Tag: Tom Holland

Uncharted

Post author By Mark
Post date February 25, 2022

An adaptation of Sony’s über popular Uncharted video-game franchise has been in the works since 2008. Since then we’ve had 4 main instalments, several spin-offs and a decade for original Nathan Drake actor Mark Wahlberg to completely age out of the role and step into the shoes of Drake’s mentor Sully. That’s a lot of pressure to throw on a film and expectations were understandably low as the film limped towards release after even more COVID-induced delays. I’m happy to report that Uncharted is a surprisingly fun, boisterous adventure that more often than not does right by its source material. Shoddy writing and some comically underwritten characters may dampen the experience, and it is hard to ignore the film’s obvious borrowings from other (better) action franchises, but if you can put those negatives out of your mind then you’ll likely wind up having a lot of fun with Drake and Sully.

Having been separated from his brother Sam (Rudy Pankow) as a child, Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) lives in his shadow, getting by as a bartender and pickpocket and yearning for the day his brother will finally reappear. When an apparent friend of Sam’s, Victor Sully (Wahlberg), offers Drake the chance to reunite with his brother if he helps him locate the fabled treasure of Ferdinand Magellan – a childhood dream of Sam and Nathan’s – Drake jumps at the chance, signing up for a mission to steal a relic believed to hold the secret to the location of the treasure. The pair soon learn, however, that they are not the only ones after Magellan’s treasure, with the ruthless and wealthy Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) and former friend of Sully’s Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali) hot on their heels.

The success of the Uncharted games came from their clever reworking of the tropes of adventure classics like Indiana Jones into globe-trotting epics that allowed the player to step into the hero’s shoes and control the outcome. By turning the series back to a cinematic medium, you inevitably lose that interactivity, leaving what amounts to a hodgepodge of different action films from Indy to National Treasure and Pirates of the Caribbean. That might sound unoriginal – and it is – but the combination is surprisingly effective. It isn’t often that we get a modern treasure hunting blockbuster and despite some clichéd over-the-top set-pieces (others are genuinely brilliant), Uncharted scratches that itch, doing none of those franchises better than them but together forming something strangely unique and enjoyable in its simplicity – just turn your brain off and enjoy.

A lot of the enjoyment from the film admittedly stems from Tom Holland. Coming off the back of Spider-Man: No Way Home – one of the biggest films in history – it is no surprise that Holland can carry a film of this scale with ease, portraying a slightly less intelligent but no less cocky and charming version of Drake than his video-game counterpart. It’s impossible to form the same kind of connection to Holland’s character from one film as opposed to spending 20 plus hours in a game with the character but the clever tweaks to the film’s story – borrowing pieces from different games rather than a straight adaptation of any one in particular – and seeing the beginnings of the bickering banter between Drake and Sully form sets the film apart from the games and carves out a niche for this interpretation of Nathan Drake.

For his part Mark Wahlberg is simply himself, bringing none of the mannerisms of the Sully from the games and relying on his usual endearingly combative schtick that was so successful in films like The Other Guys and Daddy’s Home. The chemistry with Holland is there at times, particularly when the duo first meet, but there is certainly room for improvement in the inevitable sequel in so far as defining the relationship between the pair. Antonio Banderas is woefully underused as a villain, rattling off his vaguely menacing lines in a vaguely menacing voice in the few scenes he is given, while Sophia Ali’s constantly shifting accent is a painful distraction from her constantly shifting allegiances as mistrusting fellow treasure hunter Chloe.

Uncharted isn’t the saving grace for video-game adaptations nor is it the new pinnacle of the action-adventure genre but it is effective in its judicial borrowing from all of the best action-adventure films, forming something familiar but always entertaining. Holland is surprisingly great as Nathan Drake, making the role his own rather than moulding himself to fit the character from the games and brings his usual charisma and physicality to every scene. The rest of the cast might not be able to keep up with him and the action becomes big blockbuster noise at times but, considering what could have been, there’s a lot more treasure in Uncharted than the map to it would have you believe.

Uncharted stars Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle, Steven Waddington, Rudy Pankow, Tiernan Jones & Antonio Banderas – In cinemas now.

7/10

Tags Antonio Banderas, Mark Wahlberg, Ruben Fleischer, Rudy Pankow, Sophia Ali, Steven Waddington, Tati Gabrielle, Tom Holland, Uncharted

Movie Reviews

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Post author By Mark
Post date December 20, 2021

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and no, we’re not talking about Christmas, we’re talking about the new Spider-Man film No Way Home! Quite possibly one of the most hyped films in MCU history, there was a lot riding on Tom Holland’s latest outing as the web-slinger and sufficed to say No Way Home lives up to all these expectations and then some; a more mature chapter in Peter Parker’s story that feels like an appropriate culmination of everything Holland has gone through and a celebration of the character’s rich on-screen history. Despite the all-star lineup of the web-head’s greatest foes, director Jon Watts never lets the story slip away from Peter, telling a quintessentially Spider-Man story that perfectly straddles the line between huge, explosive action and the everyday struggles of the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

Peter Parker’s (Holland) life is in a shambles after Mysterio unceremoniously ousts his identity as Spider-Man to the world at the end of Far From Home, prompting the young Avenger to turn to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in an effort to erase the world’s knowledge of this fact and restore some semblance of normality to the lives of Peter and those closest to him. When this inevitably goes awry, Strange and Parker unwittingly fracture the multiverse, causing villains from all manner of non-Disney owned, Sony produced Spider-Man films to tumble into the MCU, including Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Willem Dafoe’s (all-time great) Green Goblin. Now tasked with capturing these intruders before they can wreak havoc on his universe, Spider-Man is forced to contend with the full weight of his actions and the true responsibility of being a hero if he has any hope of saving the world once again.

Reassembling these characters from previous films may seem on its face an obvious case of fan service, but No Way Home consistently finds fresh angles to approach these characters without tarnishing their legacy; natural extensions of previous narratives or chances to redeem an ill-received prior outing rather than simply being well-known punching bags for Spidey to wail on. Jamie Foxx’s Electro for example has far more personality this time around, free from the shackles of his nerdy, awkward persona in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and now a laid-back, wise-cracking bad-ass; a far more appropriate character for Foxx to play and one that he excels at.

At the other end of the spectrum is Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, whose story wrapped up perfectly in Spider-Man 2. He certainly didn’t need more screen-time but what we get here is a fantastically fun and fascinating furthering of the character audiences know and love, with Molina hamming it up in the best way possible as the medically grumpy fish-out-of-water scientist turned supervillain. Those big, bombastic action sequences are all well and good but it’s the quieter moments that really justify Doc Ock’s return; a tortured soul desperate for a reprieve from the voices in his head and, like Peter, a return to the somewhat normal.

However it’s Willem Dafoe who cements his place as the greatest on-screen Spidey villain, slipping back into Green Goblin almost 20 years later and making it look completely effortless. On an acting level alone it’s fascinating to watch Dafoe contort his face and switch between the two personalities at war within Norman Osborn’s head on a dime; his voice dropping to a menacing growl as a sneer spreads across his face. But it’s the energy of pure, chaotic evil that he brings to the MCU that makes him Holland’s fiercest foe to date, wanting nothing more than to make Spider-Man suffer and relishing every second of pain he puts him through. Screenwriters Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna do a great job ensuring they aren’t just trading on audience goodwill, building on the foundation of Norman’s lust for power established in 2002’s Spider-Man and taking it to the logical next step as he covets an entirely new universe to subject to his will.

In a film this crowded it might be easy for Holland’s Spider-Man to play second fiddle but – despite all the colossal world expansion and inevitable sequel set-up – No Way Home very much feels like the next chapter of Peter Parker’s story. With that comes an almost perfect balance between the small-scale problems that define a good Spider-Man story – girl troubles, college admissions and otherwise balancing the mundane with the extraordinary – alongside the huge, multiverse-ending stakes. This is still a young boy coming to terms with his responsibilities as a hero and the stakes of not committing fully to either of the lives he is attempting to live have never been felt more than they are here. Cumberbatch is an excellent and intriguing choice to shepherd Peter into that next phase of his journey, not as paternal as Iron Man and certainly not as nefarious as Mysterio, Doctor Strange doesn’t shy away from delivering hard truths, a necessary push that makes for some incredibly satisfying moments when the going gets tough.

No matter how crazy the plot may get we are always locked into Peter and how he approaches this latest challenge, particularly how it affects those close to him and his sweet relationship with MJ (Zendaya), who finally comes into her own as a central protagonist rather than a quirky side-character. This being an MCU film, things never get too dour (perhaps to some viewers chagrin) and the jokes fly thick and fast, with Jacob Batalon’s Ned stealing every scene he is in with absolutely pitch perfect comedic timing, never failing to have the audience guffawing at even the most juvenile of jokes. But this is Holland’s film and it is the best he has ever been in the role, due in large part to the amount of emotionally heavy material thrown at him in the script; we feel the desperation in Peter’s actions and the weight of what he must do to correct the mistakes he has made. No spoilers here but it warrants mentioning that – following a third act that ranks up there with Avengers: Endgame in terms of sheer wish-fulfilment awesomeness – the ending is one of the most cathartic, triumphant conclusions in all of the MCU; a perfect jumping off point should they (most probably) continue to further Spider-Man’s story but also an incredibly satisfying conclusion should this truly be the end, something neither of the other actors who have played the wall crawler can claim to have had.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is easily the best of Jon Watt’s trilogy and perhaps more impressively one of, if not the best Spider-Man film ever. The culmination of Peter Parker’s story as a young, inexperienced web-slinger is a rollicking rollercoaster of fun and action sure, but one that manages to pack big stakes and crushing emotional weight onto Holland’s shoulders that he handles beautifully. The returning villains are all an absolute blast to spend time with again, the surprises we can’t spoil will have audiences in a fervour and the supporting players are all genuinely excellent in the way they impact Peter’s journey from boy to Spider-Man. Don’t let the title fool you, with this film Tom Holland proves definitively that he is absolutely at home as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, J.K. Simmons, Jon Favreau, Tony Revolori & Benedict Wong – In cinemas now.

10/10

Tags Alfred Molina, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, J.K. Simmons, Jacob Batalon, Jamie Foxx, Jon Favreau, Jon Watts, Marisa Tomei, Marvel, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland, Willem Dafoe, Zendaya

Movie Reviews

Cherry

Post author By Mark
Post date March 20, 2021

After crafting the biggest movie of all time you could be forgiven for resting on your laurels for a while. Not so for Joe and Anthony Russo – directors of monster Marvel hits Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame – who dove headfirst into an epic of a different sort with the Tom Holland starring Cherry. A sprawling, multiple year spanning odyssey of one man’s journey through a seemingly normal adolescence in Cleveland through to a PTSD-inducing stint in the army and a subsequent life of crime and crippling addiction, Cherry may be framed as a dissection of the opioid addiction crisis rampant in America, but it is as much a love story between two people who are simultaneously so right and so wrong for each other. The leading duo of Tom Holland and Ciara Bravo are phenomenal, but the Russo’s throw every cinematic trick in the book at their first post-MCU outing, constantly threatening to derail the whole thing with a jarring and bizarre mixture of film techniques.

A drifter by nature Cherry (Holland) moves about his life in Cleveland without direction, passing through a string of dead-end jobs and finding himself infatuated with college classmate Emily (Bravo). A casual dabbling in drugs is just a taste of what is to come as Emily and Cherry’s relationship begins to turn serious and a fight one night prompts a drastic reaction from both parties, with Emily threatening to head to Canada and Cherry enlisting in the US army. Inexplicably drawn back to one another, the couple stick together throughout Cherry’s two-year stint in the army, dragged through the worst of the worst as a combat medic and suffering from severe PTSD on his return to the States. A prescription of OxyContin to treat his illness serves as the entry point for Cherry’s addiction, abusing the painkiller and hooking Emily before the couple turn to a life of heroin abuse. The junkie lifestyle proves unsustainable for the young lovers however and, desperate to pay off their debt to dealer Pills and Coke (Jack Reynor), Cherry turns to a life of crime to sustain them, robbing banks at gunpoint to feed the vicious cycle as his guilty conscious begins to creep up and eat away at him.

The relationship between Cherry and Emily is the centre of Cherry, the connective tissue that pulls you through the three distinct periods of this young man’s life. Those eras may fluctuate in quality and the style choices made by the Russos (we’ll get to those later) may draw your attention away at times but Holland and Bravo’s performances are simply phenomenal, fully investing you in this intense, toxic relationship between two people who could not be more wrong for each other but, like the drugs they inject by the boatload, can’t seem to kick. It’s easily Holland’s most ambitious performance to date, a far cry from the wholesome, boyish charm of Peter Parker and more akin to the darker side of his character in The Devil All the Time. Indeed it seems to have been a difficult role for the young actor – with multiple interviews covering the intense places he went to for the performance – but it pays off. The look of sheer terror in this young man’s eyes when his friend is blown apart in battle is harrowing to watch and the subsequent heart-shattering breakdown make you want to reach through the screen and give him a hug.

Spending the time to show a significant portion of Cherry’s military journey makes that eventual turn to drugs all the more debilitating for the audience. This kid has survived so much and come out on the other side but with a mental trauma that no one should ever experience, especially not a young 20-year-old in the prime of his life. His turn towards something that can numb his pain may be understandable to a degree but it is no less disheartening and watching the transformation of this wide-eyed, fresh-faced person with the world before him into a shell of a man, ravaged by drugs and mental disease is a hard thing to do, which is a testament to the strength of Holland’s performance. That performance doesn’t work nearly as well without the presence of Ciara Bravo’s Emily to balance it. In the younger years of their relationship, Emily makes some strong choices which ultimately impact the couple’s entire life, and Bravo wears the pain and stress of these decisions throughout the entire film; never forgiving herself for what she has caused Cherry and unable to bring herself to stop using the drugs that temporarily halt that pain. These two performances are so all encompassing that there is nary a supporting character in sight, with Jack Reynor’s clumsily named drug dealer and a handful of Cherry’s friends operating on the periphery, influencing the key couple’s relationship but never intruding on that bond. At the end of the day Cherry and Emily only have each other – and the Russo’s succeed in showing the strength of that love against all else.

Where they go wild however is in the construction of the film. Seemingly free from any shackles imposed on them during their Marvel days in keeping a distinct, grounded visual style across multiple films and franchises, the brothers throw every trick in the book at the screen to spice up a grounded drama that really requires no fancy trickery that takes away from the performances. That’s what these tricks ultimately do, distracting from Holland and Bravo constantly with awkward, gaudy colour grading during scenes of drug abuse; flooding the screen with an ugly grey sheen and popping colour in as a representation of the trip or turning the whole screen red during somewhat pretentious title card scenes, indicating new chapters in Cherry’s story. Awkward voiceover and fourth wall breaks from Holland dilute the potency of the performances in scenes that require no explanation of what is going (again a hallmark of The Devil All The Time) and perhaps the most jarring and unwarranted effect arrives during Cherry’s military experience: a complete aspect ratio change that reduces the widescreen format to a square box in the middle of the screen, a frankly bizarre choice that will have you checking your TV settings for an explanation. I questioned at times whether this over-stylisation of the film was an attempt at a Goodfellas-esque crime epic, but where that film glorified the violence and excess Cherry admonishes it, with all these awkwardly utilised techniques working against the very grounded story the Russo’s are trying to tell.

Cherry represents an awkward step away from the multi-billion dollar franchise that made the Russo brothers household names but a welcome willingness to keep working when they very well could have taken some much earned time off. While it may seem at times that the brothers are working against themselves, hampering the strength of their commentary on the opioid addiction crisis through over-the-top stylisation, the performances of Holland and Bravo and the central relationship between the pair win out, keeping you locked into a love story that is more interesting and emotionally engaging than the drug commentary. It isn’t the home run into prestige drama that many were expecting but it is an interesting change of pace for the Russo brothers, and an exciting prospect of what the future holds for these two incredibly talented filmmakers.

Cherry stars Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo, Forrest Goodluck, Jeff Wahlberg, Michael Rispoli & Jack Reynor – Streaming on Apple TV+ now.

Tags Anthony Russo, Apple TV+, Cherry, Ciara Bravo, Jack Reynor, Joe Russo, Tom Holland

Movie Reviews

Chaos Walking

Post author By Mark
Post date March 12, 2021

Some films have a rough time getting to the screen. Those notorious productions that were so troubled that just seeing the light of day seems like a win in itself. Chaos Walking is one of those films. With a script which underwent rewrites as far back as 2011 to initial filming taking place in 2017 and reshoots in 2019, it has taken a whopping 10 years for this adaptation of Patrick Ness’ young adult novel to see the light of day. Enter brilliant director Doug Liman of the supremely underrated Tom Cruise flick Edge of Tomorrow, and a phenomenal cast of Mads Mikkelsen and then-unknown, now household names Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland. Surely nothing can go wrong now? Unfortunately for Chaos Walking, almost nothing outside of its leads’ star power seems to work, with poor editing, downright annoying plot devices and shallow character development resigning it to the long list of failed young adult franchise starters based on popular books.

In a dystopian future on a far off planet cleverly named “New Earth”, Todd Hewitt (Holland) dreams of more from life than the small farm he shares with adoptive fathers Ben (Demián Bichir) and Cillian (Kurt Sutter) in the town of Prentiss, a curious place inhabited only by men who share a unique affliction: Noise. All the inner-most thoughts of the males on the planet are broadcast visually and audibly in a hazy, mist-like speech bubble directly above their heads, making it difficult for anyone to have even the smallest of secrets. Life is made even tougher for Todd when he discovers Viola (Ridley) on his property, last survivor of a crashed spacecraft on a mission to survey the planet for her colony of Earth survivors. When the town’s mayor Prentiss (Mikkelsen) gets wind of Viola’s existence, he sees it as an opportunity to finally leave the barren planet and hatches a plan to sabotage her message and hijack the spacecraft, pursuing the two young teens across the planet as Todd struggles to hide his innermost – and awkwardly projected – feelings for Viola.

Let’s take a look at the gimmick here that sets Chaos Walking slightly apart from the myriad of other YA novel adaptations these days: the Noise. The concept sounds interesting on paper, playing with the thoughts of its protagonist in a way that makes it inherently difficult to hide the one, huge secret in his life. It may work in the medium of a novel, with different streams of text separately identifiable as dialogue and the jumble of thoughts involuntarily projected. However when translated film, it comes off as extremely annoying and disorientating as you are met with a deluge of Tom Holland’s voice spouting dialogue as bad as automated side-character speech in a video-game. As annoying as this constant commentary is for Viola, it is doubly so for the viewer and Liman seems to realise this, ignoring the rules of his own world as Todd seems to be the only character whose thoughts are interminably broadcast. There is a big song and dance made about Mayor Prentiss being the only being powerful enough to have full control over his Noise yet almost everyone else in the town seems to be able to stop theirs from blurting out secrets at every turn, indeed some don’t ever seem to experience it at all.

There are attempts to give the film some shallow commentary on what it means to be a man, with Todd’s Noise constantly berating him to bottle up his feelings and thoughts and “be a man” but it never really goes beyond that. It’s nice to see a more non-traditional family structure in Todd and his two adoptive fathers but again the script never seems concerned to address this either. Instead it breezes through the traditional hero’s journey stereotype without ever trying to give the audience more. Holland and Ridley are both more than capable actors but fail to ignite with their chemistry. Ridley’s Viola is literally the only woman on the planet to this group of men but you wouldn’t know how she feels about that from her responses to the situations she is put in, and for a film so clearly interested in defining and breaking down gender stereotypes, it has infuriatingly little to offer. Holland’s character seems more attached to his dog than to the woman he is supposedly infatuated with, but at least that relationship offers some kind of an emotional kick, even if it does tug at the heartstrings with the cardinal sin of almost every action film involving a canine companion. Even the great Mads Mikkelsen can’t do much to save the film, playing the stereotypical villainous Mayor to menacingly cold effect. There simply isn’t much he can do with the role outside of what he does, with some third act character development so obvious from the get-go that it seems crass to make it into the big reveal that it is.

The troubled history of Chaos Walking may just be the most telling indicator of its faults, with poor Doug Liman and a talented cast forced to bear this undercooked, middling adaptation on their resumés. It may not be at the bottom of the pile of YA novels-turned-films but its boilerplate hero’s arc storyline and lack of character depth make it a generic, instantly forgettable affair. Thankfully we’ve seen Ridley, Holland and Mikkelsen go on to bigger and better things since filming what will hopefully never make any Noise again.

Chaos Walking stars Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Demián Bichir, Kurt Sutter, David Oyelowo, Cynthia Erivo, Nick Jonas & Mads Mikkelsen – In cinemas now.

Tags Chaos Walking, Daisy Ridley, Demián Bichir, Doug Liman, Mads Mikkelsen, Nick Jonas, Tom Holland

Movie Reviews

The Devil All the Time

Post author By Mark
Post date October 7, 2020

On paper the cast of Antonio Campos’ new film The Devil All the Time is a slam dunk. A who’s who of up and coming talent and recently established superstars alike featuring Spider-Man himself Tom Holland in the lead, surrounded by Robert Pattinson, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Haley Bennett, Eliza Scanlen and Bill Skarsgard. The ridiculousness of the cast is understandable when you realise it’s a Netflix production, who can’t resist splashing their cash around these days, yet it can’t be understated when the performances within are as good as they are here. Performances alone don’t make a film work however, and The Devil All the Time is a prime example of how elements of a novel don’t necessarily translate to the movies, undermining the excellent work of the cast by attempting to cram too much into an already complex film and relying on narration instead of its actors to tell the story.

Let’s start with the main character here, who oddly enough is never actually on screen: the narrator and author of the original book Donald Ray Pollock. It is barely an exaggeration to say that his voice is heard on-screen more than any of the actors, with his husky Southern drawl explaining just about every plot development in the film. Granted this is a fairly complex film with an ensemble of characters and various interweaving storylines, but if your story doesn’t work without the need to explain each and every scene, then maybe you should take another look at the screenplay. Explaining someone’s emotions right before the moment of death is never going to be as engaging as simply watching the actor express those emotions through their movements and facial expression and the narration puts the audience on the outside, never allowing for any interpretation of a scene because everything is unpacked and told directly to you. It’s a strange device that seems to show Pollock’s overprotectiveness over his work and distrust in the actors, made even more annoying by the fact that majority of the things he is describing are being portrayed excellently by the A-list cast.

Performance wise this is a masterclass in dramatic character acting, with every actor fully committing to their character and the embodiment of some sort of evil. The Devil All the Time is a story about truly horrific people. This is not an easy watch in any sense of the word but it is a fascinating one that digs into the depths of human depravity and the manipulation of others through social constructs like gender roles and religion. While it won’t be for everyone, those that stick it out will be rewarded with a rich exploration of the violence of the human condition. Tom Holland leads the ensemble as Arvin, the son of tormented and fervently religious World War II veteran Willard (Bill Skarsgard), whose traumatic upbringing has left him a hardened, good intentioned man with an unwanted penchant for violence. Arvin’s desire to protect those around him, particularly adopted sister Lenora (Eliza Scanlen), inadvertently puts him on a collision course with a host of despicable people including depraved pastor Preston Teagardin (Robert Pattinson), husband and wife serial killers Carl (Jason Clarke) and Sandy (Riley Keough) and Sandy’s corrupt lawman brother Deputy Lee Bodecker (Sebastian Stan).

Everyone in this West Virginian backwoods town is damaged and has been broken in some way by the world around them, giving Arvin’s character an almost anti-hero quality; he is not above these people but simply desires to leave this place and ensure those he loves are looked after. The violence is simply a bi-product of his desire to do good and Holland does an amazing job of portraying this internal struggle in Arvin. It may seem almost impossible to separate the young actor from his role as Spider-Man but Holland manages to shift your perspective, with his Southern drawl and calm and measured demeanour. It is a risky move on Holland’s part but one that definitely pays off and shows his outstanding range as one of Britain’s brightest young talents.

That inherent goodness cannot be applied to the other members of the cast however, with Robert Pattinson almost stealing the entire film as the mesmerising Pastor who has hoodwinked the town into worshipping him as their connection to God, all the while lying to them and wreaking havoc on young girls around town. He is a character you absolutely loathe and it is a testament to Pattinson’s performance that he draws this kind of emotional response from the audience. His monologue about people’s “delusions” leading them to sin is truly spellbinding and will have you glued to the screen as you realise how well this man can twist the townspeople into accepting his word as the truth.

As is the case with any film of this nature with multiple storylines, there are those that simply aren’t as engaging as the others. The serial killer storyline seems to plod along as a sidepiece with no real relevance, apart from an early interaction with a key player, ultimately falling flat and failing to carry as much impact as it should. By far the least interesting however, is that of Deputy Bodecker. Sebastian Stan is great in the role, transforming himself into the grimy overweight policeman in debt to the mob and working as an enforcer while he polices, but ultimately his storyline just does not really matter. His place in Arvin’s narrative is never really solidified and ultimately doesn’t carry the weight that the film thinks it does, leading to something of an anticlimactic finale that doesn’t quite reach the dramatic highs that have come before.

The Devil All the Time is one of the most bold and risky films that Netflix has put out; a dark and violent exploration of the depravity that the human condition can extend to. While its subject matter certainly won’t appeal to a broad audience and the constant narration can be incredibly annoying, the excellence of the A-list cast’s performances cannot be overstated, with Holland and Pattinson in particular delivering awards worthy turns. This isn’t a casual watch by any means but if you find yourself in the mood for a good drama and something that will make you think then give The Devil All the Time a chance. I haven’t stopped thinking about it for almost a month and the more I do the more I am convinced that this is one of the best films of 2020.

The Devil All the Time stars Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Eliza Scanlen, Haley Bennett, Mia Wasikowska, Harry Melling, Donald Ray Pollock and Bill Skarsgard – Streaming on Netflix now.

Tags Bill Skarsgård, Eliza Scanlen, Haley Bennett, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowska, Netflix, Riley Keough, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, The Devil All the Time, Tom Holland

Movie Reviews

Onward

Post author By Mark
Post date April 10, 2020

I get excited for a new Pixar movie. Almost everyone I know does. There’s something special about the studio that has created some of the best animated all movies of all time, something magic. Magic is certainly the name of the game with the studio’s latest release Onward – the story of two elf brothers living in a society where reality lives in harmony with fantasy, embarking on a cross-country road trip to retrieve a spell which can revive their father – and for the most part it succeeds, even if the story gets lost in some tropes and drags in the middle. Whilst it may not sit at the top of the pedestal of the studio’s releases, Pixar and director Dan Scanlon manage to bring enough heart and emotion to the story to carry you through the gorgeously animated environments. Combined with the terrific voice-work led by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, clever pop-culture riffing jokes and that Pixar charm, Onward is a film more than worth your time; a solid addition to the Pixar canon, even if you won’t see yourself going back to it as often as some of their other classics.

Onward tells the story of Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt), elf brothers who could not be more different in their personalities. Where Ian is shy and cautious in his approach to life, struggling to make friends and really stand out in his world, Barley is loud and bombastic, constantly getting into trouble as he crusades for the conservation of magical artefacts left over from ancient times, believing that magic could still be as prominent as it once was if people just believed again. On Ian’s 16th birthday, the boy’s mother Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) presents them with a gift from their father Wilden (Kyle Bornheimer), who died shortly before Ian was born: a magical staff from yesteryear. Powered by the Phoenix Gem Wilden has entrusted his sons, Ian discovers he has the ability to wield the staff, attempting to perform a spell of his father’s own design which will resurrect him for 24 hours to spend with his family. When Ian’s inexperience causes the spell to malfunction and the gem to shatter, the boy’s are left with a pair of sentient legs belonging to their father, and a quest to recover a long hidden Phoenix Gem in order to finish the spell and see their fully fleshed father.

A huge strength for Onward lies in the world building. Within the opening 10 minutes you have a complete understanding and appreciation for this extremely original concept: the melding of reality with fantasy. Trolls and Elves live in Mushroom houses on suburban streets, driving cars and playing video games just like the rest of us. Raccoons raiding garbage cans are replaced with rabid Unicorns and children attend school in a castle, learning everyday subjects like Maths and Sociology. It’s a clever device that adds a ton of charm to an otherwise fairly clichéd road trip buddy movie. You’ve seen the story enough to know that the boys will encounter troubles along the way and their relationship will be tested but you don’t care because everything around that story visually is just so delightful and jaw-dropping to look at. This extends to the jokes too, which for the most part, play off the unexpected, such as dangerous bikers in the form of 3 inch tall Pixies. One joke that doesn’t pay off so much however, is the character of Wilden, the boys father, or rather his legs, as he is seen as throughout the film. There’s something inherently stupid about seeing a pair of disembodied legs flailing around the place that elicits a giggle, but it gets old quickly for the older members of the audience, who admittedly, the film isn’t for, but Pixar adds enough jokes in for the adults to keep a smile on everyone’s faces.

The story is a different, more complicated beast. The central relationship between Ian and Barley is amazing, a true highlight that will leave you weeping openly in your seat in true Pixar fashion. Based on Dan Scanlon’s own family dynamic, there is a real focus on brotherly love and the lengths we go to as a family to stick together and that relationship works here in large part thanks to the casting of Pratt and Holland. The two Marvel superheroes have tremendous chemistry, really selling the brotherly bond and love between them, as well as the insecurities that go along with growing up without a father figure. As Ian struggles to find his path he looks up to his big brother, who is also struggling to move ahead without his father to guide him. Both actors deliver top notch performances, giving the story a lot of emotional weight and proving that their on-screen chops can easily translate to the animated space. This extends to the supporting cast too with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer turning in solid work as the boy’s mother and a fearsome restaurant owning Manticore respectively. While they are good in the film, the storyline they are given isn’t as high quality. Acting as a kind-of dull side quest to the boy’s mission, Laurel and the Manticore attempt to track the brothers to stop them from unleashing an ancient curse. There’s some good banter between the two and an attempt at fleshing out the mother’s devotion to her children but the storyline really just detracts more than it entertains, cutting away from the boys and causing the whole film to lose momentum as a result.

Onward isn’t a particularly original film for Pixar. It follows the studio’s tried and tested formula of encasing a familial bond within an engaging story and world and letting the lessons and emotion come organically. We’ve seen it done before with Woody and Buzz in Toy Story and Mike and Sully in Monsters Inc. and for good reason: it works. Whilst Onward doesn’t reach the levels of those films, what makes it stand on its own is the packaging of a realistic world merged with the fantastical. It is the film’s greatest strength outside of Pratt and Holland, disguising the shortcomings of the narrative with sheer charm and jaw-dropping visuals. When the time comes to hit the audience with emotional punches, Onward lands them, bringing the journey to a satisfying close and making you happy you stuck through the sometimes unevenly paced story. It’s a ride well worth taking and whilst the plot may fade from your memory, the emotions you felt and the Pixar magic never will.

Onward stars Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Octavia Spencer – Available to purchase digitally worldwide and streaming on Disney + in America now and in Australia on April 24.

Tags Chris Pratt, Disney, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Onward, Pixar, Tom Holland

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