Iron Man 3 "Mr Stark, today is the first day of what's left of your life."
Iron Man 3 is Marvel's first step into phase two which will re-introduce all of the Avengers with individual films and setup "The Avengers 2". I'll be blunt, this movie left a horrible bitter aftertaste in my mouth. The Avengers wasn't a terribly good film but at least it was fun, Iron Man 3 had a shift in direction and tone which failed. Shane Black of Lethal Weapon & Kiss Kiss Bang Bang fame helms and writes the third installment of the Iron Man franchise which in the beginning was a really interesting choice, but after watching the film it has some horrible pacing issues and it lacks in action. Iron Man 1 was probably as perfect as we're ever going to get, Iron Man 2 was rushed and boring & Iron Man 3 suffers in the same area as all the Iron Man's do, which is villains. They're never a real threat, you know they're never going to win and it's a really tired, monotonous formula. There is a scene halfway through the film which was unpredictable but it polarizes your audience, your either going to love it or hate it & if you know the comics then you're probably going to hate it.
Iron Man 3 was marketed in such a way that we thought we knew what we were getting, they hired Ben Kingsley to play the Mandarin, of all the possible villains this was a very interesting and exciting choice, or at least it could have been, Marvel however decided to take a different path and shit all over that villain which begs the question why bother casting such a thespian like Ben Kingsley in the first place? His demeanor and voice are great, his costume is terrific but the character itself is empty & hollow. A real bitter disappointment. Guy Pearce another interesting casting choice, he nails his role as a man with a mission and a grudge, fueled by fire and hate he's believable but of course is he ever really going to be a threat to Tony Stark? Marvel's most profitable and popular hero? Pepper Potts role in this film is elevated so that she is central to the plot but don't get excited she isn't a strong female character in this, she's just used as a pawn, given no real dialogue and frankly her character's ark in this film is a little ridiculous. Don Cheadle was thankfully given a meatier role, some great banter between Rhodes and Stark & a great bromance. Paul Bettany returns as Jarvis a perfect voice for Tony to bounce ideas off but not really important to the plot.
It's a real shame this film couldn't step up and be the first truly terrific Marvel film, you can give the others a pass it was an interesting idea to setup the Avengers and combine them all to see if it works but you've grounded your characters, you've set them up it's time to bring out the big guns and give us a good story. Maybe Thor: The Dark World will step up and be the new crown jewel of Marvel, who knows. Ultimately disappointing, don't expect anything particularly amazing or cerebral, it's probably time for Robert Downey Jr. to exit the series and pass it on to a fresh young face. It's not important to see it on the big screen and the 3D isn't effective or impressive, it's just another cost, the film has a dark tint throughout the whole 130 minutes, much to long, many scenes could have been left on the cutting room floor. So if your desperate to see it, then choose a 2D session and go in with very low expectations. 1.8/5
Sunday, 28 April 2013
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Olympus Has Fallen
Olympus Has Fallen - "Lets play a game of "Go Fuck Yourself", you go first."
It's contemporary whilst also being a little out-dated but ultimately made just for fun. Antoine Fuqua directs this jumbled concoction of action inspired by Air Force One, Die Hard & Mission Impossible. If this film had of changed it's title to "Die Hard 5" and cast Bruce Willis in the lead role this with very few minor plot point changes it would have been the perfect Die Hard 5, it's a hard rated R with foul mouthed well rounded action orientated characters and centers around ONE MAN TO SAVE THEM ALL. It's charm definitely comes from Gerard Butler's performance which is so every-man and charming and down to Earth, he doesn't bullshit, he makes no bones about the fact that he's in an over the top action film in which you cheer for the hero and the resulting product is a decently made action flick, not perfect far from it, but it's fun.
The problem lies with the special effects, they are incredibly noticeable when outside, special effects are supposed to seamlessly glide into the film without being noticed however in this film all the exterior special effects are hollow and sub-par. Inside the White House it's less noticeable, the lighting is darker and there aren't any big explosions. The casting is a little strange, Morgan Freeman was definitely too relaxed and didn't seem to care about the material, it was really easy to tell that it was an easy paycheck, Angela Bassett is surprisingly bad, due to the fault of the director, Antoine Fuqua directed Denzel Washington in his Oscar winning performance in Training Day but in this the performances are very secondary to the minimal plot of the North Koreans taking over the White House and the subsequent action.
Aaron Eckhart is not a memorable president he's just another face in the crowd and not terribly important, Melissa Leo is ridiculous in her role, atrocious acting and at times cringe-worthy. If the plot had of been tweaked a little to include more characters in the quest to reclaim the White House, such as more Secret Service agents surviving and banding together to help Gerard Butler on his redemption story journey it would have made the film have some emotional impact, but because it's a lone survivor story you know that he's not in any real danger and he's just going to slaughter and decimate the hoards of North Korean insurgents. That's not to say that when Gerard Butler crushes a mans skull with the stone head of Abraham Lincoln in the Oval office it's not a bunch of fun, because it definitely is, it's just not the sort of action I seek out. 13-18 year old's would love this film and the roller coaster action that's in it. So don't go in expecting anything cerebral or thought provoking, it is what it is and it's quite competent. 2.8/5
It's contemporary whilst also being a little out-dated but ultimately made just for fun. Antoine Fuqua directs this jumbled concoction of action inspired by Air Force One, Die Hard & Mission Impossible. If this film had of changed it's title to "Die Hard 5" and cast Bruce Willis in the lead role this with very few minor plot point changes it would have been the perfect Die Hard 5, it's a hard rated R with foul mouthed well rounded action orientated characters and centers around ONE MAN TO SAVE THEM ALL. It's charm definitely comes from Gerard Butler's performance which is so every-man and charming and down to Earth, he doesn't bullshit, he makes no bones about the fact that he's in an over the top action film in which you cheer for the hero and the resulting product is a decently made action flick, not perfect far from it, but it's fun.
The problem lies with the special effects, they are incredibly noticeable when outside, special effects are supposed to seamlessly glide into the film without being noticed however in this film all the exterior special effects are hollow and sub-par. Inside the White House it's less noticeable, the lighting is darker and there aren't any big explosions. The casting is a little strange, Morgan Freeman was definitely too relaxed and didn't seem to care about the material, it was really easy to tell that it was an easy paycheck, Angela Bassett is surprisingly bad, due to the fault of the director, Antoine Fuqua directed Denzel Washington in his Oscar winning performance in Training Day but in this the performances are very secondary to the minimal plot of the North Koreans taking over the White House and the subsequent action.
Aaron Eckhart is not a memorable president he's just another face in the crowd and not terribly important, Melissa Leo is ridiculous in her role, atrocious acting and at times cringe-worthy. If the plot had of been tweaked a little to include more characters in the quest to reclaim the White House, such as more Secret Service agents surviving and banding together to help Gerard Butler on his redemption story journey it would have made the film have some emotional impact, but because it's a lone survivor story you know that he's not in any real danger and he's just going to slaughter and decimate the hoards of North Korean insurgents. That's not to say that when Gerard Butler crushes a mans skull with the stone head of Abraham Lincoln in the Oval office it's not a bunch of fun, because it definitely is, it's just not the sort of action I seek out. 13-18 year old's would love this film and the roller coaster action that's in it. So don't go in expecting anything cerebral or thought provoking, it is what it is and it's quite competent. 2.8/5
Friday, 12 April 2013
Oblivion Film Review
Oblivion - "I want mankind to survive, this is the only way. This is Jack Harper..... I'm good to go."
At first glance Oblivion looked like a promising science fiction film with a competent director at the helm. Joseph Kosinski, director of Tron: Legacy, is a man who knows how to make films look gorgeous. Tron wasn't terribly good but it looked beautiful & that was shot mostly with green screens. Oblivion (sigh of relief) was shot in Iceland on physical sets & it seems no expenses were spared Josephs visual aesthetic is awe inspiring, whether you're flying through the air with Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) or on the ground amidst the wasteland of earth it is jaw droppingly beautiful. Iceland had the perfect terrain and look to suit this film which was adapted from the graphic novel of the same name, the graphic novel by the way was written by the director himself. It's just so refreshingly original.
Story goes Jack Harper survived the war with the scavengers, an alien race who blew up Earths moon which decimated the gravitational pull between the two and the effect it has on the Earths tectonic plates and tidal forces. 80% of the Earth is uninhabitable and humans have been evacuated to "Titan" Saturn's largest moon. Jack and his partner Victoria (Andrew Riseborough) remain on Earth as part of the mop-up crew who repair drones, drones protect these giant vacuous machines which turns Earths oceans into energy which fuel "The TET" a colossal space station which orbits Earth. It is also the launch point for humans to get to Titan. Jack & Victoria have the perfect relationship, almost TOO perfect which raises questions. But NOTHING is really spoon fed to you which is why you can't treat this like a typical blockbuster, it makes you think, this isn't that God awful G.I Joe 2. Jack & Victoria co-exist perfectly, Victoria is the communications officer that watches Jacks back whilst he repairs drones on the surface, but most of the time they reside in the safety of their tower, satisfying each others needs, emotionally, sexually, that need for human contact isn't ignored. "We are an effective team". I applaud Joseph Kosinski for exploiting the limits of the PG-13 rating the Americans use, which means you can have minimal sexuality or offensive language, well there's plenty of both and it's definitely more adult themed than for children.
Oblivion is a breath of fresh air to the science fiction genre, I can't and will not say ANYTHING more about the plot as it's easy to spoil, all I'll say is the pay-off is extremely satisfying, visually breathtaking and NOT IN 3D! The cast are by and large great especially Morgan Freeman. "If you're looking for the truth, that's where you'll find it". The only casting issue was Olga Kurylenko as Julia, I haven't really seen her succeed in any of her previous films and there is very little chemistry between her and Tom Cruise which is disappointing considering the pivotal role she plays. Jessica Chastain was originally cast but had to drop out due to scheduling problems sadly, she would have made a terrific Julia. Considering the people who auditioned for the role I'm surprised they didn't go with Mary Elizabeth Winstead or Brit Marling. I mean Mary Elizabeth Winstead is almost a sure bet having proved herself to be a terrific female action star, reminiscent of a young Sigourney Weaver. That issue aside the film is pretty flawless, the plot is well written, the film well paced and the score resonates with you. Put your thinking cap on and enjoy this, they don't come along often. 4.7/5
At first glance Oblivion looked like a promising science fiction film with a competent director at the helm. Joseph Kosinski, director of Tron: Legacy, is a man who knows how to make films look gorgeous. Tron wasn't terribly good but it looked beautiful & that was shot mostly with green screens. Oblivion (sigh of relief) was shot in Iceland on physical sets & it seems no expenses were spared Josephs visual aesthetic is awe inspiring, whether you're flying through the air with Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) or on the ground amidst the wasteland of earth it is jaw droppingly beautiful. Iceland had the perfect terrain and look to suit this film which was adapted from the graphic novel of the same name, the graphic novel by the way was written by the director himself. It's just so refreshingly original.
Story goes Jack Harper survived the war with the scavengers, an alien race who blew up Earths moon which decimated the gravitational pull between the two and the effect it has on the Earths tectonic plates and tidal forces. 80% of the Earth is uninhabitable and humans have been evacuated to "Titan" Saturn's largest moon. Jack and his partner Victoria (Andrew Riseborough) remain on Earth as part of the mop-up crew who repair drones, drones protect these giant vacuous machines which turns Earths oceans into energy which fuel "The TET" a colossal space station which orbits Earth. It is also the launch point for humans to get to Titan. Jack & Victoria have the perfect relationship, almost TOO perfect which raises questions. But NOTHING is really spoon fed to you which is why you can't treat this like a typical blockbuster, it makes you think, this isn't that God awful G.I Joe 2. Jack & Victoria co-exist perfectly, Victoria is the communications officer that watches Jacks back whilst he repairs drones on the surface, but most of the time they reside in the safety of their tower, satisfying each others needs, emotionally, sexually, that need for human contact isn't ignored. "We are an effective team". I applaud Joseph Kosinski for exploiting the limits of the PG-13 rating the Americans use, which means you can have minimal sexuality or offensive language, well there's plenty of both and it's definitely more adult themed than for children.
Oblivion is a breath of fresh air to the science fiction genre, I can't and will not say ANYTHING more about the plot as it's easy to spoil, all I'll say is the pay-off is extremely satisfying, visually breathtaking and NOT IN 3D! The cast are by and large great especially Morgan Freeman. "If you're looking for the truth, that's where you'll find it". The only casting issue was Olga Kurylenko as Julia, I haven't really seen her succeed in any of her previous films and there is very little chemistry between her and Tom Cruise which is disappointing considering the pivotal role she plays. Jessica Chastain was originally cast but had to drop out due to scheduling problems sadly, she would have made a terrific Julia. Considering the people who auditioned for the role I'm surprised they didn't go with Mary Elizabeth Winstead or Brit Marling. I mean Mary Elizabeth Winstead is almost a sure bet having proved herself to be a terrific female action star, reminiscent of a young Sigourney Weaver. That issue aside the film is pretty flawless, the plot is well written, the film well paced and the score resonates with you. Put your thinking cap on and enjoy this, they don't come along often. 4.7/5
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