Reviews

A quirky and heartfelt adventure full of fantastic animation and dramatic music. From the beautiful idyllic rural scenery to the hauntingly eerie ruins, the urban metropolis and cosmic landscapes, every scene is a visual treat. The story covers numerous themes such as modern fears, young love and moving on all with a strong human moral element, but is a bit scattershot in what it wants to say. The setting is quite formulaic for Japanese anime with a big-eyed orphan girl with a tragic past, a mysterious handsome stranger and a metaphorical threat of epic proportions, but also has its weird comical moments thanks to the non-human companion (or 2) and well-rounded supporting cast.

A story of 4 war journalists at different points of their careers as they cover a modern day American Civil War. It doesn't go into much detail of the war itself or what drives these people to seek out danger for a profession, but there's enough in the setting and context to show both the calm and the storm during a conflict. It also doesn't demonize or glamorize the profession or the war, just showing the events as they unfold and lets the audience make their own mind up. Powerful and shocking imagery, great acting performances and realistic urban battle scenes make for a tough but entertaining film, even if the ending was a bit over-sensationalised.

An intense and powerful revenge thriller steeped in Indian folklore and culture. The story has simple motivations and relatively standard characters but it was interesting to see the modern day political issues as well as the great disparity between the rich and the poor. Superb performance from Patel and directorially with iconic scenes and even a few lighter-hearted moments amongst the blood, pain and suffering. Although there's a lot of fast, brutal and very violent action scenes, none are without cause but with the volume of people, colours and close camera work, it invoked a strong sense of claustrophobia as well as not being able to see what was going on at times.

Pretty much what was expected with lots of Kaiju action and big, destructive fight scenes. The three plotlines each have their merits and tie together nicely, but it did slow the pace in the middle and the big showdown at the end felt a bit anticlimactic. Most of it was a bit silly, but it was entertaining and fun with good special effects, plenty of action and ample light-hearted moments. The human characters were annoying but bearable but the spectacle of the setting and human side of Kong made up for it. It's a great world they've created with Monarch and Hollow Earth, but there is only so much you can get out of the overall premise.

The slow-ish start sets the scene with beautiful rural Vietnam and humble country living before moving into the crowded, filthy and corrupt city. The martial arts fight scenes and chase scenes are good with ample dramatic music but they look sped up, as are other parts of the film. Good characterization of the tough yet emotionally vulnerable mother on her mission to save her daughter and whilst the other characters are barely present, they are memorable and serve their purpose. Its style doesn't really become apparent until the end and whilst it doesn't really do anything new, it does it well.

A long story of epic proportions that gets better with every installment. It's a visual treat with superb special effects throughout, from the grandness of the beautiful desert to the harshness and contrast of the Harkonnen style. The plot covers religious fervor, mature romance and intergalactic conquest with a good balance and the cast of actors are great, truly bringing the story to life. The musical score intensifies every scene and whilst it could have been paced better, what with a slow-ish start and a seemingly compacted final act, I was entertained throughout.

Score for Dune Part Two = 9/10.

A slow burn film with a sinister story which builds up the stress and tension as the relationships between the characters become frayed. The fears of isolationism and not knowing what's going on in our technology oriented world are realistic even if the viewpoint is a bit too American. The acting's good if a bit awkward and the scenario it proposes is well thought out, but the story is minimal and just ends with no resolution. The visuals are memorable but weird just for the sake of it and there's a lot of dialogue but hardly any action - showing as well as telling would have made it more effective and interesting.

Nimona truly is the star of this movie - the embodiment of anarchy, chaotically funny, full of energy, fast paced jokes and exhilarating action. It's a shame therefore the rest of the characters are pushing an agenda, annoying, bland or cardboard cutouts. The mix of a medieval and futuristic setting is unnecessary and jarring - they should have just stuck with one style and embraced the anachronisms. The modern art style mixing 3D characters with 2D backdrops looks good, the music is fun and overall, it's great fun to watch, even if it is a bit over the top silly and slapstick at times.

Overall = 8/10.

Silly, goofy and slapstick throughout, the combination of martial arts and soccer makes for an entertaining premise and some very funny scenes. The overly melodramatic style mixed with offbeat humour gives it a comical tone and it's full of energy to boot. The over the top, bombastic CGI and some of the humour may be quite dated now, but it's still very funny and fun to watch the weird band of misfits defeat "team evil". Even the romance subplot manages to work, being sweet and sincere as well as making you laugh. The ending was good if a bit abrupt and its short run time means you're never bored and it doesn't outstay its welcome.

A pretty typical heist movie which has a slick and professional style and lots of international travel but is instantly forgettable due to its lack of substance. The theft is ambitious and somewhat entertaining with a couple of modern gimmicks to make it different but it's just too unrealistic to be believable and the gaping plot holes just make it worse. The team are your generic diverse group of moral thieves, the villains are clichéd stereotypes and the relationship scenes are dull and flat. No humour, drama or suspense, the first hour is slow and boring and the ending is silly and banal.

2/10.

A really enjoyable revenge action film full of fast paced action and corny bee-related dialogue. Although the character's backstory has been done many times before, the plot has some modern ideas and modern villains which are easy to hate and the strong moral message was quite refreshing. Good acting from a good cast of characters and whilst some of the henchmen are a bit silly, their larger than life presence adds some surprises into what is otherwise pretty standard fare. Good pacing, music and fight scenes keep it entertaining throughout, although the start is pretty slow and the ending rather abrupt.

Not as good as the first one as the setting is a lot more fantastical and silly, but it still has the Aardman charm and style with goofy looking characters and inventive contraptions. The plot clearly shows its inspiration from classic films and whilst being a bit too long, it has lots of humour, jokes and wacky adventures to keep it entertaining. The different voice actors aren't as good and the modern pop song at the start felt out of place, but the animation is great (if less hand-made) and full of vibrant colours and it has those little touches which make it something special.

Overall score = 7/10.

A Japanese historical WWII drama which happens to feature a giant lizard. The plot plays out as expected but has a more traditional style, focusing on the characters as they struggle to deal with the aftermath of the war and a new threat of the giant monster. Cultural issues such as the virtues of honor and survivors guilt are well portrayed by the varied cast of characters, but it does make it a bit slow to get going and some scenes felt labored. Godzilla itself looks impressively menacing and the special effects and scale of destruction invokes shock and awe. Great use of music and an emotional ending, even if it was a bit too happy.

A weird dystopian sci-fi story with a heavy focus on its religiously inspired plot. The story has substance and with strong acting performances and a somewhat realistic 'police state' setting it makes for compelling viewing, but it also overcomplicates itself by trying to fit in too much. The heavy emphasis on religious allegory, romance, drama and action scenes are all good, but I found it to be a bit boring. Some of the subtle special effects were good whereas others looked cheap, the overly loud music drowned out the atmosphere and the ending, whilst expected, felt a bit of a cop out.

6/10.

More of a political thriller than an action adventure, the story follows the creator of the new Hunger Games in three distinct parts. Good use of imagery and foreshadowing as it reuses the main themes from the original stories but with a fresh view. The story is good if a bit simplified and obvious at times, but it was enjoyable throughout due to the great acting from the main cast, the cracking country ballads and the use of contrast from the grand to the dilapidated in the scenery and settings. The Games themselves weren't as shocking or thrilling as they could have been, but were still entertaining to watch and the run-down nature of the arena fitted well within the post-war recovery setting.

No charm, cheese or humour, flat delivery of most of the lines, weak acting and a predictable and tired plot an 80's action B-movie would have rejected. Some of the action scenes were good but the shift from a team of Special Ops to a single operative made it feel stale and like every other action movie and didn't allow for any character development of the new team members or villains. The CGI was very bad and made all the big events look cartoony, the camaraderie between the stars was painful to watch and how they ended it all was unbelievably bad. Thankfully, it wasn't too long, but I really hope they don't make another one.

A group of multicultural people become "eco-terrorists" and go after big oil for a variety of reasons. It's pretty light on depth, humour and tension but shows various human sides to the current global disaster and the lengths everyday people will go to fight it. Good acting and visuals and the characters show a balanced view between extremism and reason, although no counter-view from the oil companies or similar is shown. Interesting enough and whether you agree with their methods or not, you have to admire their ingenuity and conviction to their cause.

Overall, I would score it as a seven out of ten.

The story is just as strong and the more serious tone could have worked, but it lacks the Disney magic of the original. It's visually stunning with big production values, plenty of vibrant colours and oriental style but overall, it's lacking in heart and soul. The attempts at humour fall flat, the acting isn't particularly great, the side characters are less distinctive and the subdued soundtrack and slow pacing makes it dull at times. The fast and acrobatic fight scenes are great and entertaining but the snappy editing makes them feel rushed and whilst the villain was good, it lacked true menace due to the age rating.

A mix of American mercenaries and Chinese Special Ops with a different plot and setting allow for some stunning visuals and interesting sequences. The special effects are mostly good, especially during the 'Mad Max' style vehicular action scenes, and the fast paced acrobatic martial arts make it entertainingly good fun. It starts off very serious but becomes more and more light-hearted as it goes along before becoming extremely silly at the end. Chan's signature style of humour and Cena's laidback attitude work well together as they both deal with familial commitments and loyalty to their causes, even if the plot and characters don't really do much after the initial setup.

A bland and mediocre action film which could have done with being a lot more fun and over the top.

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Slow to start and with a weak premise, the cast of cliché support characters and incompetent mercenaries only stand out due to the lead actors and even then, their performances aren't great.

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It's got elements of 'Home Alone' or maybe 'Die Hard' but with twenty-somethings, set in a mall and severely lacking in humour, gore, suspense, or thrilling action scenes.

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There's a few good moments towards the end but nothing truly exciting or engaging.

A cross between old-school Bond with the gadgets and quips and the modern Mission: Impossible films with the big spectacular stunts and the world-threatening AI plot device. The plot and secret society is ridiculously silly but the cast is ok, although Gadot doesn't really have the charisma to be the lead. The film struggles to maintain your interest or keep momentum between the action scenes but it's entertaining enough spy fare if a bit on the uninteresting side. Would have been better with stronger villains and being shorter, but the special effects and globe trotting were good albeit unoriginal.

The plot and acting are ok but the dialogue is poor, the special effects are nothing special, the villains are caricatures and the lack of gore and violence is noticeable, especially in the fight scenes. Boring for most of the first half with dark settings, predictable outcomes and a significant lack of sharks, it only improves in the finale due to the cheesiness and absurdity of the events. Even then, it's a mess, jumping from one action scene to the next with no concept of pacing. It has some charm as a bad film and there's enough of the creatures to offer some entertainment value, but it's a poor show all round.

A good conspiracy/mystery concept with an odd mix of themes that I found rather boring. It starts off with lots of fast talking black street culture and the larger than life characters create a humorous style, but gets quite dark and chilling when you realise they are just cogs in a machine and can't change their place in society or truly affect their future because of where and how they were born. The trio are enjoyable to watch and the mystery is revealed at a good place, but it was too inconsistent in tone to truly enjoy. The ending was good if a little predictable and for a comedy, it was very lacking in that department.

A good premise for an interesting psychological horror but it doesn't really dwell on the threat or pay off. Bullock leads a strong cast with a great performance as an expectant mother with attachment issues, but the formulaic plot with the generic multicultural cast of survivors being picked off one by one makes it rather predictable. The trauma of an unstoppable invisible force isn't really looked, the inclusions of the possessed humans felt unnecessary at and the time jump removes any sense of tension or suspense, but does allow for some beautiful scenery. The ending was ok if a bit too convenient.