On Summer Blockbusters: Captain America, Super 8, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Cowboys and Aliens

Summer blockbuster season is almost at an end and as with many summers, 2011s saw sequels, prequels and adaptations dominate; from Thor (comic book) and Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (Sequel) to X-Men First Class (prequel) and Cars 2 (sequel). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two has taken the box office crown, but is far from the best of the summer offerings.

Captain America: The First Avenger, based on the early Marvel character, fails to break the stale Marvel story mould, but has an enjoyable old Hollywood style charm and an ending that, with its slight deviation from previous predictable films, packs a surprising punch. However, as with all recent Marvel outings, Captain America is written and directed towards next summer’s avenger’s film. This desire to produce an endless line of sequels and franchises has led to the recent Marvel canon becoming boring and predictable. Captain America’s charm (like that of the first Iron Man film) raises it slightly above their other comic book adaptations but shows us no sign that Marvel have any intention of taking a risk in the way DC have with Batman. Unfortunately, a line of fantastic box office receipts means that have no reason to.

J.J. Abrams has an impressive CV; he created the enigmatic TV show Lost, gave us the best of the mission impossible series, Mission: Impossible 3 (2006) and in 2009 directed one of the best summer blockbusters of recent years with the reboot, Star Trek (2009). This summer, Abrams offers us Super 8, a monster movie that feels very familiar. Spielberg’s attachment to this film has been well publicised (he is a producer and has allowed Abrams to use his Amblin Production company logo) and it is just as well save Abrams be accused of plagiarism. Super 8 is essentially E.T.(1982) with a bigger budget and a bad attitude. This does not make it a bad film. In fact it delivers some very effective and powerful sequences, especially one involving a train and another with Elle Fanning. It does not marry the personal relationship between youth and alien with the larger military response as successfully as E.T. did, but this is a criticism that only really becomes relevant towards the end of the film. Therefore, Abrams have delivered an entertaining summer movie with heart. The most notable thing about Super 8 is that it feels so much like a Spielberg film, that one wonders where the motive and enthusiasm to make it came from when E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and War of the Worlds (2005) are already out there.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes gives us the beginnings of the ape saga that began with Planet of the Apes in 1968 and produced several sequels. Set in modern day San Francisco we see the scientific breakthrough, intended to cure Alzheimer’s, which causes the ape revolution. Apes takes its time with the story, building towards a final third where the only real piece of action takes place. As with the other films in this series,the message is that we, the humans, are as barbaric in our actions as we assume the animals to be. There is also a strong message about the morality of animal testing and with this, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the most thought provoking of the summer's blockbusters, which is reflected in its steady, mature structure that does not placate the audience. The film does lack somewhat when it comes to involvement with the characters and if as much time had been spent developing the humans as has clearly been spent creating the very impressive animals, this may have the heart of Super 8.

Two genres, one film; Cowboys and Aliens is a mix of two long standing genres and makes it work. Unlike the excellent Serenity (2005), which did the same, this is more western than science fiction and manages to bring in all the conventions of the western genre, while also bringing in some pretty serious aliens and technology. Like many western films Cowboys and Aliens deals with the post civil war years and how this has affected those that fought in it, espeically as modernity comes and they no longer see a place for themselves in a changing world. This change is usually signaled by the coming railroad (which gets a nod in the final reel!). Here, the railroad is replaced with aliens and the threat they bring. Harrison Ford is fantastic to watch as a hardened veteran with a tough heart (not unlike an older Hans Sol0) and the rest of the cast work well, too. Although the always great Sam Rockwell is underused. This is not a flawless film (there is a questionable deux ex machina half way through) but it is the most entertaining of the summer blockbusters, combining a solid western film with science fiction seamlessly. There is also a hard edge that may surprise considering the 12a rating, as it also tackles native American racism and doesn't shy away from depicting the violence of the characters.

On Catching Catfish on TV

Without doubt The Social Network (2010) has been the most publicised, most debated and most awards laden movie about Facebook. All this, and it's a great film. Yet, in the same year as Fincher's The Social Network was getting everyone talking, the best film about Facebook begun its quiet ascent to becoming the ultimate water cooler film. That film is Catfish, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Catfish markets itself as a documentary that follows photographer Yaniv Schulman, the director's brother, as he embarks upon an online relationship with the family of an eight year old child prodigy artist. This leads to an online relationship with the eight year olds elder sister and leads to a meeting that is absolutely riveting.

The documentary credentials of this film have been much discussed and debated. The perfect three part structure, the too clean ending and the slightly uncertain 'acting', as if a script hasn't quite been memorised or improvisation is not a skill they've mastered call into question the true documentary nature of the film. The star and directors claim it is 100% real. That the structure and the ending is something that they were very fortunate to fall into as they followed Yaniv's story. Not since This is Spinal Tap (1984) has a film blurred the lines between fact and fiction, forcing an audience into wild debate. The difference with This is Spinal Tap is that the answer is out there, it's just hard to believe. With Catfish, the status of documentary is insisted upon by all involved, yet doubted by many.

Whether it is 100% real, completely fabricated or a mix of both (the latter being the most likely), Catfish is thrilling cinema. It is impossible to take your eyes off the action as the story develops into more shocking turns. Amongst the comedy, the drama, the thrills and the heartbreak this is edge of the seat viewing and the most relevant film about Facebook so far created.