TheReviewAwakens

Nearly 10 years since its release, there is still plenty to discuss when it comes to Michael Bay’s box office hit Pain and Gain. However, I was one of the audience members who didn’t gel nicely with the film and here is why.

I did’nt like Pain and Gain not because it was technically bad but because of its awful sense of morality and ill dudged humour. The film’s visual style did not help with this, it’s over the top, glossy and glamorous, but the subject material is nasty beyond belief. Considering the film is based off one of Miami’s most famous crimes, the film’s tone made the viewing experience hard to get through.

For a film like this, you have to keep it serious throughout and tone down the comedy and thrills as much as possible. Make it a drama, so it represents the story as true to heart as possible. There are some true crime stories where you can get away making it humourus and fun, however, this story is certainly not one of them.

The film gets the audience to root for the trio of Whalberg, Mackie and Johnson and the reality is that you don’t care because they are some of the most despicable people on the planet played by Hollywood’s most sought out and charismatic actors. Its a strange mix.

The film is taking a real life tragedy and at times attempts to poke fun at a few scenes, some of which actually happened including the now infamous barbeque scene. One of the more redeeming features of the film is the character of Ed Harris, who plays his part very well and his part doesn’t seem to exaggerated, a more down to earth segment to the whole picture.

However, the film never seems to help itself because of its lack of focus and direction. We get monologues from each character, therefore making the film feel sloppy. The opening few scenes are fairly entertaining but as soon as Kershaw is kidnapped, Michael Bay takes the audience through one of his roughest rides yet, the film makes you admire the moral innocence of his previous films such as Armageddon, The Rock and even to some extent Transformers, as all of the films never reached the disgust that Pain and Gain had reached for.

To add to this, the film did’nt get many positive reviews. In fact, one of the better reviews online that truly reflects the feelings I have towards it is Marc Kermodes review down below. Marc Kermode when into the film giving Michael Bay the chance to prove himself, considering that he has’nt been a true fan of his work.

However, this wont be a balanced piece unless I talk about the good. Like I said, Pain and Gain is a technically well made film. The production team knew exactly what kind of film they were trying to make and did it well. The music reflects the tone and the performances were full throttle, I just didn’t care about it because I find it disrespectful to the real people from the crime.

However, with all this said, should you see the film?

Its entirely up to you, although the film is offensive, it can be entertaining to watch and a fun adrenaline ride considering just how unique and ridiculous the story is. However, for more sensitive viewers, I recommend watching something else, the film just went too far tonally in some of the more darker parts of the story. For die hard fans of Bay films, the film pretty much has everything you would want and expect.

The film is showing on Netflix UK.

Author Bio

Sam is a content writer. He loves all elements connected with film and writes with passion, always. You can find him on Linkedin, where you will be able to read more articles. When he is not writing, you can find him practicing football

In anticipation of Moonfall hitting cinemas in just under 2 weeks, I thought I would do a bit of re-analysis on his work, in the hopes of Moonfall delivering the goods. What I’ve learned is that his focus on the human triumph whatever the circumstance is a colossal charm, that has become his USP. Lets take a look.

Roland Emmerich movies work best when he injects a sense of fun in his projects, whether how tragic they get. We will be exploring why and how 2012 missed the mark. For this article, I will be referencing films like Independence Day, Midway, White House Down and others.  

Let’s first start off with Independence day as it showed us that with the right attitude, resources and umph, humanity will always have a chance against an undeniably huge threat. 2012 on the other hand gives us an insight into the failings to combat the terrifying nature of the world coming to an end.

Emmerich wants us to have fun whilst millions lose their lives against a threat so huge no one can save them. The end result is more of a whimper than it is a triumph. It’s a stale ride that just manages to give the audience some brilliant explosions here and there.

The sense of fun is underlined by a sense of tragedy and a lack of uplifting comradery, thanks to some stale performances by John Cusack and a forgettable cast. It’s not that the actors are bad, it’s just the writing isn’t colorful.

In Emmerich fashion, the film does take you on a blockbuster ride, if so, a clumsy one at best. It takes you to different places and for that, the film is enjoyable, once you accept its journey. There are plane crashes, witty one liners, buildings crashing, underwater facilities, and moments filled with plenty of disbelief. I guess it is entertaining to watch the world end on a pure visual basis, which is a phrase I never thought I’d say.

To add this, if you compare the way the two films were shot, there is a huge difference. Independence Day had a visual glow, the explosions were fun and not tragic. From the first frame, 2012 has a more tame and grey look to it, it’s like the film is going for realism but it also wants to blow as many things up as possible. The drama collides with this which results in a confusing viewing experience. It came across as disorientating at times. The two tones don’t work.

However, this serious approach worked for other films such as his recent Midway. The serious visual look works better because the subject material is more serious. 2012, on the other hand, confused me, it’s a serious subject but made to be fun entertainment. It didn’t come across as natural. Whereas Moonfall has a plot that doesn’t feel so close to home, if executed right, I hope it doesn’t come across too tragic.

To say it again, when I say the film is tragic, it’s very tragic. There are some tear-jerking, heart- ripping moments, but not in a fun way. For example, this scene below is actually hard to watch, considering Emmerich’s body of work and his love for human triumph. Check it out.

This reminds me, I hope Moonfall contains the feeling of human triumph, it’s so important that this theme is in his films as I believe it has been a core component to his successful films, showing us that humanity is in charge and you feel a real love for the characters. A positive stride against any threat entering our planet. What a feeling.

White House Down, is one of his more underrated films, it does to some degree blend drama with comedy and action. White House Down had the wit of Tatum and Fox carrying the film forward, that’s what worked about the film and kept it engaging. The chemistry was fun and helped ease the drama.

We can look at other films such as The Patriots and Godzilla. Like Midway, The Patriot is based of history which usually results in a less humorous experience as it should be and Godzilla which I’d rather enjoyed had a good sense of adventure and wasn’t weighted by a severe sense of tragedy that it took away from the characters and the fun ride.

Are you looking forward to Moonfall?

Author Bio

Sam is a content writer. He loves all elements connected with film and writes with passion, always. You can find him on Linkedin, where you will be able to read more articles. When he is not writing, you can find him practicing football