Movies of Summer 2010!

Howdie all. Sorry for my absence over the past couple of months but this summer has been pretty hectic and I’ve not had a great deal of time to write. Any way, to get back into the swing of things I thought I’d just write a post about movies I’ve seen this summer and a short summary of what I thought of each. I just don’t have enough time to write out a full review for each!

Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 follows on from the first Iron Man film. It’s a good, fun watch. The action scenes are great, but the film could do with a few more of them.
Final Score – 7/10

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
If you go into this film expecting it to be anything like the game you will be disappointed. The action scenes are much more toned down, and the story is completely different. A problem with the film I found was that some scenes were just too fast to watch and were a blur to me. Final Score – 5/10

Get Him to the Greek
This film is a fantastic comedy that had me laughing throughout. Russell Brand and Jonah Hill are fantastic in it, and pair together well.
Final Score – 8/10

Kick-Ass
A fantastic action-comedy film which never loses your attention at any moment. The story is great, it is action packed, and it provides laughs on the way too. What more could you want from a film? Final Score – 10/10

Toy Story 3
Great 3rd instalment from the fantastic Pixar and Disney franchise. This film is much better than the 2nd. Adult or child, it is a must watch. It will make you laugh, and it will make you cry.
Final Score – 9/10

Grown Ups
Funny, but not one of Sandler’s best. It will not be in his classic collection. That said, it’s fun for all ages, has a great cast and good storyline, and is worth watching.
Final Score – 6/10

Dinner For Schmucks
Steve Carell is amazing and by far makes this movie. A great laugh throughout and definatly one of the best comedy movies of the summer.
Final Score – 8/10

Salt
CIA Spy-Thriller which provides an unending collection of twists. Action scenes are entertaining, and story isn’t bad, though predictable in places.
Final Score – 6/10

The Other Guys
Classic Ferrell moments. That’s how I best describe this film. Some scenes are just hilarious. Though the story is a bit bland, it’s worth seeing just for Ferrell’s reactions and lines. It’s no Anchorman though.
Final Score – 7/10

Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Gamers will love this film. With it’s Zelda, Mario, Guitar Hero and other game cameos, it can provide some laughs if you know what the jokes are about. The action and CGI are good. Well worth a watch.
Final Score – 8/10

Inception
Easily the best film of the summer. It leaves you on the edge of your seat throughout. Though the start may seem a little slow, it soon builds into an amazing event and this film simply cannot be missed. Leo and the cast are fantastic, the CGI is amazing, and when the closing credits appear, you will be sat in awe.
Final Score – 10/10

Movie Review: Predators

Predators is a sequel to the films Predator (1987) and Predator 2 (1990). The basic plot to the film involves a mercenary, Royce (Adrien Brody) being dropped into an unknown jungle with a bunch of other heavily armed individuals (a drug lord, a Spetsnazsoldier, a death row inmate, an RUF officer and a Yakuza assassin). Though called predators in their homelands, in the jungle the hunters become the hunted as they are tracked down one-by-one by unknown creatures; Predators. The soon find they are not the only things being hunted, and that they will have to group together if they want to survive.

The movie is filmed in a fairly 90′s way. You can tell it is trying to be like the original film. The music, shots and effects show this. One thing to note from this movie is that the CGI really isn’t great, I really couldn’t decide whether this was on purpose though. A few times the CGI was great, but at one part it was awful. I won’t say which, I’ll just say it was during an explosion. I couldn’t quite understand what they were trying to do with the special effects. It needed to be a lot more consistent. Another disappointment was the way that classic scenes from the original were taken and wrecked. The best example of this I can use is the mud scene where Arnie covers himself in it to hide his heat from the Predator. It is redone in this film but in a terrible way. It just didn’t have the same effect.

Another problem with the film is that some of the character acting/casting didn’t work (with the exception of Lawrence Fishburne who played his character great). Adrien Brody just didn’t fit as a mercenary! As for the other character, I didn’t feel the emotions that they would feel in the situations they were in. The fact this film is classified as a horror is actually a bit of a joke. Not once did I jump or even flinch, which you usually find me doing during horrors. The tension just didn’t exist.

With the negatives out the way, the film had plenty of action. Though a bit slow at the beginning it soon builds up to become pretty much action packed. Another positive is that the story isn’t too bad. It’s original. I enjoyed it. The new creatures are well designed, as is the environment. If you are a fan of gore as well there is a little bit, but not a great deal. Though I have slated a lot of the visuals above, there was one moment where I went ‘Wow’. I can’t say what it is, but you will know it when you see it.

This film is at best average. If you are a fan of the first two films then this one might interest you. It’s not that it’s a bad film, it just isn’t as good as the originals.

Final Score – 5/10

Movie Review: Robin Hood

Russel Crowe and Ridley Scott are back with a new take on an old tale. Robin Hood takes on the old lengend in a new way. The film is actually a prequel to most of the fables about Robin Hood, and follows his journey as he returned from Richard I’s Crusade.  Let me say this now, the film is no Gladiator. That’s a high mark to hit, I never expected it to hit it, and it didn’t. That said, the story is very good, and I did enjoy the prequel idea. It’s a part of the Robin Hood story I didn’t know anything about.

Crowe puts on a good performance, and his accent isn’t half bad. In fact, most of the acting was fairly good. The likes of Mark Strong (Godfrey) and Cate Blanchett (Maid Marion) fit their roles perfectly. The setting of scenes in the countryside is also great. It really shows off the beauty of the land. Costumes are fantastic, and another thing I admired was the Tower of London. It looked very authentic with the Thames and it’s surroundings looking as it would have in the 1100′s.

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Where the film falls down on is it’s action. Sure, when there is some it is great. But that’s just it, there isn’t enough of it! I wanted more! I was sat in the cinema about halfway through the film getting very bored simply because nothing of interest was happening. Another thing was that there was absolutely no sense of tension in the film. I never felt any feelings towards Robin’s foes or friends. And when battles were about to occur, they felt very underwhelming and even to an extent, under-hyped.

I had high hopes for Robin Hood, but for me it didn’t deliver what I expected. It’s not that it’s a bad film, it’s just that there have already been a lot better films released this year. That said, if you like the tales of Robin Hood and are intrigued I would recommend watching it. One thing I would say about the film is that they should have made it to be rated 15, and not 12A. The history in the film is not going to be understood by 12 year olds. To make the movie more appealing they could have added more blood, made it a bit darker and bumped it up to a 15. Just a suggestion.

Final Score – 6/10

Movie Review: Edge of Darkness

Mel Gibson returns from a 7 year movie absence with a remake of the thriller, Edge of Darkness.

The basic synopsis involves Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson), a homicide detective, tracking down the murderer of his 24-year-old daughter. When he uncovers more and more about the case however, he discovers it leads to a secret life and corporate collusion with government-sanctioned murder.

The movie has one thing a thriller needs to have, the abilty to keep the audience on the edge of their seats throughout.  I was always wary of something happening, but you never knew when. When it did happen, every time I jumped out of my seat. The action scenes were fantastic and cleverly thought through, though few in number. Though you could say a lot of the film was quite slow moving, the ending was brilliant. Mel Gibson was on form and fit the role of a bad-ass cop with nothing to lose perfectly. Great performances were also put in from Ray Winstone and Caterina Scorsone.  The story wasn’t something that had never been seen before, but nevertheless I loved it. It seemed like it was transfered to the viewer in a different way to other thrillers. One of the reasons for this was the filming. It was good and helped create the dark atmosphere Craven was living in. There wasn’t really much of a soundtrack, not that it was needed.

I highly recommend the Edge of Darkness and would say it’s the best watch out of all the films in the cinema at the moment, especially if you are into your thrillers. It’s not going to win a great deal of awards, nor be one of my films of the year, but it still a decent film worthy of critical respect.

Final Score – 7/10

Movie Review: The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli follows the story of a Eli (Denzel Washington), a man with a divine intervention to travel east through post-apocalyptic America and protect his book at all costs, facing challenges from raiders and hostile animals. Along the way he  encounters a man called Carnagie (Gary Oldman),  an overseer of a ramshackle town. Carnagie dreams of building and controlling more of these towns, but the only way he sees it possible is by using the book. And so a hunt begins. This is basically the plot to the film.

The Book of Eli is fantastic. The filming is so breathtaking, it makes you feel like you are in this decrepit world. The environment and landscape is so real, yet it’s not. The action scenes are brilliant. It’s not overly gory, but just the way it is portrayed sent shivers down my spine. The story is great, and has many twists to keep the watcher involved. Many may send the ending is ‘cheesy’, I personally don’t agree. A lot of thought has gone into the script. There are humorous moments which made me laugh. There are serious moments which puts you on the edge. As well as this there are many hidden messages in the film. In fact, I think I would have to go and see it again to pick these up. The action gets a bit slow towards the middle, but it doesn’t matter as there are some amazing fight scenes. (I mean look at great films such as the Matrix. Action at the start and end, middle is just mostly chatter). The acting was great. Denzel Washington was perfect for the roll. Gary Oldman was very slimy and played a great character. Even Mila Kunis (Solara) put in a good performance. The soundtrack was awesome too! In fact, as soon as I came out the movie I went and downloaded a lot of the songs off it. They really fit the world and story.

The Book of Eli is a really fantastic film, and for me, easily on par with Avatar. From just watching the opening scene I knew the film was going to be great. I highly recommend watching it.

Final Score – 9/10

Movie Review: Avatar 3D

James Cameron has been absent from film making for 10 years, but this winter came one of the most anticipated films of all time. Avatar is set in the future on a planet called Pandora where humans are trying to collect a valuable resource called Unobtainium. However, the blue skinned natives of the planet, the Na’vi, are not welcoming their presence. Ironic I know. In order to try combat this, the humans have created ‘avatars’ which are remotely controlled. They send these in to improve relationships with the Na’vi. However, war hungry army generals are not fond of the plans, and tensions soon rise. The main character, Jake, is left with an important decision, side with the Na’vi, or with the humans?

Neytiri - A Na'vi

The film is very extensive. A whole ecosystem has been developed on the planet. New, creative plants and creatures are beautiful. The tribal traditions of the Navi fit to the plot extremely well. Even human transports and gunships are well designed and offer something new. The CGI is nothing short of stunning. Pretty much the whole movie consists of it, and it is some of the greatest I have ever seen. The best by far has to be the environment. Floating mountains in the sky are something I only ever thought I would see in video games. I could put a hundred pictures of Pandora on this review and it still would not do it justice. It is something you need to see to believe.

The storyline is predictable. In fact, I guessed the ending from about 45 minutes in, but in all honesty it doesn’t matter. Yes the story is key to a film, and it isn’t bad, but I was just so immersed within the world and its surroundings that I really didn’t care that much.  It’s almost as though it’s too good. That said, you are plunged right into the harshness of Pandora within the first fifteen minutes. You see just how deadly every single creature is. Cameron does a lot to evoke interaction with Mother Nature and humanity, the key being the Na’vi. It’s a story of discovery, love and instinct for Jake Sully. The soundtrack was brilliant and emphasised these feelings within the film.

Jake Sully's Avatar

Avatar is my film of 2009. It’s CGI is some of the best I have ever seen. The world is magical, and takes you to a place you have never been before. I highly recommend seeing it in 3D before it leaves the cinemas. The whole experience was fantastic, bravo James Cameron.

Final Score – 9/10

Movie Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon

I was not a huge fan of the first Twilight, in fact I have only seen it a few times. I have also never read any of the books. However, I had been anticipating the second film in the series, New Moon, since teaser trailers began popping up back in July. I went into the film optimistic. I’m not someone who goes in thinking it won’t be my type of movie, because I like all types.

The movie is so stereotypically aimed at the teenage girl audience it is unbelievable. At every possible moment, Jacob or Edward have their t-shirts off. In fact, as a guy sat in there I kind of felt like I wasn’t allowed. Just the fact that there was pretty much nothing to keep me entertained. Everything was aimed at girls. This was a real shame. The love story, which the film is based upon, seems really fake. Characters pop up all the time that you think might be important, but after two minutes they are never seen again. Sometimes the camera can be in odd places as well. Surely these are basic things I should not be thinking about?

The film is very slow. Not a lot happens in it, and when it does the build up is too long. Another problem is that because of the poorly designed trailers, I knew exactly what was going to happen in the movie! All they key moments were shown. SPOILER ALERT! – In my opinion, they should not have shown Jacob becoming a werewolf, and Edward wanting to kill himself after believing Bella was dead. It really ruined the experience. When reading the book, you are not told these things before you get to them, so why show them in trailers for the film and then offer few other events to excite the audience? The CGI in the film is nothing special. In fact, I would say it was quite poor for such a big budget film. Though the animation for the vampires was all right, the werewolves looked shoddy and unrealistic. Their movement just didn’t look right.

There are a few positives to take from the movie, and I mean a few. There is no doubt that this film is perfect for the teenage girl audience. Judging by the gasps and screams I heard from them in the cinema, they enjoyed it. The acting is not terrible. Sure it can be improved in many areas but it is nothing drastic. The soundtrack is not bad either, and most of the time it fitted the scene and atmosphere well. There was also one scene that I really liked involving werewolves chasing a vampire through a wood. It was filmed and animated perfectly.

To finish, if you are a fan of the series, then no doubt you will love this film. If not, don’t expect much from it. That’s the problem that I have. I expected much but was given little. I am really surprised that it is the second highest grossing film on its opening weekend in history, (first being the Dark Knight), since it has such a small target audience!

Final Score – 6/10

Movie Review: Up 3D

I have admired Pixar’s work since I was a child… Toy Story was the first animated film I saw, and it is my favourite. Reading several people’s thoughts it was obvious before I went into the cinema that there was a lot to expect from Up, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

The story has been very cleverly made. It has very in depth topics for adults, yet it still has the humour needed for kids. The 3D was very well produced and used in appropriate places. I didn’t feel there was  a lack or over use of it. The storyline is entertaining, and there are some very funny moments.  The animation is amazing, you can’t really expect anything else from Pixar, and even though there were few famous actors, the voice acting was good.

One of the things I did find with the film is that it took a bit to get into. There is no doubt that the first 15 minutes was needed in order to understand the emotions of the old man (Mr Fredricksen), but I wouldn’t call it exactly…. enthralling.

No matter what age you are, I would advise you to watch this light-hearted, funny and slightly emotional film.  It’s easily worth the £5-6 and one and a half hours it costs.

Final Score – 9/10