Author: Mark

Team Sonic Racing

Post author By Mark
Post date June 5, 2019

Sonic has had his ups and downs for a while now. Once one of gaming’s greatest icons, the blue hedgehog has appeared in numerous releases over the years with some very mixed results. Some entries take Sonic back to his glory days, capturing the speed and style of his earliest and most successful games so many years ago. Others aren’t nearly as successful; a mish-mash of ideas and concepts that are never as good as those offered by the competition. Unfortunately, Team Sonic Racing drifts into the growing backlog of mediocre Sonic games – an average racer that fails to build any real momentum under the weight of its design and mechanics.

This is a game that, at least on paper, should be a great time. The Sonic series has always been about speed, beating the clock and fighting everything that comes between you and the goal. Sega is also no stranger to this genre, with many racing titles (both with and without Sonic) under its belt. All the pieces were in place to create another solid arcade racer with some of gaming’s most recognisable characters – but despite this, Team Sonic Racing just doesn’t quite reach the mark. In what is likely the most divisive change to the racing formula here, Sumo Digital amd Sega have gone hard on the ‘team’ aspect. General races are run with 12 characters that are split into 4 teams. Default teams are designed to have one ‘speed’ driver, one ‘technical’ driver and another for ‘power’. This isn’t very different to many of Sonic’s previous successful outings, such as 2003’s Sonic Heroes or 2001’s Sonic Adventure 2. These games were really able to shine with characters in different roles, allowing for some nice variation in level design and gameplay. We’re told that the split of characters into different types here is for a similar reason; the technical drivers are used for precision driving and offroad, while power characters can clear obstacles and suffer slightly less damage than the other racers. But at the end of the day, this is a game about crossing a finish line as fast as possible – so what real incentive is there to pick characters outside the speed type?

Even outside of the allocated role system, the 3-person team design also creates a few other unnecessary problems. The game’s base race style is a ‘team race’, whereby the trio crowned as champions at the end will be the three characters with the highest group placing. This means that even if you place first, having your teammates place well behind the pack could cost you the win once all is said and done. It’s an interesting mechanic, and it’s the game’s way of making sure you’re playing with the team spirit it’s designed for. In order to make sure your team as a whole does well, you’ll need to exchange items with one another during the race, ride each other’s tracks for some boosts and coordinate ‘ultimate’ moves as a group as you go. Helping out the team results in more ultimate boosts during a race, and this is the key to victory in just about every level. It all plays out just as chaotically as it sounds, with each team aiming to build their boost as quickly as possible so they can cut a burning path through the competition. In what appears to be a mechanic designed to give everyone a fair shot at winning, having half the competition light up as invincible golden rockets every lap of a race just ends up feeling cheap. Even when playing against racers in the single-player mode, there’s no real reason to nail those drifts or thoroughly learn a track when the outcome essentially rests on the press of a button.

To that end, many items that you pick up during a race simply become a way to build your ultimate move by passing them around the team. This isn’t a huge loss, as the weapons and pick-ups on each track aren’t fantastic. The items (‘Wisps’) in this game act as they do in most other arcade racers – missiles launched at enemies in front, small boosts to give you a bit of space or hazards dropped behind for others to run into. With the exception of a couple new ideas thrown in, many of these items feel like they’ve been pulled from other similar racers – albeit with less care. None of the pick-ups ever really feel like they have much use, often doing next to nothing in fighting off those around you or giving you any breathing room. No matter how good you are at using these items strategically, you’ll be bowled over all the same once the other racers come burning through with their ultimate move. The tracks themselves aren’t too bad, generally being based off levels and environments from past Sonic games. Outside of the familiar sights and nice background designs, most start to blur together after a while – with a few feeling overly long and needlessly complicated. Some tracks will split into two or three paths at points, while others will be full of camera-tilting curves and turns aimed at sending you off the nearest cliff.

Where you can become quite familiar with the twists and turns of a level is within the game’s additional challenge levels. The single-player mode features a number of these semi-optional trials, removing all other racers and pitting you against the clock. You’ll spend the time either collecting rings, skirting past checkpoints or dodging obstacles on the road under some really tight time limits. If you’re looking to fully ‘complete’ these challenges, bear in mind that they are a brutal bunch of levels. Most will reward you with extra time if you speed through the track while drifting all over the place – a feat that would be easier if it didn’t feel like you were sliding on ice half the time. Should you manage to reach the top spot in one of these events, it will likely come in the dying seconds of the time limit after many, many attempts. It’s probably the only time that using a technical driver would be recommended, if only to get a bit more of a grip on the corners with the precise drifting you’ll need to pass. The difficulty of these do make for a great challenge, but one that generally feels frustrating and unfair rather than rewarding.

Underlying the events of the single-player adventure is a weak plot which is used to link these races together. In true Sonic fashion, it’s really just oddball stuff used just to move things along – and honestly, very few people come into an arcade racer expecting some powerful and thought-provoking narrative. Almost admitting how little attention the game’s plot deserves, the development team have inexplicably made the default option for starting a race to be ‘without story’. You could play through the entire adventure with next to no plot unless you remember to turn it on for each race. For those interested, a new character (‘Dodon Pa’) appears on the scene to challenge Sonic and friends to a racing tournament. There’s no real motive at the start, but it serves enough to pull Sonic and his crew to the racetrack to learn more. As your adventure continues and the plot thickens, you’ll meet up with and unlock new racing teams from the Sonic series. Sumo Digital was unfortunately unable to pull in a wider cast of Sega characters for this one, and Team Sonic Racing‘s structured stats and specific roles can sometimes make picking your favourite a bit restrictive too. While there are a number of upgradeable vehicle parts and designs to unlock, having such a limited character roster while other games of this type offer dozens of choices is a bit of a drawback.

This becomes even more obvious when you head online against others. As mentioned before, speed is the name of the game here and most in the online community know it. Majority of races will generally be run with the same two or three speed-type characters for every player, and each run generally descends into who can boost their team to the top as soon as possible. The design of the supermove also means multiplayer becomes a bit of a mixed bag depending on your situation. Once the team has the boost available, activating it at the same time as your group provides the best result. This is fine if you and your friends are in the same room or chat and are able to coordinate it, but it becomes a total guessing game when trying to play with randoms online. The game honestly feels like it’s at its best when played with a few friends on the couch, rather than battling through the single player challenges or online chaos.

Team Sonic Racing has made a solid attempt at an arcade racer here, with some slick visuals and the return of many of the series’ most recognisable characters. Yet beneath the surface it attempts to differentiate itself almost too much from its kart-racer competition, focusing heavily on its team approach without noticing the very obvious flaws with it. The game seems to lack the tight and reactive feel of a great arcade racer, opting instead for flashy moves and huge difficulty spikes to extend playtime. While it’s a bit of fun for friends in the same room, the game is a tough recommendation given the stronger existing racers around and Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fuelled on the horizon. Grab it if you’re really into your blue hedgehogs, otherwise it might be best to hold out for Sonic’s next outing – he’s about due for another success.

Team Sonic Racing – Available now on PS4, XBOne, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Tags Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Sega, Sonic the Hedgehog, Team Sonic Racing, Xbox

Movie Reviews

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Post author By Mark
Post date June 3, 2019

Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the long awaited sequel to 2014’s Godzilla, certainly sends a message to those who complained the last film was lacking in monster mayhem. The film is the polar opposite of its predecessor in this sense – delivering mountains of creature carnage to the screen and introducing several famous monsters from the expansive Godzilla history to boot. The action is nothing short of amazing; epic in scope with flawless visual effects and excellent camera direction giving you a front seat to these enormous battles for supremacy over our planet. Where the sequel falls apart, however, is in its ridiculous, unnecessarily convoluted story which attempts to juggle far too many characters and plot-lines at once for the audience to really care about any one in particular. Whilst this aspect of the film is disappointing for sure, the human story is not what most viewers come to these movies for, and the spectacle of the monsters is more than enough to keep most audiences satisfied.

Let’s get right into that story which, similarly to the 2014 film, centres around a family. The Russell family suffered a tremendous loss during Godzilla’s first foray onto land in San Francisco and in the 5 years following have drifted apart. Mother Emma (Vera Farmiga) has pledged herself to studying these incredibly large creatures, known as Titans – who have begun turning up in a variety of locations around the globe – for the now not-so-secret monster research group Monarch, with daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) in tow. Meanwhile Mark (Kyle Chandler), the Russell patriarch, has been struggling to cope with the events of San Fransisco and has isolated himself in quiet mountain territory as he recovers from a battle with alcoholism. When Emma and Madison’s latest encounter with a Titan is interrupted by a group of eco-terrorists, led by mercenary Jonah Alan (Charles Dance), Mark must unite with Emma’s Monarch co-workers (Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Thomas Middleditch) to locate his daughter, ex-wife and her latest creation: a device capable of communicating with the Titans. This becomes a race against time before it falls into the wrong hands and the Titans are unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. This is a lot to unpack; with numerous characters and plot-lines in play and we haven’t even got into how Godzilla factors into all of this.

It’s clear that director Mike Dougherty has a deep appreciation and attachment to the Godzilla franchise and that the story here is a homage of sorts to the crazy narratives of those films. Whilst that works in the context of a cheesy Saturday afternoon monster movie where men in rubber suits walk around knocking each other into cardboard buildings, the world that was established in Gareth Edwards film is very much a centred, real-world take on what would happen if these creatures showed up in our world. Those old films found it necessary to have these wacky human-centric plots to break up the action and to deal with budget constraints, and it works with the tone that was set. In this more grounded take on the Godzilla universe, that tone just doesn’t work and whilst I appreciate what Dougherty was trying to do – which will probably appeal to many long-time fans of the franchise – I would have preferred to see the series carry the tone across from the 2014 film, or at the very least reign in some of the more over-the-top aspects of the story.

What works best in King of the Monsters is, as the name suggests, the monsters. Godzilla is as fearsome as he was in the last film and the writers (Dougherty, Zach Shields and Max Borenstein) are clearly having a ball exploring the background and inner workings of the giant lizard. Their respect and reverence towards Godzilla comes across in the story, where he is touted as the protector of humanity, as well as through the relationship with Ken Watanabe’s character Dr. Ishiro Serizawa. Serizawa clearly worships Godzilla as he’s studied him for years and there is such a strong connection here that is clearly symbolic of the writers’ – and to a larger degree, Godzilla fans’ – connection to the franchise as a whole. Added to the mix this time around are classic Godzilla staples Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan to punch up the monster roster as well as to provide some more big battles and variety in the fights. It’s something I was particularly grateful for after seeing Godzilla fight a few times, as I was craving something different from these confrontations and it certainly delivered, taking action to the skies with Ghidorah and Rodan, and involving the human military forces in a surprisingly effective way. The film does a good job of not simply having human characters sitting around witnessing the carnage but taking matters into their own hands. It makes a difference as these separate stories do not confine the separate camera angles like the first film did, which was almost always from the point of view of a ground-level character. Here we get stunning wide angle shots of the action not tied down to a human character and the film features some truly gorgeous imagery as a result.

Inside of this ridiculous story are a veritable smorgasboard of some of the best actors working in the business today, and while not every performance is a home-run, the actors are all trying their best with the narrative they have been given. At the top end of this spectrum are returning mainstays Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins, both of whom give terrific performances as Monarch scientists who have now risen to the top of the food chain in this new world order as the authority on Titans. Watanabe shares some genuinely emotional scenes with Godzilla and he is definitely the beating heart of the film, a representative of the audience’s attachment to these creatures and films. Newcomers Millie Bobby Brown and Thomas Middleditch also deliver the goods, both having come off major television shows in Stranger Things and Silicon Valley respectively. Brown is clearly having a ball playing the tough-as-nails kid who has grown up around these monsters and has a deep emotional connection with them. Whilst her particular narrative takes a few left turns here and there logically, Brown’s commitment to the role never wavers and she lights up the screen. Middleditch, having led a sit-com for several years, is understandably assigned a majority of the humour in the film, which he pulls off seemingly effortlessly as a scientist who appears to have almost no knowledge of basic human interactions. He also gets a chance to show some real emotional depth and he handles it remarkably well, showing that he is more than just a comedian and I hope more roles go his way that utilise this skillset.

This is where the acting takes a turn however, with the performances of Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler in particular. Farmiga, who is normally excellent, seems as though she doesn’t know what kind of movie she’s in – playing the role of a scientist obsessed with not allowing another San Francisco incident to occur. There isn’t much emotion that comes through in her performance and I was never quite sure what her motivations really were, which was not helped by the downright stupid and illogical decisions her character makes. On the other hand, Kyle Chandler’s character was so one-note and bland that I was just annoyed whenever he would appear on-screen, again making some supremely stupid character choices that contradict the development we have just seen his character go through. It’s unfortunate that the film has actors of such a high calibre and can’t do anything interesting with them and I couldn’t help but think that by losing some of the seemingly endless characters and really focusing on a core cast the film could have come up with a tighter story with some solid, meaningful character development.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a different beast to its predecessor. One that tries to continue the story set up by Gareth Edwards film as well as a celebration of the franchise’s fifty plus year history. Whilst it doesn’t all hit the way it is intended to – with a murky, illogical story and some awful characters – when the giant beasts converge on the screen to fight you cannot look away. It is a testament to these characters and their legacy, as well as the incredible work of the visual effects team, that after all this time there’s something so pure and enticing about giant monsters fighting amongst humanity and the society we hold so dear, destroying everything in their path.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters stars Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Thomas Middleditch & O’Shea Jackson Jr. – In cinemas now.

Tags Godzilla, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Ken Watanabe, King of the Monsters, Kyle Chandler, Mike Dougherty, Millie Bobby Brown, Sally Hawkins, Vera Farmiga

Movie Reviews

Godzilla (2014)

Post author By Mark
Post date May 30, 2019

The 2014 American reboot of the classic kaiju film Godzilla was a divisive release. Many claimed that the film simply didn’t show enough of the giant lizard in action whilst others defended the choice to drip-feed monster madness to the audience. This review falls into the latter category, as I believe that Godzilla is not only a great film in its own right, but one of the best blockbuster monster movies in recent memory. Director Gareth Edwards had a monumental task on his hands bringing this cinematic icon to the big screen following the abysmal 1998 version, and he more than achieves that goal – asserting Godzilla’s dominance as king of the monsters.

The story begins with Joe (Bryan Cranston) and Sandra (Juliette Binoche) Brody, scientists at a Japanese nuclear power plant investigating a series of radiation spikes and earth tremors in the local Janjira region, only to be caught in the middle of the facility’s catastrophic collapse that halts any future research and ends in tragedy. Cut to 15 years later, as we follow their son Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), fresh off a stint in the army and readjusting to life back home. Ford’s return is cut short when he is suddenly called to Japan to collect his father from jail for trespassing at the collapsed power plant, declared a radiation zone by Japanese officials. From here on out we follow Ford as he comes to terms with his father’s obsession with finding answers to the past catastrophe, learns about the existence of the secret organisation ‘Monarch’ (researchers into ancient beings who used to rule the planet by feeding off the Earth’s natural radiation), and we watch as he encounters these monsters as he attempts to return to his wife Elle (Elizabeth Olsen) and son Sam (Carson Bolde). This story of a man attempting to reunite with his family is intercut with the exploits of Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Dr Graham (Sally Hawkins), researchers for Monarch who are assisting military forces in understanding their enemies as they battle Godzilla and his foes: the MUTO’s (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism).

The plot of a Godzilla film is tricky to get right – balancing the monster fighting glory of the old movies with characters and a plot that audiences can care about. Edwards’ film mostly hits the mark here, anchoring the story with a core cast of characters whose lives have all been impacted by Godzilla or another one of his kind. This grounded perspective gives the audience a chance to appreciate the sheer spectacle of these creatures and to immerse themselves in the minds and shoes of each character – how would you react to these giant beasts suddenly appearing in society and challenging your conceptions of the world? To further aid this immersion, Edwards employs several unique camera tricks – including POV shots through the eyes of Ford as he encounters the creatures, as well as more than a few shots of characters in the foreground suddenly being put into perspective as a giant head or leg rises behind them. Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does remarkable work here too, creating some beautifully composed shots that I would gladly hang on a wall as art; the HALO jump scene being one such example. It’s all tied together by the brilliant work of the VFX team who create incredibly lifelike creatures that look as if they could be tearing down buildings in our own world.

Music and sound (or the lack thereof) also play a large role in Godzilla and immersing you in the adventure. Alexandre Desplat’s score is nothing short of epic and a fitting soundtrack to the destruction it accompanies. The use of sound is also unique; during the POV scenes with Ford, the sound of the outside world is dimmed as the sound of his heartbeat is amplified. It’s a clever device that works to give us an understanding of the human response to seeing such extreme forces of nature up close and personal. Of course if you’re going to talk bout sound you can’t overlook the superb sound design behind Godzilla’s roar. Channelling the classic sound, it’s given another level of bass and ferocity here that drowns out everything else on the screen. The airport scene where we first witness Godzilla in the flesh is simply mesmerising and I could have watched and listened to that first roar for hours.

In terms of the acting, Cranston and Watanabe are the main attractions here besides the big guy himself, both showcasing their considerable dramatic chops. There is a level of empathy to Cranston’s performance that is heartbreaking to watch, as he spends his life trying find an explanation for what caused the Janjira meltdown, and ultimately, a sense of catharsis over the loss of his wife. Watanabe’s character is almost the antithesis to Cranston’s character, someone who has also undergone a terrible loss, but who has used the experience as fuel to progress his life and pursue his passion. The role is perfect for Watanabe; the mixture of his fear over the consequences of letting Godzilla loose and his obsession and respect for these creatures allowing him to give some real depth and nuance to the performance. Unfortunately, Aaron Taylor-Johnson – the actor we spend the most time with – is the weakest link in the film. His character is not only poorly written – a mixture of generic action/soldier stereotypes – but his performance is just bland and dull. There’s no expression from Ford as he confronts these wonders and horrors throughout his travels, with the most we get from Johnson being a slightly confused, sleepy look. It’s a shame that, for a movie that does so much right and has other interesting characters to play with, the writers couldn’t think of a more compelling lead for us as an audience to identify with and follow.

Finally we get to the most divisive part of Godzilla: the titular lizard’s screen-time. Critics of the film have chastised it for being light on the Godzilla action and for turning away from battles when they happen earlier in the film – we often cut to television news footage or background scenes of the monsters duking it out instead of an up-close view of the carnage. This is what makes this Godzilla so great to me; Edwards is distinctly aware that we are in the seats to see some monster mayhem and he has the courage to deny us this, instead tantalising us with snippets and footage of the fights from other sources in the film. He ratchets the excitement and tension up so high that when the final battle does unfold it’s a rush of adrenalin; a fist-pumping release of all that pent-up energy the audience has built up. The risk that Edwards runs by doing this is that if the final fight isn’t of the highest calibre, the audience may feel cheated – as if this whole endeavour was a waste of time. It does not disappoint however, as the third act is everything Godzilla fans could want, especially once Godzilla unleashes his atomic breath, lighting up the sky with a vibrant blue and giving the scenes a gorgeous colour palette as this otherworldly light breaks through the dreary, demolished city.

This iteration of Godzilla was an experiment; a proof of concept that an American filmmaker could take this decades-spanning Japanese property and create a film that honoured it and introduced the franchise to a wider audience. The film succeeds in doing this, never having to resort to flooding the screen with dozens of iconic Kaiju, instead letting us spend some time with the original iconic monster before introducing his foes and allies in future instalments. Whilst these bold choices in narrative were not for everyone, I found it to be a daring and inventive blockbuster that reasserts Godzilla as the king of the monsters.

Godzilla stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Elizabeth Olsen & David Strathairn – available on home entertainment and to stream now.

Tags Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Gareth Edwards, Godzilla, Juliette Binoche

Movie Reviews

Aladdin (2019)

Post author By Mark
Post date May 26, 2019

Disney has been on a mission lately to remake almost every animated film they’ve ever created in live-action form. It’s been a bit of a mixed bag so far as we’ve had some lows (Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland films), some highs (Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella and Mark Webb’s Christopher Robin) and one genuinely great entry (Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book). Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin sits firmly in the middle of the pack; a serviceable remake with some great musical performances and timely additions to the narrative that work for the most part, but one that fails to recapture the magic of the original animated classic – overusing CGI spectacle instead of meaningful character moments at times.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story (which is unlikely) it revolves around Aladdin (Mena Massoud), a young man living on the impoverished streets of the Arabian city of Agrabah who resorts to thievery in order to survive. His life changes forever once he meets the Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and falls head over heels in love. Yet the evil Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), adviser to the Sultan (Navid Negahban), has other plans for Aladdin which involve him retrieving a lamp that holds an ancient Genie (Will Smith) – bound to grant his master any three wishes. With the Genie’s help, Aladdin attempts to win over Jasmine’s affection whilst Jafar plots his revenge and retrieval of the lamp. The core plot of Aladdin remains unchanged from the 1992 original, with a few additional songs and scenes thrown in to appeal to a more modern audience. These tend to revolve around the Princess Jasmine’s inability to rule Agrabah after her father’s reign is over, as according to law she must marry a prince who will rule with her by his side. Enter Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders, one of Princess Jasmine’s suitors, who steals every scene he’s in with some great comedic timing and a truly awful accent. It’s easily the best of the new story added which makes it somewhat frustrating that there’s so little of it. The film seems more focused on faithfully recreating the original with a sprinkle of something new here and there that it never really embraces the new content, even when it’s done so well.

This leads to another disappointing aspect of the film: its direction. Few can argue that nabbing Guy Ritchie (director of Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) was an inspired choice out of left-field. Known for directing more hardcore action films, hiring him to direct a family musical was certainly out of the ordinary. Ritchie had been increasingly dipping his toe into films with a wider audience (his Sherlock Holmes films were a smash at the box office) and this marks his biggest and most widespread film to date. It’s a real shame that Ritchie’s style here simply doesn’t really translate. Gone are the inventive camera movements and gritty shooting styles of his earlier films, replaced by a big studio sheen and over-reliance on CGI. Whilst one can argue that this was hardly a film that called for a gritty style, Agrabah as a city just seems fake and I never bought that it was a lived-in place riddled with poverty – despite what the narrative wants you to believe. There are a few scenes where Ritchie gets a chance to show off – most notably Aladdin’s adventure in the Cave of Wonders to secure the lamp – with some dynamic camera angles and fast paced action making it a highlight of the film. Whilst Ritchie’s style from his earlier work doesn’t particularly come across, he shows a remarkable affinity for directing the musical portions of the film.

Music plays a huge role in this interpretation of Aladdin as it did in the original. Huge crowd-pleasing numbers like “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me” are terrific and a testament to the magic of Disney and the lasting impact these songs have had on popular culture. Will Smith, himself an established artist, gets to showcase his musical prowess on “Arabian Nights” and “Friend Like Me”, the latter perfectly suited to his natural charisma and charm as he belts out the huge anthem. This particular song makes full use of the expansive budget given to the film, with CGI filling the screen as the Genie shows off his magic. Ritchie directs the hell out of this scene as it cuts between the Genie’s over-the-top exclamations and Aladdin’s bewildered face to brilliant comedic effect. Massoud and Scott’s performance of “A Whole New World” is also a bright point of the film, as we follow them over various exotic locations on the magic carpet. It’s one of the few moments that we really gain an understanding of the connection between Aladdin and Jasmine and it tells the story of their love better than anything had previously in the film.

Massoud and Smith are the standouts here, both bringing bucketloads of charisma to their roles. It’s not exactly a surprise from Smith, who lights up the screen in just about every role, but it shouldn’t be overlookd. His rendition of “Friend Like Me”, as I mentioned, is a highlight of the film for sure – but Smith also shows some restraint here and doesn’t let his star power overshadow the rest of the film, often taking a backseat to Aladdin’s exploits. As someone who was worried this might become “The Will Smith Show” I was glad that he wasn’t the focal point and it was definitely a case of less is more, as each scene with Smith had the crowd in riots as he flexed his comedic muscles. Mena Massoud is a revelation here, clearly relishing the opportunity to play this role as he imbues the character with a charm and depth that rivals the original. He also brings some serious vocal chops to the table – the way he belts out his solo tune “One Jump Ahead” will have you believing he moonlights as a professional singer when he’s not acting. Naomi Scott, while competent in the role of Jasmine, doesn’t really have a whole lot to do in the film and is, in a way, just along for the ride with Aladdin. It’s a shame given the talents of Scott, but she does make up for the lack of screentime by having a lasting impact with her singing scenes, particularly “A Whole New World” and new song “Speechless”. Marwan Kenzari rounds out the core cast as Jafar and he was definitely the weakest point of the film, opting for over-the-top theatrics and yelling instead of genuinely sinister dialogue. Jafar never seemed like a real threat in the scheme of things, every time he presented a new challenge for Aladdin it was overcome so swiftly and easily that you wonder why he doesn’t just kill him to stop all the annoyances he causes. There’s simply not enough thought given to why Jafar actually wants this power, and the reason he gives in the film is flimsy at best.

Overall Aladdin is a well made, if underwhelming entry into the Disney live-action remake catalogue – meeting the brief in bringing the story of the street thief turned prince to a new audience. The musical performances and work of Mena Massoud and Will smith make up for the weak performance of Marwan Kenzari and the lack of flair in direction and narrative. For those looking for a complete reimagining of the Aladdin tale this is not that, but for those wishing to see the characters and songs of their youth brought to the big screen in a new style, with some new content thrown in for good measure, this is a solid choice and a fun trip to the movies.

Aladdin starts Mena Massoud, Will Smith, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Nasim Pedrad, Navid Negahban and Billy Magnussen and is in cinemas now.

Tags Aladdin, Disney, Guy Ritchie, Marwan Kenzari, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Will Smith

Movie Reviews

Brightburn

Post author By Mark
Post date May 26, 2019

What if Superman was evil? That’s the central concept behind Brightburn, the new horror film from director David Yarovesky and producer James Gunn. While a horror riff on the Man of Steel’s origin story is a great idea worth investing in, this particular interpretation struggles to soar under the weight of weak visual effects and cheap horror clichés. Nevertheless the attempt to stand out amongst the increasingly similar superhero content in today’s society is admirable – and if you’re willing to invest in the experience and look past its many flaws – Brightburn is an entertaining ride with great performances from leads Elizabeth Banks and David Denman.

The plot of Brightburn is exactly what you think it is, as we follow the development of middle schooler Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn) as he learns of his alien heritage and the accompanying powers that go with it. Guided by his own ma and pa Kent, Tori (Banks) and Kyle Breyer (Denman), Brandon should be going the way of Clark Kent, a saviour for a world who doesn’t realise they need one. Something sinister, however, calls to Brandon from the barn behind his house and curiosity gets the better of him. Up until this point the film really has a lot going for it, we’re invested in the Breyer parents and understand their affection for their adopted son, who they see as a miracle bestowed upon them. Sure, there’s the odd misstep along the way with some downright awful dialogue and some seriously questionable decisions that just defy logic, but the initial mystery surrounding Brandon, the barn and the gradual development of his powers – shown in some inventive, albeit ridiculous ways – is well paced and I was genuinely interested in what was unfolding. The film makes some pretty powerful, if not always subtle, observations on social anxiety and isolation – showing how Brandon’s inability to fit in at school pushes him towards the darker path. When Brandon finally turns, his actions are a shocking and heinous reaction to the world around him, something that is truly terrifying given recent events in our world.

It’s a real shame, given the solid foundation established in the first two acts, that the film then devolves into a series of jump scares and mindless gore. The jump scares in particular are the worst kind of horror cliché here: a character approaches the scene, the music blares and something jumps out to frighten the living daylights out of them. Only it doesn’t frighten us. These scares don’t so much instill you with any measurable fear as much as they do jolt you upright with a loud sound and a sudden camera movement. It became such common practice that these sudden noises didn’t even elicit a response from me, I simply sat there annoyed that the filmmakers chose to go for a cheap scare instead of really digging into Brandon’s character, developing the struggle between his desire to live a normal life and the pull of his alien heritage. Once Brandon turns villainous, his character is essentially forfeit and the film loses most of its stakes. It relies on the connection we have to Elizabeth Banks and David Denham’s characters to keep us invested, but all the character work developing Brandon as an innocent child tormented by his origin is wasted.

Speaking of Banks and Denham, they’re easily the brightest point (excuse the pun) of the film. We see the story, for the most part, through their eyes as they struggle to comprehend and defend their son’s increasingly bizarre and violent actions. It is tearing them apart – not only as parents, but also as a couple – and it was a wise choice to anchor the film to them as a duo. Their differing responses to Brandon’s behaviour creates conflict more interesting than any power he exhibits, and it would have served the story better to unravel this thread rather than the anticlimactic third act that we get. Jackson A. Dunn does his best with the character of Brandon, hitting all the notes that the script requires of him, but it’s ultimately a thankless role he’s been put in. There’s no real personality to Brandon, apart from the stereotypical awkward teenager archetype, and even once he turns villain, there’s no over-the-top speeches or declarations of war against humanity, just a blank stare underneath a mask as he silently imposes his will. Whilst you don’t necessarily need to go full camp with Brandon as a villain, some internal conflict would have made the film more powerful by allowing the audience to resonate with him.

What I found interesting about Brightburn was its stance on the modern super-hero film. On the one hand it’s a loving homage to the Superman franchise – specifically Man of Steel, with which it shares many similarities. There are almost shot for shot recreations of certain scenes at the farmhouse from the first Henry Cavill led movie – and even the score at times seems familiar, borrowing Hans Zimmer’s striking horns. The Breyer parents act as a modern equivalent to the Kent’s, living on a farm and attempting to teach Brandon the ethics of hard work and general goodness, and it all works well. Where the film falters is in its attempt to handle the more action oriented, superpower heavy portions of the film. The visual effects here are downright awful, not nearly at the level of the usual Warner Bros’ produced Superman films. It’s not a real problem in the first half of the film and it’s understandable given the small budget. However once the horror aspects come into play and Brandon starts uses his powers for evil, this lack of budget really shows. The gore and powers all look terrible, with the exception of one scene in a truck, and it’s distracting when you’re trying to lose yourself in a scene or performance and you can see the outline of Brandon hovering on a green screen.

Brightburn is an interesting experiment in a different kind of superhero film and I applaud it for that. It’s a rare occurrence in modern movies given that Marvel and DC movies have shown that a lighter tone almost always guarantees box office success. What works is the performances and the initial mystery surrounding Brandon’s origins before it devolves into a clichéd horror film. Having said that, the solid performances from Banks and Denman kept me invested in the story for the full runtime, despite the problems that arise in the final act. I can’t send you out to the cinemas to see it, but as a lazy Saturday afternoon movie – Brightburn is a solid choice. I’m happy that it took a chance and hope to see more studios following suit and investing in new spins on the superhero genre.

Brightburn stars Elizabeth Banks, David Denman & Jackson A. Dunn – in cinemas now.

Tags Brightburn, David Denman, David Yarovesky, Elizabeth Banks, Jackson A. Dunn, James Gunn

Movie Reviews

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

Post author By Mark
Post date May 24, 2019

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is brutal. There’s no other word to describe the 2 hour action-fest from returning series director Chad Stahelski. But despite it’s lengthy title John Wick 3 is lean and mean. Wasting no time on extraneous dialogue or set-ups, the film gets on with the action straight away, and how bloody that action is. Just when you think they can’t top the action of the previous film, Stahelski delivers the most impressive set-pieces in the franchise to date (and possibly action movie history), as well as bringing us attack dogs led by Halle Berry. If that doesn’t get you in the cinema, stop reading now.

Parabellum picks up immediately after the events of Chapter 2, continuing the saga of John Wick’s hellish week which began so long ago with his poor puppy’s death. Injured and on the run, Wick has an hour to prepare himself before the contract on his head goes public. Stahelski uses this brief prologue sequence to dial up the tension of the coming conflict, having John run across New York city through the rain and past numerous assassins – each hiding in plain sight amongst the public to take stock of their soon-to-be prey. When the clock chimes 6pm, the chaos unleashes and it’s from that point on that we as viewers barely get a chance to catch our breath. The third instalment in the franchise is almost non-stop action, opting for an extra gun fight or motorbike chase rather than further exploration of its underground assassin society. We’re given a few extra details around the assassin world that further the plot and I admire the choice not to double down again after the extensive world building of previous films. We’ve spent enough time in this world to be familiar with how it works and Stahelski relies on the incredible skills of his stunt performers and actors to entertain us, rather than drowning us in world-building exposition. When the final act kicks into gear it really is a spectacle to behold, and the continued emotional connection we’ve developed with Wick throughout the franchise means you’re on the edge of your seat as he faces off against some impossible odds.

As I’ve mentioned, the action here is not just another step, but a giant leap up in terms of scope and duration. Chapter 3 features about as many action scenes as the last two films combined, if not more, and it’s almost exhausting to watch in the best possible way. As a viewer you’re always tense and fearful for John as he escapes countless near death situations, and it takes its toll on you by the time the credits have rolled. My favourite fight scene of the film – and you have plenty to choose from – involved Wick facing off against a group of shinobi in a hallway lined with cabinets of knives. What starts off as a thrilling hand-to-hand martial arts fight quickly escalates once the knives (and axes) come into play, and I was transfixed as the camera spun around to keep me deep in the action – while still showing what every player in the scene was doing at any given time. This type of camerawork showcases the impressive work of Keanu Reeves and the stunt teams as the long pans and fixed angle shots allow us to see the action in all its glory. It’s something that’s not exactly new here – all the action in the series has been consistently well shot – however it’s taken up a notch here by the scale of the fights and some impressive additions to the stunt performers.

Newcomers to the franchise Cecep Arif Rahman and Yayan Ruhian get a chance to show why they are two of the finest working stunt actors in the world today. Known for their work in The Raid series, the two actors square off against Keanu in a martial-arts heavy fight scene, with many winks and nods thrown in to their previous stunt work, as well as an acknowledgement of the friendly rivalry between The Raid and John Wick franchises – arguably two of the best action franchises around today. They are joined by another fresh face Mark Dacascos, who plays shinobi leader Zero. Not only does Dacascos showcase his impressive stunt abilities, squaring off against many enemies with brutal efficiency and acrobatic skill, he also brings some much needed levity to the proceedings – Zero is something of a fan-boy of John Wick and makes no effort to hide it. Humour has never been this franchises strong point but it’s a welcome addition here that lets off some of the tension built up through the action.

Returning franchise veterans Ian McShane and Lawrence Fishburne reprise their roles as Winston and the Bowery King respectively, delivering some of their finest work to date. McShane in particular has a much larger role than in previous instalments, dealing with the consequences of aiding John in the last film. He plays the role with his usual stoic charm, but underpinned this time around with fear and anger. The Adjudicator, a new character played by Asia Kate Dillon, is instrumental in bringing out these emotions, acting as a representative of the High Table – the rulers of the assassin world – who aim to bring Winston and the Bowery King to justice for their association with the excommunicated Wick. Dillon plays the role with a little too much smugness and the character simply becomes annoying to listen to rather than instilling a sense of dread – taking away the impact of the news she delivers to the various high-ranking assassins in the film. The last character worth noting here is Sofia, played by Halle Berry, who makes a triumphant return to the action genre here (I’m talking specifically about her role in Die Another Day: a guilty pleasure). Whilst it’s not the best performance of hers in terms of acting quality, Berry did perform all her own stunts and the skills she puts on display, particularly her proficiency with guns, is exciting to watch. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the attack dogs again – Sofia’s personal hounds who bring some truly vicious punishments down on anyone unwise enough to cross her and John. It’s yet another example of how the franchise plays with the notions of conventional action cinema and I was constantly scanning the scene for the next entrance of the dogs.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum does what you didn’t think was possible and ups the ante from the last film. Whilst the acting and story take a backseat to the action here, it’s s conscious choice and easily forgivable when the action is this good. Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves have cemented themselves as a winning partnership in action cinema with this film, and in traditional John Wick style, leave the ending open for more adventures of the expert assassin. It’s hard to believe they can top this, but if anyone can do it, it’s this pair and they have more than earned our trust at this point.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum stars Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Lawrence Fishburne, Asia Kate Dillon & Mark Dacascos – in cinemas now.

Tags Chad Stahelski, Halle Berry, John Wick, John Wick Chapter 3, Keanu Reeves, Parabellum

Movie Reviews

John Wick: Chapter 2

Post author By Mark
Post date May 19, 2019

Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski struck gold in 2014 with the original John Wick. The pair crafted a tight, brutal action revenge film and created an iconic action character in the titular assassin. The story seemingly ended in that film, as John had found a new furry companion and walked away having settled his debt and avenged his previous canine companion. The unexpected financial success of the film, however, prompted a sequel to be put together, and while John Wick: Chapter 2 falls prey to some typical action sequel clichés, it still manages to be an engaging, even more brutal adventure into the assassin underworld.

Chapter 2 kicks off with a bang as we follow Wick tying up some loose ends with the Russian mob from the first film. This acts as an epilogue of sorts for the previous film but also as a chance to showcase the bigger budget and the fights that will come as a result. Once John returns from this mission and attempts to settle back into his retirement, he is greeted by Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), head of an Italian mob family and an old acquaintance. Santino is the holder of a “marker” against John, a blood oath Wick struck years earlier that allowed him to escape from his criminal life and live with his wife – but now D’Antonio has come to collect. A globe trotting tour of assassinations and criminal syndicates follow as John is sent on a mission to take out Santino’s sister and heir to the council of assassins who essentially run the global underworld.

If all this sounds a bit confusing and ridiculous it’s because it is. The film makes it clear that it is foregoing a cohesive plot in favour of more complex fights and bigger stunts to go with that increased sequel budget. While the plot for the first film wasn’t exactly groundbreaking, it had a solid pace and moved with purpose as we followed John on his singular path for revenge. Here we fall into action clichés as John moves from room to room full of goons on his way to completing his mission. Once things develop further later in the run, the plot gets even murkier and I was unsure where John even was until we got a handy pan of the New York skyline as a reminder. While you are never bored watching, it is a shame that the story doesn’t do more to propel John on his way, instead opting in favour of abrupt shifts in location as we watch Wick adapt to each new situation he finds himself in. While not everything is a home run, writer Derek Kolstad is clearly taking risks in his screenplay, adding huge chunks of mythos to the assassin world and expounding on the first movie’s lore tenfold. The Italian settings make for a shift in environment that sets the action set pieces apart from the American counterparts of the first film, giving them their own distinct visual flair.

Where the increased budget has been put to use is the action. John Wick: Chapter 2 ups the ante significantly from the first film, delivering larger, more intense action scenes which expand from purely hand-to-hand fights through to vehicle combat and some magnificently shot chase scenes. The hand-to-hand scenes feature plenty more goons for Wick to cut through with his signature brand of Gun-fu, with Reeves one again performing majority of the stunts himself – allowing for long, uninterrupted shots of the action to be shown. These are beautiful to watch as Wick manoeuvres himself across a room cutting down everyone in his path, and they’re made even more stunning when they’re set in locations like a museum’s hall of mirrors or a brightly lit, futuristic train station. The chase scene in the train station is worth mentioning, and was easily the highlight of the film for me, as John attempts to outrun several rival assassins all intent on bringing him down. The scene moves back and forth between an all out chase as John sprints away from his enemies, taking down any in his path, and a stealthy escape as he tries to hide in plain sight, blending with the public. This stealth scene is particularly innovative because it also acts as a silent shootout of sorts, with Wick and his enemies taking shots at each other with silenced weapons. It all culminates in a thrilling train showdown with another assassin, a truly tense scene where each fighter vies for supremacy in the tight space of the carriage. It is quality action like this that make me overlook the fact that the public has no concern whatsoever about bodies piling up in their midst.

I mentioned before that Chapter 2 expands the assassin world, and this is evident in the introduction of several new characters. The character played by Ruby Rose, a deaf & mute assassin, could have been something more if it was portrayed by a more talented actor. It’s certainly an interesting concept, however Rose does nothing with the role and it boils down to her serving Wick with looks that say “I don’t like you very much” as she proceeds to try to kick him in the face. A better portrayed, if still not amazing, killer is Cassian, played by rapper Common, a bodyguard for Wick’s target who has a murky history with John. He definitely has more to work with in his role than Ruby Rose, and his past experiences with John makes for some great dialogue exchanges and fights. By far the best of the newcomers is Lawrence Fishburne, who plays the Bowery King, leader of an underground syndicate of assassins who pose as homeless around New York. Reeves and his The Matrix co-star obviously have great chemistry and their dialogue together pops. Fishburne excels at playing the unhinged leader, going for the same kind of over-the-top reactions and hyperbole in his dialogue that made Michael Nyqvist’s villain from the first movie so much fun to watch.

Whilst John Wick: Chapter 2 doubles down on the action and world building that made the first film so great, its nonsensical story detracts and leaves viewers confused about the significance of the fight they are watching. It’s hard to care about the outcome of a fight when we’re not exactly sure why John is in this particular mess. What does keep us invested, however, is another stellar performance from Keanu Reeves, who continues to give it his all, both in his acting and his stunt-work. We’re now so emotionally invested in the character that we will follow him anywhere and I can’t wait to see what awaits him in the next instalment of the franchise.

John Wick: Chapter 2 stars Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, Common & Riccardo Scarmarcio – Available to view on streaming and home entertainment now.

Tags Common, John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2, Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne, Ruby Rose

Movie Reviews

John Wick

Post author By Mark
Post date May 16, 2019

John Wick is for Keanu Reeves what Taken was for Liam Neeson. At a time when Reeves was churning out sub-par dramas and straight-to-DVD atrocities, this was a breath of fresh air and resurgence for Reeves to shoot back into the public consciousness. The revival is well earned too, John Wick is a demonstration of a perfectly crafted revenge film, with copious amounts of blood, intense hand-to-hand combat and one seriously cute dog that sparks a night of complete carnage.

If you haven’t seen John Wick – which is unlikely given that it is one of the most popular action flicks in recent memory, and the third film in the franchise is set to hit cinema screens soon – it revolves around Reeves as the titular “reformed” assassin. I use quotation marks here because in this world no one really ever gets out of the hitman game, and while John may think he has found peace with his new wife, her untimely death rattles him to his core. Add to that the fact that Russian mobsters have recently murdered his newly befriended puppy – the last gift his dying wife gave him – and you have one seriously pissed-off Keanu Reeves on the loose. One of the best weapons in the film’s arsenal is the build-up to Wick unleashing his inner-assassin. We spend the first 40 minutes of the film building the character of John as a man coming to grips with the loss of his wife and transferring that love and affection to his new pet, and watching other people react to the news that Iosef (Alfie Allen), the son of Russian mob boss Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), has killed Wick’s beloved beagle. To say John has a reputation is an understatement, and after all this build-up it’s immensely satisfying to watch his skills in action after we’ve heard so much about them. You’re always rooting for Wick because we have that emotional investment, and it’s a good thing too, because John does some pretty horrifying stuff to some people.

In a genre flooded with mediocrity and boring, repetitive action, it was a stroke of genius to hire long-time stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski to make his directing debut here. Stahelski clearly has a grip on how to film a convincing fight scene and all the action is shot beautifully. There is clearly a focus on practical stunts here and the cinematography benefits from this greatly. We get plenty of long shots that don’t cut away like most conventional action scenes and this allows us to see the brilliant work of the stunt performers. It also means the viewer is never lost in a fight scene and always has a sense of the geography and where the major players are. John Wick was also a major proponent of the “Gun-Fu” fighting style which had mostly been confined to Hong Kong action films previously. This involves Kung-Fu style action sequences using guns instead of more traditional weapons and it is absolutely breathtaking to watch. The fact that it really is Keanu Reeves in most of these action scenes is a testament to his craft in particular. A great example comes through a midnight siege on a busy night club; the way the lighting, music and action all mix together is so engaging – easily making it the best club fight scene in action movie history.

The story also takes a deep dive into world-building, providing a fair amount of lore, which is expanded upon in the sequels. Once he decides upon revenge, John operates out of a hotel which acts as an assassin headquarters of sorts, where every service necessary to perform a hit is offered; from gaining access to kill contracts to accessing the services of a clean-up crew to tidy up a vicious murder scene. It all serves to immerse you in the world, as well as serving as a story device, and it shows that writer Derek Kolstad has put that little bit of extra care into the script rather than serving up another paint-by-numbers Taken knock-off. What also helps to deepen the world and the lore is the characters that populate John Wick. From the Hotel Manager (Lance Reddick) who explains the hotels rules and offers their multitude of services, to Adrianne Palicki as rival assassin Ms. Perkins. They all flesh out the film and have their own unique personalities and traits, making it so much more enjoyable than just watching John cut through a room full of goons.

I mentioned that this was a film instrumental in Reeves’ comeback and it’s because he delivers some of his finest acting work here, in addition to the action previously touched on. While it may not require some of the dialogue heavy scenes of some of his earlier work, the amount of emotion and intensity conveyed through looks and body language is astonishing. John Wick barely speaks in the first 30 minutes and we’re so invested in his story and understand his loving relationship with his wife and dog perfectly. Other standouts in the film include Ian McShane who plays hotel owner Winston with the perfect mixture of snark and warmness, and Alfie Allen, who – fresh off his work as Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones at the time – really gets to play with the role, making Iosev Tarasov a disgusting, spoilt character that we are actively cheering on Wick to deal with. Michael Nyqvist plays the arch-villain of the film with a little more over-the-top dramatic flair – providing memorable so-bad-they’re-good lines such as “He’s not the Boogeyman. He’s the one you send to kill the Boogeyman”. It comes across as almost a tribute to the ridiculous action film villains of the 80’s, albeit toned down to fit with the rest of the film, and it really is good fun to watch him chew the scenery as he reacts to Wick murdering his way though the mob.

While it may be easy to just accept the John Wick franchise as the beast that it has become today, the first film came seemingly out of nowhere at the time and injected some much needed energy and Gun-Fu into a stale action genre. The importance of the film on the genre as it stands today cannot be understated. John Wick is a master-class in action cinema, combining quality performances from an all-star cast led by a resurgent Keanu Reeves with intense, vicious action that places it among the very best of modern action movies.

John Wick stars Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Ian McShane and Adrianne Palicki and is available to view on streaming and home entertainment now.

Tags Alfie Allen, Chad Stahelski, Ian McShane, John Wick, Keanu Reeves, Lionsgate

Movie Reviews

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Post author By Mark
Post date May 14, 2019

Pokémon is a franchise that has been in my life since I was a child. I’ve played all the games as they’ve come out and watched the show religiously every morning. So it’s fair to say that I was equal parts excited and nervous about the series first foray into live-action cinema. The possibilities were endless, but why base the movie on a spin-off game majority of the franchise devotees had avoided? I’m happy to report that I was wrong. Pokemon Detective Pikachu is a great entry point into the live-action Pokémon world that, despite a somewhat paint-by-numbers story, always manages to leave you in awe at the creature realised on the big screen.

Let’s start with the most important point: the Pokémon. A lot of work has clearly gone in to redesigning these creatures to live in the real world. From the more prominent like Charizard, Bulbasaur and the little furry detective himself, to the lesser known like Rufflett and Octillery, a ridiculous amount of attention to detail has been utilised here to make each individual Pokémon seem like a living, breathing part of the environment. I never stopped being wowed by each new creature that stepped into frame and I found myself constantly scanning each scene for hints of new Pokémon. The visual effects team has done a marvellous job and it is a testament to their work that, in a film whose primary draw is to see these monsters realised on screen, this is easily the best and most rewarding part of the movie: trying to catch ’em all as you watch.

What isn’t as jaw dropping, however, is the story. Pokemon Detective Pikachu centres around the disappearance of Harry Goodman, the father of our protagonist Tim (Justice Smith) and partner to Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds). In order to deal with his father’s disappearance, Tim travels to the utopian Ryme City, a place where Pokémon and people live in harmony. He soon teams up with the talkative Pikachu, who he can mysteriously understand, and the two embark on a journey to unravel the mystery of what happened to Harry. Along the way Tim and Pikachu meet up with plucky young investigative reporter Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton) and her Pokémon partner Psyduck, a headache stricken duck who explodes if his stress levels rise. The story is all a bit basic, with twists and turns you can see coming from a mile away. What makes it forgivable though, is that it’s really just an excuse to see a range of Pokémon in their unique environments. While this may seem like an excuse, the cast, especially Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu, imbue the story with enough heart to get you through the somewhat lazy writing and on to the next big Pokémon reveal.

Reynolds shines as the titular detective, bringing the same level of humour and heart that he gives to his Deadpool character, albeit toned down here for a PG rating. His jokes, while they feature no swearing, will largely go over most kids heads and are there for the parents. However there are still plenty of jokes and slapstick humour for the little ones, making it a great choice for a family film, instead of something darker like Avengers: Endgame. The motion capture work done by Reynolds is top-notch, with Pikachu conveying a wealth of different facial expressions, whilst always remaining a believable, adorable little Pokémon. Justice Smith gets a chance to prove his acting chops here after a pretty lacklustre turn in last year’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Rather than scream at the sight of anything remotely scary, Smith gets more to work with here – allowing him to show some emotional range as someone who feels abandoned by his father and who has isolated himself from the world and those around him, including Pokémon, as a result. It’s a testament to his acting that he is never overshadowed by Reynold’s yellow furball, holding his own and showing some quality comedic timing – the scene involving the Pokémon Mr. Mime in particular is hilarious, showing some strong physical comedic acting.

Kathryn Newtwon seems like she is in a different movie the first time we see her, playing the intrepid news reporter character very over-the-top, almost to the level of an anime character from the television show. She seems to have a better handle on the character the next time we see her and soon comes to play a major role in the proceedings. Where the acting gets really schlocky, however, is with Bill Nighy and Chris Geere’s father/son philanthropist duo Howard and Roger Clifford. It’s clearly a paycheck movie for Nighy, who channels about a tenth of the intensity from the Pirates of the Carribbean movies, and you can’t help but feel that he doesn’t really have an understanding of what he’s saying when it comes to Pokémon. Geere is, not to put too fine a point on it, ridiculous, making Kathryn Newton’s first appearance seem like she was in The Godfather. The way he delivers his dialogue and his physical acting in scenes is so over the top I was having trouble not laughing out loud at how bad the acting was. Apart from that, Ken Watanabe gives a solid performance as the police chief of Ryme city, and the pairing of him with the grumpy dog Pokémon Snubbull was a stroke of genius and leads to some of the best jokes in the film.

As an introduction and proof of concept of a live-action Pokémon world, Pokémon Detective Pikachu works wonderfully well. Despite a somewhat bland, obvious plot and some shoddy acting, Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith and the army of VFX animators give you enough to fully invest in the world and the main relationship between Tim and Pikachu. I was always engaged by these two characters and was willing to go where the story took them, even if it did get a bit ridiculous at times. As a lifelong Pokémon fan, I was awestruck that my childhood had come to life on the big screen and I had a smile on my face for the entire runtime. I’m willing to forgive a few small missteps in story and acting if it means we get to spend more time in this world.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu stars Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newtown, Ken Watanabe & Bill Nighy – in cinemas now.

Tags Bill Nighy, Detective Pikachu, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Pokémon, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Ryan Reynolds

Movie Reviews

Long Shot

Post author By Mark
Post date May 5, 2019

Jonathan Levine faced a difficult task with his latest film Long Shot: making a modern romantic comedy that feels fresh during a time where most similar movies are generic and cliché-ridden. While Long Shot does occasionally employ a few of these clichés, the chemistry and comedic timing of Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, the timely political setting and messages, as well as a veritable smorgasbord of amazing comedians in supporting roles, elevates the film above the rest of the pack.

Long Shot follows Fred Flarsky (Rogen), a talented yet hotheaded journalist who loses his job writing for a local paper due to his opinionated stance on the company’s acquisition by a media conglomerate. When Fred stumbles into US Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Theron) at a party, he and his childhood babysitter make awkward conversation, eventually resulting in an unlikely job offer – accompanying Charlotte around the world on a press tour as a speech writer. From here the story hits those familiar beats: the pair travel the world, becoming closer as they go until a relationship blossoms, they are then confronted by outside forces attempting to drive the pair apart – can they survive it? What differentiates Long Shot from its contemporaries the most is the heavy role politics has to play. The film is as much a commentary on the current political climate as it is a romance or comedy story. A key arc for Theron’s character is getting the environmental bill she has championed agreed to by world leaders, and it’s a topic that is more relevant now than it ever has been. Then there’s the push for Theron to run a presidential campaign, which asks the question “shouldn’t we elect the person who cares and is best suited for the job?”. Whilst Flarsky is a staunch democrat, the movie also looks at the the republican side of the debate too, raising issues about the increasing problem of blind public declarations of political support without a thorough understanding of both sides of the argument.

The best aspect of Long Shot is undoubtedly the chemistry between the two main leads. Rogen has shown that he is more than capable of playing the wild one in a relationship, just look at his brilliant turns in Knocked Up and Neighbours, but here he gets to play someone out of his depth. Flarsky is out of a job and down on his luck when he meets Charlotte, who is the complete opposite – well put together and at the top of her field. It’s a laugh riot watching Rogen try to ingratiate himself in Charlotte’s world, while at the same time resisting and voicing his opinions on every facet of her political world that he disagrees with. Some of the best jokes come from Flarsky’s misunderstanding of the life of a political candidate and, not to spoil anything, we get the obligatory Seth Rogen drug scene, which – in keeping with form – is hilarious and had the cinema howling with laughter. Charlize Theron proves that she can do no wrong and that she’s much more than just her Mad Max: Fury Road role, showcasing some serious comedy chops. She plays the character with just the right mix of seriousness and lightheartedness, which when combined with Rogen, makes for one of the most endearing on-screen couples in recent memory.

My favourite part about Long Shot however, has to be the stellar supporting cast. The film really helps shine a light on some brilliant comedic actors who might not be as well known to the general public. June Diane Raphael is wonderful as Theron’s assistant Maggie, and acts almost as a surrogate for the audience, in disbelief that this relationship is even a thing. Delivering her lines with a deadpan that will cut you to the core, she shines in the role and I genuinely hope that this pushes her into more roles in the future. The standout though is O’Shea Jackson, who has so many laugh-out-loud moments that I was almost annoyed when he wasn’t on-screen. He plays Rogen’s best friend Lance, who takes it upon himself to cheer Fred up following the loss of his job, and a scene where he leaves work in order to go party might have been the funniest of the film. Between this and an upcoming role in the new Godzilla movie, Jackson is forging a path for himself in Hollywood without relying on his father’s status, and I can’t wait to see what he does next. The film also features a slew of great actors in minor roles, all of whom crush their small parts, such as: Paul Scheer as a misogynist news anchor, Bob Odenkirk as a television actor turned president (sound familiar?), and Andy Serkis as a prosthetic laden, scenery chewing manager of a media company who vehemently opposes Charlotte’s environmental bill. It’s these small parts that really work to flesh out the world and bring in some comedy when the film decides to forego jokes from the leads to focus on the romance, and everyone gets a chance to shine.

While this may all sound perfect, there are still some flaws to be found in Long Shot. At a little over two hours, the movie is too long and enters some dry stretches where some cute romantic things happen, but nothing of real consequence to the story. This is here to flesh out the relationship more but it’s unnecessary given how invested we are in their relationship already through the jokes the couple share. The third act of the film also devolves into typical romantic comedy story beats, which was a shame given the stellar two acts that had come before. I was still invested in the characters, I just would have liked to see the momentum carried into the final act with some more jokes or a better executed finale.

Overall, Long Shot is a hugely enjoyable romantic comedy which will be a big crowd pleaser in a box office otherwise dominated by those avenging folk. While it does lose some of its momentum in the final act, there’s still plenty to love here and the chemistry and humour of Rogen, Theron and the entire supporting cast will ensure you walk away from this movie having gone through a pretty gruelling ab workout. Whilst it isn’t the best rom-com ever made, it doesn’t have to be and it certainly sits at the top of the pack in regards to recent offerings in the genre.

Long Shot stars Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, June Diane Raphael, Andy Serkis and Alexander Sarsgård and is in cinemas now.

Tags Charlize Theron, Jonathan Levine, June Diane Raphael, Long Shot, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Seth Rogen