Progressive-Element Reviews

Apocalypse Now (1979)

The horror

[10/10 · 31 May 2013]

Francis Ford Coppola's ambitious Vietnam War epic based on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is my all-time favourite war movie. It can be a bewildering experience perhaps on first viewing, it isn't a perfect movie, less so in the Redux version, but at the end of the day, it is a masterpiece that shines through.

The opening sequence is an immediate attention-grabber, a series of hallucinatory images set to The Doors, and in itself, almost a brief short summary of the film itself, and a hint that we're not about to enter generic war film territory, but something else entirely.

From the start of his journey on a Navy PBR, we see the warzone almost entirely as Captain Willard - Martin Sheen - sees it. And we are treated to an increasingly bizarre series of images, scenes of a land where insanity prevails. A meet-up with the gun-ho Kilgore, a helicopter raid on a village with Ride of the Valkyries playing, a USO show, a base constantly trading fire with the enemy, and the trip into Cambodia, journeying ever further into 'the heart of darkness'. While many had misgivings about the Redux' additions, with another meeting with the Playboy Playmates, and the bizarre encounter with a French plantation, they do add to the sense of madness permeating the land.

Where the film often draws fire is the final act, when Willard meets Marlon Brando's character, Colonel Kurtz. It is true, this sequence is quite slow-going compared to the rest of the film, but it does stay true to the growing sense of senselessness, with Marlon providing the final touches with his rambling speeches, the film slipping further into cerebral territory.

Obviously, this is not a film to watch if you want just explosions and gunfire, though it does provide some of that. This is a magnificent achievement, and deserves all the acclaim bestowed upon it in the years since it's release.

Band of Brothers (2001)

A masterful mini-series

[10/10 · 26 May 2013]

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, this miniseries clearly shows the influence of Saving Private Ryan, but provides an even richer experience.

Like Private Ryan, this takes the viewer into the middle of the battles, often chaotic, bloody, brilliantly filmed, and all the more impressive that this was made for TV.

The cast are excellent, though if there's a flaw, it can sometimes be hard of keeping track of who's who among the supporting characters.

The most heart-wrenching episode brings us more in the vein of Schindler's List, as Easy Company discover a concentration camp.

There is not a duff episode in the 10-part series. Even the final episode, taking place after Germany has surrendered, ends the show on a high.

U-571 (2000)

Entertaining as popcorn fodder, laughable as history lesson

[6/10 · 26 May 2013]

U-571 irked many in Blighty, and with good reason. Seeing Hollywood give credit to the US for British actions goes beyond disrespectful. Sheepishly, the film even admits it's all bogus by telling us so with a caption at the end.

Even if we took it as a fictionalised World War II story, it's still difficult to take seriously, as it trots out the usual submarine clichés, and throws realism to the sharks.

But, if we view this as simply a throwback to flag-waving propaganda films, and as popcorn fodder, it does entertain on that level. It's well-paced, the effects are impressive, production design is impressive, and some scenes will have you on the edge of your seat.

Under Suspicion (2000)

Toys with greatness, but never quite gets there

[6/10 · 26 May 2013]

Under Suspicion centres almost entirely on an interrogation with a prominent American lawyer in Puerto Rico, who is key suspect in rape-murders of two young girls.

Morgan Freeman as the cop, and Gene Hackman as the lawyer, are the sole reason to watch this, as they provide plenty of sparks as they play off each other, Freeman gradually breaking Hackman down.

Too often though, it's as if the director has no confidence in his audience, and frequently turns to arty-farty sequences that become increasingly irritating.

The ending will infuriate many.

Last Action Hero (1993)

Under-rated, but not flawless, gem

[8/10 · 26 May 2013]

Last Action Hero has got a lot of bad mouthing over the years, but it seems a lot of critics were just jumping on the bandwagon, afraid to say something positive.

It is difficult to see why no-one would like it at all. While a tad heavy-handed, the constant riffing on typical macho action flicks is spot-on, always amusing, and yet at the same time the film delivers saw awe-inspiring, sometimes deliberately implausible action set-pieces. Arnie sends himself up fine, while Austin O'Brien often says out loud what most often think watching these kinds of films. Charles Dance makes a menacing villain, and provides some dark amusement of his own - I JUST SHOT SOMEBODY, I DID IT ON PURPOSE.

Where the film begins to falter is when the fictional characters, plus Danny, enter the real world. Until this point, it had been going along at a roaring clip, constantly amusing. Perhaps it was necessary to show a dose of reality to those brought up on mindless action flicks, but it starts becoming a little more serious and darker in tone, more sentimental, and consequently less fun. That doesn't make it bad though, and it does provide some food for thought, with Arnie-in-character ranting about how he's fed up of shooting people in films, and blowing things up.

Not a masterpiece perhaps, but deserves to be ranked high on Arnie's filmography.

The 13th Warrior (1999)

Good bloody fun

[8/10 · 26 May 2013]

This blend of historical adventure and horror maybe somewhat incoherent at times, but it's hard not to be caught up in this tale of an Arabian nobleman recruited to be 'The 13th Warrior' by a band of Norsemen who have been called on to defend a village from apparently supernatural flesh-eating creatures.

Antonio Banderas is effective as our audience identification figure, a cultured civilized poet, in a fish-out-of-water scenario with the uncouth Norse folk he's with.

The battle scenes are impressive, with Antonio and co taking on the monstrous marauders. Jerry Goldsmith's score is one of it's key strengths, providing the epic feel the film needs.

Where it falls apart somewhat is the introduction of characters and subplots that prove to be totally irrelevant, and pointless, and seems merely a way to pad things out a bit.

Still, it's a definite must-see for blokes.

The Sum of All Fears (2002)

Better-than-average thriller

[6/10 · 26 May 2013]

With Harrison Ford out, it was decided the Jack Ryan series, which had so far proved very profitable at the box office, was to be rebooted, with Ben Affleck taking over. While the film was a financial success, it proved to be far less successful than the previous films, and it's telling that 11 years later, they're attempting another reboot of the series.

Affleck is likable, but he doesn't have anything close to the presence Alec and Harrison had. He is far outclassed by costars such as Morgan Freeman, Alan Bates, James Cromwell, and taking over from Willem Dafoe, Liev Schreiber as John Clark. It's interesting to note how Clark is introduced, a lone mysterious figure standing in the rain - it's fair to assume Clark, a regular and very popular character in the Ryan books, was to appear in further movies.

To accommodate Ben as Jack, the book has undergone an extensive change, with Jack now a young rookie analyst, yet to be married to Cathy. While the simple premise remains the same - terrorists build nuclear device from Israeli weapon left over from Yom Kippur War and use it to provoke nuclear war between US and Russia, Jack is forced to end the crisis himself by going directly to the Hot Line - one can't help feeling extremely cynical about the change of villains. In the book, the main villains are Palestinians, helped by a former left-wing German terrorist, and an American Indian extremist. In the film we get....neo-Nazis. As good as Alan Bates is as the megalomaniacal fascist Austrian politician, it is difficult to take seriously the scenario.

In fact, the film's biggest problem is this - they are trying to present it as a more-realistic-than-usual thriller, yet at the same time, the film has cartoonish villains, and there are a great number of moments that take us out of realism and into pure fantasy.

As problem-riddled as the film is, one area it does not fail at is entertaining the viewer. If one distances themselves from the previous films, the books, it is still a pretty good thriller that always keeps your attention glued to the screen. It's pace goes along at a fair clip, and there are some standout sequences. The best sequence is obviously when the nuke goes off. No last minute stopping the bomb here, it does indeed go off, and it marks the point where the film changes direction, presenting us with an intense doomsday scenario that keeps worsening by the minute.

Deeply flawed, but satisfying entertainment.

Clear and Present Danger (1994)

The better of Harrison's Jack Ryan films

[8/10 · 26 May 2013]

While less believable than the book by having Jack involved in almost every plot point - in Tom Clancy's novel he only properly comes into the main story in the last third - it's a more satisfying experience all round than Patriot Games.

Some patience is required as much of the first half is spent introducing new characters, setting up plot, etc. The investigation of a hit on a businessman and his family on a luxury yacht by a pair of hired muscle reveals connections with a Colombian drug cartel - the businessman was skimming money from them, and he and his family paid for it with their lives. The money skimmed is located, and the US government seizes it which angers the drug baron who was being scammed, Ernesto Escobedo. Escobedo's intel man, former Cuban DGI colonel Felix Cortez, sees an opportunity to seize power by having the US Ambassador, and the visiting FBI Director assassinated. Meanwhile, the CIA, without Ryan's knowledge, is running an illegal covert operation against the drug cartels, with covert troops deep in Colombia staging hit and run raids on drug factories, and secret airports used for aircraft smuggling drugs. The assassinations provoke the President into ordering things to be taken to a new lever. An aerial strike is ordered against a drug baron's mansion while he is meeting with several others, and attempts are made to pass it off as a car bombing by angry cartel members. But not only is Jack growing suspicious that his own country is doing something illegal, Cortez also is becoming alert to the fact the US government is running a secret operation in a supposedly friendly nation.

When Cortez blackmails a senior US official into giving him the locations of the US troops in Colombia, Jack, with the help of a shadowy field agent called John Clark - Willem Dafoe - takes matters into his own hands.

Convoluted to be sure, but a thoroughly intriguing political thriller, with great action sequences, particularly the RPG attack on the convoy in Bogota. The climactic rescue sequence is rather weak compared to the more epic version in the book, more akin to a 12-rated Rambo movie, but it works well in itself. The showdown with the President provides plenty of sparks - I AM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES - though the ending departs considerably from the book.

Patriot Games (1992)

Decent thriller, arguably better than the book

[7/10 · 26 May 2013]

Tom Clancy's novel is actually set before The Hunt for Red October, showing how he came to be in the CIA. While it makes for entertaining reading, there are moments of unintentional hilarity that really spoil it when it comes to passages involving the Royal Family.

This film, set after The Hunt for Red October - a necessity with the older Harrison Ford playing Jack Ryan - has it's moments of silliness. Some serious off-key location shooting for scenes in Britain provide amusement, particularly a scene clear showing the Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough which I've seen up close and personal. Rather out of the way considering Sean Bean's character was being transported from London to the Isle of Wight... Then there are the usual national archetypes.

While the film does cop out a bit by inventing a Royal Family member for the bad guys to target, and doing away with the black militants in the book who help out the bad guys, on it's own terms, it manages to be an effective thriller, with some standout moments that will have your heart in your throat. The best part of the film depicts an SAS raid, as seen by infrared satellite, and we see some of the CIA guys not even bat an eyelid, giving dry commentary while watching real people being killed on live transmission. The climactic boat chase maybe more appropriate for a Hollywood action film than a Tom Clancy thriller, it does get the blood pumping.

Die Hard (1988)

The first and best

[10/10 · 26 May 2013]

Die Hard is a masterpiece of action cinema, turning Moonlighting star Bruce Willis into an action icon as John McClane. It also proved to be Alan Rickman's breakthrough into Hollywood, playing memorable villain Hans Gruber.

Following this, many action films were pitched to studios as 'Die Hard on a bus/plane/train/ship/Ferris Wheel, but none, not even it's own sequels ever quite matched it. Die Hard provides relentless thrills, and epic action set-pieces, and at the time, it was refreshing to not have a musclebound one-man army as the hero. Hans is a truly cold-blooded villain, showing no remorse when he executes hostages.

Die Hard 2 (1990)

Enjoyable over-the-top sequel

[8/10 · 26 May 2013]

Die Hard 2 isn't as good as the first, but still makes for a most enjoyable action movie, with stupendous, far-fetched escapades ensuring constant thrills. This sees yet another crisis for John McClane, this time at Dulles International Airport.

One of the main reasons it works is having a normal guy like John McClane thrust into absurd situations, and McClane often comments on not only the scrapes he's getting into, but his disbelief that he's faced with yet another terrorist scenario after the events of the first film.

The constant referencing does get annoying after awhile though - it wasn't really necessary to remind us of it throughout the film, all the way to the end.

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Logic be damned - full speed ahead

[9/10 · 26 May 2013]

A better film than Die Hard 2, though still not in the same league as the first one. This sees the city of New York as the battleground for John McClane, who finds himself targeted for revenge by a terrorist, and gaining help from Harlem storekeeper Zeus - Samuel L Jackson, who proves to be a terrific companion to John.

The film gets off to a good start, with the pace rarely stopping to take a breath. At about the midway point, we see the true intentions of the main villain - a plot that smacks more than a bit of Goldfinger. When John realises the whole bomb plot by 'Simon' - Jeremy Irons - was actually to decoy police away from his intended target, it becomes a race against time to hunt him down.

Where the film loses points a little is the somewhat weak finale, nowhere near as good as the climaxes for either the first two, though it should be noted the original intended ending was just plain bad.

Until it stumbles at the end, another great ride for John McClane

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

We shail into hishtory

[8/10 · 26 May 2013]

Easily the best film ever about a Russian sub captain with a Scottish accent.

Actually he's of Lithuanian ancestry, but still...

The first movie adaptation of a Tom Clancy novel, an adaptation of his very first one, this is also the first to feature his regular protagonist, Jack Ryan, played here by Alec Baldwin, who plays him quite well as the out-of-his-depth intelligence analyst.

It is Sean Connery who dominates the film however as Red October's captain, Marko Ramius. Despite the accent, he is on excellent form throughout. The supporting cast are no slackers either - Sam Neill as Borodin, James Earl Jones as Ryan's mentor Admiral Greer, Scott Glenn as Bart Mancuso, Courtney B Vance as Jones.

Underwater scenes often provide pacing problems, and while the models used never actually saw any water, there are a few moments when the pace threatens to sag. Fortunately, it never does, with some hair-raising moments such as the Dallas stalking Red October without the latter even aware they're there, and the climactic battle with the Alfa-class V K Konovolov. There are many other great scenes too such as Ryan's set-to with a saboteur, and the Red October's evasion of a torpedo launched from a 'Bear-Foxtrot'.

Basil Poledouris' score is fantastic, lending the film an epic feel, while also ominous in more tense scenes.

The film is not without flaws. Some of the effects weren't convincing even in 1990. There are moments when the Red October looks every bit a model, an external shot of a 'Bear-Foxtrot' never looks anything less than one. It would appear a bit of corner-cutting went on with the budget. Witness an F-14 about to crash suddenly turn into vintage footage of an old 50s Grumman F9F. The same shot of a torpedo being dropped from into sea is used twice, once for the Bear, and another for an SH-60 Seahawk.

While far more believable than most spy thrillers, a few changes take away from the realism that the book's author is often praised for. The manner in which Jack concludes what Ramius is up to for instance seems awfully contrived - the evidence he bases his conclusion on in the book was actually more simple and perfectly reasonable.

Caveats aside, this remains a high point in Cold War cinema, coming out just as that era was effectively over.

The Terminator (1984)

Dark sci-fi classic

[10/10 · 25 May 2013]

The film that gave Arnie true screen cred, and launched James Cameron's career, this modest-budget sleeper hit from 1984 has become one of the greatest-loved sci-fi films ever, featuring an iconic robotic killing machine, The Terminator.

The film makes full use of Arnie's imposing presence, a towering, relentless behemoth who carves a path of destruction, wiping out anyone in his way to assassinate his target - Sarah Connor, played by Linda Hamilton, who is about to learn the fate of mankind, and her destiny to play in it.

Like the titular character, this film rarely lets up, only pausing for brief moments when Sarah and her protector, soldier-from-the-future Kyle Reese - Michael Biehn - hide out in a motel away from the city. Much like the bigger-budgeted Aliens, James Cameron shows what he can be capable without mega-million-dollar budgets, getting great mileage out of limited resources. Brief visions of the nuclear-ravaged L.A. of 2029 still look fantastic for their age, a bleak, hellish landscape, where everyone is in constant fear of the roving robotic 'Hunter-Killers', and the Terminators.

This first film has a much darker edge than the others, sometimes veering into horror territory with The Terminator a virtually indestructible, literally inhuman foe, though one who still has human organs that have to be dealt with when too damaged - like removing a damaged eyeball for example.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Fantastic sequel

[10/10 · 25 May 2013]

Driving the studio to near-bankruptcy, James Cameron powered on with a huge-budgeted sequel to the film that made his career, and brought the man it turned into a larger-than-life screen icon back on board, Arnold Schwarzenegger, this time as a Terminator reprogrammed to protect the young John Connor from the more advanced liquid-metal shape-shifting T-1000.

Although Arnie is perhaps not quite as good as when he was the villain, he manages to make a walking lunk of a robot into a sympathetic character, essentially becoming a father figure to John, and coming as close to human as a reprogrammed cyborg killer can.

The T-1000 is likened by the director as a Porsche to Arnie's Panzer, a sleeker, and much more sinister killing machine. Robert Patrick is great as the T-1000's human form, the only show of emotion coming when he taunts Sarah at the climax.

Some find Edward Furlong annoying, but he's effective enough as the wild out-of-control John, who is forced to take on responsibilities. One perfect example of this is when John orders the T-800 to attack two guys hassling them, and the Terminator comes close to shooting one of them before John is forced to intervene.

Most impressive though, is Linda Hamilton, giving us a very different Sarah Connor to the scream queen forced to be brave in the first one. Now buffed up, tough-as-nails, and when we first see her imprisoned in a mental asylum, Sarah is truly convincing as the woman whose destiny is to prepare her son for his.

With a bigger budget, we get bigger action set-pieces, each one a jaw-dropper, from bone-crunching vehicle chases, to mass destruction. The special effects, out-of-this-world back then, still impress. The only thing the film perhaps lacks is the dark edge the first film had, though there are still some neat moments that prove this isn't kiddie fare.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

A roller-coaster ride, but a lesser movie

[7/10 · 25 May 2013]

Terminator 2 had such a perfect ending, but given how successful it was a the box-office it was inevitable another sequel would be churned out. While predictably, this one, directed by Jonathan Mostow, would never be in the same league as the first two, it's still a better film that perhaps was expected.

This one goes for balls-to-the-wall action, and on that level it certainly delivers. A visual spectacular, with the highlight being a destructive vehicle chase with the T-X driving a crane. The special effects are cool, though at times a tad too obvious. For about 2 hours, the film does not let up.

It becomes clear though, that action and special effects are about all we're going to get. That and silly one-liners. Arnie makes a welcome return - of sorts, though he's undermined whenever scenes are played for laughs. Kristanna Loken is creepily lithe as the T-X, and is perhaps the best reason to watch it. Though little more than a variation of the T-1000, she still makes for a worthy addition to the cyborg killers Skynet keeps churning out. Nick Stahl and Claire Danes however aren't really that likable as John Connor and Katy Brewster. What this film lacks is the presence of someone like Kyle Reese in the first, and the buffed up Sarah Connor of the second. Indeed it's lacking the heart and soul of the first two preferring to toss that aside in favour of non-stop thrills.

While still very entertaining for most of it's way, at the climax, it starts to fall apart somewhat, and the final face-off between Arnie and the T-X is pretty weak. The ending however is quite a brave move, a brief attempt to recapture some of the bleak tone of the first.

The Abyss (1989)

The good outweighs the bad

[9/10 · 25 May 2013]

James Cameron's first budget-buster, this underwater sci-fi thriller briefly spawned a swarm of rip-offs, just about all of them simply Alien clones set underwater. The Abyss is more in the vein of Close Encounters, though there's a strong whiff of Aliens in some scenes.

Unlike those films, this one isn't trash. It's a serious, ambitious epic, with some awe-inspiring visuals. The Oscar-winning special effects are still a joy to behold. Production design is impressive. The score adds to the epic feel. As always with Cameron, we can expect intense, relentless set-pieces, and he doesn't disappoint, with a memorable opener, disaster hitting the undersea rig, and growing hostility between the protagonists, and an unstable Navy SEAL. And on top of that, the growing suspicion they're not alone down there...

A truly impressive film, but it isn't quite up there with the best of Cameron's. Filming underwater scenes always presents pacing problems, and this film is no exception. There are many long-winded, sluggish moments that cause the film to drag at times. The anti-war anti-nuke sermonizing is stronger here than in the Terminator films, and is heavy-handed to the point that it couldn't be any less subtle if the heroes were all wearing peace symbols and No Nuke T-shirts. The cast are good enough, but at times performances verge on overly histrionic, especially at the climax with Lindsay - Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonion - talking to estranged hubbie Bud - Ed Harris - as he descends into the titular crevice to defuse a nuke. I don't think much of a spoiler to reveal the aliens are friendly, as the film more than signposted that in earlier scenes. This does however present a problem - whereas the aliens in Close Encounters didn't seem aware they were causing harm by snatching the boy, it seems conveniently forgotten all of a sudden that the aliens in The Abyss inadvertently caused the deaths of the entire crew of a missile submarine.

The Special Edition is even longer, close to 3 hours, but it helps flesh characters out a bit more, and we see the aliens aren't entirely sweet-natured, as they come close to causing a terrible catastrophe to avert a possible conflict between the US and the Soviet Union.

Unfortunately, the Cold War subplot of the Special Edition, means it hasn't dated as well storywise as the theatrical release.

A flawed film to be sure, but a likable often impressive one.

True Lies (1994)

Enjoyable tongue-in-cheek action spectacular

[9/10 · 25 May 2013]

Arnie and James Cameron team up again for a deliberately over-the-top, often amusing spy adventure, a homage to Bond, and perhaps Scarecrow and Mrs King too - it was based on a French short, La Total.

It opens up with a neat homage to Goldfinger as secret agent Harry Tasker - Arnie - sneaks his way into the swimming pool of a mansion in Switzerland, and when he emerges, takes off his wetsuit to reveal an immaculately pressed dinner jacket underneath. As the mission goes sour when accosted by a guard upon leaving, we get the first epic action setpiece, a sign of what to come.

When it's back to the States, we learn Harry has a wife - Jamie Lee Curtis - and daughter - Eliza Dushku. While Harry is concentrating on catching terrorists who may have in their possession a nuclear weapon, he's only beginning to realise his family life is falling apart, with his wife being courted by a sleazy used car salesman pretending to be a spy in trouble - Simon played to perfection by Bill Paxton, another Cameron regular.

This mid-section may put off those who just want to watch things blow up, but stick with it. Just as an attempt to fix his marriage is about to backfire horribly, Harry suddenly finds himself kidnapped by the terrorists he's pursuing, and now his wife is involved. At this point, patient viewers are rewarded as the film proceeds to deliver breakneck action, from Harry's escape, his rescue of his wife, and his battle with the terrorists while flying a commandeered Harrier jumpjet.

A little less taut than it should have been, but an action fan's delight.

Titanic (1997)

Impressive enough to make up for flaws

[8/10 · 25 May 2013]

James Cameron takes budget-busting to a new level for his bold, ambitious attempt to create a film set around the titular ship's doomed voyage.

It becomes clear after awhile there's only one 'character' the director is really interested in - the Titanic. And what an impressive job he's done at recreating the sights of what was then the world's largest ship. Truly a loving ode to the tragic White Star liner.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are just likable enough as lovers from different social states, that one can almost stomach the schmaltzy slushy moments of the film, not to mention some pretty weak dialogue. Certainly Kate makes us guys like her a lot more when she doffs her clothes...

The rest of the cast are good enough but tend to boil down into one-dimensional stereotypes, including the ones playing real people. Billy Zane on the other hand, while perfectly hissable, is only missing a moustache he could twirl. 'Mwahahaha, you are marrying me pretty, mwahahaha.' When the ship finally hits the damn iceberg after about 90 minutes have passed, we get to the best part of the film. The sinking provides moments as tense as the Terminator stalking Sarah and Kyle in the computer factory, and Ripley making her way through an alien nest in her search for Newt. It is in this segment we see the relentlessness James Cameron often puts into action set-pieces. At first, there's slow-build tension with the ship slowly taking on water, before it drives the film into full-blown panic. The later scene of floating frozen bodies perhaps does more to convey the true horror of the sinking than the actual effects work.

All of this is told in flashback by a much older Rose to a treasure-hunter and his team searching for a diamond. These are actually the weakest moments in the film, and often detract from the tone of the 1912 scenes. Gloria Stuart's narration pushes the film further into schmaltz overload, but that's nothing compared to an ending, recently voted as the corniest scene ever put on film.

One factor that helps absorb you into the viewing experience, and just stops you from vomiting, is James Horner's sweeping score. Fortunately, we don't hear Celine Dion until the end credits.

For all it's flaws, it still works on the level of a grand old-fashioned epic.

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Has it's moments, but not enough of them

[7/10 · 24 May 2013]

Well it worked for Freddy vs Jason, let's finally greenlight that long-bandied about AvP project. Then hire a director who can do visually-stunning, but isn't too big on originality. Then tone down the gore for the teenage crowd.

Voila - Alien vs Predator.

To be fair, it isn't as bad as others have made out. It starts off OK, though none of the characters are all that memorable besides Sanaa Lathan, who proves to be a likable heroine, certainly she makes a better impression than anyone else in the cast.

The effects are impressive, and one of the few reasons to stick with it. There are also some cool nods to the Alien films.

The Aliens prove menacing as always, and the Queen gives us an exciting climax. The Predators, while they have cool weaponry, get a bit short-changed here. Watch this film, and it's difficult to believe any one of these could decimate Arnie's team in the first Predator.

It's actually some time before we see the monsters - we get a neat opener in the extended edition which is an almighty ONE MINUTE longer - and we have to suffer the companion of mostly unmemorable characters. Once the monsters start doing their thing, it's actually quite entertaining...

...except for the fact, that just when it's getting good, it seems over far too quickly.

It has some good moments, and I think it worth a look, just don't get your hopes too high about the chance to see iconic monsters battle.

Predator 2 (1990)

A worthy sequel

[8/10 · 24 May 2013]

Predator 2 takes us into a then-futuristic 1997 Los Angeles, a city that has become a war zone between Colombian and Jamaican drug gangs, with the police caught in the middle. Perfect hunting ground for another Predator.

This Predator is a lot more macho than the one in the first, taking on whole gangs of people by himself. As a result, there is much less suspense involved, with the film delving a little into slasher movie territory with it's unstoppable killer, but the creature still makes for a most menacing foe. This one has even more hardware to play with.

Arnie refused to star, but rather than go with another muscle-bound action hero, the film-makers went with a more workman-like hero, maverick cop Mike Harrigan played by Danny Glover. Danny makes for a likable hero, and proves more than up to the task of taking on the alien foe. Bill Paxton is amusing as the loudmouthed 'Lone Ranger', annoying at first, but you come to admire him. Maria Conchita Alonso is a heroine very much in the Vasquez mold. Gary Busey is cool as Keyes, a 'Fed' who clearly knows a lot more about what's going on that he's letting on. While antagonistic, it's difficult not to feel some sympathy when he tries to capture the Predator in an elaborate trap - one unfortunately the Predator can see right through.

The film has a relentlessness characteristic of the best actioners, and throughout it's running time, it never slows down for a minute, even in talky scenes.

The climax proves to be exhilarating, though it's here the film starts to 'borrow' a little too heavily from other movies. The sequence with Keyes trying to trap the alien has too much of a whiff of Aliens about it - not helped by an earlier scene that had a 'cameo' of sorts with a familiar-looking skull - while the rooftop battle smacks a bit of Blade Runner. The final showdown though is worth it, a one-on-one between Mike and the Predator that provides heart-in-mouth suspense.

Not as good as the first film, but a far better sequel than could have been hoped for.

Predator (1987)

I'm gonna have me some fun

[10/10 · 24 May 2013]

Along with The Thing, this is one of the only films to come out in the wake of Alien that stood it's own ground. While much more macho and more action-oriented, it provides plenty of suspense on it's own, and is right up there with Alien's sequel Aliens, which it shares many similarities to.

The first half of the film has Arnie, as 'Dutch', leading a team of mercenaries on a rescue mission, given to them by CIA field agent Dillon - Carl Weathers - an old comrade of Dutch's. As they make their way to their designated target, they discover signs that another team of soldiers has been in the area. This is confirmed by the horrific discovery of skinned corpses, and amongst the offal laying around on the ground, are dog-tags confirming them to be US Army Special Forces troops - 'Green Berets'. They believe the local guerrillas are the cause of it - but the real culprit is watching them silently, with only Billy - Sonny Landham - sensing they're not alone.

As they attack the guerrillas in an awesome action set-piece, it becomes clear Dillon has lied to them about the true nature of their mission - to take down a Soviet-backed guerrilla force. Given that Predators places this as happening in Guatemala, it is likely they were intending to cross the border into Belize, which they have long held claims to. Dutch realises his old friend has had them perform the CIA's dirty work, and neither he nor his team can trust him anymore. With a female guerrilla taken prisoner, they had back to the LZ...

...And then the Predator makes his move, hunting them like animals. Dutch and co find themselves battling for survival as their unseen foe proves to be a most formidable enemy, equipped with high-tech hardware that enables it to appear virtually invisible, and with a cool visor that enhances its vision, enabling it to track the characters by their body heat.

After the gun-ho antics of the first half, the second gives way to claustrophobic tension, the Predator using the jungle to it's advantage. The jungles that the team proved to be so effective in, now becomes a foe in themselves.

As the Predator picks them off one by one, it becomes clear the creature is hunting them for sport, showing mercy to their prisoner only because she was unarmed. It eventually culminates in a showdown between Dutch and the Predator, and the climax provides a great series of cat-and-mouse scenes as Dutch reverses the situation when he discovers how to make himself invisible to the Predator, resorting to primal instincts, and old-school survival tactics against the more technically-advanced alien foe.

Almost up there with the monster's entrance in Alien, is when the Predator takes his mask off, revealing one ugly mofo who, like Alien, became an instant icon. A vicious, imposing, relentless foe, it is the Predator who is the real star.

An excellent sci-fi thriller, a perfect macho alternative to Alien, and right behind Terminator 1 and 2 when it comes to Arnie's best films.

Stargate (1994)

Terrific sci-fi adventure

[8/10 · 24 May 2013]

It's had a lot of stick over the years, but Stargate makes for a terrific thrill ride, conveying some of the excitement of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Flash Gordon. And perhaps even the John Carter books too.

It takes awhile for it to build up, but the set-up is enthralling, a neat spin on the Chariots of the Gods stuff about ancient astronauts and the like.

Once Kurt and James are on 'Planet X', they and the team eventually discover humans living a nomadic existence, kept subservient by the sun-god Ra - who turns out to be a powerful despotic alien, but no God. Ra's henchmen too are simply big strong men, who happen to be kitted out with high-tech weapons and equipment.

Things take a turn for the worse when Ra shows up, alerted to the activation of the Stargate, and Spader, Kurt and his men eventually find themselves leading a revolt, while at the same time racing against time from stopping Ra sending an explosive present through the Stargate to Earth.

Not perfect, a little plodding at times, but fun undemanding entertainment.

Executive Decision (1996)

Decent riff on the Die Hard formula

[8/10 · 24 May 2013]

One of a number of airborne riffs on Die Hard to come out at the time - Air Force One among them. This is up there with Air Force One on the loopy scale, what with it's 'F-117X Remora' modified stealth fighter that would not look amiss if it was called 'Thunderbird 7'.

While there's nothing particularly surprising about it, it does provide effective entertainment, and does a good job of ratcheting up the tension level.

Kurt Russell is a hero of the Jack Ryan mould, an intelligence desk jockey out of his depth when thrust into a crisis. Despite his feelings about the film, Steven Seagal isn't too bad as the combat team leader. John Leguizamo is as you'd expect. Halle Berry always has our sympathies as the brave stewardess, while David Suchet makes a truly terrifying villain, who's just as quick to execute one of his own men as he is any of the passengers.

In the end, it's nothing special, but action fans ought to check it out.

Soldier (I) (1998)

Mindless fun

[6/10 · 24 May 2013]

This much-maligned mega-flop riffs on so many films, it's no surprise to see that the director is Paul WS Anderson, a director who can provide strong visuals, but never anything truly original. Here we can see aspects lifted from Universal Soldier, Terminator, Rambo, Mad Max 2, etc. Some see this as being set in the same universe as Blade Runner due to reference to 'Battle of Tannhauser Gate', and it comes from the same scriptwriter, David Webb Peoples. That said, there are also references to 'Nibian Moons', 'Antares Malestrom', and 'Perdition's Flames', which should strike a chord with Trekkies.

Kurt Russell probably utters a total of 4 lines in the whole movie, but he is excellent as 'Todd', a man who has been bred to be the ultimate soldier, and now finds himself discarded, alone, knowing nothing else than soldiering. When he falls in with a group of survivors of a crashed ship on the garbage dumping planet he winds up on, a strong whiff of Shane comes into the picture.

Predictably, the super-genetic soldiers that have replaced Todd and his men arrive for some target practice, and the film finally delivers some epic action thrills. Though it must be said, by the time things are over, there's hardly anyone left to save...

It was never going to win any plaudits, but if you're in an angry mood, it's the perfect outlet.