Category: Movie Reviews

IT: Chapter Two

Post author By Mark
Post date September 12, 2019

Andy Muschietti knocked it out of the park in 2017 with his sophomore feature It. A smash hit in every sense of the word, the film took the world by storm and enraptured audiences in the world of Stephen King’s epic novel about a group of children forging lifelong bonds and rallying together in their fight to stop the evil clown demon Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård). So how exactly do you follow up the highest grossing horror film of all time? You go bigger. It: Chapter Two is bigger than its predecessor in almost every aspect, be it the run-time, the amount of plot covered, the big name actors filling the roles of the children from the first film or the sheer number of scares – most of which feature Pennywise in some menacing way or another. Whilst it doesn’t necessarily improve upon the faults of the first film, opting for an “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach, there is enough here for fans of the first film to love, even if they might find their interests waning in some sections.

Set 27 years after the first film, the Losers Club is all grown up and with the exception of Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), have all left the town of Derry firmly in the rear-view mirror. When attacks start to happen again and people start to disappear, Mike makes the call to his friends to honour the blood pact they made and return to Derry to stop Pennywise from finishing what he started. Thus begins our parade through the all-star cast Muschietti has assembled to play the adult versions of the kids we grew to love: Bill (James McAvoy), Beverly (Jessica Chastain), Richie (Bill Hader), Ben (Jay Ryan) and Eddie (James Ransone). This ensemble is truly one of the highlights of the film and they all understand their roles and the dynamic enough to make each scene an authentic interactions between friends. Each character is introduced in such a way that the audience can instantly link each child actor to their adult counterpart, through their personality and character design, and the transitional shots that serve to point out who everyone was in the last film almost feel heavy handed. Much like the first film, the character of Richie is definitely the standout here, thanks to a scene stealing Bill Hader. It’s not just that he has some of the most laugh out loud hilarious and memorable lines in the film, but the delivery and timing from Hader is spot on, putting those years of featuring on Saturday Night Live to good use. There is also an unexpected amount of heart and depth to Hader’s performance as Pennywise forces Richie to uncover things about himself and embrace who he is as a person in order to overcome his fear.

Richie is not the only one who must confront his fears, however, as Mike’s plan to stop Pennywise forces each member of the Losers Club to confront their own inner demons, often bumping into the clown himself along the way. Bill’s journey forces him to finally come to terms with his little brother Georgie’s death, an event that has instilled in him a deep desire to protect those around him at all costs, even if it means never truly relaxing and experiencing life. McAvoy gives a solid performance as always while we follow Bill’s increasingly desperate journey to protect the children Pennywise has set his sights on, seeing them as surrogates for his deceased brother. It’s not as rounded a performance as Hader’s but that is owed to the script, which seems to boil down each key friend to one defining characteristic. Eddie, for example, has always been something of a germaphobe, a fear instilled in him by his mother with whom he had a deeply unhealthy relationship with, and as such his fears revolve around – you guessed it: dirty things and mommy issues. While it’s a nice bit of catharsis to see each of these characters confront the things which Pennywise uses against them, it’s exactly what the climactic battle of the first film showed and the excuse that the further away everyone moves from Derry the more they forget about Pennywise’s last appearance comes across as a bit of a cop-out. This distilling of each character into one key trait creates a predictable pattern for the scares in the middle portion of the film, robbing them of impact the more they crop up.

Speaking of the scares, they function here much the same as they did in the first film – one of that film’s biggest weaknesses – resulting in little more than a momentary pause before a ridiculously loud noise jolts you out of your seat as something attacks our heroes. It’s an annoying choice given that the scares are effective and creative enough to stand on their own without the jump scare clichés. This is where the runtime also factors in in a big way. It’s certainly warranted given the huge amount of source material to cover, but the film simultaneously feels like there’s not enough time to really delve into each member of the Losers Club’s whilst also going long stretches without a scare. The intercutting between present days and 27 years ago helps to cut away from some of the more mundane subplots and remind audiences just why they fell in love with these characters in the first place. The character of Ben in particular gets a nice flashback that really fleshes out his character rather than some of the unbearably cringe inducing dialogue opted for in the 1990 miniseries version.

What most audience members (including myself) will flock to this movie for is Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Bill Skarsgård once again delivers a stellar performance, cementing his interpretation of the killer clown as one of, if not the most seminal movie monster of the decade. There’s so much he brings to the role, particularly in the physicality. The way Pennywise moves is unnerving, taunting his prey and going from docile and inviting to completely ravenous within seconds. Skarsgård never misses a beat with the chilling delivery of his lines and facial movements – the lip curling that creates a stream of drool and the lazy eye as Pennywise gets an insatiable lust to feed all act to build one completely terrifying performance that will have you checking under your bed at night. The only real downside to Pennywise in the film is that there’s simply not enough of him. The movie kicks into another gear when he’s onscreen as he takes the scares to another level, and it’s safe to say that the Losers Club’s best scenes are when they are face to face with the clown, forced to confront this supreme evil who wishes to feed on their fear. There’s been some early talks about the potential for prequels to It, which would delve into Pennywise’s time in Derry before the Loser’s Club. While it certainly may seem like a cash grab, Skarsgård has shown that he is more than capable of carrying these films and I for one would be in the cinema day one to see more of his powerhouse performance.

IT: Chapter Two is a largely satisfying end to the Stephen King written saga. Bold and ambitious in scope, the film simply tries to cram too much story into the proceedings, attempting to hit as much of the novel’s story as possible whilst not giving enough time to the characters and relationships that audiences care about. When it comes down to it however, the time we do spend with those characters is truly special – always engaging as every actor brings their A-game to deliver some top notch scares and touching moments. At the end of the day though the main draw is Pennywise and – thanks to Bill Skarsgård – he once again steals the show, keeping the audience on their toes and inducing nightmares that will last long after the film ends. Do yourself a favour and get out to the cinema: it’s time to float.

IT: Chapter Two stars Bill Skarsgård, James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan and James Ransone – In cinemas now.

Tags Andy Muschietti, Bill Hader, Bill Skarsgård, IT, IT: Chapter Two, James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Stephen King

Movie Reviews

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Post author By Tydus
Post date August 19, 2019

Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to epics. In fact, almost every film he’s made has been epic in one way or another – be it the bloody tale of revenge in Kill Bill or the slow burn whodunnit murder mystery of The Hateful Eight. In crafting this legendary back catalogue, Tarantino has also become no stranger to Hollywood’s bright lights and cutthroat nature. Combining his trademark style with this real-world backdrop, the infamous director’s 9th feature film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood aims to be his grandest tale yet – clocking in at a meaty 160 minutes. Bringing Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt back into the fold with The Wolf of Wall Street star Margot Robbie, the film manages to be one of the director’s most grounded and restrained offerings yet. Make no mistake however, by the time the credits roll, you’ll have no doubt that you’ve just witnessed a Quentin Tarantino creation.

Following the standard of 2009’s Inglorious Bastards, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a film of fact that’s been given a Tarantino twist of fiction. Another movie loosely based on its subject material, but one that isn’t afraid to play around with key details to create something outrageous and memorable. Billed originally as an epic centred around the Manson Family Murders of the late 60’s, this is instead very much a window into one man’s mid-life crisis. We spend a lot of time following our three lead characters through their daily lives, with the almost three-hour runtime feeling almost gratuitous at times. It’s a very slow burn compared to the director’s earlier films, until it suddenly isn’t. In saying this, Tarantino has made sure that every scene and line fits some purpose in the grander scheme of things. He’s built an entire world here, and it’s a world that regularly feels alive and connected. If a character mentions a particular TV show in passing during conversation, expect to hear about it a few more times or even join the characters as they watch it themselves an hour later. It often feels like every move has a reason, with each character’s decisions and actions making sense to those audiences able to piece the personalities together as the show goes on. While allowing viewers to develop their own understanding of each character in this way is a bold move, it can be tough trying to keep up with all the subtle details buried in so much movie.

Thankfully this lengthy adventure is built on the shoulders of an immensely talented cast, with the film’s plot itself revolving around the struggles, dangers and rewards that come with being a big-time movie star. At the centre of things is Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton, a 60’s TV show cowboy desperately trying to hit the big leagues as his best years seem behind him. DiCaprio cuts a striking image of a fading Hollywood star suffering a mid-life crisis, a character honestly more relatable to audiences than it may seem. He sells the role completely with great emotional range, adding in a heavy accent and a slight stutter to make Rick stand out from the crowd. His scenes shooting a western alongside the late, great Luke Perry and the fantastic young Julia Butters are a total highlight, and prove why DiCaprio is still a household name.

Completing the other half of the headlining duo is Brad Pitt, returning for another Tarantino offering after a ten-year break. Pitt plays Cliff Booth, the stunt double and right hand to Rick during the film. More than just a lowly side act, his character rivals – if not, surpasses – his on-screen counterpart in terms of charisma and style. A character seemingly crafted entirely and lovingly by Tarantino himself, Cliff is a scarred, rugged and aging stunt man who has a healthy fear of nothing and the skills to back it up. Painted as slightly unhinged at times with a questionable history, Booth’s tag-team with faithful pooch Brandy is a central relationship in the film that reaches an epic crescendo before the film’s end.

Rounding out the leading names is Margot Robbie as 60’s starlet Sharon Tate, infamous to those who know the history of the Manson Family Murders that the film is set around. Robbie doesn’t play the typical leading lady that you may be expecting going into the film, instead occupying a secondary role largely removed from that of the two male leads. Tarantino portrays Tate as a naïve, innocent woman at the start of her big Hollywood career, untouched by the politics and bitterness of the industry around her with Robbie dialling up the charm in spades. If the film’s title suggests we’re watching a fairy tale, Tate is without question its princess. This is never more on show than when she’s silently revelling in the joy of watching an audience love her latest movie, gleefully hiding herself in the aisles among the crowd as they laugh along.

Sharing much of Robbie’s screentime is Emile Hirsch, who plays her former lover-turned-friend Jay – and he isn’t the only face you’ll recognise answering the call for Tarantino’s latest project. Randy and his fireball wife Janet (played by Kurt Russell and a hilarious Zoe Bell) inject some great shots of humour when on screen, and Russell keeps us all up to date throughout the film as a narrator with some great lines and sharp delivery. Timothy Olyphant assumes his best Justified cowboy persona for his role, playing a straight-shooting gunslinger opposite DiCaprio in a spaghetti western that is just as great as it sounds. Despite a relatively short time on screen, we also have Al Pacino delivering a return to form as the wise-cracking, well-meaning talent agent that sets his sights on the wayward Dalton. We even see Dakota Fanning deftly assuming one of the most intimidating roles of the film, proving to be in a league of her own after rising to fame as a child actress all those years ago.

Fanning’s not-so-merry ensemble of unsettling Manson family hippies also help to display the cast’s huge commitment to the time period and its vibe. Their outfits, demeanour and speech all help to sell the world the film is being set against. Coupled with the lengthy runtime working to pull you in as much as possible, you’ll almost forget you’re looking at the real world as it (almost) was 50 years ago. A strong example of this world building is within the scattered groups of the Manson family dotted throughout Hollywood. The hippie groups just feel like a brainwashed cult, without ever needing to come right out and say it – plus there’s no mistaking Dalton’s open feelings toward every single one of them. As expected, this total attention to detail carries through to every other piece of Tarantino’s latest grand design. The old movies and shows played during the film are – or may as well have been – all shot during the 60’s. After seeing Leonardo DiCaprio superimposed into classic films so perfectly, you’d swear he was in them all along.

This love carries forward to things like the soundtrack, vehicles and backdrops which are also expertly chosen to completely drown you in 1960’s Hollywood style. Tarantino was always a big fan of spaghetti westerns, and he’s used the film to create a number of elaborate scenes where he essentially builds one right in front of us. This meta-style type of storytelling certainly isn’t new ground for the director, though seeing his experience and incredible level of detail on show is always a wonder to watch. A fine example of this comes in the song choice used to bring us into the final act. We watch as our characters fall into place while the Rolling Stone’s 1966 song “Out of Time” plays alongside, subtlety telling the audience that we’re in the final stages of the grand tale. Always going that extra step, what actually plays is Mick Jagger’s orchestral cover of the song, not released until well into the 70’s – meaning that even the song’s existence in the film is ‘out of time’.

While being a relatively long journey that doesn’t attempt to hold out a guiding hand for those unfamiliar with its plot, the film is still as finely crafted and tightly written as any of Quentin Tarantino’s past works. Certainly slower and more grounded than most of his other offerings, the charismatic trio of DiCaprio, Pitt and Robbie manage to keep you invested all the way through to its wild finale. Shot through the lens of the swinging 60’s, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood spends its time slowly lifting the mask of glitz and glamour from the somewhat grim face of the movie industry – before promptly knocking all its teeth out.

Leonardo DiCaprio star in Columbia Pictures “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Kurt Russell, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino and Luke Perry – In cinemas now.

Tags Brad Pitt, Columbia Pictures, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino

Movie Reviews

Midsommar

Post author By Mark
Post date August 13, 2019

Ari Aster made waves with his 2018 debut feature Hereditary – a horror film which expertly mixed together a raw look at one family’s struggle to hold together following tragedy with a mystery involving a strange cult with closer ties to the family and their history than they think. Featuring a criminally underrated performance from Toni Collette (one of the best of the year) and with a distinct visual style, Hereditary brought new meaning to the term creepy; a slow burn build that ratcheted up the tension to breaking point before a chaotic and violent third act. It’s fair to say that expectations were high for the director’s follow-up Midsommar and it doesn’t disappoint for the most part; with another powerhouse performance from a female lead in Florence Pugh, an engrossing central mystery and somehow more tension than his previous film at times. At a beefy two and a half hours, the film sometimes gets lost on its way to the lackluster conclusion, made all the more frustrating by the excellent, inventive cinema which precede it.

Midsommar finds Aster in familiar territory, with Dani (Florence Pugh) recently learning of a great tragedy in her life, leaving her with no one to lean on other than her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor); a well meaning but pretty unlikeable guy who complains to his friends about the lengths he goes to keep Dani happy whilst subsequently forgetting her birthday, you know: good boyfriend problems. Dani’s current predicament leaves Christian with little choice other than to invite her on an upcoming boys trip to Sweden to visit his exchange student friend Pelle’s (Vilhelm Blomgren) secluded farm commune, along with their friends Mark (Will Poulter) and Josh (William Jackson Harper), who is writing his thesis on the Midsummer celebrations across Europe. The group are welcomed with open arms into the tight knit community, offered drugs, food and music, and things seem completely idyllic until the midsummer festivities begin, a series of bizarre and deadly rituals which threaten to tear the bonds of the group apart and perhaps the odd face or two. Think The Sound of Music meets The Hills have Eyes.

Much was made of the decision to stage almost the entire film during the day, a time generally reserved in horror films for easing audiences into the scares and setting up events that will pay off in the terrifying night. Aster once again employs the tension and atmosphere that he used so brilliantly on Hereditary to equally effective results: Midsommar is a film which breaks you down on a mental level. You never feel completely comfortable watching the events unfolding on screen, even when it’s something as innocuous as dancing, and there’s always a sense that something is off about this seemingly perfect community – which of course there is. Ultimately, however, the daylight setting is something of a double edged sword, instilling that sense of constant dread whilst also robbing the proceedings of much of their horror without the cover of night. Nothing is ever really scary and even when things start to truly go south it’s all just extremely uncomfortable to watch more than anything. Where Hereditary thrived on its use of darkness, hiding things in the black space until your eyes adjusted and your brain registered what it was seeing, Midsommar shows you everything, relying on the unsettling friendliness of the locals and the audiences knowledge that something has to go wrong at some point to keep you on your toes. It works well enough to keep you guessing about the central mystery, but it means that when all the secrets are exposed there isn’t much room to scare or surprise you anymore – you’re simply seeing the ride through to the end.

That’s not to say that Midsommar is lacking in the visual department; it’s all shot stunningly, with the rolling fields and hills of Sweden serving as a gorgeous backdrop for the horrors that unfold, giving the film an almost other worldly feel. Combine that with Aster’s bag of impressive camera tricks – from a spinning, vertigo inducing shot of the road foreshadowing the madness to come to a wave effect that plays on the environment surrounding the village when our characters are under the influence of drugs – and it all serves to immerse you in the confined environment, testing your stamina for just how much of the craziness you can endure before you break. That craziness is amplified by the epic runtime of the film, a somewhat necessary side effect to truly break the audience, there are nevertheless some plot elements that feel almost shoehorned in to create more conflict where it isn’t necessary. An argument later on in the film which acts to further divide the main group feels trivial when you take into account the events that they have seen and at a certain point the argument of “let’s embrace the local culture” should go out the window when the body count starts rising. These issues fall away though because of how good a job Aster does in getting you invested in the central mystery, and regardless of how you feel about the ending, the ride to it is engrossing and tense.

Without a doubt the strongest part of Midsommar lies in the lead performance of Florence Pugh as the damaged Dani. From the outset she’s put up against terrible circumstances and her mental state is fragile before she even arrives in Sweden. Pugh plays the character’s struggle to find support brilliantly, with a desperate desire to keep hold of Christian regardless of the way he treats her morphing into realisation and a search for acceptance elsewhere. Pugh is always up to the tasks given to her by the script – whether it’s shock at the events happening around her or exhaustion from the mental strain of resisting the cult she finds herself encircled by and the haunting events from her past constantly creeping their way into her brain. Surrounding her is a solid supporting cast, made up of both American and Swedish actors who all work brilliantly to assist Dani’s descent into madness. Jack Reynor plays the boyfriend archetype on multiple levels; Christian is acutely aware the way he is treating Dani is wrong and yet he persists, and the interactions with his friends highlight just how self-centered the character is, ultimately leading to some pretty shocking events in the final act. Reynor is tasked with quite a bit of physical acting towards the conclusion – things that would be difficult for a veteran actor to deal with – and he pulls it off wonderfully, really selling the fall of Christian. Rounding out the group is Will Poulter who brings a surprising amount of comedy to the proceedings, serving to defuse some of the ever building tension, and Vilhelm Blomgren as Pelle, a character who’s motives you’re never quite sure about, who acts almost as the narrator, guiding our characters through the festivities and the horrors they face.

Midsommar is another triumph for Ari Aster, who continues to prove himself a master of tense, atmospheric horror. Whilst falling slightly short of Hereditary in terms of its story and scares, it is nevertheless a creepy, intriguing mystery anchored by a haunting lead performance from Florence Pugh. The depth to the story and the sheer number of small details and easter eggs warrant many repeat viewings, made all the more easier by the level of craftsmanship on display visually. If Aster wants to keep making cult horror films for years to come you’ll be hard pressed to find someone with a single complaint, but with talent like this it won’t be long before he’s swinging in the majors and I can’t wait to see what kind of spine tingling carnage the man can deliver with a studio budget behind him.

Midsommarstars Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper and Vilhelm Blomgren – In cinemas now.

Tags A24, Ari Aster, Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Midsommar, Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper

Movie Reviews

Hobbs & Shaw

Post author By Tydus
Post date August 10, 2019

Does anyone remember the original The Fast and the Furious all those years ago? The tale of an undercover cop infiltrating a street racing ring on the coast of California was a fresh and exciting bit of action that went on to be a huge hit. It gave the people what they wanted at the time, featuring a cast of rough yet likeable outsiders, neon-lit Japanese cars and a decent sprinkling of action here and there to keep things interesting. I start here as it’s easy to forget those early days with how far the series has come since, as the franchise now pumps out some of cinema’s biggest action blockbusters with no end in sight. Following the record-breaking 8th instalment, Fast & Furious has just delivered its first-ever spinoff with Hobbs & Shaw, aiming to give the series a chance to experiment and shake up the formula after almost 20 years. I can tell you that, while what we’ve received is certainly different from what we’ve all come to expect from the franchise, it’s still the same charged-up adrenaline shot at its core – only a whole lot more furious.

This outing sees Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham reprise their respective roles as the hulking American Diplomatic Security operative Luke Hobbs and ex-villainous British black-ops agent Deckard Shaw, with the two taking centre stage here for the first time. Hobbs has become a series regular since entering the scene in Fast 5, and Johnson has no problem in moving his character up into lead position. His spot as one of the headliners also shifts the tone of Hobbs & Shaw from what we’d usually get from a Fast & Furious movie, with the comedy and laughs constantly flowing. Not one to shy away from the spotlight himself, Shaw completes the titular duo with Statham bringing his trademark clean-cut British bruiser style to the role in spades. Shaw gets far more screentime than what he’s been given in the series before, fitting into the action perfectly like one of his own finely tailored suits. Despite their differences, the two have a decent amount of chemistry – at least enough to carry an action movie through its paces. While at times seeming like a drawn-out contest to prove who’s top dog, their relationship develops and alters over the course of their wild and explosive ride.

Centre to their mission is the film’s third lead, Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby). As her name suggests, Hattie is the younger sister of Deckard, and she’s found herself dead in the sights of a high-tech underground cell, who are (of course) out looking to end the world in some way or another. Kirby does very well with the role, not afraid to jump into the action at a moment’s notice to prove she’s more than just a token damsel in distress. She helps keep her counterparts grounded and in check, with her relationship between both male leads giving all three heroes a clear purpose and goal. Rounding out the film’s big names is Idris Elba, who plays the cybernetic supersoldier and self-titled “bad guy” Brixton Lore. Elba gives the role his best, but he’s been given some pretty average dialogue and limited time on screen, both of which work to restrict what could have otherwise been a pretty interesting villain. Brixton’s sci-fi, almost cyborg enhancements and abilities also highlight that the spinoff entry isn’t afraid to take the Fast and Furious series down new and unexplored roads.

On that note, you’ll find that this entry isn’t particularly big on its cars, at least compared to the role they’ve played throughout the franchise’s history. There’s not a single epic drag race to be seen, and there’s really only one noteworthy ride on show throughout the entire movie. Instead, Hobbs & Shaw goes hard on the laughs, sliding at least a hint of comedy into almost all of its scenes. Even tense and serious moments are generally undercut with some scathing banter between friend and foe alike – plus there’s several one-liners and a few big name cameos sprinkled throughout purely to get the audience going. It all works to the film’s credit, and it helps to remind us that it’s not taking itself too seriously. This sort of self-awareness certainly doesn’t hurt it either, as the action scenes in this movie are straight-up outrageous. You’ll be rolling your eyes as our heroes leap from skyscrapers, launch vehicles through walls and pull helicopters from the sky – but you’ll do it with a laugh. Hobbs & Shaw is absolutely bonkers, and it knows it.

You’ll have a great time if you don’t think too hard about how all the on-screen action is possible, otherwise the fully stacked two and a half hour run can start to come apart. There’s quite a few scenes and plot decisions that make very little sense other than to move us along to the next adrenaline rush, with special mention given to the final third of the movie where any remaining believability is quickly cast away. The camera work and effects keep up pretty well for the most part – especially when crafting the bedlam on screen – however there are a few rough patches where it’s fairly clear that our heroes aren’t as deep in the action as the cameras would like us to believe. Though with all this being said, it still reads like the summary of any other big action blockbuster – and it’ll be just as successful as most. No one is going into this kind of film expecting sweeping, dramatic performances or drawn out emotional scenes. We roll in to switch off and see some action heroes wreck fast cars, knock some heads together and generally get around blowing things up. If Hobbs & Shaw wants to deliver all this to us with a bunch of laughs on the side, we’re hardly going to turn them down.

A bunch of fun for those who know what they’re getting into, Hobbs & Shaw is definitely one of the biggest action movies to arrive this year. While not quite reaching the same level of polish and heart of some of the earlier entries into the series, the spinoff’s fresh cast and comedic approach help it to carve out its own successful piece of the franchise. It certainly won’t do anything to convert those not already faithful – but if you find yourself looking for an outrageous, globetrotting action joyride, then buckle up and let Hobbs & Shaw show you how it’s done.

Hobbs & Shaw stars Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby, Idris Elba, Eiza González and Helen Mirren – In cinemas now.

Tags Dwayne Johnson, Fast & Furious, Hobbs & Shaw, Idris Elba, Jason Statham, The Rock, Universal Pictures, Vanessa Kirby

Movie Reviews

The Lion King (2019)

Post author By Mark
Post date July 19, 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.

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.

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.

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.

Tags Beyoncé, Billy Eichner, Disney, Donald Glover, Eric André, James Earl Jones, John Oliver, Jon Favreau, Seth Rogen, The Lion King

Movie Reviews

Crawl

Post author By Mark
Post date July 16, 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.

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.

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.

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

Tags Alexandre Aja, Barry Pepper, Crawl, Kayla Scodelario, Paramount

Movie Reviews

Annabelle Comes Home

Post author By Mark
Post date July 3, 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.

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.

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.

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

Tags Annabelle, Annabelle Comes Home, Conjuring, Madison Iseman, McKenna Grace, Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga

Movie Reviews

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Post author By Mark
Post date July 2, 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.

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.

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.

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.

Tags Jacob Batalon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jon Watts, Marisa Tomei, Marvel, Samuel L. Jackson, Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tom Holland, Zendaya

Movie Reviews

Child’s Play (2019)

Post author By Mark
Post date June 28, 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).

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.

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.

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

Tags Aubrey Plaza, Bryan Tyree Henry, Child's Play, Chucky, Gabriel Bateman, Mark Hamill

Movie Reviews

Toy Story 4

Post author By Mark
Post date June 23, 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.

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.

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.

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.

Tags Disney, Pixar, Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Toy Story, Toy Story 4