Change Your Image
ethiotst-53110
Reviews
The Traitors UK (2022)
A truly fantastic and horribly harrowing game show
I'm not normally a fan of game shows but this one has hooked me to the core. Not only is it incredibly addicting due to the format of the show where at the end of each episode there is a huge cliffhanger which is both incredibly annoying but also enthralling.
The show is essentially a highstakes game of Mafia set in a castle in Scotland with typical game showey challenges mixed in to increase the prize pool, the challenges are fun and all but it is the social aspect that is most interesting.
Essentially the way the game works is there are a bunch of "faithful" who are innocent and 3 "traitors". The traitors at the end of each day choose someone to murder and kick out the game. The traitors and faithful in season 1 are ruthless and makes you really uncomfortable in a good way. The way everyone is manipulating and accusing each other is something you would expect out of a movie not a game show. There has been multiple moments where everyone explodes and it is quite honestly remarkable to watch these normal people become just so ruthless and heartless along the way.
It genuinely made me ponder humanity to see the lengths of manipulation, lying and ruthlessness that normal people would go to just to win some money, granted it is over £100 grand.
Oppenheimer (2023)
A relentless ride
I need to make two things clear. One, this film is not for everyone and certainly wouldn't appeal to more casual movie goers. It is an in-depth character study of Oppenheimer and is entirely about his life and is not a film about the bomb. If you wanted a thriller about the trinity test this film is not it, they don't start making the bomb until nearly an hour into the film, with the actual test happening with about an hour left of the film. The film isn't particularly exciting either but very interesting and definitely entertaining. It is thought-provoking not action-packed.
The other thing I need to make clear is that I am a huge Christopher Nolan fan. I don't think he has made a bad film or even just okay film in his entire career (granted I haven't yet seen Following or Insomnia). I enjoyed Tenet even though it was too confusing and liked Dark Knight Rises despite its plot holes. So it isn't a stretch to say I would have liked this film whether it was deemed good or bad by most people. I also had astronomical expectations for this film. I admittedly got carried away with the hype which is something people shouldn't do because the majority of times the movie, game or whatever it is isn't going to be as good as your unreasonable expectations. Which is why I'm glad to say Oppenheimer met my expectations. Is it a masterpiece? I don't know, that phrase is thrown around too much, but it is one of the best films I've ever watched and a film like no other I had seen before.
The pacing of this film is ridiculous. It's at a running pace the entire film and at times feels like the flow of a trailer. This is not a bad thing. Everything important you need to know is very hard to miss. That said, you do need your entire brain focusing on this film to take it all in and appreciate it. The speed of the film means it never feels too long like The Hobbit films and actual flies by quite quickly. I have only seen the film once but I am planning to go again and I can guarantee I will find more details and understand the story more in my second maybe third viewing. But you don't need to watch the film multiple times to understand it, like I said before everything is made very clear what is happening, just make sure your listening to the dialogue.
This film is completely made up of dialogue, there is no action in the entire film. Some people would find this boring which is understandable. The dialogue is very well written and is delivered perfectly by all the actors, there's nothing more I can say really. But one important thing to mention is the sound mixing. This was a huge complaint for Tenet, rightfully so, and I saw some people saying the issue was present in Oppenheimer as well. For me it was fine. I saw it at the BFI Imax and there were something like two lines of dialogue I struggled to hear (I have since watched the film again at a different cinema and I defiantly struggled to hear the dialogue at the start of the film). Most people seemed to be complaining about the start being hard to hear but it was fine for me.
A lot of people in the promotion of this film have said that this is the ultimate film to see in Imax. Whilst I don't disagree, the best way to see this film is on 70mm Imax and there are plenty of truly wow moments seeing it on a screen that big, I don't think it is as necessary as implied. Although I didn't see it in Imax, Interstellar seems like it would be a much better film for Imax than Oppenheimer. This doesn't mean you shouldn't see it at the biggest screen you can. Watching it at the BFI Imax was an unreal experience and you truly get immersed with the stunning cinematography and the booming score.
Ludwig Goransson's score is his best yet. It compliments the film perfectly. I find it a bit hard to describe it without going needlessly in depth on all the musical features that make it so good. Lots of people has wanted Hans Zimmer and Nolan to continue working together again. I love Zimmer's work and have seen his performances live but I can assure you that Goransson is an amazing composer as well and could definitely be the next big film composer for the years to come.
The cast is ridiculous as well. The cast is completely stacked with Cillian Murphy, RDJ, Matt Damon (who came out of a break from acting when he got the call from Nolan), Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Kenneth Branagh. There are big name actors who have just a few lines in the entire film some of them only being in a single scene, Gary Oldman, Rami Malek, Matthew Modine, Casey Affleck. Cillian Murphy is perfect as Oppenheimer, not only do they loom alike but he also really conveys the emotions and regret that Oppenheimer faced. Robert Downey Jr. Also gives an amazing performance but not quite as good as some people are making it out to be. Don't get me wrong he is amazing I just feel like Emily Blunt is the best supporting actor. There is one moment near the end where she very nearly steals the show and is probably one of my favourite moments in the film.
As in every film that involves science, when they explain a lot of it goes over your head. I was surprised to see that Oppenheimer handled that complicated science aspect really well. I have little knowledge of quantum physics just the very basics and I found myself understanding what they are saying at a simple level. They never dive in deep explaining the tricky stuff as well which is really good for the audience. I don't know if it was just me that found the science possible to grasp at and understand.
The structure of the film can be slightly confusing. In typical Nolan style, it is non-linear. Three distinct parts of Oppenheimer's story are told throughout the film. One part is black and white, after the trinity test. Another is in what is effectively a court room but not technically one. And the other part which takes up the majority of the film is the chronological events of Oppenheimer's life. It is fairly easy to follow but there are a few black and white scenes that you can't obviously tell when they happened. One thing I liked that they did was that as the chronological life of Oppenheimer caught up to the black and white scenes after the bomb it would become colour. Its a nice touch that helps you understand what is going on.
You can't talk about the film without mentioning the bomb. It is the climax of the film and the countdown to its detonation is so well done. The tension, dread, worry that everyone feels is very effectively portrayed to the point where I think the build up the bomb is better than the actual explosion. The explosion is by far the best nuke scene I have seen in a movie but I think the build-up is better in terms of the effect it has on you. The explosion itself is definitely the best looking nuke I have ever seen, with the film benefiting from Nolan's practical effects. At the time of the explosion you just feel this terrified awe as the perfectly shot bomb goes off. There's also a bit of a jump scare in this bit that took me by surprise.
I could talk about more but I would be spoiling the movie. Thank you for taking the time to read my review, have a great day.
I have now watched the film a second time in a smaller cinema and it was just as good an experience as the first time. The film is definitely better in IMAX now I can compare to a regular screen.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
The greatest animated film of all time.
Greatest animated film is not a title I would give out lightly. It is up against some amazing films, like Wall-E, Toy Story, How to train your dragon 2, Up (pretty much most pixar movies). But Across the Spiderverse easily beats those films, something I never thought I would say.
Animation/art style.
The strongest part of this film is the animation. Every shot is this beautiful frame with so much going on. The comic book style animation just like the first film is excellently utilised. It is simply one of the most cinematic movies, and such a beautiful film, it really proves that animated films can be just as good as live action and not "just for kids".
Story.
Can't say too much without spoiling the movie but the story is super intriguing and explores some very interesting themes that the first film introduced but didn't really tackle all that much. It creates quite an emotional ride at times and the 'problem' that drives the plot forward is a really good one and simple yet unique idea even if it is introduced well into the movie.
Characters.
The characters are really developed past the funny bit that introduces the characters in the first film. Gwen's backstory is explored giving us more emotional investment in the film. Miles is funny and cool as ever, keeping his slight awkwardness.
One of the antagonist (if you can really call him one) has a very justified motive that most people would agree with, all but Miles, this is why you can't really call him a bad guy per se.
The true antagonist gas a really cool design, costume and character wise, his backstop is goofy and his introduction is too but he evolves throughout the film into this really cool villain.
Side characters are interesting especially one of them that is all about going against the establishment.
Background characters were honestly one of this movies strengths, there were so many characters that showed up even for a second or two that made me gasp and gave me a huge grin, don't want spoil any as part of the enjoyment from this film are the different spidermen you meet.