The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

With the Cold War raging in full gear, the 1960's in pop culture was the decade of the spy, of international intrigue, of espionage. From James Bond, Matt Helm, Harry Palmer and Derek Flint in films to Mission: Impossible and Man from U.N.C.L.E. on television, audiences ate up their spy stories as quickly as possible. Me? I love 'em all, great, good, bad and awful. Naturally I was curious then when I found out a movie was being made about one of those 60's television series. It took me a couple weeks, but here we are with 2015's The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

It's 1963 in East Berlin and CIA agent (by blackmail) Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) is working a suspect with ties to a brilliant scientist capable of building a nuclear bomb. The problem? There's two. One, the scientist has been missing for years, and the suspect, his niece Gaby (Alicia Vikander), hasn't seen him in just as many years. Two, a KGB agent, Ilya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer), is also looking for the scientist, creating a bit of a rivalry. There's an easy solution though that goes far above these agents' heads...work together to get the job done. With Ilya posing as Gaby's fiance and Napoloen as an antiquities dealer, the trio head to Italy to follow the evidence. What are they going to find? All sorts of glamorous, scandalous behavior with fanatics, lunatics and stashed away Nazis. What could possibly go wrong?

Running for four seasons in the mid-1960's, the original 'UNCLE' starred Robert Vaughn, David McCallum and Leo G. Carroll, capitalizing on the spy craze. I watched the first season and loved it (in all its black and white glory) but lost interest during season 2 as the tone got a little too spoofish for me. Still, the appeal of a franchise being created was pretty cool, and it took years to do and countless cast possibilities and what-ifs roaming around Hollywood. Well, it's here and from director Guy Ritchie, it is a great summer movie that's good for all the right reasons.

For starters, the biggest reason this reboot (of sorts) works so well is the style. My worry was that the series would be modernized for the film, two agents in 2015 working together toward a common goal. My worries were unfounded thankfully! Ritchie's film is set at the height of the Cold War, the nuclear paranoia ravaging the world. On a purely visual, style-based rating, 'UNCLE' is a freaking gem. The look of the movie from the Italian locations is gorgeous, but it's more than just the ridiculously colorful spy flick. It's the clothes and fashions, the cars, the aura hanging in the air, the 1960's gadgets, the little things that when assembled together end up bringing a movie up a notch or two. If you care NOTHING about the story, just sit back and appreciate the visual of one beautiful spy movie. Besides, you know the good guys are gonna win, right? Oh no, spoilers!

One of the cooler aspects of 'UNCLE' is the casting of Cavill and Hammer as our two rival agents. Both are up-and-coming stars who seem destined for bigger and better. We don't go in with the mindset of knowing these stars as if Tom Cruise and George Clooney had been cast, and that's a good thing. We get to know the characters a little bit. Cavill's Solo is a WWII vet turned master thief turned captured agent blackmailed into working for the CIA. Hammer's Ilya grew up in war-torn WWII Russia and watched his father be dragged away, setting something off in his young son. A brutally efficient agent, he is a physical specimen. It can be familiar at times, but the two rival agents getting to know each other angle works pretty well. And again, it doesn't hurt that there is a fresh quality to the casting with two young actors.

The reviews were kinda mixed about...well, a lot, but I really did like Cavill and Hammer. Cavill is so smooth and suave that he's a little wooden in scenes, but he does a good variation on a James Bond-esque thief and pickpocket. Hammer is the straight guy but sells it throughout, committing to the KGB agent seemingly without emotions. Vikander is excellent as their go-between, an impromptu spy trying to keep the two agents from killing each other. Hugh Grant and Jared Harris are brutally underused as two superior agents who are pulling all the strings. As for the villains, they're okay but could have been stronger. Elizabeth Debicki is the most memorable as the fanatical Victoria, a stinking rich nut, with Luca Calvani and Sylvester Groth as her two closest allies. No huge names anywhere in sight, but that's not an issue in the least.

I liked the first hour here and loved the second as the characters and story really hit their groove. We finally get into things, and the action and style mixes seamlessly with the witty banter and impeccable filming locations. The action is especially stylish, including one highlight as Napoleon stumbles across a factory worker's lunch while Ilya evades gunboats hunting him down. We see that action in reflections, in a mirror, and it's silent all the way, Napoleon dead-pan eating a sandwich. A large-scale attack later on an Italian island villa is done in montage and it works in a way I wouldn't have thought. Ritchie and Co. manage to strike quite a balance among all the moving pieces, blending that style, humor, cool characters and cooler action.

Also worth mentioning, the 1960's French and Italian-themed score from Daniel Pemberton, a gem of a score. There are times the catchy score even resembles something out of a spaghetti western. That little touch of flair adds something fun and different to the proceedings. Great score though, liked it a lot. 'UNCLE' isn't tearing up the box office unfortunately, as movie critics are pretty mixed while actual moviegoers seem to be enjoying it. The ending sets things up nicely for any future ventures (hopefully!) as you'd expect. Should there be a sequel, I hope we get a Vaughn and McCallum cameo at some point. Make it happen, Guy Ritchie! In the meantime, check this one out. It's a lot of fun throughout.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015): ***/****

Man of Steel

First appearing in 1939 comic 'Action Comics 1,' Superman has become one of, if not the most recognizable superheroes around, right up there with Batman and Spiderman. He's come a long way in countless comics, even getting a 1950s TV show and ultimately feature films, starring Christopher Reeve, before disappearing for years (of sorts). Then, there was a 2006 reboot that the universe unanimously agreed was really, really bad. Well, it didn't take long for another reboot, 2013's Man of Steel. 

The planet Krypton is quickly dying, a father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe), saving his infant son by sending him off the planet at the last minute with Krypton's incredible power hidden away in the capsule. The space capsule travels through the galaxy, ultimately crashing on Earth where the infant is cared for and raised by a middle-aged farm couple. He grows up knowing he isn't quite normal, the young boy showing incredible feats of strength as needed. The boy, Clark, grows up and into his 20s and 30s, Clark (Henry Cavill) is still struggling to find himself as an outsider in this similar but ultimately strange world. He drifts from job to job, his strength and powers usually forcing him to leave sooner rather than later. Clark begins to find out who he really is as the years go by, all in time for him to fully embrace his superpowers. A survivor of Krypton, General Zod (Michael Shannon), has finally tracked Clark down after 30-plus years of searching the galaxy. Can Clark embrace his true self and help save Earth in the process?

Growing up, I was a Batman fan above all else. I'm pretty sure as a kid I watched the Christopher Reeve movies with my folks, but it's been years, and I don't have a great recollection of them. When I saw the teaser trailer way back in summer 2012 though for this Superman reboot, I was more than psyched. The talent behind the film was evident, director Zack Snyder (of 300 and Watchmen fame) working with producer Christopher Nolan (of the recent Batman trilogy) and a script from David S. Goyer (who wrote the Batman trilogy) working together to bring this reboot together. And going in, I think a distinction should be made. This is a movie about how Superman came to be, not an established Superman saving the world. It is exactly what a reboot should be, an explanation of how an iconic character that most of the audience knows and how he came to be that icon.

The obvious place to start is with Superman himself, Henry Cavill, the 30-year old British actor cast in the part of Clark Kent. A relative unknown in terms of star power before this role, Cavill is ideal casting. I thought he did a great job putting a new spin on a familiar character. This isn't the jokey, smart-mouthed Superman. Instead, Clark is an introspective, intelligent and even tortured individual trying to find who he is in this strange world. He has some similarities to us, but he also knows there is something very different and potentially dangerous about him, his powers coming to light as he grows up and learns his true identity. Now I should say, I'm a sucker for tortured anti-heroes dealing with their own demons, but I really enjoyed a far more serious, more cerebral superhero movie. It's hard not to compare this film to the Batman trilogy in that sense, a look at a superhero but without that comedy and sense of humor to fall back on. Oh, and as for Cavill? He looks like Superman, like he could pick a skyscraper up, save a bus from sinking in a river. The physical goes a long way.

What surprised me some in the development of the character was the reliance on the father-son dynamic between Clark and his father, Jor-El (Crowe nailing the part, "huge surprise" there), and his adopted father on Earth, Jonathan Kent, similarly played to perfection by Kevin Costner. It's a surprising dynamic that develops, Clark learning through he is through conversations with Jonathan, but also talking with his long-dead father through Krypton technology. It's those little things that bring the movie up a notch or two, Goyer's script providing some emotional, effective moments that ring true, not false as Clark becomes what he must become. In a weird way in terms of that father-son dynamic, 'Man' reminded me some of 2013's The Place Beyond the Pines in how it deals with that tricky relationship. It works though, right from the start, adding a layer to the story. Yeah, we've seen a Dad helping his son out before in movies, but how does a Dad help out his son who also has superpowers that could save or destroy Earth? Surprisingly, it's not that different.

From top to bottom, the cast may not have the instantly recognizable huge names, but I think that works in the movie's favor. Along with Cavill, Crowe and Costner, look for Amy Adams as Lois Lane, intrepid reporter who may be onto Clark's real identity and ability, Diane Lane as Martha, Clark's adopted mother, Harry Lennix and Christopher Meloni as Army officers tasked with finding the truth about Superman, Laurence Fishburne as Lois' editor at the Daily Planet, an underused Richard Schiff as a scientist working with the military, and Ayelet Zurer as Lana, Clark's real mother on Krypton who must decide what sacrifice to make with her son. As the villain, General Zod, Shannon is great casting, his huge presence a big positive in this reboot, Antje Traue as his indestructible right-hand officer.

Reading reviews, listening to friends, what caught me off guard was the hate this movie received. I don't know why. If anything, I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it's because I didn't go into the movie with any preconceived notions of what the movie should be, not being a diehard Superman fan. I came away very impressed from the get-go. The story is non-linear, bouncing around between flashbacks and the current time as Clark moves ever close to fulfilling his destiny. The storytelling device works, simple as that. Composer Hans Zimmer's score is big and booming and appropriate while the visual look of the movie -- polished, but slightly washed out, even faded -- similarly works very well. Even Superman's outfit is a darker, more pale blue, not that bright blue we've come to associate with the character. The action is solid, especially an epic showdown in Smallville, but I found myself more drawn to the story and the characters. Go figure.

In the months since the release of 'Man,' the franchise/series has been in the news because of where it's going. Instead of just continuing the Superman movies, the next movie will be Batman vs. Superman, scheduled for a 2015 release. I'm curious, even intrigued, but I can't say I'm excited. 'Man' leaves the story on such a good jumping off point that it seems almost a gimmick to revive Batman so quick and bring him into this series. That said, I'll probably go see it. If nothing else and not knowing where the franchise will go, 'Man' is a great jumping off point in itself. Lots of dissenters and haters out there, but make up your own mind. I for one, loved it.

Man of Steel (2013): *** 1/2 /****