The Black Hole (1979)

Introduction:

I know a lot of movie snobs that blame Star Wars for all the bad movies after 1977. I love that movie too much to join them. However, we can certainly blame George Lucas’ space opera for the sudden attack of science fiction adventures that flooded the cinemas in the late 70s and early 80s. 20^th Century Fox was raking in the cash and all the other big studios wanted in on the action. Disney was no exception. It would be decades before they brought Star Wars under the power of the mouse, but before that happened, we were treated to this film.

Summary:

The starship Palomino is exploring deep space when it comes upon a black hole of enormous size. Captain Dan Holland (Robert Forster) and his crew are excited about the scientific discoveries they can make. Then they find something even more interesting, a long lost ship, the Cygnus, just hovering at the very edge of the black hole and seemingly unaffected by the tremendous gravity.

The Palomino attempts contact with the Cygnus but it is almost destroyed by the black hole. They land on the ghost ship and discover that only one man remains alive on board, Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell). He is a genius scientist who created the field that holds the Cygnus in place. He is surrounded by a crew of robots that run the ship and maintain order. But as the crew of the Palomino start to find out more about Reinhardt and the Cygnus the more they realize that they are in terrible danger. Reinhardt is preparing for his ultimate experiment and none of them may escape the destructive power of The Black Hole.

Good Points:

• Some gorgeous and unique production design
• Solid acting by the entire cast
• An impressive score by John Barry

Bad Points:

• Cute robot antics may rub some viewers the wrong way
• The derivative nature of the story or characters may be too familiar
• Anyone looking for hard science fiction should look elsewhere 

Overall:

This is one of those movies that almost works but never quite gels into a complete entertainment package. So many elements are solid or even excellent. But when taken together you get a movie that feels messy and unrefined. The film looks and sounds spectacular considering its age and Schell gives a performance that steals the show. Those who remember this fondly will probably find plenty to enjoy but new viewers may find it lacking.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 5

Sound: 4

Acting: 4

Script: 3

Music: 4

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 3

Total:  4

In Depth Review

He can't stop watching The Black Hole either.

When I was a kid I used to torment my sister by watching The Black Hole and Tron over and over again. My goal wasn’t to torment her, I just liked the creativity and adventures in those movies. For me, these two Disney flicks represent some of the amazing risks the studio was taking at the time and also some of the issues they couldn’t seem to avoid. 

The Black Hole is essentially a retelling of Disney’s take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Maximilian Schell playing the Captain Nemo role that James Mason owned in 1954. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was one of Disney’s most popular and lucrative films in the 1950s. So it makes sense that they wanted to mirror that success with their space adventure. The story acts as the frame The Black Hole is built on. But it is the other influences that end up muddying the clarity of the film.

The black hole or  V'ger's cloud?

Star Wars was a pioneer for visual effects. Things were accomplished in that film using computer controlled cameras and a variety of innovative techniques to create a type of realism that hadn’t been seen in science fiction films since 2001: A Space Odyssey. What makes the Black Hole impressive is that the visuals were accomplished not by ILM or anyone from Lucas’ team, but by Disney’s in-house effects crew. It may be one of the last Hollywood films to actually feature effects by the studio instead of an independent specialized effects house.

Visually the movie forged its own path. A quick look at the space ship, robot and costume design will show you that. The starships in The Black Hole are completely unique. The Palomino is a squat cylinder with extended legs and thrusters. It looks very functional, almost like a 1970s satellite.

"Like a tree on Christmas Morning..."

But the real visual masterpiece is the Cygnus. This is a gorgeous ship. I love the lighting scheme used on it, giving it a warm and yet sinister feel. It exudes mystery and menace in equal measure. During the scene where the crew of the Palomino does a flyover of the Cygnus we are treated to some up close views of this impressive model. Both The Black Hole and Star Trek: The Motion Picture feature this kind of flyover sequence and I find both very effective. Oddly enough, both films came out the same year.

The interiors for the ships follow a similar feel. The Palomino is cramped, utilitarian and mostly grey. Again, it feels like a natural progression from the 1970s space technology. But the Cygnus is all gothic style mystery. It’s filled with struts, supports creating a web of crisscrossing lines. It has a huge scope, one that often feels like it is overwhelming and devouring the cast (thanks to some impressive matte painting work). The Cygnus could very well pass as a futuristic Flying Dutchman – a ship destined to journey into hell and take you with it.

What the drone sees.

Finally there are the robots. The Cygnus has its private army of robot enforcers. These guys serve as your Stormtroopers, with all the same look and movement. I do like their two barreled laser guns (which reappear in Guardiansof the Galaxy as a kind of homage). Those suckers always looked cool. I was always a bit disappointed that S.T.A.R., their leader, got taken out like a punk, but it was to show off how cool V.I.N.CENT. and B.O.B (Slim Pickens) were . But before I talk about them, I have to mention the creepy looking Drones that populate the ship. These robed figures with reflective faces really gave me the chills when I was a kid, and they move around the ship almost like ghosts. We are told early on that they are robots, but the crew of the Palomino discovers a horrible secret about them.

The two hero robots of The Black Hole are V.I.N.CENT. and B.O.B. These two little guys float around, crack wise and at times V.I.N.CENT. is smarter than most of his companions. In many ways these guys are obviously inspired by R2-D2, but actually manage to be different enough to keep Lucasfilm from coming after anyone.

Nothing sinister here.

But the most distinctive robot from The Black Hole is the red devil Maximilian. He is a hulking monstrosity, all angles and sharp points. He hovers over the ground just above all the other characters in the film. His single red eye glows a fearsome red and pulses when he is angry (harkening back to original Cylons form Battlestar Galactica). He also has whirling blade appendages that he uses to cut down anyone he feels like. Reinhardt claims to have created Maximilian, but at times he seems fearful of the giant, and it doesn’t always obey him. Why would you create a robot with whirling death blades if you weren’t interested in butchery? Maximilian is a fearsome and disturbing puzzle, and adds to the feel of dread that the movie attempts to capture.

THE scene from The Black Hole.

One more word about the visual effects. No matter how scientifically inaccurate the movie is (and yeah it really goes off the rails at times), the special effects are visually stunning and impressive. The black hole is a whirling vortex of blues, blacks and greens. It is always spinning outside the Cygnus and looks sinister enough to increase the disquieting feeling of horror. The Black Hole looks evil, something that plays into the themes of the film. But I also have to mention the meteor shower that comes crashing into the Cygus during the finale of the film. Asteroids are a staple of space adventure films from The Phantom Planet to The Empire Strikes Back. But never before have hurtling asteroids looked so diabolical. These suckers are flaming balls of death that come crashing down and destroy everything in their path. If one image has remained from The Black Hole over the years, it is of our heroes crossing a thin bridge in front of the rolling ball of flames.

The sound work does a fine job of supporting the visuals. Dialogue is crisp and clear and never overpowered by the sound design. The audio work for the sci-fi gadgets, ships and robots is unique to the film and helps build the world we see. I especially like how the interiors of the Cygnus sound cavernous and disturbingly quiet further adding to the disquiet the audience and Palomino crew feel.

The music certainly adds to the bizarre finale.

I posted a blog about John Barry’s score to The Black Hole and focused on the main theme, a swirling tune that captures the relentless power of the black hole. But the score has several other elements that work within it. There is a heroic theme for the action scenes, especially when Captain Holland or V.I.N.CENT. are battling the enforcer robots in the final third of the film. It’s a bit brash and maybe even a bit corny, but it works. To me the moments where Barry’s music really takes flight is when he’s building suspense in the first portion of the film. His music captures and enhances the majesty of the Cygnus and scope of the Reinhardt’s ego very well. As the movie continues, he builds this relentlessness of power in the score. The final third is equal parts action music (based on the heroic theme) and driving intensity as the Cygnus attempts to dive into the Black Hole. Barry keeps things slowly but steadily climbing. The crescendo is the finale piece as both crews discover the existential reality within the Black Hole. This piece combines the diabolical and hopeless with the triumphant and angelic. It brings unity to a sequence that would be quite baffling without music. But it is also one of the best tracks in the score. And yes, I have to mention that Barry uses the Blaster Beam in this score, as a part of the baseline. It isn’t as obvious as Goldsmith’s work in Star Trek: The Motion Picture or even it’s use in Rosenman’s Lord of the Rings in 1978, but its synthetic tones add dimension to the score.

A genius or a madman? Can Durant really tell?

The cast for The Black Hole does a fine job with the roles. Maximilian Schell gets all the scene stealing moments, and his performance is a combination of ego and madness. He is a joy to watch, even if he gets a bit theatrical. While his performance overwhelms the rest of the cast at times, you also get a great pair of vocal performances by Roddy McDowall as V.I.N.CENT. and Slim Pickens as B.O.B. Yeah they are scripted a bit too cute, but both men give a lot of humanity to the robot roles and you actually care about the little guys. Robert Forester and Joseph Bottoms as LT. Pizer fit the heroic mold well, and are pretty straight-laced in the film. Bottoms gets a slightly more interesting part, as he’s rash youth that rushes in, and sometimes gets overmatched. Yvette Mimeux as Dr. McCrae is solid in her role, but it is one that doesn’t have a lot to do in the story, other than tie her to the crew of the Cygnus and be the object of rescue late in the film. Ernest Borgnine plays a street-smart reporter Harry Booth, who is out to get a good story, but also not willing to risk his life when things get too dangerous. He does a good job with the part. Anthony Perkins really throws himself into the interesting role of Dr. Durant. His character is seduced by the Cyngus’ power and scientific advancements. He sees a real boon to human knowledge if Reinhardt’s plan is successful. We can see his doubts as things start to get darker, but his struggle is very clear. We like him, and want him to make the right choice, but things turn out a bit differently when the robot Maximilian takes matters into his whirling blades.

Hell is unleashed!

Where The Black Hole falters is in the script and the final execution of the movie. As it is written, the Black Hole is a gothic mystery set in space. Our heroes are investigators who stumble upon a haunted mansion inhabited by a mad man. As they explore the mansion they realize that their lives and their souls are in danger and try to escape. But like any good horror story, several characters are unable to leave the fall of the house of Reinhardt. The madman and his servants are destroyed and consigned to hell. While our heroes remain pure and retain their souls, leaving darkness behind them.

Yeah I simplified it, but that is the basic structure of the story. This is Disney trying to make a horror film a few years before TheWatcher in the Woods.

Damnation eternal?

It is actually fascinating to dig into the script and identify all the little nods to gothic horror. I’d hazard that the characters name drop hell, the devil and evil more than any scientific concepts. Reinhardt is a the classic crazed noble, who literally sacrifices the souls of his people to obtain more and more arcane knowledge. He crafts a monster of his own design, the hulking red Maximilian, and grows to fear that creation. His fascination with the Black Hole is like a man fascinated with seeing into hell or perhaps sharing more with Belloq from Raiders of the Lost Ark who is convinced the Ark can be used to speak with God. What we come to understand is that Reinhardt is the Dr. Frankenstein of this tale. He destroys nature and the pure souls around him to aspire to meet God, and in doing so, damns himself.

Kate fights fire with lasers!

We have the makings of an interesting film, something along the lines of Event Horizon actually. But Disney never commits to the horror concept. Instead we have too many cute robot moments that break the tension, but in a way that is distracting instead of entertaining. The laser battles are all fun and exciting, but they seem shoehorned into a film that attempts to plumb into the depths of a mad man’s quest for God. When The Black Hole works best it is when it embraces its core of gothic horror. The crew of Palomino being pursued by Reinhardts robots, attempting to escape before the Cygnus is destroyed by flaming asteroids and then ripped apart by the spinning eye of a demon should have provided enough thrills for everyone. But this half and half approach ends up diluting the film as a whole, and confusing some viewers who came into the film expecting Star Wars or Star Trek and instead got a twisted take on Poe's Fall of the House of Usher.

Nothing sinister here either.

While I see some folks complain about scientific accuracy in The Black Hole I think they are missing the main theme of the story. It is not about the black hole at all. It is about one man’s drive to become more than human and how he destroys everything, including himself, to do it. Heavy stuff for a Disney movie. I end up appreciating the film’s many merits and its attempt at something greater. But I always wish that Disney had stuck to their core script and went for gothic horror in space. Combined with Alien also released in 1979, we could have had one hell of a terrifying combo of horror from beyond our stars.

The functional Palomino comes in for a landing.

The robot enforcers move in for the kill.

The massive control room for the Cygnus.

"You can trust me, my eyes are only lit this way for
dramatic effect.

Harry's nose for news tells him something is up.

V.I.N.CENT. and B.O.B. discuss Tigerbot magazine.

You know, Reinhardt spoiled Maximilian when he was
a little robot, and now he can't control him!

The red eye of doom in the center of the Black Hole.

And Then This Happened... The Black Hole

Just because Maximilian Schell is playing the part with a bit of extra color doesn't mean it isn't a blast to watch. He has some great lines in The Black Hole and by the end of the movie you wonder just how much lead was in the scenery painting, because he is chewing a bit of it. But I tease Schell a little bit. The movie is much more fun because of his performance (and at least he isn't attempting Hamlet again). What caption do you have for this moment?

And then this happened...

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First Impression: Zootopia

When I first heard about Zootopia it was because one of my favorite film composers, Michael Giacchino, was going to write the score for it. Giacchino usually does a fine job with animated films and so I was looking forward to the score. After all her certainly delivered with his impressive score for Inside Out. Then I saw the trailer for Zootopia featuring Judy Hopps and her adventure at the sloth populated DMV, and I was cracking up. The movie looked like a fun one, but I wasn't in any rush to see it. But then the reviews started coming out and I was surprised. Was Zootopia more than it appeared? We figured it was time to check it out. There is a lot to talk about with this film and I want to give it another viewing before I dive in. So here are some first impressions

Three Things I Liked:

• Some gorgeous visuals in this movie - it is packed with details and visual jokes
• Likable and relatable characters that you root for
• Has a thematic core that is very relevant and delivered in a way that isn't heavy handed

Three Things I Didn't Like:

• Giacchino's score is surprisingly lacking his usual personality
• The horrible trailers for kids movies that I endured before the film started
• Why is that Shakira song so damn catchy!

Overall
Color me surprised, this movie was a blast. It was entertaining, fun and had some stellar animation. Seriously see this movie for no other reason than to enjoy the amazing visual design of the city of Zootopia. The humor is great. The characters a lot of fun. The mystery is intriguing. But it is the theme of judging people by their looks or their physicality that makes this movie really something special. Not only is the message delivered, but it plays a key role in the story and the way the characters relate to each other. It is a timely message, but one delivered so well you don't mind hearing it again. And did I mention that Shakira song was damn catchy?

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First Impression: Tangled

So Disney animation seems to be riding pretty high these days. Movies like Frozen and Big Hero 6 have made quite a few fans. Then you've got the upcoming Zootopia looking like it could be another hit. I'm seeing plenty of animation buffs even claiming we are in a new Disney Renaissance (how many of these can there be?) With all that said, lots of people feel that this all really started back in 2010 with Tangled. I was curious to see how Disney approached this take on the tale of Rapunzel, so I gave the movie a shot. Here are some first impressions.


Three Things I Liked:

• Some gorgeous animation and impressive set pieces
• Maximus the horse was a real fun character
• Mother Gothel was an interesting passive/aggressive take on a villain

Three Things I Didn't Like:

• The songs and music wasn't memorable
• The songs felt like they stopped the story cold
• Just what kind of movie were they going for?

Overall

I have to say that Tangled offers a lot to like. It moves quickly, keeps things light and fun with some very engaging characters. The high points are the impressive animation that creates a wonderfully vivid fairytale world. The action scenes are especially well executed and exciting. But the music for this musical just doesn't have the sticking power. Worse the songs feel like the interrupt the action more than build up within it. In a few ways this movie reminded me of Treasure Planet where it didn't quite know what direction to go, so it goes in all of them. The end result is a muddled movie that lacks memorability. I'm hoping another viewing will allow me to enjoy it a bit more. 

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Movie Music Musings - Giacchino's 2015

For film score fans 2015 is turning out to be a great year. Lots of fun and exciting music coming out for the the summer season, and plenty of good dramatic scores to look forward to this awards season. I've heard some people lamenting that the films this year aren't too hot, but that is one of the things about being a film score fan - sometimes the crappiest movies have the best music to them (and you can look at my Mining for Goldsmith series to see that in action).

One of my favorite current composers is Michael Giacchino. In 2013 I wrote a whole blog about his work and why I loved it. So when I found out he was going to tackle not two movies, not three, but FOUR big exciting summer films, I was stoked. Giacchino excels in bringing energy and excitement to his film music. 

One of the biggest hits of this summer was Jurassic World, and Giacchino provided the perfect score. He took the template John Williams created back in 1993 and used it as a starting point. Giacchino does uses a few quotes of William's themes, but beyond that he builds his own themes. These are very much Giacchino in style, but they use the same orchestral colors and feel that Williams used. The result is a great fit for the sequel, a shift from the original sound, but still very much part of the same series. Film music fans also got a treat when hints from The Lost World and even a video game for the franchise that Giacchino scored when he was first starting out get little audio cameos. One of the best tracks is As the Jurassic World Turns, featuring Giacchino's wonderful new themes, and ending with a fun quote of John Williams music from the original film.

Michael Giacchino has worked with director Brad Bird and Pixar for a number of years. So it was really no surprise that he would be working again with both this year. Brad Bird helmed the poorly reviewed Tomorrowland, a film that seemed to have quite a bit of potential, but appears to have an ending that makes the journey feel hollow. One thing that didn't feel hollow was the music. Gicchino captures the spirit of wonder, adventure and fun in this score. It is optimistic and really reminds me of The Rocketeer in places. This score is a bit repetitive. However, Giacchino really does some interesting things with his simple theme. Check out this track, The Pin-Ultimate Experience to hear some uplifting adventure music.

Teaming up with the folks at Pixar won Michael Giacchino an academy award of Up. So expectations were pretty high for his music to Inside Out. For this film Giacchino went to his jazzier side, something he did really well with for The Incredibles, Speed Racer and portions of his Mission:Impossible scores. His main theme is really cute and memorable. But he crafts several key themes, creates some bouncy traveling music and even some thrills an spills along the way. It doesn't have the gravitas of the three other scores, but it really is non-stop fun and so energetic. It just might be my favorite of the four. So many great tracks on this album, but I'm gonna share The Joy of Credits. This is a wonderful end credits suite that takes you on a trip through all the themes from the film.

But if you are craving some huge adventure scoring, gigantic moments of choir and some huge orchestral bombast, then the score to Jupiter Ascending is the one to seek out. This is a massive score accompanying one of the worst reviewed films of the year. But Giacchino's music is film score gold. It has wonderful themes, moments of beauty, chaos, power. The action sequences are some of the best action writing he's ever penned. His villain theme is wicked and snaky, but gets some overwhelming power behind it in places. Giacchino was asked to write some suites for the film before he even saw it. Given a basic concept for the film he went to work and created four movements that are really the heart of the score. My favorite is 3rd Movement a tremendous building cue that just brings the house down. This huge score actually required a 2 CD release, and for many is one of the best film scores of 2015.

So yeah, Michael Giacchino has had a banner year. And fans of his music have been enjoying it too. I think he's going to take a little break, but I can't wait to see (and hear) what he cooks up for 2016.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

Introduction:

The early 00s had Disney re-examining their approach to animation. Their films weren’t the huge hits they experienced in the 90s. Other studios were stepping up their game, mimicking the Disney formula to compete with the animation juggernaut. In addition anime was making inroads with viewers, as Pokemon became a huge hit. Disney decided to switch gears and make an action adventure animated film without any catchy songs, and with a story inspired by Jules Verne instead of the brothers Grimm.

Summary:

Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox) is convinced that he can find the lost continent of Atlantis; all he needs is some funding, and someone to believe in his little quest. Well both come his way in the form of wealthy benefactor who needs Milo’s brains to guide his team to the lost world. So Milo joins the mercenary Commander Rourke (James Garner), his femme fatale second in command Helga (Claudia Christian) and a whole host of oddballs and misfits.

After a treacherous submarine journey, followed by a trek through the earth’s crust they find the Atlantis, still around and supporting a civilization. The King Nedakh (Leonard Nimoy) is dying, but that doesn’t keep him from trying to protect his people from outsiders. His daughter Kida (Cree Summer) takes an interest in Milo and his world. But Rouke has other plans for Atlantis and its mysterious power source. If he can bring it back to the surface, he and his crew would be wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. Of course doing that will destroy the kingdom and it’s people. Now Milo must decide if he wants to return home a wealthy man or fight to save Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Good Points:

• Some wonderful stylized and creative animation
• Captures the vibe of classic adventures stories
• A fine score by James Newton Howard

Bad Points:

• Some of the comic relief characters are too ridiculous
• No catchy musical numbers or super cute characters
• Is more violent and intense than typical Disney fare

Overall:

Disney executes a fine animated experiment. This is a heck of an adventure movie, with likable characters, amazing visuals and a large scope that Disney had not tackled before. Unfortunately some of positive elements get tainted by overly comic characters like “The Mole”. But the turn of the century design, the intense action scenes and wonderful momentum make this one worth checking out.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 5

Sound: 5

Acting: 4

Script: 4

Music: 4

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

In Depth Review

This film has a visual scope not seen in most
Disney animated features of the era.

No matter how you feel about Walt Disney’s animation, it is impossible to deny the amazing longevity and legacy of that started in the 1920s. Not too many entertainment (and animation) studios can boast this. I think part of the reason for that longevity is the Disney animation attempting to go in new directions and adapt to changing tastes in entertainment. Obviously Disney himself was a master of innovation and getting the right people together for projects. But the animation studios have weathered some big storms.

By the late 1990s Disney animation had over-tapped their formula. Broadway style musicals with cute animal sidekicks and happily ever after endings were causing audiences to shrug their shoulders at each new animated offering. The studio knew they had to go in a new direction, but seemed uncertain how to proceed. In the end they picked a direction very similar to the one they attempted back in 1985 with The Black Cauldron. They would attempt a non-musical adventure story. Instead of attempting to adapt a well-known and loved fantasy series, they’d use Jules Verne as inspiration. The result is Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Milo marvels at the production design.

The first thing that strikes most viewers is the visual imagination on display. The design of the submarines and other equipment the expedition uses are well thought out and executed. Yes, there is a little bit of an homage to Disney’s design for the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but for the most part this is an unique look that Disney had never attempted before.

In addition there is the visually impressive and creative designs for the culture and technology of Atlantis itself. It appears to be centered on a more South Pacific (Easter Island) style than the ancient Greek style we usually see in when Atlantis is mentioned. Combined with that look is a technology that reminds me a bit of something you’d see in an anime. In fact, one of the films that Atlantis: The Lost Empire shares a lot in common with is Hyao Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky, another period adventure story with some wonderful flying action scenes.

Helga isn't bad, she's just drawn that way.

Finally you have the character design that also looks backwards in the Disney cannon. It reminded me strongly of The Sword in the Stone or 101 Dalmatians. But a fellow blogger pointed out that it also appears to be inspired by Hellboy and artist Mike Mignola’s style. This is probably because he was part of the production design. This is a fresh look, much different from Tarzan or Mulan, the films that preceded this one.

All the Atlantian technology, as well as the mechanical devices the expedition uses required some unique sound design. The did a great job with this, giving Atlantis some amazing sound effects and putting viewers squarely in this lost world. But Atlantis: The Lost Empire was one of the most action packed Disney animations I’ve seen. There’s gunfire, explosions and swooping and diving air machines. The finale battle scene is really immersive, and I remember how impressed I was, when I caught this in theaters.

Because there were no Broadway style musical numbers, the film’s score takes a greater importance. James Newton Howard was brought in to provide this music, and his work here is very impressive. It’s got a big orchestral adventure sound to it, very much like what you’d hear in a live action adventure film from the same era. The score carries the movie extremely well, and works wonders during the scenes without dialogue and the travel montages. A nice end title song works well enough and won’t be confused with something penned by Alan Menkin any time soon (whether that is good or bad is left up to you to decide).

Comic relief overload!

The voice cast for Atlantis: The Lost Empire is really good. Michael J. Fox is recognizable as Milo, but he does a fine job with the role, adding that touch of naïveté that the part requires. When he gets tough by the end of the movie, you feel he’s earned it. Garner seems to be having fun as the gruff and dangerous Commander Rourke. Claudia Christian is smoldering as the femme fatale, and certainly adds to her sexy character design. Nimoy gives the King Nedakh plenty of gravitas and world-weariness to the part. And Cree Summer makes for a solid heroine who will do what she must to save her people.

The supporting cast does a good job too, considering they have such a wide variety of oddball characters to voice. Don Novello as Vinny and Jacqueline Obraors as Audrey are certainly the most likable of the group, and provide some solid laughs with their performances. Jim Varney as Cookie, Corey Buron as “The Mole” and Florence Stanley as Bertha… well your mileage may vary there.

"I'm sorry Milo, but your comic book collection
just doesn't impress me."

That brings me to the script. As a straight up adventure move Atlantis: The Lost Empire delivers the goods. All the story beats you expect in this kind of movie, especially one inspired by Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea are present. But they are handled with confidence and skill. Milo makes for a unique lead character in the Disney cannon, because he is really a nerd. He loves archeology and research, and is really out of his element with these rough and tumble explorers. But he grows as a character, when Atlantis and Kida start to mean more to him than just an objective. It is a believable character arc, and one that makes us root for him, even in the face of the more mercenary characters.

My biggest issue is the over-reliance on the comic relief characters. First of all, there are too many of them. If the script had kept it down to Vinnie and Audrey, it would have been fine. But tossing in Cookie, Bertha, The Mole and even Sweet (Phil Morris) who doesn’t have much of a character at all, just makes the whole film seem cluttered with extra voices, subplots and cheesy jokes. I found “The Mole” to be particularly annoying and baffling. How was this guy supposed to be funny? I wonder if the screenwriters felt that if they made this too serious they would lose viewers. But I think the thrills and adventures carry the film just fine. All the “laughs” end up diluting the whole thing or worse, stopping the script dead for another “Cookie can’t cook” joke.

One of many amazing action sequences.

There is also another elephant in the room when it comes to Atlantis: The Lost Empire. I already mentioned the visual links to Castle in the Sky. There is an anime television series from the early 90s called Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water that shares some of the same plot points and visuals styles with this film. Anime fans were crying foul the minute this move came out. Yes there are similarities between these three. Yes Atlantis feels heavily inspired by anime style of action and editing at times. But that is a good thing. It was a fresh approach that Disney was able to take in and work in their own way. Besides, all three share the same basic DNA with an older style of storytelling – namely Jules Verne and Edger Rice Burroughs. Too call Atlantis a rip off is too harsh. It is inspired by the older works, and takes elements it can use and revamp into it’s own movie. Castle in the Sky and Nadia did the same thing.

The final execution of the film is impressive. Directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise keep the whole movie moving forward briskly. Even the stumbles around the comic relief end up being just blips on the journey. Action scenes are handled extremely well, with everything being very clear and yet with a frantic intensity that isn’t often seen in Disney animation. They also work some moments of wonder and awe into the film, to really give the culture of Atlantis some time to shine. Like Milo, we see this as more then a treasure hunt at the end.

Milo and Kida alone in a lost world.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a rip-roaring adventure film. It provides some amazing visuals, intense action and a wonderful film score to support what you see on the screen. As far as Disney’s experiments in animation go, this was a resounding success, much better than the clunky and half-baked Black Cauldron. It is a shame that the film wasn’t more popular with audiences and critics. It is also a shame that Disney over-corrected their approach to the adventure film with Treasure Planet, which adds even worse comic relief and has some really bizarre tone problems. Disney animation would end up collapsing on itself. It wouldn’t be until Pixar’s John Lasseter would come on board that things would be corrected. Still Atlantis stands as a worthy achievement during a challenging time in the studio’s history. 

Treasure Planet (2002)

Introduction:

Disney animation hit some hard times in the early 2000s. Pixar was eclipsing them. Dreamworks released a mega-hit with Shrek. Disney’s star of the 1990s was falling fast, and they were trying to shake things up a bit to get back the crown as the kings of family entertainment. So they decided to attempt a couple of straight up action adventure animations. The first was Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The second was this film based on the Robert Louis Stevenson classic Treasure Island.

Summary:

Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a rough and rowdy teenager living in a spaceport town with his mother. He keeps getting into trouble, and yearning for adventure. You know the type. One evening a mysterious alien named Billy Bones (Patrick McGoohan) stumbles into their inn babbling about being pursued by a dangerous cyborg. He hands Jim a strange sphere and dies, before space pirates arrive and destroy everything in sight looking for the sphere. Jim and his mother make their escape.

Jim determines that the sphere is really a map to the fabled treasure planet. He joins forces with the fussy Doctor Doppler (David Hyde Pierce) and charters a space ship to seek out the planet. With them are Captain Amelia (Emma Thompson) and John Silver (Brian Murray). It becomes apparent that Silver is up to something, and while he befriends Jim, he may be using him to find Treasure Planet. Martin Short, Michael Wincott and Laurie Metcalf round out the cast.

Good Points:

• Some amazing design, character animation and visuals
• A fun adaptation of the source material
• James Newton Howard provides a swashbuckling but modern score

Bad Points:

• Some of the adaptation concepts are a little clunky
• The comic relief characters are painful… very painful
• Never finds the right tone, or pacing, or execution

Overall:

A simple case of Disney trying WAY too hard. The visual aspects are the best part of the film, creating an interesting world to frame the classic tale. But time and again, the movie is scuttled by bad decisions. I lost track of the number of fart jokes. Martin Short’s character was aggressively annoying. Some of the obvious nods to the book were a little too obvious. Other times, they go in an interesting direction only to not follow all the way through. It was a movie I found myself wanting to like, but in the end found it to be a major misfire.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 4

Acting: 3

Script: 2

Music: 4

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 2

Total:  3

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.   

The Watcher in the Woods (1980)

Introduction:

Disney was really flailing around in the late 70’s and early 80’s, unsure of how to proceed with their film offerings. We got some really unique films from that era, and this is one of them. Yes folks, Disney’s first attempt at family horror. And no, that doesn’t include “High School Musical”.

Summary:

The Curtis family has just bought a creepy old house in the middle of the English countryside. Paul (David McCallum) wants some peace and quiet to work on his opera. His kids Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) and Ellie (Kyle Richards) take to the place quickly enough. But there is a mysterious force in the woods, something watching them and waiting. The caretaker of the home Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis) seems to know something about this. Is a ghost haunting the woods and is it the mysterious figure that Jan keeps seeing in mirrors? Soon omens start appearing all over and Ellie starts acting really strange. Can Jan figure out the mystery of “The Watcher in the Woods” before its too late?

Good Points:

• When its focused on ghostly mystery, the story is engaging
• Some great atmosphere with the woods and chapel
• Has a few genuinely creepy moments

Bad Points:

• The acting is sooo over the top
• The script takes a left turn at the end that is laughable
• The 3 mile zooms don’t add to the tension

Overall:

At the heart of this story is a really creepy movie waiting to get out. But the acting and script just scuttle the whole thing. Bette Davis is the only one who keeps things grounded. In a way I can see what they were trying to do, but it just never comes together. Nostalgia may save this for some folks, but this is for Disney obsessed or the curious only. The alternate endings are a hoot.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 3

Sound: 3

Acting: 2

Script: 3

Music: 3

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 3

Total: 2

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.