The Losers: It's like The A-Team lite

After their handler Max sets them up and tries to kill them a group of CIA operatives go into hiding in order to plot their revenge. Their chance to settle the score arrives with the appearance of a mysterious woman who offers them the opportunity to capture the elusive Max. But can they trust her?

The Losers did not carry the darker tone of some of its comic book adaptation brethren. The characters were not gloomy, brooding types that dressed up like winged creatures or awkward teenagers that were bitten by radioactive spiders. They were a group of regular people, albeit regular people who happened to be highly trained CIA operatives. In this way, the film felt less like a comic book film and more like an ordinary action thriller. Between comedic quips about how their boss Clay always fell for women that were “volatile” and the usual cool swagger that one would expect to see from a group of CIA guys with nifty codenames such as Roque, Cougar, and Pooch, there were a myriad of stylized action sequences which capitalized on their comic book source material be more outlandish than run of the mill and keep action junkies satisfied (for an example of this, see the ending showdown between Clay, a motorcycle and a plane). Chris Evans shined in his role as Jensen, providing the bulk of the laughs with well-timed smart ass remarks, Zoe Saldana sizzled as Aisha and Jason Patric almost stole the show as Max, channeling all of the best bits of all those old time James Bond villains with just a tinge of Dr. Evil kookiness.

It is certainly not going to evoke comparisons to The Dark Knight or other heavier comic book films but The Losers does its part by keeping you entertained for about an hour and a half.


Grade: C

Kick Ass: Take it or leave it

Inspired by his love of comic books, high schooler Dave Lizewski decides to become a masked super hero himself named Kick Ass. Soon he becomes a media sensation and he inspires others to do as he has done. But his fame also makes him the target of the evil crime boss Frank D'Amico, who wants him dead.

The bright side to Kick Ass was the story of Dave Lizewski (or Kick Ass as he is known to his adoring fans). His intentions in taking up crime fighting were pure (i.e. to do good) and provided the back bone for the story. It was absorbing to watch him wrestle with the problems one always thought heroes like Spider - Man or Batman had, but never got the chance to explore on the big screen. It made him a character one could easily identify with and root for. The film got sketchy however when Kick Ass' story was hijacked by that of Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Inspired by Kick Ass, these two decided to don costumes as well and pursue vengence at one specific target, crime boss Frank D'Amico (an underused Mark Strong). Big Daddy and Hit Girl were not burdened with the sense of "doing the right thing" like Kick Ass, rather they simply went about their business in an ultra-violent fashion that mirrored the other comic book anti-heroes like The Punisher. The most unnerving part of their pursuit was the fact that Hit Girl was 11 years old, and doing and saying things that would make even The Punisher blush. It was almost surreal to see her whirl around in those John Woo inspired slow motion shots, guns blazing, spouting curse words but after a while, it became almost abhorrent and made one wish the film had continued to focus on Kick Ass' internal conflict. Instead the filmmakers tried to mask the holes in the plot with the insanity of more shoot outs and four letter bombs involving a girl who should have been more worried about getting the latest Hannah Montana cd instead of storming the strong hold of the city's most nefarious crime boss.

There was a time, years ago, when I would have lauded Matthew Vaughn's Kick Ass as a well deserved jolt to the comic book adaptation genre for it did not shy away from breaking the well worn standards of said genre  in order to bring fresh new verve to it. However I am older and wiser (though my family and friends would probably tell you differently I imagine) and that "fresh" new verve in the film seems more unnerving and lazy to my weathered eyes.

Grade: C-

Watchmen: So how complex do you like your superhero movies?

When you hear the words, "comic book adaptation" the first images that probably pop into your head are of Spider-Man swinging on a web or Batman brooding on a dark rooftop. The last thing on your mind would be images of heroes philosophizing on how the world is not worth saving or those same heroes discussing the need to sacrifice a few in order to save the many. But this was the case with Watchmen

In an alternate universe, one in which Richard Nixon is still President and the Cold War between the U.S. and USSR still threatens to destroy the world, masked heroes are being murdered. It is up to the remaining members of the superhero group known as the Watchmen to figure out why this is happening.

Director Zack Snyder (of "300" fame) was very faithful in keeping to the source material (a graphic novel) in bringing the story of Nite Owl, Silk Spectre and all the rest of the characters to the screen. His trademark visual style was certainly on display as the audience was treated to the same kind of slow-motion, stylized action sequences present in 300 as well as some truly breathtaking scenes (i.e. Nite Owl and Silk Spectre kissing as a nuclear blast envelopes them). These heroes were far from being carbon copies of ones who came before them as time was spent building up their backstories. By doing this, the audience was shown all the moral dilemmas each Watchmen faced as they struggled in making sense of their own lives both professionally and personally.

But therein lies the catch - 22 of Watchmen, how many audience members are willing to sit through an almost 3 hour film in which the action sequences seem few and far between when compared against a Spider-Man or Batman film? The universe that the Watchmen inhabited certainly was not for the faint of heart (kinda made Gotham City look like Beverly Hills) as the heroes killed indiscriminately, fought amongst each other, and seemed to blur the line between good guy and psycho vigilante from time to time (especially Rorschach). In this way the film challenged the audience to think beyond their normal expectations for a comic book movie and take a journey in which the greatest accomplishments of its heroes were not the apprehension of supervillians or the simple battle of good vs. evil, but the philosophical breakthroughs made when the hero realizes that the world is not pure black and white but a shade of gray which can grow lighter or darker depending upon where you are standing morally.

Watchmen just might be the most literate comic book movie you're likely to run across, which might enthrall some but discourage others.

Grade: B-