QUICK REVIEW: Star Trek Beyond (Spoiler-Free)

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 Darkness I 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?

 

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Review

Howdy people of the internet, time for my latest film review in the form of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. I would have seen this film sooner but I’ve had to wait until I got time off from work. Anyway, I’ve been pumped for this film for a while and I just hoped that it’d be good with all of the awesome stuff that was shown off in the trailers. So is the film good or not? Well read on and find out!

So the story can be described as the following:

“Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.”

The story in this film was really good. Talk about living on the edge, this film goes above and beyond to give you an adventure that insane, dangerous and totally cool. This was definitely a personal outing for Ethan Hunt and this film was also heavier with the spy and thriller elements. The key themes of this film dealt with trust, conspiracies and uncertainty. There was a lot of mystery going on, and at several key points in the film you’re not sure who to trust, this creates a great deal of tension and suspense, and because of the motivations of the main characters it makes for very intriguing and cool story. I really appreciated the odds that Ethan and his friends had to deal with this time, it really felt like an impossible mission with crazy odds stacked against them, and it was put together in such a smart way. Another aspects about this film series is that it is consistent with its codes and conventions. There are certain elements that come into play in Rogue Nation that have been used before, but because it’s part of this world and it’s used effectively, it doesn’t feel repetitive or unpractical. Oh and the’s really funny with a lot of great moments of humour sprinkled throughout. I don’t really have much in the way of negatives with the plot, it was all pretty good.

As for the cast they are all great. Tom Cruise has still got it as Ethan Hunt. While we get all of the usual cool aspects of Hunt’s character, this time around it really focuses on his personality. The story really gets into his mindset, shows what makes him tick and why he’s so determined to take down his enemies, but also shows that he’s a team player and he cares for his friends. Cruise turns in another great performance and has such a great screen presence, whether he’s fighting, running or standing still looking like a badass, he’s just fun to watch. Jeremy Renner was great as William Brandt, this guy is just as funny and uptight as he was previously, but this time he’s more integrated into Ethan’s team and while he doesn’t always trust Ethan, he always does the right thing. Renner has such a likeable charm and in this film he had a lot of good material to work with. Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn was brilliant. Even though Benji was primarily around for humour, he had a lot of good moments drama and action and I liked how Benji’s character has progressed through this series.

Rebecca Ferguson I think may be the stand out performance as Ilsa Faust. Ferguson is hot, beautiful and sexy all and the same time, but beyond that she’s a really interesting character. I loved Ilsa’s backstory, motivations and interactions with Ethan, plus she was a damn good spy with crazy amounts of skill, efficiency and badassery. I hope to see her return in future films as she’s too good a character to not see again. Ving Rhames was as Luther Stickell, Rhames just had that nice level of swagger, charm and humour that make Luther fun to watch. Also Sean Harris did well as Solomon Lane, the main villain of the film. what I liked about Lane was that he was always step ahead, he was so sneaky, swift and effortless in his actions, and Harris was really good in the role (although I wasn’t overly keen on the soft/quiet voice). plus Lane was certainly more memorable than the previous film’s villain for sure. Alec Baldwin was a welcomed addition to the MI world as Alan Hunley, Baldwin (regardless of his actions in the real world) is a good actor and in this film he displayed some of his best qualities, the guy is intimidating, serious, but also funny and engaging, and while Hunley’s character isn’t too likeable, he’s certainly fun to watch especially with his interactions with William Brandt. Simon McBurney as Attlee was another great character who was cool yet off-putting and creepy at the same time, and finally Tom Hollander as the Prime Minister is awesome and some of my favourite scenes in the film.

When it comes to the presentation it is really, really good! I really liked the visual side of things. This film was shot really well with some really cool cinematography with the car chases and fight scenes, I also liked the use of colour and lighting for some of the scenes especially at night as it added levels of tension, drama and looked quite artistic. I also liked the choreography of the fight scenes as they were cool, slick and pretty brutal. The film score by Joe Kraemer was really cool, it had the right levels of intensity, sophistication and drama, and while I did miss Michael Giacchino’s sound from the last film, Kraemer did a damn good job.

In conclusion Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation was bloody awesome, I knew the film would be good but I’m just so happy that it ended up being another solid entry in this series. This film has all of the best elements that you’d expect from these films, but here the filmmakers found ways to create even crazier action scenes, have a story with a great deal of tension, depth and conspiracy and still make a fun summer film. While I think I still like the more fun-oriented approach of Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation is just as badass and I highly recommend it.

Rating: 8.5/10

So what did you think of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them in the comments below, until the next time, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Trailer #1

Howdy people of the internet, time for my trailer review for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. Obviously the teaser for this trailer came out on Sunday (I foolishly thought that it was the first trailer, however it was just teaser to a full teaser), but now we have a full trailer to look at giving us our first look at the carnage we’re in for with this fifth installment of this film series.

Firstly check out the trailer here:

So what are my first thoughts after seeing this trailer? I want a piece of this pie yo, sign me the hell up!

Now after the badassery of Ghost Protocol (a film I LOVED), I was not only ready for more adventures with Ethan Hunt but I was also curious/worried as to how this film would come close to that level of quality. And I know from interviews that director Christopher McQuarrie said that he wasn’t trying to outdo the last film, but just wanted to make a solid film. However after seeing this trailer I feel like the people behind this film are definitely trying to up the ante from the last film.

Looks like the stakes are set possibly even higher than before with a lot of interesting a crazy things going on like:

• A cool female operative working with Ethan’s crew
• The CIA are out to dissolve the IMF
• Hunt and his crew are up against an organisation just as skilled as they are
• Ethan Hunt hanging off of a plane

As for the plot it seems like Hunt and his crew are going to have their work cut out for them as their main enemy seems to be a bad version of themselves. This illusive group known as the Syndicate are coming after our heroes and it looks like they have a lot of skill and firepower. I’m liking the cast too. Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg like their on-point as Ethan Hunt and Benji Dunn, while seeing Jeremy Renner again as William Brandt makes me smile too. I am however really excited for the new additions to the cast. Alec Baldwin is one of my favourite actors and while he’s seemed less than likeable in the public eye over recent years, I don’t want that to get in the way of the talent that he has. Anways I like how his character looks like the bad guy, seems like he’s going to make things complicated by taking out the organisation that Hunt and his crew work for and creating friction is also fun. And Rebecca Ferguson looks like a great replacement for Paula Patton as the next leading female. Besides being a confident, she can kick ass and is in the thick of the action and I love that. What I also appreciated was that for all the action and serious story elements, there are still moments of humour, a lot of which involving Simon Pegg and Tom Cruise. Whether it is Ethan asking Benji if he has his seatbelt on while in a car that’s flying backwards through the air or if Ethan is asking a woman if he knows her after she helped him beat up his captors, it’s great and well-timed.

Oh and then there’s the action which looks off the chain yo and some of the stuff I liked was:

• There’s chase sequences with bikes and cars with people getting knocked down and over cliffs!
• Cool hand to hand combat moments whether someone is being held hostage or a woman is dispensing people in a dress
• Ethan jumps off a building into some water hole which looks like it is inside of a fountain area

I know its been said already many times at this point but I’m going to mention it anyway… HOLY SHIT, IT’S TOM CRUISE HANGING OFF A MOVING PLANE, OH MY GOD! Sure that reaction is a little extreme but you have to admit, a 50+ Tom Cruise hanging off of a moving plane is some hardcore shit. This guy must be the western version of Jackie Chan (not nearly as hardcore but you get the comparison). I mean most men at this age would probably start to slow down and not do such crazy and risky stunt work, but Cruise jumps into this madness like a duck to water and shit he goes through for our entertainment has to be applauded. I don’t know how anyone can hate on a guy that works so hard and does badass stuff like this.

I guess my only issue with the trailer is the use of that remixed version of “Ready or Not” The Fugees, it just sounded horrible and out of place, thank god if wasn’t in the whole of the trailer.

In conclusion the first trailer for Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation looks awesome, I wasn’t sure if this film would get me as excited as the last one, but my worries were put to bed as this looks just as crazy, if not more than before. The action looks great, the story seems intriguing, the cast looks great and the set pieces look insane. The waiting period for the summer film season has gotten that much harder.

So what do you think of the first trailer for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them in the comments below, until the next time, laters! 😀

 

The Boxtrolls Review

Good day to you ladies and gents, with the summer film season well and truly over I haven’t really had any reason to go back to the cinema, until last weekend when I watched The Boxtrolls. Now this is one of the few animated films I’ve been really excited to see because I love Laika as an animation studio and with their great work on Coraline and Paranorman, this was a must-see film. So how does this film fare? Well, read on and find out!

The story for the film can be described as the following:

“The film tells the story of an orphaned boy named Eggs who was raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collecting trolls called the Boxtrolls. The Boxtrolls are targeted by an evil exterminator named Archibald Snatcher and Eggs has to save his family from Snatcher.”

The story for this film was pretty good, it offered a familiar tale while still being fun and interesting. I liked Egg’s origin story and how it tied into  the villain’s story too, and seeing the way everything unfolded was quite bizarre but also fun and unexpected. Now if I were to compare it to Laika’s previous projects, I would say that this film is better than Paranorman due to its story and character’s being much stronger, but I still don’t believe that Coraline can be touched when it comes to story and characters. That film was special, creepy and full of all sorts of scary stuff you just don’t see in a children’s animated film. In the end it comes down to the source material and this film’s material is good, but just not that strong to be innovative or too different from what we’ve seen before.

As for the cast they’re all wonderful offering great performances in unexpected ways.

Isaac Hempstead-Wright does well as Eggs, he’s a boy who has been raised by the Boxtrolls and it is the only life knows, but once things start to go wrong for his friends and he has to step up and become a hero he definitely grows as a character and becomes a likeable protagonist. The guy is strange, funny and has a good heart and Hempstead-Wright brings a great deal of passion and flair to his role. Someone who might have outdone him is Elle Fanning, who is great as Winnie Portley-Rind. This girl is good-natured, if somewhat spoilt, rude and headstrong, she is very curious and finds herself in trouble because of it, but after she connects with Eggs they bond and then become intertwined in this mission to save his friends and Fanning does a such a good job, her delivery of some her lines is nothing short of funny and delightful. Ben Kingsley is completely unrecognizable as Archibald Snatcher, Kingsley does an absolutely stellar job as the main nemesis of this film being quite humourous, mean and at times very disturbing too. The great thing about this performance is that it is so charismatic and larger than life, but you just wouldn’t expect it from someone like Ben Kingsley, it was such a massive surprise when I saw his name in the credits, just  goes to show you how versatile he is.

And then there’s Snatcher’s henchman played wonderfully by Nick Frost as Mr. Trout, Richard Ayoade as Mr. Pickles and Tracy Morgan as Mr. Gristle. Mr. Trout and Pickles were my favourites, they are both very funny and strange henchmen who follow Snatcher, but question his actions and sometimes discuss matters of moral code from time to time and it makes for some great moments in the film, Richard Ayoade’s voice is just amazing while Nick Frost is awesome as a character who clearly has the most sense out of the lot of them. And lastly Tracy Morgan is the last person I would have guessed as Mr. Pickles however, after I thought about it, it started to make sense. This character seems like a brain-dead idiot, but he is definitely gunning and dangerous, he’s just prone to delivering pain and is single-minded about many things.

Jared Harris is awesome as Lord Portley-Rind, this character is an upper-classmen, enjoys the finer things in life (especially his obsession with cheese) and has no time for his daughter. I love Harris in this role, I recognized his voice in an instant and after seeing him in Fringe and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows it is impossible to not notice him in anything even if it is just identified by voice alone. Toni Collette is fine as Lady Portley-Rind, Winnie’s mother and the appearance of Simon Pegg as Herbert Trubshaw was totally unexpected, but very much welcomed as his character is totally jokes. And lastly Dee Bradley Baker (Fish, Wheels and Bucket) and Steve Blum (Shoe and Sparky) were awesome, especially Steve Blum who is one of my favourite voice actors.

When it comes to the presentation it is clearly the strongest element of the film both on the visual and audio front. Laika as an animation studio have always been incredible when it comes to crafting impressive-looking visuals and have gone from strength to strength when it comes to shows how much further they can push stop-motion and I feel like they’ve done it again. All of the animation is incredibly smooth, the art design is very nice and the cinematography is so much more dynamic than before with fancier lighting, more camera angles and really impressive tracking shots too. The soundtrack by Dario Marianelli was nice as well offering some great pieces of music to suit the different tones throughout the film.

In conclusion The Boxtrolls is a very good animated film, which is full of fun and is a very good-looking film which shows that stop-motion is a form of animation that can still be impressive in this world of CGI animated films. Is it the best animated film this year? No. However, that shouldn’t stop you checking this film out, it has plenty of laughs, a great cast of characters and story that is simple, strange, but also very effective.

Rating: 8/10

So what did you think of The Boxtrolls? Have you seen it or are you gonna watch it? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to comment below and I’ll see ya on the next review yo! 😀

 

Hector and the Search for Happiness Review

Howdy ladies and gents, welcome to another review from your strange opinionated friend, the Hypersonic55. Today I give you my review of Hector and the Search for Happiness. Now I had heard of this film just days before it came out and I wasn’t even sure I was gonna watch it, but after seeing a friend on Facebook say that it was pretty good I had to give it a try, plus it had Simon Pegg in it so it couldn’t be that bad right?

The plot for the film can be described as the following:

“Hector is a quirky psychiatrist who has become increasingly tired of his humdrum life. As he tells his girlfriend, Clara, he feels like a fraud: he hasn’t really tasted life, and yet he’s offering advice to patients who are just not getting any happier. So Hector decides to break out of his deluded and routine driven life. Armed with buckets of courage and child-like curiosity, he embarks on a global quest in hopes of uncovering the elusive secret formula for true happiness.”

The story was very fun, interesting engaging and surprisingly heartfelt. I thought I had this film figured out from the advertising and in the beginning I seriously thought I was going to watch some generic romantic comedy with a bit of drama, but this film surprised me at just how insightful and bold it is. This film’s central theme is happiness and what it means to different people and it is so intriguing to see people’s varying opinions and with the travelling to different countries you got to see different ways of life and cultures and I films where there’s travelling. What really struck me was the similar story and tone to last year’s The Secret Life of Walter Minty (which I wasn’t too keen on), this film basically gave me what I had hoped for in Walter Minty. I got emotionally invested.

When it comes to the cast they are all pretty good but it is really the central performance from Simon Pegg that makes this film special. Pegg has always been a fun and engaging actor, but he taps into deeper territories here. Hector is a psychiatrist who is living a good, if somewhat repetitive and hollow life and he’s got deep-rooted issues and he is sort of aware of his problems, but he hides it. It is not until his journey across the world begins that he truly starts to live his life and see what true happiness looks like. I feel like this is the most dramatic performance that Simon Pegg has done to date, the man is mainly known for comedy and nothing more and while he does that well here too, he does dive into some emotional territories not seen from him before and I liked seeing that. And then there’s Rosamund Pike who is wonderful as Clara, Hector’s long-time girlfriend. Pike is a successful woman in her job, has a bubbly and fun personality, she’s gorgeous and is totally dedicated to Hector and helps him in his daily life. she’s the perfect girlfriend. However she does have some insecurities of her own and due to Hector’s habits it does make for some questionable and aggressive conflicts between them. Pike has been one of those actresses that only got on my radar in the last 2 years but every time I see her I like her more and more, she’s totally fun and charismatic and a totally beautiful too. Pegg and Pike have good chemistry, their banter and relationship feels authentic and I think that’s due to their experience working together in the past.

Stellan Skarsgård is also great as Edward, he’s banker who Hector ran into while on a plane heading to China and they hang out while he’s out there. The man has a very narrow-minded view opinion on happiness but sure knows how’s to have fun when it comes  to living it up on the rich side of life. I haven’t seen Skarsgård in a mean and ‘no-so-good’ kind of person, but he does his role very well and I thought he was pretty cool. Toni Collette is great as Agnes and Christopher Plummer who is always nice a nice face to see was funny and interesting as Professor Coreman. And imagine my surprise when I saw Jean Reno appear in this film. I love this guy and to see him as Diego was a delightful experience, even after all these years the guy is still a good actor and even though his part was small he was cool and intense. Oh and shout out to Togo Igawa who provided some of my favourite moments interacting with Hector as Old Monk, his character was humorous and insightful.

In conclusion Hector and the Search for Happiness is wonderful full of humour, charm, drama and life lessons. In addition to the lovely story the visual presentation is pretty and interesting and the soundtrack by Dan Mangan and Jesse Zubot is quite varied, uplifting and interesting. This is a beautiful film and leaves you with a great feeling after it is over and with an incredible central performance from Simon Pegg it is certainly a film worth a watch.

Rating: 8/10

So have you seen Hector and the Search for Happiness and if so what did you think of it? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review yo. 😀

 

The World’s End Review

Howdy people of the interweb! Time for me to review a film I’ve waited AGES to see, The World’s End. This is the latest film from Edgar Wright and the final film in what is now known as the “Cornetto trilogy“. Edgar Wright is man who can do no wrong for me, I’ve loved everything he has done so far, so does Wright along with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost do it again in this film? Well read on and find out! 🙂

So the premise for this story is as follows:

“Five childhood friends reunite after twenty years to repeat a legendary pub crawl from their youth (which they originally failed) returning to their hometown once again to attempt to reach the fabled pub “The World’s End”. Over the course of the night, they realize that the town has been taken over by robots and they begin to realise that the real struggle is “not just theirs but humankind’s”, and completing the crawl becomes the least of their worries.”

Looking at the premise this sounded like a really unique idea and the trailer, while making me slightly hesitate about the end result, did however look like a good time. So after seeing the film I can say that I enjoyed the story, though it didn’t turn out anything like I thought it would. At first the film centers on Gary King and his efforts to get his old mates back together, this is the part of the film which while good was a little questionable and varying in interest. It wasn’t until the guys got back to Newton Haven and find all the crazy inhabitants of the town attacking them when story really started to pick up and get interesting. As with all Edgar Wright films there is a lot of humour in verbal and physical forms, some of which is hilarious, some of which not as funny and some of which that isn’t funny because the trailers showed the scenes liked ten times! Outside of the humour there is a lot of heart, character development and genuine emotion in some scenes and it was nice. The film is strange, crude and sometimes incredibly absurd, but if you’re a fan of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s work then you’ll have a good time here.

As for the characters, the cast do a brilliant job at making each one of these characters relevant, easy to connect to and funny. Let’s start with Simon Pegg as Gary King, I thought Pegg was awesome. Now strangely enough unlike his last two characters in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, his central character isn’t so nice and is kind of in the vein of Ed from Shaun of the Dead in the sense that his character isn’t very nice, has bad mannerisms and can be pretty annoying. Gary however is a lot more likeable due to his charismatic nature, crazy antics and funny dialogue, plus since it’s Simon Pegg I can’t hate him because he’s fun. Also Gary is like the glue that holds this group of people together, without him, none of the stuff in this film would have happened and I gotta give Pegg credit for doing things a little differently. As for Nick Frost as Andrew Knightley he was the character who had a difficult past with Gary which led to the tension between the two of them in this film. Frost plays his part well while his character is kind of lame for the first apart of the film, once the crazy action kicks off with the “people” in Newton Haven that’s when he really shines.

Paddy Considine as Steven Prince was good and his character has some good dialogue too. Martin Freeman as Oliver Chamberlain was cool, Freeman knows how to do comedy and he has great timing and funny facial expressions. Eddie Marsan was a surprise as Peter Page, I’ve only really seen Marsan in Guy Richie’s Sherlock Holmes films so this role was a massive departure from what I’ve experienced before. Marasn was great and offered a lot of hilarious moments especially in the area of physical stuff. And Rosamund Pike as Sam Chamberlain was beautiful as always and also provided some wonderful moments of witty dialogue and physical comedy. Also there were some great small appearances from David Bradley and Pierce Brosnan too.

When it comes to the presentation it is pretty hardcore. Visually the film is great, there is a good use of CGI and practical effects and it comes together in a fabulous manner. I also love the choreography of the fight scenes and the way in which all these crazy action sequences were filmed are nothing short of fabulous. As for the music by Steven Price it is pretty cool offering up some nice and epic sounds for the film where is counts.

In conclusion The World’s End is a good piece of comedy which feels familiar and yet fresh at the same time, and the film has all the wit, charm and over-the-top style that you’ve come to expect from Edgar Wright. While I can’t say that its my favourite film that Wright has made, I can say that it’s a good time at the cinema and very much worth your time, especially if you’re a fan of the previous films.

Rating: 7.5/10 (It’s some good stuff and has more pros than cons!)

So what did you think of The World’s End? Did the film meet your expectations or were you let down due to the hype and anticipation? Whatever your thoughts are drop them in the comments section below and I’ll see you on the next film review. Laters! 😀

 

The World’s End Trailer Review

Okay so I know this trailer came out like a week ago but I’ve had several things to sort out which has prevented me from talking about it. But now I’m free so let’s talk about The World’s End trailer yo!

Check out the trailer below:

So what I’m getting from this trailer a group of five friends went for a pub crawl in their younger days but never got to their final destination, so twenty years later Simon Pegg gathers up Nick Frost, Martin Freeman and the other two guys to try and do it all over again and reach the fabled pub, The World’s End. But it seems like things have changed a great deal since their last time and now all these crazy happenings are going down. Cool.

When I read the synopsis for this film I wasn’t sure what to expect but this trailer really surprised me. It starts out a little dull but really picks up once the alien element comes into play and there’s all this violence and madness going down.

I just love how ridiculous and over-the-top this looks. There’s all these alien-like people who remind me of the people in Invaders of the Body Snatchers, Nick Frost hitting people with bar stools, cheerleaders, people getting hit in hilarious ways, explosions a woman rugby tackling someone in an epic fashion. All of this screams crazy to me and at the same time it is SO Edgar Wright. The jokes, the style of dialogue and action is all his style of work. I love that bit at the end when Simon Pegg tries to jump that fence only for it to fall down, that was a great reference to Hot Fuzz and I’m hoping for more in-jokes like that in the rest of the film too.

In the end this trailer looks pretty fun and makes me pretty excited for the film. Edgar Wright has yet to make anything I didn’t like so I’ll be hopefully seeing this on opening day if life will permit me lol.

 

Star Trek Into Darkness Review

It’s 2013 and we now have Star Trek Into Darkness, a film I’ve waited 4 long years to see. After the success of 2009’s Star Trek I knew that a sequel was coming. This new film looks bigger and darker than before, plus it has Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain, how could the film fail right? So does this film succeed in being awesome or does fall short of the previous film’s quality? Read on and find out!

So the story for this film is as follows:

“After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.”

I really liked the story in this film, it was basically an epic game of cat and mouse between the members of the Enterprise and John Harrison. It was crafted in a lovely way with a great deal drama, danger, mystery and sacrifice. The story in this film takes place not to long after the last film and has some great connections to not only the last Star Trek film but other films in the series and the TV show. There was some great developments for the returning characters as well as the new ones who make their mark in this film. The pacing was good and at not point did it feel like the plot was dragging though at first as good as the story was it didn’t get really good until John Harrison came to the forefront of the story.

While the story is great, it is the cast that brings these characters to life and makes you care about the events that’s taking place around them. So let’s start with the returning cast starting with Chris Pine as James T. Kirk. I loved Pine as Kirk in the last film, his new interpretation on the character and the transition into the on from the original TV show was great and he continues his good acting in this new film. Here Kirk has a lot more of an emotional story arc and it really tests him as not only a person but as a leader of his crew. And then there’s Zachary Quinto as Spock was simply fabulous! I thought he was incredible in the last film especially with his more emotional interpretation of the character and in this film it is taken to new heights, Quinto was made for this role and really has some great moments verbally and physically too. Also I like how the relationship between Kirk and Spock was still at the forefront of the film and was developed even more than before, Pine and Quinto still have incredibly good chemistry.

As for the rest of the Enterprise crew their still all on top form. Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy is still funny, enjoyable and has good screen time with Kirk. Zoe Saldana is still hot and efficient as Nyota Uhura and Simon Pegg is still awesome and hilarious as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott too. Also John Cho and Anton Yelchin are still cool as Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov. Even Bruce Greenwood as does great returning once again as Christopher Pike.

As for the newcomers, Alice Eve and Peter Weller add some interesting elements to the story as Carol Wallace and Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus.

But the standout performance has to be from Benedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison, HE WAS A BEAST! That is the best way to describe him really. I loved his performance in this film, Harrison plays this former agent of Starfleet who’s now got a beef with them and wants to take down th organization. There is a lot of mystery surrounding his character and the less you know the better really because as the mystery unfolds you get to discover so much and it’ll be totally surprising. Cumberbatch is insanely badass in this film delivering lines and fighting people with intensity, fear and tenacity. Cumberbatch definitely sold the film for me, I thought he was a truly incredible nemesis for the Enterprise crew and he definitely made up for Eric Bana’s Nero in the last film.

He’s such a badass, only badass people smash through glass like that.

When it comes to the presentation of Star Trek Into Darkness I would honestly say that it is pretty much on par with the 2009. Industrial Light & Magic still know how to make some damn good-looking CGI, there are some great scenes and sequences crafted whether they be on Earth, an alien planet or in space, wherever it is it looks incredible. There some truly epic and larger-than-life spectacles to take in from space battles to seeing the Enterprise in warp drive, it’s just awesome stuff! As for the soundtrack, Michael Giacchino returns as composer and he delivers some truly awesome music while retaining some of the themes from the previous film. There is a music for every scenario and it amplifies the film but ten times, Giacchino still knows how to craft music that is epic, godly, but also soft and emotional too.

In conclusion Star Trek Into Darkness is a cracking sequel to the 2009 film which not only advances the story and characters from the before but presents much bigger challenges and threats that make the film so much more epic. While there are some elements of the 2009 film I like better, I can easily say that Star Trek Into Darkness is my favourite film of 2013. Go out and watch it now. That’s an order! 😀

Rating: 9/10 (Totally worth your time!)

So what did you think of Star Trek Into Darkness? Did you love, think it was alright or did you hate it? Whatever your thoughts are drop me comment and let me know! Until the next review later on people! 😀

 

My Beastly Star Trek (2009) Review

Oh yes! Now this is a film I have wanted to review for quite some time but I really wanted to find the right time to do it, and with Star Trek Into Darkness pretty much coming out today it’s about time I reviewed this film. Ever since I saw it in the cinema I fell in love with it and it quickly became one of my favourite films ever, so without further ado I give you my review of Star Trek (aka Star Trek XI). By the way it’s a bit of a long one so please try to endure it haha.

So the premise for this film is as follows:

“The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father’s legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful, time-traveling Romulan creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.”

I loved the story in this film, it is exciting, entertaining and heartfelt too. We basically get to see the genesis of the members of the USS Enterprise as they come from their different backgrounds and converge and then come together as a crew. But at the center of the film is the relationship between Kirk and Spock, we see how they have very different upbringings and how it shapes them into the men that they are. They’re polar opposites and at first they really don’t get on because one likes to run before he acts whereas the other thinks before he moves. And it is truly beautiful to see these characters come rely on each other and become the partners that we know from the old 60s TV show. The plot of the film is pretty streamlined when compared to the 60s show, it is also much more action-oriented (that is apparent from the beginning) and there isn’t as much of that techno babble and over scientific stuff that the show was known for, however this was probably done to appeal to new audiences. Some veterans of the series may not like the changes done to the old formula and the story but for me it works in an incredibly fun, adventures and emotional way.

But what is a good story without a good cast? Thankfully the cast in this film are all wonderful at bringing these classic characters to life in a brand new way while feeling familiar at the same time.

Let’s start with Chris Pine as James T. Kirk. Pine gives a very different take on the character as this young, reckless, yet skilled individual who could be much more but chooses to live a simple life until he enlists in Starfleet. After that he goes into space, butts heads with Spock and eventually becomes the character we remember from William Shatner. Chris Pine makes a great Kirk, he’s incredibly likeable, relatable and funny and makes for a great opposite to Spock. And speaking of him let’s move onto Zachary Quinto as Spock. Here we have a version of Spock that while he has all the mannerisms from the old show he has to deal with his dual heritage as half Vulcan and half human. He’s very smart, logical and is a great opposite for Kirk as they bicker and fight. Let me just say that Quinto was MADE to play this role, he’s so stern, logical and has a dry sense of humor. He knocked it out of the park with this role.

As for the rest of the crew they are all on point. I thought Karl Urban made a great Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, and Zoe Saldana Nyota Uhura was incredibly beautiful and engaging. A special mention needs to be given for Simon Pegg as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, he was incredible. While his character was pretty much there for humour purposes I loved what Simon Pegg did with the role and he was funny as hell! Then there’s John Cho and Anton Yelchin were awesome, dynamic and humourous as Hikaru Sulu  and Pavel Chekov respectively. Also Bruce Greenwood as Capt. Christopher Pike was wonderful. And Leonard Nimoy’s appearance as old Spock is great and really connects this new film to the original continuity. I guess the only weak link in this chain is Eric Bana as Nero, his villain role is only used as a plot device and he really isn’t as fleshed out as the rest of the cast. However he gets props for the best line in the film: “FIRE EVERYTHING!” Totally badass.

When it comes to the presentation of Star Trek it is just one a high level of awesomeness. The film just looks and sounds so good!

Visually the film is incredible, Industrial Light & Magic do a magnificent job of creating these beautiful, highly detailed scenes of space, different planets and the spacecrafts. The CGI is just beautiful and really shines in scenes of massive spectacles like the Romulan attack on the USS Kelvin or the skydiving sequence with Kirk and Sulu or when Kirk is marooned on the ice planet and gets chased by giant monsters. I also like the camera work in the film too, there is some dynamic angles used and there are a few zoom shots and quick camera movements that just make the pace so much swifter than previous Star Trek films. And obviously we can’t talk about Star Trek without highlighting the now-infamous lens flare in the film, at first I never really noticed it until my uncle pointed out to me and after that it couldn’t be unseen. While it does get used to extreme a few scenes to be honest I like it, for some reason it adds some cool lighting effects to the shots its used in and it doesn’t bother as much as everyone else.

And then of course there’s the soundtrack by Michael Giacchino and to say that I love it would be an understatement. It honestly sounds INCREDIBLE! Ever since I saw this film in the cinema the soundtrack was one of the main things I remembered after I saw the film. Giacchino is absolutely amazing and really brings the film to life with his score, the tracks are epic, impactful, soft, emotional and all-round good stuff. The song “Enterprising Young Men” is amazing and I get insanely kiddy whenever I hear it, I get goosebumps, that’s how incredible it is. The sound effects for this film is also very good with some returning from the old TV show and there’s smart uses of sound or lack of it that make the film feel incredibly atmospheric.

Now I remember before this film came out there was a lot of talk and building hype, though at first I wasn’t really interested. I remember when my uncle showed me the first teaser trailer back in 2008 and I thought the concept of a new Star Trek film would be interesting but I wasn’t overly fussed. It wasn’t until the first full trailer came out in the later part of that year where I was like, “Okay now this is a film I have to watch!” Then the film came out and I think the overall response pretty positive from both casual audiences and the fans and it made a lot of money at the box office and it also brought Star Trek back into the mainstream media. Because let’s face it before this reboot Star Trek had been dead in the world of cinema since 2002 and the franchise was just exclusive to the Trekkies who really cared for it. But this film really put Star Trek back on the map because its more action-oriented approach to the franchise which I think the series really needed.

In conclusion Star Trek is a great re-imagining of the old television show for a new generation. The film is full of action and sci-fi goodness, it also has a solid story, a brilliant cast, spectacular special effects and a beautiful soundtrack to boot. While there was a great deal of things that were changed/reworked in translating the 60s TV show into this live-action reboot, I still say there’s enough of the old for fans to appreciate and I highly recommend this film not only to fans, but to those who aren’t aware of Star Trek or those who have never liked it beforehand. I with the foundations put in place with this film I absolutely can’t wait for the sequel; Star Trek Into Darkness in May, it should be one hell of a sequel!

Rating: A Solid 9/10 (Seal of Approval!)

Well that’s been my review ladies and gents, hopefully you’ve found it informative and drop me comment and let me know your thoughts on the film. This review was meant to be out months ago but I never got around to finishing it now haha. Look out for my Star Trek Into Darkness review in the next few days! By the way don’t forget to follow the blog for more juicy reviews yo! Later peeps! 😀

 

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Review

Howdy ladies and gentlemen, today I have another film review to give ya and this time it comes in shape of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol aka Mission: Impossible 4.

Now before this film came out I was very wary purely because it was the fourth entry in the Mission: Impossible film series. In most normal cases, most film series end in a trilogy or spin-off, so when you hear there’s going to be a fourth film in a film series that really didn’t need it, you can’t help but think it’ll be bad before it’s even going to come out. Though over time when it was announced that Brad Bird, director of The Incredibles was going to be on-board for the project I felt that there may be some hope for the film and then when Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner were also attached to the film, so my fear turned into hope. So I went to watch this film just expecting to like it… But after I watched it I was like “Holy man this film friggin is awesome!!”

This latest instalment in the Mission: Impossible film series is an interesting chapter in the life of Ethan Hunt and is fantastic film in the genre of action movies. Basically in this film the IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization’s name. While the plot sounds simple enough, there a good level intricacy and layering to it, with the multiple characters involved on the good side and the side of the enemy. This film is a great action flick purely because rather than just being a mindless film full of explosions and having action with no substance like the latest instalment of the Transformers film series, MI: GP has a story, it has structure with characters who are interesting and engaging and most importantly things happen for a reason rather than just happening for the sake of a spectacle for the audience. Tom Cruise is still just as cool as ever as Ethan Hunt and he delivers a solid performance whether he’s just talking or jumping out of buildings. Jeremy Renner adds an interesting element to the film with his character William Brandt, while Paula Patton and Simon Pegg do equally well in the film as agents Jane Carter and Benji Dunn.

Now talk about the action sequences in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. The action scenes in this film are just ridiculously awesome. So much stuff happens in this film it’s unreal, straight from the beginning of the film it sets you up for a wide ride of significant feats performed by several of the characters involved whether they are the good guys or the bad guys. So many of the scenarios created are just unnatural, so many tension-building situations and heart-racing scenes are thrown in throughout this film that you don’t know what’s going to happen next. Another thing I noticed which Jeremy Jahns mentioned in his YouTube review was that when the action sequences come just when you think that it’s over, it throws a curve ball and continues, it’s mind-boggling. But one thing is for sure that the action sequences are pulled off in a fabulous way, all of it is very entertaining, well-choreographed and incredible to watch, some of it throws away the laws of realism and gets completely ridiculous at times, but I think that’s what I really loved about it, that level of impossibility that wouldn’t take place in the real world.

The amount of crazy action stunts that Tom Cruise gets into in this film is absolutely mad.

I also want to talk about the soundtrack which is wonderfully handled by one of my favourite film composers Michael Giacchino. In most of the soundtracks I have heard Mr Giacchino is nothing short of amazing as he always seems to get the music right in every scenario and it’s always so loud and present that you can’t ignore how great it sounds. As I listened to the soundtrack throughout the film I noticed subtle references to Giacchino’s previous work with Pixar and the more recent sci-fi film Star Trek. Now for me I find it interesting that both Brad Bird and Michael Giacchino found themselves working together again on a film of a similar genre to that of The Incredibles. And just like their last collaboration they work wonderfully together. And since I’ve mentioned Brad Bird now I think I should give him his credit as I feel this film really worked under his direction. Bird’s directing skills are pretty darn good, though it is all in the world of animation his contributions to The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille can’t be ignored. In the end I am glad that he was picked as the director because he did so well with it and it also shows that Brad Bird is also capable of directing live-action films too so hopefully this is the start of bigger things to come in his career.

This picture here is just badass, such a fine team of awesomeness.

So in conclusion Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is a fabulous film and probably one of the best films of 2011. The film was handled very well with a good story, a solid cast, ridiculously awesome action sequences and a soundtrack that is just simply wonderful. After seeing this film I know one thing is for sure, Tom Cruise is still awesome! 😀 He can still tackle action films in such a great way and you can see in this film how much he really commits to the film with the amount of crazy stunts he pulls off. And director Brad Bird, he is a man of brilliance and he needs to direct more films because he has talent that shouldn’t be wasted.

Rating: 8.5/10