Genre: Adventure

Inside Out (2015) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / 1 Comment

From the iconic animation studio Pixar, who brought-us animated classics, such as ‘Toy Story,’ ‘Monsters, Inc.,’ ‘Finding Nemo,’ ‘The Incredibles,’ and ‘Ratatouille,’ among many others, comes another emotional and beautifully animated adventure with some surprisingly deep concepts and ideas to boot. As, ‘Inside Out’ takes place nearly entirely inside the mind of a young girl, focusing on how her various emotions handle new and unexpected changes within her life.

Plot Summary: After young ‘Riley’ is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions; ‘Joy,’ ‘Sadness,’ ‘Fear,’ ‘Anger,’ and ‘Disgust,’ all being to conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school. But, after a freak accident causes ‘Joy’ and ‘Sadness’ to be flung from ‘Headquarters’ with ‘Riley’s ‘Core Memories,’ the two have to find their way back before it’s too late…

Even though ‘Inside Out’ usually streamlines many of its story’s concepts and themes to make them more understandable for children, the animated flick also never fails to remain both very imaginative and very colourful throughout its runtime. As, with the film’s story taking place within the mind of an eleven-year-old girl, ‘Inside Out’ doesn’t hold back from bringing to life the world within a child’s head, a world not confined by the barriers of logic and psychics. From ‘Imagination Land’ to ‘The Train of Thought,’ and ‘Long Term Memory,’ ‘Inside Out’ constantly explores plenty of amusing locations and is always building on its enchanting ideas.

Despite some characters not receiving quite as much screen-time as others, ‘Riley’s various emotions are portrayed superbly by Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, and Mindy Kaling, with Poehler and Smith as ‘Joy’ and ‘Sadness’ being the true stand outs of the cast, as their two characters bounce extremely well of each other due to the polarity of their friendship, which also makes for plenty of humorous moments. Richard Kind also makes an appearance within the film as ‘Bing Bong,’ ‘Riley’s imaginary friend from when she was younger, who in many ways is the true heart of the film, as alongside his variety of entertaining quirks (some of which do result in a few immature jokes). ‘Bing Bong’ also ends up becoming a very likeable and charming character mostly as a result of the scene; ‘The Memory Dump,’ easily one of ‘Inside Out’s most impactful and heartbreaking moments.

Filled with plenty of inventive shots throughout, the animated cinematography does add to the film’s already incredibly vibrant colour palette and varied locations, with a constant array of attractive shots, the film’s visuals are always appealing to look at when inside ‘Riley’s mind. Yet, when the viewer is thrown back into the real world, the colour palette is far more pale and tame, creating a clear visual contrast between the two.

Featuring a number of memorable tracks, such as ‘Bundle of Joy,’ ‘Team Building,’ ‘Rainbow Flyer,’ and even the track that plays over the film’s ending credits; ‘The Joy of Credits,’ the original score by Michael Giacchino is truly one of the best scores Pixar has to offer, even when taking into account their already impressive list of soundtracks, as nearly all of the film’s best moments whether comedic or emotional are elevated by the film’s wonderful score, with many of the tracks throughout ‘Inside Out’ displaying great variety and talent.

Similar to many of the other films from Pixar’s catalogue, the animation throughout ‘Inside Out’ is simply gorgeous. As not only do all of the designs of the different emotions differ drastically depending on which emotion they representing, but the level of detail on every character and location throughout the film is astounding, with the individual particles that make up each emotion even being visible during many of the film’s close-ups. Interestingly, when ‘Inside Out’ was in the very early stages of its development, many other emotions were also considered as characters (around twenty-seven in total). But, after the writer’s decided to just settle on the core five emotions to make the narrative less-complicated, many other potential characters had to be left on the cutting-room floor, e.g. ‘Surprise,’ ‘Pride,’ and ‘Trust.’

In summary, ‘Inside Out’ is definitely worth a watch for any age, as although this animated flick isn’t without its faults, ‘Inside Out’ still remains a delightful experience from start-to-finish, mostly due to its unique story, great voice performances, and extraordinary visuals, the film really feels as if there isn’t the slightest ounce of laziness put into crafting it. And, whilst there has been plenty of other exceptional animated classics produced by Pixar in the past, their fifteenth animated feature is certainly one of their most experimental yet least discussed to-date, which I think is a shame, as while ‘Inside Out’ may be aimed mostly towards children, I feel this film might speak an even deeper volume to adults. Final Rating: 8/10.

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Tangled (2010) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Disney’s first CG animated fairytale is both incredibly funny and heartwarming, as ‘Tangled’ brings to life the well-known fairy princess; ‘Rapunzel,’ now updated for a new generation of children. Through some beautiful animation, wonderful original songs and an incredibly vibrant colour palette. ‘Tangled’ feels almost as if it’s an enchanting classic restored from Disney’s golden age of animation, despite its few small problems here and there.

Plot Summary: When the ‘Kingdom of Corona’s most-wanted and most charming bandit: ‘Flynn Rider’ hides out in a mysterious tower, he’s taken hostage by ‘Rapunzel,’ a feisty tower-bound teen with magical golden hair. Eventually leading the two of them to strike a deal so ‘Rapunzel’ can achieve her long-desired dream of seeing the annual release of the kingdom’s lanterns…

Heavily praised since its release, ‘Tangled’ was created by Walt Disney Animation Studios, which have produced a variety of fantastic animated films in recent days. Releasing films such as: ‘Bolt,’ ‘Zootropolis,’ ‘Wreck-It Ralph’, ‘Moana’ and, of course, the smash-hit; ‘Frozen,’ in 2013. Many of which even beginning to surpass Disney’s other animation company over time, this obviously being Pixar, who now seem to be far more focused on creating constant sequels, prequels and spin-offs rather than original stories.

Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi bounce extremely well off of each other as ‘Rapunzel’ and ‘Flynn Rider,’ with both the characters having plenty of amusing moments in addition to some surprisingly great chemistry (considering they are fully animated). The cast also features Donna Murphy as ‘Mother Gothel’ and Ron Perlman as one of the ‘Stabbington Brothers’ (a.k.a. The antagonists of the film), and although neither of these two villains ever become quite as memorable or as iconic as some other Disney antagonists. They do serve their roles within the story effectively and are intimidating enough. During the story, ‘Rapunzel’ also receives a character arc, growing as a character to become more confident and independent as the runtime continues on, which I feel is not only executed well, but also gets across an important message for children.

Featuring an array of stunning wide shots, the animated cinematography throughout ‘Tangled’ is decent overall. While nothing overly imaginative, the animated cinematography works really well for many of the film’s fast-paced action sequences. The animated cinematography is also improved by the film’s incredibly colourful visuals, as many scenes throughout the film are dripping with bright colours and magnificent lighting. Some of the colouring of character’s clothing even reflect their personalities, as ‘Rapunzel’ wears purple, a colour often associated with royalty and ‘Flynn’ wears blue and white, colours that often stand for goodness. Whereas ‘Mother Gothel’ wears red, a colour that usually symbolises evil.

The original score by Alan Menken is certainly the weakest element of the film, as ignoring the actual songs within the film, most notably; ‘When Will My Life Begin’ and ‘I See the Light.’ The score is mostly generic and little bland at points when it comes to animated flicks, as I feel the soundtrack could’ve been greatly improved if the score would’ve embraced the more fantasy-esque aspects of its narrative. Occasionally, the film can also over-rely on musical cues, as during a number of scenes the film feels the need to accompany every action or piece of humour with a trumpet cue, which feels nothing but unnecessary throughout.

Being many years on from the film’s initial release, it’s inevitable that the film’s animation would begin to age. However, although a couple of the close-ups on character’s faces may look a little outdated. ‘Tangled’s animation predominantly holds-up well since 2010. In particular, the CG effects on ‘Rapunzel’s long hair, which still look marvellous even today. The film’s humour is also fairly excellent, as the film has a large amount of range when it comes to its jokes, usually having plenty of comedic moments that will appeal to older viewers as well as young children. ‘Tangled’ also gets some great comedic moments out of its horse character; ‘Maximus,’ who, quickly ends up becoming one of the film’s greatest characters through his constant drive to catch ‘Flynn Rider,’ with many of his movements being presented as if he is a large dog or even a human.

In summary, although it may not be one of Disney’s best, ‘Tangled’ is still very enjoyable from start-to-finish. Despite its sometimes overly fast pacing and slightly dated animation, the film has more than enough to please families, with some likeable protagonists, plenty of memorable songs and an overall joyful and adventurous tone. ‘Tangled’ is, in my opinion, on the upper level of fantastical family films, and whilst some may feel the film is aimed more towards one gender with its story being based around a fairy princess, I’d argue otherwise. Final Rating: 8/10.

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Rango (2011) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / 1 Comment

From the director of ‘The Ring’ and the first three entries in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ series, Gore Verbinski, comes ‘Rango,’ an animated western featuring a bizarre cast of comically grotesque animals. And, even though that strange concept may not sound as if it couldn’t possibly work, ‘Rango’ is without a doubt one of my favourite animated films in recent memory, as the film’s entertaining story and classic western visuals make the film an incredibly fun watch, regardless of your age.

Plot Summary: When ‘Rango,’ an ordinary pet chameleon accidentally winds up in the small town of ‘Dirt’ following a car accident, he begins to realise the dry, lawless outpost is in desperate need of a new sheriff. Being the talented actor that he is, ‘Rango’ poses as the answer to their problems…

Whilst ‘Rango’ is front and foremost a family flick, ‘Rango’ also serves a pretty successful throwback to classic westerns, balancing plenty of hilarious moments with more serious scenes and even some exciting action sequences throughout its story. The film even features a reference to the icon of the western-era himself, that being Clint Eastwood as the ‘Spirit of the West,’ which I really appreciated as a fan of the genre. However, the character himself isn’t actually portrayed by Clint Eastwood, which I did feel slightly took away from the scene he appears in despite its short length.

Although the supporting cast of Isa Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Alfred Molina, and Ned Beatty are all fantastic as the residents of the small town of ‘Dirt,’ each having a western accent which sometimes even makes their voice unrecognisable in Isla Fisher’s case. Johnny Depp as the protagonist ‘Rango’ is truly some flawless casting, as Depp always portrays ‘Rango’ as likeable and funny, yet cowardly, with plenty of humorous lines throughout the runtime. The film’s antagonist ‘Rattlesnake Jake’ is also worth mentioning, as Bill Nighy lends his voice to this gigantic menacing gunslinger, actually mirroring the two actor’s characters within the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ series, whether intentional or not.

‘Rango’ is also one of the rare animated films which actually has some pretty stunning cinematography, as all of the film’s animated cinematography is very reminiscent of classic westerns. From extreme close-ups of characters’ faces during stand-offs to wide shots of the barren desert, to even close-ups of broken bottles hanging above a door-frame, every shot really adds to the narrative, whilst also displaying the film’s large variety of distinct locations. Truly utilising the limitless potential of animated cinematography. Legendary cinematographer, Roger Deakins, who worked on iconic films, like ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ ‘No Country for Old Men’ and ‘Skyfall,’ in the past, was even consulted when it came to the film’s cinematography.

Revered composer Hans Zimmer returns to the work once again with director Gore Verbinski, and once again with another magnificent original score. This time replicating classic western scores without taking away from the film’s adventurous tone. Making fantastic use of both electric and acoustic guitars, tracks such as ‘Rango and Beans’ and ‘Rango Returns,’ feel as if they were ripped straight out of the golden age of film. The soundtrack even includes a unique western-esque version of the orchestral classic; ‘Ride of the Valkyries,’ which backs up what is already a memorable action sequence.

The animation itself is wonderful throughout the film, as ‘Rango’ takes a more daring and unique route when it comes to its animation, as rather than being overly colourful and cartoonishly attractive similar to films, like ‘Toy Story,’ ‘Frozen,’ or ‘Despicable Me,’ ‘Rango’ focuses far more on being rather realistic and dirty, with each location always feeling very old and rustic. The character designs themselves also reflect this, as every piece of clothing and every object is enveloped in scratches and dirt, giving the film an unpleasant yet not necessarily unattractive look. This animation style also continues to the film’s colour palette, as the pale beiges and browns give the film a true western feel. Due to ‘Rango’s reliance on this highly detailed kind of animation, however, there is the occasional shot where the animation looks slightly dated by today’s standards.

In summary, packed with plenty of great comedic moments, attractive visuals, a great original score and, of course, its marvellous cast. ‘Rango’ stands as one of the best modern animated films to date, as this western adventure truly does anything it can to make itself stand out. As, despite the film’s few fourth-wall-breaking moments (which come across as slightly cheesy) and the film’s sometimes overly fast pacing, ‘Rango’ still remains an enthralling ride. Although this animated flick may seem pretty unusual when compared to many other films the family can enjoy together, this true oddball of a film is sure to please those who decide to give it a chance. Final Rating: 8/10.

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After Earth (2013) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

‘After Earth’ attempts to be a thrilling sci-fi adventure following a father and son as they crash on a hostile planet, surviving together, and bonding every step of the way, and with real-life father and son Will and Jaden Smith as the main two cast members, the film should be a recipe for success. But, due to its awful CG effects along with plenty unexplored story ideas and even some surprisingly poor performances, ‘After Earth’ is far more of a comedy than it is the exciting science fiction flick it set-out to be.

Plot Summary: In the far future, a crash landing leaves ‘Kitai Raige’ and his father, ‘Cypher,’ stranded on Earth, a millennium after catastrophic events forced humanity to abandon the planet, with ‘Cypher’ injured, ‘Kitai’ must embark on a perilous journey alone to signal for help. Little do they know, ‘Kitai’ is being hunted by a deadly creature every step of the way…

Co-written and directed by the once great M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs), ‘After Earth’ is just another one of the many duds Shyamalan has directed in recent memory, as while many scenes throughout ‘The Sixth Sense’ will always be iconic and beautifully crafted alongside some of his other work, many feel that this director has simply had his day as aside from the semi-sequel to ‘Unbreakable,’ ‘Split,’ back in 2016. Shyamalan has directed nothing but dreadful attempts at horrors and thrillers, before now turning his eye towards the sci-fi genre.

Unfortunately, the majority of the performances throughout ‘After Earth’ range from very bland to simply laughable, as although not quite as bad as some of the unintentionally hilarious performances in director M. Night Shyamalan’s other film; ‘The Happening,’ the film isn’t far off this standard, with one scene in particular where ‘Kitai’ is bitten by a poisonous insect coming off as purely comedic. What makes this so surprising, however, is that this acting duo have worked well together previously in ‘The Pursuit of Happyness.’ Yet, this time around, the two seem to have very little chemistry with each other throughout most of the film’s runtime in addition to feeling very miscast in their respective roles, as Will Smith who is usually known for being incredibly charismatic and funny portrays ‘Cypher Raige’ as a cold, emotionless warrior, completely going against his best qualities as an actor.

Throughout ‘After Earth,’ the cinematography by Peter Suschitzky is just serviceable, as whilst the film doesn’t really contain many inventive or memorable shots, the cinematography does make great use of many of the film’s spectacular natural locations, as the large variety of wide-shots do effectively display the true scale of the newly formed forests, waterfalls, and mountains that now inhabit this new era of Earth.

The original score by James Newton Howard is another dull aspect of the film, as the film’s score is barely recognisable from any other action or sci-fi film, despite this composer actually crafting many wonderful soundtracks in the past, including the original score for ‘The Sixth Sense.’ The film’s problems even extend into its narrative structure, as during the early stages of the film, ‘After Earth’ bombards the audience with information regarding the story’s world, cutting rapidly between an enormous array of different clips, often leaving the audience with far more questions than answers as the film forces exposition down the audiences’ throat through one overly long scene.

The film’s CG effects sadly don’t show much improvement either, as the huge variety of creatures within the story ranging from tigers to birds, to savage monkeys, all look less than mediocre. However, to give the film credit, the film’s main antagonist known as the ‘Ursa,’ does have a pretty interesting design, as although the creature does share some weak CG visuals similar to many of the other creatures, the ‘Ursa’ simply has more of a presence within the film, and does feel somewhat intimidating and unique despite barley being utilised or developed. The film’s underdeveloped ideas are even more bizarre considering originally, the film wasn’t even supposed to be a sci-fi, as Will Smith’s first concept for the film focused on a farther and son on a camping trip in modern-day, which I personally think sounds far more interesting and enjoyable as opposed to viciously morphing the project into a science fiction story.

In summary, ‘After Earth’ is a complete disaster of a science fiction blockbuster, as the film’s terrible performances alongside its abysmal CG effects and mostly bland filmmaking, all result in the film being extremely boring and even sometimes laughably bad. Another unfortunate flop for director M. Night Shyamalan, and definitely a huge dent in Jaden Smith’s acting career, as the young actor hasn’t appeared on-screen since. Despite some great ideas here and there, ‘After Earth’ is certainly a low-point in Will Smith’s film catalogue, Final Rating: high 2/10.

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Kong: Skull Island (2017) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Jordan Vogt-Roberts directs his first major film with ‘Kong: Skull Island,’ another reboot of the iconic monster this time set within a different time-period and featuring plenty of vibrant visuals. Resulting in ‘Kong: Skull Island’ being a relatively entertaining monster flick, despite the film still being plagued with a range of issues throughout its two-hour runtime.

Plot Summary: Shortly after the Vietnam war in 1973, a team of scientists explore an uncharted, tropical island in the Pacific, without knowing it, they soon venture into the domain of the mighty ‘Kong,’ and must fight their way through an onslaught of dangerous creatures to escape the deadly island…

Just from a quick glance at the film, it’s obvious that the film takes heavy inspiration from the war epic; ‘Apocalypse Now,’ when it comes to its visuals, which is by no means a bad thing as ‘Kong: Skull Island’ truly embraces its 1970s time-period. Making every set, costume, and piece of military equipment fit well within the world the film builds on, which really gives some style to what could’ve just been your standard action blockbuster.

The all-star cast of Thomas Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, Tian Jing, Thomas Mann, Toby Kebbell and my personal favourite, John C. Reilly, are all decent in their respective roles despite their characters not being given much depth beyond a few short scenes, as due to the enormous size of the cast, many characters end up becoming nothing more than clichés through their rushed introductions. Aside from Samuel L. Jackson and John C. Reilly as ‘Preston Packard’ and ‘Hank Marlow,’ however, as both of their characters receive the most development and play into the film’s main theme of the damage war can have on the mind, which I personally found very interesting and wish the film explored further, rather than focusing so much on many of the awful comedic moments the film crams into the story, which aside from a few improvised lines from John C. Reilly, fall mostly flat.

The cinematography by Larry Fong is fairly creative throughout the runtime as, in addition the film’s ranged colour palette, ‘Kong: Skull Island’ does have an array of visually interesting shots, many of which contain plenty of movement and give the audience some stunning views of the titular island. The cinematography also lacks many of the shots that made the ‘Godzilla’ remake from 2014 so impressive as a creature-feature, that being shots that display the true scale of ‘Kong,’ yet the lack of these shots may also be due to the ‘Kong’s ever-changing size, which did begin to irritate me after a while, despite ‘Kong’ still managing to feel pretty imposing and powerful throughout the film.

The original score by Henry Jackman does help to make up for this, however, it being of his better scores, in my opinion. As, throughout the narrative, the soundtrack always adds to the adventurous tone of the film, utilising large tribal drums to give each character’s confrontation with ‘Kong’ genuine weight. The film also uses a number of classic songs from the ’70s to further push the film’s time-period, and whilst this does sometimes work effectively, with an early helicopter scene featuring the iconic; ‘Fortunate Son,’ being the most memorable. It can also feel very forced at points, mostly due to the sheer amount of songs featured within the film.

One of the best aspects of ‘Kong: Skull Island’ is its action scenes as, throughout the story, the film constantly throws its characters into plenty of intense encounters with the terrifying (and equalling unique) creatures of the island, and whilst the film does have a few too many scenes which feel overly cheesy due to an overreliance on slow-motion. Each action set piece is entertaining in its own way, usually making effective use of each monster’s various abilities and their surrounding locations, with my personal favourites being the sinister and brilliantly designed; ‘Skullcrawlers,’ ‘Kong’s main adversaries. All of these creatures are obviously displayed through the film’s CG effects, which are decent enough throughout the runtime, yet certainly aren’t flawless.

In summary, ‘Kong: Skull Island’ is enjoyable, as whilst the film is undeniably filled with a number of problems, mainly in regards to the film’s weak characterisation and fairly simplistic story, the film still manages to be exciting through its fantastic use of CG effects and thrilling action scenes, all backed up by a great original score and a constructive use of the 1970s time-period. So, although its in need of some improvements, I feel you can still get something out of this big-budget creature-feature. Final Rating: high 6/10.

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Rise of the Guardians (2012) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Truly a very underrated DreamWorks flick, in my opinion, ‘Rise of the Guardians’ is a comedic and action-packed animated adventure. Feeling almost like an ‘Avengers’ blockbuster aimed towards a younger audience at points, filled with plenty of heart, emotion and a wonderful original score by Alexandre Desplat, the film is a genuinely an animated hidden gem.

Plot Summary: When an evil spirit known as ‘Pitch’ lays-down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal ‘Guardians,’ a.k.a. ‘Santa Claus,’ the ‘Easter Bunny,’ the ‘Tooth Fairy,’ ‘Sandman’ and ‘Jack Frost’ must join forces for the first-time in millennia to protect the hopes, beliefs, and imagination of children all over the world…

‘Rise of the Guardians’ takes a lot of inspiration from the children’s book series; ‘The Guardians of Childhood’ by William Joyce, as the film has a lot of fun with its plot, playing into the over-the-top ideas of its story resulting in many interesting/unique locations and plenty of little jokes between the characters.

The entire cast of Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman and Isla Fisher, are all fantastic as their various characters. Each giving their character a likeable and amusing but not overly irritating personality, I particularly enjoy Hugh Jackman and Alec Baldwin as the ‘Easter Bunny’ and ‘Santa Claus,’ as I feel these characters were definitely given many of the best jokes and moments throughout the film’s runtime, with the actors behind their voices clearly having a lot of fun of portraying them.

Throughout the film, the animated cinematography is fairly decent, as while by no means anything exceptional. The film does make use of many different moving shots, usually having the camera tracking or spinning around the characters/locations to make the film feel like a true spectacle. The original score by Alexandre Desplat is easily one of my favourite elements of the film however, as while this composer has worked on many other brilliant soundtracks in his past, such as ‘The Imitation Game,’ ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ (Part I and II) and ‘The Shape of Water’ just to name a few. I feel this has to be one of his most underrated scores similar to the film itself, as the tone captures all the elements of wonder, amazement and excitement perfectly.

The animation within the film is stunning throughout, everything from the hairs on top of the character’s heads, to the many sand effects for ‘Sandman’s abilities, alongside ‘Jack Frost’s snow/ice effects all look phenomenal. The film is always very beautiful to look at and has a very diverse colour palette, ranging from light blues, to pale greens and dark blacks, making every scene look appealing and always different from the last.

My main issues with the film mostly revolves around its cheesiness, as while the film isn’t only aimed at children and does manage to reach an adult audience most of the time, the film never quite catches the older audience like a Pixar film would for example. There is also a small group of child characters in the film who play a role in the narrative helping the guardians, unfortunately I found these characters quite irritating, as I felt the film played into their ‘childlike nature’ a little too much, luckily, these characters don’t receive too much screen-time.

In summary, ‘Rise of the Guardians’ is one of those great family films that can entertain most children and a fair few adults, while by no means is it one of the best animated films. It’s certainly up there with some of DreamWorks’ other classics, such as ‘Shrek,’ ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ ‘Megamind’ or ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ for me, as although the film may not be winning an Oscar for best-animated film anytime soon, I still feel it’s still a great watch around Christmas, Easter, or maybe just your standard family film night. Final Rating: 7/10.

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Clash of the Titans (2010) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

In this modern remake of the 1981 classic, ‘Perseus’ takes on a variety of gods and monsters in this somewhat fun, yet still very generic and sometimes even over-the-top reimagining of the original story. As, this time around, director Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, The Incredible Hulk, Now You See Me) focuses more on action set pieces and enormous CG spectacle than ever before.

Plot Summary: When ‘Perseus,’ the demigod son of ‘Zeus,’ finds himself caught in the middle of a war between gods and mortals, in which, his mortal family are killed, he gathers a war band to help him conquer the mighty ‘Kraken,’ ‘Medusa,’ and ‘Hades,’ malevolent God of the underworld…

Going off of the negative reviews from both critics and audiences, I wasn’t expecting much from ‘Clash of the Titans’ on my initial watch. However, I was surprised to find the film is mostly entertaining, as although there isn’t much substance to this remake, I still find it to be a somewhat exciting action flick, having plenty of creatures and adventure throughout its runtime, despite its various flaws. But, this may also be due to my fondness for Greek mythology, as I’ve had an interest in this area of fantastical legends/history since I was very young.

Although there aren’t any particular stand outs when it comes to the cast, Gemma Arterton, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Mads Mikkelsen, and Jason Flemyng all do a decent job throughout the film. Sam Worthington, who, portrays the protagonist ‘Perseus,’ I personally found to be one of the weakest elements of the film, however, as despite him having a number of large roles in huge blockbusters, such as ‘Avatar’ and ‘Terminator: Salvation,’ in the past, he has always seemed extremely bland to me, never really coming across as anything other than a generic action hero with minimal charisma, and ‘Clash of the Titans’ is, unfortunately, no exception to this. 

The cinematography by Peter Menzies Jr. is also quite bland, as although I do appreciate the lack of incredibly shaky hand-held shots during many of the action scenes. Many of the shots throughout the film are usually very standard, as the cinematography never really attempts to enhance the visuals or make use of the story’s impressive and unique locations (aside from the occasional wide shot).

One very bizarre element of the film is definitely the original score by Ramin Djawadi, as although some tracks sound perfect for a fantasy epic such as this one. Other tracks almost sound as if they’ve been performed by a rock band, making them feel incredibly out-of-place within the film’s time-period. Yet, the film’s soundtrack actually does work quite well in my personal favourite scene of the film, as the scene set within ‘Medusa’s lair uses the score to build tension and atmosphere surprisingly well.

The CG effects throughout ‘Clash of the Titans’ are definitely one of the film’s better aspects, as regardless of whether it’s being used for creatures, Gods or locations, the visual effects always look great. However, this is also partially due to the designs of many of the creatures within the film, as the designs manage to perfectly blend the appearance of modern-day monsters mixed with classic Greek mythology. This also lends itself effectively to many of the various action scenes throughout the film (this obviously being the film’s main draw) as the action throughout the narrative is mostly pretty solid, making great use of the various different creatures abilities and always placing ‘Perseus’ in different dangerous scenarios.

In summary, I personally found ‘Clash of the Titans’ fairly entertaining for what it was, which is essentially is nothing more than your usual action blockbuster with some Greek mythology thrown in for good measure, as while the film is successful for what it sets out to do, the film does fall flat in many other areas, from Sam Worthington’s rather dull performance, to some of the weak writing and occasionally unusual original score, I feel only people truly interested in Greek mythology could get something out of this one. But, with all that in mind, ‘Clash of the Titans’ still isn’t the worst remake I’ve ever seen. Final Rating: 5/10.

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Jurassic Park (1993) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

One of Steven Spielberg’s most iconic and beloved films of all time, ‘Jurassic Park’ based on the science fiction novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, is a classic from many people’s childhoods, including my own. From its incredible practical and CG effects which still hold up today, through to its memorable characters and a beautiful original score by John Williams. ‘Jurassic Park’ has made a gigantic impact on pop culture and is a true joy to experience for all ages.

Plot Summary: On the tropical island of ‘Isla Nublar,’ three-hundred and sixty-five miles off the coast of Costa Rica, billionaire, ‘John Hammond,’ has become the first man in history to bring back an extinct species with genetically engineered dinosaurs. But, when a tropical storm wipes out the island’s main security systems, his newly invited guests are thrown into peril amongst the prehistoric creatures…

Not only does ‘Jurassic Park’ have an extremely fun and original narrative when compared to many films before it, but the film is also very important when it comes to CG effects, as Spielberg and his team we some of the earliest filmmakers to explore the idea of computer-generated imagery and implement it into the film as Spielberg initially wasn’t impressed with many of the stop-motion effects which had been shown to him up to that point, and surprisingly, many of the visual effects throughout the film are still quite impressive, even by today’s standards for CG effects.

The entire cast of ‘Jurassic Park’ are truly brilliant, as Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck and, of course, the outstanding Jeff Goldblum who portrays ‘Dr. Ian Malcolm’ (possibly his best character), is all excellent in their respective roles, and despite each character not getting an enormous amount of development throughout the story, all the characters still manage to feel very varied and memorable. However, my only real issue with the film does relate to the characters, as there has always been a few scenes throughout the film where characters seem to make ridiculous decisions for no apparent reason, and while this isn’t a major problem, it can be a little irritating on rewatches.

The cinematography by Dean Cundey is unfortunately, one of the weaker aspects of the film as although the film isn’t lacking in attractive or iconic shots. The camerawork is largely serviceable for the majority of the film’s runtime, with many of the film’s most memorable shots being mostly due to the film’s practical dinosaur effects. However, the film also makes excellent use of its sets, as every location from the iconic ‘Visitor Centre’ through to the ‘T-Rex and Raptor Paddocks,’ are always very eccentric and memorable.

Probably one of the most recognisable soundtracks in history for film lovers, the original score by John Williams is simply incredible throughout the entire film. Having a great blend of beautiful calming tracks in addition to many tracks that help build tension, the soundtrack is truly something to be admired, with the tracks; ‘Welcome to Jurassic Park,’ ‘Journey to the Island’ and ‘Hatching Baby Raptor,’ being my three personal favourites.

In addition to the CG visual effects, Stan Winston, best known for his effects work on iconic films, like ‘Predator,’ ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ and ‘Aliens,’ Created a variety of practical effects for the film, as Spielberg wanted every close-up with the prehistoric creatures to be a practical animatronic, all of which, of course, is completely life-size and look outstanding, this is even more impressive when considering some of the issues the filmmakers ran into when it came to the rain during the scene, ‘The T-Rex Paddock’ (my personal favourite scene of the film), as the Tyrannosaurus Rex animatronic would constantly break down due to the enormous amount of water its rubber skin absorbed, usually having to be wiped down in between takes.

In summary, I personally don’t have many issues with the original ‘Jurassic Park,’ as the film is nearly perfect in many ways for me, as, in my opinion, a few unbelievable character choices and some minor continuity errors don’t take away from what is still an exciting adventure filled with great performances, some fantastic practical and visual effects as well as so much more. ‘Jurassic Park’ is a film for the ages, and I definitely believe it deserves its place among the most iconic films of all time. Final Rating: low 9/10.

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Ready Player One (2018) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

A triumphant return back to the silver screen for legendary director Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Raiders of the Lost Ark), this time taking on an adaptation of a beloved science fiction novel by Ernest Cline. 2018’s ‘Ready Player One’ not only manages to capture that classic Spielberg whimsy all these years later, along with having plenty of breathtaking visuals and thrilling action sequences to boot. But, through its many, many references and appearances to/from iconic properties and characters from all types of media, ‘Ready Player One’ soon becomes a sweetly nostalgic adventure for any age.

Plot Summary: In the dystopian future of 2045, humanity spends their days inside ‘The OASIS,’ a virtual world where the only limits are your own imagination. Until on his deathbed, the original creator of ‘The OASIS’ makes a posthumous challenge, promising his entire fortune as well as complete control over his virtual world to the lucky ‘OASIS’ user that finds his ‘Golden Easter Egg.’

As its story may imply, ‘Ready Player One’ follows its novel counterpart closely by structuring its narrative half in the real world, and half within ‘The OASIS.’ Having all of the scenes set within the virtual world be comprised entirely of CGI, whilst reality is presented through live-action. While many viewers may initially be quite cautious of this (myself included), fearing a barrage of phoney-looking CG set pieces, Spielberg actually pulls this idea off very well, as the film never feels as if its CG visuals are being overused despite them taking-up most of the runtime. Interestingly, Spielberg teamed-up with effects company Industrial Light & Magic for most of ‘Ready Player One’s imagery, the company that previously worked with him for the first ‘Jurassic Park,’ so the Tyrannosaurus Rex that appears in the film is recreated using the same base-model made for the original film.

Best known as ‘Cyclops’ in the new incarnation of the ‘X-Men’ series, Tye Sheridan does a decent job at portraying the film’s likeable protagonist; ‘Wade Watts.’ Alongside Sheridan, Olivia Cooke as ‘Wade’s love interest; ‘Samantha,’ as well as Mark Rylance as ‘Halliday’ and Ben Mendelsohn and T.J. Miller as the film’s antagonists are all fine throughout the film. Yet, whilst every member of the cast is trying here, the performances in ‘Ready Player One’ are made more impressive considering the film’s extremely weak characters, as, unfortunately, nearly every character we meet within the story is mostly one-note, being nothing more than your traditional hero, companion or villain, etc.

Although an enormous amount of the cinematography by Janusz Kaminski is visually striking, having a large number of moving shots where the camera soars through the limitless world of ‘The OASIS.’ It’s difficult to judge it in its entirety, as a good majority of the camerawork is obviously CG due to half of the film’s story being set within a virtual world, and whenever we cut back to reality, the cinematography usually feels quite bland. However, I do appreciate the gloomy colour palette that’s utilised when the film returns to the real world, as it contrasts well against the incredibly colourful visuals of ‘The OASIS.’

Even though the film’s original score by Alan Silvestri is a serviceable and uplifting score in its own right, sounding subtlety like a Steven Spielberg classic. The film’s score was originally going to be composed by longtime Spielberg collaborator John Williams, but as a result of a scheduling conflict with another Spielberg film, Williams left the project to Alan Silvestri. Making ‘Ready Player One’ the third of only three films where Spielberg didn’t collaborate with Williams.

Many of the main problems I find hard to ignore with ‘Ready Player One’ mostly revolve around its weak writing, as although not continually noticeable, the film has a number of cheesy moments/clichés scattered throughout its story, in addition to many moments of humour which fall completely flat. Some critics have also taken issue with the enormous amount of characters from other media appearing in the film, seeing it as pandering and meaningless. I don’t agree with this criticism, however, as the original novel is full of many of its own (unique) references. Personally, I also feel many of the film’s flaws are made up for by its brilliant action scenes, from the opening race to the explosive final battle, to even a scene where the characters travel into the classic 1980 horror; ‘The Shining,’ every set piece is both creative, and enjoyable to watch.

In summary, ‘Ready Player One’ definitely has its faults, in particular, when it comes to its screenplay. But, even with its problematic writing in mind, I’d still say the film is a great addition to Spielberg’s huge line up of family flicks, as while it may not be on the same level of classics like ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ or ‘Hook,’ for example, ‘Ready Player One’ overcomes its weak characterisation and occasional corny dialogue to become an exciting sci-fi/fantasy odyssey, and a film I’d recommend a trip into ‘The OASIS’ for. Final Rating: low 7/10.

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Bumblebee (2018) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Serving as both a prequel and a reboot of the ‘Transformers’ series as a whole, 2018’s ‘Bumblebee’ is a fresh take on the sci-fi/action film series. But, going off the back of its outstanding reviews and director Travis Scott’s prior film; ‘Kubo and the Two Strings,’ on my initial watch, I was expecting a little more, both in terms of storytelling and filmmaking.

Plot Summary: On the run from his alien home-world of ‘Cybertron’ in 1987, ‘Bumblebee’ manages to find refuge through a junkyard in a small California beach town. Where ‘Charlie,’ on the edge of turning eighteen and trying to find her place in the world, discovers him, battle-scarred and broken…

Whilst the film is definitely an improvement over Michael Bay’s various attempts at the shape-shifting machines, ‘Bumblebee’ isn’t overall anything outstanding. Mostly been a very comedic sci-fi action-adventure with a few emotional moments thrown in. This version almost seems to be leaning more towards the iconic cartoon series from 1984 to 1987, as many of the ‘Transformer’s designs are ripped straight from the beloved television show, even featuring a few cameos from classic characters.

Hailee Steinfeld and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. both portray young characters who attempt to help ‘Bumblebee’ finish his mission throughout the film, and while their characters of ‘Charlie’ and ‘Memo’ only receive a basic amount of development. They are likeable and serve their purpose within the story. A member of the cast I wasn’t aware of at first, however, was the infamous John Cena. Who, actually portrays one of the main antagonists of the film, aside from the ‘Decepticons’ themselves, and despite his mostly decent performance throughout the film, I simply just couldn’t take seriously, mostly due to his ‘meme’ status and internet reputation.

Luckily, the colourful visuals throughout the film definitely add to the cinematography by Enrique Chediak, as although the cinematography isn’t bad by any means, the cinematography is mostly generic for an action flick like this. But, due to the great lighting and colour palette, ‘Bumblebee’ is easily the most visually appealing entry in the blockbuster franchise, ditching the ugly Michael Bay blue and orange colour palette in exchange for more of a summer-like feel for nearly the entirety of its runtime.

The original score by Dario Marianelli is your generic score for an action flick, with some heroic tones alongside it. The soundtrack isn’t really anything memorable, and despite also not being anything amazing, I think I still prefer the original score for the 2007 ‘Transformers’ film by Steve Jablonsky, which has since been regarded by many as the primary theme for the ‘Transformers’ on-screen.

The action throughout the film is fun for the most part, not simply being another constant barrage of explosions and actually trying to utilise the various ‘Transformers’ abilities in different ways. However, it still doesn’t quite reach the level of fun the original cartoon series had, always feeling a little toned down. One compliment I can give the film, however, is the comedy. As again whilst not landing every joke, the film does have its fair share of funny moments, which did give me a short chuckle at times, and not simply just a sigh or a cringe as many of Michael Bay’s extremely poor attempts at humour did.

In summary, it’s definitely a pleasant surprise to have an entry in the ‘Transformers’ franchise that isn’t just explosions and loud noises from start-to-finish, with a great visual appeal and plenty of humour throughout, I could see most having a lot of fun with this film, especially families. However, it might be that I simply don’t have a huge love for these characters, but I although I found it enjoyable whilst watching, it wasn’t super memorable for me. Final Rating: 6/10.

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