Super Troopers 2 Is A Pointless Sequel That Lacks The Creativity, Enthusiasm, And Heart Of It's Predecessor

     

      When making sequels, one of the hardest elements in regards to doing so is being able to top the original work that came before it while still managing to be surprising. This is especially hard when it comes to making sequels within the genre of comedy, as the filmmakers must find newer ways to retell the same jokes without them feeling stale or repetitive the second time. Released in 2001, the first Super Troopers worked with audiences mainly because it was both silly and fresh with characters such as the goofy highway patrolmen, who were so ridiculously over-the-top that audiences couldn't help but find enjoyment out of the experience of watching it. While that film wasn't perfect by any means and ended up often being a hit-and-miss affair, it was more entertaining and funny than not. Fast-forward 17 years later with the release of Super Troopers 2, the much-anticipated sequel to the original cult-classic offers more of the same style of dirty jokes, crude humor, and forceful satire that the first contained which made it a hit with audiences. Rather than the sequel being a stronger film than its predecessor, it feels as if the wait for the second film was ultimately wasted as Super Troopers 2 despite some generally funny moments, feels like far less effort went into making it than what the first movie carried. While that film wasn't perfect, it worked much better in regards to both story-structure and character development compared to the sequel, that often feels uninspired and cruder with its humor.

      Picking up 17 years at the events of the first film, Super Troopers 2 brings back all of the key cast members from the first movie with the group of quirky former Police officers facing a dilemma when both the mayor and residents of a French-Canadian town on the US border object to an annexation by the US. Reenlisted as regular Vermont State Troopers (Played by Jay Chandrasekhar, kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske), they find themselves being called in to set up a Highway Patrol station in the disputed area. Given the legacy of the first Super Troopers as well as the long wait that fans of that film had to endure in waiting for a sequel, Super Troopers 2 should be a much stronger and more satisfying film than what it ultimately ends up being. The plot has layers and themes that mirror today's political issues such as immigration and border patrol, but treats them as afterthoughts rather than properly exploring them with the story. The sequel feels as if the filmmakers didn't really have an idea on where to take the characters from the previous film, and chose to just slap together a paper-thin plot while turning the crudeness of the humor on maximum. This is a sequel that doesn't feel like it was handled with the proper care nor given the thought its plot required in order to make it anything more than throwaway mild entertainment at best. The main characters from the first film are brought back here but there's no real purpose or arc for them to fulfill in the story rather than spewing out gags, that range from being undeniably silly to borderline offensive. The biggest problem with the sequel is how irrelevant it feels with the script having no particular voice or message within its absurdity that audiences can take with them long after the film is over. Super Troopers 2 offers fans of the first film more of the explicit raunchiness and crude humor that made that one unexpectedly fun to watch, but lacks the energy, the effort, the pulse, and heart that its predecessor had which made it more well-balanced in comparison to what's presented here. Besides the return of the original main cast, there isn't much of a reason that fans of the first film should be rushing out to see the sequel, nor a compelling enough reason for it to exist in the first place. One clearly see's why the filmmakers didn't produce a sequel to the first Super Troopers for so long as there's no different direction to take the characters nor its plot with it ultimately should've been left alone as one standalone comedy.

      Whereas the films story and overall presentation largely disappoints, the return of the main ensemble cast stands as being one or the few main highlights of the sequel. All of the first films key actors are back and manage to bring much of the same energy and enthusiasm for playing their characters as well. The chemistry is still present along with their reliance on each other to create more mayhem on the screen. While all five of the main cast deliver fun performances, the ones who steal the show are Jay Chandrasekhar and Kevin Heffernan. Chandrasekhar shines as Senior Trooper Arcot Ramathorn, a veteran of the Vermont State Police whose second-in-command of his barracks. Heffernan steals the show as Trooper Rodney Farva, a loud, obnoxious, ill-tempered, and arrogant radio operator and occasional patrolman who delivers some of the films crudest and mean-spirited jokes. His character comes across as appearing backwards in thinking compared to the others. Paul Soter does well as Trooper Carl Foster, the most calm and reserved of the department. Steve Lemme brings a ton of fun and energy to his role as Trooper MacIntyre with him enjoying performing pranks the most of the group. Erik Stolhanske also shines as Robbie Roto, a rookie state Trooper. In the roles of playing the state troopers, the cast does well with them demonstrating that they still have the chemistry which made them so appealing as a team in the first movie. The rest of the supporting cast give notable performances with Brian Cox reprising his role as the cantankerous commander of his Vermont State Trooper barracks, Captain John O' Hagen. In addition to the returning cast from the previous movie, the sequel brings in newcomers such as Rob Lowe as former Montreal Canadiens hockey player and current mayor of a Canadian border town in Quebec, Guy Le Franc. Lowe is effective in playing the films main antagonist with Emmanuelle Chriqui as French/Canadian and cultural attache Genevieve Aubois, whose focused on relations with the U.S with her character carrying surprising character arc of her own. Chriqui gives her character a fun and likable presence, that makes both her and Lowe fit in well with the rest of the cast. Other noteworthy supporting roles are Tyler Labine, Will Sasso, and Hayes MacArthur as the obnoxious and patriotic trio of Canadian Mounties. Damon Williams and Seann William Scott surprise as Troopers Wagner and Callaghan along with Wonder Woman's Lynda Carter in a surprise minimal role as Vermont governor Jessman, and Paul Walter Hauser as an obnoxious office manager. As a whole, the cast for Super Troopers 2 is appealing with both the returning faces along with the newer ones blending together smoothly in creating both a silly and goofy atmosphere, that tries to remain consistent with the previous film. Regardless of how one feels about the rest of the movie, the cast appears to make the most of their experience and feels as if they were having a blast playing their roles.

      Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar who also helmed the first film along with co-writing the script for the sequel and playing Arcot, Chandrasekhar returns to the directing chair though his work here feels less inspired in comparison to the original. He does succeed in giving the film a nice overall look with the sequels setting taking place along the Canadian border with the camera capturing all the brightness and appeal of the mountains and trees. The humor is fast-paced with the story not leaving much room in regards to slowing down with audiences being led from one outrageous scenario to the next involving the main characters. The films atmosphere and tone remains goofy-natured with certain moments being added to the film with them serving no other purpose than to generate laughs from the audience such as the troopers stealing the mounties uniforms and pulling people over for no other reason than to prank them in ways that feel both silly and childish. Another scene that's pointless despite utilizing CGI, is the one in which the audience gets to see the character of Farva through heat vision goggles with him shown to be casually urinating and farting while screaming obnoxiously at the camera "I'm still gonna go back and get that butter tart yule log!" These moments bear no particular purpose in the film other than to just generate laughs from the audience with both end results being hit and misses. One of the key elements that helped make Super Troopers work as well as it did was the low budget feel that it carried, which allowed the cast and crew to become more creative with the film. The budget for the sequel feels larger with the location being changed but not all of the setting is properly utilized within the story as the audience ultimately doesn't get a genuine feeling that they're in Canada. As far as the films directing goes, Jay Chandrasekhar's work here doesn't feel terrible as he's able to give the film a mood and visual background that's appealing, but it mostly comes across as being a serviceable effort that feels less inspired in comparison to the original along with being unenthusiastic in regards to handling the films story with the most obvious reason being the script that Chandrasekhar's partially responsible for.

      The films largest issue lies with its screenplay. Written by all five of the main actors playing the troopers, the script feels like a combination of raunchy, crude, fart jokes, and dirty humor that comes across as being more offensive and mean-spirited in comparison to the first with many of the latter coming from Farva's character. There's also humor that feels both random and forced, including a sequence involving Rob Lowe's character jiggling his exposed private parts, or much of the dialogue coming from the mounties when challenging the Vermont State Troopers. The humor in the sequel feels more thrown at audience rather than feeling natural like the first film along with the chemistry between the main cast being better with that film overall. The biggest problem with the script for Super Troopers 2 is its uncertainty on where it wants to go with its story. It half succeeds in bringing back all the key players of the first film, but feels as if it doesn't know what to do with them. The end result is a screenplay that feels both lazy and tiresome with no real purpose of existing other than the film saying that working for the state highway patrol can be both a dangerous and exciting experience. While the script for the first Super Troopers wasn't anything amazing, it at least carried a message which said that one can't fight budget cuts along with stating that both high jinks and corruption are not the same thing. That film dealt with key themes which were socially relevant around the time of its release such as Afghanistan, the Taliban, drug smuggling, and police corruption. While those themes were cemented in between the originals silliness and humor, the narrative felt more focused and gave its main characters purpose with its story. The sequel introduces themes that feel relevant to today's world such as border disputes, the annexation of land, and drug smuggling with the script often feeling like it doesn't necessarily knows what it wants to do with them. There are moments where dialogue is placed in the film demonstrating the Canadian's perspective of America with knocks aimed at their lack of understand and empathy towards education, health care, and gun control with certain characters feeling as if they've been dumbed down in the sequel to resort to crude insults or childish replies on how much America is better than Canada (Farva with some of his dialogue for example). The issue isn't that those things are referenced in the script nor shoved down the audiences throats, it's that the main characters have no real responses nor arc where they take into consideration the insults thrown at them with no questioning on whether the mounties are correct on their observations. The sequel unlike its predecessor, carries no moral compass within its mayhem along with no real arc for its characters to complete. The end result just feels like a soulless attempt at producing a long overdue sequel to a film that feels a bit outdated by today's standards, as well as the feeling that the audience that loved and supported the first film have essentially moved on.

      To put it bluntly, Super Troopers 2 is a messy and unnecessary sequel to a cult classic that should've remained as being a standalone film. The sequel only manages to recycle a significant portion of the humor its predecessor carried without much thought and creativity being put into making the second stand on its own. The laughs ultimately range from being hit-or-miss with the sequel only being watchable due to the chemistry and main appeal of its cast. For devoted fans who waited years to see a sequel to the first film, they deserved a much better effort than what ultimately came out. It's a shame cause had more thought and cleverness went into making the sequel like it did for the first film, the end result would undoubtedly be more satisfying along with living up to the anticipation fans had built up for the second movie. Super Troopers 2 is a sequel that lacks a true purpose for existing and desperately wants to remind audiences about these characters and a plot that don't necessarily fit in today's pop culture atmosphere. Rather than taking the concept and reinventing it for modern times, the creative team behind the sequel opted to give audiences the first film all over again with less thrilling results. That in itself is a shame because the potential was there for the story to be taken in a newer direction while throwing nods back to the original. On the outside, the sequel looks appealing but the inside lacks the freshness, the enthusiasm, the creativity, and the heart of what made the first Super Troopers a modern comedy classic with the audience left scratching their heads in wondering why the filmmakers even bothered if they couldn't make a follow-up that's worthy of carrying the first films legacy. Truthfully speaking, devoted fans are better off just renting or rewatching the original film as it's ultimately much more satisfying. 

Final Verdict: For fans of the first Super Troopers, Super Troopers 2 proves to be a royal disappointment with it barely passing as forgettable entertainment that lacks the charm, wit, and energy of its predecessor.     

Game Night Thrives Off The Cleverness Of It's Plot And The Talent Of It's Main Cast In Delivering Solid Laughs With Surprising Twists

                

       When it comes to popular Hollywood genres, one of the most successful ones that often work well in regards to execution and prove to be a solid financial success are action comedies. Action comedies generally follow a specific formula that makes them successful, although there's special occasions where the films attempt to go their own way in regards to being both successful as well as entertaining their audience. With Game Night, the film plays out as being a fun-spirited and goofy action comedy that feels similar in style to 2010's Date Night with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey, except the overall execution of Game Night is better all around. This time, comedy superstar Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams headline the main lead roles for Game Night with the film being boasted by the appeal of its main cast, as well as its sharp script and clever mix of dark humor and satire. Game Night is an action comedy that doesn't feel extraordinary nor groundbreaking in any sense, but takes what's​ essentially become a formulaic genre and add its own style of fun to it, along with unexpected twists and turns with the end result being a surprisingly fun and entertaining experience if one doesn't take it too seriously. 

      The plot for Game Night centers around a  fun and energetic group of friends deciding to switch up their typical game night ritual to a mock-kidnapping with the idea being that the first participant to find the fake victim wins the game. Thinking it to be just a game at first, the group slowly discovers that the scenario they set up may be real with their lives ultimately being at stake. On paper, the plot for Game Night sounds promising and adds a fresh twist on the action-comedy aspect of its story. The film feels like a goofy version of David Fincher's The Game, which starred Michael Douglas with both plot setup's being surprisingly similar. It helps that the audience cares about the main characters as they're fairly fleshed out for them to connect with along with Bateman and McAdams delivering solid chemistry together, ultimately making their characters likable. The film also carries side characters who often steal the show with their key moments of humor, further adding to both the silliness and energy of the plot. Game Night is a slick and refreshing comedy, that serves as being a welcomed detour for audiences with the film delivering a clever yet wild experience that's full of surprising plot twists, explosive action, and humor that comes across as being both satirical and risque with most jokes landing rather than falling flat. While the films humor and silliness of its plot can feel a bit forced at times, there's enough here for audiences to enjoy as well as admire about the films convictions to be a surprisingly fun flick rather than being another typical and generic action-comedy, that's devoid of any creativity or soul. It's the fun-spirited nature and cleverness of the plot that make Game Night as effective as it ultimately comes across in comedic terms.

       As fun and thrilling as Game Night's plot turns out to be, it's ultimately the hilarious and convincing performances of its main cast that makes it work as well as it does. Both Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams deliver charming and energetic performances as Max and Annie with them adding to the excitement of the plot, along with them sharing strong chemistry together. They convincingly play a loving and fun-spirited couple, that audiences would undoubtedly want to have around as friends for a game night. Kyle Chandler does well as Max's older, wealthier, yet unreliable brother Brooks with him often stealing the show with his moments of hilarity, classic sibling rivalry, and heartfelt messages to Max regarding his failure to be a reliable brother. Billy Magnussen and Sarah Morgan both shine as Ryan and his co-worker/love interest Sarah with them ultimately making the most of their side roles along with being appealing characters. Other fun and noteworthy performances are Lamorne Morris and Kylie Bunbury as Max and Annie's friends Kevin and Michelle with them having some solidly funny moments as a couple throughout the film. The rest of the supporting cast turns in strong work with appealing and juicy roles such as Jesse Plemons as Max and Annie's weird and eccentric neighbor Max, a cop who has been desiring to be invited over for game night with him ultimately feeling left out of the group. Danny Huston is effective as the films crime boss and main antagonist Anderton with Jeffrey Wright also impressing in a surprise yet uncredited role as an FBI agent. Michael C. Hall is effective as a scary and intimidating criminal known as The Bulgarian with Chelsea Perettias Glenda, and Camille Chen doing well as Max and Annie's doctor Chin. Overall, the cast of Game Night do a fantastic job of making their characters fun to watch as well as being likable and realistic regardless of how silly some of them come across. The chemistry that the ensemble cast carries feels natural and solid with both Bateman and McAdams making a solid film couple. The film ultimately wouldn't be as much fun and exciting if it wasn't for the effort its main cast put on the screen, along with the fun energy and clear enthusiasm they have for the story. There isn't one actor or actress shown in the film who doesn't look as if they're getting a kick out of the concept, which is essential to the film ultimately connecting with its target audience.

      In addition to the films strong performances, the directing by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein proves to be effective in keeping the story grounded in reality while never letting the film take itself too seriously. The pair do a solid job of balancing out the films mature moments with its goofy nature without both coming across as feeling messy. The action sequences are well-staged with them also carrying both a humerous and silly nature given the inexperience the films main couple have in regards to fighting criminals and handling weapons. The films production qualities such its cinematography and set decoration, are both standard with the film being well-shot for a typical action-comedy flick along with the sets representing both a suburban neighborhood, which serves as a safety net for the main characters before reverting to locations which represent the criminal underworld that's exposed over the course of the game such as bars, warehouses, basements, clubs, etc. The films soundtrack is effective in adding to the fun-spirited nature of the plot. On a directing front, both filmmakers don't break any new ground here in regards to filmmaking but do well enough in giving the story an economic atmosphere and tone, that feels both comedic with an ounce of mystery and suspense added to the proceedings without the latter overshadowing the rest of the film. They manage to give their actors plenty of room to reign free with their roles and create an atmosphere, that makes the whole film feel like one giant game itself with the audience left guessing what's real and what isn't in a clear homage to David Fincher's 1997 cult classic The Game.

      The films writing by Mark Perez is solid with the story being well-rounded and creative. The humor presented serves as a combination of being risque mixed with slapstick comedy and clever pop culture references, that mention numerous movies and celebrities. The character development is handled reasonably well with each member of the main supporting cast getting their respective moments to shine in regards to delivering generally humerous bits throughout the story. It also helps that the chemistry with the main cast is spot on with the audience becoming attached to Max and Annie's group of friends playing game night. The relationship between Max and Annie's is well-developed with the conflict over them wanting kids with Annie being for it, but Max ultimately being hesitant coming across as feeling believable. The writer does a good job of establishing their relationship with the films opening sequence, along with making the audience care about their characters. The film also does well with both developing and fleshing out the competitveness and sibling rivalry between Max and his brother Brooks in another nod to David Fincher's The Game. In terms of the films humor being effective, not all of the jokes land the way they were meant to with some occasionally falling flat but most prove to be genuinely funny. The dialogue serves as being both clever and witty with movie buffs and those familiar with pop culture (Max and Annie state in the film that they're film buffs and throw out references to Pulp Fiction, etc), catching the references being thrown at them. Another element that helps​ makes the script work are the hilarious scenarios, that the main characters find themselves getting into (Annie and Max reenacting the diner scene from Pulp Fiction, Annie believing the scenario to be fake and accidentally shooting Max in the shoulder) which add much goofiness to the plot in regards to them not knowing which part of their scenario is a game and what's real. As good as the script for Game Night works in regards to being both exciting as well as making it's audience laugh, it sometimes feels as if it desires to be more twisty and surprising than what's actually required from it with the filmmakers continuously insisting that one scene is a setup for the game before pulling the rug from underneath the audience once again. Despite this minor critique, the script for Game Night works well and deserves commending for attempting to take the action and comedy genre in a different direction than what's usually thrown at audiences these days. The end result is a screenplay that's cleverly written and contains both witty and satirical humor with the film referencing Michael Douglas The Game in an ironic fashion given  how its concept is modeled after that film.

      While no one will be particularly blown away by Game Night as a groundbreaking piece of filmmaking, they're certain to find tons of laughter and enjoyment from the films characters and plot. The film aims to take audiences on a wild ride for the films brisk and rapid 119 minute running time with the end result being that it succeeds at doing so. There's enough charm presented between the main ensemble cast in regards to chemistry along with characters that are both appealing and likable, that audiences will find it difficult to not be entertained by the scenario presented. Whereas the original game night shown in the film prior to its plot taking off didn't seem very interesting outside of the main characters enjoying it, the actual one that involves life or death scenarios for those involved is far more exciting with the film itself ultimately feeling like one long and twisty game scenario. Game Night is smart, funny, charming, heartfelt, exciting, and surprising in how it dares to exceed the expectations that audiences had for it prior to watching it with them ultimately finishing it with a smile on their face. The film aims to be both slick as well as different with it earning its stripes at being such. This is an example of what audiences get when they have talented filmmakers who come up with a solid premise, that allows both the leads as well as the rest of the cast to turn loose in terms of executing it. The film provides great fun while showing how relationships between friends, family, and loved ones can ultimately be strengthened through crazy scenarios such as the one presented with the message demonstrating how sibling rivalry can ultimately lead to dangerous developments.

Final Verdict: For both action and comedy fans, Game Night is a must watch with it packing solid laughs, action, and surprising amounts of heart.

Marshall Serves As Being A Respectable And Moving Tribute To A Civil Rights Icon That's Powered By Stellar Performances

                      

      Making a historical biographical drama based on a famous African-American figure can be both a challenging and daunting task in itself. The filmmakers are not only tasked with properly bringing that person's story to the screen and remaining true to the facts, but also crafting the story in a way that makes it feel both immersive and engaging for the audience to watch. In the case of Marshall, the filmmakers choose to tell the story of famous civil rights lawyer and activist Thurgood Marshall, with the story focusing on his partnership with Jewish attorney Sam Friedman in one of Marshall's most landmark and pivotal cases. With the filmmakers choosing this specific time period in the celebrated icons career to focus on, they not only manage to give audience a glimpse of his career as a stellar attorney but show the formation of a friendship/legal partnership that changed the face of the Supreme Court forever. The end result is a well-acted and sincere biographical drama, that's undeniably noble in its intentions along with it playing out in the form of an old-school courtroom drama. 

      Based on a true story, Marshall focuses on the early legal work of crusading lawyer Thurgood Marshall (Played by Black Panther's Chadwick Boseman), who became the first African-American Supreme Court Justice with the film showing him handling one of his most crucial cases through the friendship/partnership with fellow lawyer Sam Friedman (Played by Frozen's Josh Gad). The story for Marshall is one that's well-told and made with the noblest of intentions in celebrating the work of an extraordinary lawyer, who broke down barriers for people of color while pursuing justice for those who've been wrongfully accused. The film is wonderfully acted with both Boseman and Gad carrying it with their strong performances and dynamic on screen chemistry, making the audience root for their characters to succeed in winning their case. The film plays out more like a classic courtroom drama moreso than a biography of Marshall as the film centers around one of his career-defining cases. Despite that main conflict with the story supposed to be a biographical drama, Marshall does well at balancing both with the film leaning more towards being an old-fashioned courtroom drama along with it giving audiences the essence of Thurgood Marshall as both a character and real-life person. The film gives an intimate look at a groundbreaking case that put Marshall on the map in terms of becoming a force in the Supreme Court while showing the different layers of discrimination, both blatant and systemic that both Marshall and Friedman had to fight through in order to prevail with their case. Although the film may come across as feeling formulaic rather than a biographical drama piece on Thurgood himself, the film still provides solid entertainment that'll leave audiences cheering in the end while giving them a glimpse of who Marshall and Friedman were along with how dynamic their pairing was in reversing the trend of wrongful convictions of African-Americans at the time. 

      One of the films strongest aspects lies within the performances of its main cast. The acting presented here from the cast is strong work with everyone bringing the right attitude and seriousness to their roles. None of the performances here come across as being terrible with everyone feeling as if they're bringing something to the table in regards to telling the story. The best performances come from Chadwick Boseman and Josh Gad in the roles of Thurgood Marshall and Sam Friedman. Both actors appear to be on top form here with Boseman playing Marshall as being calm, collective, and aware of the obstacles him and Friedman face in winning their case. Gad manages to hold his own next to Boseman and delivers solid work as Sam. He makes his character go from being someone whom the audience dislikes at first due to his attitude towards the case, to someone who becomes a champion in fighting for the truth. Sterling K. Brown impresses as Joseph Spell, the man accused of rape and attempted murder whom both Marshall and Friedman end up vigorously defending in court. Brown does a believable job of making his character sympathetic with him shown as feeling helpless at first, then slowly beginning to feel a sense of hope over the course of the trial through witnessing the actions of both Marshall and Friedman in his defense. Kate Hudson does well in her minimal yet effective role as Spell's white employer Eleanor Strubing, who accuses him of rape with the film later revealing that they both consented to having sex. Hudson's role isn't as big as the other main stars, but she manages to make the most of her screentime with playing a character whom the audience essentially despises due to her perjury regarding what actually happened. Other noteworthy supporting roles include Dan Stevens as Strubing's aggressive prosecutor Lorin Willis, James Cromwell as the unfair and biased Judge Foster, and Keesha Sharp as Thurgood's wife Vivien in a small yet effective role. As a whole, the cast for Marshall all deliver performances that range from being strong to terrific with everyone essentially bringing their A game to the film. They do a great job of bringing both intensity as well as a genuine respect for the films subject matter to the screen, with no one feeling as if they came across as being lackluster. They also manage to give the film the heart that was required in order for the audience to connect with both the characters as well as the story. The strength of Marshall as a film was always going to rely on the believability of its cast as well as the realism they help give the story. Thankfully the filmmakers put together a powerful cast, that rises to the occasion with Boseman and Gad delivering commanding performances as the main leads. 

       The directing by Reginald Hudlin at best serves as being standard work with him giving the story a production, that feels like a rich version of what would've essentially ended up being a made-for-television courtroom drama. The production and costume design are both on point in regards to helping​ transport audiences back to the 1940's era of the stories setting. The look and style of the film is further enhanced by its strong cinematography, which totally gives off a 1940's style vibe with streets and neighborhoods both looking clean and tidy for their time. The courtroom scenes are well-handled with the camera doing close-up shots of the actors faces to help the audience see the different kind of emotions being carried from the main characters, further emphasizing that the courtroom (As well as the audience) are on the edge of their seat in regards to finding out what happens next regarding both the testimonies and case. The films editing is steadily paced with the story being slow-moving, though appropriately so for the characters and story to feel properly developed and fleshed out. The films soundtrack is effectively composed with the film getting a Jazzy vibe, that helps place the audience into the setting with these characters. In terms of the films overall look and directing style, Reginald Hudlin does solid work here though one never gets the impression that any risks were taken with his approach to telling the story. The strongest moments in the film directing wise are those that take place within the courtroom, as well as the flashback scenes that involve dim lighting and slow-motion shots in adding both suspicion and mystery to the story for those who don't know about the actual case prior to watching the film. Despite the guarded approach that Hudlin gives the story, he manages to check off and include all the essential ingredients required to give the film a visual style and look that breathes life to both the story and characters.

      The films screenplay by Michael and Jacob Koskoff, does well with giving audiences a glimpse of who Thurgood Marshall and Sam Friedman were with both being presented as a mismatched pair of lawyers, that became a powerful duo through working together on their case. The script presents some interesting angles regarding the history behind the case such as the firm older judge forcing Marshall to be silent in the courtroom, prompting him to shape Friedman into being a stronger lawyer to argue in his place. The audience gets the feeling of the commanding presence Thurgood Marshall had in the courtroom along with the disapproval that the judge depicted in the film had in regards to being talked back to by a young African-American lawyer. The relationship between Marshall and Friedman is realistically depicted with Friedman's character shown as being reluctant to work with Marshall at first with his heart not being in the case before the progression of their partnership as well as friendship went into effect. Friedman's character is presented as being a young Jewish lawyer, whose inexperienced in dealing with a criminal case prior to meeting Marshall, and doesn't like having the pressure being applied by the former in being shaped to take on the case. What brings both men closer together during the course of the trial and ultimately motivates them to win, is the racism and anti-semitism they contend with by those who deem their client Spell to be guilty. Those moments are powerful in showing the growth of both men as friends and colleagues, because it shows that despite their overall differences, they share common ground and choose to take on a rigged system together through their case. While there are no shocking twists or turns in this story regarding the case both men represent, the revelations that are revealed are surprisingly effective such as the truth behind Eleanor and Joseph's situation. What the script does well is fleshing out and humanizing both main characters so the audience becomes connected with them, as well as understand their motivations for pursuing the case. The audience also gets a glimpse of what it's like to be in both men's shoes during the 1940's era with Marshall being an up-and-coming African-American lawyer, trying to make a name for himself despite dealing with discrimination both in and outside of the courtroom. With Friedman's character, the audience gets a glimpse of what it's like for his character to live in America as a young inexperienced Jewish attorney, whose also being equally unwanted and mistreated in a fashion similar to Marshall with him learning about his family in Europe being wiped out by Nazi Germany. The script works in giving audiences the essence of who both these men were, along with showing how their collaboration and friendship led to their success in freeing their client, as well as challenging racial bias in the courtroom.

      As good as the script works in regards to fleshing out it's main characters along with showing their separate lives with their families, the screenplay becomes conflicted when deciding whether it wants to be a biographical drama on Thurgood Marshall or serve as an entertaining and moving courtroom drama about a wrong that was ultimately righted. The script works best when playing out as the latter with glimpses of who Marshall and Friedman were, though the audience never gets the chance to see them begin their careers as lawyers or witness the moments that pushed them towards their chosen profession. Another issue with the film is how safe it ultimately feels in regards to not taking any real risks regarding its plot. The story is one that's well-told by its filmmakers, but it also feels that they were too afraid to take chances here, which is a shame because as good as Marshall turns out to be, it could've ended up being a classic. Perhaps they were too afraid of tarnishing the legacy of a legend whose more than worthy of having their story represented on film, but it's the main reason along with the films uncertainty of what it wants to be that makes Marshall just a good film instead of a potentially great one. There's enough here for audiences to appreciate with the performances being commanding and the directing genuine in paying respects to its main subjects, while driving home a message that stands as being a powerful stamp against bigotry. As the film shows, Thurgood Marshall was a brave and influential man that dared to challenge the system in the cause of doing what's right. Although the film doesn't show his other achievements later in life that's stated in the end credits, it succeeds in showing the effective legal career and type of civil rights hero he was along with Sam Friedman. Anyone who appreciates civil rights history or history buffs in general will appreciate and ultimately be satisfied by the effort Marshall puts on screen in both entertaining as well as informing audiences.

Final Verdict: For history buffs and those interested in black history as well as solid biographical dramas, Marshall is a well-made drama worth watching for both its noble intentions and solid presentation. 

The Greatest Showman Is Dazzling As Both Entertainment And Spectacle With Hugh Jackman's Performance Demonstrating Pure Showmanship

                  

      One of the hardest genres of films to make are often Hollywood biographical dramas. Not only are the filmmakers placed with the task of bringing the stories regarding their historical subjects to life in a way that's faithful, they also find themselves being challenged with adding a certain flare of entertainment to their films that makes audiences engaged with their journeys. That's certainly the case with The Greatest Showman, a flashy and electrifying American musical biographical drama that places Hugh Jackman in the main leading role with the film displaying his extraordinary talent, both as a serious dramatic actor as well as channeling his Broadway stage persona. For Jackman, the film serves as being the perfect vehicle for him to unleash his versatile skills while bringing the story of P.T Barnum to the big screen with showing the creation of his American Museum, as well as exploring the lives of its main star attractions. The end result proves to be a highly satisfying and rewarding experience as The Greatest Showman not only manages to faithfully bring its subject to the big screen in a way that's respectable, but does so in a way that makes it appear and feel as being larger than life with stellar performances blending together with knockout music and strong production values, making it no mystery as to why it became one of 2017's surprise box office smash hits.

      Based on a true story, the plot for The Greatest Showman focuses on the story of P.T Barnum (Played by Hugh Jackman) with the film showing the creation of his hugely successful circus through both his imagination and salesmanship. The story for The Greatest Showman is an appealing one because the film essentially tells the story of a visionary, who essentially began with nothing and rose to create a worldwide phenomenon. The movie is given a feel good atmosphere, that's full of singing and dancing with an emotional story behind it centering around a man balancing out his stardom along with being a loyal family man. The film is wonderfully acted by its main cast and brilliantly directed, even if the film takes liberties with the actual events that occurred in Barnum's life. The driving force in regards to the movie working as well as it does is the heart behind its story with the film carrying a message, that says a person's station in life is only limited by their imagination. The Greatest Showman is a film about a simple person who dared to dream big with their imagination ultimately becoming a reality. It's a story that's affectionately told with enormous enthusiasm from its main cast, as well as a pure attention to detail. Although the film may lean more towards charming the pants off audiences with its loud theatrics executed in Barnum style entertainment, it's hard to not walk away from the film with feeling some sort of satisfaction from watching the spectacle put on the screen with it being told with a genuine feeling of sincerity from the filmmakers. The Greatest Showman's main mission is to entertain audiences with their film managing to do just that in a way that would dazzle and make its real life figure proud.

      As well done and thrilling as The Greatest Showman's story comes across as being, the film wouldn't be as effective as it is without the impressive performances of its talented cast. It's their performances both in terms of delivering stellar performances as well as nailing their musical numbers, that the film is able to draw the audience into the story. The best work in the film comes from Hugh Jackman himself in the films main leading role of the ambitious and entrepreneur P.T Barnum. Jackman brings a certain flare to the role with him being captivating to watch when presenting his live shows to his audience, along with him being a devoted husband and father. The audience gets a strong feel for his character and see's the conflict he experiences in terms of wanting to stretch his imagination to newer heights while slowly drifting away from his family. This is one of Jackman's best roles with the part feeling like a perfect fit for him given his experience performing live on Broadway in addition to being a professional actor. With the role of P.T Barnum, he portrays a brilliant yet flawed individual who wants to entertain his audience with something new, while struggling to balance fame with being a family man. Michelle Williams gives the second strongest performance in the film as Barnum's loving and faithful wife Charity Barnum. Like Jackman, Williams does a terrific job of playing her role with Charity clearly loving her husband yet often feels that his ambition is overshadowing their life together as a simple family. Both Jackman and Williams work well off each other and showcase believable chemistry as a struggling yet loving married couple. Williams plays her role just right and manages to convey the right emotions with her character being shown to not want the rich lifestyle her husband provides for them, but instead just wants them to be a simply loving family. Zac Efron surprises in his supporting role as Barnum's partner and playwright Philip Carlyle. Efron impresses here and makes the audience both like and empathize with his character in regards to him trying to keep Barnum's character focused and humbled towards his crew, as well as him sharing a genuine yet forbidden romance with one of the shows main attractions whose an African-American girl during an era where interracial relationships were looked down upon. Zendaya also manages to steal the show as the shows acrobat and trapeze artist Anne Wheeler, whose in love with Philip. She manages to bring some solid range to her role and share chemistry with Efron, making the audience care about their characters subplot and ultimate dilemma. Rebecca Ferguson gives a scene-stealing performance as Jenny Lind, a famous Swedish singer who becomes the main attraction of Barnum's show while pulling him further away from his family. The rest of the supporting cast delivers notable yet effective performances with Keale Settle as the bearded lady in Barnum's circus group, Yahya Abdul-Mateen ll as Anne's older brother and acrobat W.D Wheeler, Natasha Liu Bordizzo as acrobat and blade specialist Deng Yan, Paul Sparks as the founder, editor and publisher of the New York Herald who often criticizes Barnum's approach to entertaining his audiences with false illusions, Austyn Johnson as the Barnum's older daughter Caroline Barnum, and Cameron Seely as their younger daughter Helen Barnum. Overall, the cast for The Greatest Showman all deliver fantastic performances with their parts along with bringing a genuine sense of enthusiasm and energy to it. The film was always going to be made or broken on the strength of its ensemble cast with the one here exceeding expectations luckily. For Hugh Jackman, this role served as being the perfect vehicle for his combined talents in both theater and drama with the two mixing together beautifully with his work. He manages to deliver a mesmerizing performance, that carries the film with the rest of the cast being inspired to follow his lead with Williams and Efron also impressing as well as surprising here.

      The directing by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut, feels both creative and inspired with him deserving major props for being able to handle the films story while giving it the visual flare demanded in order to make it engaging. He gives the film a look and atmosphere that feels colorful, authentic, and completely dazzling to watch from start to finish. In addition to the terrific performances Gracey manages to get out of his cast, he provides the film with stunning visual effects, breathtaking cinematography, and a music score that feels both moving and inspiring. The films technical elements stand out here with both the costume and set design appearing to be top notch with the audience getting the feel that they're in the films 1920's era. The cinematography stands as being one of the most appealing aspects of the film with it not only capturing the feel of being in the 1920's along with witnessing Barnum's show in action, but also showing how the films music and dancing are ultimately fused together within the film giving it a glamorous and eye-popping look to it combined with realism. In regards to the films pacing, Gracey keeps the story moving at a brisk pace that makes it feel like a train that moves non-stop without it ever feeling like its slowing down or has moments where it stalls. On a technical front, The Greatest Showman is a visual extravaganza that serves as being wonderfully executed and tightly-paced. Gracey makes sure that both the films overall look along with its story, are equally engaging as well as appealing for audiences with the film demonstrating his pure craftsmanship as a filmmaker. The fact that this project serves as being his first feature film is even more impressive and noteworthy given how well he manages to handle the ambitious scale of the production while giving an elegant and romantic feel to it. 

      The screenplay by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon leans more on the spectacle side of the story rather than the personal details regarding P.T Barnum's life, but proves to be a strong effort in showing the visionary side of Barnum as well as his more personal and intimate one. The script feels as if it follows a specific rhythm that consists of a dramatic scene followed by impressive dance numbers, musicality, and showmanship with the cycle repeating itself throughout the course of the film. The script leans in more towards the spectacle side of the story rather than a detailed moment-by-moment biography of Barnum's life. The film covers themes regarding honesty, making people smile, finding ones joy in life, happiness, wealth gaps and class distinctions, the selling of virtue, freedom, thriving off controversy, destiny, relationships, and a celebration of humanity. While the script may not be 100 percent accurate in regards to capturing every detail of P.T Barnum's life, it sure does a damn fine job of capturing the essence of his life while showing the lives he changed regarding those who participated in his shows. One of the more notable aspects of the script is its emphasizing of Barnum's circus group as being heavily diverse and appreciative of the opportunity to give to them, despite dealing with hostility, confusion, and shame from both members of the audience as well as Barnum himself at certain points. The character of Barnum is shown to have an arc revolving around him desiring to make people smile with the shows he puts on along with discovering his true joy in life, which is his family. The script also shows the discrepancy between the wealth gap with Barnum's family being shown to struggle in the beginning prior to him creating his shows, as well as the class distinctions with Barnum's circus group being mistreated due to their physical appearance with them ultimately wanting acceptance. The theme of interracial relationships is also touched upon with Efron and Zendaya's chaarcters being fearful of what society would think of their relationship with the formers family looking down on Zendaya for being different. The Greatest Showman incorporates many of these themes and conflicts into its script with them all managing to weave together exceptionally well, while never losing sight of the films main focus which is to show the rise of P.T Barnum as someone who began with nothing but ends up creating a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. The story is written with two main messages with the first being that one should always strive to make their dreams a reality, and the second being that people from all walks of life should be both celebrated as well as respected. The Greatest Showman is a film that's written as a feel good story with deep and heartfelt messages that the audience watching it can take away. It may not be the in-depth biography of the life of P.T Barnum that some audiences were expecting it to be, but the script manages to compensate for that loss with numerous moments of thrilling spectacles put on the screen regarding Barnum's show with side characters that the audience becomes invested in and ultimately cares about. One certainly feels both the sincerity and heart that went into writing the script and it shows.

      Biographical dramas are made successful based on the distinct directorial style and form of storytelling that it's filmmakers bring to the screen. In the case of The Greatest Showman, the filmmakers manage to give the film a unique blend of history taking place within a historical time period and presents it in a fashion that feels larger than life with it's purpose being to both entertain, mystify, and dazzle audiences. Despite some aspects of the story feeling a tad shallow at times, director Michael Gracey does a find job of putting together a rich and grand production that blends well with its talented ensemble cast. The film comes across as feeling well-natured with its heart being in the right place, along with its desire to place audiences in the films time period as they experience one of Barnum's shows while getting the backstory behind its assembling. What ultimately carries the film to the finish line are the performances from its cast (Hugh Jackman in particular) along with its killer soundtrack and stellar cinematography and production design, giving audiences both the believability and realism that they're experiencing these shows with these characters in the films historical setting. The Greatest Showman is a film that feels formulaic but is made with the most noblest of intentions to entertain and inform audiences about a specific point in history, while driving home a powerful yet poignant message regarding the pursuit of ones dreams as well as their own search for happiness. The film may not be as in-depth on the life of P.T Barnum as audiences were anticipating it to be, but they'll be more than satisfied by what's shown on the screen in regards to the showmanship that Jackman and his killer cast demonstrate. For history buffs as well as fans of Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman is a fun and ultimately exciting experience that will both please and thrill audiences who aren't looking for a documentary style drama on Barnum's life, but want to experience one of his shows live through stellar acting and brilliant filmmaking. In all honesty, that's perhaps the best way to look at the film without feeling somewhat underwhelmed by its hesitance to go deeper into the life of its main subject.

Final Verdict: For entertainment purposes and the delivering of a fairly decent representation of history, The Greatest Showman is worth watching and will satisfy more so than disappoint.