With the entry into a new year, there is a slight shift in the quality of box office contenders. Actually, a big shift.
January is called the "graveyard of movies" for a good reason. It is the time between the award contenders pushing for a nomination and the point at which those movies are rewarded. To fill in the 2014 season, two movies, "Ride Along" and "Legend of Hercules" stepped up.
In theatres Jan. 17 is the Kevin Hart, Ice Cube vehicle "Ride Along." The film is about fast-talking security guard Ben Barber (Hart) who struggles to get the approval of his girlfriend’s tough as nails brother James Payton (Ice Cube).
After being accepted into the police academy, Ben believes he deserves the respect of James, and after seeking his blessing to marry Angela (Tika Sumpter), is taken on a ride-along, made up ridiculous situations, until their path leads them directly to Atlanta’s biggest crime lord (Lawrence Fishburne).
Only having recently been exposed to Kevin Hart’s comedy, I only had a brief assumption as to the tone of the movie. I knew language would be a factor, and crude jokes in abundance. The former may be true, but the surprise lay in the lack of overtly crude humor, at least once the action got started.
‘Ride Along" allowed for Kevin Hart to engage in what may be his best kind of comedy, physical comedy. Whether shrieking in a suspect’s face manically or being propelled backwards from the recoil of a shotgun, those moments proved to be worth the laughs.
"Ride Along" is rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language. Its funny, fast paced and a surprisingly clean entry to this years comedy lineup, and gets a B, simply for the rocky start.
The Legend of Hercules
The first of two films involving the mythical hero Hercules opened 2014, and is better known as the one not based on a graphic novel starring The Rock.
Kellan Lutz takes the title role in the new origin story for the hero, that utilizes name from the traditional myths and gives them new roles.
Hercules was the product of a single liason between the god Zeus and Queen Alcmene, and was destined to bring an end to the wars raging on throughout the Greek world, at the blessing of Hera.
His adoptive father, King Amphitryon is a war-monger who raised both Hercules and his brother, Iphicles. When Hercules embarrases Iphicles and his father, he is sent to his death, but manages to survive to become a thorn in their side.
Here we have none of the 12 Trials of Hercules and Hera is not jealous and vengeful, especially against children of Zeus as typically depicted. The only marked similarities between the myths and this film are the names that have been borrowed, but that has been much the case with Greek mythos films, sadly.
Stylized much in the way of "300," it has the look, the slow-motion sequences, but none of the red spatters of blood. The 3D is non-existent. To top it all off, the script was deplorably bad. Cheesy lines, over-dramatization of every line and then the general bad acting, as much due to the script as the efforts of the cast, essentially killed this movie from the start. Kellan Lutz gives all he’s got, but when there isn’t any chemistry between him and the lead actress, even a remarkable performance seems dim in light of the whole.
"The Legend of Hercules" is rated PG-13 for language and some sensuality. Maybe a rental view, or a trip to the dollar movie, is about all this film deserves, landing it a resounding F to start off 2014.
