First of all, I want to wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving. I hope y’all have some great food and having a great day. Continuing with The Best of 2016, I’m going to be covering action movies this time around. Now, for this entry, I will lumping martial arts movies and disaster movies into one category. So, let’s get right to it.
Runner Up #1:
Star Trek Beyond
I know that a lot of people have had issues with these new Star Trek movies, but I found them to be pretty damn good. Are they on the same level as the original films? Not remotely. But they are still really good action movies with some really strong characters. The third entry into the J.J. Abrams-rebooted franchise sees the crew of the USS Enterprise up against their most devastating enemy yet. Stranded on a planet with no hope of rescue from Starfleet, Captain James T. Kirk has to rescue his crew and prevent this new enemy from destroying everything he’s fought to protect. This movie is an absolute blast. It’s got incredible visual effects and is basically non-stop. The film doesn’t skimp on character development either, as we see the film focus more on the relationship between Spock and McCoy. This is a legitimately thrilling film. Sadly, it’s also the last film that Anton Yelchin completed before he passed away. Leonard Nimoy also passed away, although his passing was during the writing process of the film, so there’s an element of loss associated with the film. It’s a hell of a movie, though.
Runner Up #2
Kill Zone 2(A.K.A. SPL II: A Time for Consequences)
Kill Zone 2 is the follow-up film to the Donnie Yen action-thriller released back in 2005. While a sequel in name only, Kill Zone 2 manages to be almost as good. While the action in the film is really good with some of the best fight choreography I’ve seen in years, it’s the performances of the main actors that really had me glued to the screen. This is easily Tony Jaa’s best performance of his career. While he is certainly a physical powerhouse, he’s allowed to flex his acting muscles here, and provides a very compelling performance as a prison guard whose daughter is dangerously ill and in need of a bone marrow transplant. Wu Jing is an undercover cop investigating the illegal organ trafficking that’s been taking place in a prison in Thailand. This is a really solid martial arts film that needs to be seen. Ever since Tony Jaa has been allowed to start making movies outside of Thailand, he’s really beginning to make a name for himself.
Runner Up #3
The Wave
Disaster movies are pretty much a dime a dozen in this day and age. With movies like Dante’s Peak, 2012, and The Day After Tomorrow, we’ve seen the entire planet come to ruin because of some fantastical event that destroys everything. That being said, The Wave is the first disaster film from Norway, and it is a tight, white-knuckle experience. Unlike a lot of other disaster movies, this one is definitely based in reality. The film takes place in a town that’s in fjord, where the nearby mountain periodically has landslides that create large tsunamis. This is not fiction, this stuff happens, and the government has the whole thing down to a science as to how long it takes for the wave to hit the town. Great performances and really good visual effects make this film a must-see.
Runner Up #4
Ip Man 3
While there have been other actors who have played Ip Man, the Wing Chun grandmaster, none have been as memorable as Donnie Yen. Ip Man 3 is the third entry featuring Donnie Yen in the title and it may be the best entry in the series yet. While the previous films have been choreographed by Sammo Hung, the action in this new one has been designed by the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping. This film is an absolute rush. This is the most personal that we’ve seen Ip Man, with his wife being diagnosed with cancer, so not only does Ip Man have to pay attention to that, he also has to deal with a mobster played by “Iron” Mike Tyson, in one of the coolest fight scenes I’ve ever seen. He also has to contend with a rival Wing Chun master played by Max Zhang. I like this entry the best, because it’s more grounded as far as the fights go, and not nearly as much wire-work. Oh, there’s still some, but it’s not as prevalent. It’s definitely worth checking out.
The number 1 spot for action movies goes to……………
Hardcore Henry
I have to say: Of all the action movies I’ve seen over the course of my life, I’ve NEVER seen anything quite like this. I know that’s hyperbolic, but it’s true. This movie is unique. I’ve seen movies that have action sequences that utilize the first-person perspective, but an entire movie? That’s never been done before, to my knowledge. Well, Hardcore Henry is one of the most spectacular and thrilling action movies of the past decade. The filmmakers take a bunch of Go-Pro cameras and attach them to stuntmen playing the titular character, who never speaks. As a result, the action is absolutely frenetic and insane. All the stunts are done for real, while there are some visual effects used, it’s mostly done practically. It reminds of my favorite video-game genre: The first-person shooter. It plays out just like a video game, except it’s not a video game. It’s just fucking awesome. If you suffer from motion-sickness, you may want to stay away. But for all the action junkies out there, this is really, really good. Sharlto Copley is in fine form here. He’s absolutely bonkers. I love it.
That’s going to do it for action movies. For my next post, I will be discussing Horror movies and thrillers. There were a couple of good ones this year, so stay tuned.