Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Review

There are landmarks in cinema history then there are landmarks in pop culture. The Star Wars franchise has without doubt magically combined both worlds and the enormous global behemoth has continued to grow throughout the generations. Endless productions of toys, video games, clothing, collectibles, novels, comics, re-releases to special edition Blu-rays etc etc. Even if you have no interest in films or simply don't care full stop, you've heard of Star Wars. It's unbelievable that a small nerdy sci-fi idea on the verge of being shoved to the bottom of the corporate bin for being "too geeky for audiences" has taken to the hearts of millions of people. People who grew up watching the original trilogy have fond special memories, a huge chunk of glorious happiness from their childhoods that never went away. Many of these people were hurt by the 3 follow up prequels for being out of tone and a poor recreation of what they love. Style over substance, poor cheesy dialogue, Hayden Christensen being more wooden than Noah's ark, Jar Jar Binks being a useless bumbling idiot. I don't hate the prequels. They were my first introduction into the Star Wars universe. I did and still find enjoyment in what was a clear step down from the original galactic brilliance. This new film is a chance in these fan's opinion for redemption, a clean slate. Bringing back the old Star Wars magic that had undoubtedly vanished. Fans demanded a new film to rewrite the wrongs and not to leave the saga on sour terms. And three years ago it was announced Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion. Their wish was granted. Pandemonium erupted out of control. Star Wars 7 was coming. Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were coming back. The promise of practical effects, proper old school lightsaber duels, a villain to match Darth Vader, no more political trade federation snoozefest garbage. A dream scenario for fans. Then last Christmas the first teaser trailer dropped online. The internet exploded. Speculation and theories sprung up within minutes. I've never seen so much pure adrenaline and raw excitement over one thirty second teaser. People went mental. If there's one big criticism of marketing teams in studios it is feeding fans too much information. They'd be shit at planning a surprise birthday party. However, the marketing team for The Force Awakens need pay rises. Every trailer and TV spot has been of the highest quality. Ticket websites were not so impressed. The public quickly crashed their home pages within minutes. I'm used to buying tickets for popular events over the internet, it's an essential part of 21st century life. But trying to purchase opening night tickets for this film had been bloody hectic. I had to go for plan b. It involved painfully rugby scrumming through a queue of people at the cinema. Carnage. Made Christmas shopping look like a Caribbean holiday. So finally, after all the sweaty nerd build up, the time has come. It's now upon us, Here we go.....

Our new adventure begins with John Boyega's character Finn, a stowaway Stormtooper, escaping from The First Order (The New Empire) after discovering the horrors that his masters inflict on the innocent civilians of the planet Jakku. After stumbling into a local scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) the two embark on a quest, along with some help from familiar Star Wars characters, to discover their true purpose in life, seeking redemption and fulfilling a parallel burning desire to become greater than what they have become. A very basic plot summary I know but I can't give away too many little gems and clues because it'll ruin the overall experience. What I can tell you though is after all the over saturated amount of theories and speculation bombarding across the web and the pain of having patience worse than a toddler in a car journey, this film is superb. Within the first ten minutes of the film we were back to the classic Star Wars vibe. The sense of adventure that had been vapourised from the prequels has returned. The new characters are well written and have personalities that you care about. The acting has vastly improved from previous installments and the shoddy green screen CGI has all but gone. The actors can actually be allowed to act instead of being told to match the tone of an Andy Murray interview. Our new main heroes Rey and Finn ooze charisma, have fantastic chemistry, seamlessly blending in with the Star Wars family. Oscar Issac as Po Dameron, a talented pilot in the resistance fleet, brought energy to the film and had the lovable rouge element. The little droid BB-8 had the personality that R2-D2 once brought to franchise. Imagine if RD-D2 and Wallie had met. That's BB-8. Cute but badass. The old beloved characters, Han Solo, Chewbacca and Leila bring back the nostalgia without getting too sappy and mushy. A big criticism I had of Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was that he didn't play the character Indiana Jones very well and his commitment to reprising the role had been lazy. This fear got blasted into deep space oblivion. He was magnificent. So many one-liners without trying to steal the show and bringing surprising amounts of emotion to the character. His scenes with Carrie Fisher were engaging and heart warming. Both characters had been through so much conflict and pain since throughout the 30 years that they've been absent from our screens. So sad! I was thinking to myself "Don't tear up Middleton, it's not that bad". Tough to do I tell yer! If you've seen the trailers you will know that the main antagonist is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). The "new Darth Vader". Besides the costume design and the voice, look at that lightsaber. If I was ten years younger I'd be begging Santa for that. His character was the biggest surprise. He isn't the typical cliche, "I'M THE BAD GUY AND I'M EVIL FOR NO REASON." The best villains are the ones with understandable motivations of what they're trying to accomplish. Kylo Ren's backstory was explained perfectly and without giving away spoilers there was emotional stakes behind his character, similar to Vader in the original trilogy. You feared this guy. His control over the dark side was raw and vicious. Uncontrollable and chaotic. Loved him.

I think when Disney announced they were doing their first Star Wars film, their first objective wasn't necessarily about making money but to bring fans back on side and erase the memories of the prequels. I don't blame them. These fans felt like were sliding back down the snake all the way to square one. George Lucas went from a Luke Skywalker hero to a Jar Jar Binks stinkbomb. Fans were crying out for redemption. A director with the experience to bring back the old times, rewind them to the golden era in the 70's and 80's. To a favourable vote of confidence by fans, J.J. Abrams was appointed director. He brought Star Trek back from the depths of extinction. He was the clear choice for the job. They say how much a football manager is under pressure to succeed straight away. This was nothing in comparison to J.J's weight of expectation. If he didn't win over the fans, nobody could. And he has, and some. The Force Awakens has beautiful real sets, action that looks stunning and engaging fight sequences that don't feel choreographed and fake. The extra effort of practical effects will always beat any complex CGI creation. The humour injected in the script was flawless and witty. People were roaring with laughter and it created so much fun and enjoyment and that's what is at the heart of Star Wars. It's not about being complicated and brain challenging for the purists to pick apart every possible flaw. It's a big long hug keeping you warm, secure and loved. My only slight niggle with the film was that there are too many conveniences towards the third act of the film that couldn't be glossed over no matter how much you tried to clear them from the back of the mind. But that's me being a little pretentious and picky.

The Force Awakens is what the fans wanted. An incredible set up to the new Star Wars Universe that successfully introduced us to wonderful new characters whilst bringing back the beloved characters from the past to create this superb film. The passing of the torch is in clear progress and this film is the perfect early Christmas present. Star Wars is back and breathing once again. Well done J.J. Abrams! 

9/10

Macbeth - Film Review

Remember those English Lit lessons at school which required cocktail sticks being stuck to your eyes to physically stopping them from dropping down and causing your body to switch into a coma state? That happened far too many times when I was at school. I didn't have much interest in the complex intellectual world of William Shakespeare. We spent a year planning and analysing Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet, the intricate hidden messages and meanings, why was it important to have this act structured in this particular way etc etc. Honestly, I couldn't give a shit. As a 14 year old, I just wanted to get home and play PS3 games all evening and lock myself away from the rest of society whilst being glued to my virtual reality. Then we watched Romeo + Juliet starring a young Di Caprio who at the time still screamed like he was a 12 year old girl. And the only name he knew was Rose because repeated it 1000 times during Titanic. It's a decent film, bringing the iconic play into the modern age. Two rival gangster families at war and firing AK-47's at one another. Sounds good to me. Macbeth is a play that I've never read fully but I know the basics of the story. We haven't seen a Macbeth film for over 40 years which was directed by Roman Polanski. From what I've been told it's more of a horror adaptation. If this new film followed the horror genre trends nowadays, Macbeth would be running around holding a chainsaw and for some random reason, a grouse would aimlessly fly in front of him and cause a jump scare. Really sums up horror films today. However with Michael Fassbender starring as the leader of men, Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth, this has plenty of potential to be an acting masterclass. And it certainly is.

The new adaptation doesn't try anything out of the ordinary. The film tells the classic story of Macbeth and the prophecy he receives from witches that he is destined to be King of Scotland. From then on his life descends into a world of mayhem as he struggles to contain the guilt that consumes him. I really enjoy the direction that the film took. This didn't feel like I was back at school. The film made me feel like I was watching parts of Braveheart, incorporating the heart and soul warrior grit, mixed with 300's stylistic action sequences that the director Justin Kurzel manages to craft expertly. The cinematography is sublime. It captures the heart of medieval Scotland. A cold, damp war torn battlefield placed on picturesque countryside. What stood out to me most about the film was the story arc that Macbeth goes through, from the respected masculine warrior to a witless worm. He isn't just a simple, mindless, jealous man who takes too much advice off his nutty wife. Due to the endless years of enraging war, the battle scars takes its inevitable toll on the man he once was. In essence this is Macbeth with post traumatic stress and that interesting aspect of the character allows Fassbender to shows off his incredible acting talent. Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth was an unusual casting choice. Could she pull of a Scottish accent? Not quite. But the weird sort of English accent doesn't suck you out of the movie to the point of cringing. It's not Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider horrendous. However during the infamous Lady Macbeth's sleep walking scene she pulls of the best piece of acting I've seen all year. The ambition and hatred that flows through her veins just pours open and it's magnificent. She might not have such a major role as she does in the the play but she dominates her screen time and her presences engulfs the screen. Superb.

I'll admit though for all the perfection, the film might not appeal to the average film goer. Macbeth is a theatre experience transferred to the big screen. I'm not always a fan of period pieces as they can be too pretentious and full of themselves at times. This take on Macbeth is a breath of fresh air that fits into the visual style of modern cinema. Even if you're like me and don't adore Shakespeare, I think you'll find enjoyment from this. A message to all schools, please take note. This is the film for your Shakespeare lessons. It will keep the students engaged without them making pea shooters or throwing rubbers at the whiteboard. Damn, I wished this film came out 7 years ago.        

8/10

The Martian - Film Review

Sir Ridley Scott. He reminds me of a sibling. You love them to bits but on occasions, can be a right pain the arse. But the man knows his sci-fi. That is what I adore him for. If Hollywood had a Mount Rushmore of cinema sci-fi pioneers, I'd put him up there along with George Lucas, James Cameron and Stanley Kubrick. Along with a massive spaceship on the top. Maybe just throw in a couple of lightsabers for decoration too. Perfect. What isn't perfect is the consistency of Scott's films is the last 15 years. From winning an Oscar for the best swords and sandles film ever made Gladiator and creating the highly underrated American Gangster, to making films that deserve to be used as medical aiding equipment for people with sleeping disorders, The Counsellor and Exodus: Gods and Kings. When the latter was released just before Christmas last year, I thought it'd be a return to form for Sir Ridley. An epic biblical tale showing off the wonders of the latest CGI effects, a talented cast and a chance to show off his talents as a visual director. As usual he executed the widescreen shots beautifully and the film was an eye pleasing spectacle. However the two fundamental foundations of any film was enough to turn the sea red on its own. The writing and the acting. Both were hopeless. Minus Christian Bale, he was acceptable I guess. But I can't take Sigourney Weaver running around in a Egyptian costume seriously. If you want to watch the Moses story, The Prince of Egypt will do just fine. Childhood memories. That might have been the first time I went to a cinema. Wow. That aside, I was still pumped for The Martian. Ridley Scott going back to his roots with the sci-fi genre, an epic engrossing trailer, Matt Damon as an astronaut. What's not to get excited about?! And did the film live up to the big grandeur billing? Oh yeah, this film is f-in awesome.

The Martian is based of the novel by Andy Weir that tells the story of a crew lead by Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) who land on the surface on Mars and one of the crew Mark Watney (Damon) gets left behind. Biggest oh sh*t moment for a human imaginable. As Mars isn't exactly just down the road, he has to survive on the red planet and use his scientific knowledge on how to growth food and create water on a planet where nothing grows whilst NASA attempt a rescue mission to get him back. Many people were grumbling and speculating that the film would be Interstellar part 2. Forget it. The Martian is completely unique on its own, blending together the best parts of Apollo 13 and Cast Away to create this amazing piece of work. I mentioned before that Ridley Scott knows his visuals and they are incredible in this film. Mars looks beautiful and all the shots are well crafted. It doesn't feel like you're looking at a film set with a gigantic green screen. Matt Damon's performance as this isolated astronaut was terrific, his best work in a long time. He brought so much hope and charisma to the character. You are with him the entire time because he's always trying to make light of the traumatic situation and even when certain events occur that could easily break a persons determination, the drive to survive powers through. Possible contender for an Oscar might not be such a crazy punt. What tends to happen with these sci-fi rescue films is the dialogue and acting on Earth does take away the thrill of the film. Not here though. Jeff Daniels plays the head of NASA and Chiwetel Ejiofor is the head of the Mars missions. They were both superb. They managed to keep the audience engage and the back and forth conflicts between the two characters on the rescue plan is riveting. I think what surprised me most and caught me off guard was the excellent screenplay. It was really funny and the explanations behind the science was relatable and not ridiculously complex to the point of your brain going into a meltdown. In a strange way it reminded me of a "based on a true story" film even though it is complete fantasy. I think the film benefited by not going down the cliche"there's a bad guy asshole and we need to stop him" because there just wasn't any need for Hollywoodised storylines. Refreshing. Sean Bean makes an appearance and there was a quality Lord of the Rings joke thrown in a scene as a meeting was taking place and I tried to cover my laugh because I don't think the rest of the audience are as sad as me. Even the 3D is worth the money and I'm not a big fan of it!

At the grand old age of 77, Sir Ridley Scott has created yet another sci-fi masterpiece that showcases his talents as a visual director, a top notch cast that took the material seriously whilst not making the film melodramatic and boring and a screenplay which is written to perfection. It is on a level with Mad Max as my favourite film of the year so far. Top marks for The Martian.


10/10      

Amy - Film Review

Hooray I've got the week off work! So what plans did I have conjured up? Was it to get away from it all via the airport and chill out on a beautiful sandy beach? Unfortunately not. I was on a mission this week to try and find a screening of Amy. It was a pain in the backside but thankfully by going a little further afield, I managed to find somewhere. The reasons for the extra effort were simple, the buzz. It was universally acclaimed at Cannes Film Festival earlier in the year. It wasn't even heckled and booed which is amazing for that place to be honest. Quite clearly the classy establishment of Cannes is full of bloody hooligans. 

Amy is a documentary directed by Asif Kapadia and tells the story of the short life of Amy Winehouse through various outlets of footage using both unseen approved home footage by the star's friends and family as well as the national media's TV channels and paparazzi images. The film has a genuine, brutal honesty about Winehouse's struggles which was apparent not just through relentless media attention and the pressures that come with sudden fame and fortune but her problems through her childhood with depression and bulimia that sadly plagued her. The film has a continuous commentary style of narration by all of the people involved in Amy's life, her family and friends, boyfriends and the music company themselves. All the interviews are recorded by audio which plays on top of the superbly edited footage so that the focus is never diverted away from Amy herself. It's such a clever simplistic technique. 

What I particularity loved about Amy was the balance and the direction that the film took, reminding the audience of her highlights and what was so good about her life, her unique voice and her songwriting ability. It surprised me at how much the film focused on her downward spirals into constricting alcohol and drug addiction that led to her tragic demise which at times was physically hard to watch especially with all the flash photography in the clips of Winehouse's attempts of escaping the media circus that she never wanted to be apart of. The horrific truth of 21st century tabloid media. The documentary goes into intimate details about her relationships with her family and her ex-boyfriends, some such as her close friends and managers tried to point her on the correct path whilst others such as her father, used her fame and money for their own gain rather than for Amy's best interests. The family aka her dad has publicly expressed his anger at the film stating that:

"The film is representing me in a not very good way. There is no balance. It's portraying me and Amy in not a very good light. Half of me wants to say don't go see it. But then the other part of me is saying maybe go see the videos, put your headphones in and listen to Amy's music while they're watching the videos. It's the narrative that's the problem."

Funny coming from a man who authorised not only this film's production but created a reality TV show at the height of his daughter's fame without her permission. Hypocrisy at its finest. When you hear the other side of the story through an archived interview, you begin to realise that Mitch Winehouse really is a nasty piece of work. Amy explains in the interview that her father was never in her life through the toughest years in her childhood and that he wanted nothing to do with her. He fuels my anger unfortunately. Nothing more than a greedy talent-less money grabber......

OK I can breath now! I had to get that off my chest!


Amy is a magnificent piece of work from Asif Kapadia that is harrowing and heart-breaking to observe. You don't have to be a fan of her music to understand how difficult her life was and the cold realisation of how ultimately she fell so low to the point of becoming a regular punchline on comedy shows. A devastating look at how celebrity culture, media and drug addiction can grip hold of even the most talented of people. Brilliantly truthful and compelling.

9/10

Terminator Genisys - Film Review

Yes! After 12 years away, Arnold Schwarzenegger is finally back where he belongs! The T-800 might be looking like he's ready for the scrapheap but there is still life left in the old cybernetic organism. Set on a new mission in this new Terminator summer blockbuster, Genisys is the set up for a new line of Terminator sequels being released by Paramount within the next three years. Why such a quick turnaround in the demand for Terminator sequels? Have the fans been pounding the studio door down demanding this? Not really. Legendary director James Cameron will reacquire the rights from Paramount for the Terminator franchise in 2018 and as a result causing the studios to milk the cash cow, earning as much cash as possible before their adopted child gets reunited with daddy. Makes sense from a business point of view. But will they make enough effort and get their creativity in top gear to present a quality Terminator film, something which in my view hasn't been the case since Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Or in other words since James Cameron decided to quite literally jump ship and move on to make Titanic. However to my eye-opening surprise, Cameron did get me excited for this new sequel. In an interview with Yahoo he explained his opinion of the new film:


"I start to see things I recognise. It’s being very respectful of first two films. Then all of the sudden, it just swerves. And now I’m going on a journey. I feel like the franchise has been reinvigorated, like this is a renaissance."

High praise indeed from the man who created the first two Terminator films, timeless and original sci-fi/action classics. But even before I went to see the new film there was a problem. The trailer. It's possibly the most spoiler heavy trailer I've seen in a long time. Any plot twists or swerves in the story that were planned were obliterated carelessly by the marketing team. And that's such a shame and I don't think that's fair on director Alan Taylor who has publicly expressed his frustration at the marketing of the film. 

Terminator Genisys is situated in the timeline between the first two films in an attempt to freshen up and reinvent the franchise to create a new timeline specifically for these new sets of sequels. As in the first film a T800 terminator is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is sent back by her son John Connor (Jason Clarke), the leader of the resistance to rescue her. However in a new twist to the story, Arnold's terminator has sent back earlier than previously explained and has trained Sarah Connor to be the ass kicking solider we know from Terminator 2 and this new team have to stop a billion dollar corporation from launching a new app "Genisys" which connects to everyone's electronic devices causing them to blow up and destroying all human life. That's the best way I can describe the plot without giving away any spoilers (unless you've seen the trailers).

The stand out in Terminator Genisys comes as no surprise, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was brilliant. He was the glue that held the film together. The quick one liners, the humour that he brings to the role and how he embraced his own age with an older terminator character was clever. I just can't imagine a Terminator film without him. There was plenty of well shot action scenes which entertained me and you can have plenty of fun whilst shoving popcorn in your face. The acting throughout is fine, it's not horrendous by any means. But fine is as far as the film goes.

I wouldn't try and attempt to follow the story of the film because it is so confusing and mind boggling hard to understand. Even when I got home I tried to piece together certain plot points and still it made no sense. How many times can Sarah and John Connor be in the same timeline?! Surely there must have been another event that occurred during the rise of Skynet and the destruction of mankind. Even when the actors are trying to explain the timeline changes that the film introduces, you can clearly tell they're concentrating hard to get to grips as to what they are actually saying. I don't think my brain has the capacity to explain that amount of ridiculous exposition. The mythology behind the new Terminator timeline is a mess and it lacks any feasible intelligence. I didn't think the actors were cast very well either. Jason Clarke isn't that military tough, gritty leader that John Connor is and he had to overact to the point of sounding like Christian Bale's Batman. Felt awkward. Emilia Clarke was serviceable as Sarah Connor even though at first I felt like she was doing a parody of Linda Hamilton but her character grew on me as you began to learn about her new rebooted past. Jai Courtney gets plenty of criticism for being a rubbish actor but I can't help but feel sorry for him especially because the script is so bland and boring. Safe and secure. And because of that the film won't be particularly memorable. Just another summer action film to pass the time on a rainy day. This shouldn't be the case because it's Terminator! 

Terminator Genisys is OK. It's neither a masterpiece nor a train wreck. You can enjoy having a mind numbing time watching it. However trying to make sense of the story is like a heavy session on the booze at the weekend. Mediocre isn't what Terminator should be about but the idea of having these new planned sequels was never about satisfying fans, only for Paramount Studios bank account. I think these new sequels have already found their level, average. It is disappointing but when a marketing team decides to spoiler 90% of the film in the trailer it's not a surprise either. Oh well, I'll always have the first two Terminator films at home with me. They'll never be forgotten about unlike this one.

5/10 

Maggie - Film Review

Ok so I'm having a bit of an Arnold Schwarzenegger film week. As a kid he was hilarious and now I'm a supposedly responsible adult, I still do. The man is my undisputed action hero. He's been a Greek god, a cybernetic organism four times (soon to be five), army major turned alien beater, police officer badass turned pre-school teacher, a swords and sandals dice and slicer named Conan, more recently a jail breaker and not to forget the iconic and utterly terrible Batman villain, Mr Freeze. Arnie's latest film Maggie however isn't quite the typical explosion, one liner extravaganza we're used to. Very different in fact.

Maggie is set in a post-apocalyptic world where people are being infected by virus which slowly turns them into zombies. Maggie (Abigail Breslin) unfortunately is one of these people to have been bitten so is quarantined by the local hospital. Doctors explain to her father Wade (Schwarzenegger) that he is able to take his daughter home until the virus progresses to the point that she has to be placed into quarantine with the rest of the infected population. With her condition worsening by the day and the mounting pressure from the authorities and his own family, Wade has the impossible choice of sending his sick daughter away to live with the rest of the infected in the unknown mysterious quarantine facility or ending her life at home by his hands. 

Having premiered at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, Maggie has an intriguing fusion of a zombie horror blended with heartfelt father and daughter drama that has fantastic performances from all of the cast, in particular from Schwarzenegger. His over the top awesome antics have been substituted for a more delicate, heartwarming, caring and more importantly, a realistic father figure. In terms of an acting performance, this is Arnie's best. There are no "Arnoldisms" to be found. There's an incredible depth to his character, a father who is desperate to preserve his daughter's last moments of her human life. Perfectly subtle and relatable. I'm astounded at how good he was in this film. This performance is well assisted from Abigail Breslin who gives a excellent mature performance as Maggie, showing her emotions without going melodramatic and sticks to the realistic tone of the film. Towards the second act of the film it becomes Breslin's film, presenting her slow transformation from teenager into a zombie and it has plenty of emotional weight behind it, not just from her family but her loyal group of friends too. I loved the grounded sense of desperation that the characters have to endure without shoving the dramatic moments down your throat like a Nicholas Sparks adapted novel.

As strong as the performances are, the story doesn't have the qualities to reach the film to a higher level. It is a very slow burner especially for a 90 minute film which won't be for everybody and nothing notable in the story happens when certain avenues of the storyline could have been exploited further to enhance the film. To put it bluntly, the plot is pretty dull and the pace of the film plods along. I personally don't mind slow pacing if there's enough intriguing heart pounding drama to get invested in but Maggie sadly just hasn't got anything to pack a punch behind the ideas that the film tries to explore.

Maggie is a solid debut from director Henry Hobson. His unique take on a zombie film is worth the watch just for the sublime performances. Its painfully slow melancholic pacing might be an off putter but the emotional father-daughter relationship between Schwarzenegger and Breslin is magnificent. It's Arnie as you've never seen him before.

7/10 

UK Release Date - Friday 24th July

The Rise of the Female Action Hero - Insurgent Film Review

This past weekend didn't start off to well for me. I contracted the ever deadly virus know to the world as Man Flu. I used the blu-ray player to its full capacity. I was searching through the growing collection number of blu-rays and found the first two films of the Alien franchise that I got for Christmas. I watched the original Alien a couple of years ago when I started to analyse cinema in more detail. It has so much historical value, not only for being the mother of sci-fi horror but for the strength and depth of their female characters, in particular Ellen Ripley played by Sigourney Weaver (I'll talk about her more in a min.) Her tenacity and courage over the male characters was very left-field and very much an unknown representation of women in films way back when. A rule breaker, a benchmark. Her character inspired a young James Cameron to create another iconic female of the cinematic universe, Sarah Connor in The Terminator. Her character arc from big haired blonde bimbo to eventually crushing Arnie's head with a hydraulic press was and still is pretty spectacular. An ordinary woman beating down and kicking ass was branded ridiculous by numerous pompous skeptics in the eighties. Guess what, it was brilliant. I'd say the ultimate female action hero for me is Ripley in Aliens, also directed Cameron. She's smart, physically and mentally stronger but also has a caring human side to her attempting to protect a young child from suffering the horrendous fate of the Aliens. The final scene where Ripley and the queen Alien face off and she's in the power loader battling away with her foe, it makes you want to get off your ass and start cheering at the TV. Bloody awesome. Great character, great film. It's fantastic to see more female action hero's in the big budget films. Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow easily went toe to toe with Tom Cruise in terms of physical acting, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in Marvel's Cinematic Universe including the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron and not to forget Jessica Lawrence in The Hunger Games.

Insurgent is the second installment in The Divergent Series and stars Shailene Woodley as our female action hero. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, her society is broken up into various factions where they are surround by a wall, cut off from the rest of the world and beyond. However her character Tris does not belong to any set faction, in turn becoming a Divergent. This race of people is being hunted down by the almighty evil and sadistic Jeanine (Kate Winslet) who believes Divergents are dangerous and have no place in her ideal world. Tris and her friends plan to overthrow Jeanine at the helm so every faction can gain full control and gain some answers as to why they are separated. What is the underlying purpose of the faction system.

If you've not seen the first Divergent, you didn't particularly miss much. It wasn't a horrible film by any means but I've never watched it again. It was the epitome of rainy day film. It had enough entertainment to keep your brain engaged but it never shuffled your bum to the edge of the sofa. Watered down recycled storylines that have been tried and tested, a charismatic protagonist but side characters which were dictionary definitions, they had nothing about them. And to be honest, I can say the same for Insurgent.

Shailene Woodley proved once again she can hold her own as a female action star. She has layers of emotion and depth to her character which is beautifully portrayed in her performance. You care about her story, understanding the reasons for her decisions throughout the film. She has a charm that glows whenever she's on screen, a real sign of a talented performer. The director Robert Schwentke did an excellent job of creating the action scenes. They flowed simultaneously, choreographed expertly and filmed with no lazy quick cuts so you can actually witness some fighting without your head getting tormented. Tris and her boyfriend Four (Theo James) had reasonable chemistry that wasn't too cringe-worthy for an adapted young adult novel. I wasn't even annoyed by Jai Courtney, who reprises his role as head of security. Even if he was running around like a Terminator on steroids.

The nagging problems with Insurgent really is down to the basics. The producers of this film really wanted to throw in as many mini storylines to gain more back story to some of the side characters. Imagine creating a spider diagram with loads of ideas that come straight off the top of your head without thinking further about it. That's what happened to the plot of Insurgent. Interesting ideas on paper but no cohesive plan to merge all of them together. As a result the plot becomes a gigantic jumble with no valid explanation. This in return affects the side characters of the film. They're so cardboard cut out that you don't have a reason to care about any of them. Talents such as Naomi Watts and Miles Teller are completely wasted. They could have been Paul and Barry Chuckle and made no difference. Jeanine (Kate Winslet) is such a useless villain. Nothing about her character is menacing. She reminds me of a middle manager at work with a clipboard, pretending to be important and know what they're talking when really they haven't an f-in clue. I've seen scarier puppies. I think this boils down to the script. It's diabolical. The film makes a trip to the cliche factory and never leaves. You've heard it all before. Luckily it doesn't get delivered as cheese but it's curdling too much for my liking. Bare in mind the gentleman who wrote the script for this film wrote the screenplay for Batman and Robin........."Ice to see you Batmaaann!" (Facepalm).

I have my own conspiracy theory as to why The Divergent Series decided to get made in the first place. Lionsgate are the parent company who owns the series. Guess what else they own? The Hunger Games franchise. Funny how this film got released midway through the releases dates of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2. It's a stop gap for fans to enjoy a slice of distopia that they've missed for 6 months. Both franchises are similar in story, have identical characters and are based around a similar time in history of Earth. This film is a warm up act to the main performance. They're there to gear you up for what is yet to come, something bigger and better (even though I believe this better than Mockingjay Part 1).

It seems like I've really been hard on Insurgent. It's not a terrible movie at all. However it's re-run of the previous installment. The stakes aren't raised and the plot is symmetrical. You don't have to be a bookie to predict what will happen during the run-time. Another young adult novel adaptation that tries to be complex but has too many fundamental issues at the core and as a consequence bites more off than it can chew. Nonetheless it's a solid family film which could easily be used to entertain the kids this Easter.

6/10

New Films 2015 - What's Hot

Hi everyone, I hope you're all having a fantastic time off and enjoyed Santa's delivery of presents and eaten plenty of grub (I have!). To start off the year, I thought I'd give you the heads up on what to look out for at the cinema in 2015, aiming to hopefully point you in the right direction and recommend films that suit everyone's taste. Some of these titles you may have heard of already and be painfully waiting in anticipation for their release. Others are smaller independent films that may just creep under the radar and I'm hoping that these get more attention than they are currently receiving in the wider film community, showing that vast quantities of money and blockbuster budgets don't necessarily mean anything in the world of cinema in terms of quality and enjoyment :)


Ex Machina - Dir: Alex Garland; Stars: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac

Release Date: January 23rd (UK)

Ex Machina is the directorial debut of successful writer Alex Garland who has worked alongside one of my favourite directors Danny Boyle to produce scripts for the films 28 Days Later and Sunshine, 2 sci-fi films with such depth and quality in the screenplay, not to mention overall just superb productions. The plot consists of Gleeson's character who works as a computer coder is sent by his company's CEO to a picturesque house in the mountains for a week only to discover than he becomes part of an experiment involving a new brand of Artificial Intelligence. Not only does the trailer for the film excite me but Oscar Issac, one of the rising stars in Hollywood, is playing the scientist who is creating these AI's and him agreeing to be part of a small indie film with a first time director at the helm can only be encouraging.

Spectre (Bond 24)  - Dir: Sam Mendes; Stars: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz 

Release Date: November 6th (Worldwide)

A brand new Bond film, Sam Mendes is back as the director, Oscar winning villain Christoph Waltz is the bad guy, gadgets, explosions, cheesy one liners, sweet new looking Aston Martin, Drax the Destroyer (Dave Batista) is a henchman, has that sold you the film yet? :D I love a bit of James Bond. He's the smoothest ladies-man spy ever to grace the screen and to survive 24 films you must be a pretty decent character. Sam Mendes brought a new level of grittiness and intensity to the Bond story with Skyfall which is to date the most successful Bond film ever. James Bond will seemingly never end and long may that continue.

Inside Out - Dir: Pete Docter; Stars: Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane

Release Date: July 24th (UK)

Brand new from Pixar, Inside Out tells the story of a young girl called Riley who is guided by her emotions in her head - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. The emotions are her guide, advising her throughout daily life.  Riley has recently moved with her family to San Francisco, as a consequence creates a battle with her emotions as she tries to adjust to her new way of life. That synopsis is absolutely genius. Only the great minds at Pixar could create something as original as this. The trailer is brilliant, stupidly clever. This film has been tipped by journalists to be Pixar's greatest yet. Better than Toy Story? If it is then I'll be praising this film for eternity. 

The Walk - Dir: Robert Zemeckis: Stars: Joesph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte La Bon

Release Date: TBA (Late 2015)  

The Walk tells the true story of a French nutcase high wire man called Philippe Petit who walked between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York in the 70's. This is set to be released in 3D and IMAX. Will my pants be a shade of brown during the film? Yes. The trailer made me nervous just looking at Joseph Gordon-Levitt balancing on the top of one of the towers with the wind whipping him around. Robert Zemeckis is a legend of Hollywood. He has directed classics such as the Back to the Future franchise, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forest Gump, Castaway. Not a bad list by any means. This film has plenty of potential to be a great this year.

Avengers: Age of Ultron - Dir: Josh Whedon; Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, James Spader

Release Date : April 24th 

The comic book fans number one film this year, Avengers: Age of Ultron looks set to be the greatest comic book film ever made and by the looks of the sublime trailer, I don't question it. The first Avengers was such a brilliant film and not just a comic book big blockbluster with no substance. Even though I'm not the biggest Marvel fan (or DC for that matter) I'm really looking forward to another Josh Whedon masterclass.  

Whiplash - Dir: Damien Chazelle; Stars: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons

Release Date: January 16th

Whiplash has been universally hailed by critics and finally gets its UK release date at the beginning of the year (a nice birthday present!). Miles Teller plays a young upcoming jazz drummer who joins a top class music group under the tutelage of the explosive and ferocious maestro, Fletcher (J.K Simmons). Together they pit their whits against each other as the two collide to gain the upper hand in the mind games they play throughout. I've heard so many things about this film, J.K. Simmons' character is apparently the biggest a-hole in the history of cinema. That can't be too bad! I can't wait for this indie.

Jurassic World - Dir: Colin Trevorrow; Stars: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard

Release Date: June 12th 

The sequel that took 14 years to make, no joke. This film's birth was a complete mess. Originally set for 2005, Jurassic World hit so many various problems. The main issue was the script. It was re-written more times than a best mans speech and directors were dropping out the project like flies. But finally, it's arriving this summer. The trailer got me bouncing with the prospect of hybrid dinosaurs and Chris Pratt becoming a Steve Irwin type dinosaur trainer. The mega dinosaur being teased which is the equivalent of the T-Rex in the first film, is being kept a secret. This could be completely insane.

Crimson Peak - Dir: Guillermo Del Toro; Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska

Release Date: October 16th 

The best horror film of the year could go to Guillermo Del Toro's Crimson Peak. Del Toro is a superb visionary director who has brought the likes of Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy to our screens. This looks set to be a proper old fashioned horror, set in a haunted mansion in Cumbria. I'm interested to see what spin Del Toro takes on a classic haunted house story and what unique ideas he'll bring on board. I can guarantee this won't be your usual bog standard lazy horror film. And a promising horror film coming out near Halloween is a rarity. If this is a good as the quality horror The Babadook last year I'll be delighted. 

Mad Max: Fury Road - Dir: George Miller; Stars: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron

Release Date: May 15th

The best trailers I've seen for a film for a long time, Mad Max is back and see's the continuation of George Miller's Mad Max Franchise set in the apocalyptic wastelands of the desert. Again this film took an age to make, 25 years for a sequel but finally after so many delays we finally have what looks to be an incredible visual film. It looks intense, violent and gripping, this could be the biggest blockbuster of the summer potentially beating Avengers 2. Tom Hardy is a great choice for Mad Max and I think he'll be the perfect replacement for Mel Gibson. The trailer's have hyped this film up from out of nowhere a couple of months ago. Let's hope it lives up to expectations.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Dir: J. J. Abrams; Stars: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Issac, Mark Hamill,  Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

Release Date: December 18th 

The most anticipated film of the year, Star Wars is back. A new director on board J. J. Abrams who re-booted Star Trek which has been highly successful, a new cast and the return of the original crew. Yes no more Jar Jar Binks! Star Wars fans have been wanting a suitable follow up to Return of the Jedi since the prequels were at best a disappointment. Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo and Leia are back and that already screams brilliance. The visuals from the teaser trailer look stunning, with people analysing every single detail of the 90 second clip that came out just before Christmas. That's how big this film is going to be. The hype is mega. Even though I'm not the number one Star Wars fan, I can understand why fans are going mental. I'll have to pre book tickets well in advance for this. It'll be a frenzy.

So there you have it. I hope you've enjoyed my selection of films for this year. What are you looking forward to the most? Let me know your thoughts!

Cheers!