Hanna

I probably couldn't have been more excited about seeing Hanna. I thought the trailer looked bad ass and exciting and action packed and fun! Plus, it's directed by Joe Wright, the guy behind the superb and wonderful Atonement (and, also, the completely underwhelming The Soloist, so, really, I should have known). I wasn't in any way let down by the performances or the direction, however, the movie as a whole was a bit disappointing.

Hanna is the story of a young girl (Saoirse Ronan, more bad ass than all of the Sucker Punch girls combined) who is raised by her father (Eric Bana) in the middle of nowhere. He has trained her since childhood to fight, hunt, and survive. The two hide out in a tiny log cabin in the arctic forest, in hiding from a shady government official named Marissa (Cate Blanchett). Once Hanna is ready, all she has to do is press a button and Marissa's goons will come and find her. Daddy disappears after they promise to meet in Berlin and Hanna is captured. After she kills a Marissa clone and escapes, Hanna must run for her life from a bunch of men trying to kill her, make peace with the truths she learns about her past, learn about all the things her daddy never taught her about (like boys and electricity), and ultimately have it out with Marissa in the big climax.

Let's talk positives first: the direction from Joe Wright is georgeous, as always. The opening shot especially is impressive. Although Wright has indeed made a dull movie, he has never made an ugly movie. Although this is an action movie, Wright takes his time and delivers some beautiful moments throughout the film. Then there is the frenetic, awesome soundtrack courtesy of The Chemical Brothers which will surely infect your brain and stay in your head for hours afterwards. And finally, the performances are just top notch. Bana is fine as Hanna's ex-government official father although he doesn't really have the biggest role here. Blanchett is just perfect as the red headed, ruthless villianous who can sweet talk you and then shot you in the head. She is extraordinary, like she always is. However, it's Ronan that is the revelation here. She was exceptional in Atonement but this movie proves that she is going to be a big star someday soon. If she continues to pick great roles, she may just grow up to be her generation's version of Meryl Streep, since she's surely got the chops for it. She is adorable and vulnerable as a little girl who is learning about the world around her - electricity, swimming pools, boys, showers. But she is also a bad ass action star. She fights, beats up boys and makes it all so much more realistic than that awful Sucker Punch movie. And she doesn't even have to wear a little school girls outfit to look damn cool kicking so much ass. She's sort of like Natalie Portman's Mathilda from The Professional meets a baby version of Uma Thurman's The Bride from Kill Bill. She's just sensational and impressive and gives the first truly great performance of the year.

So, while the direction, performances and music is all great, I can't say the same for the movie. There are portions of the movie that are damn good. In fact, these specific moments are so, so, so very good that it sort of makes the rest of the movie seem that much worse. For every exciting action scene or intense conversation, there is a damn boring drawn out portion of the film that is just plain unnecessary. The movie is less than two hours long but it feels like it takes forever, so I guess, chalk that up to bad editing. For every moment threatening to overflow with suspense, there are just as many, if not more, moments that I was bored out of my mind. There is also a lot of really weird imagery and moments throw in the mix, but for what? None of it served a purpose. This isn't some quirky indie film! It's a mainstream action movie. I appreciate the artistry that Wright offers but it really doesn't have a place here. Then there's the violence, or rather, lack there of. I know why studios want to make PG13 rated movies, believe me I do (better box office!), but I couldn't help but look at some of the moments in this movie and think about how amazing and cool they could have been if the movie would have had an R rating. I'm not all about glorifying violence, but if you are trying to make a super cool movie about a teenage assasin, then you should just go for it, you know? Wright is an amazing director, but I couldn't help but think this would have been a better movie in Tarantino's hands.

Grade: C+