A crucial element to the success of Marvel Studio's cinematic universe is the diversity between each entry. Despite all featuring in the same world, each film covers vastly different themes and storylines. Captain America:The Winter Soldier was a paranoid spy thriller, Ant Man was a heist comedy and the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is a glorified space opera. This is surely due to the wide array of directors Marvel have assigned to their projects. Of the 17 MCU movies, 13 different directors have been at the helm, all offering their own spin on the superhero genre. The appointment of Taika Watiti for 'Thor:Ragnarok' was a left of field and perhaps slightly risky choice, but it has absolutely paid off as he has crafted perhaps the most odd and audacious movie yet. A surreal mix of entertaining and consequential action and outrageously daft humour that is blended extremely well - 'Thor:Ragnarok' is a fast paced, genuinely hilarious romp.
In exile on the other side of the universe, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) must do battle with a very familiar face and enlist the help of his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and new ally Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) in order to return to Asgard to prevent the all powerful Hela (Cate Blanchett) from destroying his home and its people.
Despite being the definitive 3rd entry in the Thor series, 'Ragnarok' is a vast departure from anything we have seen from his character before. It was a wise move for the franchise to leave behind the regal stoicism of the first film and the dreary and uninspired nature of the sequel. Chris Hemsworth is an actor with incredible comedic understanding and timing and under the genius vision of Taika Watiti, he is finally allowed to show off this talent in a way that the MCU has never demonstrated before. He's still big-headed, noble and at times ignorant but this is coupled with new found sense of humour. Sometimes he means to be funny, others not so much but he's hilarious throughout the film. In fact, everybody is. You can see how much fun the actors are having bouncing their lines of dialogue off each other. Mark Ruffalo offers his best Marvel performance yet as Hulk and Bruce Banner. Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie offers a perfect counterpart to Thor. Tom Hiddleston is charming and devious as always, but even he gets his comedic moments which he handles very well. Jeff Goldblum goes all into his role as the eccentric and unhinged Grandmaster. Idriss Elba, Benedict Cumberbatch and Anthony Hopkins are all great in more fleeting roles. Cate Blanchett offers one of the most powerful and menacing Marvel villains yet in the Goddess of Death. Her strength is demonstrated almost instantly and she proves a worthy adversary to Thor. Taika Watiti even appears as the loveable Korg, who is one of the most enjoyable parts of the film.
The tone of this movie is spot on. It incorporates classic elements of superhero movies and combines them with the outlandish nature of the director's comedic brain. Slapstick is balanced perfectly with more cheeky irreverent humour, that feels fresh out of What we do in the the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, is all executed brilliantly by the cast. It could be argued that at times more serious moments are undercut by the use of a pun, but on the whole the high stakes are partnered with the levity really well.
There are also some stunning action set pieces. Hela's initial conquest of Asgard, high speed spaceships battles and the Hulk taking on a giant wolf all spring to mind as highlights. The Thor vs Hulk showdown does not disappoint. It was the part of the trailer that got everyone excited and it fully delivers. It's funny, tragic and throughly entertaining to watch.
There are certain freedoms allowed to directors by having your film set away from earth. Much like in Guardians of the Galaxy, there's really no restriction to the sets and characters you can implement and this movie does not hold back. Of course its nice to see the golden streets of Asgard again, but the star of the show is Sakar. A junk planet used by the rest of the galaxy to dump their unwanted crap turned into a gladiator arena by the Grandmaster. Miles and miles of weird and wonderful alien tech, three headed aliens and a giant hologram of Jeff Goldblum. Sakar acts as a physical example of the style of this film. Its colourful, camp and at times very stupid but its all intentional to assure that the audience has as much fun as possible whilst watching, which he has definitely achieved.
Taika Watiti (Honestly, I cannot stop saying his name, I mean seriously try saying it aloud) recently said in an interview that he was sick of the current state of our world and wants to offer his audiences and fun and ridiculous escape. He has achieved this and then some. His direction and general approach to filmmaking has breathed new life into an already tremendous cast who all offer hilarious performances. As Marvel movies go, its certainly one of the weirdest and most ridiculous we've seen but its also right up their with the very best of them. I promise you that you will leave 'Thor:Ragnarok' with a grin plastered across your face.
4/5 Stars.
Sunday 29 October 2017
Saturday 21 October 2017
Blade Runner 2049 spoiler free review
Making a good sequel is an extremely difficult task. Finding the right balance between further exploring the elements that made the first movie successful and creating new and interesting advancements in characters and worlds is a very enviable skill, particularly as many sequels tend to end up ruining the charm of their predecessors in the interest of making it 'bigger and better'. A good example of this is the recent 'Kingsman' sequel. Don't get me wrong - its a good movie. Yet it pales in comparison to the first, as it's attempts to be even more outrageous and ridiculous crossed the line into stupidity and the message of the original was seemingly cast aside. This is coupled with the fact that Blade Runner came out over 30 years ago (to a critical panning upon release), meaning that the sequel had to appeal to an almost wholly new audience, whilst still pleasing the cult fan base. Thankfully, Denis Villeneuve has passed this tricky test with flying colours, as Blade Runner 2049 is simply spectacular.
Officer K (Ryan Gosling) is one of the new era of Blade Runners, tasked with 'retiring' all prior models to Niander Wallace's (Jered Leto) supposedly more compliant Nexus 9 variants. K discovers a long buried secret that could potentially reshape society and the existence of replicants. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) in search of answers to the mystery he has unraveled. There really isn't much more you need to know going in to this movie. There are many twists and revelations (some of which coming very early in the film) which I feel are made all the more engaging if you don't know they're coming.
The performances are fantastic throughout, from all members of the cast. Ryan Gosling absolutely kills this roll and cements his place as one of my favourite current actors. His performance is immensely captivating, as a cold hearted killer who gradually becomes more emotionally conflicted as the story progresses. He's likeable, relatable and serves as a great action hero. Harrison Ford also really shines. His role is briefer than you might expect, but seeing how Deckard has changed and grown in the years since the first movie is entertaining and quite moving. Jared Leto goes all in, as he so often does, and to his credit he does come off a sinister and unhinged. Sylvia Hoeks is surprising and brilliant. She serves as Wallace's slave but also a Terminator-esque killing machine that can murder a man with a single tap. She's menacing and terrifying to watch, probably stealing the spotlight from Leto as the films main villain. Dave Bautista offers perhaps his best performance in a movie so far and Robin Wright, Ana de Armas and Carla Juri all do amazing work in brief yet impressive roles.
Visually, the film is incredible. Just like the original, its a perfect blend of digital and practical effects that are all stunning to watch. The colour palette alone is a thing to behold - the rich orange of the Las Vegas dessert, the dark gritty blues of the LA streets and the sterile whiteness of Wallace's facilities all complement and contrast each other exceptionally well. Sound is also handled very well - the mix of screen shaking synthesisers and eerie silences gives a much more sinister tone to the score than the first movie and creates some extremely tense scenes.
Of course, propping up this visually baffling universe is an intriguing and clever narrative. Its fascinating to see how people opinions of replicants has changed as the line between humans and robots becomes increasingly blurred and serious questions are posed about what it means to be human and what does it mean for something to really 'live'. The ideas are explored in much more depth here than in Blade Runner and its extremely welcome.
As much as I enjoy the first movie, a fair criticism is that it does drag at times and whilst the long unbroken shots of the city skylines are breathtaking to look at, they do go on a bit in parts. You might expect a similar fate for the sequel, given that it comes in at a whopping 2 hours and 43 minutes. The movie does feel long, but at no point does it ever bore you. The flat out action scenes are, just like the original, few and far between but what we do get is fantastic. Spinner crashes, gun fights and replicants beating the shit out each other in very visceral yet stylised ways. Yet a lot of the film creates tension and excitement in other ways. Lengthy, unnerving silences and the increasing aggressiveness of the score offer just as much to the audience as any of the action. The way that the action is blended with the lingering shots of mesmerising scenery is done perfectly and means that the movie never starts to meander in the way the first did.
I cannot urge you enough to rush out and see Blade Runner 2049. It's in my opinion the perfect sequel. It does justice to the original through homage, whilst advancing the universe and it's characters in new and meaningful ways. Visually exceptional, captivating storyline and outstanding performances. One of the best films of 2017.
5/5 stars.
5/5 stars.
Saturday 14 October 2017
'The Meyerowitz Stories' Review
Adam Sandler is, at his core, a decent actor. Before you start laughing at this statement, allow me to explain. Granted, the movies that he appears in are more often than not terrible, but its undeniable that as a performer he does quirky outlandish humour very well and with the right direction and supporting cast around him he is more than capable of carrying a role and even a movie. The Meyerowitz Stories serves as a handy reminder of just what he can do.
The narrative of the story (or stories as the movie is split into three connected chapters) is a simple yet extremely effective one. Retired New York sculptor Harold Meyerowitz (Dustin Hoffman) is offered a chance to get 'back on the map' through an art retrospective by his daughter Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) and two sons, high flying Matthew (Ben Stiller) and low life Danny (Adam Sandler). The reunion of these differing personalities quickly leads to half-buried arguments come bubbling to the surface.
The performances of each and every member of this cast are amazing, especially Sandler. As a great father but a disappointment in the eyes of his own, he really makes this role his. He's funny, endearing and extremely relatable. The audience can sympathise with every knock-back, which Danny has seen his fair share of. Ben Stiller also really shines. Another actor who due to the low quality of most of his movies has a stigma associated with him, he portrays the polar opposite of Danny. He's rich, successful and obsessed over by his father (not that he would ever tell him). Both Stiller and Noah Baumbach (both writer and director) handle this character really well. Despite their obvious differences, Danny and Matthew are both striving for the same goal of their father's affection and respect, whilst approaching from the opposite ends of the spectrum. Of course, as this is their third appearance on screen together, Sandler and Stiller share great chemistry and watching them repair their damaged relationship is the real emotional crux of the movie. Similarly, Hoffman delivers a strong performance. He is by all accounts the villain of the piece, and if he wasn't so unintentionally hilarious he'd be near insufferable to the audience. Yet Hoffman brings a boyish charm to this dysfunctional old man. Elizabeth Marvel's Jean serves a good middle ground between her brothers and proves to be just as damaged as her siblings. Emma Thompson and Grace Van Patten both have a lot of fun in their roles and wrap up this mess of a family nicely.
Now being an Sandler/Stiller movie, there is an un-written requirement for a certain kind of comedy to be included. Strong language, dialogue that arrives at break-neck speeds and even an hilariously hapless Sandler on Stiller fist fight that will have all Happy Gilmore fans appeased. To the film's credit, its funny. Very funny. Yet under this veil of a light hearted comedy, there is an at times heart breaking tale off the adults who due to different forms of mental abuse from their father are all equally, as Jean puts it so eloquently, 'f*cked up'. All three have never truly been allowed to grow up, Matthew's success in business was all to gain his father's approval, Danny nearly breaks down when he hears the family house is being sold and Jean is haunted by incidents that I won't spoil. The realisation the three siblings undergo - that they will not resent their father's attempts at parenting as they want to be better than him - is truly compelling. Coupled with themes of betrayal, redemption, acceptance and Danny saying goodbye to his daughter as she leaves for college make this core of this movie profound and sincere, which is blended perfectly with the outrageous sense of humour.
Overall, I was massively impressed and surprised by The Meyerowitz Stories. Its a genuinely great movie. Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller offer the undoubted best performances of their careers and supported by an excellent cast they hold up narrative that is both hilarious and heartfelt in equal measure. And it's now available on Netflix from the comfort of your sofa. What could be better than that?
4/5 Stars
The narrative of the story (or stories as the movie is split into three connected chapters) is a simple yet extremely effective one. Retired New York sculptor Harold Meyerowitz (Dustin Hoffman) is offered a chance to get 'back on the map' through an art retrospective by his daughter Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) and two sons, high flying Matthew (Ben Stiller) and low life Danny (Adam Sandler). The reunion of these differing personalities quickly leads to half-buried arguments come bubbling to the surface.
The performances of each and every member of this cast are amazing, especially Sandler. As a great father but a disappointment in the eyes of his own, he really makes this role his. He's funny, endearing and extremely relatable. The audience can sympathise with every knock-back, which Danny has seen his fair share of. Ben Stiller also really shines. Another actor who due to the low quality of most of his movies has a stigma associated with him, he portrays the polar opposite of Danny. He's rich, successful and obsessed over by his father (not that he would ever tell him). Both Stiller and Noah Baumbach (both writer and director) handle this character really well. Despite their obvious differences, Danny and Matthew are both striving for the same goal of their father's affection and respect, whilst approaching from the opposite ends of the spectrum. Of course, as this is their third appearance on screen together, Sandler and Stiller share great chemistry and watching them repair their damaged relationship is the real emotional crux of the movie. Similarly, Hoffman delivers a strong performance. He is by all accounts the villain of the piece, and if he wasn't so unintentionally hilarious he'd be near insufferable to the audience. Yet Hoffman brings a boyish charm to this dysfunctional old man. Elizabeth Marvel's Jean serves a good middle ground between her brothers and proves to be just as damaged as her siblings. Emma Thompson and Grace Van Patten both have a lot of fun in their roles and wrap up this mess of a family nicely.
Now being an Sandler/Stiller movie, there is an un-written requirement for a certain kind of comedy to be included. Strong language, dialogue that arrives at break-neck speeds and even an hilariously hapless Sandler on Stiller fist fight that will have all Happy Gilmore fans appeased. To the film's credit, its funny. Very funny. Yet under this veil of a light hearted comedy, there is an at times heart breaking tale off the adults who due to different forms of mental abuse from their father are all equally, as Jean puts it so eloquently, 'f*cked up'. All three have never truly been allowed to grow up, Matthew's success in business was all to gain his father's approval, Danny nearly breaks down when he hears the family house is being sold and Jean is haunted by incidents that I won't spoil. The realisation the three siblings undergo - that they will not resent their father's attempts at parenting as they want to be better than him - is truly compelling. Coupled with themes of betrayal, redemption, acceptance and Danny saying goodbye to his daughter as she leaves for college make this core of this movie profound and sincere, which is blended perfectly with the outrageous sense of humour.
Overall, I was massively impressed and surprised by The Meyerowitz Stories. Its a genuinely great movie. Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller offer the undoubted best performances of their careers and supported by an excellent cast they hold up narrative that is both hilarious and heartfelt in equal measure. And it's now available on Netflix from the comfort of your sofa. What could be better than that?
4/5 Stars
Tuesday 10 October 2017
Kingsman: The Golden Circle review
Matthew Vaughn has a real knack for bringing fun into each film he makes. Even before Kingsman: The Secret Service, he had created an epic fantasy in Stardust and in Kick Ass he managed to make superheroes fun again before Marvel Studios had the genre on strings. Yet Kingsman was something else. He managed to make the current run of James Bond movies, which were universally praised, look boring in comparison to his clever twist on the spy concept. It was ridiculous, hilarious and hugely over the top - but it absolutely worked and succeeded in its task to bring the irreverence back to the British Spy films that had been missing since the Moore era of Bond. I am pleased to report that the follow up Kingsman: The Golden Circle is much of the same. It's an action packed romp of a movie.
With their headquarters destroyed and the world held hostage by a psychotic Cartel leader, the Kingsman must seek the help of their American counterparts, Statesman in order to save the world again.
The returning members of cast all give great performances. It's very satisfying to see Taron Egerton's 'Eggsy' developed from a London youth without direction in life into the suave gentlemen spy we see in this movie. Whilst the return of Colin Firth does somewhat undermine Eggsy's character growth, he is a welcome inclusion and the two share some great on screen chemistry. Mark Strong's Merlin is also explored further in this film and its nice to see how he and Eggsy have changed and bonded even further in Harry's absence. Of the new cast members, I have some complaints. Of the big names that were added to the cast, many if not all of them are underused. Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry's roles are both fleeting and Channing Tatum is barely in the movie despite featuring heavily in the promotional material. Pedro Pascal has a decent go at Agent Whiskey, but some of the writing for his character is quite poor and he could easily be swapped out for another character. Julianne Moore's villainous Poppy is also considerably weaker than the first films big bad. Yet again the performance is fine, yet her character is a little underwhelming in comparison to Samuel L. Jackson's 'Valentine' and I didn't buy many of her motivations and character developments. There is also an Elton John cameo, which initially is very funny but is massively overused and steals screen time from some of the actual characters.
If you didn't like The Secret Service then this movie is not for you, as there are many returning elements that are undoubtably the strongest parts of this film. Fast paced, super violent yet stylised fight scenes, some gripping action set pieces and a whole host of new and exciting gadgets for the agents to employ. Unsurprisingly, the best elements of this movie are those that are taken from the first. Call backs to conversations, jokes and fight scenes are all present and offer rewarding chuckles to the audience. However, there are some bizarre creative choices in this film. The core concept and execution of many of the films themes and ideas is not as good. There's one particular moment that is intended to mock the incredibly sexist nature of Bond movies just as the outrageous anal joke did the first time round, but actually becomes very vulgar and uncomfortable to watch. I wonder if perhaps this is due to studio interference, who after seeing the success of the first movie were so eager for another that they didn't allow the necessary time for the writing and script to be as strong as they needed to be.
I had heard a lot of negative press about 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' before I saw it and I have to say that I feel its very unjustified. Is it as good as the first? No. Is it a perfect movie? Far from it. But its funny, action heavy and a well executed continuation of the story. There are some missed opportunities and elements that don't need to be included, but its still an enjoyable movie that I would recommend seeing, especially if you love the first.
3/5 Stars
With their headquarters destroyed and the world held hostage by a psychotic Cartel leader, the Kingsman must seek the help of their American counterparts, Statesman in order to save the world again.
The returning members of cast all give great performances. It's very satisfying to see Taron Egerton's 'Eggsy' developed from a London youth without direction in life into the suave gentlemen spy we see in this movie. Whilst the return of Colin Firth does somewhat undermine Eggsy's character growth, he is a welcome inclusion and the two share some great on screen chemistry. Mark Strong's Merlin is also explored further in this film and its nice to see how he and Eggsy have changed and bonded even further in Harry's absence. Of the new cast members, I have some complaints. Of the big names that were added to the cast, many if not all of them are underused. Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry's roles are both fleeting and Channing Tatum is barely in the movie despite featuring heavily in the promotional material. Pedro Pascal has a decent go at Agent Whiskey, but some of the writing for his character is quite poor and he could easily be swapped out for another character. Julianne Moore's villainous Poppy is also considerably weaker than the first films big bad. Yet again the performance is fine, yet her character is a little underwhelming in comparison to Samuel L. Jackson's 'Valentine' and I didn't buy many of her motivations and character developments. There is also an Elton John cameo, which initially is very funny but is massively overused and steals screen time from some of the actual characters.
If you didn't like The Secret Service then this movie is not for you, as there are many returning elements that are undoubtably the strongest parts of this film. Fast paced, super violent yet stylised fight scenes, some gripping action set pieces and a whole host of new and exciting gadgets for the agents to employ. Unsurprisingly, the best elements of this movie are those that are taken from the first. Call backs to conversations, jokes and fight scenes are all present and offer rewarding chuckles to the audience. However, there are some bizarre creative choices in this film. The core concept and execution of many of the films themes and ideas is not as good. There's one particular moment that is intended to mock the incredibly sexist nature of Bond movies just as the outrageous anal joke did the first time round, but actually becomes very vulgar and uncomfortable to watch. I wonder if perhaps this is due to studio interference, who after seeing the success of the first movie were so eager for another that they didn't allow the necessary time for the writing and script to be as strong as they needed to be.
I had heard a lot of negative press about 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' before I saw it and I have to say that I feel its very unjustified. Is it as good as the first? No. Is it a perfect movie? Far from it. But its funny, action heavy and a well executed continuation of the story. There are some missed opportunities and elements that don't need to be included, but its still an enjoyable movie that I would recommend seeing, especially if you love the first.
3/5 Stars
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