Solomon Kane, from the title alone, evokes the same mental image as “Alan Quatermain” or “Abraham Van Helsing” – either the movie will be about a swashbuckling hero or a sage protagonist with a wealth of knowledge used to help others.
But Solomon Kane is neither of these fictional characters. Based on the character created by pulp writer Robert E. Howard, Solomon Kane is a wandering puritan who lived in the 17th century and whose goal is to vanquish evil wherever he encounters it. The character appeared in many stories in Weird Tales, the seminal title that brought many high quality pulp horror stories.
I am not thoroughly familiar with Solomon Kane as a character so I’ll base this review solely on what I have seen in the movie and based on what I have just seen, Solomon Kane is a character that should really be given as much focus as the other comic book characters enjoying the adoration of the public.
Solomon Kane revisits the same familiar tropes of faith and repentance but given a deliberate Hollywood polish of expansive cinematography and special effects. Michael J. Bassett, who both wrote and directed the movie, tried to do his best to cram as much of Solomon Kane’s origins in order to give the audience a heftier idea of why he seeks redemption. As “origin” movies go, Bassett also had to contend with trying to cram in as much background story as he could without eating up too much of his available screen time. It’s a worthwhile effort and I feel that even though he has not fully achieved his goal, it was still a passable effort that gave us a good glimpse of Solomon Kane before he repented and began his quest for the deliverance of his soul.
Luckily, Bassett had a very capable actor in James Purefoy who injected just enough pathos in his performance that by the middle of the movie, the audience really roots for him. It is quite easy to ham it up in a movie like this but Purefoy managed to evade this easy trap. His Kane is fractured, conflicted and tortured but there is a nobility that shines through and a goodness that emerges naturally in his performance. Speaking of actors, I was quite happy to see the great Pete Postlethwaite as the well-meaning William Crowthorn. Actors like him always give any movie a worthwhile sheen and as always he delivers here. I feel that Jason Flemyng is thoroughly underused as the villain Malachai. His screen time is just not enough.
The cinematography was a bit hit and miss. I don’t know if it was the copy that I was viewing but there were some scenes that were a bit too poorly lighted. But it’s undeniable that Bassett has a great eye. There were some gorgeous scenes that would put to shame most of the hacks in Hollywood — which makes me wonder why Bassett is not being given more high profile projects. Solomon Kane is loads better than the very poorly made Van Helsing. To compare him to Stephen Sommers is an insult to Bassett.
I am also a bit underwhelmed by the movie’s ending. You get this feeling of wanting more but from the looks of it, it seems that the people behind the movie are hoping to make a franchise out of it. Hopefully, the movie has performed well enough to actually merit a sequel.
All in all, Solomon Kane is one of those action/fantasy movies that are not being noticed because it doesn’t have the pull of an A-list actor. But I think the beauty of this movie is precisely the fact that it is not totally consumed by Hollywood’s touch. Fantasy/action fans would be well advised to check this movie out.
Rating: B+
Johnston talks Cap
Chris Evans was recently announced as the actor chosen to play the role of Captain America in the movie The First Avenger: Captain America.
Director Joe Johnston chimed in about the casting choice, especially since Evans also played The Human Torch. Johnston said that with the way the movie is written, Steve Rogers (Captain America) will be shown before and after he is given the super soldier serum. Rogers is originally a mere 98 pounds and very lanky. But the transformation turns him into the perfect human being. But instead of hiring two people, Johnston said that Evans will play both roles but he was mum on how exactly they will do it.
I’m guessing that they will probably use the same technology employed in making The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Whedon to helm Avengers movie
Joss Whedon’s projects on TV always gets bad breaks. Almost all of them have been cancelled or scrapped by TV execs. The latest casualty of this spate of bad luck is Dollhouse, which starred Eliza Dushku. It’s a shame really because Whedon is a true maverick and one of the most exciting talents working on TV and Film today. In a perfect world, he should be right up there with JJ Abrams as celebrated wunderkinds.
It’s a good thing that Whedon is not lacking in offers. Word is that he has been chosen as the director for The Avengers. He was initially rumored to be in the short list for directors but it looks like he’s got it in the bag. The movie is expected to be released on May 4, 2012.
I’m pretty sure Whedon is going to have a lot of fun directing this movie and he’s going to bring all he’s got in order to make the fans happy.
Iron Man 2 could shatter Dark Knight’s record
Everyone’s getting all excited about the imminent release of Iron Man 2. The movie is one of the most hotly anticipated sequels in recent years since the first movie was such a big hit.
According to various tracking surveys, there is a strong chance that Iron Man 2 could go past the $158.4 million opening record set by the Dark Knight.
The growing buzz from viewers is being largely attributed to star Robert Downey Jr. A lot of women, especially those with ages from their 20s to 30s are very interested in seeing Downey in the big screen once again. Also, males are expected to troop to the theaters in order to watch Iron Man and the various action sequences promised by the movie. Even the demographic that is least interested in the movie, the teen girls, are showing some rumblings of interest, too.
If Iron Man’s record is any indication then the sequel is going to explode in a big way. The original movie had a $98.6 million opening and eventually grossed $318.4 million. With an international gross of $266.7 million, the movie’s worldwide take was $585.1 million.
As for me, I am definitely going to watch this. This is the movie that will finally make me go to a theater again this year.
Green Lantern suit to be CG
With production for the Green Lantern movie well underway, bits and pieces of information are beginning to leak out. One of the cooler pieces of info that has managed to come out is that star Ryan Reynolds will not wear an actual suit — his Green Lantern suit will be CG!
According to people who have seen the shoot, Reynolds has been wearing a gray motion capture suit, which bolsters the suspicion about the CG costume.
There is already an explanation about this very interesting turn of events. The reasoning is that since the costume is not really a costume but a manifestation of the ring’s power, the suit should look otherworldly and unreal. It does jive with the comicbook lore so I think the guys behind Green Lantern are actually taking the right direction for the movie.
I can’t wait to see how the “power” suit will look on the big screen.