Nemo: Roses of Berlin

Nemo: Roses of Berlin written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill.

I did not like this book at all. 

It felt rushed and all in all quite unlike a typical Alan Moore story. 

Even the stories of his set in the League world I didn't like have still been slowly paced with great character development.  Even the story set before this one, Nemo: Heat of Ice, had more depth and better pacing than this story.  This story felt more like a mass market version of a League story.  It felt produced by Marvel or DC not written by Alan Moore  This whole story felt rushed as it didn't seem to build on the world-building or mythology making Moore had done previously and what he's known for when he writes.  That's why I think it felt like a Marvel or DC comic it had a very soap opera feel to it that I don't normally associate with Moore.  His writing normally has more depth and better pacing.  He normally makes me care about what is going on but here I just didn't care as I found the story and characters rather dull and boring.

This story was further burdened by the weakness I've come to notice from Moore over the last few stories I've read set in the League world.  Namely his fascination with breasts, sex, and penises that seem to be there for no other purpose than he's writing with a publisher that doesn't have a comic code.  This whole issue has a feel of that one scene from Swordfish when Halle Berry shows her breasts for no other purpose than she wanted to because they didn't further the story nor were of any use of character development.  This issue reeks of that in about every panel. 

Nemo: Heart of Ice

Nemo: Heart of Ice written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill.


This is one of the best stories Moore has written set in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen world.  I didn't so much like his three book set in a specific time periods over the decades and centuries in the League world.  But this story has everything the first League book had and that made it great - passion, adventure, exploration, and good characters.  Moore really took his time crafting the character of Nemo's daughter. 

Exploration is the main theme of this story and Moore uses the isolated barrenness and whiteness of Antarctica to cement this story and the wonders Nemo's crew finds as they travel along the charted map of the original Captain Nemo.  The wonders they find are quite intriguing and have a hint of Ellis' Planetary, which isn't a bad thing by any means.  

The only downfall of this book is that I wished it had been longer - a six or more issue mini-series would have even made it better because then Moore could have explored the main characters even more.  Other than the shortness of the story this is a good addition to the League world and of course this story really let O'Neill showcase his gorgeous art as it perfectly gels with the writing of Moore.

The Bridge: Season 1

The Bridge: Season 1, starring Diane Kruger, Demian Bichir, and Ted Levine.

Not anything of a ground breaking show, but if you like cop shows where they track down a serial killer, than this show fits that mold perfectly.  It's not doing anything new like the HBO show True Detective, but this show knows what it is and doesn't try to reinvent the wheel.

This show follows the detecting abilities of two cops.  One from America, in El Paso, played by Diane Kruger who does some of her best acting as she's given a character with a lot baggage.  Kruger makes the most what she's given as she creates a very complex person.  The other cop is from Mexico, Juarez in perticular, and is played by Demian Bichir.  I thought he did a great job considering his character doesn't have a much baggage as the Kruger's character but is more the normal of the two.   Bichir really made his character come alive despite not have as much to work with as Kurger did.  Of the two Kruger definitely has the sexier role.  Ted Levine does what he always does and plays a perfect character as he proves he's one of the best character actors in the business.

The over all mystery of the serial killer has a Seven kind of feel to it with enough mysterious elements to keep the show moving along through all 13 episodes with ease.  There are three are other stories that play along side the serial killer story.  One of them was as engaging because it wove into the the serial killer story but the other two weren't near as engaging as the serial killer story.  As the season started to wind down one of the stories finally converged with the two cops, this ultimately helped to strengthen that story in leaps and bounds.  I did like how the creators of this show also started to set up their arc and story for season two because as I was watching season one I did wonder how they were going to follow up the serial killer story with a story as strong as it was.  I didn't need to worry because they planted enough clues and seeds that as the season winded down I wanted to watch the next season.  I don't see enough shows that seem to know what they are doing with stories, so needless to say when I do a show that isn't just running blind, I like that and will throw praise. 

Here's looking forward to Season Two.

Rio 2

Rio 2, starring the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Fox

Had a good time watching this with the family but I've got to say I wasn't all that please with the over all story line as it was quite boring considering the movie that had proceeded it.

There just didn't seem to be the same type of character development with these characters as Blue Sky put into the characters of Ice Age.  This movie just seemed to be missing the natural charm of the first movie.  There just seemed to be too many characters bouncing around with nothing to do.  They don't further the story nor do they develop as characters leaving this movie feeling rather stagnant.  Like I said before this is odd because of the great characters they offered up in Ice Age.  I  just don't see how they could make a movie this devoid of development.  A very forgettable film and not looking forward to the next movie.

300: Rise of an Empire

300: Rise of an Empire directed by some guy who I hope was just doing it to receive a paycheck, really only starring Eva Green and a bunch of other people.

A pointless movie that is only saved by the brilliant acting of Eva Green.

Eva Green is the only reason to see this movie.  She rises the worthlessness of everything about this movie and makes it better by just being in it.  Now if only the movie had focused on her character more, than this movie wouldn't have been half bad.  As it stands now this movie only has a beating heart when she is on screen, because when she is absent the movie panders on in a coma state.  But let me tell you when she is on screen she brings her character to life in ways no one thought she would.  She does the same thing in this movie that she did in Dark Shadows - she steals the entire movie out from everyone in it.  Even Jonny Depp didn't have a chance as he has become more a parody of himself than an actor -  but at least he isn't under self delusion that he's something more than he's not.  He knows he just picking up a paycheck and acts appropriately.  I just wish his acting would get better.  Eva Green doesn't seem to care what kind of movie she's in as she goes no holds barred into every character she plays and makes the movie that much better simply by her presence.  She's one of the few actresses I've seen that seems to make any B-movie worth watching simply for the fact she is in it.  There's not too many actors or actresses I can say that about.  

Here's looking forward to the next Eva Green movie.

The Raid: Redemption

The Raid: Redemption written and directed by Garth Evans, starring a lot of Asian actors who all do a great job with what they are given and handle the action scenes with fighting arms and kicking legs.

There's not much story line for this movie as it's basically just an all out action film with little characterization and standard character clichés but as long as you go the movie knowing that you'll have a good time.  I had a good time watching it but still couldn't turn my entire mind off as I watched it.

But I will admit the action scenes are good.  Evans does a great job of not over editing the action scenes but letting the audience actual see the actors  learned choreography - this is how a director is supposed to direct action scenes - without confusion.  They are filmed with great communication and completely over the top and are basically the only reason to watch this movie. 

The main failing of this movie is that it tries to put some twists and turns in the story despite the fact the movie doesn't invest anything in characters or story line.  So when the movie wants to put these types of twist, turns, or character development moments in the movie - they become to much, to late because they didn't have anything in the first to support these types of shifts when they come.  See the movie Die Hard for setting up characters and twists.  Also there really isn't a good villain to drive the action forward and any action movie needs a good villain to reflect the hero, which also this movie doesn't have.  There is no solid hero to root for.

Transformers Age of Extinction

Transformers Age of Extinction directed by Michael Bay, starring Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Jack Ryenor, Sophia Myles, and with the voices of John Goodman, Ken Watanabe, Frank Welker, Peter Cullen.

There's not much to say about an action movie directed by Michael Bay.  It's going to be loud and explosive as it functions much like a porn movie.  There will be some plot throughout the movie but what plot there is, is only filler material for the action scenes, in that regard a Michael Bay film is a porn movie where the sex scenes are replaced with action scenes. 

There is no plot to speak of in this movie and if you like action scenes as directed by Bay, you will like this movie because these scenes can go on for 10 - 15 minutes easily and longer as the movie nears it's run time of 3 hours, which is easily one hour to long.  The plot and story line of this movie makes the last three movies look like literary master pieces by comparison - I'm not joking by saying that either.  I could harp on and on about the plot but I figure why do it - this is a Bay film.  If you're looking for plot why are you seeing a Bay film at all?

I didn't go see it for the plot or story - I went to see it to spend time with my wife - who likes Bay films - and I had a good time because I knew what I was walking into before the movie started.  There were plenty of action scenes and plenty of shots of Victoria Secret models who were just in one scene for the sake that they were Victoria Secret model.  I remember one scene were an elevator opened and a Victoria Secret model was standing because I mean of course why wouldn't a Victoria Secret model being standing there in that sort of run down, crumbling building?  There were other shoots of women running, ducking, sitting, or just standing there who just happened to be Victoria Secret models in that one spot when something was needed to be on screen besides a Transformer. 

I will say this for this Transformer movie, it had the best of all the main characters out of the last three movies.  The only characters I remember and really liked from the first three movies are the two military characters played by Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson, other than that the other main character seemed to fall by the way side in leaps and bounds.  Only those movies didn't give those two guys enough scenes to do anything.  This movie had way better characters but didn't give them anything with story or plot to work with otherwise I think this could have been a seriously good movie.

Another question I have is why did the Dinobots only show up at the end of the movie?  Why not have them there sooner and use them to build on the mythology and world of the Transformers?  Question I would love answers to.  This is one thing I've never understood from this series.  Why they never built or even attempted to construct any sort of world building or mythology for the Transformers?  Everything seemed so spontaneous and obviously random.  If they had even attempted to do this I think I could have at least respected the series but not attempt was even made.  I look at the movie Pacific Rim as a good example of world building and creating mythology - yes the movie is cheesy and over-the-top but at least Del Toro attempted to create a real world, just like he always does. 

Django Unchained

Django Unchained written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Fox, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Walter Groggins, Don Johnson, and Jonah Hill.

Well this is a typical Tarantino film: filled with a lot of good scenes that don't add up to the sum of the film.  As always the many actors in this film have meaty and good lines to chew over but once again everything falls apart if you think to much about what his going on.  Once again Christoph Waltz completely steals the whole movie and when he's gone the movie doesn't have near the same life as it had when he was on screen. 

I can't even begin to describe how great an actor Christoph Waltz is.  He makes his character come alive in ways I know Tarantino didn't even know the character had life in it.  Waltz did the same thing in Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds as Waltz make the Nazis killer a more fascinating character than all the good guys in the movie.  He does the same thing here as he is a joy to watch on screen.  Even Dicaprio makes some great things happen with his villain as he becomes even more fascinating than the main character of Django as played by Jamie Fox.  This is all the fault of Tarantino who seems incapable of writing good guy main characters but instead writes better side characters or villains.  I don't know why his movies are like this but they are.

Can someone please tell me why the evil people in this movie are only evil when they need to be but suddenly become not as evil when put in a situation to be evil with the main character?  They chose to not castrate the main character, instead sending him to be a slave is much better way to punish him than by cutting his balls off.  This makes absolutely no sense in all of the world of the movie the characters live in. Why not castrate him and send him off to be slave?  One of the reasons they don't castrate him is because a castrated man has been known to bleed out and die.  And their point is what, that the man who just killed about everyone on the plantation might die?  Sounds like a reasonable solution to me or even if he lives he's not going to have balls to do anything and he will be slave in the process.  This part of the movie just ruined everything that had happened before as it contradicted the rules Tarantino had set up in his own movie, even if everything that happened before had been over the top.

Tarantino also doesn't know when to cut scenes that don't help the pacing or flow of the movie.  The KKK scene where the characters are talking about the hoods they're wearing.  This is a funny scene that feels like a scene lifted from Blazing Saddles or a comedy, which is movie is not, but yet doesn't add anything to the movie's over all story.  It involves characters I don't really know and doesn't have either of the two main characters, so over all it becomes a pointless scene that should have only been added to the deleted scenes on the DVD or put in another movie. 

Robocop (2014)

Robocop (2014) directed by some guy who was just picking up a paycheck so I can't really fault him for that unless he really thought he was doing something special, starring a bunch people who I hope were also just there to pick up a paycheck and weren't under the assumption they were making a better movie than the original: Michael Keaton and Gary Oldman - who ultimately steal this movie from all the special effects and spectacle on display.

Why was this movie even made?

The original Robocop is a classic, not just a sci-fi classic but a classic movie in general.  No amount of updating is going to make it better but will only make it worse as this movie proves.  Yes, the special effects are better.  Yes, the visuals of the movie are better.  Yes, the movie does look better than the original.  No, the story line is worse than the original.  I could go on and on about how this movie is completely different from the far superior and original Robocop but I won't.

This movie strives to humanize the main character but fails in the one aspect of not actually killing off the main character.  In the original the main character died so his journey to regain his humanity was a journey the audience took with him.  His savage, brutal, and gory death only helped to connect the viewer with him as it's shock value - even today his death is still shocking brutal and gory - was so shocking it opened up a wide vein of sympathy easily.  His death makes the journey of him rediscovering himself even more relatable as all people have taken his journey.  By not killing him off, in this remake, there is no journey for him to regain his humanity instead what the story feeds is it's criticism of big business as being after nothing but profits - humanity be damned.  I'm sure everyone has this feeling of big business trying to take their life away. 

No you haven't, neither have I.

The one thing I did like about this movie was the acting of Michael Keaton and Gary Oldman who for the most part helped this movie to be better than the sum of its parts.  Their characters, as they portrayed them, made them even more interesting than any of the main characters and the actors who played them.  It just goes to show you having really good actors can lift up even side characters versus the new, good looking actors who have about as  much personality as a MTV music video. 

This movie is bigger, louder, and loaded with more action, which seems to be the mode of operation for any Hollywood movie now-a-days.  As they hope all the spectacle and explosions will mask the fact there isn't really anything going on in the movie.  The end result of this movie is that the producers took a movie that had something to say and turned it into just another Hollywood agenda pushing movie.

Batwoman Elegy

Batwoman Elegy written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by J. H. Williams.

This is why I hate and don't buy any mainstream comics from Marvel or DC because they all have good ideas but it's their execution of those ideas that ruin the idea.  Here's a great example of a great idea and story line that becomes ruined because there isn't any time placed in developing characters or the storyline. 

This story needed a good long time to develop the main character of Batwoman - and her alternate identity - and the villain of the story.  Instead what the reader gets is a MTV version of the story that's paced like a Michael Bay film and what's left is a blenderized version of characterization, story, and ideas that become glossed over so quickly there's no connection to anything going on.  Which is a real shame because Greg Rucka has written a really good story that I really liked but because of the pacing and comic system, he's become another victim of the market.  The end result of the story line is that it becomes just another story in the comic system that could have been something very different but instead becomes just another typical comic on the shelf.

Even though the comic system has helped to destroy any kind of connection with story - which as I said before is no fault of Greg Rucka - the main reason to read this comic is for the gorgeous art by J. H. Williams.  His art is unlike anything else in comic world from his panel layouts and mixture of color and inking that divides Batwoman from her night escapades and her morning alternate identity.  Even the flashback scenes are rendered in a completely different style than what was appearing before.  All of this adds up to a visual display that is way more art form than typical comic book.  He's definitely one of the best comic artist out there and his art work alone is worth giving this comic book a read.

100 Bullets: Brother Lono

100 Bullets: Brother Lono written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Eduardo Risso.

This is just a short story set in the 100 Bullets world and I believe it's set in the aftermath from end of the 100 Bullets run, and it's a very welcome return to that world.  This is a character driven story about Lono one of the Minutemen from 100 Bullets as he lives with a priest and tries to atone for his past crimes and basically make a better life for himself.  But in the world of Azzarello crime always rears its ugly head and that world comes crashing down on Lono as he picks up his mantle of the Minutemen and shows these gangsters what a Minuteman is really about.

This is why I like creator owned and written comics because then you don't have a comic that's driven by a company and forced into a mold of a certain amount of issues.  This story is allowed to breathe.  Allowed to have characters actually talk without worrying about the next action scene.  This story is allowed to be paced without worrying about hurrying up and moving on to the next scene in a page or so. 

Azzarello writes criminals and film-nior better than a lot of people out there.  His violence is brutal as it's not just used for shock value but actually furthers the story and world he's creating and writing about.  And as always Risso's art blends extremely well with Azzarello's writing.  I'm glad he stuck around for the full 100 Bullets run and for this short story.

It was an interesting choice for Azzarello to use Lono as the focus on this story because of the violent and brutality that Lono is known for, which makes him a character that is hard to like.  But Azzarello defuses that unlike-ablity  with this story as it dives deeper into what makes Lono tick as he seeks redemption for his past.  Azzarello really grows him as a characters as the issues move forward and like I said above, Lono is given room to breathe and grow.

Here's hoping there's some future issues set in this world, as Azzarello and Risso prove here, there is much treasure to be found within the 100 Bullets world. 

Saga

Saga written by Brain K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples.

The premise of this story is what ultimately drew me to it as it represents a married couple raising their child in a chaotic universe.  I don't come across many stories that focus on a marriage and couple raising a child.  There just aren't too many stories out there like that, for some reason writers don't think marriage and raising a child present many conflicts.  I'm thoroughly glad Vaughan and Staples decided to mine this concept that has conflict galore erupting from it and then they add a Romeo and Juliet aspect to it that just further heaps all kinds of conflict into the mix.  The end result is, hands down, the best written comic on the market right now as well as the best comic being produced.  There's really nothing like it coming out right now nor like it ever.

This comic proves without a shadow of doubt that Vaughan is the best writer in comics.  I've everything he's written and he doesn't recycle or regurgitate story lines or characters.  Everything he creates is fully unique and completely unlike anything being written now.  He also takes cliched ideas and spins them in a 180 degree circle compared to what the original ideas were.  He's the master reinventing old ideas.  As my brother and I say, everything has been told, nothing is really new;   every story or idea then becomes based on how you tell it - that is what makes it new or fresh, in the actually telling of the story.  Never get under the delusion that what you are creating is something new, just make it interesting with some good characters to guide the audience through the story.  Vaughan certainly has created some very compelling and complex characters to act as guide through this world he's built, never forgetting what makes them characters as he doesn't let them act out of character despite how it might make story line evolve.  I am hugely looking forward to seeing how this story ends.  That's another thing I like about Vaughan, unlike normal comics that have the soap opera style of never ending or expanding anything, Vaughan's stories all have actual endings, which means he knows where's he going with an idea and is not just putting stuff out there for the sake of putting something out there.

Another thing about Vaughan he only seems to work with one artist on a story, which makes what they create seem very special and novelistic.  Fiona Staples is up to the challenge of drawing Vaughan's universe and immersing the reader in a science fiction world.  Her concepts and designs are remarkably fresh as she blends in with Vaughan's writing style with ease. 

I also like the fact there is no real villain in this story and the main "villain" - and I use that word loosely - is just a person trying to get home to his pregnant wife.  He was just pushed into pursuing the two star crossed lovers and their child by a government.  He has nothing really invested into what is going on, other than to get the job done and get home, which makes him very relate able and interesting.

This is a comic book series well worth the time to read and invest in.

Skin Game

Skin Game written by Jim Butcher.

This book came out and I read through it so fast I forgot to write a review of it, so here it is.  This is not a book to be read by a casual person if you haven't read the previous books in the series.  You need to start with book one and work your way through the series - trust me you will be rewarded like no other series out there for doing just that.

This is hands down the best over all books series I've ever read. 

Butcher continues to grow characters and world build on a level I haven't experienced for anything media related, be it a book, a movie, or a television series.  Nothing compares to what Butcher is doing here.  Nothing at all.  It's to the point that when I finish reading his new book I want the next one to come out immediately.  He has his claws so firmly planted in not just my mind, but my nerd genes, that their talons are sunk in very deep.  Not that I'm complaining mind you because I love returning to his world every time a new book comes out.  I love seeing how the ramifications from the last book have affected the new book and believe there are consequences for every decision and action that happen in one book.  Some of them are on a grand scale, while other can be on a more intimate scale but it doesn't matter because there are consequences for decisions made or actions taken.  Butcher lives up to that in every book, which is good to as he doesn't cheat his reader with lame, cliched fantasy but injects his urban fantasy with much needed reality.

Butcher can write action scenes like no one writing books now but it's not his actions scenes or wildly crazy scenarios that keep me coming back for more (those are some of the reason but not the top reasons by any shot).  It's his rich tapestry of characters that I've come to know over the course of what 14 or 15 books so far, I enjoy watching them grow.  Some of my favorite scenes in any of his books are when his characters just sit down and talk about what it going on in their lives because when Butcher does this his characters really come alive as their development continues in ways I don't find in too many places media related.  These are my most favorite moments in his books and Skin Game is, happily enough, filled with a lot of these scenes. 

For those of you who follow the series.  Butcher once again ups the ante with this book as changes are once again on the horizon.  Micheal makes a welcome return - I will leave it at that.  Looking forward to the next book, when ever it comes out.  So, until then I will be taking my time as I continue to reread through the series, which is as much rewarding for the little details I missed when I went through it for the first time.







 

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones directed by someone who I don't know, with actors in it who I never really cared for, made by a movie studio that was more concerned with cashing in on the youth market than making a good movie - and it shows in every frame of this film.

I didn't really like the book that this movie is based on and the movie version is just like the book version: nice idea but horribly executed.  Funny thing is the movie could have been loads better than the book easily if someone would have actually cared about the material.

The story moves so fast with information and characters that it's really hard to care about anything going on in the movie.  By fast I mean the story is more concerned with getting on to the next plot point than any actual story or character development.  What really pisses me off about this story is that it's actually a good idea - the book was the same way - it's just so amateurish in the way everything unfolds and is revealed that it ends up insulting the viewer in every way possible.  The Harry Potter theft is terrible, childish, and doesn't really make any sense because the two worlds are completely different.  Therefore the theft didn't even need to there to begin with.

If however you do like fantasy specifically urban type of fantasy and don't mind wasting two hours, then you might enjoy this movie. 

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel written and directed by Wes Anderson, starring (and it's a long list, Ralph Finnes, Jude Law, Bill Murray (a staple in an Anderson film even if it is for only a few scenes or a few lines of dialogue), Tilda Swindon, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Jason Schwartzman, Saoire Ronan, Tom Wilkinson, and Own Wilson.

This is another Anderson film where the production design and over all feel of the movie overshadowed everything else in the movie and becomes like the hotel by the movies end - empty and lifeless with only a barest of a pulse.

And yes that is the list of actors that seem to always appear in a Wes Anderson film.  I've been trying to think what to write about this movie and Wes Anderson since I saw the film. What I've come up with that the one thing that either makes or breaks a Wes Anderson film is Wes Anderson himself.  He can get in his own way from making a good film.  The two best films he's made is Rushmore and Moonrise Kingdom and the main reason those films were as good as they turned out is because Anderson got out of his own way and let the characters in the movie be actual characters.  When he doesn't get out of his own way the production design and over-all general feel of the movie take center stage over everything else going on in the film and the end result is what happens in The Grand Budapest Hotel, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and The Darjeeling Limited.  Occasionally there's middle ground with an Anderson film as is the case with The Royal Tenenbaums and The Fantastic Mr. Fox - both of those I really like.  Like I said before when he misses, he really misses, and those films look beautiful and engaging but there's a hollowness in them that just can't be filled with grand production. 

The one thing I do really like about him is the overall feel and production design he brings to the table because there is no doubt when you see a Wes Anderson that you're watching a Wes Anderson film.  He has such a unique style for the world he creates.  There truly is no one else out there that makes movies like he does.  That being said though I wish he'd focus more character because when he does that his movies are fun to watch and the world he's created is fun to explore.

I hate it when a movie has this many actors in it yet there's hardly any scenes when those actors are acting together.  Instead what is there is a bunch of scenes of them staring into a camera and regurgitating lines from a screenplay with little or no passion but everything does look beautiful.  Anderson is the indie version of Tarantino as he able to gather a large group of actors and dazzle them "juicy" dialogue that quickly becomes rotten when thrown from the tree because it never feels like it's truly connected to what is going on in the movie. 

G. I. Joe Retaliation

G. I. Joe Retaliation directed by John M. Chu, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Bruce Willis.

I will say this for this movie, it was hugely better and more entertaining than the first Joe movie by leaps and bounds.  Even saying that though I don't mean this is a great film by any means but I was entertained for the time I watched.  The fact I wasn't expecting much out of the film I expect  contributed  to the entertaining factor and enjoyment I found while watching it.  But other than that this movie doesn't really do much than revel in the cliche, offering nothing new to the action genre nor to movies in general. 

Bruce Willis seems to be playing John McClane in every action movie he stars in even if his character isn't called John McClane.  The one thing I like about him doing that is that I don't think he's under the false impression that he's doing something great, he's just riding the road the character John McClane has provided for him: namely that is keeping him working.  In all honesty Willis playing any variation of John McClane in any movie is better than some actor being pretentious about a part their playing saying the screenplay is all of that or the story line really drew them to want to do the movie, when in all reality the whole thing is complete rubbish.  Willis doesn't seem to be under that pretension, which is why his movies still have a heart beat of honesty and entertaining ability even if they aren't always good. 

This movie is saved by Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis who really help everything come together and make the movie much better than the story line deserved.