Generic_Gooner Reviews

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Satisfying conclusion, worth it in the end.

[8/10 · 18 July 2011]

Well its been a long road to have travelled watching these films, and although it has had its misses as well as its hits, the franchise as a whole is worthy of its status as one of the all time greats.

I am not a fan of the books, it had never appealed to me to read the children's novels and so coming into these films the story was completely fresh. It almost worked against me because the one key thing about these films as I'm sure it must have been with the books is that they age with the audience. By this i mean the first film was very much rooted in a children's film theme and didn't dare stray into darker themes for more than the odd fleeting moment.

But This film certainly did. Everything you might be looking for from a fantasy tale was present here, the action was plentiful, the characters remained complex and we were given yet more insight into back stories and twist elements that were previously unknown. There was a touch of comedy at times but it was deliberately low key to ensure the overall mood of this finale was where it should be, that sense of despair you need to feel with the main characters before they make their final stand against the great evil.

The 3d doesn't add enough to make it an enhancement to the film experience, but in honesty the film doesn't need it. From the beginning you are on your way with an adventure that contains suspense, magic and then a dramatic action sequence or two, so you aren't having to wait on any build up.

To sum it up without any spoilers is tough, but needless to say this is Harry's final stand off against Voldemort and his followers, and its packed with a variety of creatures and magic and revelations that if you haven't already read the book will tie a lot of previous elements together in a clever way. Characters you might have preconceptions about will surprise you, those who you may not expect to be a key player in it all will suddenly step up to the plate... This is easily for me the best of the entire series, and not just because it has all the pay offs that the rest have been leading up to but because its the darkest and most adult in theme of the lot.

It helped that a lot of the more tedious elements were used up in the first half of this two part finish to the series. I am aware that a book can make more descriptive and explanatory parts to the story more entertaining, but the translation onto screen in deathly hallows part 1 was dire by comparison to this. Whre the drawn out tedium of part 1 affected both the pace and the interest this film turns it all on its head, as if this was the pay off to reward you for sticking with it after that initial slow start. In many ways these films will work better in tandem on a DVD, so you are introduced to all the plot details before being taken on the wild ride of the final stand between good and evil.

The fact that after 7 previous films you have invested yourself in the characters is a big assist here, because they are almost like old friends that you are seeing in one last adventure together, and that is the mark of a great story. To invest yourself in their journey and to care about the outcome has made this a hard act to follow as they look to fill the void this will leave.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Im biased as a fan of the franchise, but this was a great action blockbuster

[8/10 · 17 July 2011]

Firstly, loved the film, i will say now im a fan of the franchise so im sure that will allow the critics of the film to point to the fact i enjoyed ROTF. But this film delivered a very satisfying finale to Bays transformers imagining.

Before i go any further, i have to say one thing. What are people really expecting to get from a film where the premise is a battle between 20 foot alien robots? I have read a bit of empires review and stopped simply because they had some odd perception of what this film should be. Its not art-house iranian drama, which i know they seem to adore, its a summer action blockbuster.

OK, to the review as best as i can without ruining anything.

Forget any *beep* you hear about a nonsensical plot, compared to the more 'out there' effort in ROTF, this plot is straight down the line.

This next bit is a spoiler so i will cover it accordingly... The starting point where we lay a foundation involving seeing cybertron set a tone that Bay wants to offer up a truly great transformers film, OK they didn't give us much of it, but to have tried to focus any significant time on their planet could have incurred more wrath from the purists complaining it wasn't how THEY imagined it.

So they set the scene well and then as i think someone else pointed out on the board the pacing does take a little turn for the worse. It wasn't bad like some films have been before, but it did obviously have an intention of laying down a lot of plot about Sam and his new life before they could really kick on and hit the main point. But at no time do they ignore the need to bring in the transformers and action sequences to keep the adrenaline pumping.

Again a spoiler, it will be better when many more of you has seen it, but I thought it would be hard to bring a more menacing and destructive decepticon than devastator, yet the introduction of shockwave with his burrowing giant worm was outstanding as an ultimate evil. The fact they made megatron a fallen force, a damaged villain that was being usurped made for another nice little touch.

The last hour as has been mentioned is all out action, but the setting of the city of Chicago did definitely give it that edge to it, and the darker tone we were promised.

And yes, when one of the decepticons or autobots loses a team mate, they die. No get out clauses, Bay made sure when a warrior fell they fell for the last time.

It had comedy that of course some are going to point to as either juvenile, racist or just plan dumb, but i have yet to see a film in recent years that hasn't incorporated at least one example of each of these areas when aiming to play for laughs, so why is this suddenly an issue in a bay film? And yes its an action film, but to draw a balance you need to feel the light hearted side before they assault you with the darker tones.

And the action was exceptional. In ROTF one of my biggest complaints was that when Optimus took on the fallen he had him beaten within a couple of moves. Unlike the epic throw down they had in the forest in the same film where optimus fought 3 decepticons simultaneously while Sam tried to avoid getting squashed (along with the trees showing a perspective of scale for the warriors) the final battle then lacked a bite. Well in DOTM i was not disappointed with the fights, they played out how you would hope.

Like i said it had the human elements played in. It had twists, it had a plot that made sense and the action was mind blowing. It was dark and the comedy was played down.

And for the record, the new girl playing Carly was not terrible at all. She may never be an Oscar winner (like that is a benchmark these days?) but she held her own and did what she was there to do... look pretty and provide a flow to the story as it played out. Sam needed to care at key points in the film, and she provided a love interest worth saving

Overall very impressed, 9/10 and very much looking forward to another viewing before it leaves the cinema.

p.s. 3D viewing was worthwhile, it was far better than the *beep* converts i have seen recently and the made the action all the more amazing.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

Some enjoyable elements hidden within the formulaic fantasy tale...

[7/10 · 17 July 2011]

I am aware a film needs to have some idea of where it wants to end up.

I get that especially in a family orientated film that it must set up a premise and that it must then send us on the journey towards an ultimate conclusion and all important moral to the story.

Its the age old story telling technique, and its what we know and love in the main.

I just found here that the film entertained me most was the parts that are meant to build you towards the preferred finale. I loved the relationship between Baruchel and Cage and really enjoyed every encounter between Cage and Molina. I found the training of Dave (Baruchel) by Balthazar (Cage coupled with their encounters with the villainous sorcerers along the way (especially the Horvath and Drake combination, both comedic and sinister in equal measures) and i found myself then annoyed when that pesky storyline had to get in the way!

Don't get me wrong. The story is coherent and works perfectly as a family adventure story, i guess I'm just finding it predictable now to the point you would rather them just forgo the obvious in favour of the stuff that provides the thrill.

(Im about to make sweeping generalisations now, but they do technically constitute as spoilers for this film so have had to mark the review accordingly as a result)... You know that the main guy will grow as a person on his journey, you know there will be mistakes made and the mentor learning a lesson from the student. You know there will be a girl involved and the chances are he will get her in the end. You also know that the big evil will ultimately be beaten and there will be a metaphorical group hug to round it off.

So as long as you tolerate that you might find the stuff fleshing it all out isn't half bad at all.

Bridesmaids (I) (2011)

Refreshing...

[7/10 · 17 July 2011]

OK, so the idea that this is the female 'hangover' is not entirely the comparison to draw, but in many ways i can see why its said.

What i like most about this film is it has seemingly drawn inspiration from a film like the hangover but has not just tried to make the same story with a female cast.

For a start when you are working with ladies as the main characters the extreme comedy and gross out areas don't bring the same comedy value. Where comedy born out of misfortune requires you to love the character but also not care enough about them so as to find it funny when they fail in some way, its harder to strike that balance with a female without either making them too adorable or making them too bitchy. Its sort of sexist as a point but there really are one rule for one and one for another. For example, a guy gets a beat down from a girl in a scene and done right can bring a laugh. Can you imagine trying to pull a laugh from a guy beating on a woman? Ain't going to happen nor should it.

I like that this film took a foundation with a feminine touch and obvious chick flick markers and then added to it genuine comedy moments that didn't rely on the gender of the character to emphasise the scene.

It was good to not simply have a whiney tale of girl power, it showed that these were women who knew their own mind, had their own problems and made their own mistakes.

I liked also how the character who was played for slapstick value in megan (very much initially in the Zach Galifianakis role as the odd ball future in law) didn't just stay as this freaky peripheral player but steps up to instill some much needed tough love and give an insight into the fact that her character is actually a very successful woman in her career... emphasising as ever that you don't judge a book by its cover.

Overall the film paced perfectly with only a few noticeable exceptions where they felt a need to leave us wallowing along with the lead character a few too many times (taking a sledgehammer to a walnut, we already sympathised with her and liked her after the early scenes, it didn't need further pity plays), and it left us on a satisfactory conclusion.

I would hope this film doesn't try and dip in for a sequel, as i cant see a great scope for one and will be simply a cash cow that will take the shine of the original film.

Green Lantern (2011)

Better than was expected, but must be. treated as the start to a bigger story

[7/10 · 17 July 2011]

The danger here was always going to be the decision whether to throw all the eggs in the basket and hit us with the best green lantern has to offer in terms of powers and his ultimate nemesis or to play it slowly and open up a potential franchise.

The writer(s) here obviously wanted to make an attempt at the latter and i thought it was a commendable effort even if it did sometimes feel like it was labouring in places and rushing in others.

Its hard to put a finger on exactly what they did wrong, they certainly got more right than other films in this genre recently and have brought another superhero to the big screen which should be and sort of is a good thing.

First off i like Ryan Reynolds as an actor, he has a good ability for comedic turns and yet also able to bring emotion to his roles. In this role he was promoted in the build up to its release as playing the character more straight and less his usual sarcastic persona we have seen before. And yet still it felt like he hadn't fully shed it, like any moment he was going to slap in a deadpan remark.

The film is VERY CGI heavy, and this deliberate call does influence how you will take this film on board. To me it was not only a necessity to bring us the green lantern as he should be but it also made the scenes where he wasn't on this planet run a lot smoother. But I'm also aware that people out there hate CGI effects so if you are one of them this really isn't for you.

The storyline played out well, it managed to bring us a back story of sorts to why Hal Jordan is the way he is, and even fleshed him out a little bit with a scene showing some family time for him, but its in and around here that elements seem to niggle away at me as the pacing cant make up its mind. At times a moment lingers almost too long, before we are then yo-yoing between plot points until they have felt like they have given us a full enough picture to it all. When the green lantern side of it comes into play they manage to calm the film down a little while cranking up the action. They find good time to show training and learning about it all before putting into play the villains and forcing the finale upon our hero, with plenty of opportunities to show personal growth in more than one of the characters.

What i will say to conclude is go into this with an open mind to enjoy a superhero film, ignore any preconceptions you might have had about the trailer because it seems a lot of us felt that trailer was mediocre at best. What i found after the film was that it had felt very much like a good foundation film to a trilogy or at least a 2 parter, putting in place the origins and some subtle plot lines that seem to be loose ends now but will obviously come into play in a major fashion should a sequel or two be commissioned.

So go into this expecting to see the first film in a franchise, enjoy what they start and then expect to either feel hungry for more and on a grander scale... or realise this isn't the franchise for you and move on happy in the knowledge the film didn't drag on forever nor did it try to explain things to death.

Fast Five (2011)

Dumb, over the top and stretching every ounce of suspension of belief at times... but what did you expect from this franchise?

[7/10 · 17 July 2011]

I will start with the overall statement to sum this film up within the franchise... Its the best of the five in my opinion.

I could easily go to town on the film and reel off a list of elements that would be considered negative for this film, such as clichéd dialogue and outlandish scenes that ask you to suspend belief in reality to avoid finding more holes than a sieve.

But why should i have to? This is what i would call a 'dumb summer blockbuster', a little slice of escapism and within a genre (action) that doesn't need to play it safe or play it to total reality. The dialogue will have you either grinning at the cheese of it all or putting your head in your hands at times, but if these meat headed characters had said it any more eloquently you wouldn't buy into the persona of who they are portraying.

Dwayne Johnson's character of Hobbs is the stand out one, having all the best quotable lines and playing the super cop who is by the book to the bitter end as well as any you might have seen before. He is the rival to the untouchable anti hero character of Dom that Vin Deisel has growled for every film up to this point. You are meant to not hate Hobbs but at the same time i found an unintentional element of him having the funnier lines and being so over the top was that i was rooting for him over Dom and the gang at times!

Now what i think must be noted is that when the franchise began it was simply a 'fast cars' film, very 2 dimensional but functional in its delivery. And while it didn't need 5 films in its run to have made it to the 5th film there was no way they could have flogged the same idea over and over and hope for the best. I applaud the thought process with the script to try and change settings and plot details, even though some of the films didn't work, and by raising the stakes in the jeopardy for the characters makes more sense as they seemingly try to top the last storyline.

They have unfortunately by having this mini renaissance within the franchise not taken it as a good last hurrah to their story,going out on a high, and now think the franchise has new life to churn out another with the characters that dragged this film up from mediocre to fun entertainment. Had they stopped there they might have got away with it. While i cant predict the outcome of the 6th film, i do fear they will over emphasise the unintentionally successful parts of fast five and ruin both films in the process.

But for now at least, an enjoyable 7/10

X: First Class (2011)

Early promise, some bizarrely pointless scenes, and unfortunate sense of being rushed... but still worthwhile

[8/10 · 17 July 2011]

I am a fan of the superhero movie and x-men is the top drawer of such movies in the sense that its jam packed with weird and wonderful powers. This doesn't always help when you are wanting certain characters to have more screen time, but the mere premise of a multitude of powers being used as weapons against one another makes for thrilling action.

But this is a digression from the point of the review, x-men first class. On the whole i think i was disappointed by what was brought to the screen, because i am a huge fan of Matthew Vaughn and expected this prequel to kick start the franchise once more with a newer vision that maybe was less family viewing and more dark in its tone.

Elements really worked, with The back story of magneto certainly providing a darker element, and there wasn't any sense of pulling the punches on deaths to characters. There was at the start a real feel for wanting to flesh out characters and the foundations for the story to come later played out at a good pace.

But then there were things that really let this film down. There were scenes which made me cringe, and without making it a spoiler the WORST of these had to be the way nicknames like magneto and professor X came about. And this was one of several moments where they seemed to be in a hurry, like they had a checklist of 'must haves' in the overall plot which were getting in the way of the bits they were more interested in filming. And this is before i get to the noticeable change in Fassbenders accent towards the back end of the film, where all questions about whether they were pushed to a deadline that forced edits and re shoots to be missed out were answered.

Its frustrating because the potential was and is still there, the actors were excellent for their roles and the effort of building their characters, even on the peripheral ones, was better than previous efforts. But Vaughn needs to be given freedom of time, not be constrained so much that he ends up compromising or lowering the standard to meet these ridiculous deadlines.

The hope for a sequel comes just as much to allow for redemption as it does to build on what was started here.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Something very uniquely conceived, but still felt lacking

[7/10 · 23 September 2010]

OK, i may have built this film up too much in my mind having anticipated it since 2009. I wanted to be blown away by something that had all the elements i love in film and find myself lauding this as one of the films of the year.

But for some reason it didn't happen.

But there isn't a lot i can focus on as to why.

The film has a style and theme that although at times may borrow from other mediums feels distinctly original. It was slick, well acted and never tried to explain away things, instead letting us simply enjoy the madness of it all without giving us any answers as to why it was all so fantastical. This element alone made it enjoyable, but coupled with a very well crafted script and visuals that only served to enhance the mayhem, all the elements were seemingly in place. Even the hit and miss nature of Cera worked wonderfully in this lead role and if his niche is to play quirky and geeky then the comedy side of this suits him better.

But what i think was the problem is a sign of modern movie releases now. The hype. By the time a film hits the cinema we know pretty much every plot detail, and even the comical twist in this film (which i will not spoil for others, i will only say 'sexy phase' so when you see it you will know which part of the film i mean) had already been revealed.

OK, fans of the comic series will already know the story, but newcomers to Scott pilgrim would maybe like to feel that twist the same way the readers did when the comic was first released.

And the trailer itself along with lots of interviews and journalistic pieces on the film have only served to remove the shine on what could have been something quite fresh in a year of remakes and re-imaginings. And this also made the best comedy moments in the film feel like i was re-watching the film for a second time, thus the laughter value had been lost.

I know it seems like I'm complaining, but i think the fact i felt the film was an 8 after all these elements had been spoiled had me wondering what it could have been if the promotion of the film had stayed a little more cagey. I didn't expect 'inception' levels of secrecy, but at the same time when some of the best jokes are placed in a montaged trailer you do find that the audience will not react in the same way they should have hearing the jokes in context for the first time.

This is definitely a strong film from 2010, but if you had built up hopes of it being something special like i did, you might find that deflated feeling in the end.

Inception (2010)

A truly excellent film delivered with class

[10/10 · 20 July 2010]

Nolan seems to be on a roll.

After the dark knight many would maybe have expected something that didn't quite hit the bar. Especially since we are talking only 2 years on, where others might have taken much longer to bring the next masterpiece.

But Nolan doesn't seem to do these things for the reputation, he seems to enjoy a challenge and takes on the projects that hold something new or different for him. And we as the audience seem to reap the benefits in some excellent and unique experiences.

And Inception seems to have been the best yet for me. All the hype and secrecy around it didn't build it up for me to a level that it was never going to meet, and for me i was most pleased with how uncomplicated it was. You will find many who will want to analyse this film to death for the deeper meanings and theories that i am sure can be drawn from this, but on even a surface level it had an excellent script that made sense and never tried to deliberately deceive or twist until you didn't know where you were.

The plot is around Dicaprio's character Cobb, and his 'job' of stealing information from peoples dreams. He is then drawn into another job which is much more of a challenge... the concept of implanting an idea in someones mind through the dreamworld, or what they call 'Inception'.

To tell you more than that would be to take away the beauty of experiencing this film on your own, but just take note that you will need to be following the story at all times, because although things are explained well, they aren't hammered home (and rightly so) so as the many layers of the film being to play out you need to be fully alert.

The mark of a good film is not realising the time passing, and this film had me enthralled from beginning to end.

A must see film for 2010, you wont be disappointed.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Proof a video game cross over CAN work...

[7/10 · 24 May 2010]

We all know the score. Movie based on a video game, it's going to be poor, right? Well actually Bruckheimer, Newell and Disney beg to differ, and I have to agree with them on this one.

It's not perfect, but it is far superior to many other efforts that came before it. Even those that promised much like Hit-man failed to deliver on the hype beforehand, so with a trailer that had me questioning how good this really was (in hindsight it held back a lot of story reveals and the better scenes, which was quite a gamble) I went in not sure what I would get.

And what I got was a film made by people who seemed to understand what was required to entertain. The flow was perfect, and the story seemed to run cohesively. The story itself wasn't groundbreaking and at times could be a little predictable, but it was enjoyable and not over complicated or patchy.

Jake Gyllenhaal is an indie movie mainstay, so to see him in a role like this was interesting. He certainly looked the part and didn't do a bad job on the English accent, but the acting ability of the guy in general made him believable. Gemma Arteton has at time felt a little wooden in films I have seen her in, but this role of the feisty princess worked well for her and her chemistry with Gyllenhaal made the characters more believable.

The supporting cast were solid too, and the comedy turn from Molina's Amar was a very welcome addition.

But then a film like this will also live or die on the action, and this is an area that may divide people. The film wasn't packed out with it, but what action scenes there were came at perfect moments in the story, and some had genuine class to them. The nod to the earlier prince of Persia games too will not be lost on some of the older audience, like the leaping from one roof to another and climbing and running across strategic poles stuck out of walls. It offered a return to the swashbuckling sword fighting that looks very impressive and doesn't require a CGI monster to enhance it in any way.

To summarise this movie I would offer a comparison to another Disney film that was born of a different media, Pirates of the Caribbean, a ride that became a successful film franchise. Prince of Persia soars towards that level of quality, and is only really let down by a lack of a scene stealer of Captain Jack Sparrow's genius.

But it certainly has made a claim for the best video game adaptation of them all.

Four Lions (2010)

Intelligent script, genuinely funny, and never preachy...

[9/10 · 13 May 2010]

From the man behind the writing of brass eye, you should be going into a Chris Morris project knowing it's going to be controversial. You know the subject matter is going to stir up opposition and you know that you need to understand what you are seeing beforehand.

But all that being said, here Morris and his writers have shown a delicate handling and intelligence in conceiving this script and have deliberately blurred the lines between good and evil. Not only are we seeing more than just hate filled characters with a vendetta against non Muslims, we are also seeing topics of family, conscience, redemption and the prejudices and hypocrisies that lead both sides of the fence to make stupid decisions.

Omar and Waj are the protagonists of the film; they lead the way in both story and character development, with a particular focus on the leader of the group Omar. We see that far from an isolated existence he has a happy family life and more to the point his wife and child are fully aware of his extremist plans for his future. Waj is very close to Omar and is himself a simple-minded guy, easily confused and childish in his attitude and actions. He is easily led and this is an important aspect shown within the film. The others in the group include the real contemptible character of the piece, the white Muslim convert Barry (again pushing against stereotypes in the sense that he is the most hate fuelled of the group yet is not of Arab descent) and Fessal, a naïve character who is essentially dedicated but still very much a sheep to the rests orders. A last addition comes in the form of Hassan, a rich kid who wants to play at making a statement, although really never seems totally committed to the cause. These five characters portray very different backgrounds and attitudes, and show as such the complexities of such extremist groups and how many are simply led by a strong willed minority. Side characters also provide juxtapositions in the characters outlooks, none more so than with Omar's brother who sees women as second class citizens yet holds no extremist views unlike Omar who in contrast is more westernised in his attitude towards his wife. The film is never preaching or selling a message, always keeping the comedy at the forefront and ensuring that no area of the plot is beyond funny points. Its controversial and close to the bone yes, but sometimes the best messages are delivered this way, and if they have in this film given a more open minded view to others on the terrorism issue then that is fine work by some very clever people. If we end up getting more films out there with this kind of bravery and intelligence that could only be a good thing for the industry.

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 2 has all the parts there, but something still seems to be missing...

[7/10 · 4 May 2010]

I have found it hard to explain what is exactly wrong with this film.

The script is a bit lazy and its obvious the studio stayed firmly in the comfort zone when they made this film, but its far from a terrible story or indeed a weak one. It is however fairly predictable for the most part, but with this genre that isn't unique either. It has its moments where it is almost fresh in its approach but then lets itself down by cute coincidences or amazing convenience to help the storyline along. The dialogue in the film is great, and at times it's a credit to the film that some of the best scenes come from non combative periods where Tony is simply interacting in a very human way with one of the other characters.

The characters within the film are solid enough, and all acted anywhere between competently and brilliantly. Specific merit must be handed to Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer, the Tony Stark wannabe who is always looking out foe his own interests. Rourke does well with what is essentially a weakly comprised character in whiplash, a character who seemingly is a brilliant scientist but also an immoral muscular killer (the writer having his cake and eating it by the looks of it). Robert Downey Jr is always excellent when slapping us with a witty one liner, but for some reason the makers of the film felt that Stark needed to be filled with daddy issues and have him moping around in self pity rather than being a little bit more close to the bone in areas such as his drinking problem and realisation of mortality (both attempted at but neither really let off the leash in any way).

The action sequences are best described as 'efficient'. They have moments of unique ideas, but the strange abruptness of them and a seeming lack of any kind of flow to them makes them almost forgettable as a set piece, only leaving you with a memory of a specific use of a weapon or a one liner Stark might have reeled off during. This interspersed with lulls in the films general flow (on too many occasions unnecessarily to allow us to endure Stark's self pity again) really ends up frustrating since they highlight the dip in the film between the several genuinely great scenes it contains.

The nods to avengers related references was great as a fan of the marvel universe, but also served as a reminder that this film had been tainted by the need to promote the franchise it was a part of rather than simply letting the film breathe on its own. And the sense this might have been rushed a little to meet a set timetable for films leading up to the crown jewel avengers film at the end of it all cannot be dismissed lightly.

In summary, the characters and dialogue carry what is otherwise an inessential sequel, and although a little jerky throughout and ultimately leaving you a little let down, it's still better than a lot of the more average efforts marvel have recently produced. To try and determine where it exactly went wrong is not easy, as all the parts are there but yet something still feels missing, and that could simply be a bit of a soul. The safe zone marvel and the studio bosses hide inside may have left the film a little sterile ultimately.

Clash of the Titans (2010)

A clash of the mediocre...

[5/10 · 15 April 2010]

It wasn't a bad film... it was just forgettable.

Everything about LOTRs that i found a problem, this film managed to cause problems in the opposite direction! The pacing in LOTRs was bad, it lingered on so many scenes it became such a chore to sit through after the first viewing. It also over explained everything with elongated scenes that were in dire need of a trim.

COTT went the other way, jumping from plot point to plot point, occasionally filling in certain gaps with Gemma Arteton giving them all a bedtime story for a few minutes. A film that seemingly could have run for over 2 hours with the plot points it needed to hit ran for less than an hour 50... and in fact I'm glad it was so short because there seemed nothing in this film that blew me away. Nothing new or exciting, nothing with any depth or value that made me care about any of it.

And the 3d... absolutely nothing in it seemed to be enhanced by the 3d at all. I may as well saved a few quid and watched it in 2d, it would have made absolutely no difference in the viewing.

The monsters were good, the CGI was competent and the fight sequences were fine, but all too often they felt a little too familiar, right up to the 'Cloverfield' Kraken towards the end.

Maybe I have just seen too many of these sort of films recently, but there was nothing to offer that gave it a stand out factor, a unique selling point if you will that made it anything beyond a time killer. It speaks volumes for it that one of the best moments was a cheeky little in joke nod to the original 80s film.

Average is all I can say about it, it felt such a let down even though i wasn't as bothered about this as i was other films coming out this year...

Alice in Wonderland (I) (2010)

Alice back in Wonderland, but not entirely wonderful

[7/10 · 7 April 2010]

Tim Burton films guarantee you 2 things: 1. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are likely to be found in the cast list. 2. There will be a Gothic undertone to it.

But for me also Burton has this tendency to be a bit hit or miss. And Alice in Wonderland sort of falls between the two this time around…

*Warning, minor spoilers ahead*

Firstly, although the 3d was a nice extra there really was no need for the 3d. OK, this could be the argument for any film now in 3d, but unlike say Avatar this film really did not blend it in seamlessly. There were moments where it felt like the 3d enhanced a scene, like when the hat was thrown, etc. But in general felt far more gimmicky than some films using it have.

Visually the mood and the setting was brilliant, it was supposed to be a dying Underland and it felt like just that. The CGI of the scenes could be argued to be too cartoony, but this is a dream like world and that idea of being so far detached from our reality that Alice never at any time believes it to be anything but a dream.

Keeping with the CGI the characters who were heavily created by this medium were also very crisp and believable, even the almost putty like tweedle Dee and tweedle dumb. The level of CGI characters also helped with the use of varying sizing of characters throughout the film.

On the sizing front I personally thought this was a feather in the cap to subtlety with an extraordinarily difficult thing to do in film. The argument again could be it was almost showing off, but at no time was there a size issue with Alice that didn't make sense, and as such it worked nicely.

The characters in the main worked too, with Alice being a very solid character playing the dazed and yet independent lead. Depp is Depp, its almost like he is ad libbing his role and the rest of the script is written around it, but I really cannot fault his portrayal of the Hatter. The March Hare was comedy gold for me, as this is meant to hold some juvenility to it being a child's story. The Red queen was an impression of Queeny from Blackadder II but this was fitting to her attitude and mannerisms. The white queen was almost parody in itself with the deliberate stance she took continually of this pure and graceful person. Even the Knave of Hearts had value to the flow of the tale…

And now to the said story itself. It was nicely woven as a nod to elements of what it was supposed to be a sequel of, but somehow it was almost like the premise outweighed the plot line they had decided apon. It was like Burton and the writers had thought 'what a wonderful idea, bringing Alice back to Wonderland… now I suppose we need a point to her return… big dragon to slay? Yeah, that'll do, lets get some lunch.'

My apologies for the negativity, but I did feel like I was more interested in each individual character (Fry's Cheshire cat was the best of the bunch for me, and Rickman as the Blue Caterpillar? A masterstroke!) than the final scene. But of course when I criticise the plot thread I try to think of what might have worked better, and alas I really couldn't think of anything beyond maybe this novice fighter Alice showing that courage by standing up to the bully of the Red Queen, which may have felt more honest as a finish, but would have never been as epic as a final scene as the Jabberwocky's involvement. I did also find the last part back in reality to be very much a 'lets wrap this up guys, we have a plane to catch!' sort of speed… But ultimately more necessary than just ending it without it, so I cannot really write a better conclusion…

So all in all, the film was slid but really the premise was on a higher plain than the plots spine, and as such it suffers a little in the rating from me.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Believe the hype, Kick-Ass delivers!

[9/10 · 6 April 2010]

I wanted to like it... i really did.

And you know what, i loved it!

Opening scene although ruined as an opening joke by one of the trailers sets the tone for such bad taste comedy, its like the politically correct world we live in now never noticed this slip into cinemas! Hit Girl is the unintentional (or intentional you might say given the lines she has and her role in the plot) star of the film, but the beauty of it really is how they manage to keep the focus on kick ass. And although some may disagree i felt he was a likable character who i was really rooting for all the way.

Cage as Big Daddy was a tad underused given the brilliance of the character (Cage back to his very best), his choice of voice for his superhero persona seemed lost on the rest of the audience around me as i began chuckling on my own! :P But he managed to play the comedy so deadpan that when the switch back and forth between heartwarming/emotive and comic book comedy occurs, you don't feel like its jerky or uneven.

Hit Girl has all the best lines, and the actress who plays her (Chloe Moretz) does such a fantastic job its like she isn't actually only a child. A great future ahead of that one i think.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Chris D'Amico is an additional comedy turn in a film which is already brimming with them, but along with Mark Strong (who is in EVERYTHING right now it seems) make two 'interesting' villains.

But its all about Aaron Johnson as Dave/Kick-Ass, and the juxtaposition between the polished fighting styles of the likes of Hit Girl, and Kick-Ass/Red Mist's more 'amateur' efforts are what gives this film its character.

Its over the top cartoon violence, with comedy placed strategically around a plot that although might seem familiar and routine, is so full of nice little touches it just didn't matter.

There will be plenty for those who wish to gripe about it to pick on, it is a walking controversy. But this is the comic book it's adapted from, with a few alterations that to me seem to improve on the story and make it more endearing (strange word for a film like this i know, but its true).

To pigeon hole this into a genre beyond 'comic book adaptation' is impossible, as its got comedy, action, violence bordering on horror, and emotive moments of almost touching drama. It has a bit of everything, woven into a neat little parcel that never seems to waste a moment and revels in the fun of it all.

A must see.