It
has been proven at this point that comic-book movies don`t have to suck.
The Matrix and Blade opened the door to the idea of comic-book style translated
to films without the embarrassing attempt to just copy the paper version
into live action, and X-Men pretty much sealed the deal. The secret is
not to be too faithful, without losing so much of the character that the
story becomes completely generic (as with the Punisher movie.)
Witchblade
succeeds on the first count, as it doesn`t feature the skimpy, techno dental
floss costume of Sara Pezzini in the comics (not surprising, since such
a costume would be difficult to recreate in reality) or most of the other
comic-book trappings. However, it does slip a little too far into the other
territory... this is not a movie about the Witchblade, it`s your average
B-grade cop drama, a watered down NYPD Blue with fantastic elements that
seem more than a little out of place.
As
a cop drama, it`s not bad. It`s not NYPD Blue or Law & Order or Homicide,
but it`s not Cop Rock either. Everyone plays their roles fairly straight,
not going too over-the-top, as actors are wont to do in a comic-based project.
Yancy Butler has to carry the story, as everyone else is given fairly minor
parts, and she`s very convincing as a regular cop who doesn`t really believe
in all this mystical crap. Her reaction to the Witchblade`s "hallucinations"
are very nice, not played as hysterics or shock but more a subtle belief
that she`s cracking up. And she holds her own in verbal fencing with Ian
Nottingham and Kenneth Irons.
In
fact, I found it refreshing that the characters, though stereotypes in
design, didn`t come across as cardboard or stupid. The captain was a restrained,
even warm, person, rather than the gruff and barking supervisor who secretly
admires his cops. Both of Sara`s partners, played by William Yun Lee and
David Chokachi, give solid performances. Her second partner, Jake, in many
ways the roguish free bird type, comes across as a real person with confidence,
rather than an unbelievably cocky jerk, which is how most actors would
have played the part. Ian Nottingham, the professional killer working for
Kenneth Irons, is also nicely done, as Eric Etebari brings a quiet intensity
to the role. Even Anthony Cistaro, forced to play the enigmatic Kenneth
Irons with such lines as "It is a riddle, cloaked in a mystery, wrapped
in a conundrum," overcomes the weaknesses in the script to come across
as a sinister, creepy and intelligent character.
However,
there is most certainly some "movie of the week" acting going on as well.
Butler is sometimes a bit too expressive, and anger, sadness or confusion
comes out instead as a near-breakdown in her face. And Gallo, the generic
mobster who kills Sara`s partner, is played way over-the-top. The final
sequence actually features the character admitting that his dialogue is
a bad B-movie cliche, in between the rest of the scenery-chewing that the
actor does.
In
fact, this is also a flaw in the script, in that the relationship between
Gallo and Pezzini isn`t built up enough, given that their conflict is really
the driving plot of the pilot, as opposed to learning about the Witchblade
and the introduction of Nottingham and Irons, both of whom are mostly extraneous
to the plot, if not the atmosphere the movie is trying to build.
But
most of the flaws have nothing to do with the actors, or even the B-grade
script. No, the problems came in post-production. The combat sequences
are embarrassing, and most of the montage sequences fail the movie, dragging
the quality of the whole thing down. They seem to have been cut by an editor
from MTV with attention deficit disorder. A training sequence in a gym
eats up time but serves little other purpose, and most of the flashbacks
work in evoking a dreamlike, surreal feel but don`t impart the information
that they`re trying to. The jump cuts between scenes, attempting to echo
NYPD Blue or maybe Angel, seem out-of-place and pointless, since they`re
not being used to establish a scene but rather just for effect. And the
music is even worse. Made up of generic pop music and a heavy-handed score,
it doesn`t play with subtlety underneath the scenes, but rather blasts
through the speakers, overwhelming whatever is actually going on. The sound
effects guys didn`t do the movie any favors either, adding a metallic clanking
sound whenever the Witchblade impacted with anything, further reinforcing
that it`s a goofy prop rather than anything mystical or special.
And
that`s the biggest failure of the film, and a crucial element. Rather than
being a conduit for mystical power, the Witchblade seems like a clunky
glove with a blade attached. In one sequence, it`s used pretty much the
same way Linda Carter used Wonder Woman`s bracelets, giving way to an inadvertently
hilarious sequence where Butler is forced to hold her arm up in front of
her, not moving it, with sound effects convincing us that bullets are bouncing
off that (and not coming anywhere near the rest of her body) while she
fires back with her gun. In another, she holds up the glove with blade
attached in a menacing fashion, and while the actors dutifully respond
with fear, it`s hard not to chuckle at the obvious prop.
This
is not a terrible movie. It`s a damn sight better than most of Marvel`s
direct-to-video efforts, and more enjoyable than Batman and Robin. I`d
put it at about the same level as shows like Hercules, Xena or VIP but
without the same nudge-nudge acknowledgement of its own cheesiness. With
the same actors, some sharper writing and a completely different post-production
team, there could really be something here. There`s a germ of a good show
here, and in that respect, I`d have to call it a successful pilot. If no
series materializes though, I`d call it just another addition to the legions
of cheesy made-for-TV movies.
