Today's Triple News: Scar-Jo transcends Tarzan

Three news flashes today, I've been busy!:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/153735/harry_potter_regisseur_neemt_herverfilming_tarzan_op_zich

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/153733/nieuwe_trailer_en_poster_transcendence

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/153709/eerste_trailer_en_poster_voor_under_the_skin

Not much 'news' among all this news. Tarzan is one of those literary characters that has been made all the more iconic because of the movies, and has been remade, revamped, and reimagined over and over again, giving us a new take on the character every five years or so. In fact, the last version, a German produced animated 3D movie, only debuted this Christmas. But it's been a while since Hollywood did a live-action remake of the Lord of the Apes, and now is as good a time as any. Then again, the last Edgar Rice Burroughs character that got himself a major blockbuster film didn't do so well: remember John Carter? I loved it, but unfortunately most other people couldn't care less (bastards!). That said, this was JC's first movie (and sadly, quite probably his last...), while Tarzan has proved himself an enduring screen legend many times over, putting him into the same category as those other big instantly recognizable big name movie franchises that keep coming back, the likes of Godzilla, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula and King Kong. David Yates seems like the right man for the job, having directed four huge box office hits for Warner already (all Potter, so kind of a one-note big budget career, but still). The hunky Swedish vampire Alexander Skarsgard is set to star, no doubt the tallest and blondest actor to have played the character thus far. I hope Jane won't mistake him for a tree as she seeks a vine to swing with. And no doubt Tarzan's gorilla posse will be digital. In the wake of the success of the rebooted Planet of the Apes saga, more on-screen apes should have been expected.

Not exactly remakes, but still suspiciously familiar to movie buffs, is the subject material of both Under the Skin and Transcendence. The former introduces a hot woman looking for men to have sex with, actually being a succubus alien abusing mankind for her own sinister schemes. That screams Species, a lot. And the "plot twist" that she starts to understand and love humanity hearkens back to Species 2, where the former antagonist underwent a 180 degree objective shift and become loveable. Nevertheless, this looks much more esoteric and dreamy than those films, arguably executed to be the arthouse version of that story. Or something else entirely, as a lot of plot material for this film is still left vague. Maybe the trailer only reminds us of Species, while the actual film turns out a whole different animal entirely. No matter. Any film that gets Scarlett Johansson stark naked doing the nasty throughout sounds like it's worth a film nerd's while. And before you accuse me of being a pervert, let me remind you I'm only watching the stuff she chose to act in. I didn't make it.

The latter trailer - of Transcendence, for those readers with short term memory imperfections - features a human intelligence downloading himself into a supercomputer, after which his newfound power gets the best of him and mankind's fate soon hangs in the balance. Also a case of 'been there, done that, keeps being an interesting topic'. Avid Sci-Fi geeks will recognize most of the plot from various episodes of Star Trek, The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, but first and foremost to my mind came the seminal computer thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970). That film involved a Cold War supercomputer based on the brain patterns of its creator, that linked with its Soviet counterpart and subsequently decided to end all human conflict by imposing its rule upon mankind. As is typical of the gloomy atmosphere of the late Sixties and the early Seventies (gotta love those dark downer endings!), it did not leave room for a happy end as ultimately, the computer triumphed and man basically became his bitch. I don't think Transcendence will have the balls to go that far. Though not devoid of addressing interesting notions on the increasingly fine line between man and machine, its otherwise looks like a standard Hollywood Sci-Fi action flick, complete with love interest (triangle, even?) and no doubt an ending that won't prove so depressing for the general audience that merely seeks diversive entertainment. That said, it looks like a very enjoyable standard Hollywood Sci-Fi action flick, one which I fully intend to see. After all, when movies fail to develop new ideas and resort to recycling those that came before, what else is a movie lover to do?