MYST 7 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire

From the period 1989 to 1999, animation mastermind Disney released a series of movies known as the 'Disney Renaissance.' The apparent 'golden age' of Disney filmography was a series of 2-dimensional animated musicals that were extremely popular and highly respected and honored in the field of animated cinema, and these movies represent the apparent 'golden age,' or highest peak of popularity, of the Disney license and name. This Renaissance created huge stimulation and success for the Disney image, and was a huge factor in their cultural integration and growth of power throughout the centralized movie industry. This list is a powerhouse example of animated films, and contains some of the most prominent examples of the greatest epic Disney films of the peak era, with gems such as 'Tarzan,' 'Hercules,' 'The Lion King,' 'The Little Mermaid,' and 'Beauty and the Beast,' just to name a few.

However, this Renaissance was truly the peak point for the Disney brand name. After this 10-year period, there were a large number of animated Disney films that simply fell under the radar. Because of a decline in popularity after 'Tarzan,' the final movie of the Renaissance, the animated Disney label fell to the popularity of CGI and the instigation of Pixar as THE major front-runner of the Disney name turned the 2D animation studio to dust. It's a shame, too, because there are some beautiful gems of movies in the early 2000s of Disney filmmaking that simply disappeared under the Pixar name (I won't be reviewing it, but Disney 'Treasure Planet' is one of those movies. Seriously. If you haven't seen this movie, it's incredible. Go watch it). Thus, when the transition was made, some of Disney's other movies were lost along with the popularity.

'Atlantis: The Lost Empire" is one of those very movies.

Going into it, I had heard of it, but I had not heard very positive things from critics regarding the quality of the movie, so suffice to say, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this picture. Most of the complaints that I heard regarding the quality of 'Atlantis' was often in comparison with many of the films from the Renaissance, and how 'Atlantis' was no 'Lion King,' or no 'Hercules' (although, let's face it, any animated movie has a tough time against the Renaissance. That's like putting any modern rapper in a rap battle against prime 2Pac and Biggie. It's just not fair).

Good God, were those critics wrong.

'Atlantis' takes place in 1914 America, where we meet linguist Milo, son of an extravagant explorer convinced of the existence of the lost city of Atlantis. When he discovers his father's ancient journal, a map to Atlantis known as the 'Shepard's Journal,' Milo embarks with a legendary crew to explorers to set off and find Plato's lost city. This was Disney's first ever entry into the science-fiction canon, and for a first time attempt, the execution was simply stunning.

First of all, this is the most beautiful animated movie I think I've ever seen, ever. There's no lag, no cut, no issues with frame rate, and much in the manner of a 'Matrix,' the movie retains a blue depth throughout the entire movie. Playing with different concepts such as light, variance, and a mix of 2D and 3D animation, especially in the underwater fight with the Leviathan, portrays this beautiful, sophisticated elegance throughout the movie. It's beautiful to look at, beautiful to listen to, and even more beautiful to feel engaged in. Overall, in terms of the editing, this is the most beautiful Disney film I've ever seen, and you're looking at a kid who grew up watching classic Disney.

The movie also feels like a quality Disney film. There's zaniness, flamboyancy, and the non-princess Princess of this Disney epic is absolutely stunning. There are all of the elements of what people usually associate with quality Disney work, and none of it is missing throughout the piece. Introducing us to a plethora of characters throughout the different aspects of the story, we get the comedic bomb-squad Eastern European, the quirky Frenchman digging specialist, and even more. There's that Disney aspect of fantasy and over-the-top animation, and all of that is apparent throughout the intricacy of the atmosphere.

The Atlantean landscape is by-far the coolest part of the movie. It's incredible to see so many different parts of the different mythical landscape come to life, and the fact that Disney takes the time to engage the voice actors and keep the consistency of the plot moving along is what keeps the movie so active and engaging throughout the beauty of the surrounding scenery, more beautiful than the vast majority of Disney films, and arguably just animated films in general, that have been created thus far.

However, what I think is the most interesting and impressive part of this movie is how little it is like any other Disney film out there (maybe except 'Treasure Planet,' there are similarities there). There isn't any music, there isn't a princess in a castle, there isn't a little village, and while love is a good part of the story, the overarching theme becomes more about greed, human nature, and the destructive capabilities of monopoly. It's a very smart film, and does away with the traditional machine of Disney movies, trying to touch more upon the philosophical nature of the human psyche with regards to greed and desire. That sophistication is what drives the most unique and entertaining aspect of 'Atlantis.'

Unfortunately, as beautiful as 'Atlantis' is, it's not without it's faults.

The biggest issue that I had when watching this film is that I couldn't decide whether or not 'Atlantis' wanted to be a family-friendly romp. Usually, this isn't much of a big deal, but 'Atlantis' seemed to be jumping back and forth with respect to its tone. On one hand, Milo is the weird, quirky kid that every little kid wants to relate to, with big dreams of Atlantis and exploring and becoming a big part of the world around him. However, the movie also constantly references alcohol, sex, and makes more than one specific reference to gun violence, so much so that it feels so much more mature than any other Disney movie before. Personally, I have no issue with it, but it did make me feel a little more uncomfortable that mass gun violence used against the Atlanteans was in the same movie that talked about Milo's 'self-discovery.'

Also, as beautiful as some of the scenery was (I don't take back what I said. This is Disney's prettiest movie), sometimes the story wasn't nearly as interesting. There are a decent amount of cliches that pop up in a few parts of the movie, and while cliches, especially in the Disney world, are nearly unavoidable, the ones here were almost totally overdone. Whether it's the stereotypical 'militant badass goes bad' or 'hero falls in love with native' or 'loser's life changes because of one thing on one specific day,' there are cliches, and they aren't unnoticeable. While most of the time, they don't really matter because the story is engaging, at the same time, it does make the viewer wish that Milo could get to the Atlantis expedition in some way OTHER than being Disney's stereotypical social reject. Or, something maybe one step higher.

Overall, this is one of my new favorite movies. Aesthetically, it's gorgeous, it's engaging, it's cute, and it's a Disney movie that doesn't feel like it's trying to overdo itself. While there are cliches that exist in key points in the story, and while it really doesn't know whether it wants to be adult or child oriented, the movie nevertheless keeps an engaging plot line, maintains the classic Disney feel, and makes a very interesting commentary on the human nature of greed and desire. While Disney may have had it's 'Renaissance' already, there are a number of Disney films such as this that, unfortunately, have fallen out of popularity in the shadows of princesses and ape-men. And it's a shame, too, because these are some beautiful pieces of cinema that will never get the true respect they deserve.

I give 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' an 9/10.

'Short Term 12' and Dialogue

One of the most defining aspects of a movie is its ability to convince the audience that it isn't a movie. Some of the best modern films are the ones that make you forget you're watching a movie and are instead experiencing a story through the eyes of the people you're watching. A script can make or break a movie. If the writing in a movie is incredibly realistic and convincing (i.e Schindler's List), then the movie becomes more of an experience than it does a piece of cinema. However, if the dialogue sounds like it written by someone with zero education just trying to make something out of nothing (i.e Baz Lurhmann's crap-tastic Romeo and Juliet), then the movie just becomes a chore to sit through and forces the audience to suffer along with the characters in the movie having the most negative backlash possible.

What made 'Short Term 12' so wonderful was the dialogue. And it's why this is one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time.

The subject of troubled teens is a really tough one to try and piece together. A lot of the time, when you start delving into deeper subjects such as abuse, neglect, and abandonment, especially in the realm of the modern teenager, there are 15 different cliched paths that open up in front of you. It takes a specific mindset of a director to try and work with the subject. Whether it's the abusive father, or the neglectful mother, or the uncontrollable anger, these are sad topics, but unfortunately modern film-making has made them very, very fragile to the openness of the modern cliche.

What makes 'Short Term 12' so much different from these other films is the angle that the film takes. We open with this new character, Nate, and immediately, the audience is thrown into the idea that Nate is our main character, and we are opening up to a story about his development and his interactions with these kids slowly improving over time. This is a huge cliche, and it makes for a very boring movie. If you want this sort of cliched trauma inflicted upon teenagers, watch 'Cyberbully.' Trust me. It's a grind.

However, Nate is far from the main character of this spectacle. The main character we are supposed to be focusing on is his partner and in-charge Brie Larson, who plays a woman broken by her past and trying to remedy it by surrounding herself with teenagers she can try and protect in the way that she wasn't. Normally, this would be a cliche in-of-itself, but what '12' does so ingenuously is lead the audience on, pretending to go a cliched route, then throwing you completely for a loop.

One of the most poignant examples of the dialogue in the movie is a very dark, grotesque scene about halfway through. Jaden, the picturesque 'gothic rebel' in the picture, is sitting with Brie's character, and it outlining a story about an octopus who befriends a shark, who constantly takes apart the octopus bit-by-bit in exchange for friendship. It doesn't take long for the audience to realize that Jaden isn't talking about sea creatures here; the shark is her father, and the octopus is Jaden. I almost walked out of the room, this scene hurt so badly to watch. There's a lot of silence in this particular moment of dialogue, mostly because of the audience's awareness of Brie's characters' horrible relationship with her father in the past. Because the dialogue carries an instigation of silence, the traumatic realization is very difficult for the audience to perceive, and it allows us to get a psychological insight not only into the constant pain that Jaden has to suffer at the hands of her merciless father, but also into the origins of empathy that Brie's character has for someone in Jaden's situation.

We see another example of this development with the character Mason. He's cool, funny, intelligent, has beautiful hair, a sick beard, and an attitude of a little kid. He's meant to provide comic relief throughout the movie, and often makes us smile when we see him on-screen with his (surprise!) girlfriend, Brie Larson. However, one of the most poignant moments of the film's dialogue comes during an instigation between Larson's character and Mason outside of a hospital, when we see Mason take on a different, more serious facade, telling his girlfriend in the heat of her psychological meltdown 'you need to LET ME INTO YOUR HEAD sometimes.' Psychological problems are an apparent theme throughout the majority of the film, not only the in troubled teens but also in the people who work in 12. Because we are given serious insights into the way that the characters interact, the psychological remedy of the dialogue really helps to give the aspect of seriousness and believable nature to character development and understanding.

It's the fact that the dialogue throughout the movie doesn't feel forced, or fake, or that it was even written down on a script. You can't tell that the characters have memorized a script, but instead it just feels like a bunch of people ingenuously advertising themselves as someone else. The dialogue flows throughout the movie, interwoven with periods of silence during more serious scenes of the movie. One of the prime reasons the movie doesn't have any sort of 'breaks' is because there's a set tone of dark optimism present throughout the movie, and because silence and dialogue are so ingeniously woven like a thread, it feels natural.

Dialogue can make or break a movie. It made 'The Breakfast Club,' and it broke 'Paranormal Activity 3.' 'Short Term 12' is a beautiful movie, made beautiful by the natural taste of it's crisp script. None of it feels forced, and none of it feels unnatural, and we can empathize with every one of the characters because it sounds as though they carry these natural voices, and that they aren't actors. It's that convincing nature of character interaction and script that makes the movie so poignant, and keeps it from delving into the realm of cliche.