX (go watch this animated collection of stories that revolve around the Matrix at your nearest video shops now) the Matrix saga began with mankind’s vanity that they took it upon themselves to create AIs (Artificial Intelligence, robots, etc..) to be their slaves. Then the AIs, like other intelligent creatures also desired freedom. But mankind’s pride hindered this. And thus, war has destroyed mankind’ future. The saga tells us of man’s destructive nature. Mankind is likened to a virus, a creature who spreads to one area, consumes and corrupts it, then moves on to another area and spreads even more, without serving a natural purpose.



The saga also makes us open our mind to understanding reality. “What IS real? How can you tell the difference between the dream world and the real world” It takes a lot of sanity to survive trying to ponder upon these questions, but these are all nonetheless, interesting. THE MATRIX makes us ask the question “Are we really in control of our lives? Or is it about time that we DID take control of our lives” Sometimes, we realize that we are slaves. Slaves to the standards of society. Slaves to religion. Slaves to modern culture. Slaves to the opinions of our peers and our contemporaries. Slaves to the government, taxes, obligations, employment, media, and vanity. In the MATRIX saga, the heroes are the individuals who are defined by their virtue to defy authority. It is because in this storyline, authority enslaves mankind. But does living in the dreamworld of the Matrix truly a state of being enslaved? In the first episode, the character named Cypher betrayed his allies and surrendered himself to live back in the world of the Matrix. Because back in the Matrix, he is free from the inconveniences of being in a state of war against the machines. It is like a symbolism for many things. If we were living back in the Spanish era, would you have chosen to be a Katipunero living in utter discomfort, chaos, and danger, but living in defiance, seeking freedom? Or would you have rather lived peacefully under the rule of the Spaniards, keeping a blind eye to the fact that we are under foreign rule? But if we desire to be free, what do we want to do with that freedom? At the end of the final episode of the Matrix, when mankind has indeed earned their freedom, would mankind live well, in civilized peace and independence once again? Do you think that after a while of peace, man would absolutely forget his destructive abusive ways? In the millions of human beings, are we sure that no one man can emerge to be one who can possess the human attributes of being abusive, hostile, envious, malicious, and destructive, and eventually lead to another downfall of the entire human race? In another standpoint, The Matrix is order. But it is much like the strict classes of order like Communism, Socialism, and Tyranny. While the humans desire an order based on freewill, like Democracy. But it was the humans, in the first place, who abused this democracy by depriving the machines of it. An order based on freewill is good, but should we dictate this freewill only to a particular group of citizens?

One of the premises of the Matrix is War and Order. Man has lived in Order, and for a time, it was good. Until man’s pride has led to war with the machines who only desired freedom, and so there was disorder among men. Then the machines established Order, and for a time, it was good. Until the machine’s pride has led to war with man, who only yearned freedom. Is this the cycle of war and order? It appears so. That is why at the end, the Architect doubts that peace shall not last long. It is because it is in the nature of man to , in one way or another, surrender to his harmful attribute. The end of the MATRIX REVOLUTIONS is indeed one that is uncertain, for it is honest to admit that there truly can be no absolute peace. If the producers would make another sequel to this saga, trying to continue the end of the last chapter, it would focus on the peace treaties between man and machine. The whole movie would be like watching a two-hour United Nations session.

Are you confused yet? The other sublime messages of the MATRIX are also those tiny bits of philosophy scattered around the trilogy. “Hope is the quintessential human delusion which is the source of one’s greatest fear and greatest strength” as said by the Architect. “It is purpose that guides us, that binds us…” and so goes Smith’s lecture about purpose. The Merovingian’s concept of “Cause and Effect”. The definition of LOVE and KARMA by a program who appears to be Indian. There are many more that one can learn from the saga of the Matrix. It makes MATRIX “More than meets the Eye”. It is perhaps because the storyline is inspired by so many things, aside from Japanese anime and Hongkong stunts, but by books on modern philosophy and other related studies, books like “Simulation and Simulacra” and other sources that discuss matters beyond the comprehension of sanity and reality.

Personally and honestly, I hated the action scenes of the second episode, but I was stunned by the storyline and the dialogues. The third episode is even more interesting. And I liked the action in this one because it was a war movie that focused on various cuts and scenes by the various characters of the story. Because this was not your usual “Jerry Bruckheimer garbage”, the running of the storyline is very unpredictable. Anybody could easily just die, anybody could do some crazy stunt, and anybody could end up doing something that is nearly a miracle.

Some of my friends have had so many questions and unpleasant opinions about one or two aspects of the film, reasonable points that make sense too, but I loved it almost flawlessly. Why? This was a war epic that appealed to me very much. It was the sort of sensation that only a STAR WARS movie (I’m talking about the first trilogy - ep. 4,5,6) could generate. The dialogues were so interesting that I find myself giggling to basically all of Smith’s lines. And we see Neo’s journey from a Geek who questions reality (first movie). To warrior (second). And until he finally emerges the charismatic Savoir who endured all the pains and challenges.

the TERMINATOR Saga (& T3 review)

The Terminator Saga
by Reymundo Salao
The Guardian, July 12, 2003



It was like almost ten years ago when the old Allegro theater was showing it. The moviehouse was so crowded. Many of the patrons were content on having to stand up while watching the film. I was one of them. A high school sci-fi geek who was watching the film that probably was the monumental sci-fi film of the late 80's/ early 90's; TERMINATOR 2, JUDGEMENT DAY (the first Terminator movie was in the mid 80's). In the history of sci-fi films, T2 (as it was called), was among the most popular. Everybody even got infected by the catchy lines of the protagonist played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the film like "Hasta La Vista, Baby!" and the "I'll be back" The movie was written and directed by James Cameron, the director who made the biggest blockbusting sci-fi movies "Aliens" (which was the sequel to Ridley Scott's "Alien") and critically-acclaimed "The Abyss". His creation, the world of the TERMINATOR was so famous that it deserves to be standing alongside icons like "Star Wars" and "The Matrix". And why not? It has a brilliant storyline which stood side-by-side with its heart-pounding action.

In the future, there is a war between humans and machines (sounds awfully familiar). In order to further their chances of victory, the machines had sent their cybernetic assassin, the Terminator, Model T-1000, back in time to eliminate John Connor, who was destined to be the leader of the human resistance that will crush the machines. Anticipating the move of the enemies, the human resistance also sent a stolen and reprogrammed Terminator, the T-800, to protect John Connor. There in the present time (which was actually way back in the early 90s), both terminators battled for the life of John Connor. In the end, John had the initiative to prevent the war in the future. That is by destroying every last bit of both terminators. And so he did. And Judgement day was prevented from taking place.

And now, after more than ten years, HE'S BACK. Arnold Schwarzenegger rises back from the ashes in TERMINATOR 3, RISE OF THE MACHINES. (Spoiler alert on this paragraph) John Connor is now a bum who was haunted by the nightmares of an apocalyptic future, so he lived a peaceful life that stayed away from technology. Not until a new Terminator, the T-X has been sent back from the future, to eliminate certain people, the other "destined-to-be" military leaders of the resistance. Similarly, another Terminator, the T-101, was also sent back by the resistance to counter T-X's mission. Judgment Day was never prevented. It was just postponed. And so war must begin. And this is where it starts.

In as much as I would like to express how much I loved this movie, it honestly didn't really offer anything original. The plot would've been superb, except that it did not add any details that spiced it up. It was the fast-paced action that was its weakness. Many of the stunts looked original and worthy of awe. But the pace was too fast that you wouldn't have time to relish the moments. It is as if it gave you a breathtaking action scene, but didn't give you enough breathing space, when it rushes to another breathtaking scene. In a blink of an eye, the movie is over, and you'd scream that it was bitin. You would have to watch the movie's action scenes all over again to have that higher sense of contentment.

The gaps of dialogue that made up the storytelling part of the movie was never interesting. Everytime they would have to stop for some chit-chat, you would find yourself not listening with an attentive ear, but that which yells "Hey, let's get on with the action".



Perhaps it was a bad choice to have a "nobody" direct such a prominent sci-fi saga. There was nothing special that director JONATHAN MOSTOW brought to this sequel. In one way or another, it even pulled the dignity of the Terminator saga down. Instead of giving it a rebirth, it just made T3 look like "Jaws part 2" or "Jurassic Park 3". If you ask me, I would blame its creator James Cameron. His creation would've gladly had stood up to becoming a timeless sci-fi icon by helming its third installment at an earlier time (T3 was originally planned to have been made as early as 5 years ago). Instead, he'd chosen to make the biggest love story film, the historically-adulterated TITANIC. A movie so famous that everybody wants to deny having liked it. It was as if George Lucas of Star Wars, Chris Carter of the X-files, and other sci-fi icons were seated in one presidential table, while James Cameron had to sit on with the rest of the non-icons. If only Cameron took good care of this project, he would've made The Matrix look like a copycat (Matrix will always be better though)

If there was one other thing that this movie was all about, it was the so-called "return" of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yes, he hasn't really been gone, since he'd have made other movies (flops) like "Collateral Damage" and "The Sixth Day". But because his new movies were box-office tragedies, this was the one ace-card movie which he probably hopes would reclaim his dignity as a box-office action hero. In this movie, I would have to say he did fine. He was definitely kick-ass here. It kinda made the hair on the back of my neck grow cold when he walked into a smoking scene in slow motion. But his overwhelming presence here is sadly just a mirror of the image he portrayed in T2. Nevertheless, he rocked and I really couldn't say much except raise my fists and scream like an adolescent again "Bakod pre!" I could say the same for actress Kristanna Loken who played the dominatrix-like Terminator. This is one chick that I'd want to beat me up (VAVAVOOM! Shwing!). The film also stars Claire Danes and Nick Stahl, who plays John Connor. I couldn't figure out why they didn't get Edward Furlong, who played John Connor in T2 since he is about the same age as Nick Stahl by now.
In totality, TERMINATOR 3, RISE OF THE MACHINES was a rockin' movie. Kick-ass with an ideal twist. It may not be one for the classics, like we would've wanted to, but it was well worth the money. I'd even want to watch it again.

THE HULK

INCREDIBLE Hulk!
The Guardian
(June 21&22, 2003)

Temper is such an uncontrollable force to be reckoned with. This is one thought that embodies the saga of the comicbook fiction, the Hulk. The story of the Incredible Hulk, which was written by Marvel comic fiction master, Stan Lee, is centered upon Bruce Banner, a scientist who was hit by Gamma radiation in a freak laboratory accident. This triggered an alteration in his biological and psychological structure that whenever he gets very angry, he transforms into the monstrous, incredible Hulk. This comic book has garnered an enormous following, that a television series was made out of it in the 1980's, which starred Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk (Sorry guys, I can't remember that other actor).

THE HULK is the film adaptation of the comicbook series, which was directed by Ang Lee, whose credits include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but is more identified with his dramatic movies The Ice Storm and Sense & Sensibility. The fact that it is directed by one who is a notable director of serious drama gave me the confidence and trust that this is going to be a pretty darn good movie. But the two other gigantic movies this summer season, X-men 2 and Matrix Reloaded has somehow overshadowed the hype of the Hulk. I was simply unexcited at first.

I have actually imagined the thought of what if they made an Incredible Hulk movie ever since I was in High School. I was a Hulk fan ever since my elementary days and always thought (because he was menacingly scary) he was cooler than Superman (who I considered as too pa-cute to be a role model for a weirdo such as myself). Well, for comic book fans such as myself, the wait has paid off, because this movie adaptation of the Hulk is worthy of a two-thumbs up.

The movie starts with the story of Bruce's father, who used to be a scientist working for the military, and was working on an experiment in the development of super soldiers. Obsessed by his project, he used himself as guinea pig to continue the experiment without authorization. As a grim result, he later discovered that he passed on his infected genes to his child, Bruce, who was beginning to manifest abnormalities during infant childhood. With the authorities trying to end his practice and with a family falling apart, Bruce ends up living with foster parents. He forgets about his childhood and has forgotten that he is actually Bruce Banner, the child of a scientist gone mad. Bruce, now an adult, lives as a scientist himself, an unconscious choice for a profession, and has caught himself in a freak laboratory accident. He survived the accident, but this led to a further alteration in his biological nature. With the resurfacing of his father, Bruce's future is uncertain. He is only given hope by the woman he loves, Betty Ross.

I actually thought at first that Eric Bana was a poor choice to cast as Bruce Banner, since the character of Banner is supposed to be not too hunky as what the comics perceived Banner to be. But Eric Bana did fit in with the way he acts his version of a well-mannered scientist caught in a conflict of love and conflict of what his past was. The very attractive Jennifer Connelly who stars as Betty Ross, is as good as Bana, but I'm sure that some critics would notice that her acting here is not a new thing due to the resemblance of circumstances between the affections of her character on this film and the affections of her character in the film "A Beautiful Mind". Nonetheless, Connelly's performance has served its purpose. But it was Nick Nolte, who starred as Bruce's father, who shined on this picture, driving the character of the determined mad scientist brilliantly over the top. I daresay his performance in this movie looked like a sure winner for the academy awards. Meticulous audiences would surely want to memorize his thought-provoking and powerful dialogue at the near end of the movie.

At first, I was not so impressed by the shifting of the scenes which appeared to be too artsy-fartsy, the film also employed the multi-panel style of presenting the movie, which later on turned to be just proper, in order to focus the different reactions and actions at the same moment. But the beauty of The Hulk is that it has a very rich storyline. It is Bruce's search for the past, it is Betty's unconditional love for his fiancée, it is a father's will to attain glory. It is one story that foreshadows another. It is more than meets the eye. It is also a heart-pounding action that let's us witness truly incredible action sequences. The director Ang Lee has indeed made a great one here. The title may have omitted the word "incredible" from the finished title of the adaptation. But it is indeed what this movie is. INCREDIBLE.

MATRIX RELOADED

RELOADED AND REVEALED
By Reymundo Salao
The Guardian, May 22, 2003

MATRIX RELOADED is the second installment in the trilogy of THE MATRIX, which was indeed originally intended to be a three-part saga, much like the Star Wars trilogy. Quite incidentally, The Matrix has been branded by many critics as "the new Star Wars", for it is a film that has become an icon not only in the science-fiction genre but of motion picture history. The first Matrix movie tells of how Neo discovers the truth that the world he lives around him is merely a simulation designed to deceive human beings, turning them into power sources for the ruling A.I.s (Artificial Intelligence) that have, in fact, taken over the world as we know it. And on this sequel, the struggle of the surviving human race continues as Neo unlocks the doors that reveal the answer, the doors that will guide the chosen one to save the human race.

The story begins with the revelation that the Sentinels, the cybernetic A.I.s programmed to hunt the human rebels, are drilling a tunnel that will lead them to Zion, the remaining human city that exists underground. Desperate to find a means to end the war before the Sentinels could even reach Zion, Morpheus, Trinity and Neo, who is now the chosen one destined to be mankind's savior, seeks out the Keymaker. They are all brought to a building where there is a room that leads to the source of the Matrix's system. Once Neo is inside, he discovers the secrets of the Matrix, unraveling the many truths about the past and the future. Ultimately, he has to make a bitter choice, and when he does, the war would only be drawn close. So then, shall we await the Matrix Revolutions.

I am reminded of one catchy line from the first film, when Morpheus says "Nobody can be told what the Matrix is, you'd have to see it for yourself". The point of this line holds true for the second film, for there are many secrets revealed and events that get to be understood first-hand as told by the film's storytelling. To put details on this review would only give out spoilers on the story. The thing about this sequel, though, is its philosophical point of view. The concept of the Matrix carries with it a subliminal message of man's freewill and the forces that surround this freewill. Matrix Reloaded elaborates upon this concept of man's freewill with many levels of thought. The concept of choices, which was discussed by Neo and the Oracle, and the other incident that gave drama to the climax. The concept of love and what one risks in the name of it. And the concept that mankind has lived and survived in a society that has to have its freewill, to the point that there must be an inevitable presence of disobedience and hostility. There were even little poetic discourses, when Agent Smith talks about the sense of purpose that Neo took away from him, and the principles of cause and effect as lectured by a new villain. Matrix Reloaded is very thought provoking that paying attention to the storyline was far more interesting than the fight scenes.

Just because this film has a smart storyline, doesn't mean that it is dull and lacked action. On the contrary, the fight scenes were numerous and spectacular. To martial arts fans, this film is a delight to watch, more kung-fu and rebel-versus-agent action. Like a double-bladed knife, if Matrix Reloaded doesn't impress you with its impressive storyline, the action will indeed satisfy. The only problem with Matrix Reloaded is that it has become a victim its own style of filmmaking. Ever since the first Matrix film came out, many, if not almost all, of the action movies tried to copy the unique style, specifically, the ground-breaking "Bullet-time" style of motion picture photography. From "Charlie's Angels" to "The Transporter", to "The One", and even "Shrek", movies tried so hard to capture the feel of The Matrix. So much so that many of the action scenes seem to be spoofing itself. Spoofing the very style it revolutionized. The use of slow motion and bullet-time didn't look as impressive anymore. Why? Other films have been using it all too often that seeing the scenes offers nothing new to excite the mind. In addition, the trailers have spoiled the supposedly-exhilarating scene where Agents Smith is able to copy himself, creating instant clones that serve as armies fighting Neo. Surely, the steamy ,sexy scenes will entice viewers, ensuring no moment of boredom.

The character of Hugo Weaving, Agent Smith has become a favorite that whenever he goes after Neo, he manages to deliver witty lines that make audiences cheer. Laurence Fishburne was able to have a more elegant fight scene and gets to deliver an inspiring scene that moves the people of Zion. An addition to the Matrix cast, Jada Pinkett-Smith who plays Niobe, a former love interest of Morpheus, doesn't play a very major role, but keeps us interested perhaps until the third film where we assume that she will have a more prominent role. Keanu Reeves who plays Neo, and Carrie-Anne Moss who play Trinity, as before, did a fine job portraying a more colorful role as their characters have been given more depth and perspective, especially as Neo is torn between the pressure of his duties as "The One" and her love for Trinity.

Although some opinions may bend to the thought of this film not getting up to the degree and the impact of the first Matrix movie, it still doesn't lag behind to become disappointing. In fact, Matrix Reloaded fit the satisfaction of the fans. It delivers, like any trilogy, and it is there to await and to pave the way for the movie in its trilogy entirety. So until the next sequel, let us keep ourselves plugged-in. And while we eagerly await for the conclusion to the saga, we're pretty sure that…
The Matrix has you…

X-2 : X-MEN UNITED

Never underestimate the X-Men
Posted: 11:17 AM (Manila Time) | May 02, 2003
By Reymundo Salao, Contributor
Inquirer News Service
link to the article on inq7.net

(also published in The Guardian, May, 2003)

MISJUDGED

CRITICS often misjudge films adapted from comic books.

It is in this sad manner of criticism that we see that there is bias, among the so-called "film critics". Truth is, though, that film adaptation of comic book stories has the same footing as with films adapted from good science fiction books like "Dune" or "Minority Report".

After all, what differs between the comic book and the novels was too little to make a hasty comparison. If the story in a novel is good, why not a story in a comic book? And at this point, no other comic book-film-adaptation can compare to the sequel of the "X-Men" movie, "X-2: X-Men United".

The story continues the saga of the X-Men, a team of mutants, banded together by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), training and educating them to hone their gifts for a noble purpose: to use it for the goodwill of mankind and mutant-kind alike.

The world is faced with great awareness with the existence of mutant-kind. Such existence has brought about hatred and discrimination among the society, fearing and loathing them for their unusual nature. As such, the government likewise was growing cautious of mutant threats, as many mutants have the capability to violate the law with the crudest of means (some mutants can go through walls, some can read minds, etc…).

In the light of recent events, a twisted military chief, William Stryker, has been authorized to set its sights upon the activities of Professor Charles Xavier and his school for gifted youngsters, which was the institution where mutants were trained, educated, and likewise, housed the X-Men. With events complicating one after the other, remaining survivors of the X-Men find themselves allying with their former nemesis Magneto (Sir Ian Mckellen) to stop Stryker and saving mutant-kind.

You may be familiar with the comic books, or the two animated series (which pretty much sucked). X-Men have become quite popular, with its appealing characters like Wolverine and Storm. And although this film was more than enough, a high-impact action movie, it has the depth and the makings of a true science fiction classic. Because X-Men was popularized here in the Philippines via the animated series, many were a bit frustrated with the first movie, complaining that it lacked the action they expected. What they may have failed to comprehend was that X-Men had many messages to tell. The one about mutant discrimination, for instance, may be a metaphor for racism and discrimination.

The first X-Men movie was too wordy. But it actually laid the groundwork for this sequel "X-2", so this film did not require much explanation and did not elaborate upon many issues. That doesn't mean though that in order to appreciate this movie, it is a requirement to watch the first film.

This film can indeed stand alone by itself, for the explosions and special effects did not hinder the actors and actresses to shine with their human touch of drama. It succeeds in delivering the sentimental aspect of the film, giving it a more human touch. It also had the best punch lines that made the audiences chuckle now and then, never failing to make the audience entertained visually, emotionally, and even intellectually as well.

LESSONS

Unlike many other films like "Batman Forever" and that "Spawn" movie, producers have learned their lesson in choosing the director and the concept for adapting a comic book. In the past, many comic book films were created with great insistence that it be a family-oriented movie, understandably that it would be more profitable.

But in the long run, it just deteriorated the concepts, Warner Bros. tried to remake the Batman concept, turning him into a goody-two shoes, commercially-friendly figure, giving the directorial helm to Joel Schumacher, and transformed the dark avenger into this boyband-generation version of him, with matching shimmering nipples on his body armor.

It failed miserably making "Batman and Robin" one of the worst movies in history, and Arnold Schwarzenegger into a doofus with a silly Mr. Freeze costume. The entire movie reminded me of the Power Rangers. Warner Brothers had to remake the Batman concept, planning to make him yet again the dead serious dark knight that he really is.

This is where X2 succeeded perfectly. Brian Singer, one of the youngest and finest directors (The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil) did take the concept seriously. And made it even better. While being truly faithful to the original was good enough. It really doesn't work literally.

For, indeed, if we have had the film version of the X-Men wear the brightly-colored X-Men costumes, it would look like a costume party-fashion party mix-up. The same goes with the many concepts that needed to be altered to fit a good movie version (In the comicbooks, Rouge acquired the cosmic powers of Ms. Marvel, another superhero. This could only make the movie look ridiculous).

As expected, the actors and actresses here shined with effective brilliance. Hugh Jackman is as menacing and as savage as what Wolverine ought to be, especially in situations that confronted him in this movie. The fatherly Patrick Stewart as Professor X is as strong as Sir Ian McKellen, as Magneto, Famke Jansen (Jean Grey), James Marsden (Cyclops), Halle Berry (Storm), Anna Paquin (Rogue), and Shawn Ashmore (Iceman), and Aaron Stanford (Pyro) fit their roles like a comfy jacket.

But it was the introduction of Nightcrawler, played by Alan Cumming, which with his humor and appeal, portrayed a character that can match Wolverine's "cool-action-hero" factor. Rebecca Romjin Stamos (Mystique) had more acting to her role this time, proving there was more to her acting career than a fine body figure. Kelly Hu (Yuriko/Deathstrike) may look like a cool villainess, but she's actually playing a mere bodyguard of Brian Cox (William Stryker), who makes for an impressive villain. Although the former Hannibal Lecter may have been deprived of the fame that he might have gotten from Anthony Hopkin's place, his role here certainly gives him something that X-Men fans will surely remember.

A good sci-fi is as fantastic as it is realistic. This is what X2 did. It crosses the line between what may be far-out to what is acceptable and plausible. The ending promises a sequel, and it seems we cannot wait for that to happen.

Metro Manila Film Festival 2002

A FESTIVAL OF FILMS
by Reymundo Salao

(The one that won) the Best Picture
MANO PO
MANO PO is a fine movie that chronicles the story of a Filipino-Chinese family, their trials, struggles, and their destiny. It was indeed sort of an eye-opener that would make many of us understand more the life of the tsinoy community, their culture, and their relationship with the country that they lived and loved, the Philippines.
The movie resorts to a number of flashbacks which tell the tales of the members of the family. From their roots which originated in China, up to the stories of the sisters played by Maricel Soriano, Kris Aquino, and Ara Mina. The story and the script was well-written with many dialogues which I may consider as prolific, and at the same time, subtle enough for it to not to sound too preachy. Maricel Soriano delivers a fine performance, enough to give life to a simple role. Kris Aquino, on the otherhand, does give a convincing performance, it was a role fit for her cheerful and caring image. Her performance on this film may be very good, but she sometimes does give away a teeny-tiny flaw here and there, especially when she delivers minor lines. But Ara Mina was indeed the one which has given shine to the film, no doubt about it, since her character seems to be the main protagonist of the story (But one may take notice and ask questions, was her character intended to look like Rosebud?). On this film, Amy Austria is the underrated actress as she plays a tragically desperate woman who never ceases to wonder (and wander), looking for her long lost love. Her performance touched our hearts. But not as dramatic as the scene between Eddie Garcia and Boots-Anson Roa, which I may describe as one of the most tragically romantic death scene in Philippine cinema.
The film was directed by Joel Lamangan, who did a nice work. But still, his work is never free from minor flaws. The sequenceing may be a bit too jumbled up, fortunately, it wasn't too confusing. Like his colleague Chito Roño, Lamangan lacks an additional sense of cinematic style and spice. His direction stresses too much on glamorous sets and costumes, that he often neglects the dimensions of the camera to give more life and drama to those sets. Minor flaws makes us see this. From the ridiculous Chinese soldier who was waving the flag in the truck passing by. The extra who was grinning with a very happy mood during the funeral scene. In addition, the way how the character of Richard Gomez tried to rescue the characters of Kris Aquino and Ara Mina was done recklessly. The choice of Jay Manalo playing Maricel's object of love, was inappropriate. His performance (and/or lack of it) ruined the drama of his relationship with Maricel. Although he is a good actor, he never fit the character, nor the dialogues that went with it. His death scene was abrupt and emotionless too. At the end, I was scratching my head as to why they chose the title "Mano Po". Okay, there indeed is a connection at the end, but I still cant get over the thought that they could have thought of a better title. There were also moments in the film when it got a bit too preachy about the whole connection of Chinese roots to Filipino heroes, heroines, and martyrs. Too preachy that the end looks like a sequence from the old Kulit Bulilit, thereby giving another minor flaw to the beauty of this film.
But at least, I DID use the term "Beauty", for indeed, it is a beautiful film. There is no doubt of that. And yes, they do deserve the bets picture award. Although other critics attack the movie for its focus upon the Chinese community, this film proves that they are a part of us. That they should not be victims of our little prejudices, for they are our neighbors, our friends, our relatives, and maybe the love of our life. Like any film about the relationship, not only of a family, but of a wider family that tells us all that we are all humans, brothers and sister, and race should never divide us, "Mano Po" is the festival's best picture.

The Better One
DEKADA 70
(January 7, 2003)

This novel of Lualhati Bautista always caught my eye whenever I find myself on a decent bookstore. Its mysterious appeal tickled my interest in one of the most dramatic eras of Philippine history, the Marcos era. The writer is one of the most respected writers of our time, and is a Palanca award winner.
It's been a big question mark why it hasn't won as the best screenplay in the Filmfest (which is now the scandal squabbled over by Star Cinema and the MMFF). No doubt as to say that Dekada 70 has a most heart-wrenchingly brilliant storyline. It let's us be witness to the events in the life of a simple family during the tumultuous time of the 70's. During the Marcos rule, the Martial Law, and during the struggles of the subversive fugitives. Piolo Pascual, (who deservingly won as best supporting actor) played the son who was adamant on foregoing with his leftist idealisms and his nationalist struggle, despite the risk of tragedies which may strike and affect his entire family. It was particularly heart-wrenching during the scene (spoiler alert) when Piolo is seen coming out from a detention cell, damaged with marks of torture. It was far more wrenching when we see Christopher De Leon, the padre de pamilya, going berserk and screaming "Pinatay nila ang anak ko!" (it was stupid of the trailer to show this scene as to reveal the idea that one of the children would surely be killed, a common idiotic mistake of trailers of pinoy films). De Leon convincingly played a father whose emotions and decisions played a large game of risk and endure. Vilma Santos, who played the mother of the children, the only woman in a family of men, is the central character of the story. It seems that she has been the only strong character among the men in his life: his husband and his children, all of which has been clouded by their own weaknesses, their emotions and how they try to desperately hide it.
Marvin Agustin, delivers a simple performance as the child who gets into writing and arts instead of being as subversive as his brother. While Danilo Barrios plays a memorable character who carries the sunshine among the family with his bubbly humor and amusing innocence. (On the other hand, I found it idiotic and was laughing at those faggish critics who made a fuss and praised Carlos Agassi for his performance, when he did not really do some acting. All he did was grab his crotch, attempting phone sex. A CGI Dobey can act far more better.)
Now for the downer parts. Although the film Dekada 70 is a must see movie with impressive acting and a storyline which could go down in literary history, the direction of Chito Roño was plainly unimpressive. The director of the Dragon Katol commercial may have done a better job. He did not really do some extra art to beautify the film. And if he ever did some, it was so plain and overused that we did not even notice it. The welga scene was so disappointing as it was ridiculous. It was so obvious to see that the welga extras were a bunch of corny, bored, and "kulang sa motivation" actors, who did not really act as if they were working their way through the riot police. IF you recall the scene, there was one part when only the first row were pressing to march forward, while there was a vacant space at their back, disqualifying the effect that the crowd was really pushing forward. The sequence of the scenes and the acts was also bad and lacked style in timing. Dekada 70 was like cooking paella. Youre sure you have a good recipe, and good ingredients, yet the cook you chose is somebody who cannot even make a good tinola. It was such a waste of talent. It could have been delicious. But since youre hungry for some new exotic food, you try to enjoy it as you can. But it will haunt you, wondering if it was done by somebody better.

The Awful Ones
(January 8, 2003)

AGIMAT
My friends were scolding me that I might give Agimat a bad review merely because I always found Bong Revilla to be a silly actor and whenever he portrays an action hero, I would laugh and sneer to find how a butod actor sporting a Tom Jones look tries desperately to look like an action hero. But no, I actually had high hopes for Agimat, especially since I am a fan of action-adventure-fantasy movies.
My early enthusiasm was sparked by the eye-catching poster of the film but broke in a brief chuckle to find that the complete title of the film is actually Agimat: Ang Anting-anting ni Lolo. Daw ka HUPS lang gid ya! To add up to my chuckle was Ramon Revilla who (was maybe made to) looks like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings.
Which leads me to suspect that this maybe another film which copies the storyline and the style of some Hollywood film (it has become the common stain among tagalog films).
The film had impressive special effects, rendered by computer graphics. It also had an array of beautiful costumes. Except for the manananggal who looked silly. The sound effects were also magnificent, and magnified the effect of suspenseful moments in the film. Jaime Fabregas did a good performance as some kind of researcher who was coerced by evil forces to do their bidding. And Mylene Dizon was a convincing manananggal, that you would definitely get shivers being with her with the way she looked and acted. It was rather smart of them to make the manananggal be a longganisa maker at the same time, so as to play with the grisly effect of her role. Unfortunately, that's the least good I can say about this film.
The story is lame and has obvious resemblances to The Mummy Returns. To make it worse, the story as to the what, when, why of the villain character is never revealed. Basta may kontrabida lang a! It was a moronic story which never made much sense. Who was that corpse that the researcher was trying to resurrect? Why was she so angry? When resurrected, what did she intend to do? Why was Maria Makiling there all of a sudden? Who was the father of the central character? Why is it that the manananggal was also working for the main villain? Was she really collecting hearts for the main villain, or just having her nightly appetite? The characters had no dimension. The film was a virtual palagpat.
Bong Revilla Jr. could also use some basic acting workshop. The dubbing was obvious. The sequencing also bad. The sudden appearance of two cruel fellows hurting a leper in some forest on an evening never made sense.
Bong Revilla himself is a major stain in the film. Why such a bad actor take on three roles? He plays the (butod) hero in a roman armor, the old janitor, and the leper who was rescued by the main character. I remember him preaching that piracy damages the film industry by depriving actors and actresses with jobs. But on this film he unfairly takes on two extra roles, which could have been jobs for two other people (butod and dalok are two words that go hand-in-hand).

ALAMAT NG LAWIN
The rule "Don't judge a book by its cover" cannot apply in FPJ's "Alamat ng Lawin". For it is as silly as its poster, which resembles Carlo J. Caparas films. Sa poster pa lang, you can see that the horns of one of the demon characters were Halloween pussycat horns which can be bought from Toy Kingdom for less than 50 pesos. Maybe the costume designer had just one afternoon to prepare.
This film is as funny as it was stupid. It followed the typical tagalog film which, regardless if it was an action-fantasy, it still had to have a musical sequence. I cannot understand why we have to make our films look like the Bollywood movies of India. The story follows the adventure of 4 typical kids who find themselves hurled into a different world. A world filled with evil creatures that roamed the land. Not until they become heroes that would aid in the victory of the main hero, Lawin, played by Fernando Poe Jr. In doing so, the four kids become heroes themselves. Who later turn into the Philippine flag that endowed powers to Lawin to ensure his success. When this happened, our crowd burst into laughter with how immensely silly the scene was.
Yes, the film is one big stupid movie that would make you laugh aloud. The world of Lawin never made sense as to why there are these evil creatures, and why our heroes just suddenly found themselves atop the chocolate hills of Bohol singing "Mga Kababayan Ko". All the costumes were laughable. The masks were obvious as to take note that whenever they talk, their mouths do not move according to speech. It is interesting to note how all these fantasy movies seem to be made in spirit of the fad that Lord of the Rings has been making. The sequences never made sense. It was laughable when they were serious, and irritating when they tried to make us laugh. Even the sword of Lawin looked like it was just some plastic toy sword, and made a ridiculous sound effect that sounds exactly like the kumukutitap of the Happy toothpaste commercial. It is stupid of FPJ to make an awful film if he thinks that pinoy standards of film appreciation is as low as he sees it to be, he is awfully wrong.

HOME ALONG THE RIVER
Here's another tagalog movie that makes us kalot-ulo why it was included among the nominations of the filmfest. It is a typical tagalog comedy movie that does not need to be elaborated. Funny? Yes. Worth my time to write a review and eat space in this paper? No. It is just another typical slapstick comedy, which injects a preachy little moral lesson so that it justifies being included in a film award giving body which struggles to possess the characteristic of being "decent". If you have any idea of what tagalog slapstick comedy is like, you would know exactly what to expect in Home Along… And yes, they have the Kanta-kanta too.

The Must-See
(January 9, 2003)

SPIRIT WARRIORS: THE SHORTCUT
This was one movie that I underestimated, with low expectations of being slapstick, corny, and awfully far-fetched. I was wrong. SPIRIT WARRIORS: THE SHORTCUT hits the spot, and I consider it the most entertaining, neatly done, action-adventure-fantasy film. By far this is the best adventure-fantasy movie I have seen to come out of the Tagalog movie industry.
Unlike the other adventure-fantasy movies that were included as entries to the 2002 MMFF, THE SHORTCUT has a more harmonious storyline that makes a bit more sense, and takes the logic and balance of a fantasy movie seriously. It is the sequel to the first SPIRIT WARRIORS movie, and continues to follow the adventures of a group of young men who are knowledgeable and familiar with the ways of the supernatural and the spirit world, simply since they have psychic gifts that enable them to be attune with supernatural forces, one way or another. The central adventure of the story began when the barkada are summoned by a wealthy and powerful collector of ancient supernatural artifacts, played by Jaime Fabregas, to retrieve for him the fragment of a broken agimat, from the world of spirits and elementals (tiyanaks, tikbalangs, etc…). In return, Jaime promises the barkada a million pesos each and promises that the agimat will have the power to cure the very ill grandmother of Red, who is one of the barkada, the central character among the group, played by actor Danilo Barrios. There, in the bizarre world, they encounter various creatures of darkness and light, as they are chased by tiyanaks, hunted by orc-like creatures, and made chika with mermaids.
THE SHORTCUT has won where the other tagalog movies lost. I don't mean the awards they bagged for their special effects. But they won for making a film, which truly has made everyone well entertained. Sometimes, some Tagalog movies are really good if they have the capacity to entertain those skeptics who aren't even used to watching the usually-lame adventure movies that the likes of Carlo J. Caparas make. The usual problem (even with Hollywood directors) is that when a director gets a fantasy film, he instantly treats it with a childish style rather than first reaching out to what the core of the story really is, if it was meant to be serious or not. They made the movie serious to the story without being too preachy, and it did not even try to be corny like some movies which try too hard to insert a cheesy moral lesson that only sounds annoying at the final cut. Plus, it was a delight to find the fun-filled comedy of this film without being too slapstick.
The acting in this film is enough to satisfy the perfection of the story. It has had enough scares, suspense, and the very witty humor, which was spearheaded by the film's comic relief Vhong Navarro. The director, Chito Roño, did better on this movie (his other film this week is Dekada 70), but it was the special effects team who deserve all the congratulations. They have made visual effects that can actually compare with that of Hollywood's. Even the creatures looked so convincing. The bat scenes were beautiful, and the spirits were breathtaking. Truly, this is a visually rich film. You cannot just easily blink your eye, for you might miss another fantastic scene. This is a film filled with adventure extravaganza. I would call it a huge step ahead from the stereotype of Tagalog cinema.
The only flaw on this film is that the storyline, no matter how really good it is, has a few loopholes. Maybe as small as pinholes. Even though there were scenes that explained the many aspects of the storyline, the concept of the "shortcut" to the spirit world need to have an epilogue. And one also could not help but notice that many scenes were copied from films such as "Jurassic Park" and "The Mummy". But that's beside the whole point. SPIRIT WARRIORS: THE SHORTCUT is the most entertaining among the batch. It is the kind of Tagalog movie that we can be proud of. You can pay to watch the movie over and over, and not regret watching it again. I suggest bring along a skeptic. He might change his mind about the future of the local movie industry.

The Family Treat
(January 10, 2003)
LASTIKMAN

I remember the Plasticman cartoon series on Channel 12 during my childhood years, it was during the 1980's, and it used to make me laugh out loud at his zany antics and marvel at his courageous heroism. I immediately mistook LASTIKMAN as a rip-off of that old cartoon series. But never did I realize that LASTIKMAN actually appeared earlier than that, on a classic pinoy comic book series. So I was kind of proud to watch a superhero that was from our old pinoy comic book history.
If there was one thing that LASTIKMAN won during this filmfest season, it was the hearts and fandom of pinoys young and old everywhere. All of a sudden, Lastikman was a superhero idol, which stands proud along giants like Spiderman, Batman, and Superman. It is such a hype that many people are actually talking about it. From the praises that parents reiterate from their children, up to the elder people who just couldn't help but notice the silly, jesterlike superhero costume that Vic Sotto wears with his Lastikman persona. Whenever they talk of the MMFF film, it seems that Lastikman is never omitted from the conversation. Even those who haven't watched it yet are yakking about it.
LASTIKMAN is a superhero-action comedy, which topbills Vic Sotto as a nerdy science professor who gained elastic superpowers in a meteorite collision incident, where particles found in a rubber tree melded along with his body. This led to him becoming the superhero Lastikman, who uses his powers for good, and to fight crime. Meanwhile, his childish-but scientifically-brilliant friend, Jepoy (played by Jeffrey Quizon), was deceived into going against Lastikman. He then turned into a killing machine, which would seek out Lastikman for a duel. In the end, Lastikman succeeds, but was saddened with Jepoy's fate.
The story is wholesome, and should not be taken with serious skepticism. But there can be truly less skepticism since the storyline of Lastikman is well-balanced with action and comedy, that mixes well like that of an ideal superhero storyline. The movie is innovative and attempts to truly create a decently perceived superhero concept. The problem with the film is that some special effects are still too imperfect to compare with a decent sci-fi movie. Sure, there were many scenes that have impressive CGI (computer-generated imagery), but almost half of the number of SFX (Special Effects) shots here are done inadequately. The explosive scenes are a consolation since it truly gave the audience an awesome reaction to witness the post office in Metro Manila being blown by the bad guy, Jepoy. Unfortunately, Jepoy's hoverboard seems like an obvious copycat of the Green Goblin's hoverboard (from the Spiderman movie). Nevertheless, Jeffrey Quizon shines as a twisted villain in the tradition of comicbook villains. Although Vic Sotto may look too old for playing a superhero role, he still is effective on this film. His antics may be a bit corny at times (especially the "Hey Boy!" expression that annoys me), but at least his humor here does not cross the line to being slapstick (which would have ruined the film). Even the preachy portions weren't so preachy at all; as they were done subtly as to effectively transmit the morals that it wants to teach. The appearances and the roles played by Joey De Leon and Michael V. are also hilarious, and you can never miss them. Donita Rose and Anne Curtis also played some cute and adorable roles as the love interests.
LASTIKMAN is truly a movie that kids and adults would love. The humor is satisfying, and the action amusing. We can surely hope for a better sequel, hopefully, one that can stand out from the flaws that we see here. Lastikman is a fave among all. A good masa film indeed.

The Guardian
January 6, 2003

STAR WARS Episode II Attack of the Clones

STARWARS: REJUVENATING THE SAGA
By Reymundo Salao
(Oftentimes Disturbing)
Tha Guardian
May 21, 2002

The first STARWARS trilogy were monumental movies, which stands in film history alongside films like The Ten Commandments, The Godfather, and Gone with the Wind. If you had these films made and revolutionized the filmmaking industry and the film franchise industry as well, how do you make a new set of prequels for Star Wars now? George Lucas, the genius behind the Star Wars universe, had one heck of a responsibility on his hands. And he did fail miserably with "Star Wars episode 1, The Phantom Menace", disappointing long-time fans of the saga, as well as subtly tainting Star Wars with a bad name. By the time Episode 2's trailers were heralding the release of the new Star Wars movie, the fever had been not that hot at all compared to the hype it used to have. (Warning: my review may contain spoilers that you may not want to know before you watch the film).

It was smart move for Lucasfilms to release the film almost worldwide simultaneously in order to beat the piracy, which let's us watch the film far earlier than the film could be released locally. But nevertheless, there I was taking my half-day off from office just to watch Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones". And fevers run boiling with the new film. It was far more impressive, about a thousand times better than Episode 1. The film was about the second chapter of an entire saga which is about a galactic war, how it began and how it ended. Episode 2 is set on a period when the Republic was losing its balance and its control over the planets under its rule (The republic is kind of like our UN, and the planets are the nations). The Republic and the leaders of the planets represented in the Republic have become more corrupt, and separatist groups have announced their defiance against the Republic. Little do they realize that the leaders of both the Republic and the Separatists have suspicious plans of their own. Since it used to be a time of peace, the Republic had no standing army, except for Jedi Knights, which were more of keepers of the peace rather than an army, which was designed for all-out war. In the center point of the story is Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi pupil who has fallen in love with a galactic senator, Padme Amidala. One who belongs to the order of the Jedi is forbidden from having romantic attachments, not only is he bending this creed, he has also fallen into hatred and arrogance, most especially when at one point, he has massacred an entire village just to satisfy his crave for vengeance. This Anakin Skywalker is to be the main character of the story because he is destined to be the warlord who will soon bring the Republic to its knees.

Indeed, the film has a dark tone, and its theme is even that of the adult tone rather than what many perceive it to be a child's cartoon. One friend of mine who is a mother even confessed that she surprisingly enjoyed the movie than expected. But the film is also more than a war movie, it is also had a light atmosphere and very romantic aspect to it. The love story between Anakin and Padme has been beautifully done, to match with the scenes and the settings they shot in where everything looked like a classic painting. One romantic scene in particular that was indeed quite romantic was their conversation about politics while they were sitting on grassland with a wonderful waterfall scene in the background. The humor of the film was also smart and witty, with punchlines that catch us giggling all of the sudden. Like that when one villain (Nute Gunray) was disappointed that Padme was able to elude the attack of a monster, going "She can't do that! Shoot her, or something!" or the scene where one character C3PO, who was a droid (a robot), had his head attached to that of a battle droid and he goes shooting around and shouts "I'm programmed for etiquette, not fighting!". And, of course, the action was magnificent, with the mech battles and the lightsaber duels, and the scene where Yoda, one of the main characters present in almost all Star Wars movies, had a chance to show us how he fights.

Although it may be confusing to some first-time watchers, it must be taken note that it is part of an entire saga. And to appreciate it, one must understand what has happened in Episode 1 and what will happen, and what is to come in Episodes 4, 5, 6. The plot of the film may be a bit difficult to understand, but it never drags. All in all, Star Wars Episode II, Attack of the Clones could be considered one of the classics that could stand among the classics, which were Star Wars (episode 4, which was shown 1977 and began the fever), Empire Strikes Back (episode 5, 1980), and Return of the Jedi (episode 6, 1983). Episode II is a mature sci-fi war picture which contains underlying spiritual meaning and romantic value, it never fails to thrill and keeps our eyes plugged on the screen.