Knowing well that sequels have the potential to mar their predecessors, either through overkill or omission, I stayed away from "Faraway, So Close!" for a long time, letting the DVD linger on the far side of my Netflix queue.
"Wings of Desire" is a unique creation; every moment of that movie seems abuzz with life, activity, invention, compassion, intense joy and sorrow. It seemed like everyone involved felt the urgent need to tell that story at that particular historical moment.
The sequel starts with that same feeling, and for the first 45 minutes or so, I was happy to immerse myself back in that world. However, once the various subplots intervened, and the angelic protagonist began dealing with a standard-issue mafioso in a situation that seems lifted from a wacky 1980s comedy, "Faraway, So Close!" loses its way.
Still, I don't regret seeing the sequel. Some moments are wonderful, especially Cassiel's elegiac bedtime-story biography, spoken to an old man who is losing his memory and who knows that Cassiel has been along for the ride. The acting is also terrific, except, oddly, for Willem Dafoe's bizarre, inexplicable character -- the movie grinds to a halt (literally, at one point) whenever he appears.
I have to admit that the last twenty minutes made no sense to me. (Spoilers follow.) Wasn't Cassiel's entire mission to stop the mobster from seeing his sister and niece (and if so, why? Bad influence)? And how, exactly, did that acrobatic stunt save the day? The badguys just gave up after that, apparently, for undisclosed reasons -- maybe they felt bad. Also: after a presumed eternity of watching humanity and reading our minds, Cassiel's plot is to use a poorly-concocted stunt? He should've spent some more time watching heist movies.
Anyway, all that aside, this movie is still worth seeing; it's just not in the same class as "Wings of Desire." That's not much of a complaint -- very, very few movies are that good.
"Wings of Desire" is a unique creation; every moment of that movie seems abuzz with life, activity, invention, compassion, intense joy and sorrow. It seemed like everyone involved felt the urgent need to tell that story at that particular historical moment.
The sequel starts with that same feeling, and for the first 45 minutes or so, I was happy to immerse myself back in that world. However, once the various subplots intervened, and the angelic protagonist began dealing with a standard-issue mafioso in a situation that seems lifted from a wacky 1980s comedy, "Faraway, So Close!" loses its way.
Still, I don't regret seeing the sequel. Some moments are wonderful, especially Cassiel's elegiac bedtime-story biography, spoken to an old man who is losing his memory and who knows that Cassiel has been along for the ride. The acting is also terrific, except, oddly, for Willem Dafoe's bizarre, inexplicable character -- the movie grinds to a halt (literally, at one point) whenever he appears.
I have to admit that the last twenty minutes made no sense to me. (Spoilers follow.) Wasn't Cassiel's entire mission to stop the mobster from seeing his sister and niece (and if so, why? Bad influence)? And how, exactly, did that acrobatic stunt save the day? The badguys just gave up after that, apparently, for undisclosed reasons -- maybe they felt bad. Also: after a presumed eternity of watching humanity and reading our minds, Cassiel's plot is to use a poorly-concocted stunt? He should've spent some more time watching heist movies.
Anyway, all that aside, this movie is still worth seeing; it's just not in the same class as "Wings of Desire." That's not much of a complaint -- very, very few movies are that good.