Good day ladies and gents, I have reappeared online to share my thoughts on The Suicide Squad, the latest DC film from director James Gunn. Now being in the UK I could’ve had my review online last Friday because that’s when it released over here, but I decided to hold off until this week. So having seen it twice I’m ready to share my thoughtsvia my podcast Film Focus.
In episode 127 of Film Focus, I review the latest film from Warner Bros. and DC; The Suicide Squad. So this is the second attempt to make a Suicide Squad film after the 2016 version failed to resonate with audiences in the way that the studios wanted. So with James Gunn at the helm, he has assembled an impressive cast and crafted a story that from the trailers looks like it’s more quirky, violent, funnier and crazier than the previous instalment. So is the film a good time or not? Well, listen to this spoiler-free episode to find out! 😀
So have you seen The Suicide Squad and if so what did you think of it? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below and I’ll see ya in the next review, laters! 😀
Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, how’s it going? Today I return to bring you my thoughts on Thor: Ragnarok, the latest film from Marvel Studios. Like the Blade Runner 2049 review, this review won’t be written but is an audio review via my podcast, Film Focus on Soundcloud. Anyway check out the review below:
So that’s my review people, hopefully, you found it to be an engaging listen, like Blade Runner, I felt like doing an audio review would be easier and better to do than writing something up. I will admit that a lot of the review was ad-libbed but it was the easiest way for me to get my thoughts out there.
Also, what did you think of Thor: Ragnarok? Is it the best film from Marvel yet or were you left wanting more? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below, until next time peeps, laters! 😀
Howdy ladies and gents how’s it going? Today I’m here to finally review Star Trek Beyond, a film that I’ve been cautiously optimistic for a while now. So yesterday I went to Cineworld for a film triple to check out Star Trek, Into Darkness and Beyond, and I LOVED having the chance to see the 2009 film in the cinema again, and it was also rewatch Into Darkness for the first time since 2013. However it was so annoying how the projectionist messed up the image twice for around 10 or so minutes on the first two films that totally ruined my immersion, but luckily Beyond‘s screening was fine. Now I loved the first film and Into DarknessI liked at the time, but have since become a less interested in it, but now its time to pass judgement on Beyond! 😀
So the story can be described as the following:
“The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.”
I thought story was interesting was pretty good because it felt smaller in scale but still had all the right amount of importance, drama, adventure and action like that this series has become known for. This film was a lot more thought-provoking, intimate and character-driven than before. I also appreciated how this film really got into explored the life and times of the Enterprise crew and got into the psyche of the main characters and fleshed out their personal lives too. And while there were certain elements that I predicted, it was still a fairly entertaining story that felt very in line with the 60’s Star Trek TV show and had some nice references to the past for long-term fans.
The cast all did an admirable job in their roles. Chris Pine was great as Captain James T. Kirk, I appreciated how he’d matured from the previous films and started to feel the weight of being the captain of his ship. Equally good was Zachary Quinto as Spock, it was interesting to see him such a different mindset and in a vulnerable state, but luckily he still provides some really great humour through his Vulcan demeanour. It was great to see Karl Urban again as Bones as he felt like the voice of reason and had some of the best humour, seeing Simon Pegg back as Scotty was great as he some really funny and important moments. I also liked how Zoe Saldana had more to do in this film as Nyota Uhura, John Cho was also really good as Sulu, and finally out the returning crew, Anton Yelchin as Chekov was delightful and had some cool moments, and it was both great and saddening to see this film after Yelchin’s death. This film also continued to illustrate the wonderful friendship and banter between the main Enterprise crew especially with Kirk’s connection to Spock and Bone. As for the new cast members, Idris Elba as Krall was fairly generic and uninteresting at first, but by the end of the film he became a more interesting character with extra layers of depth, and Sofia Boutella did well as Jaylah, for a character I didn’t expect to like she had a lot of great comedic and badass action moments, plus her motivation and interaction with Kirk’s crew was great.
When it comes to the presentation was pretty solid. Visually the film was large in scale with some good cinematography, nice and thrilling action sequences, and cool hand-to-hand combat. Though some of the CGI looked a little lacking in detail though I’m not sure if that was because of the 3D glasses). And finally Michael Giacchino returns for the film score, and brings such a bombastic and charismatic sound that was consistent with the previous films, though I believe this soundtrack lacked the intensity and style that I loved his work with the first and second film.
In conclusion Star Trek Beyond was a pretty good film and was much better than I expected, and while it may not be my favourite in this new set of Star Trek films, it was certainly a good session. I recommend this for sure. 🙂
So are you going to see Star Trek Beyond and if have you seen it what did you think of it? Also what’s your favourite film out this new trilogy so far?
Howdy people, FINALLY after being stuck at work for the last week I’m back to my blog to write some stuff, yay! 😛 Anyway everyone has gone on about how great The Jungle Book is, but I haven’t, mainly because I hadn’t seen it… Until yesterday. Now that I’ve seen it I can gush about how great it is too because the film is awesome and I’ll tell you why in this review. 🙂
Straight to the point, Disney’s live-action The Jungle Book, much like last year’s Cinderella is an updated version of the classic animated film. So if you’re familiar with the story of the original then this is almost beat-for-beat exactly the same as you remember, however, there have been a good few alterations/modifications to compensate for the transition into live-action but also for the changes in the story. What I really appreciated was how the writers took the foundation of the original film, but modified it so that the story got a little darker, layered and had a greater sense of scale, realism and threat which not only encompassed Mowgli but everyone else in the jungle as well. There was a lovely sense of cohesion and community, and I several of the updates to the story really improve the overall experience much more than the original.
I really liked the cast as well starting with Neel Sethi who was great as Mowgli, for a child actor who essentially had to ask like he was surrounded by talking animals he did a bloody good job. I actually LOVED Mowgli in this film. In the original he was such a whiny little brat who had one or two moments of being likeable, but overall wasn’t one of Disney’s better protagonists, but here he’s young, brash and a little hard-headed, but he’s also resourceful, charming and applies logic to a lot of his situations. As for the voice cast they were awesome across the board. Bill Murray was delightful as Baloo, you can tell that Murray was just having a good time with this material and much of his dialogue felt very much like him more so than Baloo, but for me that was a good thing. Ben Kingsley was spot on as Bagheera, Kingsley was able to be strict, relaxed and hilarious without trying too hard was impressive. Lupita Nyong’o as Raksha had a fierce yet calm and caring demeanour, while Scarlett Johansson was creepy, mysterious and a seductive as Kaa, Giancarlo Esposito brought the right levels of confidence and sincerity to Akela and Christopher Walken as King Louie was simply delightful with Walken really adding something special to all of the scenes he was in whether he was lighthearted or aggressive. But as much as I loved the other voice actors it is Idris Elba who stole the show as Shere Khan. Elba just has one of the best voices ever especially for villainous roles and he commits 100% so when he makes threats or shouts you fear him and I loved it!
Oh and let’s talk about that presentation. Do I even have to say it? It was amazing. Visually the film was fantastic, from the time the film opens with the Disney logo you are treated to a visual treat for the eyes with some of the most impression CGI to date. The fact that like 90% maybe 95% of the film was made up of visual effects in mental when you consider all of the landscapes, animals, weather effects and so on that had to be done, but was incredibly realistic, sharp and the attention to detail was insane. I also loved the realism applied to the animals, even though they talked, the facial movements were relatable and had great subtle movements with ears or blinking eyes. Though if I can fault the visual effects in any way I found say that there are sequences at night where things got a little too dark, but that’s about it. And I also really liked the film score by John Debney who captured the spirit of the original music with the pieces he included, but also added a sense of drama and tension not found in the original too.
In conclusion The Jungle Book was just awesome. There was just the right balance of nostalgia and freshness to justify this film’s existence and with it being executed so well I can’t help but be excited for where Disney and their talented filmmakers go next with their live-action material. 🙂
Rating: 8.5/10 (It was almost a 9!)
So have you seen The Jungle Book and if so what did you think of it? And if you’ve seen the original as well which do you prefer? Please leave your comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀
Howdy ladies and gents, time for a new film review and today I’m finally getting around to talking about the latest film from Disney; Zootopia (aka Zootropolis for us over here in the UK). I’ve been looking forward to this film for a while since I heard a lot of good things about the footage shown at D23 last year, and thanks to Cineworld and their early Unlimited screenings I’ve gotten to see the film a little earlier than its eventually release a few weeks from now.
So the story goes down like this:
“In a world where animals have adapted to the world like humans, Judy Hopps is bunny who has dreamed of being a police officer since she was young and when she finally reaches her goal things don’t initially turn out the way she’d hoped. However when a big case comes her way, she must form an unlikely alliance with a crafty fox named Nick Wilde to uncover the mystery of her case and prove herself as a true enforcer of the law.”
Zootopia’s story represents Disney at it’s best with a tale that was familiar, yet fun, hilarious and heartwarming. One of my favourite aspects of this film was that it was able to strike that balance between being funny and serious, the sense of humour and timing of the jokes whether they’re physical or verbal, they’re done here so well. When the film wasn’t being light and funny, it did touch upon themes of prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes, and it was handled with such realism and felt very relevant to present times. This story felt like classic Disney with all the standard codes and conventions you’d expect with certain character and story beats, but with some modernization that made the film feel even fresher than previous Disney films especially with the use of technology and dialogue. I was surprised by how much this film got me emotionally, there were some absolutely delightful and joyful moments in this film, but then there were some super emotional and heartbreaking moments that resonated with some of my life experiences that reminded me of why I love Disney films so much.
The cast was all great in their roles. Ginnifer Goodwin was incredible as Officer Judy Hopps, this character was so tenacious, upbeat and relatable that she was easy to root for and I loved her backstory and journey throughout the film. And Jason Bateman was also awesome as Nick Wilde, Nick was cool, slick and had a way with words, but beyond his external demeanour was a much deeper character who was just as relatable as Judy. Together Judy and Nick had some wonderful chemistry and some of their more dramatic scenes together were some of my favourite parts of the film. Idris Elba was badass as Chief Bogo, this guy was really good and Elba really excelled in this role where you could feel his charm, intensity and personality through this character even though you couldn’t see his face. J.K. Simmons was great as Mayor Leodore Lionheart, much like Elba, Simmons’ voice added an extra layer of awesomeness to the character and made them more engaging. Jenny Slate did was a wonderful job as she was both cute and funny as Dawn Bellwether, Tommy Chong and Octavia Spencer were good as Yax and Mrs. Otterton, and Nate Torrence was just lovely as Officer Benjamin Clawhauser, because he was so bubbly and funny. Shakira was also fun as Gazelle, Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake were great as Bonnie and Stu Hopps, Alan Tudyk had some great moments as Duke Weaselton, Maurice LaMarche did very well as Mr. Big and Raymond S. Persi had some of the best moments as Flash.
Oh and the presentation was AMAZING! I don’t know how Disney have kept doing it, but with one of their new films come out, they find a way to up themselves when it comes to the visual side of things with insanely good CGI and art direction. This film’s locations, lighting and weather effects looked so real that if you took the animals out of the equation it would look pretty close to a live-action film. And speaking of the animals of them were uniquely crafted little such great attention to detail with the hair, facial and body movements, and I liked how the animators were able to make these humanoid characters retain all of their animal-like qualities. And the film score by Michael Giacchino was very nice and the song “Try Everything” by Shakira was really catchy too.
At the end of the day with Zootopia, Disney are still teaching life lessons and providing audiences young and old with entertaining material which is topical, lighthearted, emotional and funny. I cannot recommend this film enough as it may be my favourite Disney film in recent memory and I can’t wait to see it again.
Rating: 8.5/10
So have you seen or are you going to watch Zootopia? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀
Hello again ladies and gents, time for my second film review of the day which comes in the form of Mandela: A Long Road To Freedom. Now this was a film I was interested in but had no interest in seeing just because it didn’t look like my kind of film. But when I heard critics praising Idris Elba’s performance, it only then that I decided to give the film a shot. So how does the film fair overall? Well on to find out.
The story in this filmis based on South African President Nelson Mandela’s autobiography of the same name, which chronicles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison before becoming President and working to rebuild the country’s once segregated society.
The story for the most part was pretty impressive especially with the way the filmmakers crammed so much history of Mandela’s life and the events surrounding him into a film just over two hours long. You see practically everything from beginning to around the 90’s. The use of music and archive footage was also really used well and helped illustrate and drive home the key events in history because it was raw material. So much drama, racism, love, endurance, violence, pain and suffering get covered in this film and I’m glad that it isn’t skimmed over and is brought to the forefront of the scenes and sequences in the film. I think the film tried to focus on too much by going through the whole of Mandela’s life, because of the whole life story there are a good few important events that don’t get as much important screen time as they deserve and in addition to that the film does become really long.
When it comes to the cast there’s only two people that matter and that’s Idris Elba and Naomie Harris. Firstly there is Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela. Man this guy can act. Elba while not looking very much like Mandela does a bloody good job as he captures the accent and mannerisms very well and he really transforms into his character to the point where you forget it is Elba on-screen (especially after he gets the additional make-up and classic Mandela clothes). the only thing that breaks the immersion is very you see him get facial hair for the first time and then you think of Elba again lol. And then there’s Naomie Harris as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Harris has always been a great actress and I’ve really liked her inSex & Drugs & Rock and Skyfall, but I think this may be a her best role to date as she gives an incredible performance that is soft, cute, beautiful, yet fierce, intense and so magnetic. Together Elba and Harris have great screen chemistry and work so well as a couple.
I also feel the need to mention the song “Ordinary Love” by U2, I loved it. It just seemed to fit the tone of the film and is very in line with the spirit of Mandela’s life in my opinion, plus it sounded just the U2 I loved prior to their last album from 2009.
In conclusion Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is pretty good stuff. It is a bit on the long side and there’s a good few events that don’t get enough screen time, but the performances from Idris Elba and Naomie Harris are stellar pieces of work.
Rating: 7.5/10 (An interesting adaptation of Mandela’s life with a great central performance from Idris Elba)
So what did you think of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom? Have you seen it and if so what are your thoughts? Whatever they are drop your comments below and I’ll see ya one the next blog post, laters. 😀
Howdy ladies and gentlemen, recently I reviewed Thor: The Dark World on my blog and now that the film is FINALLY playing worldwide I feel like its time for me to bust out my badass spoiler-free video review!
Now for those who don’t know, I’m primarily a video review kind of guy on YouTube, have been for about 3 years and over the summer I sort of dropped off the radar and gave all that stuff a rest because I was too lazy and was perusing other ventures. But with Thor: The Dark World, I knew I have to come back to the online world and share my thoughts and I can tell ya that it is SO good to be back.
Check out the review below:
So what did you think of my review? Was it good, bad, indifferent? I’d love to hear your thoughts/criticisms. Also how was Thor: The Dark World for you? Whatever your thoughts, drop in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review yo! 😀
Howdy people of the internet, its time for a new film review and today’s review will be on a film I’ve been easily anticipating for AGES; Thor: The Dark World. Now I reviewed Thor on Tuesday and now we have the follow-up which promised more character development, a new villain and more realism and not only does The Dark World have to follow-up from the first film but also The Avengers too, so does this film succeed or fail? Read on and find out in this spoiler-free review!
In terms of the story it takes places two years after The Avengers, Loki has been imprisoned, the Bifrost bridge has been repaired and Thor has been fighting away to restore peace to the Nine Realms. And for a little while things look like they’re stabilizing and becoming peaceful, but in the depths of the universe evil lurks waiting to be unleashed. A powerful energy known as the Aether is chased after by the race known as the Dark Elves, lead by Malekith who wishes to use it to plunge the universe into darkness. This not only spells trouble for Asgard, but also Earth and the rest of the realms too, so now Thor will have to go above to save not only Jane Foster but the rest of the universe too.
I thought the story in this film was great, from the beginning there’s a greater sense of scope and danger that comes with this plot and it all feels so much bigger and more involved than the first film. The overall tone is much darker and more serious and considering the threat involved that is a welcome addition, that being said there are still great moments of humour that works really well. The involvement of the Dark Elves and the history of Asgard and the Aether brings a lot more mythology to this fantastic world that was established in the first film and fleshed it out a lot more. I also like how even though there are crazy chaotic things happening on Earth and in Asgard, that there were still intimate moments with the characters. Family is still one of the key themes in this film and it is brought to the forefront and handled is a beautiful way, most moments between Thor, his family, friends and Jane are wonderful.
When it comes to the cast all amazing. Firstly Chris Hemsworth is still amazing as Thor, in the first film he took on the role with such charisma, flair and understanding of what the character embodies in the comics and in The Avengers he continued to impress. And in The Dark World Hemsworth just in his element, he’s badass, intimidating, funny, but also human and expresses a great deal of emotion too. And then there’s Tom Hiddleston as Loki, OH MY GOD, WHAT A BEAST! At this point its hard for me to deny my love for this character, since the first film Loki has inhabited a more sympathetic and likeable demeanour than his comic book counterpart and in The Avengers, Loki when to new heights to become the more villainous and despicable man he’s known as while still having a sense of humour and being incredibly cool and sophisticated. In this film Hiddleston nearly steals the show, his acting talents know no bounds and he takes Loki to deeper, more emotional places which just makes the character a joy to watch. Hiddleston along with Hemsworth are just fantastic and share some amazing scenes together and they’re both the major highlights of the film.
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster was pretty good, I feel like she’s matured just a bit and because of her role in the story I feel like she’s a lot more useful and interesting than the first film. Anthony Hopkins also steps it up as Odin offering some really wonderful father-son moments whether they agree or not, Odin looks out for Thor but is not afraid to voice his opinion. I also loved Idris Elba as Heimdall, this guy had a bit more to do in this film as he had more screen and action time than the last film, Elba is awesome in most roles he’s in and in this film he’s no exception. Then there’s Christopher Eccleston as Malekith the Accursed is pretty damn awesome as the main villain of the film, he’s scary, doesn’t seem too cliché in his personality and I like how he just wants to rule the universe in darkness like the days he knew before now. Also Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Algrim/Kurse was pretty cool, he a very creepy and powerful beast-like creature and offered up some good challenge for the good guys in this film.
Other good performances include Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, while her character is still primarily for comic relief, she did provide good moments of humour. Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Erik Selvig makes a great return and strangely enough is a lot funnier in this film. Jaimie Alexander as Sif still looked incredible and kicked ass though she wasn’t nearly in the film as much as I’d hoped. And then there’s the Warriors Three with Ray Stevenson as Volstagg, Zachary Levi as Fandral and Tadanobu Asano as Hogun, they were all great and did well in their roles especially newcomer Zachary Levi, I just wish there was more screen time for them. Oh and Rene Russo as Frigga she was epic, I like how her role was expanded for more active stuff and emotional moments with her family and Jane. Oh and lastly may I just say that Chris O’Dowd in this film was great, while his role was small it offered up some really funny scenes.
As for the presentation of Thor: The Dark World it is easily one of the film’s strongest points. Visually the film looks INSANELY beautiful, the CGI is so much more vivid, colourful and detailed than ever before offering up some truly impressive material when it comes to the scenery of Asgard and the other realms. And may I just say that Asgard on a whole is WAY more lively and seems more realistic than before with more scenes dedicated to interior and exterior locations within the city that aren’t just in the main hall. Also the action sequences are very intricate and vast than before and luckily everyone gets enough screen time to kick some ass! Oh and the soundtrack by Bryan Tyler is amazing, this guy is really starting to become one of my favourite film composers, and while none of his music reaches the majestic points that Patrick Doyle’s score did in the first film, this soundtrack has a lot of epic and beautiful moments that amplified the emotion tenfold.
So in conclusion Thor: The Dark World is another great film for Marvel, it takes the foundation from the first film and amplifies the story, characters and action by a lot more. Alan Taylor has done a really good job at giving us a more dramatic and realistic version of this fantastic world that Kenneth Branagh crafted. In truth it is the characters that make this film truly special and Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are simply incredible and really elevate this film into something special.
Rating: 8.5/10 (This is a sequel that goes above and beyond to deliver much richer and deeper experience than the first film)
So what did you think of Thor: The Dark World? Did it meet your expectations or were you disappointed? Whatever your thoughts, drop in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review yo! 😀
Howdy ladies and gentlemen, its film review time once again and with the release of Thor: The Dark World just around the corner I thought I’d give you my thoughts on its predecessor, Thor. Now I’m just gonna say this upfront, I love this film, I saw it 5 times in the cinema! If that doesn’t say enough about my love for this film, then let me elaborate in this review. So here we go!
So story-wise the film is about our main character Thor, god of thunder who happens to defy the rule of his father, Odin and because of his defiance Odin strips him of his powers and banishes him to Earth. While banished, his evil brother Loki takes over their home and has some questionable dealings with the enemy known as the Frost Giants. Over the course of the movie Thor has to learn the lesson of humility to gain his powers back through his interaction with humans and stop Loki from causing havoc to the world of Asgard.
The story is pretty good overall, though it has problems. The film deals with cause and effect, redemption and change, honour and family, and these issues are tackled in a thoughtful and spectacular fashion. I loved the focus on the relationships between Thor and Loki, and Thor and Odin, at the end of the day this is a film about family ties and how important they are. In addition to that I really liked the dialogue too, how it had a very Shakespearean vibe and there were some really beautiful, humourous and memorable lines. Obviously there were a great deal of aspects from the comics that were changed and for better or worse they’re now part of in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I believe most of the updates feels realistic, fresh and approachable for by both comic and casual audiences. That being said there are problems with the story in terms of pacing, uninteresting scenes on Earth when related to Asgard and obviously the not so believable relationship between Thor and Jane, which was materialized over a few days rather than a longer period of time. But other than those issues its impressive how the filmmakers crammed several years of comic book history is into this film.
As for the cast who’re all really great and add a lot of realism to this sci-fi/god-like story. Let’s start with the Asgardians. Firstly Chris Hemsworth is fantastic as Thor, he does a great balancing act between being larger than life, arrogant and aggressive, but also adds subtly, charm and drama to his performance.And then there’s Tom Hiddleston who does an equally great performance a Loki. This adaptation is more reletable because he is misunderstood and misguided, that in turn makes us feel for him and come to terms with his transition into darkness and evil. Hiddleston added some more remorseful aspects to the character and his transition to evil is portrayed well, though I wish he’d been a bit more sinister, but otherwise he was fabulous. Anthony Hopkins as Odin was as expected really cool, Odin was such a strong, imposing, yet caring character and I loved his speeches and aura. Hopkins already had the tools to portray the character effectively and he was so cool. The Warriors Three (Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun) played by Ray Stevenson, Joshua Dallas and Tadanobu Asano were delightful, they were all interesting, quirky and pretty awesome on and off of the battlefield. While I primarily know about them from Hulk Vs. Thor and my Wikipedia research, overall they seemed to be depicted pretty well though I wish they had more screen time.
Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif was great too, she was gorgeous and knew how to handle herself in battle, again like The Warriors Three I wish she had more screen time but she was still fun to watch. Idris Elba as Heimdall was very good too, I really wasn’t sure what to expect because this was very far removed from Elba’s standard line of work, but he did well, though some of his words were a bit hard to comprehend at times. Rene Russo as Frigga did a nice job well in the film too, although she was severely underused and I wish she’d had more screen time. Okay, now let’s talke about the human characters. Natalie Portman as Jane Foster was decent, Jane was good for the first half of the film and had nice chemistry between her and Thor, however I didn’t buy into her like her relationship with Thor. Firstly I find it hard to believe that someone as pretty as her would find it so hard to find love, and secondly I the time that she and Thor spent together was FAR too short for her to go from an infuation to all out love, more time wasneeded for that relationship to grow as it kind of felt forced towards the end of the film. Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig was pretty good too, can’t really fault him. And Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis was good too, she had some funny dialogue and was also very beautiful. 😀 And finally it was so great to see Clark Gregg back as Agent Coulson, he had some great scenes and dialogue and by that point he’d definitely become more of an interesting character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
When it comes to the presentation of Thor it is pretty good. Visually the film was very pretty with lovey art direction,good CGI, great costume design and nice cinematography. The visual effects were handled by BUF and Digital Domain, and they crafted some great gorgeous stuff, from the space worlds of Asgard and Jotunheim to the Frost Giants, Destroyer Armour and battle sequences, it was pretty awesome. The travelling sections via the Bifrost Bridge is some of the coolest stuff I’ve seen on-screen for some time (the first time it’s like, “Wow! FRIGGING AWESOME!!”). That being said the world of Asgard seemed a tad empty outside of the main hall and one had to wonder where all of the residents were haha. There also seemed to be a lack of sharpness and clarity in certain sections and I feel a studio like Industrial Light & Magic would have been a better choice for tackling the VFX, but still overall the film looked good.
The action sequences in the film was handled in an effective manner too, with most characters getting decent screen time. The action was shot wonderfully with lots of quick cuts and a variety of camera shots. I loved how Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir was depicted as it demonstrated a lot of different techniques especially with the spinning attacks which I wasn’t expecting to make it into the movie at all. The lightning effects were good and even Thor’s flying ability looked well portrayed too. Loki’s action on-screen was pretty good with a lot more physical combat with a staff, though I wish he had done more magic-based attacks. Everybody else have good fight scenes from the Warriors Three to Sif, from their battle with the Frost Giants to the attack on the Destroyer Armour. One thing that does bug me is the fact the first battle with the Frost Giants is the best one and everything that follows afterwards never quite reach that same level of greatness. Also the soundtrack crafted by Patrick Doyle was pretty great, it epic, dramatic and can go from being really powerful to being quite small and emotional. It really elevates whatever is happening on-screen and hits all the right notes for all the key scenes
So in conclusion I liked Thor a lot, it was a grand film with a good story, great characters, good action and a decent soundtrack. While there are some notable problems with the story, pacing and action, the film laid out the groundwork for these characters and other comic aspects to be incorporated into the sequel. Kenneth Branagh must be commended for taking what seemed to be an impossible task and making it feesable for comic book fans and casual audiences. A lot of people hate on Thor but I reckon its one of the better Phase 1 films, I recommend it and I can’t wait to be blown away by The Dark World (hopefully)!
Rating: 8/10 (It really was one of my favourite superhero films of recent years)
So what did you think of Thor? Whatever your thoughts, drop in the comments below and come back to this blog in the next few days for my review of Thor: The Dark World! Laters yo! 😀
So here we are with one of the biggest films of the summer and of the year, Pacific Rim. Honestly I thought to myself that this film can’t be bad right? I mean it has monsters and robots fighting each other, plus it has Idris Elba in it and it’s directed by Guillermo del Toro, this can’t suck right? Well I’ve been cautiously optimistic up until now and I with the recent reviews I wasn’t sure what kind of film I was going to get in the end. Again I just wanted the film to be good, so I went to see it with my sister yesterday and you know what? The film’s FRIGGIN’ BADASS and I’m gonna tell you why in this review.
So the story is set in the near future where giant monsters from another dimension known as “Kaiju” have risen from the depths of the Pacific Ocean via a portal and started causing mass destruction in several key areas of the world. So the humans, not wanting to go down without a fight create massive robots, known as Jaegers to combat the monsters. These robots are controlled simultaneously by two or more pilots whose minds are connected because it would be too much for a single pilot. However as the years go on, the monster get smarter and Jaegers struggle to win the war against the Kaiju. So at the darkest point in time when the planet looks like its going under, the last remaining forces of mankind make a final stand to take out the Kaiju once and for all.
I thought the story in this film was pretty cool. You get an idea of what’s going on from all the marketing for the film, but I feel like there was so much more going on in the film than what the trailers let on, and to me that’s a damn good thing. There’s elements of drama, epicness and humour all sprinkled around this film and it makes for a great viewing experience. The story feels very straightforward but at the same time very well thought out, there is layers and substance, and that’s not something come across too often in this genre of film. Most monster films don’t have much in the way of story or at the very least a story you care about, but here I liked what I saw. I liked the human element to the film and how there a great focus on mankind’s struggle to survive and the individual stories going on with the main cast members. There’s drama, emotion and good back stories which I was invested in throughout.
As for the cast I think they all bring a little something special to the characters that play in the film. Let’s start with Charlie Hunnam as Raleigh Becket, I thought he was great in the film. He’s a guy who knows what the deal when it comes to these monster and piloting the robots, but he’s experienced some epic and emotional times. Even in the face of his tough experiences he still has a lot of great and righteous qualities that makes him a great main character: Rinko Kikuchi as Mako Mori was lovely, besides being very beautiful I liked her character. She was very reserved but when it came to anything involving piloting the Jaegers she became very focused and we got to see more of her character which was nice. I liked Mako’s backstory and I thought that Kikuchi played her role nicely.
Now let’s talk about the man of the hour and my personal favourite person in the film which was Idris Elba as Stacker Pentecost. Elba simply put was such a badass! There just some roles this man lands himself in and when he commits to it all of his talent can be seen shining through and that was clearly apparent in this film. Stacker is a man who is focused on the matter at hand, he’s very focused and determined. I thought that Elba was very charismatic, cool and just badass. Also Charlie Day as Dr. Newton Geizler was pretty funny, even though he was meant to a scientist studying the Kaiju. Geizler is just this crazy nutcase who can be kind of annoying at times but ultimately is funny and definitely has his great moments in the film. along with him is Burn Gorman as Dr. Hermann Gottlieb who is another scientist studying the Kaiju alongside Geizler. Gorman’s performance is very expressive and strange, but it made for some brilliant moments of humour especially when he was squabbling with his partner.
And there’s Ron Perlman as Hannibal Chau, honestly Perlman was great in this role. Hannibal Chau is this dodgy black market dealer who is such an unpredictable guy. He’s very intimidating, but also quite funny because he’s very badass and cold mannerisms. This role feels like it was meant for him as it gives him room to be is cool and humorous self like we’ve seen in his previous films. And lastly Robert Kazinsky as Chuck Hansen was pretty good, he was a bit of douche but he played a douche very well and I was surprised to see Sean from Eastenders in a big film like this, but yeah Kazinsky was good.
As for the presentation, my god, the frigging presentation was BEYOND POWER, WAS BEYOND EPIC, IT WAS GODLY! Maybe I’m sounding a bit over-the-top but in truth the film looked fabulous, the scale was so big and large and there were some great camera angles used to emphasize the giant creatures. This was also thanks the incredible CGI work from Industrial Light & Magic whose work in this film is apparent in every shot in the film. My only issue with the visuals in that in some of the night fight scenes it was hard to make out what certain things were on the monster’s bodies or faces. As for the soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi I thought it was great, Djawadi’s score was varied and had a lot of layers, it was dramatic, epic and loud and emotional at times too.
In conclusion Pacific Rim was AWESOME! End of. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I just wanted the film to be good and it was better than good, it was kick ass! There was so much to love, the story was nice, the visuals were insane, I liked the cast and the monster designs were so unique and incredible to look at. Some people are hating on this film but don’t let it detour you, this film is a good time at the cinema, if you want to see a great modern monster film in the cinema, then look no further than Pacific Rim.
Rating: 8.5/10 (Such a beast of a film, ultimate fun time!)
So what did you lot think of Pacific Rim? Did it meet or exceed your expectations or were you disappointed? Whatever your thoughts drop them below and give me your thoughts yo, I won’t judge you, much haha. Until the next review people, laters! 😀
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