The Avengers - Official Trailer 2012 [HD]

So here we are now. After years of development and a few film establishing the main characters, we get to see a team of superheroes being, well, a superhero super group. My initial response was of dread as I could not see it working well but to my surprise it is one of the most entertaining films of the year.

With Earth being under attack from dastardly villain Loki and his evil plot to rule Earth and its inhabitants, it is down to Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) to pull together his group of superheroes to save the human race. Luckily for those of you who have seen all the individual films, the need for each characters origin and development is unnecessary as they have been fully established in their own stories.


The film does start off very well and establishes a plot (although very well worn) about an attempt by Loki (main villain from Thor), to take a mysterious cube (the Tesseract) which harnesses a power that can open a teleport/wormhole to allow an alien army which he commands to take over the world. Even with this simplistic and over familiar storyline the film has many entertaining moments and is littered with loads of Whedons trademark witty one liners.

The one truly great thing about this film is how well it manages all the superheroes characters and never does one character feel like it's just a film about them with a few extra superheroes tagging along. Each one of them have a similar amount of screen time and a specific purpose which drives the plot forward. Another thing is that the guy behind the film (Whedon) knows his material and creates a loving, authentic and workable story which means each character never feels like a bit character. A very balanced juggling act which allows the stars to shine and show their unique personalities.

The only minor criticism I would give is the over hype that this picture has garnered by many and judging by it's box office record breaking takings, people are going in their droves to see what all the fuss is about. Don't get me wrong, the film is good but not an all time classic. The plot is nothing new, and the alien invasion at the climax of the film is a bit reminiscent of Transformers 3, and a team that doesn't get on but eventually stand together and realize a common enemy, all very cliched.


Most impressive throughout is the dialogue. Each actor delivers and provides so many funny moments (even though Bruce Banners alter ego The Hulk only manages a couple of lines but what few lines he is given are the most hilarious lines in the whole movie!). Unfortunately with the smart lines, the tone of the film never feels quite right.  It doesn't take itself too seriously and because of this, the sense of danger never feels tangible as their is always a line to soften the blow.

A big fun movie which everyone will find something to like, thanks mainly to Whedon assured screenplay and character dynamics, a film that should have failed (and probably would have done under someone else's guidance) it is a true testament that under the right director even the impossible is possible, hopefully next time they could come up with someone a bit more menacing than Loki.

Acting: 3.5/5

Technical Merit: 4/5

Narrative: 3.5/5

Entertainment: 4.5/5

15.5/20

21 Jump Street - Official Trailer [HD]

First off, I don't normally go for comedies but as I find myself in LA waiting for a flight departing in 8 hrs I had a plenty of time on my hands. Went off to the local multiplex and found not much on, my choices were The Lorax, John Carter, 21 Jump Street amongst others. So I opted for what I thought was the best of a bad bunch and went to see 21 Jump Street.

I had little knowledge of this film only that it is a update of an old TV show from the 80s and that it now follows more of a comedic route than it's origins. It stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as two young high school kids from the opposite spectrum of the popularity scale. Schmidt (Hill) is a geek who doesn't get to go to prom and is ridiculed by his fellow students whereas Jenko (Tatum) is the typical high school jock who is popular with everyone and believes he will be crowned the prom king until he finds he's is unable to attend due to his poor grades. So far so predictable.


After graduation, they both enrol in the police force and Jenko spots the opportunity to team up with Schmidt to pass the police exam to become fully fledged police officers. They form a friendship and become partners. No plot surprises there, but what does come through is the two leads energy and exuberance. The two stars provide an engaging and very strong performance which I must admit caught me by surprise (especially from Tatum, who  knew he could do comedy so well?).


As they bumble through a routine arrest the police force believe their youthful appearance would work well in their special unit called 21 Jump Street. The main directive of this special task force is to infiltrate high schools and tackle a new synthetic drug being dealt to students. They embark on the undercover project and it's here where the majority of the comedy comes about. A mix up occurs and as a result they are forced to pretend to be one another's pre-assigned undercover identities, one an athlete and the other a science nerd and the previous natural roles undertaken in their own teen years are finally broken.


It's safe to say the jokes do come thick and fast and there is many a moment when I found myself laughing out loud. What is surprising about the whole film isn't the actual assignment but the characters chance to relive their high school experiences and their journey to correct past mistakes and in essence play a different role. You begin to care less about the sub-plot of the drug ring they are suppose to smash and become more emotionally involved with the two characters predicament and self discovery.

I can safely say that this film is an absolute blast, which is more hit than miss on the joke front. A film with little in they way of expectations has become a surprise hit as a result. So less said the better (sometimes a film's trailer will give away all it's best moments but there are so many great funny scenes it would be impossible to do this!). I was very impressed by Tatum as I would never have expected him to do so well in a comedy performance and if this was anything to go by, he'll have something else to fall back on if his tough guy action roles dry up.

Acting:4/5

Technical Merit:3.5/5

Narrative:3.5/5

Entertainment:5/5

16/20

John Woo's The Killer (1989) with Trailer

A hired hit man (Ah Jong-Chow Yun Fat) on a routine job accidentally blinds a club singer Jennie (Sally Yeh) in a bar. Feeling full of guilt and remorse, he decides to quit his profession but only after taking on one last job to help Jennie fund cornea surgery to restore her sight. Unfortunately, with his last job, his employers take it upon themselves to double cross him and not pay him for his services and decide to get rid of him altogether. Along with the criminals who are after our "hero", a cop (Insp Li Ying-Danny Lee) is also on his tail for his handy work and will stop at nothing to capture his guy.

A film full of exhilarating set pieces accumulating in a body count in the near 100s where the themes of honour and betrayal are explored with such hyperbolic sequences and a dazzling array of stunts and squibs. John Woo's films always portray his "good" guys as a no nonsense, morally righteous man who upholds a code of honour. A hit man with a conscience and kills only those he sees as deserving of a quick death. 

When I first saw this marvel, I was astounded by it's flair, fluidity and camerawork. Full of style and unflinching graphic violence. Never have I seen a film where the hero is so cool, composed and controlled . Chow Yun Fat brings a certain gravitas with his on screen character learning to carry the burden of guilt but also acting on his immense talent with guns.

With themes that Woo would return to, never has a hit man appeared more noble and chivalrous as our title character. A hit man that uses a church as a meeting point for assignments and recuperation, doves flying through the air (in slow-mo!), religious symbolism and of course gunplay with bullets that come flying thorough the screen right to your retinas. 

One thing that viewers may spot is the breaking of the 180 degree rule for the shot reserve shot when Chow's character is talking to Lee's Inspector on the side of the lake. Most films convey a conversation with a switch back and forth and many times characters are shown either to the left of the screen and then switches to the other character to the right of the screen. Woo cleverly places both characters on the same side. It's a bit jarring at first but the point to all of this is to show that both characters are alike and are in fact a mirror image of each other.

Within the film there is so much one can pick out as an extraordinary piece of action cinema. The opening shoot out in the club with it's numerous multi-angle, slow-mo and fast paced editing creates a dazzling dance of bullets and bodies. In fact many of the films set pieces are heart pounding, jaw dropping and an amazing feat in stunt work and a clear indication of John Woo's talent behind the camera. A film he has never bettered and a film that people will look back on and wonder why Hollywood never gave him a chance to show the world what he can do. A sad waste and a crying shame.

Acting: 4/5

Technical Merit: 4.5/5

Narrative: 4/5

Entertainment: 5/5

17.5/20

Iron Man 2 (2010) with Trailer

After the surprise success of the first Iron Man movie, came the obvious and apparent sequel. As with many sequels, the diminishing returns are unfortunately evident. Carrying on from the previous film where Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) has just announced to the world that he is, in fact, Iron Man. A playboy millionaire with a superhero alter-ego. What is very much a refreshing change from the norm of many superheroes characters, is the fact that he doesn't have to hide who he his. No conflict of personalities or change of persona. Or, that is what Stark is trying to portray to the public. Deep down, what he is hiding is a slow and painful death resulting in his antics as Iron Man. The suit that keeps him alive is slowly poisoning him.

Following the rigid format of a typical comic book film, where there is a superhero there must be a villain (or villains).This comes in the form of Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke playing a role not to dissimilar to his previous film The Wrestler except with less words and less grunting). A quick intro of Ivan shows how he feels his father (an ex-employee of Stark industries) has been deprived and bereaved of his accomplishments. He feels Stark's father has claimed these as his own. As well as Ivan, there is the (obvious) rival company run by Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), who wishes to develop his own army of Iron Men for financial gain. When Ivan fails at his attempt on Stark's life, Hammer see this as an opportunity to team up with Ivan to develop his technology to advance his own. With Stark hiding his own battle with health and continual conflict with the government over his reluctant co-operation over the Iron Man technology, everything begins to mount up as a climatic battle ensues when Hammer's super Military Drones (controlled by Ivan) to go up against Stark in a battle of man against machines.

What is considerably lacking in this film is the shortage of tension or any real sense of danger. This big screen comic book action adventure just doesn't fulfil your desired expectations. There's a sense of impression that no one is really in peril. It's just the way the film flows. Robert Downey Jr's performance is very relaxed and comes across as if there is no trouble or menace that cannot be overcome with a witty quip/one liner. The final battle fX between the drones and Iron Man are spectacular and eye boggling at times but the same can't be said for the Monte Carlo racing scene. It doesn't capture sense of speed or excitement, with the race cars looking very obvious like CGI instead of the real thing.

Another problem I encountered was the pace in which the lines were delivered by characters in the film. Particularly the exchanges between Stark (Downey) and Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). The dialogue between the two of them goes at a hundred miles an hour at times and can be very annoying to decipher. Stark comes across like a man high on drugs. Uttering words like they are going out of fashion. The performance to me seem a little lackadaisical and not as genuine as it could (or should) have been.

Humour is scattered around throughout the film and allows the film to live in it's own universe which is probably what I found a little deviating and creates little or no suspense. If you can live with Downey's performance then you'll tolerate the whole flaw the film has created for itself. I feel they haven't allowed enough development in characterisation. Even with his apparent battle and struggle with his impending death, you never feel like he was ever in any danger of dying. If you can't make the hero look like he has any weaknesses then there is no jeopardy or endangerment. The other problem is the villain isn't villainous enough. No matter how menacing you make Rourke look, he never seems to be an even match for Downey's Iron Man.

With this also being a link to the forthcoming Avengers film (a super group of superheroes!) the film is continually referring to characters and plot points towards a bigger picture. It's not a major problem as long as you know your Avengers back story or group dynamics but for others it may look a bit out of place within the film and some of you may wonder what the hell is going on. Who is Nick Fury? Why are they going on about this Avenger initiative and how does it progress the plot? It doesn't really have any bearing except to allow some tentative link for a couple of films to crossover to allow for the up and coming Avengers movie. It's not a massive negative and fan boys would probably love it but for Joe public it may seem a bit disjointed.

A lackluster and laid back sequel which disappoints as well as annoys in places (the middle segment of the narrative almost put me to sleep). A decent enough fX to please the brain dead but the film's overall emphasis on fun and witty one liners doesn't allow any real danger to exist. A failure to expand and develop with a heavy reliant on fX and humour to pass off as progress is a sad state of affairs. A sequel which like many sequel's pales in comparison to the original, which should come as no surprise then. Vapid, hollow and regurgitates old grounds.

Acting 3/5

Technical Merit 3/5

Narrative 2.5/5

Entertainment 3/5

11.5/20

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon (2011) With Trailer

The third film in the successful franchise based on an 80s toy product. This one sees the plot revolving around Earth's manned mission to the moon in the 60s (which incorporates some good and clever use of archive footage). The real reason behind the mission is in fact a cover up for an "incident" which the world knew little about. An Autobot spaceship which crash landed on the surface on the moon, millions of years ago.

With the intriguing set up, the film unfortunately falters and flags. As the story heads back to the drama's of Sam (Shia Labeouf) Witwicky life. Set a couple of years of the 2nd film. Sam is struggling to find a job whilst his Autobot companions are out on secret missions maintain peace and order with their human allies. It isn't too long before the Decepticons make an appearance and are back to their old tricks again. We learn that within the crashed spaceship (the Ark) contains special pillars that could help the Autobots once and for all, to conquer the Decepticons and win the war....but in the wrong hands they could also lead to the destruction of the planet Earth.

To summarise the plot in such way makes the film sound interesting and exciting but it is far from it. The total lack of serious/normal characters in the film jars the brooding menace. Every supporting character is a bit weird (John Malkovich's- Bruce Bezo) or over hyperactive (Ken Jeong's-Jerry Wang). It sometimes feels like there are two films competing here. One a wacky and (un)funny comedy drama whilst the other, an explosive and eye popping special effects laden action film. I am at a loss as to why there was any need for such a need to try to use stock footage of real events for it to only throw at us such infantile humour. 

After the absolute slating that the 2nd film received you would have thought that Bay would have learnt his lesson, but far from it. Racial stereotypes are still ever present and it seems like any ethnic minority portrayed comes across in a very unpolitical correct way. A Scottish sounding Autobot is heard to say "I'll bottle ya" The humour is also not at all funny. If you do laugh, you'd be laughing at the absolute dire dialogue written for the film. I had high hopes for this film and my hopes soon turned to anger and dismay.

The other problem with the film is the pacing of the whole thing. It takes an absolute age for anything exciting to happen. When you come to see a  film like this you'd expect robots to be smashing other robots, buildings or any other inanimate object. What you get is a limp attempt at humour and character development. Too much unnecessary padding. Strip away the waste and this film may have been better.

Enough about the negatives you say, what about the positives? Well the action scenes are extremely well handled. If you watch in 3D then your eyes will be in for a treat. Bays trademark of slo-mo is in full effect and there is so much happening at one time you could get lost in which Transformer is which. With the carnage and mayhem, you're always going to be in safe hands with Bay. The 3D is also implement in such dazzling ways and the action packed set pieces are done with aplomb.

I just wish he would try to leave school boy humour and offensive pokes at other races alone. Apart from that I just about found the film tolerable. A complete mess with a tone which shifts from one extreme to another and just doesn't sit well. I now know why Megan Fox jumped ship and left this awful mess of a film. A sad waste of money, time and effort. I want my money back.

Acting 1.5/5

Technical Merit 2.5/5 (3.5/5 for 3D version)

Narrative 2/5

Entertainment 2/5 (3/5 for 3D version)

8/20 (10/20-3D)