Godzilla (2014) REVIEW

“The arrogance of men is thinking nature is in their control and not the other way around.”

GOJIRA! THE KING OF MONSTERS! Yup he’s back, and bigger (physically larger and more popular) than ever!

The film’s plot centers around the Brody family, with Aaron Taylor Johnson playing Ford, Bryan Cranston playing Joe and Elizabeth Olsen portraying Elle, as the eponymous star of the film rises from the ocean.

Right off the bat i loved this movie. Sure it had flaws, and many of them, but this is a Godzilla movie, what do you expect? It hankered back to 70’s/80’s Steven Spielberg movies in a way as the director, Gareth Edwards,  creates a vast amount of build up to the reveal of the character everyone wants to see, much like Jaws.  And yes i say character. Godzilla has obvious emotions in this reinterpretation – you see his struggle, his sadness, etc. Since this is a non-spoiler review, i will steer clear of talking about Godzilla’s motivations, as it would reveal too much.

The film mainly focuses on the human characters, who are largely uninteresting, although entertaining. I enjoyed each performance in the film, even though most were pretty wooden. All apart from Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe, who gave heavy and visceral performances, adding gravitas to the cast. Cranston was criminally underused, but for good reason – the sections of the film not featuring him don’t need to, and he would have fell forced if he had been put in more. As i said, Aaron Taylor Johnston doesn’t exactly show acting chops, but he is a passable hero who fits the job. Elizabeth Olsen is better, but still nothing special. She spends the majority of the film gasping and acting alarmed, which does provide her with a more taxing role than Johnston has. Juliette Binoche and Sally Hawkins are both good, but again nothing special. I actually thought that they looked so similar that i was constantly mixing up their characters. But the real star, of course, is Godzilla, and when he is introduced after a gigantic amount of build up and visual teasing, his presence is spellbinding.

The end fight between Godzilla and the M.U.T.O’S, the other kaiju in the film, is spectacular, both visually and cinematically. The CGI here is outstanding, and the direction of the final fight cannot be faulted. There is also a moment of pure joy involving Godzilla’s mouth and the colour blue which had the audience in pure joy. I won’t say any more. See it and believe the complete awesomeness of the scene.

The script is slightly stilted, but fun. It combines fantastic, adrenaline pumping speeches with some corny B-movie dialogue, which ironically feels out of place here in this gritty re-imagining. The cinematography is beautiful, and i expected nothing less since Gareth Edwards was directing. That man’s visual flare is outstanding, as shown in his previous escapade, Monsters.

Overall, i would have to say that this is almost the perfect summer popcorn movie. It has action, drama, suspense, twists, turns, romance, the lot. It is highly enjoyable, but is let down by somewhat stale human characters. Furthermore, it contains multiple forgettable scenes in the first half.

8/10

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 REVIEW

“That must be pretty cool, huh? To have the world see you like this – the amazing Spider-Man! I wish I was like him.”

The latest entry in the rebooted Spidey franchise follows Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) as he unveils secrets about his families past, battles multiple villains and desperately tries to continue his relationship with the love of his life, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). It introduces classic Spider-Man villains, like Electro, Rhino, and the Green Goblin, making his first appearance in a Spider-Man film since Sam Raimi’s original adaptation.

I saw the first Amazing Spider-Man film when it was released in Cinemas a couple of years ago, and at the time i absolutely hated it. But i recently re-watched it, and i was surprised at how much i enjoyed it. It was a good re-interpretation which, although not entirely necessary, did add interesting elements to the mythos, including Oscorp’s involvement in animal genetics. It had a wonderful love story, between Peter and Gwen, and made Spider-Man once again very relateable, which is the main appeal of the tale. It, in my opinion, is a great superhero origin story. And this sequel does not in any way disappoint.

The film is surprisingly well-paced, even though there is a lot going on. It manages to tackle each plot thread seamlessly, without seeming like too much is going on. Each villain gets enough screen time, which is a common criticism of Spider-Man 3, and they all seem like fairly fleshed out characters. Except from Rhino, who has very little screen time. He is mainly used as set up for future films, which isn’t a criticism. Electro (Jamie Foxx) starts out as a scrawny, nerdy engineer named Max Dillion, who thinks he is a no-body, and as Spider-Man saves him, calling him his “eyes and ears”, Dillion develops an obsession with him. This leads to a particularly funny and at the same time slightly disturbing scene of Dillion talking to an imaginary Spidey. Foxx is very good in the role, managing to transform his performance as the film goes on. Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) is also the pivotal villain Green Goblin, continuing his father Norman Osborn’s search for human advancement. DeHaan is great as being a friend to Peter and also as a crazed, but sympathetic villain.

Andrew Garfield really comes into his own in this movie, as Peter is tested like never before, with emotional turmoil, teenage angst and of course, big scary bad guys. As Spider-Man he brings hope to NYC, and as Peter he struggles to find out the truth about his parents deaths, and keep Gwen. I adore Toby Maguire’s portrayal of the eponymous character, but Garfield here provides the most relateable Peter yet. I would imagine that most teenage boys imagine themselves as Peter Parker, that is if you’re an awkward nerd, like myself. Emma Stone was, as usual, absolutely adorable and utterly fantastic as Gwen Stacy. She is every bit as interesting as Peter. Their relationship, therefore, is so incredible that it becomes possibly the strongest element of the film. It’s relateable, poignant, and better than half of the relationships that I’ve seen in romance films.

The dialogue is great, mainly because it sounds like comic-book dialogue. It’s often cheesy, hokey and silly, and i love that. The script in the first was similar, but not half as inventive or funny as this one. The cinematography was very well done, which is not something that comic book films are known for, but it had many beautiful shots throughout. Furthermore, the overall design was a treat for the eyes, with good use of CGI and surprisingly enjoyable slow motion. Marc Webb’s direction was pretty much great, as he was allowed to do his own thing, where as in the first he often had to stick to a structure, as it was an origin story.

The minor complaints of the film are that some elements don’t quite add up, like Electro being able to tele-port and fly. Also Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper) is given a very sort amount of screen time.

Apart from that, it worked. It added information to the Oscorp experiments mystery, which made the film feel like a cohesive continuation from the first. It had the best on screen relationship that i have seen in ages, and it was overall very enjoyable. It even left me with multiple tears rolling down my face, as seasons pass in a certain incredibly sad sequence. It has become my joint favourite Spider-Man film with the original Spider-Man 2.

9/10

Captain America: The Winter Soldier REVIEW

 

“Captain, in Order to build a better world, sometimes means turning the old one down… And that makes enemies.”

This Marvel sequel tells the story of Steve Rogers A.K.A. Captain America coming to terms with modern life, as he struggles to agree with S.H.E.I.L.D’s methods of national security. He is also introduced to the mysterious and truly vicious Winter Soldier who is tasked with eliminating certain Shield operatives.

It pleases me to say that it was certainly more impressive than most of the other Marvel Cinematic Universe films (the movies made by Disney), as instead of going for a outright comedic stance like the disastrous Iron Man 3, it blends action, drama and comedy seamlessly into one nice package.

The plot is extremely intricate, and at sometimes seems slightly convoluted, even for a comic book veteran like myself. That said, it’s possibly the best story in any MCU movie to date. It’s an spy/espionage /thriller type of film, which lets the many twists and turns seem plausible. Speaking of twists, i won’t spoil any here, but there are a ton of excellent ones, including a few characters unexpectedly showing up. Although, if you have read the graphic novel, which i have, you will obviously expect some of the exciting developments. This shouldn’t detract readers of the novel though, as it is very loosely based on it, and there are copious added twists which, in my opinion, make the film even better than the treasured novel.

The acting is pretty solid, with Scarlett Johansson and the excellent Robert Redford giving very strong performances. Chris Evans’s Captain America becomes a more interesting character, as a result of the performance and writing. He really gives some great scenes as he wonders about the modern world, and questions Shield’s actions. Anthony Mackie’s Falcon is also a welcomed addition to the franchise.

There is nothing particularly striking about the cinematography, but there doesn’t need to be because it’s a fun action film, which doesn’t need to rely on nice visuals. Although the visuals, in terms of CGI, are great.

The whole direction of the film was spot on, since the Russo brothers seemed to understand what makes most comic book movies great – fun action, good story lines with lots of intense and exciting twists, and a strangely relatable hero. I’m not obviously saying that people will be able to relate to Cap’s abs, but his naivety and integrity are things which most people try to have.

8/10

her REVIEW

 

“Sometimes I think I have felt everything I’m ever gonna feel. And from here on out, I’m not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I’ve already felt.”

“Her”, directed by Spike Jonze, tells the story of Theodore Twamley (Jonze stretching the bounds of reality with that name), played by Joaquin Phoenix, as he falls in love with Samantha, an operating system and attempts to recover from a breakup. 

This is the fourth film by director Spike Jonze after making Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Where the wild things are. This man never fails to amaze me. The story may not be as innovative as some have been labeling it, but it is none-the-less pretty spectacular. The central tone of melancholia is shown from the get go, with Theodore writing a love letter to someone as someone else – he works for love letter writing company. He goes through so many emotional states throughout the film that he seems to be an incredibly realistic person, and more importantly, very relatable. The thing that makes him so relatable is the fact that he finds life so confusing, because when he stops to think about it, nothing really makes sense. It is also very funny, with quirky humour to be found at countless times. Although, i found many people in the theatre laughing at things that i thought were very serious and sincere, which suggests that the film is so multi-layered that everyone looks at it in a unique way. 

The script was great, Jonze making his first solo written script. It perfectly captured the theme of love as the writing was full of realism, with the couple of Theodore and Samantha talking about really obscure concepts and acting like a real couple, something rarely seen in films. 

Joaquin Phoenix is, as per usual, outstanding in the leading role. He shows a massive acting range in this film, which encompasses everything from ecstatic joy to depression. Scarlett Johansson, who plays Samantha, also strangely shows a great range through her voice work. It has to be a hard job to project that much emotion just by talking. I really bought into their relationship, with their love for each other being completely understandable and truly beautiful throughout. Amy Adams plays Theodore’s best friend, who is again great as usual. She really captures a sense of sincerity and naivety with her character. The other actor of note is Chris Pratt, one of Theodore’s work mates, who is making a name for himself as a really fantastic screen presence. I last saw him in The Lego Movie as the central character, and he will be playing Starlord in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in cinemas this summer. He’s definitely one to watch.

This film has a very unique artistic style, with a vibrant array of colours creating the scenery. It does look beautiful throughout, because of Jonze’s lovely and quietly optimistic view of the near future. The cinematography is excellent, with every shot full of imagination and wonder. The costume design was also fantastic, since everyone’s clothing looked slightly off-the-wall and retro, but completely new at the same time. I really need to get myself a red shirt like Theodore’s…

Furthermore, the soundtrack by Arcade Fire was top-notch. Most of the music would beautifully compliment the film and push the whimsy and romantic nature of it.

Overall, it was pretty damn great. It can be criticised that the character of Theodore was too similar to Jonze’s other leads, but that’s kind of a non-issue, because that type of sad, conflicted artist character is excellent. The only real issue that i had with the film was that at points i felt less engaged that i should have been for some reason. For example, in some of the later sad scenes, i felt like i should have been crying, but i wasn’t. That’s a major nit-pick though. It is probably my least favourite Spike Jonze film, but thats a bit like saying ‘that’s my least favourite oscar’. 

I would definitely recommend. 

9/10

The Wolf of Wall Street REVIEW

“My name is Jordan Belfort. The year I turned 26, I made 49 million dollars, which really pissed me off because it was three shy of a million a week.”

Sex, Drugs and Stocks & Shares… I should really go into the tag-line business (if there is one).

The Wolf of Wall Street tells the true story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) on his rise to fame in the world of dollar signs, known as the stock market. A subject I knew nothing about before seeing this movie, and after watching it I don’t really know what to feel about it.

This is my first Martin Scorsese film and I have to say that I wasn’t overly impressed. I did enjoy a lot of it nonetheless – the cinematography was sublime, with almost every shot looking marvellously thought through. The artistic flare shone through as one of the strongest aspects of the film. Although, there were many uses of CGI, including the  rendering of Belfort’s yacht, which to me looked obviously fake. The CGI was impressive in some scenes though.

The script was excellent. Terence winter provided copious amounts of smart, sinister, and somewhat funny dialogue for the film.

The acting was top notch all round with Leonardo DiCaprio giving a possible career best as the hedonist behemoth Belfort. Personally, I think he definitely deserves an Oscar for this. Jonah hill also gave a superb performance, giving many of the funniest lines in the film. I didn’t find it that funny though, even if there were a few instances in which I chuckled. I almost always felt bad for laughing afterwards.

The film was way too long. I have heard that many countries have insisted on shortening it to make it more palatable to viewers, which on one hand I think goes against Scorsese’s vision, but on the other makes me jealous of those countries. The run-time may seem necessary to show the sickly nature of the vile excess that these characters wallow in, but it is in the end self-indulgent and unnecessary. I could have probably have done without a couple of the orgies, or drug-induced spats – editing was obviously a bad word with the makers of the movie.

Another criticism is that the treatment of women was pretty horrible. I agree that some of it was necessary, but there was not a single female character who wasn’t a prostitute, someone’s wife/girl friend, or just completely loathsome. There was one likeable male character – the FBI agent, played by Kyle Chandler. This brings me to the fact that Jordan Belfort was a completely hateful figure, who was not at any time relateable or empathetic. I hated almost every character in the movie, so why would I want to watch 3 hours of these terrible people coning honest, hard working people and doing horrible things? Also the up-beat ending left me with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, as did the real Belfort’s cameo.

However, it was insightful and enjoyable a lot of the time, but I have to be honest, I was bored quite a lot. Furthermore, I have forgotten some of the film because parts of it were simply forgettable. Sorry to repeat myself, but it should have been shorter.

6/10