Today's Review: Incredibles 2

I've only been waiting for this movie for 14 years. No biggie. I mean, for most of that time it was officially stated it wasn't coming, but its announcement a few years back made me more than excited. Now it's here, Incredibles 2, the sequel to movie that turned the superhero genre on its head before the superhero genre had really found its feet. Before the Avengers, Pixar had a whole family fighting together with complementary super powers, and had addressed the problems of supers on the loose long before Captain America: Civil War.  

Incredibles 2 starts where the first left off, literally, with the super family taking on the Underminer. After taking care of business, the Parrs once again find themselves on the wrong side of the law, but Elastigirl is soon offered a job that will hopefully change how super heroes are perceived. So off she goes to save the world, leaving Bob with the kids...

Okay, I get some of the criticisms for this movie. In terms of story beats, it's somewhat similar to the first. I guessed the twist before it happened, there's nothing particularly new in terms of social commentary, but still, it's a solid plot with a few twists and turns. Where the story falters, the action more than makes up for it. With the first movie establishing the characters, this one just lets them loose, all the powers working together in some truly awesome action set pieces, with some new super heroes chucked in for good measure. Someone's been paying attention to the Avengers, the fights in this movie are just great. 

The visuals have received a fantastic update (no surprise for 14 years later), everyone looks great, and most of the old voices are back, as well as a fantastic score from Michael Giacchino. As always, that Pixar charm is ever present, some great comedic moments alongside the pure, beautiful action.

The plot may be simple, re-hashing some of the stuff from the first movie, but this is a very entertaining update on the original, a new Incredibles for a new generation. I had a blast, and I would be very happy to see it again. Pure enjoyment.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Sherlock Gnomes

It's finally here, the sequel that no one asked for. Yes, it's time for Sherlock Gnomes, the follow up to the truly forgettable Gnomeo & Juliet that released seven years ago. Not content with making one gnome-pun titles movie, they had to go and make another, despite the fact that the brand recognition is pretty non-existent. Here we see the return of the titular gnomes from the first movie, as they team up with Sherlock Gnomes and... Gnome Watson (great job guys) to track down their missing friends.

You may have guessed from that opening paragraph that this is not exactly a good movie. I only went to see it in the first place because the kids wanted to go to the cinema and there was literally nothing else on in their age range. What I was presented with was a bland story, filled with bland characters and lazy writing. There's just nothing there. I didn't laugh once, which isn't a surprise, but I didn't see anything that the kids could have found funny, and I didn't hear a peep out of them. There's some good animation in there, but that's pretty much the only saving grace. I don't know how they got so many high profile actors involved in this, it's just devoid of fun and personality. I think it's safe to say I did not enjoy this movie.

My rating: 1/5

Today's Review: Avengers Infinity War

It's here, it's finally here. I know I've probably said this about every iteration of Avengers, but this one takes it to another level. This is the culmination of ten years and 18 movies, an unprecedented amalgamation of heroes into one of the most impressive ensemble casts I've seen. This is Infinity War, and as excited as I was about it, I had some reservations that it might be a bit of a mess.

I needn't have worried. I can't go too much into this movie without divulging spoilers, so I'll pretty much just say it's fantastic. Everything we've come to love from a Marvel movie is here, the wit, the action, the great characters, but this time they're all in one place. Every one of these heroes is up against the big baddie and his lackeys, and coming from all corners of the galaxy, they team up into a great number of combinations for some truly fantastic fight scenes and action set pieces. If you thought the final battle in the first Avengers was great, just wait until you see this. 

There's no letting up on the action here, exposition is thin on the ground. That's not a bad thing though, that's the beauty of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The story and the characters have been established over many years, and this is simply the all out fantastic culmination of all the plot lines, a non-stop thrill ride of action. There are twists and turns, emotions run high, it's hilarious and heart-breaking. This is just a beautiful and exciting movie. 

I may sound like a fan boy, but I don't care. The quality of the Marvel movies has not let up, and it's absolutely awesome to see the pieces all come together from so many different movies. This is my movie event of the year, you need to watch Infinity War. You might need to do your homework if you haven't caught up with everything, but it's worth it.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: A Quiet Place

I must not have been the only one who felt horrors and thrillers were getting a bit stale, there seems to be a new trend in what I like to call "sensory deprivation" movies, which have introduced some neat ideas to the horror genre. We had Don't Breathe, which involved people trying to escape from a blind murderous man, and Hush, in which a deaf woman is terrorised by a man who can creep up on her without her hearing, obviously. Now we have A Quiet Place, which takes this idea into a post-apocalyptic setting. The story revolves around a family, headed by real life spouses Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, who attempt to survive in a world ravaged by horrifying creature who are blind but extremely sensitive to sound. Make a noise and you're pretty much dead, so as you can imagine, they need to live in a quiet place. Hey, that's the name of the movie!

This movie is tense, there's no doubt about it. For the small glimpses of the creatures that you're treated to towards the beginning of the movie, it's clear why silence is of the utmost importance, and that looming threat is present throughout the entire film, obviously building up and spilling over the top on the way. The sound design is incredible, every single footstep and moved object is perfectly audible, and put me on edge as to what would be a loud enough noise to draw attention. When the action kicks in, it's edge of your seat stuff, moments where a noise is made and the characters are trying their very best to hide and stay silent. It's not so much a scary horror as a perpetually tense thriller.

At the heart of the story is the one family who are trying their best to survive. The daughter is deaf, you see, so they can communicate very effectively through signs, and despite there being very little dialogue throughout the movie, emotions are portrayed wonderfully, with each character managing to convey their personalities in the way they sign. There are a handful of characters here, but they're all pretty wonderfully cast, and the relationships between them are very real and often emotional. There's an especially nice touch where the sound switches to what the deaf daughter hears, or rather does not hear, which really fits into the theme of the movie as a whole and serves to rack up the suspense.

So a great concept, fleshed out with some great characters played by wonderful actors. A Quiet Place is well worth seeing. It's not the perfect movie, it takes perhaps a little too long for things to build up. It's good for setting up the characters, but I feel some of it was unnecessary in the long run, there could have been a bit less exposition and I still would have felt the same connection to the family. But still, a minor complain in what is otherwise a breath of fresh air to the genre. Check it out.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Peter Rabbit

It's time for Peter Rabbit to get the cinematic treatment, and to be honest I'm surprised it hasn't been done sooner, the first story came out 106 years ago, after all. But hey, we've finally made it, a Peter Rabbit movie, featuring James Corden as the titular bunny, which I'm sure will sound like a dream to some and a nightmare to others. I'm guessing this was developed hot off the tail (no pun intended) of Paddington to cash in on some of that old school success. Still, Paddington, and its sequel, are absolutely charming, so I held out some hope that this would be decent.

So Peter Rabbit is a rabbit, and Peter and his rabbit family like to break into Mr. McGregor's garden to steal his vegetables. That's the gist of the original story, and it's very much the gist of this film. To be fair, they've padded it out quite a bit with various escapades and a bit of characterisation, but in the end it doesn't amount to much more than a Wile E. Coyote style back-and-forth garden warfare picture.

So yes, Peter Rabbit is quite thin on plot, but it does make up for it some way with its charm. The animals are all beautifully rendered, and there are some decent laugh-worthy moments, with some nicely choreographed action sequences. The characters themselves are a little one-dimensional, but I did find myself chuckling at quite a few of the jokes and visual gags that cropped up throughout. I mean, there's a lot of them, so I was bound to find some of them funny, but some of them do miss the mark. 

Cast-wise, I can't say this is anything special, James Corden is just plain old James Corden, he's not as annoying as you might be expecting, and he does a decent job as the lead. Otherwise, everyone else is passable. Basically, Peter Rabbit is just very middle of the road. Nice to look at, with a few good laughs thrown in, but not particularly fleshed out. A decent enough family film, but it's not a patch on Paddington.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: The Shape Of Water

I actually saw The Shape Of Water at the Odeon Screen Unseen last week, and have as yet neglected to review it. But, seeing as it's at the top of the list of Oscar nominations, I thought I'd throw in my two cents. This is the latest from the wonderful Guillermo Del Toro, and yes, it is about a woman who falls in love with a fish man. Not your typical Oscar bait, but I've been surprised by a few of the nominations this year.

This isn't just about a woman falling in love with a fish man though, it's about a mute woman falling in love with a fish man who is a top secret government asset in the 1960s. Thankfully that very specific characterisation and setting are held up by some amazing actors and cinematography. It's clear to see where all these nominations are coming from, this is a beautiful movie. It captures that 60s aesthetic wonderfully, drenched in that foreboding cold war atmosphere, and with Doug Jones squeezed into a wonderfully disturbing fish man suit, where he can still portray a good range of emotions.

Speaking of emotions, Sally Hawkins is spectacular, playing a mute woman who is able to communicate her feelings perfectly. I haven't been so captivated by a character who doesn't talk since Wall-E. She is the life and soul of the film, injecting humour, heart and a sense of adventure into the plot, but she's supported by a great cast, especially the relentless patriotic military man antagonist played wonderfully by Michael Shannon. 

So yes, this is a great film, but it's not perfect. The plot does lull a little in places, and I didn't quite get as involved in the woman/fish man chemistry as I felt I was supposed to. There are some beautiful scenes, yes, but the relationship isn't quite as fleshed out as I hoped. Still, these are pretty minor issues with a movie that is very much worth your time. Suspend your disbelief, and get ready for some magical moments.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Coco

I'm a pretty big Pixar fan, so obviously I booked up Coco tickets as soon as the preview weekend came around. It's their first original movie in two years, after the pretty good The Good Dinosaur and the quite sublime Inside Out, which both came out in 2015. We've had some sequels since then in the shape of Finding Dory and Cars 3, but I find Pixar are at their best when the explore new territory. Coco follows Miguel, a young boy in Mexico who finds himself transported to the land of the dead during the Day Of The Dead festival. He only has until sunrise to return to the human realm, or else he'll turn into a skeleton himself. Like in Back To The Future, but with bones instead of nothing. So he has to enlist the help of his no-longer-living family members who now dwell in this mystical land, and a crazy adventure begins.

Let's get this out of the way first, this movie is absolutely beautiful. The Day Of The Dead theme is always a reason to get creative with patterns and colours, but Coco really kicks it up a notch. It's a celebration of life and colour, so many wonderful shades on top of perfectly animated characters. Comparing the human models from Toy Story to now, it's evident to see how finely Pixar have honed their craft. The characters themselves are vibrant too, distinct personalities and quirks that play very well off each other, and all the voice actors do a great job at portraying what would essentially be a pile of bones without that Pixar touch.

The story is... okay. It's not quite as polished and clever as some of the Pixar classics, but it has a few twists and turns along the way. It also leaves room for a lot of humour throughout, and it certainly got a few chuckles from me. The main plot may seem a little generic, but at its heart Coco is a film about family, and those themes are running very strongly all the way through, a great message supported with some fantastic songs. I'm sure the original song Oscar is coming your way, guys. So while this may not be Pixar's finest, it's a very good quality movie that looks fantastic and is pretty much a joy to watch. Hopefully we won't have too many sequels between this and the next original movie, although I am looking forward to The Incredibles 2...

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

I wasn't looking forward to this as soon as I saw the trailer. Jumanji is a classic movie, and this seemed like a shameless cash in. Still, I had some hope that it would surprise me, everything deserves a chance, right? This is Jumanji, but not as you know it. It starts in 1996, where the titular board game is found washed ashore, and given to a teenage boy who says that nobody plays board games anymore, despite the fact that the board games industry has soared in recent years. Anyway, apparently the game takes note, as overnight it transforms itself into a video game cartridge instead. Because this movie is down with the kids. 

Fast forward to present day, and four unsuspecting kids find themselves sucked into the game when they try to play it, and transformed into characters that are not like them in real life. The awkward nerd is now The Rock! The burly guy is now Kevin Hart! The self absorbed teenager is Jack Black! Get used to those hilarious switcheroos, because that's the basis of most of the jokes in this movie, and the foundation for what little story line there is. I wanted to like this movie, I wanted to be proven wrong, and see that Hollywood might have some integrity left, but this is just a bad movie. The characterisation is terrible. You can pretty much guess everyone's progression from the moment you see them. The anxious nerd learns to be brave, the self-absorbed girl learns to be... not so self-absorbed. It's cookie cutter stuff, and I will say that the actors do a pretty good job with working with the crappy material they have. Kudos especially to Jack Black, who plays a teenage girl surprisingly well. 

The story is terrible, with plot points and set pieces only laid out to set up a joke or carry on the meaningless character development. Our heroes have to save the jungle, but all the villain does is show up every now and then and tell them to surrender, he's far from menacing and has no impact on the story whatsoever. Action scenes are drawn out and unimpressive, it's just a bit of a mess really. There are a lot of jokes packed in there, and a few did draw a chuckle out of me, but it wasn't nearly enough to make this even an average movie in my eyes. My suspicions were correct, this is a poor movie with the Jumanji name needlessly slapped onto it, they could have just made a movie about people being sucked into a video game under a different name, but clearly they want that nostalgia money. I'd say don't give them the satisfaction.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: The Emoji Movie

It's happened. It's finally here. I think we've reached the bottom of the barrel, guys. It's The Emoji Movie, the movie based on emojis. I thought the Angry Birds movie would be the worst, but at least that game actually has a semblance of a plot that they scraped together into a semi-coherent story. This is a movie about little pictures on your phone. 

I remain convinced that there's nothing in the way of story that is worth talking about, but let's go ahead and see how far we get. You see, there's an emoji, who's meant to be a "meh", but does faces other than "meh", which gets him in trouble when the phone user tries to send a "meh" but sends something that is not a "meh". He is threatened with deletion, and then escapes from his text app into a world populated with... other apps. Apps like Facebook! Spotify! Candy Crush! Yes, with a paper thin semblance of plot, we're launched into what is basically a feature length ad for the wonders of smart phones. There are stupid characters, there are jokes that aren't funny, there's Patrick Stewart voicing a poo! Yes, this movie has it all, and it's all hopeless. 

There is no redeeming factor to this movie, it's such a painfully obvious cash grab that's attempting to be down with the kids, they forgot to put anything in it that actually resembles a movie. The performances are flat, the animation is so so, it's just a painful, drawn out mess of a film, and I don't know why I'm still writing about it. How many more ways can I say it's bad? Did I even need to say it? Just look at it, it's a movie about emojis! Don't even go and watch it because you're curious about how bad it could be. It's bad. I got free tickets, and I still feel like I took a bullet for you guys. Just don't see it, don't indulge them. This cannot be the future of cinema.

My rating: 💩/5

Today's Review: Baywatch

I've never seen the Baywatch TV show, I'll say that from the start. But I do know about the Hoff, Pamela Anderson and the slow motion red swimsuit running, and maybe that's all the education I need. Besides, let's review Baywatch on its own merits as an action comedy movie, rather than in comparison to the show. Either way, I think we're going to get the same result.

This is the part where I'd normally discuss the plot, but there's so little to it, and it's so predictable, I don't really want to bother. There's righteous muscle bound lifeguard Dwayne Johnson, fresh faced obnoxious muscle bound trainee lifeguard Zac Efron, bumbling joke fodder trainee lifeguard played by a chubby guy, and some women with boobs. I'm not trying to objectify here, boobs are a main focus and talking point for a large chunk of the movie. But don't worry ladies, there's something for everyone, with two elongated dick jokes that last for about five minutes each. 

It's all sandwiched between over the top chase scenes held together by a paint by numbers plot, which is pretty much narrated by the characters constantly as we go along, just in case you can't keep track of generic Hollywood story lines. This movie has fallen into that typical American comedy style that seems to be taking over nowadays. Several swears in a row, that's funny! Talking about genitals for a full minute, that's funny! Elongated improv style dialogue that contributes nothing to the overall movie, that's funny too!

I guess with everything else being awful, there is some saving grace in the action sequences. They inject a little bit of excitement, but most of the time they're very unnecessary. For the risk of spoiling the entirely predictable plot, there's a part where one of the life guards films the bad guys on her phone, then the bad guy takes it, sparking a gripping chase over a lake on jet skis, then through someone's house, at the end of which the bad guy breaks the phone in half. Why didn't he snap it to start with? Or, you know, chuck it in the large body of water? Unnecessary, much like this entire movie. I'd like to say it's alright for your typical Hollywood laugh fest, but I honestly can't even do that. Baywatch is bad.

My rating: 1/5

Today's Review: The Lego Batman Movie

The Lego Movie was a big surprise for me when it came out in 2014. What looked to be a shameless cash grab based on plastic building blocks, reaching across several franchises, turned out to be an exciting, laugh a minute (or half minute), and actually thoughtful production. We're still waiting on the sequel proper, but in the meantime Batman has got his own Lego movie. Again, from first glance it seems like a cash grab, especially considering the amount of merchandise that's hitting the shelves as it arrives in the cinema, but with The Lego Movie already under Warner Bros. belt, I had faith this one would be handled pretty well too.

The Lego Batman Movie follows Lego Batman, obviously, as he fights a colourful array of villains, single handedly, as Batman is wont to do. But when a new police commissioner arrives on the scene, stating the desire for the police to work together with Batman, Batman begins to confront his isolation and fear of commitment. To be fair, the plot isn't anywhere near Oscar worthy, but it has some clear character development and it doesn't get too convoluted, so it's decent enough for a kids' movie. The characters themselves are all well acted. Will Arnett keeps up with his fantastic Batman role from The Lego Movie, and there are some great turns from a wide array of comedic actors, such as Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera and Jemaine Clement to name but a few.

Not that there's a lot of time to pause and appreciate each individual role, and therein lies one of this movie's strengths, but also one of its weaknesses. This is truly a fast paced movie. The original Lego Movie was something of a whirlwind of action sequences and clever references, and The Lego Batman Movie ramps it up to 11. The action comes thick and fast, dialogue gets banded around at breakneck speed, and there are so many references and gags packed in that it would probably take many repeated viewings to catch them all. It doesn't always work, at times there's so much coming out of the character's mouths, while the whole screen fills with fighting, explosions and Lego bricks, and another instantly recognisable song is pumped out over the top. It's hard to keep track of at some points, I found myself trying to process one thing while having my attention pulled over to another, and it did get a little exhausting. 

But that's what makes it exciting too. For those few, fleeting moments where there was just so much going on, the rest of the movie is a fantastically funny, action packed experience. Every aspect is finely crafted from Lego bricks, and the references and nods to Batmen of the past come thick and fast, and always presented in a way that made me chuckle. The dialogue is great, there are probably enough visual gags to fit into three movies, this is just an insanely fun movie. Another great addition to The Lego Movie franchise, and while they maybe need to slow it all down just a little, this movie gives me great hope for the Lego Movie sequel that's soon to come. 

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Rogue One

Another year, another Star Wars movie, we are getting spoiled. But this isn't the next entry in the episodic sequence, no, we need to wait until next year for that. But while we wait, Disney have moved from sequel territory to prequel, although it's technically a sequel as well... This is Rogue One, set some time after the events of Episode III, and less time before the events of Episode IV. It follows a rag tag bunch of rebels, lead by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as they attempt to steal the plans for the Death Star. That's about as much of the plot as I'll give away, I know people can be touchy about that (me included). 

This is a damn good Star Wars move, hell, it's a damn good movie. Many were extremely dubious when Disney bought the franchise, but I'd say they're continuing to deliver in better ways than anyone expected. Episode VII was a great callback to the original trilogy, and Rogue One shows what they're willing to do pushing forward. It brings the wars back into Star Wars, with epic fight scenes, great, sprawling assaults, and yes, battles in space. The visuals are top notch, the action is amazing, this is a blockbuster that delivers on a lot of fronts.

That's not to say it's not without its flaws. Since the action is pretty non-stop, the ensemble of characters doesn't quite get as fleshed out as they could. Some seem to be there just to being a different fighting style to the table, and while that's cool, they do lack the depth of others. Felicity Jones is a pretty good leading lady, and Diego Luna turns in a decent effort too, but with not much downtime between scenes there's not really enough time to build up the chemistry. In a way the plot suffers from this as well, it's a little linear and cookie cutter, but since this is a prequel with the story afterwards already very well known, it does well fitting in with the canon overall, and there are so many references and easter eggs scattered throughout that it connects everything up very nicely.

This is where Rogue One shines. It caters to the fans, and provides so many nods and continuities, but still stands as a great movie in its own right. Characters appear who have been pretty fleshed out in the TV shows (so I've heard, I haven't seen them myself), and there are yet more brief references to other things that already have a pretty firm standing in other parts of the franchise. There are some fantastic connections to Episode IV that are mostly very well done, overall this is a movie that was made with the fans very much in mind, and it's hopefully a glimpse of what's to come in what Disney have to offer to Star Wars. Rogue One is not the perfect movie, but it is a fantastic Star Wars movie, and I'm looking forward to Episode VIII even more than I was before.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Moana

Two Disney features in one year, we haven't been this lucky since we got two Pixar features... last year. Anyway, this is Moana, following on from the quite wonderful Zootropolis that released at the beginning of the year. It follows the titular Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) as she leaves the safe haven of her home island and journeys across the ocean to fulfil a mystical quest in order to stop darkness from spreading throughout the world. On the way she enlists the help of demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who has fallen from grace. They must work together to navigate the seas and face the dangers that await them.

This isn't your traditional Disney princess movie, but Moana does fit into that role. Longing for adventure, defying those who wish to keep her sheltered to truly discover herself, and her father is a chief, of course. There's no prince, which is a nice change, and the mythological elements are presented in quite a neat way. I can't help but feel the plot is a little too linear though. The set up for the journey is quite drawn out, and by the time it gets underway it's like a laundry list of "go here, do this, save the day", and barely deviates from that. There is a good offering of characters to help it along though. Cravalho is fantastic as Moana, putting in a fantastic performance for a 16 year old in her first role. Dwayne Johnson is, well, Dwayne Johnson, not Oscar worthy by any means, but he puts in a decent effort. Jemaine Clement is a pretty nice addition, it's always a pleasure when he turns up, but even he can't make this movie truly great. So let's segue into my next criticism.

The songs. The songs are not good. Even when Jemaine is singing one. We all know Disney can pump out some timeless classics based on their songs, and in recent years we also know they can produce some truly great stuff with no one singing a word (Wreck It Ralph, Big Hero 6). So Moana has songs, but they're just not good. I don't know what happened, but the lyrics are all over the place, the melodies aren't particularly memorable. After watching Frozen I was looking up the songs on YouTube for days after because I couldn't get them out of my head. After Moana I was looking them up just to remember what they were. The main ballad (How Far I'll Go) is a decent enough offering I suppose, but there's a song at the beginning about coconuts that's just awful, and The Rock pelting out a ditty is something I'd rather not hear again.

So yeah, it all evens out to a pretty average offering. Moana isn't an awful movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it's just so bland. It looks amazing, and it has a few great elements sprinkled here and there, but looking at it as a whole it just sort of trundles along. If it were not for my compulsive need to collect every Disney feature, I don't even know if I'd pick it up on Blu-Ray. Sorry Disney, try harder next time.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Finding Dory

We had two original Pixar movies last year, which was a right treat, but I guess that means they were overdue for wandering back into sequel territory. Not that Pixar sequels (or prequels) are necessarily bad, there just seem to be more coming out than ever these days. The idea of this one wasn't entirely unappealing though, Finding Nemo is a fantastic movie that has aged well, and the underwater ecosystem theme was surely ripe for more storytelling. Besides, it's been 13 years since the first movie came out, I guess we're all ready for a bit more Nemo. 

Finding Dory picks up a year after the events of Finding Nemo. All is well with Dory, Marlin and Nemo, but when Dory starts to get concrete flashbacks of her family that she lost as a child, she drags the other two on a trip across the ocean to find her parents. Cue the colourful cast of characters, such as camouflaging octopus Hank, and beluga whale Bailey, as Dory faces all the odds and just keeps swimming (see what I did there?)

I'll say it from the start, I didn't get the same sense of wonder with this movie as I did with the first. I guess that's somewhat understandable, it's a sequel, but I feel Finding Dory lacks a certain depth that seemed pretty firmly established in Finding Nemo. Everything seems a little bit rushed, and there seem to be a lot of characters being introduced left and right. Looking back, I guess the same could be said for Finding Nemo, but there seems to be more depth to everyone than in present here. 

Not that there's no depth, no character development. It's still better than most animated films, it's just that up against the classic powerhouse that is Finding Nemo, Dory just isn't on the same level. There are still plenty of good things to be said about this movie. It looks absolutely fantastic, and the voice acting is pretty top notch. Sure, Nemo sounds a bit weird, but they wouldn't have been able to get the same voice if they called back the kid who voiced him 13 years ago, so I'll forgive that discrepancy. While the characters may not be especially deep, they are memorable. They've got some great interactions with Dory and each other, and Dory's journey to find her parents sees everyone popping in and out of the picture, delivering some sound dialogue and helping push the story further. Sure, the plot is a little more contrived than the original, but I guess the first one was already a fairly big leap of the imagination, they couldn't help but go more outrageous for the sequel. 

Finding Dory is not a perfect movie, and it probably won't take its place on the top shelf of Pixar animated classics. But it's still good, a nice effort to bring back beloved characters that doesn't feel too forced, despite being a little rushed and over the top. I certainly have more hope for this one than for Cars 3...

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Captain America: Civil War

Another year, another onslaught of superhero movies. There are more now than ever, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe has consistently been my favourite. Now we're on movie 13 of the series, which is a lot for a franchise that started in 2008, but this one promised to shake things up. After the events of Avengers: Age Of Ultron, the Avengers find themselves under increasing scrutiny from governments worldwide, and find they may have to make compromises to be able to carry on functioning as a team. But with Captain America's old friend Bucky Barnes on the run, his loyalty gets in the way of diplomatic processes, and a rift forms between the Avengers who side with the Cap and those who believe in the more official stance, headed by Tony Stark. It's time for an inter-team showdown.

I don't think there's much use going into this if you haven't seen the other Marvel movies. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does require a lot of watching time to put in if you're a newcomer. The reason being is that this movie doesn't provide a whole lot of back story, it jumps straight into the action, and that is a very good thing. With all the constant new heroes and reboots in the cinema these days, movies tend to be a little too heavy on the origin story, but Civil War starts off kicking ass and continues to do so. There are many fight scenes, and with the massive ensemble of heroes on offer it makes for absolutely awesome viewing, they're wonderfully put together and still manage to introduce fresh elements despite already having so many fights in previous movies. 

Not all the Marvel heroes are in this one, but there are a hell of a lot, it's pretty much like another Avengers movie a mere year after the last one. Each character's story is progressed nicely, and the appearance from newly added Ant-Man is wonderfully done. All the actors have settled into their roles incredibly well, and the rapport between the Avengers is as good as ever. Aside from the already introduced heroes, some fresh faces appear, and the way they're introduced is great, light on the back story, but still providing enough to keep them interesting, and definitely setting them up well for the standalone movies they'll be starring in over the next couple of years. A certain red-clad hero was actually one of my favourite characters in the movie, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Marvel have in store for him. 

Characters aside, the story itself is actually pretty damn good. There's a pretty generic villain and some cliché twists and turns, but the main bulk of the narrative resides in the relationship between the Avengers themselves, and it's very well done, with the underlying plot helping to hold up the shifting dynamics. At the end of the day I don't think anyone would expect this to be more cerebral than your standard blockbuster, so all in all it's very well put together, and despite being pretty long, I was engaged until the very end. 

I was expecting a bit of a lull in between main Avengers movies, while the individual characters got their own stories, but Civil War is pretty much like a third Avengers movie, it's action packed, full of great characters, and it's simply awesome. My faith in the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Zootropolis

Zootropolis, Zootopia, whatever you want to call it, it's the new movie from Disney. Now, I can't say I'd heard too much about this before I went in, which is weird, as I've read it received quite a widespread marketing campaign in America, even going so far as to reach out to the furry community... But still, this is a Disney movie, and it's something of a tradition for me to go and see every Disney animated classic with the kids (as well as every Pixar), so off we went.

Zootropolis is set in a world where primates did not evolve into humans, so all the other mammals picked up the slack. The result is a world vastly populated by animals of all shapes and sizes, living together in harmony. Well, not quite perfect harmony, as our story follows a plucky young bunny named Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) who follows her dream to become a police officer in the sprawling city of Zootropolis (or Zootopia), in spite of the accepted norm that bunnies can't be police officers. Struggling to be taken seriously by her co-workers, Hopps decides to take on a missing mammal case, and with the help of small time con-man (or con-fox) Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) they come to realise that there may be a bigger conspiracy at large.

Much like Wreck-It-Ralph, Zootropolis seems to be an idea more suited to Pixar than regular Disney. The premise of fully evolved mammals is a very interesting one in itself, and it's perfectly fleshed out into a vibrant, fully realised world. All the animals are perfectly animated, and the very logistics of them all living together in one city are perfectly planned out, from neighbourhoods in the city to how they interact with each other. Many details are in passing, but the attention to detail is astounding, and it makes for some fantastic visual gags that kept me studying every scene just to catch further glimpses at how this world operates.

The story is, on the surface, a standard buddy cop, police procedural affair, and while it does follow the generic small-case-leads-to-bigger-conspiracy plot points, the overall underlying message is a very deep and meaningful one, especially in this day and age. There's a permanent underlying theme that the animals in this world are judged automatically based on their species, and the tenacity of our bunny heroine does a lot to spell out that things don't have to be that way. It helps that a lot of the characters are wonderfully constructed. Judy Hopps is a bunny motivated by her dream career, but also by a sense of justice and equality. She is a leading lady with integrity and tenacity that doesn't resort to stereotype in any way, and is perfectly portrayed by Goodwin. Bateman adds a terrific performance as Nick Wilde, a multi-layered character who is at times utterly hilarious. Sure, not every character is quite as complex, in fact a few of them are walking clichés, but all of them possess great attention to detail and some great voices to bring them all to life. With the dynamic duo at the helm, though, the story carries along perfectly, the dynamic between Bateman and Goodwin is just fantastic. 

Zootropolis is a great movie. It looks fantastic, and portrays a wonderfully crafted and populated world that I'd love to see more of. It carries some great messages about stereotypes and prejudice, employs some hilarious visual comedy, and even manages to be a pretty damn good police movie. Disney have done it again.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Deadpool

Superhero movies are bigger than ever, with a massive number of franchises emerging and interweaving all over the place. It's become a staple of the movie industry to see regular comic book movies each year, so there's really no better time to bring out a movie about Deadpool. I wouldn't say I'm a devoted comic book fan, but I've definitely heard and seen enough of Deadpool to know he's quite a unique character. From his quick witted dialogue to fourth wall breaking antics to, it seemed he was just the shake up the superhero movie world needed, and while it took a while for this film to be made, I thought it was probably a must see when it finally arrived.

Ryan Reynolds plays Wade Wilson, a mercenary diagnosed with terminal cancer who accepts an offer from a shady organisation to cure his illness and provide him with super powers. While the process works pretty well (making Wade immortal), it also messes up his appearance, so the newly named Deadpool dons a striking red suit and decides to make his way through the bad guys in the hopes of being fixed.

This is not your average super hero movie. It's violent, it's vulgar, but it's also damned hilarious. This movie was made with fans of Deadpool in mind, and while I can't quite place myself firmly in that crowd, it seems all the hallmarks are there. The trademark fourth wall breaking, the quick witted and crude remarks, even a "chimichangas!" thrown in for good measure. Everything is wonderfully constructed, from the fantastic take on the opening credits to the final battle. Guts fly as much as the one liners, and there wasn't a minute that went by where I didn't find myself chuckling. Be it from a retort during a fight to pointing out an obvious plot hole, Deadpool subverts a lot of the expectations of the genre, and still holds up as an action filled, hilarious movie. 

It's not without its flaws though. This being the first movie on the franchise, there is of course going to be an origin story, and while it's an entertaining one it did seem to go on a little too long. I wouldn't say I was bored watching it, but I left with the feeling that it could have been condensed and allowed for some of the funnier and action packed scenes. In the end, the resolution felt a lot more rushed than the origin, and despite the length of the flashbacks a few of the characters didn't feel quite as fleshed out as they should have been. What is there, however, is great. Ryan Reynolds makes this movie, his delivery is fantastic, and obviously there's a wonderful script to thank for that as well. You can tell a lot of love went into making this movie, and I'm looking forward to the sequel that's already been greenlit. More Deadpool can only be a good thing.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I was going to wait to watch the new Star Wars, but then I realised what a cruel place the internet is, and I didn't quite fancy going offline for the next few days in an ill-fated attempt to avoid spoilers. I even avoided watching too many of the trailers, I wanted my experience to be pure and unsullied. In that vein I'll warn anyone who hasn't seen it, and who is as particular about spoilers as I am, that I'm going to try my absolute best not to give anything away, but I've gotta talk about something, so maybe just go and watch it first and then come back to see if we all agree. After all, that's what whole movie reviews are really for, right? To affirm our own beliefs and abuse those who disagree? Or maybe I've been on the internet for too long.

But I digress. Stars Wars VII is finally here. I remember the announcement, I remember the angry keyboard crusaders, certain that their beloved franchise would be ruined, while also lamenting its death many years prior by George Lucas. The prequels suck, but the originals were good, and handing the whole thing over to Disney was likely certain, Jar Jar Binks laden doom. But I had faith. After all, Disney picked up Marvel, and just check out how those movies are doing.

I feel I've digressed again, so let me just say it, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an amazing movie. It's the return to form that the franchise needs. Formulaically it has many beats that mirror A New Hope, and I've seen many decry this as pure fan service and lack of originality. But to me it was a promise that Star Wars is going back to its roots, there are enough similarities to let fans know that this new trilogy will be so much more original than prequel. But there are also many elements that let you know this isn't George Lucas' Star Wars, some obvious, some very subtle. Star Wars is going in a new direction, but has established its roots and connections to the original trilogy very firmly. 

The new characters are all great. The two leads, played by Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, are fantastically written and acted, the villain is menacing while also very intriguing, and it almost feels like the veteran Star Wars cast never left. The story is compelling, and packed with some very human moments and great comedic timing. The cinematography is stunning, massive set pieces, wonderful animatronics, awe-inspiring space battles and some particularly good uses of light (you'll see what I mean). Movie technology has come far since A New Hope, and my word does it show. John Williams is back for the music, and he strikes a perfect balance between new themes and old, again planting his feet firmly in the original movies, but also looking to the future, and not a single tune seemed out of place, they all perfectly complement the action on screen.

Star Wars is back, and it is entirely glorious. Despite watching it well past midnight last night, I didn't find myself looking at my watch once, and for me that's a sign of a damn fine movie. I was stuck in my seat, taking it all in. It sounds, looks and feels great. This is the Star Wars you've been waiting for. See, I like it so much, I'm not even going to sign it off with an awful pun. Just go and see the movie.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: The Good Dinosaur

Two Pixar movies in one year, how lucky are we? After the quite sublime Inside Out that graced our screens this summer, we're now treated to another original movie, The Good Dinosaur. The premise when it was first announced was certainly very interesting, asking what would happen if the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs had instead completely missed Earth? Set millions of years after the cataclysmic event never happened, The Good Dinosaur follows Arlo, an Apatosaurus who is the runt of his litter, struggling to prove his worth on the family farm. After he accidentally falls into a nearby river and is washed far downstream, Arlo must learn to survive and find his way back to his family. Fortunately, he finds an unlikely ally in the form of a feral human boy named Spot, and together they face the harsh wilderness.

I'll start off by saying this movie looks absolutely amazing. I wouldn't expect anything less from Pixar, but the visuals are top notch. Trees, clouds, animals, expressions, they're all flawless, and the water is the best I've ever seen in an animated movie. All of the character roles are very well voiced as well. Although there's not a wide array of characters, everyone fits their part, and there is particular praise to be given to the voice of Arlo, Raymond Ochoa, who did an astounding job at only 14 years old. 

So it looks good, it sounds good, but how is the movie overall? Well, it's very enjoyable. The characters are well written, despite some only having a small portion of screen time, and there are some genuinely funny moments when they pop up. There's also an abundance of action scenes that are very well put together and provide a real sense of dread at several points throughout. The relationship formed between Arlo and Spot is uniquely touching, and there's a particularly poignant scene not too far in where they communicate beautifully. But for everything it does right, I feel that there is a little less magic in The Good Dinosaur than in other Pixar movies. It's perhaps a little too formulaic, there are no real surprises, and the concept isn't as fleshed out as I feel it could be. Don't get me wrong, I certainly came out of the cinema satisfied with what I saw, this is still a great film, but having grown up with wonderfully executed concepts like Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and The Incredibles, The Good Dinosaur just doesn't quite live up to that standard. Maybe I've been too spoiled, but as I said, it certainly didn't ruin my enjoyment of the movie, I was just left with a nagging feeling that it could have been that little bit more. Still, this is probably the best family movie that will be out this festive season, and it's definitely worth a watch.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Inside Out

After last year's excruciating absence of a Pixar movie, I am ecstatic to be rewarded with two in 2015, and two originals no less. The first of these is Inside Out, an adventure inside a young girl's mind, that seemed like a return to the imaginative Pixar I know so well. Inside Out stars (Amy Poehler) as Joy, one of the primary emotions who lives inside the head of a young girl named Riley, alongside her co-workers Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear. Together they work to regulate Riley's emotions and take care of her memories as they come through headquarters. But when a dramatic change occurs in Riley's life, things go awry inside her head, and Joy and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) find themselves stranded in the long term memory banks, desperate to get back and let Riley feel happiness again.

It's a tough subject, emotion. As such, there's an awful lot of stuff visualised in this movie. Short term and long term memories, core emotions, they're turned into a whole lot of great visual ideas, and it's in these kind of situations where Pixar really shines. The complexity of emotion is displayed in some very arresting visual scenes, and while there's certainly a lot going on, it's mostly handled very well, with a lot of jokes thrown in that poke fun at the little quirks of memory and emotion. Despite the abundance of intricate set pieces, this movie remains, at its core, an exploration of emotion. The story of Joy and the rest of the emotions is shown alongside Riley's life on the outside, and it's a very deep story about the changes we can all face during life, that does well to teach the kids about how their emotions might be working, and make people like me well up more times than they'd care to admit.

Supporting the deeply original story is a great cast. Poehler and Smith steal the show as Joy and Sadness, bringing all the comedic chops they're used to in their respective series, but also lending a great deal of emotion to their roles, so to speak. I can't really fault anyone in this production, all the emotions are well cast, and their interactions with each other are great. They all look the part as well, and every aspect of this movie just looks great. I could go on talking about how great Inside Out is for a long time, but the fact of the matter is it's a fantastic return to form from Pixar, an emotional roller coaster that looks great and will appeal to adults and kids alike. Go and see it.

My rating: 5/5