t-hf Reviews

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

Wow, didn't take long did it?

[8/10 · 16 February 2016]

So this review will be a bit of a change from others on this site at the moment. I am going to review the movie of course but I am also going to offer some brief thoughts and insight into the current early signs of audience backlash against this movie in the month and half following its release.

So when this movie came out I was unable to see it due to having no money and had to wait for payday, just under a week after the release date. Needless to say I went to see it as soon as I had money in my account without even waiting until my friends were free to see it with me (not because I have no friends or anything....*sob*). For the most part, I was frickin blown away. The film has some breathtaking action sequences, some great humour and it's great to see our favourite characters back in the franchise along with some captivating new leads. Overall, the film is a blast and the most fun i'd had at the movies all year (at the time at least, "cough" Deadpool "cough"), but.....

Like many people, I was caught up in the hype train and would be ready to love anything this movie had to dish out. I mean with JJ Abrams as director, Lawrence Kasdan as writer and all 3 members of the original cast returning, I told myself that nothing could stop this movie from being amazing. Make no mistake, it is a lot of fun and a great time at the movies like I said, but now that the hype has died down and i've had the chance to get many of my friends and colleagues opinions, I can say objectively that the film has a lot of problems. Now you've most likely by now heard the biggest problem of all: that the film's plot is derivative of A New Hope. Now everything you've heard is true and the plot bears nearly all of the similarities and emotional beats that the original contained, but this film was hyped up to be a homage to the original trilogy so I have to admit im not sure why people were so surprised. On the other hand, it does markedly at points feel like an attempt to recreate the original film's magic, which presents a problem in that the original was the very first of a franchise, whilst this film is a sequel, and therefore should be a continuation and progression of not just the story, but the story format. However, if you're willing to get past that, I believe that the film does introduce enough originality to stay fresh.

There are other problems, some being that the character development and chemistry may be too rushed for some, but to be honest, so was the chemistry in the first one. I mean come on, Luke and Ben have barely known each for a day/day and a half at a push by the time Ben dies and yet Luke reacts as if he's lost a much closer relative. Some other movie-goers may also find that the film raises more questions than it answers, but if you give the forthcoming sequels a chance, i'm sure that they will shed more light. All we can do now is hope that Episode 8 improves The Force Awakens in the way that Empire improves A New Hope.

Well there you have it, there are my condensed thoughts on The Force Awakens. I hope that you wont be discouraged by the waning hype train and audience backlash that this film is currently starting to receive. The movie really is a lot of fun and you will enjoy it, just don't expect to be blown away by it the same way A New Hope and Empire did. This is the first film in a trilogy after all and i'm sure they're holding back their trump card for Episode 8.

Fallout 4 (2015 Video Game)

A masterpiece of player freedom and one of the best next gen games yet.

[10/10 · 30 November 2015]

So Fallout 4 has been here for the best part of a month and I have no qualms in saying that this is the best game on next gen that i've seen so far and what makes it so amazing is purely how much freedom you have this time around compared to Fallout 3 and Skyrim. From the very get go, I knew I was in for a treat. After the usual "War never changes" spiel, you're immediately thrust into a brilliantly versatile character creation screen and I need only tell you that I spent about 30 minutes in that section to demonstrate how many options you have. And that my friends, is just the beginning. After admittedly a few boring moments, the game picks up the pace briskly and you are quickly swept into the unforgiving wasteland of The Commonwealth (formerly downtown Boston) and away from the peaceful, family oriented life you once knew in a heartfelt plot involving your kidnapped son. I wont spoil anything else but I think that it was a very smart move on Bethesda's part to opt for a simple, more personal and emotional plot. Surprisingly, the kidnapped son gives your character some great motivation and gets you genuinely invested.

Now, I usually play as females when given the option - don't know why really, I just really like strong female characters -, and I can say that the plot seems to work so much better when you play as a woman in this game. The kidnapped son gives your character some maternal quality like Ripley or Sarah Connor, and makes her more driven and badass. Not completely necessary but just a suggestion I thought i'd bring up. Also noteworthy is that this game introduce fully dynamic conversations and voice acting for the first time, which was a very smart inclusion and gives your character so much more personality, and also allows you to become more connected to them and guide their personality traits throughout the game. Whether you want them to be sympathetic and caring or cold and emotionally distant, the choice is yours. I personally drove my character down the sympathetic route, but also made her emotionally fractured and evasive at times, but with just enough space for a few sarcastic quips every now and then, which in turn made her very likable and a lot of fun to play as.

Before I close my review, I must mention two more things that make this game very special. The first is the combat, holy sh*t the combat is so much fun. It's hard as hell, but if it was easy the game wouldn't be nearly as challenging and fun to go back two. Every weapon feels unique enough for you to think about which is best for a particular enemy. Secondly, the power armor is also so much fun to use. EverY time I strap into it I feel like a badass ready for battle and it's especially good for exploring those radiation infested areas.

Overall, I would say that Fallout 4 is my favourite game of the year and I truly applaud and thank Behesda for giving us a rewarding and COMPLETE (yes i'm looking at you Battlefront *scathing stare") experience that will surely hold re-playability well into next year and who knows, maybe for the rest of this generation. What are you waiting for, go out and play this game now!!

Star Wars: Battlefront (2015 Video Game)

Big stinky, crusty, aromatic pile of doggy doo-doo (since I can't say the expletive version)

[1/10 · 21 November 2015]

This game is an absolute atrocity, I can't play my copy for more than 10 minutes without getting bored and wanting to slice my larynx with powersaw - and I am writing this review in the time following one of those 10 minutes. The reason I haven't ticked the spoiler box is that there's literally nothing to spoil. No plot and the excuse for a single player campaign is 3 game modes utilizing variants of gameplay across the same 4 maps against AI control. The list of game modes reads like a joke someone would tell to parody this game's respect for the player at a stand-up gig: Battle on Tatooine, Hero Battle on Tatooine, Battle on Hoth, Hero Battle on Hoth, Survival on Hoth, Hero Survival on Hoth, Hero Battle Survival on Tattoine on Hoth, Hoth on Tatooine on Hero Battle. I am deadly serious in that regard.

Now, I am a hardcore Star Wars fan and have been since childhood as is my friend. I invited him over to play the game with me on launch day. I am not kidding you when I say that after about half an hour of playing various game modes, we turned to each other and said "wanna play Fallout?". That is how bad it is, the fact that a game that should have been the definitive Star Wars gaming experience managed to bore two shameless Star Wars geeks within 30 minutes and that playing a game that had already been out for a week and a half (and was far superior I might add) was the preferable option on frickin LAUNCH DAY!!! LAAAUUUUNCHHHH DAYYYYYY!!!

Now, you might be asking, surely it's fun to play as your favourite characters and occupy your favourite locations. Yeah it is for like the first 10 minutes. After the novelty wears off, your stuck with a pretty repetitive and mediocre 1st/3rd person shooter frankly. This is just a very lazy effort that seems to just be trying to get at least some money out of hyped up Star Wars fans before The Force Awakens gets every other consumer's money in December, and by "lazy", I mean that there is no point that the world of Star Wars came alive and sucked me in like the movies do. There are only 3 characters on each side that you can play as and they are not even voiced well, along with spouting truly stupid lines that bring to mind a hackey 3D Sonic game - "there's nothing like a good shield", oh, the thing's I do for that princess", "use their overconfidence against them" to name but a few.

Overall, this game has been a huge disappointment and I really feel ashamed for spending any amount of money on it. It's not complete by a long shot and is definitely not the great Star Wars experience that we were promised. And don't start saying "it's not complete because they want you to buy the dlc" and all that, I realise that, but that is not an excuse. THe player should feel satisfied and rewarded for buying the game and supporting the studio. And a word to anyone that doesn't feel like a Star Wars fan lest they buy Battlefront, do not let them make you feel like that. Star Wars is my life and in the end, I was ultimately let down by a mediocre and subpar shooter created by focus groups to cynically manipulate my love for the series. Please don't give money to these a**holes. Go buy Fallout 4 or Rise of the Tomb Raider or even Halo 5 (if you hadn't already). Give money to good studios that are at least making an effort to reward gamers for their purchase. This game is not worth your money, Star Wars fanboy or not.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (2015 Video Game)

Heartbreaking, humorous and thoroughly engaging

[10/10 · 24 September 2015]

Now this is how you make a video game. From obscure games developer The Chinese Room comes the indie game to end all indie games. As I listen to the heartbreakingly beautiful soundtrack at this very moment, I am inclined to encourage you to go and buy this game immediately - it is definitely worth the price (£15 on playstation store). I am at a loss for words to explain how much this game moved me, but i'll do my best. First, the premise.

The game is essentially a first person exploration adventure, where you find yourself as an unidentified individual traversing a small series of villages in the English countryside after some kind of catastrophe has happened. All the inhabitants are gone, all is quiet...you are completely alone. Through various flashbacks, audio logs and telephone recordings - you slowly start to piece together whatever has happened.

First off, the game looks amazing, there is so much attention to detail and from the very first steps I took after the opening narration, I knew that I was in for a treat. The entire environment is drenched in atmosphere and incredibly beautiful to look at. Being from England myself, I have visited the English countryside more times than I can count and this game instantly transported me there. What this game does great is feel more large scale than an indie game should, whilst never straying from it's small town England vibe. The first thing you may notice is that all the flashbacks and character exchanges sound like a radio play, and I may be wrong in thinking this but if that's what they were going for, it paid off perfectly and added so much to the game's tone. As you traverse these locations, you'll not only get an idea of what has happened, but also uncover some very important and intriguing character moments, which all weave together to create a web of interesting character relationships. Everything in this game just pulls you into it's world so much. I almost forgot that I was playing a video game at times. I can also say that it boasts one of the best soundtracks for a video game that i've heard since The Last of Us

If I could compare it to anything, I would say that it calls to mind elements of bioshock, but even that's a stretch. I genuinely can't think of any games that are really like this one. Now on paper it seems like it's borrowing heavily from other games (the nameless main character, the post apocalyptic environment etc.), but trust me when I say that it feels very fresh and original. I would say that anyone expecting a lot of excitement and action will be disappointed, as the game does opt for a slower pace and a slower unfolding of it's narrative. For those looking for a great experience, I definitely recommend it and cannot really think of anything to complain about. It kept me engaged throughout and made me constantly want to delve deeper. It's only £15 on the playstation store and it is truly one of the first indie games in a while that is worthy of the price - offering a large world, small story, satisfying 6 hour adventure that you won't forget.

Terminator Genisys (2015)

Actually very good. A legitimately decent Terminator sequel.

[7/10 · 5 July 2015]

So, Terminator: Genisys is finally upon us and I can sum it up in one sentence: not quite as good as the first two movies, but so much better than the dismal Terminator: Salvation. I would ignore the critics on this one, because Genisys is actually a very good terminator sequel and an all round good action flick, albeit with some inevitable flaws.

First off, it's great to see Arnie back. He still has an enormous amount of charisma and is still badass as the iconic T-800. The fan- service is also great, and I personally found it very entertaining to see some of my favourite terminator moments re-enacted (a common complaint amongst some). I also love the new cast. I would have been disappointed if merely pale imitations of the original characters had been cast, but Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney and Jason Clarke are great as the principal human characters that we've grown to love and all bring a new interpretation to their respective characters. At this point, John Connor is more or a messianic figure than a person and is open to interpretation. In this aspect, I think that Jason Clarke did a very good job and seemed the portray the John Connor that has fully grown into a strong and capable leader very well.

When it comes to plot, I would say that the film's story is more focused on Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor's complex relationship than it is on the Terminator so be prepared for for Arnie to be sidelined on a few occasions. I won't spoil anything crucial, but I personally found the paradoxical time travel in this film more interesting and explored than it was in T1 or T2. You have no doubt heard that the narrative is re- writing the original films' timelines, and if you are a mega-massive- super fan of the Terminator franchise, you may find this bothers you, but personally I found it added an interesting layer to the already established timeline and opens up some very interesting questions to keep you guessing. For instance, how can Kyle and Sarah grow closer and conceive John if she is already so independent? How will their relationship develop from there?

Overall, the film is very enjoyable for both longtime fans and newcomers that want to get into the franchise. I think that it definitely recreates the tone from the first two movies and is actually fun for once, even Judgement Day looks exciting and unique like the original (unlike the boring, gritty and generic wasteland that was Terminator: Salvation). With some great performances and exciting action set pieces, Terminator: Genisys is definitely a stand out of the summer.

Jurassic World (2015)

Makes me angry the more I think about it!!!

[1/10 · 15 June 2015]

So, you're either hearing two things about the recently released Jurassic World by now: that it is a shameful cash grab or that you should just enjoy it for what it is. Well I went into the movie not as a mega-massive-super fan of Jurassic Park, but as a lover of good movies in general. I tried to enjoy it for what it is and I couldn't even enjoy it as that. I can promise you that this movie is a massive waste of time and money for anyone that loves good summer entertainment.

I always try to open reviews by stating the positives, but this movie made me so angry, bored and frustrated that I couldn't think of any major positives to mention. I can sum the plot up in maybe one sentence: dinosaur gets out, dinosaur eats people, more dinosaurs get out, they eat people, Star-Lord (or Chris Pratt for you non Marvel geeks) saves the day. Now I know that it weakens the film's impact if you compare it to the first film, but if the film wants to try and wear the series' trademark, i'll treat it as such. Think about the first movie's plot and try to explain it as in depth as you can. Here's my attempt:

WARNING!!! SPOILERS FOR JURASSIC PARK!!

"Three scientists are invited to an island by a wealthy entrepreneur, where he has built a theme park featuring genetically cloned dinosaurs. At first the park seems to dazzle, but these three scientists have their doubts. After exploring the park briefly - the power is inadvertently shut off, the dinosaurs are out and what started as an assessment of the park's safety has become a thrilling race for survival".

Sounds riveting doesn't it? Well Jurassic World is basically a version of that plot bereft of any suspense, wonder or witty dialogue that the original film contained so much of. Seriously, there is no tangible suspense built up before dinosaurs run amok. The characters are the most predictable clichés', the plot has no clear focus and the CGI dinosaurs somehow look more fake than a movie produced in the early 90's when CGI was still catching up with filmmaker's visions. I could go on all day but i'll just tell you some things that bugged me. For one, I am sick of seeing women represented as either useless love interests or uptight control freaks, and this is coming from a dude in his early 20's ( part of the main demographic for this film). Granted, the main female character did do a few important things, but she still starts out as a sad, time obsessed freak governed by her tight schedule that needs to be saved from her lonely existence by the equally clichéd, free spirited, fun and worldly bloke (but at least he was played by Chris Pratt which is an added plus). Why can't we see the roles reversed or have more strong female characters? Why can't women be represented with more likability in movies?

Another thing that bugged me was how the film had an overarching sense of action and danger, but interspersed it with moments of "ohhh, ahhh" and "look, aren't dinosaurs magical?", whereas the first movie had a sense of the latter dominating the first half, but as soon as the dinosaurs break out, the atmosphere turns deadly and the transition between these two styles is handled sublimely well. I think we'll have to accept that people just don't make movies like Jurassic Park or Close Encounters or Star Wars anymore (to name a few). Films with real magic and just enough imperfection and slight flaws to make us care. This film to me was the representation of the worst in CGI filled summer blockbusters. Films that are so tightly made and perfectly cut without any moments drawn out for suspense or awe, that we just don't care about anything that happens.

I apologise for the angriness of this review, but this film has made me more angry the more I think about it. If anything, it just made me want to go back and watch the first movie again, which I did to wash the taste away that night. For a movie that is trying to kick start the franchise again, that is a very bad sign. I just have no faith in Hollywood anymore. 2014 was such a good year for movies, why can't this year be as good. Very few directors are working today with as much passion and integrity as Spielberg. The only name that really comes to mind is Christopher Nolan. Anyway, I suppose I would say go see it if you love action and monster movies, but if you love suspense, wit and a brilliantly paced story (all the good stuff), I wouldn't recommend it.

Big Hero 6 (2014)

laugh out loud funny and entertaining from beginning to end

[10/10 · 27 May 2015]

We are lucky to be witnesses to the second "Disney Renaissance" at this moment in history. For anyone that doesn't know what that means, do you remember when Disney had a golden streak of winning movies in the early to mid 90's? (Aladding, Little Mermaid, Lion King etc.). Well, that is basically what is happening now. In the span of 5 short years, Disney have given us Tangled, Wreck it Ralph, Frozen and now Big Hero 6. It's finally happened. Disney have gone back to their roots to give us their traditional brand of storytelling in the contemporary age. I have no reservations when I say that this may be the best film Disney have made in 20 years. From a Disney standpoint, all the traditional characters are there and even though they seem stereotypical at first, I can promise that not a single character is unlikeable or annoying in the slightest. YOu have the young, troubled protagonist with the biggest story arc, the supportive older brother, the kooky and caring aunt (who has some of the funniest lines) and the eclectic group of friends - but almost none of that matters because "Baymax" steals the entire show! That's right, the plush, huggable, naive, walking marshmallow of a robot that you saw on the poster and in the trailers gets all the best lines, adds 90% of the film's humour and steals every scene that he's in. In a sense, this might be the "Aladdin" of the second renaissance, in that the supporting character is the greatest thing in the movie, just like the late Robin Williams' Genie was. What makes it even better is that the main character (Hiro) and Baymax have a great on screen relationship and genuine bond that makes Baymax feel like a real character and not just a bumbling robot sidekick.

When it comes to the plot, I won't spoil anything, but I will say that this is Disney's first (and hopefully not last) attempt at a superhero movie, origins and all. In conclusion, I implore you to see this movie, whether you love Disney, Superhero movies or just exciting, entertaining movies in general. Big Hero 6 is everything a good family movie should be - heartfelt and touching, exciting, compelling and utterly hilarious to the very last joke.

The Lion King (1994)

A retrospective review

[8/10 · 9 January 2015]

When this movie was first released, it was less a movie and more of an event. It was the biggest thing that Disney had made up until that point and for many reasons - the voice cast was made up of a-listers (Matthew Broderick, Rowan Atkinson, James Earl Jones, the list goes on), the songs were being sung worldwide, the story was epic and most of all - it held and still holds a special place in all of our hearts and childhoods.

To me, this movie was perfect - it was cute, it was funny, it was unbearably heartbreaking (for anyone that has ever truly loved their dad), it had great morals and some great songs. Recently I ordered a copy of it to see if it holds up and for the most part, it does. I still find myself laughing and crying, the songs are still great and the animation is still b-e-a-utiful. However, that being said it does have it's flaws that now the hype has died down, I don't have to overlook. For anyone that hasn't seen it, the story is basically an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet set in the African pride-lands, with animals as it's main characters. In short, lion cub Simba is the next heir to the throne, with his dad Mufasa the current king. Mufasa's brother Scar jealously feels that he should have been next in line and that is where we have our villain, and a good one at that. I can't give anything else away, but what follows is a fantastic adventure mixing good-vs-evil, great characters and a very Shakespearean story of revenge and coming- of-age.

Now for the flaws. Most of it is nitpicking, but as an adult I have grown to appreciate movies for their stories and I must say that the third act (the final conflict) is a little rushed and it threw my adult mind off a little bit, having just witnessed such a fantastic build up. But other than that, I was surprised to find that none of the characters or songs annoy me as they do many other adults that saw it as a kid. Another thing that is always brought to my attention is that the message of the film is a little mixed (which I won't spoil). I personally like the morals the film has to offer, as I feel they reflect real life misunderstandings and teach children that your parents can't teach you everything about the world. There are simply some things you must discover for yourself, which is all part of growing up. It is a coming-of-age story after all isn't it?

Any way, faults aside, I truly see this film as one of the greatest animated films of all time and one of Disney's best. It may not be a perfect film, but it is certainly one of the biggest in terms of scope that their has ever been.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

the Rolling Stones of outer space

[8/10 · 23 August 2014]

So Guardians of the Galaxy is finally out and how is it?....it matches every expectation you had about it. Essentially, it is an absurdly fun, cheesy, old-fashioned space adventure with a superhero edge. For those of you who didn't know, the Guardians are pretty much the polar opposite of the Avengers - they're loud, brash, free-spirited, and most of all.....human....or as human as you can be being 4 aliens and 1 human. Unlike the Avengers, they don't play nice when it comes to saving the galaxy.

This movie has so much going for it that you can't really explain it in one paragraph but all you need to know is that the humour is great, the action is non-stop, the drama is riveting and genuinely heartwarming, the soundtrack rocks and unlike most superhero teams - everyone of the guardians are 100% awesome in their own way.

I won't spoil the plot for you but i will say that what makes Guardians work so well is that it has a genuinely good-natured, back to basics, rock n' roll approach that has swagger and style aplenty. Despite their late entry into the Marvel franchise, rest assured that the guardians are here stay and will be defending a galaxy near you soon.

Ghostbusters II (1989)

Twice the fun, Twice the heart.

[10/10 · 16 June 2014]

I think this film is unfairly criticised. The only reason that it was and still is, is because it faced living in the shadow of one of the most successful comedies of all time. What film wouldn't have trouble emerging from the wake of the original Ghostbusters. I was watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory the other day, more specifically the episode where they find an original draft screenplay of Ghostbusters 2 and toss it away when they find out that it is Ghostbusters 2 instead of the original. This struck an angry nerve in me because I adore both films equally. This film is just as hilarious and just as well written, but it has one thing the original didn't have...a heartfelt and important message.

The story (for anyone that hasn't already seen it) concerns our heroes getting back into business after a 5 year hiatus following the lawsuits that were brought on by the incidents of the first film. They quickly don their gear again for another round of hilarity, fantasy and adventure. The cast are again on superb form and the fantastic chemistry between the main heroes is still there. The main enemy that the ghostbusters face is an historical and mystical figure trapped inside a painting at a New York art museum. This villain's wrongdoings coincide with the existence of a river of "mood-slime" flowing in the sewers beneath the city, which is where the important message comes in.

Unlike the previous film, this film provides an important message that acts of human decency and generally being a good person can indeed save the world, which is true to some extent and this is elevated to fantastic proportions when the ghostbusters use the mood slime to literally transport Lady Liberty to the museum and destroy the mood slime surrounding it by inspiring countless New Yorkers. This might seem a bit convoluted but watch the film for yourself and you'll see how everything comes together. I would even say that the statue of liberty scene even rivals that of the marshmallow man scene from the first film and is elevated excellently by the song that is used.

Ignore the reviews surrounding this sequel because rest-assured, it is just as funny, just as exciting and inspires you in a way that the original never did.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

equal parts goofy and epic

[8/10 · 24 May 2014]

So X Men:Days of Future Past is finally here and does it deliver?....you bet it does!! With Bryan Singer back in the director's chair where he belongs what could possibly go wrong? From the opening credits (with the original X2 theme music I might add) to the very last uttered word - this movie keeps up the pace briskly with exhilarating set pieces and some great suspense, leaving just enough time for some very gentle, poignant scenes and cracking humour. It's great to see the original cast back and it's nice to see an x-men movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. The film is goofy when it wants to be and serious only when needed. In short, it is everything you've been wanting from an x-men movie for the past decade. However, I will admit that you may find some parts a bit disappointing. For instance, You may not see as much of your favourite characters as you wanted to. This is predominantly Wolverine, Prof. X and Magneto's movie. If you love those characters like we all do then you'll love the movie, but if you wanted to see your favourite characters return, you may just have to put up with a short cameo at best. However, needless to say, the movie makes up for this and I must say that the franchise is back with a bang. I think we can expect great things in the future now the X-Men are back on track and on behalf of all of us - human and mutant alike - I say welcome back Mr. Singer, good to have you back and great job!

47 Ronin (2013)

Not as bad as you think it's going to be.

[7/10 · 23 May 2014]

OK, so before I start, I just want to say some things for those who care or who are stupid enough to believe the contrary based on popular opinion:

1. Just because a movie bombs at the box office, it doesn't mean the movie is automatically terrible and that you should stay away from it. In it's broadest sense, a box office bomb just means that the film didn't gain enough interest, was the victim of poor marketing or went up in competition against more popular films in the theatres. It just happens that a lot of box office bombs and in this case, 47 Ronin was up against the likes of The Hobbit 2 and The Wolf of Wall Street, which is a shame because in some ways it is better than the CGI fest that is The Desolation of Smaug.

2. Keanu Reeves is not a bad actor!!!! The only people that ever say that are only saying it because they can't get over his comedic performances in the Bill and Ted franchise. Get over it and stop hating on the guy. He has an incredibly stoic and intense charisma that makes him very good to watch. It's just a shame that people think of that charisma as wooden. Granted, he has had bad performances, but he has emerged a very fine actor.

3. Just because a white guy features in a predominantly Japanese movie based on Japanese history, it doesn't mean that film is racist. In fact, I found that Keanu Reeves serves very well to represent our westernised eye in the story as a put-upon outcast since the film is obviously marketed to the average western audience.

Anyway, those are some common criticisms that have been directed at this movie. 47 Ronin is a surprisingly good action movie with some very impressive fight sequences, although it does have it's flaws as with any movie. So let's dive in. The film mainly concerns a band of samurai that seek vengeance against the people that drove them out of their land. They recruit Kai (Keanu Reeves), a "half-breed" who is treated like a bit of a second class citizen. What follows is the 47 Ronin's journey to vanquish their enemies.

The main strength that the movie has is it's action sequences. They are very well done and seeing Keanu take on the role of a samurai takes me back to his Matrix days. Also, I found the samurai - not just Keanu - to be very respectable people. They know full well that they may be executed for treason but are hellbent on vanquishing their oppressors regardless. That is an honourable trait that you don't see enough in characters today.

However, I will admit that the film does have flaws. For instance, the film seems to take a while to get going and can be boring at times, but once it does get going, you will enjoy what it has to offer. A nuisance is that the film doesn't dedicate much to character development during this time. Keanu's character - despite being a victim of prejudice - seems quite empty and whatever you want to know fundamentally about his character or his character's background doesn't really get said.

But make no mistake, the film is entertaining when it can be and turns out to be quite a nice little action movie. It's just a shame that this movie didn't get the creative direction or revenue that it deserved.

All Is Lost (2013)

Boring

[4/10 · 15 May 2014]

So, I went into this film expecting great things because I - and i'm sure many other film goers - love this sort of movie: the typical "1 person against the world survival movie" which has worked so well with films like Cast Away, Gravity and 127 Hours. The unfortunate truth is however, that this film is boring!! I can appreciate them for trying their hand at that style of film, but not once did I connect with the main character or his situation because I wasn't really sure what his "situation" was. The film seems to concern itself more with the main character pottering around aimlessly on his boat that it misses the point of emphasising his suffering to us, which is what made us as an audience connect with all those survival films, the fact that the hero carries on through almost fatal injury. I don't think that the hero really gets injured that badly, although I probably wasn't paying attention having nearly fallen asleep during his scenes on the yacht. However, to the filmmaker's credit, it is a very ambitious idea to make a film with only one character and little to no dialogue, which is something that those survival films never did, but I think the idea could have been executed better. Another problem is that due to a lack of dialogue, Robert Redford is completely bland in this movie, and I honestly don't think that he's the kind of actor that can hold interest on the screen without dialogue. But overall, I think that the biggest problem is that the film has been over-hyped too much. The film is certainly not Oscar worthy and is best viewed with mediocre expectations. I'm not saying it's an atrocious film, but you won't remember it long after initial viewing.

Blade Runner (1982)

Beautiful in every sense of the word

[10/10 · 6 May 2014]

This movie is Ridley Scott's masterpiece, better than Alien and Glafiator put together. In short, it encompasses everything that is great about the man - his epic visual sense, his imagination, his storytelling talent and his unfailing ability in the director's chair.

I can remember buying this film on VHS for £1 in a bargain video bin whilst on holiday in Great Yarmouth. I was only maybe 8 at the time but my dad bought it for me and told me to watch it. Needless to say, it absolutely blew my mind and to this day I still feel sad whenever I see see epic films like this at the bottom of a bargain bin. I had never seen anything like it before and I knew from that moment that I wanted to be in the film industry. Everything about the movie is just fantastic - the way it melds science-fiction with hard boiled crime noir, the way that the future is grimy despite mankind's technological advancements, the beautiful themes, the great story, the epic soundtrack, Harrison Ford's timeless performance and the most genuinely tear jerking ending that you will ever see given that those moments are rare in sci-fi.

I won't spoil the plot for you as it is too epic to fit into one review, but I will say that if you haven't seen this movie by now, you haven't seen the true limits of what film-making can do.

American Hustle (2013)

Come for the plot, stay for the people

[7/10 · 28 April 2014]

This movie is good for what it is. It has almost everything you'd want in a crime caper - its funny, its slick, the soundtrack is great, the cast have fantastic chemistry, but the plot.........well, meh.

There should be no doubt that by now you will either be hearing great things or bad things about this movie. Some think its Oscar gold, whilst most think of it as the most overrated movie in a decade. Well make no mistake, the film is by no means Oscar material and I think that hype hurt the films reviews somewhat. If the film had not been hyped up so much, people might have liked it more. It's not really an award worthy movie (at least not the amount that the film has got), but is a good movie on it's own. The cast shine in their roles, but when you're up against films like 12 Years a Slave, a heist movie can only go so far at the academy. The banter between the characters is also very funny, almost reminiscent of Scorcese-esque dialogue. Even when the characters are angry, you can't help but laugh. The only real weak point of the movie is the plot and how it's executed. The plot concerns a group of con men who gradually get in deeper and deeper with the FBI and the mafia due to their scams. At times you will be wondering "where is this movie going" or "wait, what just happened". Sometimes the plot moves forward in importance very suddenly without emphasizing it to the viewer and the inner workings of the scam will go over your head unless you're in the same line of work, study it very extensively or are very familiar with the scam that the film is based on. It's the kind of plot that will have your brain scrambled by the end of it, and to be honest, I don't see that plot being understood better through multiple viewings.

All in all, American Hustle is a good solid movie if you just want funny banter and characters, but I wouldn't go into this movie expecting a great plot if I were you.

Batman & Robin (1997)

How not to make a good movie in any sense of the word, for dummies

[1/10 · 27 April 2014]

I don't know what compelled me to write a review for a movie that has been widely accepted as one of the worst movies ever made ever since it came out. I guess it's as good a thing to do as any when you're having your morning coffee and cigarette.

This movie truly is a milestone in bad superhero movies and just movies in general. If you haven't seen it yet, see it immediately just to laugh at how atrocious it is. I couldn't begin to list the faults with this movie, but this'll give you an idea: laughable acting, atrocious dialogue, endless bad puns, poor production values, the list goes on. This is that one film where nitpicking is an unheard-of term. Everything that could go wrong with a movie goes wrong in all its glory. When it comes to plot, Mr.Freeze (played laughably by Arnold Schwarzenegger) wants to freeze Gotham with the help of Poison Ivy (a misfire of a performance by Uma Thurman) who wants to cover the city in plants, an amazingly lazy evil plan that contains two elements that can't even co-exist. So it's up to Batman and Robin (the most irritating on-screen partnership in film history) to stop them.........that's it - no character development, no clever twists, just dumbassery and terrible puns all the way.

Although Joel Schumacher apologised for this film years later (kudos to him), it doesn't change the fact that this film buried Batman in a pile of disappointment and criticism only to be resurrected in great fashion by Christopher Nolan years later. The main problem with this film is that it is clearly designed to sell toys. When usually toys are the bi-product of a film, this film is totally at the mercy of the toys it is meant to be selling. It's like a person being taken for a walk by their dog. The toys and merchandise have clearly made the film their servant. Not to mention the film is just cheesy and corny all the way through. I'd be wrong if I told you the film is isn't worth seeing just so you can say you sat through it, but if you know nothing about the movie: come for Batman, but stay for the laughs.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

A great peter parker movie

[10/10 · 27 April 2014]

This movie was great, but does have it's faults. Everything you loved about the previous movie is here. The action is exciting but doesn't outstay it's welcome, the humor is fresh, the romance is very heartfelt, Andy Garfield absolutely kills it as Spidey and Emma Stone is a great Gwen Stacey. Another great thing is that almost every character has a redeeming quality, even those that you're supposed to hate. Although the villains are evil, you feel sympathy for them in some way or another. For instance, Harry Osborn despite being evil, just wants to cure himself of his disease and Electro simply wants to be loved and notice. It's great to see villains that don't wanna take over the world for the sake of taking it over or just take over the world period. That being said, the villains are surprisingly scary for a goofy spider man flick. You can definitely tell that Electro is damaged and was even psychotic before he got his powers, giving him quite a gollum-like feel and Harry is portrayed as the conniving, calculating and methodical villain that he should be.

As I mentioned before, this film seems to let Spider-man take a backseat for a story that is mainly about Peter Parker. the film mainly concentrates on Peter's demons and his desperate longing to know who is father really was along with trying keep Gwen safe, which is fantastic to see. Not many superhero movies do this, opting to focus on the man behind the suit and ultimately giving him more depth. I don't know about any of you, but when I go and see a spider-man movie, I usually like to see a little more than just people beating the sh*t out of each other, so this film definitely delivered on that. After all, would the superhero be there without the man that embodies them. As I said, Andrew Garfield is a fantastic Spider-man, and I think he might very well become the actor with which the character is most identified. He is the Spider-man that the world needs to see: wisecracking, confident, cocky but vulnerable, caring and with a deep love for those around him. Not to demean Tobey Maguire's performance, but I always thought that his portrayal was always a little bit bland and at some times, dislike-able.

However, the film does have some faults which were a little bit of a disappointment. For instance, sometimes the fight scenes are a bit stale and don't flow as well as they did in the Sam Raimi trilogy, the film does focus a little too much on the romance side of it and I wish that Spidey was in the film a little bit more. But all these faults aside, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a great film, a great sequel and does what ultimately all superhero movies should do: Show what the man behind the mask is really made of.

Spring Breakers (2012)

Awful. just plain awful, and not a cult masterpiece

[1/10 · 25 April 2014]

This film is so bad that i'll just list it's main faults and we'll see how it goes from there: the plot is boring and completely empty, the characters are completely undeveloped (literally) except from about 2, James Franco's character is completely hate-able and annoying to the point that you rejoice when he dies, all other characters have absolutely no likable qualities, the notorious "raunchy sex scenes" aren't nearly as raunchy as they have been hyped up to be, almost 90% of plot exposition is revealed through either flashbacks, montages or voice-overs during both, all that James Franco says in the movie is either "y'all" or "look at all my sh*t!" (literally, he repeats those phrases over and over again), James Franco talks about himself and himself only and how gangsta he is in every scene, James Franco took the role in this piece of cr*p after great films like 127 Hours and even Pineapple Express, Selena Gomez is the only great character and man....oh man do these characters say the title of the movie......a lot. It's as if they director didn't feel a scene was really hitting home unless someone shouts "Spring Break b**ch!!".

So, now we're past that, you might have notices that I mentioned James Franco more than anything else. That's because he is the worst thing about this movie. He is more annoying than Jar Jar Binks and more hate-able than Alan from The Hangover. Seriously, you will rejoice when he kicks the bucket. All he does in the film is talk about himself and how gangsta he is. If you wanna see the most obnoxious James Franco ever put on screen, this movie is for you. I'm not saying his character isn't important to the plot, but after his contribution is made, you wouldn't miss him if he wasn't there. The only 2 strong points of this movie are the camera-work and Selena Gomez. The film is surprisingly well shot and I know she's something of a Disney channel reject, but man can she carry a film when she wants to. This is probably due to the fact that she is the only likable and developed character in the film, but she leaves over half way through. I didn't wanna watch the film after she left, but committed to seeing it through to the end. All in all, this movie is a steaming dump straight to you from Harmony Korine, wrapped up in pretentiousness and garnished with a heavy dose of awkward. The film is clearly trying to put a pretentious "art-house" spin on the typical summer/party movie, which in this case fails miserably. I would go so far as to say that Spring Breakers could possibly be one of the worst films of all time.

Treasure Planet (2002)

One of Disney's best, yet largely ignored masterpieces

[10/10 · 23 April 2014]

This is definitely a stand out for me in Disney's cannon, despite how forgotten it is in the studio's current era. I know some might think it blasphemous to say this, but at the time it came out, Treasure Planet affected me deeper than The Lion King, Aladdin or any of the Disney Renaissance films combined. I don't really know what it is about the film that did so, when you consider that although it's based on classic source material, the idea to adapt Treasure Island to a sci-fi setting seems a little silly.

The film is basically a re-telling of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island with some minor differences and some major differences. Despite it's vast changes, every difference works in the film's favour, at least for me. For instance, the main character Jim Hawkins is a rebellious, generation x style youth, the antagonist pirate John Silver has more of a genuine "soft spot" for Jim and the captain of the ship is now a female, cat-human hybrid. For those of you who don't know, the story is pretty much the same as the novel - Jim Hawkins comes into contact with a treasure map that leads him to "Treasure Planet". He is then whisked away on a ship with a hired crew in search of the planet, whilst making friends with the ship's mysterious cook John Silver. It's quite incredible that Disney manage to improve on such a classic novel by changing the setting, which is very hard to do.

I think the strong point of this film is the relationship between Jim and Silver. Although both characters represent the classic Good/Evil dynamic, Jim ultimately sees Silver as a father figure and inspiration by the film's conclusion, resulting in one of the most tear- jerking "parting of the ways" scenes that I have ever seen when Silver leaves. Although Silver gets away with his crimes in the novel, he is still the villain at the end of the book, but in this adaptation, you are genuinely sad to see him go despite the bad things he has done. Other than that, the relationships between the other characters are also great and have their own unique quality. This, coupled with timeless animation, refreshing humour and exciting action - make Treasure Planet an unforgettable and genuinely touching animation. If you haven't seen it already, I highly recommend it as one of Disney's best.

Groundhog Day (1993)

One of the greatest comedies ever made

[10/10 · 18 April 2014]

This movie has everything! It's hilarious, at times touching and has one of the most ingenious story lines ever written. As an added bonus, it's got Bill Murray in it, and man does he deliver.

So the plot concerns a weatherman (Bill Murray) who covers 'Groundhog Day' as a news story every year. He spends most of his time being cynical, insulting and generally dislikeable...until he gets the wake up call of a lifetime. After spending the worst day of his life in a town that he hates, he begins to repeat the same day over and over again. Caught in a seemingly endless time loop, he begins to see this as a chance to do all the bad things that he's always wanted to do without consequence, but eventually realises that he must change his ways if he is to escape.

Overall, this is one of my favourite films of all time and serves as an example of the perfect comedy. Perfectly plotted and consistently funny, this Scrooge-like tale is ultimately uplifting and provides a good message about the power of being an all-round good person.

The Quiet Ones (2014)

Decent but forgettable

[7/10 · 18 April 2014]

So i saw this British horror flick this Wednesday and it's fair to say that I was surprised by how Britain can still pull off a good horror in an age dominated by American gore-fests and standard jump scares. But despite it's chills, it didn't really leave much of an impression on me hours later. The film has jump scares aplenty and some genuine chills, but doesn't really deviate from the standard "experiment gone wrong", supernatural schtick thats been re-hashed many times.

The film mainly concerns an experiment to force a malevolent spirit out of a young girl who is supposedly possessed by it. The experiment is led by an oxford professor (a brilliant performance by Moriarty himself, Jared Harris) and is see through the eyes of his cameraman (nice to see the cameraman as the hero for once) and the rest of his team. As usual, something goes wrong and the team are endangered, but the plot deviates from the usual slasher, gore-fest cliché which is great. The plot holds some great surprises, chills and some twists but mainly relies on jump scares to freak you out. Another thing is that there seems to be someone smoking in every single scene (just to remind you that you're in 1970s England). Not really relevant but just something I noticed.

All in all, the movie has some great performances and is very scary, but suffers from a re-hashed story and some clichéd slasher elements which is where the "forgettable" comes in. But through the murk, it has an essentially English feel to it and doesn't take itself too seriously.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Definitely a the best in the current wave of avengers films

[8/10 · 13 April 2014]

I went to see this film last Wednesday with some friends and we were expecting it to be simply another film to kill time until Age of Ultron is released. Needless to say (unless other reviews have not convinced you), this film could possibly be the first great avengers movie that doesn't have iron man in it. Unfortunately my other friends weren't convinced, but I loved every minute of it. It has it's flaws granted, but the action scenes are epic, the plot is genuinely suspenseful and if Marvel keep going like this, then I am very excited to see what is still to come.

In a nutshell, the plot basically concerns the Captain's first non-avengers mission, in which he senses that he's fighting for the wrong team and that there could be an internal conspiracy growing in SHIELD itself. From here, the plot becomes genuinely tense and you really believe that no one can be trusted. I really like the direction that Marvel took with this film as, to be honest, by now I think everyone has grown bored of the same old world destruction, aliens, ancient artifact plot devices that have been in almost every marvel film since the avengers. There are elements of these in the film, but the plot is smaller while still maintaining the epic scale that made the avengers as great as it was.

The only downside to the film is that sometimes it can be unnecessarily long, but it wont really bother you too much if you're used to sitting through these epics. Long story short, Captain America will really surprise you. Great fight scenes, tense story, nice little moments of humour all add to a film that will leave you absolutely starving for Age of Ultron.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Cant understand all the praise that this one got.

[4/10 · 27 January 2014]

I can remember seeing this at a cinema while on holiday with my family in Great Yarmouth. I highly anticipated seeing as it had been two years since the last one. I grew up with the books and movies, and always got a fantastic experience and sense of adventure when I watched them. But Potter's 6th adventure is the worst of the series, considering that the book was pretty cool. I walked out of that cinema wishing that i'd spent my money on mundane arcade machines.

To start off, the film has absolutely no plot whatsoever. In a nutshell, it concerns Harry's discovery of a book belonging to someone known as "The Half-Blood Prince", from which he learns new ways to make potions - that's it. Every scene in the film is completely unnecessary and even the action just doesn't have the drama of the other films and the books. I remember reading in the newspaper that the plot also concerns Harry, Ron and Hermione's first relationship experiences and teenage hormones. Well make no mistake, that is all you will get for two and a half hours, with the exception of its heavy, tonally shifted conclusion. What should be the next instalment in a fantasy-adventure saga, ends up being a feeble attempt at fantasy with high-school comedy undertones. The only real relevant plot line is Dumbledore's mission to destroy the source of Lord Voldemort's power, which he inevitably recruits Harry for in the film's final twenty minutes, once all the forced humour and awkward romance is out of the way. The film is basically an excuse for the filmmakers to take a "lunch break" before having to really commence work on the series' epic, two-part conclusion. The film just has a bizarre and generally distant feel to it, like absolutely no one on set enjoyed the book when it was first published. The only aspect that I found decent was the actors. Every actor plays their part as well as they have done in the rest of the saga, but unfortunately for them they're forced to carry this absolute cow pat of a story.

As with any of my reviews, You must decide for yourself whether you like this film or not, but I was very disappointed and consider one of the weaker films in the series.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Definitely an improvement

[7/10 · 22 January 2014]

The Desolation of Smaug certainly improves over it's lacklustre-but-OK predecessor. I will say this for the movie, it boasts one of the most amazing CGI dragons that I have ever seen and some of the most rousing action that both builds suspense and moves along at a fun, swashbuckling pace. However, the film suffers from the same problems as the first film: there is just not enough plot to carry it's running time. When watching the film, one does sense a lot of needless subplots focused on characters that - no offence to them - we just don't care about. The Kili-Legolas-Tauriel love triangle for example, just doesn't hold enough interest. I will admit that long time fans will enjoy Legolas' appearance but it doesn't really add anything to a story that didn't contain the character in the first place. Another problem is that Gandalf barely gets any screen time in the already bloated movie, even though he is featured prominently on the poster. I know that Gandalf has a habit of leaving at random moments but come on, he could have been more central to the story.

On the light side, the visuals aren't nearly as disorientating as An Unexpected Journey, looks like Mr. Jackson has toned it down a bit. A high point for me was the barrel chase, which not only had some good visual effects but was an all round fun action scene. The cliffhanger also had me breathless. It was so beautifully orchestrated that it left me gasping to see There and Back Again. As for Ed Sheeran's "I See Fire" - I usually hate his music but his song ties up the movie perfectly, as does Howard Shore's trademark soundtrack. Overall, the film is a major improvement but is not without major flaws and I cannot wait to see what Jackson does with There and Back Again.

Man of Steel (2013)

Fantastic

[8/10 · 15 January 2014]

As a naive viewer, I watched this film expecting and hoping for a Dark Knight take on Superman (seeing as Christopher Nolan was involved), but what followed completely overwhelmed those expectations. I loved this movie and I truly think that it's one of the best superhero films of recent times. It's not without fault but I really enjoyed it.

In a nutshell, the film tells the story of both Krypton's last moments and Superman's first challenge as the protector of Earth. He has to face one of the greatest villains in DC's cannon - General Zod - disgruntled military leader and bad ass. Firstly, the special effects are amazing. A lot of people are criticising the look for the film and saying that it is dull. I found the visuals to be incredible. They weren't groundbreaking, but they will satisfy. Secondly, the film boasts an incredible ensemble cast that fit neatly into all of their respective roles. Henry Cavill is absolute perfection as Superman and Russell Crowe makes an excellent Jor-El.

However, the critics are justified in some aspects of the film that they are currently criticising. The film has too much action, which in some parts is amazing, but made me feel disorientated sometimes and doesn't really work to the narrative of the story. I think the main problem with the film is that it has an incredible start and exposition, but becomes nothing more than a vehicle for the special effects department and another everyday blockbuster by it's conclusion. I personally loved it but my advice would be to see it for yourself to decide whether you love it or hate it.