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Reviews
Hancock (2008)
Good trailer, poor film
I'm going to keep this review to the point. Hancock looked great in the trailer that I watched but the film itself has little to make you like it. For starters there are no proper action scenes. This is a list of the so called action scenes and rate them...
Hancock stops a police chase by lifting the car up. 4/5
Hancock getshit by a train. 2/5
Hancock stops a bankrobbery by flying into the windows and taking away the robbers. 1/5
Hancock fights his friends super wife in a tornado. 3/5
Hancock and his friend kill off criminals in a hospital. 2/5
There is very little tension in any of them and the lack of a strong, central villain doesn't help things. The CGI is passable but to be honest your much better off watching The Dark Knight or Iron Man which know how to entertain and are both really good films. This however feels like a half hearted attempt at a super hero film sadly.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Not only the best ever comic book adaption but also the greatest film ever
Most of the time people give a 10 to films they enjoyed but not me. I save my tens to films that deserve it and this really does.
There's not much that I can say that hasn't already been said but this truly is the best film ever and it pains me that the Oscars are likely to leave it out of the major categories because its based on a comic book.
You will not see a film that has a greater emotional depth as this and I mean it. We see characters that develop throughout the film which really lets you realise that Christopher Nolan has spent a lot of time on this. And for those who criticized the action sequences in Batman Begins can be reasurred that the action sequences will blow you away here.
I'm not going to spoil anything about this film because I don't want to ruin it to anyone but there are so many things that I can point out about this film that left me amazed by the end of it. The acting was the best I have ever seen (It makes Return of the King appear shallow), Heath Ledger was of course amazing but the rest of the cast are too good to be left out. Christian Bale continues to shine as a great actor who will soon get noticed by the academy sooner or later. Michael Caine is perfect as ever adding a bit of British charm to the film. Morgan Freeman has a larger role this time as does a great job. Aaron Eckart is perfectly cast as DA Harvey Dent. Maggie Gyllen(However you spell it) improves greatly over Katie Holmes' Rachel Dawes but the real star has to be Gary Oldman, like everyonelse is overshadowed by Heath Ledger, does a great job bringing more emotion and power to the film but I can't tell you why as that would be telling.
Another thing that makes this film so perfect is that it feels so realistic. Thanks to Nolan's choice for using CGI when only necessary everything seems so real. All the other criminals respond to the Joker realistically thinking that he is crazy and not to be trusted. This makes the whole film so much more interesting and adds to the film's incredible depth.
My Oscar predictions and why- Best Picture- Its original, has a fresh feel to it, characters that develop, great acting, perfect storytelling, the list continues...
Best Director- Nolan has achieved in reinventing a genre and has saved the Batman franchise.
Screenplay- No bad dialogue. It is in some ways a film about redemption with a Christian teaching about helping others and not receiving any credit for it. Its perfect.
Original Score- Makes your spine tingle because of how epic it is.
Supproting actor- Heath Ledger. No surprise there. He's great.
Cinematography- Beautifully shot.
Editing- I'll let the action sequences fill this one in.
Make up- Take one look at the Joker.
Sound- Right from the start you are blown away. Listen to that shotgun at the start and you will know why.
Sound editing- (See editing)
Visual effects- There are only two things in this film that are CGI. One involves a helicopter and the other I'm not going to say at the risk of spoiling it.
If the Oscars don't even nominate the film for any of these then its an insult to the amazing actor Heath Ledger (RIP) and the Oscars are officially broken (Example- How did the Golden Compass beat Transformersin Visual effects)
Miss this film at your peril. Its an incredible masterpiece and an instant classic. What else can I say? Its perfect.
The Matrix (1999)
Unmissable. You must see this film.
The Matrix is one of those films that has past the test of time. When it came out, it blew audiences away with its originality, CGI and its classic action sequences. This is one of those few action films that stand up with Die Hard as being the most memorable.
The acting is usually around a good average in action films but not here. Keanu Reeves is perfectly cast as Thomas Anderson who is sort of a nobody until he meets Trinity. His acting style completely suits his character who is completely lost at first in the world of the Matrix. Lawrence Fishbourne and Carrie Anne Moss both do good jobs as well but Hugo Weaving provides the best performance as Agent Smith who is a character you won't forget.
The action scenes are stunning and they owe a lot to CGI but that doesn't ruin the film as it is only ever used when there is no choice.
This is a great film that deserved it four Oscars and it shall always be remembered for revamping the action genre. I just hope Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski can make another film that is as memorable as this.
Eragon (2006)
Better than expected
I had read lots of negative reviews about this film and when my brother got the DVD I was a bit against the idea of watching it because of the reviews. But I can safely say that I enjoyed it a lot just don't take it too seriously.
The acting was better than I expected- Edward Speleers, Jeromy Irons, Alun Armstrong and Garrett Hedlund stand out the most. Sadly the rest of the cast have to work with poor dialogue (John Malcovich, Rachel Weiz etc).
The special effects had their flaws but were overall good. The final fight scene involving two dragons looks incredible and is the reason why if you are like me who appreciates good visuals, to get this on Blu ray.
If you didn't like this film, than you probably had your expectations too high but I didn't and I liked it. I just hope they do a sequel to win back fans of the books.
Bad Boys II (2003)
Back in action
Usually sequels tend to disappoint (Shrek the third, Xmen3, Lehal weapon2 etc) but not this time. I found this film to be as fast paced and action packed as the first one but with one difference- more action.
This has all of Bay's trademarks- colourful cinematography, spectacular car chases, orange filters, epic soundtrack and what I loved most about this film was the chemistry between Smith and Lawrence again.
Why critics seemed to dislike I don't know but if there's one fault I could find with it is that it does go on for a long time (but not in the bad way in which Pearl Harbour lasted for nearly 4 dull hours). Other than that I can't really find fault with it. The opening car chase scene is amazing benefiting from its amazing sound effects and colourful cinematography.
If you liked the first one then there's no reason for you to not like this one. If you haven't seen the first one then don't worry as this film is easy to grasp. I just hope they carry this series on!
Bad Boys (1995)
How an action film should be
This is how you make the perfect action/ comedy film. Its got a superb cast. The chemistry between Smith, Lawrence and Leoni is great. The jokes never get old and the action being a Michael Bay film is superb. The plot is not a multi-layered one which critics seem to be demanding all the time theses days but its good and keeps the film on the move.
Fans of Lethal weapon and Rush Hour will enjoy this a lot. I just hope they make a third Bad Boys as it has a lot of good potential. If you are a Michael Bay fan than you will know he likes to have a flashy, stylised look about his films (The Island, Bad Boys2) and like all his films, I recommend you see them in Blu-ray to get the most out of these gems.
King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (2005)
You may only play it once but it is no doubt a great game.
For me this one of the greatest movie based games of all time. You can pick holes in it for saying that you can only play it once and then get bored but that depends on what level you are playing on. Running from dinosaurs is great heart-stopping fun all because of the controls you have and the way your character can remind how much ammo you have left.
Some parts of the game can be quite annoying as you are usually the one who always gets separated from the rest of the team. Other times you wish there was an option for exploring the island with some friends only then to find a T-rex but thats me being picky.
100% is this game worth a rental.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
2/3 brilliant
Is this the Indy we want? Well short answer yes but that depends on what you were expecting. I'm not going to give away anything but it might help if you read a few books about crystal skulls before hand. Why? Because you will be able to enjoy the film a whole lot more if you know more about whats going on.
Whats bad- There is one scene in the film were Indy survives something that no one could ever and that for me is the films only problem as takes away what future threats there are to come as you know he will survive. Also Cate Blanchet won't win any awards for scariest villain as there wasn't enough in the script for her to show how evil her character is.
Whats good- Shia La Beouf could have ruined the film which is what most people feared but he pulls it off nicely. Harrison does it again flawlessly as Indy and the action scenes are really exciting.
It starts on brilliantly and it continues to do so and as long as you have an open mind with a fair amount of knowledge about crystal skulls then you are sorted. Otherwise you just won't like it at all. Do as I say and you will probably give it a nine.
10,000 BC (2008)
A film thats clearly aimed at around 10-12 year olds.
Lets get one thing clear. Yes I was disappointed by this film considering it was by the man behind Independence Day, Godzilla and the Day after Tomorrow and yes, I know I have been a little knid on my rating but I have my reasons for it.
When the trailer for this came out, I was amazed at it as was my brother and I am pretty shore that anyone else who saw the trailer thought that this was going to be great. I think its fair to say that this film wasn't aimed at me. It was aimed for a younger audience around 12 year olds.
The special effects have had a lot of mixed reviews. Some say great others say that they have been over exaggerated which I think is fair to say. The sabertooth tiger looks amazing along with the bird type things but the mamoths look a little too CGI if that makes sense.
The historical accuracies in this film could turn it into a comedy for historians as the list just keeps on building up. I'm no history buff but I could spot loads- Horse riders, the saber tooth tigers were too big for the era when its set, the ships, the sudden change in landscapes, sleeping in the desert with little clothing, the list goes on.
The acting is good from Steven Strait and Cliff Curtis but sadly Camilla Belle sadly disappoints which isn't really her fault as she has very little to say and do. One thing that seriously anoid me is that besides Cliff Curtis's character, every male character looked the same because there was nothing to distinguish the lead actor from his friends as their hair and clothes were virtually the same.
Besides the historical inaccuracies this film makes for perfect family viewing. Apocalypto for kids! If you
Batman Begins (2005)
A truly brilliant film.
This is one of those few films that amaze you on pretty much every level and thats the truth.
From the directors point of view, it must have been pretty hard for him to try and clean up the mess from some of the previous films but Nolan does it flawlessly. He is able make a film about Bruce's journey to becoming Batman which is sort of makes this film about redemption which adds to the power of the film.
The acting is some of the best I have ever seen. Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Tom Wilkinson all give stunning performances but Cillian Murphy nearly steels the film with an incredibly scary performance which I hope he continues to do in the Dark Knight.
This is beautifully well made film that can appeal to new and old BAtman fans and to those who aren't fans at all. The best Batman film at the moment which covers new darker ground but the way film is more about redemption leaves you feeling at the end that this is no ordinary super hero film.