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An error has ocurred. Please try againAutumn/Winter 2017
Reviews
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Disappointing, poorly made, lazy Moulin Rouge inspired musical mess
To start I LOVE musicals and have done for as long as I can think of (Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserable and Moulin Rouge are some of my favourite films) and I really wanted to like this film but it was a massive let down overall.
STORY: The plot of this film was just bland and uninspired clearly taking a lot from better musicals that have come before, the main thing for me is Moulin Rouge; so, there's an entertainment building owned by a charismatic man in a red coat and top hat, a young, conventionally attractive man who moves away from his disproving family to come and help at the theater/circus where he falls in love with the dancer and they then have to hide their love from everyone else.
DIRECTION: The fact that this is the director's first film stands out like a sore thumb. Now I don't claim to be an expert on the topic but the whole film is so garish and in your face that it becomes really hard to look at for an extended period of time let alone the 105 minute run time.
SONGS: The songs are what have got most attention and even the most negative reviews on here have said that they don't mind the songs but I honestly don't know what they see in them. Every song is just a generic 2017 pop song rather than period appropriate sounding songs like those in Phantom of the Opera or re-worked to fit the theme and environment of Moulin Rouge. What makes it worse that they are written by the people behind La La Land which, after a few watches, has started to become a favourite of mine. The choreography to these songs was also very boring and un-original.
VFX: Given that the director comes from a visual effects background the CGI in this film was offensively bad. There were things done in CG that clearly have just been done for real and the animals are just dreadful.
POSITIVES: Despite these things I did find myself somewhat enjoying some parts of the film but I couldn't for the life of me remember what they were now. The central performance from Hugh Jackman was likable and you can tell he really wanted to make this film the best could and you can't fault him for that. The editing was also relatively well done and accurately fitted the pace of the film.
Overall, the film does contain some well done, enjoyable moments but these alone don't redeem it from its forgettable songs, questionable CGI, amateur direction and story that 'borrows' more from better films than it gives anything new to the genre.
The Emoji Movie (2017)
A masterpiece of film with beautiful animation and a stellar voice cast
To start this film was a true masterpiece of filmmaking with beautiful visuals and an inspired, original and truly gripping story. This must be one of the best made films since the invention of motion pictures, seriously, Hitchcock, Nolan and Spielberg are put to shame by this cinematic experience which clearly takes influence from French New- Wave cinema and the work of German Director Uwe Boll. Along with the spell-binding cinematography the picture is companied with side splitting humour, an example of this is between Gene and a Coffee cup emoji. The scene goes down as follows: Gene walks by and says 'Hello tea.' The coffee then replies, 'I'm not tea, I'm coffee.' That's it! Probably the best joke shown in cinemas in the past decade. This humour is as amazing as it is thanks to the stellar voice cast led by (Deadpool star) T.J. Miller, (Alvin and the Chipmunks Actress) Anna Farris and (Talk show host) James Cordon with a brilliant supporting cast including Sir Patrick Stewart (Masterfully cast as Poop), Maya Rudolph (Smiler) & Jake T. Austin (The highly relatable teen: Alex). Also, special commendation must go to Jennifer Coolidge and Steven Wright as Mary and Mel Meh (Respectively) who hilariously manage to keep up their monotone 'meh' voices for the whole film. The story itself has previously been compared to Wreck it Ralph and The Lego Movie however these reviewers are obviously just petty little man babies who can't notice art when they see it. The film's only issue regards the lack of payoff after the huge build-up of sexual tension between Gene and Jailbreak this is made up for, however, through Jailbreak's reasoning for (SPOILER) not reciprocating Gene's love. This shows a great move forward in the acceptance that women are not damsels in distress and love objects for white (or yellow in this case) men. The film is blessed with the enthused soundtrack of the greatest pop songs around and the relatability to its audience by using the current top trending YouTube videos: PPAP and I Like Trains. Finally, although primarily a comedy the film has two scenes that brought a genuine tear to my eye. I won't spoil the scenes but they involve Gene's parent meeting in Paris and something/someone getting deleted. In conclusion, this chef-d'oeuvre of cinema manages to simultaneously be a brilliant comedy, a heart-breaking love story & a time capsule representing everything 2016/17 stands for.
💯/10