MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

The original Mad Max movies are classics. They made Mel Gibson  famous (though I try not to hold that against them). But what they're probably most famous for is the rather long chase scene at the end of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. In this scene Max drives a truck hauling a giant tanker full of fuel through the Australian desert, attempting to escape a maniacal gang clad in hard-core bondage. It is one of the (if not the) most famous chase scenes in the history of film and George Miller clearly knows when he is on to something good. Mad Max: Fury Road is essentially a two hour chase scene with the occasional break so that the protagonists can have a quick drink and recuperate.

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic Australia where water and fuel are scarce. A crazy cult has arisen led by the incredibly gross Immortan Joe (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, who was also the lead villain in Mad Max 1), who has built a fortress in a mountain in which he hordes the local water supply and keeps his army of War Boys and his 5 young wives (including Zoë Kravitz and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley). Imperator Furiosa (played by the awesome Charlize Theron) tries to free his young wives by sneaking them away in a fuel truck. Meanwhile, Max (now played by Tom Hardy) has been captured by the War Boys and is being used as a blood bag for War Boy Nux (Nicholas Hoult). When Nux tries to help re-capture Furiosa, Max manages to escape and ends up helping Furiosa and the wives in their bid for freedom. And so begins one of the longest and most awesome chase scenes in film history.

Fury Road is visually stunning. It is a film which focuses entirely on the visuals and gives little importance to the script.  I watched an interview with George Miller in which he said he didn't write a script for Fury Road, but rather created a graphic-novel -style storyboard and left a lot of the dialogue up to the actors. Hardy himself has very few lines in the film. But that doesn’t matter because there's so much to see! 

As Furiosa drives her giant armoured truck through the desert, she is chased by dozens of dune buggies, covered in spikes and skulls. In order to try to re-capture the wives, the War Boys thrust giant sticks out of their vehicles into the air with men clasped to the top who are thrown towards the truck. There is literally a giant vehicle whose only purpose is to convey a man perpetually playing electric guitar and his giant amps alongside the chase.   

There is a breath-taking scene in which Furiosa enters a sandstorm in order to evade her pursuers. Lighting flashes through the storm and changes the colours from sand-red to electric blue. Vehicles are thrown into the air and torn apart by hurricanes. It's one of the coolest things I have seen in a film for a long time and I must admit, I found myself wishing I was watching the movie in 3D (even with the extortionate prices).

Turning to the characters, Hardy and Theron are both incredibly cool leads. Both actors have a great amount of presence in whatever role they take on and they make a good team here. You could say that, even though this is a Mad Max film, Furiosa gets more attention and certainly, with her robot arm, she was the more interesting character. Immortan Joe is ridiculously repulsive  and makes for quite a scary bad-guy. Hoult is very likeable and entertaining as redeemed War Boy, Nux.

There has been some criticism however of the portrayal of Joe's young wives and I can't say they're given very empowering roles. We first see them hosing each other down in the desert wearing nothing but thin strips of white fabric. They aren't exactly stereotypical damsels in distress but nor do they really add much to the film or provide much assistance to Max and Furiosa.

All in all, I'd say this is my favourite Mad Max film. Admittedly I have not seen Beyond Thunderdome yet but I highly doubt it beats The Road Warrior or Fury Road.

This summer looks like it's going to be a good one for epic blockbusters. Jurassic World isn't far away, there's another Terminator movie on the horizon (although I have some doubts about that one) and the next Marvel Universe movie, Ant-Man is due out on 17 July.

PITCH PERFECT 2

Three years on from Pitch Perfect, Beca (Anne Kendrick) is now in her final year of college and is the leader of the Barden Bellas, who are 3-time national a cappella champions. Pitch Perfect 2 follows the Bellas after they are disgraced at celebrations for the President's birthday (easily one of the funniest scenes in the film) and as they try to win back their reputation and their right to compete nationally by competing in the World Championship. 

Pitch Perfect (1) is incredibly popular, probably more so than anyone expected when it first came out. I believe this popularity stems from its quirky, off-the-wall character.  It is funny and sweet and something a bit different. Although Pitch Perfect 2 is also funny and sweet, it seems to me more mainstream and less original than its predecessor. For that reason, for me at least, it isn't as good or as memorable as Pitch Perfect.  The romance between newcomer, Emily (Hailee Steinfeld), and Benji (Ben Platt) seems unnecessary and clichéd and, to be honest, I don’t think Steinfeld really adds anything to this film. 

On top of this, there are a number of moments in the new film where the writer is clearly trying to replicate some of the better scenes in the first. At times I felt like the film was relying too much on the popularity of its predecessor. The basement a capella-off is clearly a throwback to the swimming pool scene in Pitch Perfect. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy David Cross's appearance and the Bellas' spar off against Das Sound Machine and the Green Bay Packers! I just feel like this film wasn't giving us much new. 

That said, Pitch Perfect 2 does bring back all of the brilliant characters who made Pitch Perfect so great and it has maintained much of the charm of the first film. Anna Kendrick is one of my favourite people ever and is undeniably wonderful in both films. However, it's really Rebel Wilson who steals the show in these films, brining comedic-brilliance to every scene she is in. I will never get sick of Bumper and Fat Amy's sort-of romance. One piece of constructive criticism on the cast: I do wish they'd made more use of the Treblemakers!

Pitch Perfect 2 also has some great tunes and theatrics. Beca produces some more of her awesome mash ups for the Bellas to perform and the Bellas' new a capella-nemeses, Das Sound Machine, are a great addition to the cast and incredibly entertaining to watch. Who knew you could do an a capella rendition of a Muse song?!  

Pitch Perfect 2, when considered on its own, is a fun film which I really enjoyed. It's just a shame I don't feel a great need to watch it again, as I did with the first one.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

 

Avengers: Age of Ultron finds us approximately 3 years after the events of Avengers Assemble. Whilst the first film brought our heroes together for the first time, in Age of Ultron the Avengers are now a close-nit unit, led by (the wonderful) Captain America. The film follows the fall of SHIELD and the Avengers are trying to mop up what is left of Hydra and recover Loki's sceptre which is in the hands of Hydra thug, Baron Strucker. Meanwhile, after the near-demise of New York (and the planet) in Avengers Assemble, Tony Stark is trying to design a robot army who can defend the planet so that the Avengers no longer have to. When Stark messes with artificial intelligence, Ultron is born, a psychopathic robot with a hatred of mankind and, in particular, the Avengers.

As with Avengers Assemble, the thing that makes Age of Ultron a great superhero film is the fantastic ensemble cast (matched by few). Joss Whedon has once again done what most directors could not and managed to fit 6 big personalities into one film without overloading it and falling into the trap that Spider-Man 3 (oh dear, oh dear) fell into. The 6 characters are each so different and complement each other so well. I particularly enjoyed the Stark/Rogers/Thor banter in this new instalment. As Agent Hill says, "testosterone".

The new members of the cast can also hold their weight amongst these big personalities. We are introduced to "the twins", Pietro and Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver who, in the comic universe, are the children of X-Men's Magneto) played by to Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Olsen and Johnson deliver strong performances (in particular Olsen) and interesting new characters. And in terms of our new bad guy, I believe Joss Whedon wanted James Spader for Ultron from the beginning, and you can certainly see why. Although of course Ultron's body is CGI, Spader has amazing presence in this film; his voice oozes menace.

The other element of this film which is particularly notable is the script. You know a Whedon script when you hear one. As with Assemble, Age of Ultron is quick and funny and also at times intelligent and moving.   

Of course, what we all really go to see any superhero film for, Avengers included (other than, of course, Chris Hemsworth's face), is the action scenes. Age of Ultron is possibly even more action-packed than assemble. It offers many and varied battle scenes and amazing special effects. I think we were all eagerly anticipating the battle between the Hulk and Iron Man in his "Hulkbuster" suit and it did not disappoint! But for me the best action sequence is a scene at the very beginning of the film when the heroes are battling in Russian forests as they seek out Strucker and Loki's sceptre.  There is a brilliant continuous sequence which moves between each of the Avengers and which harks back to one of the best scenes in Avengers Assemble, a long continous scene in the battle of New York.

Having praised the film so highly, I must admit that for me it did not quite reach the standard set by Avengers Assemble. The best and funniest moments in the script could not match such wonderful moments in Assemble as "puny God". I'm not sure either that Ultron can really match the genius that is Tom Hiddleston's Loki, but to be fair, that bar is set very high! Avengers Assemble is one of, if not the, best superhero films ever made (as far as I'm concerned) and I find it hard to believe that it could ever be matched. Age of Ultron and Captain America: Winter Soldier came close. Perhaps Civil War is up to the challenge…

Man of Steel

This newest installation of the Superman franchise marks a complete break from the past of Superman films.  2006's "Superman Returns" is actually designed to be a sequel to the Christopher Reeve movies of the '70s and '80s. "Man of Steel" also, not unlike "Iron Man 3" and "The Amazing Spider-Man", attempts to follow the trend set by Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy in creating an edgier and, yes, darker species of super hero movie. These facts are undoubtedly the motivation of the title which itself rebrands the eponymous hero and refuses to mention his most famous of names. Unfortunately, director Zack Snyder has failed to accomplish as successful and noteworthy a rebranding as Nolan did with Batman and his film cannot truly compare even with the new Spider-Man or Iron Man films. 

At two and a half hours, one would presume that Snyder would need to edit down his film to improve it but in reality it feels as though he should have added elements and perhaps used the material he had for two films rather than one. "Man of Steel" deals with simply too much material and none of it is really covered in a satisfactory manner.

It is, however, not without its charms or its achievements. I have always felt that Superman itself, the comic, the idea, is greatly flawed. An alien who is many, many times more powerful than any other being on Earth, who can fly and shoot laser beams from his eyes - surely Superman can have no real rival? His arch nemesis, Lex Luther, should have been easily defeated in their first encounter. That's not to mention, of course, perhaps the most infamous flaw in the Superman tale: the idea that if Superman merely dons a pair of glasses, he can disguise himself as the ordinary Clark Kent, whom no man or woman would identify as Superman.  

Luckily, Superman's alter ego is not an issue for the majority of "The Man of Steel", nor is the villain a mere Earthling, but a fellow Kryptonian of similar strength.  Furthermore, one aspect of the film which I, personally, will readily compliment is the choice of Amy Adams as Lois Lane. Traditionally one of the most boring and irksome super hero girlfriends, Adams presents a perfectly likable, if moderately redundant, heroine. 

BUT, and this is a relatively big "but", having lured the audience into a false sense of security, the last 5 minutes returns to the old ways of the comics and the previous films as Clark decides to integrate himself into human society. I cannot go into detail without including multiple spoilers, but I assure you, you will know what I mean when you watch the film. 

What "Man of Steel" can be complimented for, without any "ifs" or "buts", is its spectacular visuals and stunning final scenes as Superman battles Zod and attempts to thwart his plot to destroy mankind. Snyder, though he often fails to deliver on story, consistently delivers fantastic  fights and special effects and, although the plot-line is severely flawed, I would argue that "The Man of Steel" keeps you entertained throughout, merely by giving you something amazing to look at.  

Byzantium

Neil Jordan, director of 1994's "Interview with the Vampire" returns to the world of the undead with "Byzantium", a screen adaptation of Moira Buffini's play, "A Vampire Story". "Interview with the Vampire" was based on a novel by Anne Rice of the same name and it would appear from watching "Byzantium" that Jordan is drawn to  a very particular way of portraying this blood-sucking race. In many ways "Byzantium" is very similar to "Interview" and both provide a very different viewpoint and portrayal of a topic with which the movie world is now saturated.  

"Interview" follows the story of Louis, a self-loathing vampire, from his rebirth, and his twisted relationship of hate and dependence with his cruel and depraved sire, Lestat. Similarly, "Byzantium" follows the tale of Eleanor and her sire and mother, Clara, as they try to live with themselves and what they are.   Both films provide us with the monster's perspective. Unlike in many vampire tales, such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", these vampires retain their humanity and must attempt to find "humane" methods of acquiring human blood.

"Byzantium" is an incredibly imaginative story, full of original ideas surrounding how vampires live, where they come from, how they are made.  In order to make such beings sympathetic and more than 2D villains, Jordan has cast two fantastic actresses as Clara and Eleanor. Gemma Arterton effortlessly encapsulates Clara,  the beautiful mother who had her youth and innocence ripped away from her and must sacrifice her own morality and virtue to protect her daughter. Saoirse Ronan is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors of her generation and has taken on numerous challenging and daring roles. She is perfectly cast as the isolated and conflicted Eleanor and few actresses of her age could so well capture the character of a 200 year old women stuck in the body of a teenage girl.

Unfortunately, despite the brilliant story and the wonderful performances, "Byzantium" lacks the flawless directing of "Interview". There are too many moments in the film when the audience has to suspend their disbelief as characters make decisions and act in a way which has no reason or justification, seemingly so that Jordan can link one scene to the next. A young, still human Clara inexplicably agrees to wander off with an unknown soldier, who turns out to be her downfall and put her on the path to joining the undead. A villain who has been chasing Clara across the world finally catches up with her, only to let his guard down moronically and fatally. Such moments in the film make it at times clunky and it ruins the flow of the plot.

What we have is all the potential of a brilliant film: great story, great cast and beautiful cinematography and scenery, even a good script. But Jordan has failed somewhat in putting these pieces together.  That is not to say that this is not a film worth watching. With all the generic, unoriginal, downright poor vampire films and TV shows which have been released in the past few years, it has seemed as if the genre might have been good and truly tainted. However, "Byzantium" is an entertaining, at times truly exciting film with several great performances and many moving scenes. Although it is not the great film it could be, it is a good film and a must see for any vampire fan.

Something New

After a long break from review-writing, I bring you Joe Wright's "Hanna", one of the best films I have seen in a long time: 

So few big budget films these days are truly original. Whether based on a book, a TV series, or a remake or sequel (or even prequel) of a pre-existing film, most blockbusters these days are not entirely original. Joe Wright's "Hanna" (2011) is an exception. With a fantastic leading performance from one of the most promising young actresses of our generation, Saoirse Ronan, a truly gripping story and gorgeous scenery and visuals, "Hanna" is a film I would recommend to any movie-lover - though perhaps not one of delicate constitution.

Hanna (Ronan) and her father Erik (the brilliant Eric Bana) live utterly isolated and without electricity or modern comforts in the snowy forests of northern Finland. Hanna has no memory of other humans or another lifestyle - they hunt for their food and skin animals for their clothes. She has never even heard the sound of music. Erik has trained Hanna to be a deadly weapon, fluent in multiple dialects and without fear. But why? When Hanna decides she is finally ready for her mysterious mission out in the real world, our story begins!

This story is as varying in tone and content as it is in scenery. Hanna moves from Finland through Morocco and Spain as she finds her way to Germany. She is constantly trailed and hunted by CIA operatives and German assassins. Ronan is, as always, stunning in her performance. She is totally convincing as a fierce and brutal killing machine and at the same time, beautifully portrays a lost teenage girl who has never known friends or a mother. Ronan has shown amazing talent since she was very young, taking one of the leading roles in Joe Wright's "Atonement" (2007) at just 13 and at 15 starring in the tragic "Lovely Bones". She has a great presence in every role she takes on and has played characters more challenging than most actors will in their entire career. This performance allows her to begin to grow up as an actress as Hanna grows up as a person.

Joe Wright, who is known for directing visually stunning pieces, such as 2005's "Pride and Prejudice" and more recently "Anna Karenina", has once again provided us with stunning visuals as he takes us on Hanna's dangerous journey across continents. Every scene is different and every scene is captivating. This is not only one of the best original films of recent years, but perhaps one of the best period.

Film News 16/08/2012 - Dragonball Z

Apparently, the 2013 Dragonball Z movie is definitely going to be Dragonball Z - and not Dragonball - which is a brilliant decision as the story matter is so much richer, the characters so much better, and it's just less childish and weird.

It is rumoured to be set after Goku's defeat of Kid Buu (the final bad guy in the Dragonball Z series) and before the World Martial Arts tournament which ended the DBZ series and was set 10 years after the fall of Buu.

This could mean a difficult transition for those not familiar with the Z world as it may require a lot of presumed backstory. 2009's "Dragonball Evolution" started at the beginning, going through Goku's training and his first meetings with Bulma and Yamcha. Then again, this setting for the new film also gives the director almost a clean slate: all baddies have been defeated and there are 10 undocumented years during which almost anything could have happened!