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Friday 14 June 2013

Man of Steel


Genre: Action/Adventure 
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon, Amy Adams & Russell Crow 
Running: 140 Mins

Reviews have already trembled the average die hard superman fan with claims that Zack Snyder, David S.Goyer and Chris Nolan have ran with a dark and gritty direction based on the cloaked superhero; much to the pleasure of those who worshiped the reconstruction of Batman over the years of 2005-2012. But not to worry, while there is certainly a much needed revamp in Man of Steel, and with much discolor to what fans are used to seeing, Zack Snyder has created an acceptable origin of Superman, mixed with drama and fantastic CGI - however the lack of character development is a major flaw.

Abandoned at birth, Clark (Henry Cavill) begins a journey into the abyss to discover the truth behind his extraordinary powers; one that grants him freakish strength, sensitive hearing and distant vision. Clark is constantly reminded of the importance of his existence by his adopted father Jonathan (Kevin Costner), who urges Clark to discover his origin; one that reveals a historic past of both his biological father (Russell Crow) and his nemesis - Zod (Micheal Shannon). 

Graced with extraterrestrial superpowers, Clark discovers the reason that has led him Earth-bound in the first place; to symbolise hope and to protect mankind from potential danger. In this case, Zod is en-route to capture Clark who holds the key to rebuilding the dead planet of  Krypton - a treacherous plan that Clark is destined to fight against. Journalist Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is adamant to get involved, with the possibility of life on another planet being too difficult to ignore. Her obsession with the man of steel leads her into a dangerous game involving heavy forces from both Earth and Krypton. 

The opening twenty minutes of Man of Steel is truly fantastic as you are given a great insight into the planet of Krypton; which also includes a tasteful, and somewhat tearful introduction to Russell Crow's Jor-El. Immediately action packed from the off as you sense the involvement from both Zack Snyder and Nolan straight away, giving the extraordinary CGI and the dramatic exchange of dialogue from Clark's biological parents. The same can not be said for the rest of the movie, as Clark's story is transformed to his place on Earth, offering a different movie entirely with the teenage Clark consuming more dialogue than Henry Cavill himself. The wonderful sounds of planet Krypton is immediately back dropped to the quiet city of Kansas, revealing quite a dull premise, that is until Clark advertises his skills in scenes that are well shot, but seem forced and extremely rushed at times. 

Henry Cavill's "Superman" is strangely quiet and while this may be part of the humble persona we see in the originals, the man hardly has a word to say. This may go unnoticed, with scenes of him shooting through the sky, the frenetic fight scenes leading to the occasional passionate roar of determination pushing you to the edge of your seat - man of steel is visually stunning. The famous battle scenes between Zod and "Superman" will be the reason you will remember this revamp. 

The overall cast is noticeably tasteful but its lack of character development is disappointing,  including the man himself. Unnecessary scenes involving Laurence Fishburne and co result in you failing to engage with the on-screen presence of Clark and Lois. It should have been lustful but it wasn't. We know the history of these two and what is to come, but a sudden love for one another is highly unbelievable, yet Man of Steel tries to force that upon you - resulting in an unsympathetic relationship. Kevin Costner is involved in one of two dramatic scenes in the entire movie; the rest is consistently action packed which may surprise some due to the nervousness surrounding both Nolan and Goyer's adoration for darkness. Man of Steel is more along the lines of "The Avengers" than "The Dark Knight", yet a lot more watchable than the "Ironman" series and is successful in terms of it being a DC movie that isn't too comic book, but the inclusion of general Zod adds a "cartoonish" tone that some fans may look out for. 

While Superman fans may be quick to distinguish the pros and cons of the modern approach alongside Richard Donner's Superman (1978), we must recognize that complaining about its dull modern approach is not good enough. Man of Steel tries to introduce a dramatic tale of a character that has ultimately failed to make an impact since the original release in 1978. In order for a Justice  League movie to work we need to let Henry Cavill flourish as Superman, and to do that he needs to keep in line with modern anti comic book approach that Batman has had so much success with. This ain't Marvel, we have Captain America and Ironman to laugh at, and while those movies are hilariously entertaining, most of them are not worth remembering.

The fans have called for a Superman revamp and got one in Man of Steel. The inclusion of Nolan and co appears exaggerated, creating an unnecessary worry among DC maniacs, however those in their bedroom will look forward to nit-picking at minor problems. The story is what you know, and the cast is pretty basic. Man of Steel is not brilliant. The stunning visuals are often supported and some what distracted by the loudness of the over the top battles between Superman and Zod. The last 20 minutes of this movie is so uncanny and relentlessly dragged out, the divide in fans opinion is obvious. Nevertheless, while I was hoping to avoid labelling it a pure "popcorn movie", it is nothing less. Henry Cavill fit the suit, but the lack of characterisation made me think that almost anyone could have played the role of Clark (Kal-El).

Overall: While it should still satisfy the average cinema-goer, Superman fans will expect a better outcome in terms of character development if a sequel should come about. 

7/10








Monday 10 June 2013

Fast and Furious 6


Genre: Action/Thriller/Comedy
Director: Justin Lin
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel & Paul Walker
Running: 130 Mins

So the fast and furious saga continues. Saga is correct? Well in Rocky Balboa terms it is so who is to say we can't use it here? Dom and sidekick Brian return to race and blow stuff up, however this time around their wicked maneuvers is appreciated due to the fact that "The Rock" is no longer their nemesis!

Living it up in European islands the gang is scattered far from home as they spend their hard earned cash from the heist in Rio (Fast Five). However all holidays must end soon, even for rookie criminals as Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) finds the whereabouts of Dom (Vin Diesel), offering him an ultimatum which relates to former lover Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) who is potentially well and truly living. Hanging out with a gang of road mercenaries, Letty is involved with Shaw (Luke Evans) - the kingpin Hobbs is so adamant to get hold of. It is through that exposure that convinces Dom to reassemble the crew in order to trace the gang and find some truth behind Letty's fictional death.

The masculine presence of Dom is completely overshadowed by Hobbs with the performance and overall showmanship of Dwayne Johnson stealing the role of the protagonist. It is fair to say we have come to the point of no return for both Dom and Brian (Paul Walker) as the once clever companionship is most times irrelevant and over seen as the creators of Fast and Furious are clearly paving way for the actions of Dwayne Johnson - and could we blame them? Dwayne Johnson owns Fast and furious 6, just as he did with Fast Five. And while there is some entertaining fist fights featuring the team work of himself and Diesel, we all know that Johnson could have done without him.

Struggling to forget the eh, forgetful 2 Fast 2 Furious, characters such as Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris) and Han (Sung Kang) are still scripted to do something funny or insanely stupid. Their presence is practically nonexistent, with "jive" comedy supplied by Roman falling on its knees every time.

The latest adventure is just as explosive and extremely funny when it's not supposed to be; with Dom and the gang always finding a reason to race leading to some entertaining scenes as they dodge tanks, take down airplanes while Vin Diesel showcases his best Superman impression - fans will be impressed by both the explosive action and the overall look of the movie, even if it is hilariously far-fetched!

Resembling the fast paced, at times dramatic story of Fast Five, the writers are clearly ambitious and some what reluctant to slow down anytime soon, offering a concept similar to Sly's Expendable's, meaning you just never know who you might see in the next drag race. And while "The Fast and the Furious" (2001) focused solely on car racing and the obsession and corruption behind it, the once dramatic tale has given birth to five new chapters that have slowly gone off the original concept. That is not to say it is a bad thing, in fact some might disagree when I say the first movie is the best. Why? Because we have adapted to what has become a franchise of utter silliness, yet they signify Hollywood's determination for blockbusters; known as movies that offer nothing other than a mindless euphoric cinema trip - and frankly, we don't mind.

Overall: Explosively Entertaining = 7.8/10






Tuesday 4 June 2013

The Hangover Part III





Genre: Comedy
Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zack Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong. 
Running: 100 Mins

While The Hangover was pretty original, Todd Philips shows for the third time around that his visionary comedies are pretty funny but at times, one dimensional.  The Hangover part III looks to take a new direction (hangover free). So how did Todd and the guys get on this time around?

The guys are worried for the mental health of Alan (Zack Galifianakis) following the sudden death of his father. While Alan is hilariously obnoxious in refusing to cooperate, it is the presence of Phil (Bradly Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms) that helps reel Alan into what he believes to be the return of the wolf pack. However things take an expected turn for the worst as the gang are ambushed on route to Alan's destination. Doug (Justin Bartha) is kidnapped. Phil and Stu can't help but ignore the name of Chow who has a big part to play in the mess they will inevitably become part of.

On the orders of Marshall (John Goodman) the guys must find and return Chow - or Doug is a dead man.

And so begins a wild goose chase that is sometimes funny, yet most times boring and child like with the concept slowly but surely loosing the clever, witty comedic effort it supplied in the first movie. The onscreen companionship of both Chow and Alan is what saves this comedic effort from completely sinking. The character of Chow is in your face the whole time with sequences of loud, over the top camp-ness, revealing a movie that could have been called "Hangover: The origin of Chow".

Zack Galifianakis continues to advertise the same character he plays in everything. Of course we expect nothing less than humorous dialog from this guy and that is just what we get - with a more twisted mind-set from the once touched-friendly Alan who is now on the verge of straight up murdering someone. Not everyone will appreciate the sudden change of character or maybe you won't even notice.

The apparent importance of Alan is so drawn out at this stage that he completely shuts out the presence of both Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms. The Hangover III reveals that while Chow becomes annoying, along with the peculiar change of Zack's character, we will still munch on our popcorn and laugh on occasions with or without Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms - Hangover III so desperately wanted to take a new direction that they forgot about Cooper and Helms. It is a bit of a shame, but yet this is what happens when one man steals the show from the very beginning.

We did not need the Hangover III, let alone a sequel. Yet this is modern day Hollywood and while it is funny on occasions, one can not help but notice a desperate attempt for new material has resulted in a two man show - Chow and Alan. The Hangover part III is funnier than the sequel (in small sequences), but just as forgetful. The wolf pack may live on, but not to fill the pockets of the Hollywood hierarchy.

Overall: Partly Funny - unoriginal - over the top - beats the sequel - highly forgetful 

5.5/10