Author: Mark

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Movie Reviews

The Lion King (2019)

Disney, 2019

The world seemed to collectively take a beat when Disney announced their plans to remake The Lion King in the same vein as Jon Favreau’s excellent 2016 remake of The Jungle Book, utilizing photorealistic computer technology to bring the animals to life on the big screen. It’s not that the announcement was unexpected – with Disney clearly on a path to remake every animated feature they’ve ever produced – it’s more that the 1994 film is the defining Disney film for so many people, a seminal achievement in animation and storytelling at the time and one of the biggest animated films of all time. For good reason too, as the original still holds up today; featuring some stellar voice work, a pace that moves at a clip, and vivid, bright animation that captures your attention and never lets go. Favreau’s 2019 remake is truly a visual spectacle – somehow it actually looks better than The Jungle Book – yet it’s one that lacks the heart and charm of the original due to the limits of the real animal’s ability to express the emotion and depth of the dialogue. It’s an impressive demonstration of just how far modern technology has come, but ultimately, like most of Disney’s live-action remakes, it doesn’t bring enough new material to the table to justify its existence.

Given the praise I’ve just heaped on the original it’s no surprise that Favreau opts to stick pretty close to the source material, in fact the film is almost a shot-for-shot recreation of the 1994 film. If you’ve been living under (sorry in advance) Pride Rock and aren’t familiar with the story, it revolves around young lion Simba (JD McCrary), son of the king Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and his journey to find out who he is and just why he is the right choice to take on the mantle of king. The first half of the story focuses on Simba as a cub learning about the kingdom his father rules over and frolicking with fellow lion Nala (Shahadi Wright Joseph). When the two young cubs are tricked by Simba’s uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) into entering an elephant graveyard infested with Hyena, they set off a chain of events that ultimately lead to a tragedy which Simba is held accountable for. As he flees into exile, Simba encounters the dynamic duo of Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), a meerkat and warthog who roam the jungle doing what they want when they want, a philosophy they refer to as Hakuna Matata. The pair take young Simba under their wing and live out their days carefree until Simba finds himself drawn back to the family and kingdom he had left behind, with a choice to make between living a selfish life or rising to the mantle of his father and becoming king of the pridelands.

Disney, 2019

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first, The Lion King is gorgeous to look at. Never has computer animated imagery looked this life-like and real with such an amazing attention to detail. From the large spanning savannah planes and lush jungle landscapes down to the way the wind moves the individual strands of fur on the animals, nothing has been left out and it makes for a completely immersive experience where you feel as if you are actually in Africa. Several establishing shots, usually focusing on a small animal or insect and panning into the larger scene, are so lifelike that you’d be forgiven for thinking you were watching a National Geographic or David Attenborough special. It’s amazing to see the advancement of this technology when you reflect on films from last decade where CGI creatures stood out like a sore thumb, and it’s even more impressive from a technological standpoint to know that almost the entire film has been created digitally on a soundstage in Los Angeles. The decision to basically recreate the original film in this computer animated form is a strange one however, given that the only notable addition to the film is a new song by Beyoncé that serves as odd background music in a later scene. There was such an opportunity to really add to the story of The Lion King for new generations who will discover it through this film and the fact that this wasn’t capitalised on calls into question the purpose of the film. Why make this if you’re not going to play with it and introduce new or different ideas? It makes the film seem like more of a technical demonstration and less of a fully formed decision to bring something new to a classic tale.

Whilst a monumental technical achievement there is something of a fatal flaw in this hyper realistic approach to the animals, namely the loss of the ability to convey a lot of emotion in the animal’s delivery of dialogue. It’s a strange sight to see lions and warthogs speaking English, their mouths contorting in awkward ways to form the words or just not moving at all as the speech is dubbed over; a few instances of this are glaringly obvious and make you feel like you’re watching some kind of children’s show with a story dubbed over animal footage, taking you out of the experience entirely. On top of this, there’s the simple fact that there’s only so much emotion that you can get out of an animal’s face. The original animated film circumvented this by using a medium where it wasn’t uncommon for almost human like features to be given to an animal and the facial movements were just a part of the animation style. The remake attempts to hit every single beat of the original script-wise and some of it just doesn’t work plain and simple. It will never not be creepy to see a lion’s mouth flap awkwardly to simulate laughter or stay stretched open for a comical amount of time to hold a high note. On a side note, Seth Rogen’s iconic laugh is his and his alone and the times that it is delivered by his Pumbaa counterpart should make the man feel good about never losing any roles to a real warthog. It’s a disappointing reality that comes with the territory of this kind of animation animation that takes you right out of the film, somewhat undercutting all the hard work that has gone into rendering the beautiful environments and animals.

Disney, 2019

One of the aspects of the remake that assuaged audiences fears was the announcement of an absolutely stellar voice cast made up of old and new talents, with a distinctly more musical bend than the original in the form of leads Donald Glover and Beyoncé as the adult Simba and Nala. For the most part these casting choices work extremely well, the voice acting similar enough to the previous interpretations to be comforting yet bringing a different take on the material in the inflections and delivery of certain lines. If, like me, you’re a big fan of the original it might be a good idea to check your expectations at the door. The characters are never going to sound exactly as they did before, with the exception of James Earl Jones who reprises his role as Mufasa, and the key is to be open to the new versions. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Scar perfectly, delivering all the menace and underhandedness you expect from the character, which works particularly well with the visual aesthetic of the lion himself; a disheveled, almost malnourished beast hungry for his next kill. Donald Glover and Beyoncé give competent musical performances, infusing their personal styles into the classic songs. This may be a deal breaker for some who prefer the older versions but with the two stars in huge demand at the moment, it was certainly a choice made to please as big a modern audience as possible and most will likely enjoy their iterations. Whilst Glover gives terrific voice work – channelling a younger, more naive voice akin to some of his earlier work on Community – Beyoncé seems to struggle with the material and the delivery of her lines comes across as abrupt and jarring at times. The real stars of the show, like the original, are Timon and Pumbaa, voiced by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen respectively. They have an extremely difficult job, taking over the roles of such iconic characters, and they do so brilliantly with Eichner giving a more biting, sassy performance than Nathan Lane’s original while Rogen makes Pumbaa an adorable idiot, delivering his lines with a charming innocence, even if the sight of a real warthog speaking is nightmare fuel.

The Lion King ultimately ends up like most of the recent Disney remakes, albeit far more advanced and successful in its technical achievements. With barely an addition or change to be seen to the original story however, this is the studio’s most barebones remake to date and doesn’t do much to justify its existence outside of the visual effects. It’s a fun experience to hear the songs again and revisit the story on the big screen but without the charm of the original or the ability to really latch on and care about the characters, due to the photorealism of the animals, the whole affair seems cold and there isn’t much incentive for repeat viewings. If you’re a fan of the original this might be worth your time to see how the story you know and love translates to real life and what the new voice cast do with the material but you’ll most likely find yourself gravitating back to the comforting classic 1994 masterpiece.

Disney, 2019

The Lion King stars Donald Glover, Beyoncé, James Earl Jones, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Keegan-Michael Key, Eric Andre, Florence Kasumba, John Kani and John Oliver – in cinemas now.

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Movie Reviews

Crawl

Paramount, 2019

Alexandre Aja’s new creature feature Crawl takes a relatively simple concept – a father and daughter stalked by man-eating alligators in Florida during a hurricane – and dials the tension up to 11, creating one of the most thrilling, edge-of-your-seat cinematic experiences of the year. With a minimal cast and low budget it’s amazing how effective the film is at making the audience care about the characters, cry out in terror and squirm with discomfort, given there’s only really two options for anyone on-screen at any time: to survive or be eaten alive.

What grounds the events of Crawl is the complex father-daughter dynamic between Hayley (Kayla Scodelario) and her father Dave (Barry Pepper). We learn very early on that this is a family fractured by divorce and that Hayley once had a very close relationship with her father, as he coached her during her swimming career. It’s a smart move to invest the audience in the characters and we actually care about them surviving in order to patch things up and make amends without the distraction of giant reptiles. Whilst the trailers may paint the film as a straight-up monster movie, it is doing a disservice to the story of a family healing and coming together; the alligator action serving as a catalyst for interaction between the estranged family members. When Haley arrives at the old family home to make sure her father has evacuated, she finds him in the crawl space under the house in pretty rough shape with some rather large bite marks in his shoulder. From there we have ourselves a good old-fashioned survival horror movie as the two must navigate through a veritable maze of pipes and dirt under the house, dodging an increasing number of reptiles brought in by flooding caused by the hurricane.

Paramount, 2019

Scodelario and Pepper shine here as the father-daughter duo, crafting a loving yet very clearly broken relationship between the pair. Scodelario carries majority of the action in the film and she is more than up to task, with an understandable fear and trepidation towards the events unfurling, albeit with just the right amount of B-movie sass to give the movie a fun energy to get the audience behind her as she battles the gators. Under the surface of the character, much like her father, is a world-weariness that comes from her struggle coping with the family’s split. Haley is done letting the world beat her down while she takes it and her fight against the alligator is doubly enjoyable to watch because of what it means for the character. She’s done being kicked around by life and is ready to get back in the fight, both physically and mentally. The film is ultimately a two-hander in regards to its cast and Scodelario’s efforts are in vain if Barry Pepper doesn’t deliver as her father. Fortunately he too gives an excellent performance, holding his own against Scodelario as the down on his luck patriarch, returning to the old family home in an effort to preserve not only the building itself but the memories of happier times that took place there. Dave clearly has many regrets about how he has handled the challenge life has thrown at him in the divorce and has accepted the fact that he may not get to make amends. The situation he finds himself in with his daughter offers him a chance at redemption and to put his fatherly duties first, and it’s a role that Pepper plays brilliantly as a man who desperately wants to keep his daughter safe while at the same time recognising that she needs to take control of the situation if they are to survive.

Paramount, 2019

This familial story might be an unexpectedly strong point of the film but it’s not the reason most audiences will turn up to see Crawl – rather it’ll be to see a host of wild alligators in their element snapping up anything that moves. Director Alexandre Aja is something of a horror veteran at this point having directed films such as 2006’s excellent (and ridiculously violent) remake of The Hills Have Eyes and 2010 aquatic monster movie Piranha 3D. The skills he has acquired throughout his career clearly serve him well here; the scares are big and extremely effective, the tension is high throughout the entire film and the underwater sequences are shot brilliantly – you can always tell what is happening but there is still an element of unknown in the murky green depths. The gators look believable enough given the smaller budget and a “less is more” approach is taken, never showing the beasts for too long or in too much detail. It pays off in a big way as the audience is never quite sure where or when the beast will strike and is always on edge. This sense of dread and fear is only compounded as the body count rises and our heroes are forced to make some big plays for survival in order to avoid becoming reptile food. While the plot may veer into some pretty ridiculous places later on in the proceedings and the alligator’s start doing some crazy things, it’s all part of the B-movie charm of Crawl; a movie that knows exactly what it is and gives audiences that in spades.

Crawl is an unexpected horror delight that makes for a great time at the movies. If you’re looking for some thrills, scares and a healthy dose of B-movie cheese – and aren’t opposed to a well developed emotional plot thrown in for good measure – then this is the movie for you. Kayla Scodelario and Barry Pepper give the film some real emotional depth that elevates it above your basic creature feature, providing an experience that is a complete blast but one that also makes you feel for its characters – a rarity in this genre.

Paramount, 2019

Crawl stars Kayla Scodelario and Barry Pepper – in cinemas now.

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Movie Reviews

Annabelle Comes Home

Warner Bros, 2019

Annabelle Comes Home is an interestingly placed film in the Conjuring universe. It serves as a convergence of the Conjuring film series and the Annabelle spin-off films – the Avengers of this shared universe, if you will. On paper the premise sounds dynamite: Annabelle the evil doll joining forces with all the other cursed nasties in the Warren’s (the demonologists from The Conjuring) artefact room to wreak havoc. However what we’re ultimately presented with is a hodge-podge of random scares and disjointed, half-baked premises that ultimately don’t go anywhere. It’s not the worst film in the Conjuring universe so far, but it’s certainly not up to the standard of the main series films or 2017’s excellent Annabelle: Creation.

The spin-off opts for a more contained story than the mainline Conjuring films, isolating the action almost entirely to the Warren’s house. When Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Famiga) Warren go away for a weekend they leave their daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace) in the care of babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) and her uninvited friend Daniela (Katie Sarife). Daniela has recently lost her father, and enters the Warren’s artefact room in an attempt to contact the spirit of the deceased patriarch, unwittingly unlocking Annabelle and the evil spirit within. From here we have ourselves a movie as Annabelle proceeds to take control of every haunted item within the room, turning this laid-back weekend into a fight for survival as the three girls are haunted by a variety of demonic entities.

Warner Bros, 2019

The films in the Conjuring universe up to this point have largely stuck to a serious tone, foregoing jokes in favour of intense scares and creepy narratives that always keep you on your toes waiting for the next big scare. Annabelle Comes Home breaks from tradition here by playing with a fun, haunted house atmosphere. It is a different tone, choosing to focus on the craziness of multiple monsters and demons stalking and toying with their victims in an enclosed space rather than the mental terrorism inflicted by the demons in the other Conjuring films. With this lighter tone comes a greater focus on comedy, with an entire subplot dedicated to a potential love interest for Mary Ellen, which varies between reasonably funny and downright awful. The character of Bob (Michael Cimino), also known as “Bob’s got balls”, handles the brunt of this humour and the movie, quite frankly, thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. There’s only so many times you can make the same joke about a timid, harmless guy who is surprisingly useful during a demon attack and the character quickly becomes grating. His awkward encounters with Mary Ellen are irritating rather than endearing and the running “Bob’s got balls” joke is overused without ever actually being funny. It’s a self-referential wink to Bob’s arc and his later relevance to the plot which comes across as the writers thinking it’s more clever than it really is.

This leads in to another major problem with the film: pacing. The only way to describe the first 45 minutes is glacial with barely a scare to be found within it. It’s all an excruciatingly long setup for the events to come, introducing us to these three main characters and showing us the layout of the house. Whilst overly long, the film does a good job making sure we know the entire layout of the house, which will soon become a prison for the characters. I always knew where everyone was in relation to the other humans and monsters, which makes it far spookier when parts of the house change as the demons start to emerge. Speaking of monsters, there are plenty to choose from here, all controlled by the demonic entity that inhabits Annabelle, and that is really the biggest issue with Annabelle Comes Home. There’s no development given to these other demons, therefore no reason to be scared of them other than their looks or because they’ve arrived as part of a loud jump scare. The most we get is character’s reading portions of case files on a few of the more prominent creatures, however it doesn’t mean much when the histories being described sound more interesting than the film you’re watching. The Conjuring 2 is a perfect example of well developed scares: we spend time with the family being haunted and come to understand their dynamic and they way they are being haunted. This attachment to the characters means we actually care and empathise when the scares start and what scares our characters scares us too. Here, the characters just aren’t developed or likeable enough and make some downright stupid decisions.

Warner Bros, 2019

The horror genre isn’t exactly known for its acting talent with the rare exception here and there. In the mainline Conjuring films, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga were exceptions, giving well rounded, believable performances as real life demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. There was much hype surrounding their return for the third Annabelle film but if you were one of those people excited to see them kicking ghost butt, you might want to temper your expectations. The film is laser focused on their daughter, using the elder Warrens as a framing device to tease the horror she is about to face. McKenna Grace is the star here, at just 13 years old, she carries the film, giving a performance that is incredibly mature for her age, as a child living with intense bullying due to her parents occupation who also happens to have her mother’s gift of seeing undead spirits. She’s the most capable of the three girls at handling the situation unfolding, which can be a little unsettling considering if in the same situation most people would sit down and simultaneously cry and wet themselves. Madison Iseman’s character Mary Ellen is just about as boring and stereotypical as you can get when it comes to Final Girls. She doesn’t have a whole lot to do other than console Judie and Daniela and scream, and she does what she can but the role is ultimately just bland with some truly awful dialogue at times. Her chemistry with Michael Cimino, who plays Bob, is non-existent and seems like something of an afterthought to give the character some kind of subplot. The final member of the trio is Katie Sarife’s character Daniela, who has the most complete arc of all the characters, which stems from her guilt over the death of her father. Whilst she can be extremely annoying at times and her decisions often don’t make any sense, there’s a vulnerability to her character and her motivations are innocent, even if she causes one hell of a night.

Annabelle Comes Home is ultimately a disappointment and sits in the middle of the pack of Conjuring universe films. An interesting premise is wasted on weakly written characters and scares that ultimately feel bland and unwarranted. The lack of development of any of the key monsters renders them useless when it comes to frightening audiences other than the occasional jump scare. The Conjuring and Annabelle franchises have been better than this – here’s hoping they can regain their quality.

Warner Bros, 2019

Annabelle Comes Home stars McKenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Michael Cimino, Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga – In cinemas now.

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Movie Reviews

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Marvel, 2019

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has come a long way. From the first time he swung into frame in Captain America: Civil War to say “Hey everyone”, audiences knew there was something special about his interpretation of the character. Holland has continued to prove himself as the best actor to pull on the red and blue tights, nailing Peter Parker’s internal conflict that comes from balancing crime fighting and schoolwork, and the character’s development through his solo film and the previous two Avengers films has been one of the strongest points of the MCU. With Spider-Man: Far From Home,returning director Jon Watts is able to craft a solid, imperfect conclusion to this Spider-Man arc which nails the character of Peter Parker and the acrobatic action he brings to the table, but also gets bogged down at times by some odd character choices and pacing issues. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock and are one of the three people who haven’t made it out to see Avengers: Endgame, a warning: spoilers lie ahead.

Peter Parker has been having a rough go of it lately. After being dusted and effectively wiped from existence in Avengers: Infinity War and revived five years later, the youngster is having a tough time readjusting to life post “Blip” – the name given to Thanos’ snap. A relaxing summer European vacation with his classmates is the perfect opportunity to hang up the spider-suit for a while and spend some quality time with his crush MJ (Zendaya). Peter, and the world at large, is struggling with the recent death of Iron Man and the fracturing of the Avengers as a result. A great amount of pressure has been placed on Spider-Man as Iron Man’s replacement, a problem which is only exacerbated when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) highjacks Peter’s school trip in order to help Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), also known as Mysterio, defeat a new world-ending threat – Elementals: physical embodiments of earth, wind, fire and water who destroy everything in their path. Peter soon finds his priorities divided between living a normal life with his friends and getting the girl and rising to the challenge to help Fury and Beck, taking Tony Stark’s place in the process. After the earth-shattering events of Endgame, the story here feels comparatively smaller, a more intimate film that is less about world-ending catastrophes than it is about exploring the psyche of Peter. It takes a little time to get used to the smaller stakes here but, much like last year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, it is refreshing antidote to Endgame and a nice way to close out phase three of the MCU.

Marvel, 2019

The strongest aspect of Far From Home is how it handles Peter’s personal struggles following the death of Iron Man. Not only has he lost a true friend and mentor, but he’s also lost his way in terms of being a superhero, opting to step away from the limelight and just be a kid for a change. The film really zeroes in on the responsibility placed on Peter and how he handles it; he is presented with challenge after challenge – making some missteps along the way – on his way to deciding where his future lies. Some of these missteps, which I won’t get into to avoid spoilers, are handled better than others, with a few moments leaving audiences scratching their heads as to why on earth Peter made that specific choice. Sure, you could chalk it up to him being a teenager, but doing so robs Spider-Man of the intelligence that is inherent to the character. With Iron Man’s death Peter is subconsciously searching for another mentor to put his trust in and to guide him with his choices. Enter Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, who Peter develops a bond with as they fight the Elementals together. Holland and Gyllenhaal have great chemistry together, clearly influenced by their real life friendship, and watching the characters develop their bond is one of the highlights of the film. Gyllenhall plays the role of Quentin Beck with a confidence and bravado that attracts Peter, qualities that make him a surrogate in Peter’s eyes for the late Tony Stark. It’s an interesting plot thread to pull on; watching Peter doubt himself and desperately search for guidance when Tony believed he was the one to carry the torch going forward.

In addition to exploring Peter’s internal mental struggles, the film also mixes in a healthy dose of romance with the burgeoning relationship between Parker and MJ. It’s a fun plotline which helps to emphasise the kind of normal life that Peter longs for, a life that is constantly hindered and kept out of his grasp by his responsibilities as Spider-Man. MJ is given a much more fleshed out role this time around and Zendaya revels in playing the odd, socially awkward teenager. The random truth bombs and scathing retorts she fires off are always hilarious and she is by far the best of the younger cast in the film outside of Holland, who also dials up the social awkwardness in his exchanges with MJ. It’s almost too hard to not turn away and cringe at some of the dialogue and it really works to make the characters feel like kids finding their way to expressing their feelings for one another. This rom-com storyline adds a fresh layer to the average Spider-Man adventure, with past films often playing the romance much more seriously, highlighting the depressing aspects of Peter pining for MJ’s affections. Far From Home is first and foremost fun, and it goes a long way in investing you in the characters and their predicaments.

Marvel, 2019

When Homecoming was first released people were excited for the first time to actually explore Peter Parker’s adventures in high school. The Maguire and Garfield Spider-Man films were also set in high-school but they never really took advantage of the setting or the simple but engaging premise of balancing school and hero fighting. (Add to that the fact that both Maguire and Garfield both looked like they hadn’t stepped foot in a school in twenty years). Homecoming was the first Spider-Man film to really live in that school environment and as such, brought a host of other teenagers in to occupy Peter’s world, including best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), bully Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), and classmate Betty Brant (Anjourie Rice). They all worked wonderfully in Homecoming where the stakes were comparably lower and at a more “friendly neighbourhood” level, but in Far From Home these characters become too much at times. They’re all played wonderfully and it’s understandable wanting to bring them back after how well they were received before but it almost always slows the pace of the film when we cut away from Peter’s adventures to check in with them. The film works best focusing on Peter and if these characters are taking away from his screentime and distract from the main plot then it might be time to jettison a few. That being said, I could watch an entire film of Martin Starr’s character Mr. Harrington struggle through literally every situation he is put in, with a can-do attitude and no luck in life whatsoever, he is hilarious and steals almost every scene he is in.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is a film which, like Peter Parker, has an enormous responsibility on its shoulders as the first MCU film to follow Avengers: Endgame. It largely lives up to the task, providing a fun, engaging Spider-Man story that explores one of the character’s oldest struggles: deciding whether to live a normal life or make the sacrifices necessary to be Spider-Man. While there are some pacing issues and questionable character decisions, it never detracts from your investment in the key characters, anchored by an always stellar performance from Tom Holland. Between this, the recent PS4 game and last year’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse we really are living in the golden age for the web-slinger. Here’s hoping we stay on the upswing for a little while longer.

Marvel, 2019

Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, Tony Revolori & Jake Gyllenhaal – in cinemas now.

Categories
Movie Reviews

Child’s Play (2019)

Orion Pictures, 2019

The Child’s Play franchise has always been something of an outlier in the horror landscape. The series delivered one of pop-culture’s most famous movie murderers in the delightful little murder-doll Chucky, an icon right up there with Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees, but the movies themselves never really made waves in the horror scene. The first 3 in the series are competent enough, never really venturing far from your conventional slasher film, but it’s the sequels Seed and Bride of Chucky which took the series into some weird places; easily some of the most bizarre horror movies ever made. The series has been consistent enough over the years, with the latest entry being 2017’s Cult of Chucky, which makes this reboot something of an outlier – the series isn’t in the same dire place as other franchises that desperately need a remake, so why make this? The 2019 version of Child’s Play sits comfortably between the slasher origins of the original 3 films and the craziness of the later sequels. Featuring a timely modern twist on the toy killer, it’s a rollercoaster of laughs and scares that’s one of the most fun experiences to be had in a cinema so far this year.

Similar to the original film, we follow teenager Andy (Gabriel Batemen) and his mother Karen (Aubrey Plaza) who have recently moved to a new home. Andy’s a troubled child, self-conscious about his hearing aid, and he finds it difficult to relate to other children and thus buries himself in his phone and social media like every other young person these days. Karen, understandably worried about her son’s increasingly anti-social behaviour, decides Andy needs a friend and so brings home a Buddi doll; a kind-of physical Alexa or Google home assistant that connects to smart devices and learns patterns and behaviours from its owner in order to make life easier. Only there’s something wrong with this Buddi doll. He refuses to take the name Andy gives him, dubbing himself Chucky (Mark Hamill) and taking on a very protective role for his new “bestest bud” Andy. Chucky’s obsession with protecting Andy slowly grows and he begins to take issue with anyone who shows comes into contact with his adoptive owner, including Andy’s friendly neighbour Mike (Brian Tyree Henry), a local detective. From there we get to the fun stuff: a ridiculously over-the-top rampage stuffed full of cheese all leading to a suitably crazy and swear filled finale (because it just wouldn’t be a Chucky movie without the doll spewing out curse words).

Orion Pictures, 2019

Your mileage with Child’s Play will depend on your ability to go along with the craziness. Yes, Chucky is the way he is because his “violence inhibitor” has been switched off and yes, people actually swarm to get their hands on these creepy dolls so they that can control their homes. That’s some real Terminator stuff right there. Chucky’s ability to interface with the technology around him makes for some inventive kills that keep the film from becoming just another generic slasher film – although there’s still plenty of slashing for series veterans. If you can get on-board with this then the movie is a blast; fast-paced with some genuinely good scares and some killer jokes (excuse the pun). Dig a bit more under the surface, however, and you’ll find an extremely timely message about over-reliance on technology and our ability to communicate without the internet and social media. Chucky is the by-product of this, his behaviour learned from those around him and the innocent confessions of a child who just longs for a friend. It’s an interesting play on the character of Chucky – he’s not inherently evil, he just wishes to protect his master from the unforgiving world around him – and one that sets the film apart from the rest of the franchise.

There was understandably much debate brought on by the decision to have Mark Hamill voice the killer doll in this instalment instead of Brad Dourif, the voice of Chucky for almost 30 years. It was clearly a choice made to differentiate the film from the rest of the series, but could it work without Dourif’s menacing tone and ability to scream profanities in both a funny and scary way? Well, yes and no. Hamill is a legend of voice-acting, most known for his seminal portrayal of the Joker in numerous Batman films and TV appearences, and as such has an instantly recognisable voice. It’s no fault of his own and to Hamill’s credit he really attempts to differentiate it from the Joker voice by using a higher register but there’s still no denying the similarity and it sticks in your brain. Fortunately this is only a transitional feeling and goes away after a while, leaving you to appreciate his take on Chucky. Obviously this may be harder for some to just put aside than others, but to judge the performance as just another Joker voice is a disservice to the stellar work on display from Hamill. He excels as Chucky, giving him an optimism about the world which slowly turns violent without a shift in the tone. It’s an unsettling choice that puts Chucky’s programming on display here, he doesn’t see the right or wrong of his choices, he is murdering people purely to try and make Andy happy so they can play together.

Orion Pictures, 2019

On the more human side of the cast is a solid lead performance from Gabriel Bateman as Andy, a role which requires a lot from such a young actor. He’s more than up to the task, hitting all the right emotional beats and really selling the core relationship with Chucky as his best and only friend. Once the doll begins to show signs of homicidal tendencies, Andy is understandably alarmed, yet that core attachment to Chucky makes it difficult for him to decide what to do, and Bateman sells this beautifully through his anguished facial expressions. Aubrey Plaza delivers her usual biting deadpan style of comedy with terrific results, as the jaded, struggling single mother of Andy with a unique, almost more friend than mother relationship. Plaza’s brand of comedy is one of the films biggest strengths here, giving voice in the film to what we as audience members are thinking. For example in a scene early in the movie she remarks on the Buddi dolls creepiness and questions why Andy actually wants one. It’s a clever device to ease audiences into the bonkers story that is about to unfold, as even one of the main characters is just as skeptical of the premise as we are.

Child’s Play is a movie with a hard job to do in order to justify its existence: it needs to stand on its own as a different take on the Chucky legacy whilst also paying homage to the aspects of the franchise fans have come to expect. In this way the film is a roaring success; filled with over-the-top kills, some especially good scares (in a franchise not particularly known for them), and the right amount of humour to ensure that the audience always has a smile on their face. Couple that with excellent voice work from living legend Mark Hamill and a solid human cast and you’ve got yourself one fun time at the movies.

Orion Pictures, 2019

Child’s Play stars Mark Hamill, Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman & Brian Tyree Henry – in cinemas now.

Categories
TV & Streaming Reviews

Stranger Things – Season 1

Netflix, 2016

Few could have imagined the worldwide pop-culture phenomenon Netflix’s original series Stranger Things turned out to be. The Duffer Brother’s unassuming Spielberg-like series set in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana struck a chord with viewers due to its endearing everyday characters, intriguing central mystery and retro 80’s setting and was one of the streaming giant’s first smash hits – a certifiable television event. Featuring an ensemble cast led by a career resurrecting performance from Winona Ryder, the show made household names of David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown who have both gone on to feature in some of the biggest blockbusters in recent memory. So with the third season of the hit series set to arrive on Netflix soon, it’s time to return to the Upside-Down and talk about just what makes this series so great.

The series centres around four school friends living in Hawkins: Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Will (Noah Schnapp) – typical nerds, for the time, who spend their time in an AV club and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Hawkins is a town with a lot of history and connections, so when Will suddenly disappears the town is left reeling, none more so than Will’s mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) and brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), who team up with police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) to solve the case and get Will back. The ensuing search for Will creates more for the boys to contend with as they stumble upon Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), a mysterious girl with a shaved head and a unique set of abilities, who unwittingly involves them in a dangerous game with a shadowy government organisation who may or may not have something to do with Will’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Mike’s sister Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is dealing with a similar situation with the sudden disappearance of her friend Barb (Shannon Purser), compounded by the stress of a new relationship with the most 80’s named school jock ever, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery). All these character’s paths eventually converge on a collision course to the Upside-Down, a shadowy realm hidden within ours; a kind of parallel universe where Will finds himself being stalked by an evil creature, dubbed by his friends as the Demogorgon. With the government hot on their tails, the kids and their families must band together with the help of Eleven to rescue Will and save Hawkins from being opened up to the creatures of the Upside-Down.

Netflix, 2016

What makes Stranger Things so addictive and enjoyable to watch is the way every character and storyline is balanced. Each main storyline is so fleshed out that it’s almost impossible to not find something to like about a particular arc. Whether that be the intriguing Goonies-type interplay between the kids, the descent into madness that Joyce embarks on as she gets more and more desperate to find her son, or just some good old fashioned high-school drama with the Nancy/Steve/Jonathan love triangle. Whilst it may not seem like high school dating drama would have anything to do with the overarching plot of Will’s disappearance and Eleven’s powers, the show is developed so that every detail factors into this central mystery. Every character gets their moment to shine meaning audiences can invest in whoever they most relate to or find entertaining – they’ll surely be pleased by the payoff of that characters big moment. This broad appeal definitely helped the show become such a cross-cultural hit; despite its rating (the show isn’t technically for kids but we all know they watch), it manages to appeal to almost every major demographic.

Another, and perhaps the most recognisable, part of the charm of Stranger Things is the nostalgia. From the clothes and hairstyles to the classic rock soundtrack and synth-heavy score, the show oozes with early 80’s charm, another layer to the story that puts it in something of a bubble: a modern sci-fi horror story told through an old school lens. It comes as no surprise then, that in a show filled to the brim with retro film, music and pop culture references that the creators, the Duffer Bros have paid tribute to perhaps the greatest filmmaker of the decade: Steven Spielberg. The show pays homage to a number of the iconic filmmaker’s movies and combines them in a manner that feels familiar without beating you over the head with it. The connection Mike and to a lesser extent, his friends, develop towards Eleven is akin to Elliot and his siblings connection to the friendly alien in E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. Where ET was able to make bicycles fly, Eleven is capable of launching vans over bicycles as they ride by and murdering a room full of soldiers with her thoughts. Similarly, the lights hung by Joyce which act as an improvised ouija board to contact Will is a play on the musical tones used by the aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind to communicate with mankind. Where those tones signalled the aliens’ peaceful intentions however, the lights are used to a more sinister effect, a warning about the impending horrors to be unleashed on Hawkins. It’s these familiar beats that draw us in as viewers and the dark, killer twists on them that sink their hooks into us and capture our attention.

Netflix, 2016

Hooking the viewer in with nostalgia alone is not enough to make a cohesive show and the Duffer Bros have wisely recognised this on a narrative level as well as on the technical side of things. The series is shot wonderfully, the intimate moments captured up close and personal, with longer takes where necessary to give us the full effect of the actors performance. One shot in particular comes to mind of Joyce clutching the bundle of christmas lights which Will has contacted her through for the first time. The camera slowly pulls back from Ryder’s face buried in the lights as we see her sob silently and more of the house is revealed. It’s a subtle device that makes the audience feel like the scene is still moving whilst we are transfixed on Joyce; it’s not that we’re expecting some big event to happen and in fact nothing monumental to the story is happening at all, but it’s an important moment for the character of Joyce, one that really makes the audience empathetic and puts us on her side for the rest of the series. On the flip side, the action heavy scenes are handled in their own unique way; often relying on flickering lights or scenes shot at night to hide some of the pretty terrible visual effects on the Demogorgon. It’s a smart choice that, when combined with the eery synth laden music really adds to the atmosphere of the scene; tying in with the Upside-Down’s distinct visual style: a nightmarish mirror image of Hawkins in perpetual night, where frost and slime reminiscent of the Alien films covers everything.

The true strength of Stranger Things is in its cast and without this group of actors there is no doubt that the series would have been a different beast altogether. Everyone is pitch perfect, each playing something of an 80’s archetype with a twist; there’s the alcoholic police chief with a troubled past, the school jock suffering from an identity crisis, and the young girl with telekinetic powers who has spent her life locked up in a government facility forced to kill mice with her mind – ok maybe that last one isn’t your conventional 80’s character. Winona Ryder is the standout of the ensemble and the emotional heart of the show. Her drive to find her son and unshakeable belief that he is still alive provides some truly heart-wrenching scenes as her desperation increases. Ryder perfectly encapsulates the heartache and panic of a mother separated from her son; the scene in which she communicates with Will through a set of Christmas lights allows her to show a remarkable range as she cycles through desperation, overwhelming joy and sheer terror all within a few minutes. David Harbour shines as Chief Hopper, something of a slow burn of a character, who the audience unravels more and more each episode. Whilst he starts the series as an aggressive, somewhat jaded man who clearly has experienced some trauma, his connection to Joyce’s struggle begins to tear away at this hard exterior and allows for Harbour to deliver a very nuanced performance building towards an emotional breakdown in the final episode; in which Hopper’s backstory is revealed and the reason for his personal interest in Joyce’s situation is uncovered.

Netflix, 2016

Not to be outdone, the younger portion of the cast delivers stellar performances across the board. The trio of Mike, Dustin and Caleb in particular have a difficult task in that they represent the audiences introduction to this wider world of monsters and powers and are the only characters that really have a complete picture of everything going on. Wolfhard leads the charge here, given the most to work with in the sense of the overarching plot, his relationship with Eleven becomes key to empathising with both characters. The somewhat imbalanced parallel of Mike learning to talk to a girl whilst Eleven learns about life outside the government facility is played for laughs at times, but each is significant for the individual and the series perfectly captures the feeling of discovery and frustration children experience when change forces them to grow up. Matarazzo plays the somewhat stereotypical “funny kid”, given free reign over majority of the comedy and he absolutely excels, with a charm and comedic sensibility not often seen in child actors. Whilst not a major part of the plot, he has some quality moments and offers the respite of a laugh when the story around him gets a little too dark. Without a doubt the breakout star of the series is Millie Bobby Brown, following her terrific turn as Eleven. In what would be a difficult role for even the most competent adult actor, Brown is exceptional as the damaged young girl who must recover from her traumatic past and adapt to the world around her and learn what it means to really be a child. The slow progression of her character is fascinating to watch, with Brown often conveying complex emotions and discoveries with facial expressions alone.

Stranger Things is one of those series that comes along and leaves an indelible mark on television history; a true pop-culture phenomenon and a litmus test for just how high a Neftlix property can soar. The Duffer Bros have crafted a truly compelling mystery wrapped up in 80’s nostalgia filled with excellent characters and performances all working together to form something truly special that audiences around the world have swarmed to. With such critical and audience fanfare, we’re likely to see many more seasons of the hit show beyond the impending season 3, and I for one am willing to spend as much time in the Upside-Down as I can get.

Netflix, 2016

Stranger Things Season One stars Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and David Harbour – streaming now on Netflix.

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Movie Reviews

Toy Story 4

Disney/Pixar, 2019

The Toy Story franchise is one close to many children’s (and adult’s) hearts; the studio defining 1995 hit was a watershed moment for computer generated animation which combined advanced technology with a story full of heart and lovable characters. The sequels that followed were equally as good, if not better – inspiring and entertaining children around the globe and sparking a child-like joy in the adults that watched them. Fears arose in fans when a third film was announced 11 years after its predecessor – some believing that Pixar was simply cashing in on the franchise. These fears were quickly put to rest as the film was a smash hit and a critical darling, showing that whilst Pixar may have had some missteps, it was still very much in control of the Tory Story series. Despite this, the announcement of a fourth film stirred up that same fear in fans, somewhat understandably as Toy Story 3 seemed like the perfect bookend to the franchise. Yet again these fears were proven wrong however, as Toy Story 4 is another stellar entry filled to the brim with plenty of heart, laughs, life lessons and incredible characters that is sure to put a smile on everyone’s faces.

The toys’ fourth outing centres around Woody (Tom Hanks) coming to terms with his role as a toy for new owner Bonnie. Having been the apple of previous owner Andy’s eye, Woody isn’t accustomed to not being the favourite and finds himself being passed over when playtime rolls around. When Bonnie brings home new “toy” Forky (Tony Hale) – a creation made out of a plastic spork, googly eyes and popsicle sticks – Woody is understandably a little miffed, but he also recognises the importance of the self-made toy in helping Bonnie cope with school. Forky is suffering from his own existential crisis, believing his purpose is to be used once and thrown in the trash, and Woody takes it upon himself to help Forky realise just how important he is to Bonnie and what it truly means to be a toy. When Woody and Forky are separated from the rest of the group, it is up to them – as well as a host of characters both new and old such as Buzz (Tim Allen), Jesse (Joan Cusack), Bo Peep (Annie Potts), Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key), Bunny (Jordan Peele) and Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) – to work together to get Forky back to Bonnie.

Disney/Pixar, 2019

As with all of Pixar’s greatest films, Toy Story 4 is anchored by a central theme: finding one’s place in the world. For Woody, his purpose has always been making Andy happy and he has thrived off seeing Andy grow into his own fully fledged person. Naturally Woody assumes that things will go much the same with new owner Bonnie, but life has other plans. The emotional core of the film centres around Woody coming to terms that he is not Bonnie’s favourite toy like he was Andy’s, yet still having that instinct at his core to see Bonnie happy and fulfilled. He is willing to sacrifice his own happiness if it means that other toys can go on and make Bonnie happy, and this compromise really weighs on Woody as he also yearns for his own personal happiness. Enter Forky, who acts as a physical representation of the opposite view to Woody: where Woody believes his purpose is to help ensure Bonnie’s happiness, Forky believes he is destined for the trash and goes to great lengths to achieve this and ensure his own happiness. The companionship between these two toys allows for a real exploration of the concept of purpose, as both characters come to understand each other’s point of view. It’s a complex concept sold in a visually stunning, funny and endearing way that really appeals to kids and teaches as well as entertains.

Whilst the animation and laughs are always top notch, audiences flock to the Toy Story films for the characters. Children from the 1990’s have grown up with these characters and their adventures and understandably have a special place in their hearts for Woody, Buzz, Jesse and the gang. It might come as a blow to some viewers, therefore, that the film chooses to narrow its focus on Woody and his internal crisis. He is undoubtedly the lead and whilst we get plenty of screen-time from other characters (mostly new), don’t go into it expecting to see much of your favourite supporting characters like Slinky or Rex. This laser focus on Woody and his immediate surroundings works for the story being told and helps the audience understand his mindset; we’re along for the ride with Woody and are experiencing this wider world of toys as he does. Speaking of which, Toy Story 4 branches into unmarked territory for the series as this is undoubtedly the scariest film in the franchise and I was shocked at the horror elements on display and how unsettled I was by certain scenes. On the flip side of this, it’s also the funniest film in the series by far with the addition of comedy sketch duo Key and Peele a stroke of genius. The pair play stuffed animal carnival prize toys who have clearly been strapped to the prize wall for too long given their imaginative and warped views on what is happening around them. Key and Peele obviously have great chemistry and the incessant banter that bleeds from their scenes at the forefront into the background is so good and consistently funny – I could happily listen to the hours of recorded dialogue that was ultimately scrapped.

Disney/Pixar, 2019

With the film anchored by Woody, it’s no surprise here that Tom Hanks gives a stellar performance. The character is second nature to Hanks at this point and the way he uses his voice to convey Woody’s emotional state is spectacular. Combine that with Pixar’s best animation to date and the end result is a completely immersive film that really sucks you into the story. Tim Allen reprises his role as Buzz and is quite frankly a little shortchanged here as the character’s involvement in the story seems like more of an afterthought. Allen works well with what he’s given and at this point it’s just reassuring to have Buzz along for the ride, in whatever capacity that may be. Where the voice acting really gets interesting is in the new additions to the cast, mainly Tony Hale as Forky and Keanu Reeves as Duke Caboom. Tony Hale has made a career out of playing excellent side characters on shows such as Veep and Arrested Development, but he really gets a chance to shine here as the voice of the googly-eyed spork, transferring that excellent comedic timing over to the big screen. Forky gets a chance to play off just about every major character and its almost a guaranteed laugh every time as Hale utilises a range of vocal techniques and grunts to hilarious effect. It’s no secret that 2019 belongs to Keanu Reeves and the role of Duke Caboom only adds to his impressive list of credits this year. Reeves’ voice is instantly recognisable at this point and half the fun of having him in this role is hearing John Wick himself voice the Canadian motorbike stunt rider with PTSD from his previous owner. It’s a charming character and the little French-Canadian touches Reeves provides really add to the performance. Last but certainly not least is returning side character Bo Peep, played by Annie Potts, who has been promoted to co-lead this time around. It’s a complete change for the character who has gone from little more than a bit part to a fierce, independent adventurer intent on discovering all the world has to offer without the constraints of belonging to one child. Potts plays this strong aspect of the character perfectly but really shines in showcasing Peep’s vulnerability. She misses the companionship of Woody and despite enjoying her life of freedom longs for that connection.

Toy Story 4 is another rousing triumph for Pixar. A film that not only justifies its existence but which furthers the franchise in every conceivable way: characters, emotional depth and comedy just to name a few. The new additions to the cast are incredible and each new character brings a different flavour to the narrative; be it Bo’s emotional connection with Woody or Forky’s waxing philosophical about trash. Pixar once again proves that they are the industry gold standard in animation and audiences should rush to see this film in the theatre, where it will surely break box office records. If you had any doubts about a fourth film in the franchise, then they will almost certainly be put to bed, and if Pixar decides to continue with the series at this standard, well they can go to infinity and beyond.

Disney/Pixar, 2019

Toy Story 4 stars Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keanu Reeves, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele & Christina Hendricks and is in cinemas now.

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Movie Reviews

Men in Black: International

Sony, 2019

You’d be forgiven in this day and age for not being familiar with the Men in Black franchise. The series, based on the popular comic, had its first cinematic adventure in 1997 – led by the unlikely yet infinitely watchable duo of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones – and released two more sequels in the intervening 20 years to waning interest and lessening quality each time. Enter director F. Gary Gray’s reboot Men in Black: International, intended to breathe new life into the franchise, with new blood both behind and in front of the camera and two of the most popular actors working today in Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. It may be time to retire the suits for good after this one though, as Men in Black: International is one of the most bland and forgettable sci-fi action films in recent memory.

The plot (and I use that term loosely) revolves around Agent M (Tessa Thompson) attempting to uncover and enrol in the Men in Black agency following a run-in with an alien creature as a child. Her attempts land her on a probationary mission with Agent H (Chris Hemsworth), a high ranking member of the organisation who, together with Agent High T (Liam Neeson), defeated an alien invasion from a species known as “The Hive” three years prior and hasn’t been the same since. What starts as a routine mission babysitting a highly regarded alien soon turns to ruin after the arrival of two alien beings with the ability to turn into light and murder anyone in their path. Agents M and H must uncover the origin of these deadly assassins, whilst also dealing with the possibility of a mole within the Men in Black and ensuring that the most powerful weapon in the galaxy does not fall into the wrong hands.

Sony, 2019

The story, simply put, is a mess: full of disparate parts with no real connective tissue as we rush from scene to scene. There’s no depth or time given to any scene to let it breathe; things simply happen to the characters and the next scene is something totally independent of the last. For example: one minute the agents are being chased through the streets of Marrakesh in what we’re supposed to believe is a life or death fight for survival, and as soon as they enter a building housing an alien queen that intensity is gone. It’s never made clear to the audience if these assailants chasing the agents have given up, if the building has cloaked them or any number of science fiction options the writers could have used to give the scene some explanation – instead opting to abandon the last scene because now it’s time for the funny alien. This disjointed approach also robs the characters of any real development or arcs. The audience is meant to believe that Tessa Thompson has worked her whole life to realise this dream of joining the Men in Black but when it takes all of 10 minutes to go from nobody to rookie that doesn’t come across at all.

The ’97 original film succeeded off the back of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones’ joint charisma and the running joke of the absurdity of that pairing. The humour that was created out of that combo worked for those actors and for the time in which the movie was made. International attempts that same style of humour without the odd pairing prerequisite Smith and Jones had, especially after Hemsworth and Thompson proved they had chemistry in Thor: Ragnarok, and as such all the jokes that come out of this fall disastrously flat. The only humour that really comes off well here is from Kumail Nanjiani’s pint sized alien Pawny, who joins H and M on their travels. Nanjiani’s trademark scathing humour is dialled down here to fit in with the rating but it always packs a bite, stealing the scene from whoever else is in it. Pawny was undoubtedly the highlight of the film despite the questionable CGI on the character at times. Given that the CGI of the original film was some of the greatest ever seen at that point in cinematic history, it’s unfortunate that is not the case here – alternating between overly glossy to downright awful to the point you can almost see the outline of the shape on the green screen.

Sony, 2019

Your mileage with Men in Black: International will depend on how you feel about Hemsworth and Thompson. Make no mistake they are the main attraction here, and you would be forgiven for being excited to see that combination again following Thor: Ragnarok. Unfortunately that chemistry is largely gone, with Hemsworth and Thompson seemingly operating as though they are in completely different movies. Thompson opts to play the straight woman here, giving the character a harder edge that doesn’t allow for much fun banter with Hemsworth’s character. There’s bright sparks here and there, but ultimately the character is written in such a one note way that there’s only so much a talented actress like Thompson can do with the role, and her lack of surprise at literally anything – even when others around her are shocked – doesn’t allow for the audience to really invest in her character. Hemsworth gets a chance to let his charisma and charm loose – to mixed results. He just doesn’t have the widespread appeal that Will Smith had in the original; and in instances where Smith played his ignorance as endearing, Hemsworth comes across as out of his depth. Despite the character’s shortcomings, Hemsworth never stops being fun to watch and keeps you along for the ride even when everything around him is so bland. Liam Neeson and Rebecca Ferguson also have brief but entertaining roles as the leader of the London Men in Black branch and an alien arms dealer respectively. Ferguson in particular is clearly having a ball with the character and it’s nice to see her branch out of her dramatic and more serious action roles.

Men in Black: International is ultimately an extremely forgettable and uninteresting sequel/reboot that does not do anything new or different enough to justify its existence. The proposed Men in Black / 21 Jump Street crossover which was developed and subsequently scrapped may not have worked in its own right, but it would have at least been something different as opposed to the tired rehash audiences received. Despite Chris Hemsworth and Kumail Nanjiani’s best efforts, in the end it just isn’t enough to save this film from fading from audiences’ minds as if they’d been hit with a blast from the neuralyzer.

Sony, 2019

Men in Black: International stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Kumail Nanjiani, Liam Neeson, Rebecca Ferguson & Emma Thompson and is in cinemas now.

Categories
Movie Reviews

Rocketman

Paramount Pictures, 2019

Elton John is one of the most larger than life figures in musical history, donning ridiculously over-the-top outfits as he belts out tunes on his trusty piano. As such, one would expect a biopic about the man’s life to delve deep into the factors and events that made John the icon he is today, both the good and the bad. Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman certainly delivers in being larger than life – a true story told in the style of Mamma Mia – with characters bursting into song in the middle of a scene and a powerhouse performance by Taron Egerton as the Rocketman himself. The choice to incorporate these fourth wall breaking musical performances into the story is also something of a double-edged sword; lessening the impact of the story that should be told.

Rocketman explores the life of Elton John from his experiences as a child – under his real name Reginald Dwight – dealing with his parent’s divorce through to his life of rock and roll excess until his inevitable fall from grace and admission into rehab. Throughout all of this there is the common theme of Elton’s search for love that he has been denied his whole life. He is constantly derided by his parents and those around him – apart from his grandmother (Gemma Jones), who supports his initial musical endeavours, and his best friend and writing partner Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) – and as a result Elton surrounds himself with people that he mistakenly trusts with his wellbeing who are actually after his fame and fortune – enter John Reid (Richard Madden), Elton’s lover and business manager. The film focuses on the toll this struggle takes on Elton and the physical and mental effects that inhibit his ability to truly connect with those around him as his star burns brighter and brighter in the musical world.

Paramount Pictures, 2019

What differentiates Rocketman from its contemporaries is the way in which the story is told, with most scenes transitioning into full fledged musical numbers featuring the hits of John. These scenes serve as visual representations of Elton’s emotional state over the course of the story and are generally extremely well performed – often relying on the full cast to help belt out the tunes. Whilst entertaining, these sections of the film also take away any opportunity for real investment in the plot. Every time the film gets close to some sort of a realisation or major moment in Elton’s life, a song and dance number breaks out with everyone involved. It’s frustrating and I often found myself getting invested in a scene only to be taken out by some ridiculous aspect of a musical number – such as Elton floating mid-concert as if on the moon. It’s almost as if the real Elton John, executive producer of the film, didn’t want to paint himself in any negative light and so used these musical performances as a way of skirting around uncomfortable interactions where he admittedly has done some pretty terrible things. It is a real shame given the life the man has lived, with audiences surely looking for a biopic that told the story in all of its detail – good or bad – rather than this airbrushed attempt at telling the highlights of Elton John’s life while literally dancing around the darker side of his actions.

Due to this odd story structure, it’s no surprise that the character we spend the most time with is Elton himself, who is played to perfection by Taron Egerton. From a purely physical standpoint, the effort that has gone into making Egerton look like Elton is astounding, from the teeth and the way he smiles to the outlandish outfits and the way he carries himself in them. Egerton is the only actor in the film with something of a narrative arc as he plays the transition from an innocent outcast in the streets of England with dreams of being a rockstar to the drug addicted mess that Elton ultimately becomes believably, making the audience empathise with him in the brief moments before a musical performance beats them over the head. There is a strong supporting cast around Egerton who rarely get time to shine due to the laser focus on John, but Jamie Bell as Elton’s best friend and confidant Bernie Taupin is a highlight and the best performance after Egerton. He plays the role with a sense of wonder and innocence at the musical world, with less drive to succeed than Elton. Where Elton is critical and unsatisfied, Bernie is simply happy to be around these people he has admired his whole life and Bell brings a lot to the table – making Bernie the most relatable character in the film. Bryce Dallas Howard and Richard Madden both deliver good performances as Elton’s mother and business manager/lover but they are ultimately thankless roles, written as one-dimensional plot devices that get Elton from point A to B.

Paramount Pictures, 2019

Rocketman is a film that could have been great. With a truly incredible performance from Taron Egerton and the story of one of music’s biggest icons to follow, it’s hard to see it play out so wrong. The bizarre and jarring style of presenting the musical performances as asides to the narrative, rather than as performances in the narrative of the film, means that the plot is robbed of any urgency and weight – ultimately making the whole affair feel irrelevant. This glossy, one-sided film is not the full account of this legendary rockstar’s life fans came to see, and one can only hope that a filmmaker comes along in the future with a clearer vision – one that doesn’t have Elton John himself on the payroll.

Paramount Pictures, 2019

Rocketman stars Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden & Bryce Dallas Howard – In cinemas now.

Categories
Movie Reviews

X-Men: Dark Phoenix

Disney, 2019

The X-Men franchise has been something of a rollercoaster throughout its two decade long history. The first film was groundbreaking for its time and the sequel X2 was a defining moment in early superhero cinema, alongside the first Spider-Man film. During the years that followed we’ve seen dizzying highs in Logan, terrible lows in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and some generally average films in-between such as the previous main series entry: 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse. X-Men: Dark Phoenix, the latest and last entry in the 20th Century Fox produced X-Men films, sits firmly in the middle of the pack – an improvement over Apocalypse featuring generally great performances which is weighed down by a middling plot and forgettable action.

Dark Phoenix picks up the story in 1992, with the X-Men enjoying their celebrity status as Earth’s resident superhero force after their very public defeat of Apocalypse. Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) in particular is reaping the rewards of this feat, socialising with society’s elite – the ones that once feared mutants – and enjoying the praise of the world as the leader of the X-Men. When the current team – made up of Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Quicksilver (Evan Peters) and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) – embark on a mission to rescue stranded astronauts, things don’t exactly go to plan and Jean is forced to absorb the full impact of a solar flare to ensure the team’s survival. To everyone’s surprise Jean survives this encounter completely unscathed, albeit with something of an anger management problem, and sets off on a very violent journey to find answers about her past and the new powers she has gained. The answers she seeks put her on a direct path to Magneto (Michael Fassbender), who is attempting to live a peaceful life in a mutant colony, and Vuk (Jessica Chastain) a mysterious alien being hell-bent on taking the force inside Jean for herself in order to rebuild her world.

Disney, 2019

Longtime franchise writer Simon Kinberg makes his directorial debut here and it’s something of a rocky start to his directing career. The script is the main problem here, penned by Kinberg himself – a bland reattempt at adapting the famed Dark Phoenix saga from the classic X-Men comic books after the less than stellar X-Men: The Last Stand. The film never reaches the same heights as other X-Men films because it’s so hard to care about the story and characters when there are so many odd choices and decisions being made, not to mention some of the worst dialogue I’ve seen in a long time. The film hits the same beats of almost all the previous films and doesn’t dare to try anything new or different: the X-Men are prospering before some unforeseen event has them on the outs with the government, Magneto has gone off the grid and must be brought back into the fold, Xavier and Magneto must band together after fighting each other to save the day, and Mystique is inexplicably a major part of the story despite her character being little more than a footnotes in the comics. It makes sense given that Kinberg has written the last three main series films but it’s disappointing that he didn’t try a fresh take given that this time he has the added control of a director behind him. It also seems as though the directing duties have cut into the time Kinberg has spent on the script, with dialogue so stilted and odd at times it actually made me dislike characters I’d enjoyed since First Class. Think the Darth Vader “No” scene in Revenge of the Sith and multiply that by a thousand.

What does work well for the most part is the characters, and while the writing sometimes has them making odd choices they are still the same X-Men that audiences have become attached to over several movies. While not at the top of his game here, Kinberg’s writing in previous instalments has worked to endear these characters to us and make us care about their exploits. This is most evident in the relationship between Mystique, Beast and Magneto, a storyline which has continued since 2011’s First Class and which comes to a natural conclusion here at the end of the Fox franchise. Whilst Mystique as a character has always irked me in the second generation of X-Men films the character works much better here by playing off that relationship instead of involving her in the main arc of the film. The newest generation of characters introduced in Apocalypse (Cyclops, Jean & Nightcrawler) get a lot more to work with here and Sophie Turner in particular brings a lot of emotional weight to the role, rivalling former Jean, Famke Janssen’s work. Her relationship with Cyclops was surprisingly well done and I cared more about their relationship, and the toll this event was having on it, more than I ever did for Janssen and James Marsden’s versions of the characters.

Disney, 2019

The strength in the First Class generation of X-Men movies has always been in its pitch perfect casting, Jennifer Lawrence aside, and that continues here as each of these actors make a solid case for staying on for Disney’s take on the franchise. As usual the high points are James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, who both deliver impressive turns. McAvoy gets to play a more upbeat and modern Xavier than usual, albeit one who must slowly come to terms with past wrongdoings he believed were for the greater good. Fassbender, meanwhile, has significantly less to do here than the previous instalments he has been featured in, but still manages to deliver a crushingly emotional performance once again, dealing with yet again another loss. Fassbender has been such a consistent high point in this franchise and owned the role so much so that I don’t even really associate Ian McKellen with Magneto any more, and while I’m excited by the prospects of incorporating the X-Men into the MCU, Fassbender’s presence will be sorely missed. A surprising amount of weight was given to the character of Nicholas Hoult’s Beast, who emotionally anchors several scenes with Fassbender and McAvoy remarkably well, holding his own against these acting powerhouses. His relationship with Charles is put to the test as he uncovers the skeletons in Charles’ closet and I was surprisingly engaged with Beast’s storyline – caring more about it than the main Jean Grey arc. Where the acting falls apart lies with the new characters and there is really only one major one: Jessica Chastain’s painfully boring alien changeling Vuk. Not only is there just not enough for Chastain to do with the role, but the way she interprets the character as a being void of all emotion makes all her scenes incredibly uninteresting.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix is something of a reflection of Fox’s franchise as a whole: sometimes frustrating, sometimes engaging and sometimes just fine. The latest adventure does nothing much to make people scream for more X-Men films under Fox but neither does it completely disrespect the franchise, providing a fitting conclusion for the characters audiences have been with since First Class. Whilst I won’t miss the frustrating story-lines, shoddy dialogue and odd character choices; I will miss the characters and the actors who have done so much to bring them to life. But like the mutants, these films must evolve, and with the characters transferring over to Disney and incorporated into the MCU, it’s definitely an exciting time to be an X-Men fan.

Disney, 2019

X-Men: Dark Phoenix stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Kodi Smit-McPhee & Jessica Chastain – in cinemas now.