elmeeksio Reviews

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Another GREAT Spidey movie! Spoiler Free!

[8/10 · 22 April 2014]

When Mark Webb first relaunched the Spider-Man franchise, there were many who criticised that it was too soon after Sam Raimi's originals. With Spider-Man 3 spelling the demise of the original trilogy, Webb stepped in to tell a new set of stories of our beloved web slinger. One thing Webbs movies have done so well is to introduce new villains that we haven't seen on screen before, and for me that is what i was most excited to see with this movie!

Amazing Spider-Man 2 picks up some time after the first (the actual time frame isn't really acknowledged)and we see Peter (Garfield) is still loving being Spider-Man. He joins in on Police chases and whilst being his usual wise-cracking self, he still manages to kick ass and save the day. We see that despite Peters promise to her Father in the first movie, he and Gwen (Stone) are back in a relationship. She knows he is Spider-Man and so the movie doesn't waste time with silly plot points about him having to be secretive towards her.(it saves those for Aunt May). There are sub narratives a-plenty, including the introduction of Harry Osborne, as well as Peters on-going search to find out what happened to his Parents.

The Bad Guy/s: We are introduced to Max Dillon aka Electro who is given the usual Supervillian intro. We see that he is an outcast and that no one at Oscorp even knows he exists despite him being a seemingly important designer. Cue massive accident involving electricity and Electro is born. This for me was one of the Highlights of the film. Electro is BADASS!! Not only did they completely nail the look of the character, but the power he has, makes you genuinely question just how Peter will defeat him. Jamie Fox plays him with vulnerability (at first)and then pure anger. It's a great performance for a comic book villain.

The film was not without faults however...a few things that annoyed me slightly were: 1) Rhino was billed to be one of the villains, yet his screen time is less that 5 mins. plus Paul Giamatti's Russian accent is awful! 2) The whole plot around Harry felt very rushed. Maybe some elements could have been saved until the next film. 3) On several occasions Gwen helps Spidey out of bad situations, both physically and intellectually. Peter is supposedly a child genius, now with Superpowers..he didn't need her help!.. it felt like Gwen helping was forced in to give Emma Stone more to do.

All in all it was another great addition to this new franchise. The final showdown on the power grid and in the clock tower are worth the admission price alone, even if the film takes a while to get there. Garfield is great, Fox's Electro is awesome and the movie has many little nods to expanding the Spidey universe (look out for whats behind the glass in the 'Special Projects' wing).

Top notch entertainment.

Pompeii (I) (2014)

Not as bad as some would make out

[6/10 · 16 April 2014]

I've read many very negative reviews for this film, and to be honest i'm a little confused. It is by no means the next 'Gladiator' but it is an entertaining telling of a true event that I for one, have never seen on screen. The movie set the scene of Pompeii very well. It looked like a cross between Rome and Sparta to me. The characters were all likable, and had their place in the narrative, but my main issue with the story was the classic 'Love Triangle'. I couldn't understand why a story of the famous Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 A.D needed a sub-plot of a slave (Kit Harrington) who falls for a beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant(Emily Browning), and ends up having to fight for her and his freedom against a corrupt Roman Senator (Keifer Sutherland).

I guess you couldn't have a full movie about the eruption itself, but at the end of the day, that's all i was waiting to see. I didn't really care to much for what else was happening.

When the mountain finally erupts it is spectacular. Pompeii is in deep sh*t. I liked the way the movie showed this, everyone just panicked, but there was no where to go...

An entertaining end. Worth a rental in my opinion, and not really deserving of 1/10, 2/10 reviews!

The Machine (I) (2013)

A Pleasant Surprise

[8/10 · 16 April 2014]

The Machine is a film that i was expecting to find very mediocre, going relatively under the radar and with a low budget, i wasn't expecting this Sci-fi movie to be anything special. But i was pleasantly surprised.

The thing this film manages to do is put aside all the glossy special effects and focus more on the moral of the story. What makes us human, and can Artificial Intelligence truly be alive..

Caity Lotz is great as the Machine. Cold, yet childlike, she plays a machine of great strength with a real vulnerability. The shots of her dancing alone whilst we see all the fibres and lights pulse under her skin was a beautiful scene! The movie rides the line between positive uses for AI and what an accomplishment it could be, but also shows the dangerous and unpredictable nature of it. The military serving as the 'villian' of the story who want to use the creation as a weapon is somewhat cliché, but it is done very well.

Definitely one worth checking out for fans of Blade Runner and similar movies.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Outstanding second outing for the Enterprise crew

[10/10 · 15 May 2013]

With 2009's Star Trek JJ Abrams managed to do what many were sceptical was possible..he made the series accessible to the masses and with a sexy young cast, thrilling action sequences and lens flare aplenty we were immediately sold once again into the Trek universe and both old fans and new highly anticipated what the sequel would bring. We are thrown straight into the action before any opening credits have rolled and instantly the film look stunning. The planet Nibiru sets the scene for the opening sequence, and a decision made by Kirk (Chris Pine) results in breaking a fundamental Starfleet rule. As a result Kirk is reprimanded and first officer Spock (Zachary Quinto) is re-assigned.

Just as it looks like things couldn't get worse for Kirk, a new threat in the form of Galactic Terrorist who goes by the name of "John Harrison" (Cumberbatch) interrupts proceedings and before long Kirk is back leading the crew of the Enterprise in hot pursuit.

Around this point we are introduced to a few new characters, Dr Carol Marcus (Alice Eve), the daughter of Starfleet head Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) whom has instructed Kirk to take 72 suspicious looking Torpedoes along for the journey.

What follows is a cat and mouse chase across the cosmos that takes us to Klingon home-world Kronos, where Kirk is once again reluctant to follow orders and risk starting a war with the Klingon Empire.

Abrams, along with writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof have created another fantastic Star Trek movie. The story is great with many nods to original trek lore, the Villain is BADASS, and it looks stunning! The movie is relentlessly exciting from the very first minute inside a volcano, to the rather poignant moments between the crew that are so well written. The Enterprise crew steal the show though, it's not often that after just one movie in a franchise you are so involved with these characters, you can feel what they feel, laugh with them, cry with them. I was totally immersed in this movie from start to finish.

Overall I can only say it's as good, if not better than Abrams first movie, and most certainly one of the best Trek movies ever made!

Iron Man Three (2013)

Not what i was expecting, but still pretty good!

[7/10 · 25 April 2013]

Let it first be said that I am a huge fan of the Marvel movies, everything from Marvel: phase one leading to the Avengers was by far some of the best blockbusters I've ever watched. So to say my expectations for Iron Man 3 (Marvels first movie of phase2) were high is somewhat an understatement.

This movie starts at what I'm guessing is a few months after the events in New York in 'Avengers Assemble' although they never actually address how much time has passed. Tony Stark (RDJ) is still tinkering away in his basement creating new suits and tech to add to his armour and doing anything to avoid sleeping (Stark still suffers horrible nightmares from the events in Avengers) He is still as loved and famous as before and protecting the world as Iron Man. Although, in the East a terrorist by the name of The Mandarin has taken claim to many bombings around the globe and vowed America will be next and will 'never see me coming'. Curious as to how these bombings were committed and left no trace of a weapon, cue some investigative work from Stark and a welcome introduction to the new Iron Patriot (War Machine from IM2 with a paint job) and the movie finally gets going.

Some of the story is shown through many flashbacks, and we are introduced to both Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and the origins of something called the 'Extremis virus', which develops into the main focus of this movie.

What is very different about this film compared to the previous outings is that this instalment takes Tony Stark and completely strips him of the Iron Man image for much of the film. After his house (and many suits) are destroyed Stark must rely of his wits and intelligence to find out what exactly is the Extremis Virus and who is The Mandarin. While RDJ is a fine actor and easily holds the screen, I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that there wasn't more in- suit action. I also wasn't overly keen on the relationship banter between Stark and Pepper (Paltrow) I think I preferred the boss-employee relationship from the previous movies. There was always sexual tension and an inkling that Tony loved her, but now its all out in the open it seems dull and Pepper comes across as a nagging wife for much of the film!

The performances in this film are all solid. RDJ is as good as ever, both Hall and Paltrow do a fine job as female leads and Kingsley as The Mandarin is a shocking performance in more ways than one! I was not expecting what he did with the character at all! The standout for me though was Guy Pearce as Killian. I thought he was great, and gave a smooth performance as the head of AIM, and aggressive in the action scenes. This is the first time as a viewer that I believed the 'villain' was a true match both intellectually and physically for Stark.

All in all, Iron Man 3 is a fun, if sometimes dark outing for the armoured avenger. There were a few plot holes, and some of the edits at times looked a little messy but with good performances from the cast, and some great VFX it made up for it. I would've liked to have seen a few more action scenes and the villains could have been given more back-story. but otherwise a nice start to Phase 2

The Hunter (IV) (2011)

A beautifully shot movie, with real heart.

[8/10 · 18 April 2013]

I had not heard much about this movie at all before I watched it, I am a fan of William Dafoe and the subject matter of hunting a seemingly extinct creature intrigued me.. so I gave it a go! And I'm glad I did!

We are introduced to Dafoe's character: Martin David as he is hired by powerful biotech company 'Red Leaf' to hunt down the last Tasmanian tiger. Not much is revealed about the character or the company he is working for, but straight away we get an uneasy feeling about the motives behind the 'hunt'. Martin travels to Tasmania alone. And once there meets up with Jack. (Sam Neil) He has arranged for Martin to temporarily stay in the house of Lucy Armstrong (Frances O'Connor). This is a nice element in the story as we see the initially cold and lonesome Martin begin to interact and develop feelings for Lucy and her two kids! Still under pressure from Red Leaf to find this animal, Martin goes out into the wilderness alone for weeks on end setting traps and snares. Returning to the house every so often to resupply and bathe he realises the missing Husband of Lucy Armstrong may have also been involved with hunting the Tiger!

"The Hunter" is a beautifully shot and paced film with both drama, action and a heart. It is an unpredictable and at times, sad plot.

The always excellent Willem Dafoe carries this movie through to its emotional climax with a great performance, and we are left with a heavy heart towards this wonderful creature that is no longer on this planet!

A Great Film!

V/H/S (2012)

Terrible

[1/10 · 18 April 2013]

The concept of this movie is that it is found footage, of a movie about people finding found footage tapes.. with grisly contents.

Firstly: The motion of this movie is so jumpy and poor quality (i'm guessing deliberately) that it completely ruins the viewing pleasure. Secondly: The separate short stories aren't all that scary and are equally as poor quality as the main narrative. There was nothing new or exciting about this movie. Each story was something i have seen many times before in other horror movies but executed much worse. I'll be honest..i turned it off after about the hour mark. I didn't see the point of finishing it as i wasn't invested in any of the characters, and there was no suspense or 'what happens next' emotions to keep me interested.

Not very good at all.

Oblivion (I) (2013)

Epic Sci-Fi with some great twists!

[8/10 · 15 April 2013]

Sci-Fi movies nowadays have the tendency to be clichéd stories or remakes of old ideas, using similar characters and threats, it's not very often that a completely original idea comes along. Oblivion is one of these movies, offering both different and unique plot points, some great acting from all three leads, fantastic design and visuals and spot on directing. The story of Oblivion (taken from an un-published Graphic Novel) introduces us to a post-invasion planet Earth. After an alien invasion wiped out most of humanity, we are told that we used our nukes to end the war. 60 years have passed, and Earth is now a partially radioactive wasteland. Jack Harper (Tom Cruise), is a member of a 'mop-up' team tasked with repairing drones and eliminating any remaining alien threat. But when Jack is captured by a group of humans, their leader (Morgan Freeman) tells him that things are not what they seem and that everything he knows is a lie. Director Joseph Kosinski is actually the author of the novel the film is based on, and so from start to finish this is his baby! Kosinski creates a frightening future world with Oblivion. The smoothness of many scenes and the way the film constantly holds both tension and intrigue to the viewer is so good that you forget, this is only his second film.

The performances in the movie are also superb, with Tom Cruise being on top of his game as our hero, Olga Kurylenko was mysterious and sexy in her role as the survivor that Jack saves from a shuttle wreckage. I was a little disappointed that Morgan Freeman didn't have more screen time, but at least he was great in the scenes he was in. The effects were fantastic, everything from the apartment above the clouds to the ship Jack pilots all looked not only futuristic and cool but also completely plausible which I loved!

In conclusion, Oblivion is a great sci-fi movie. It has a love story, great plot twists, stunning visuals, all the elements to make it a classic. However, this is by no means a film without flaws.. there is a particular revelation scene towards the end in which I spotted a pretty major continuity error, that I couldn't work out how they didn't notice it or maybe it was deliberate..i don't know! All in all, I loved this film. It's definitely worth seeing on the big screen. To enhance the experience though I would suggest avoiding spoilers so it doesn't ruin the twists in the movie.

8/10

Cloud Atlas (2012)

A Great Achievement!

[8/10 · 5 February 2013]

Cloud Atlas is unlike any film I have seen before, it tells a number of different stories spanning across centuries, with many big name actors playing multiple roles across those time lines… sounds confusing…but something about it just works. It has the big names (Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, and Halle Berry to name a few) and a big budget. Making this film was certainly an ambitious task, and yet somehow it flows effortlessly through multiple stories while never really feeling disconnected. You get a real sense that EVERYTHING in this film was meant to be there. Each time line connects to another, and if you don't pay attention (for a pretty hefty 2hrs 50mins) you will miss important plot points. It kept me engaged for the whole film.

In the course of the movie six very different stories are told, and there is something for all types of movie audiences: A 19th century tale of unlikely friendship between a stowaway slave and a young plantation owner. A love story via letters between a gay composer to his partner in the 1930's, A 70's corporate espionage thriller, A comedic account of an wrongfully committed pensioner in an old folks home, a beautiful futuristic clone's battle for freedom, and finally the story of a post-apocalyptic tribesman and his family facing the dangers of the far-future. Although all these stories are so different, we never lose the feeling that they are somehow connected, and as the story plays out, we begin to see these connections come to light.

Without wanting to give away too much about the stories, I will say my favourite was: The modern day set trials of an ageing writer played wonderfully by Jim Broadbent whom is placed in a home by his bitter brother and must escape. Hilarious and quite heart-warming. I also loved the Blade Runner-esque future story involving the question of Artificial Intelligence and consumerism gone mad. It looked beautiful and the relatively unknown Doona Bae was great as the clone/android Sonmi-451.

The master class of acting across these stories is what steals the show. Some were so unrecognisable that I didn't even realise who it was until I saw the credits.

For all its plot twists and connections, Cloud Atlas, for me is about the idea that our actions affect others greatly throughout time, every action we make has a reaction to someone, somewhere. Chaos Theory suggests the smallest act can have great consequences.

Like many movies with such a deep message, Cloud Atlas didn't do as well as perhaps it deserved to in the box office, and it has been met with some criticism from mainstream critics who consider it too showy and self-indulgent. This movie is a great achievement, and one that I hope is looked back on and thought more of in hindsight in the years to come.

Definitely one of the better films I saw in 2012.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Great start to a new Trilogy!

[8/10 · 7 January 2013]

First off I have never read The Hobbit, but from what I gather the book isn't all that long, so the fact that this film is the first of three, suggests they may be milking it a little. That being said however I was very excited to return to Middle Earth for a new story..and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest.

This is the Prequel story to LOTR following the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Frodo's Uncle played by Ian Holm previously) and how he came to be in possession on the ring.

Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. .is quite simply a BEAUTIFUL film! I saw the movie in 3D and at the 48fps that Jackson intended and I was blown away by how it looked. It's a stunning film that left me with the same 'WOW' factor that the original trilogy did a decade ago. Set 60 years earlier than Lord of The Rings, We are introduced to a much younger Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman). He is a content Hobbit, not concerned with adventure of any sort. Until Gandalf (Ian McKellan) suddenly appears, along with a group of unruly Dwarfs and offers Bilbo the chance to be part of a great adventure. The dwarfs wish to reclaim their homeland, which has been taken over by a huge dragon named Smaug, It's a simple concept and one that probably shouldn't be stretched over 3 movies but as with any 'first in a trilogy' film, it sets the stage perfectly. The movie has some great scenes.. meeting the Dwarfs in Bilbo's house, the run in with fighting stone giants and the escape from deep within the goblins' mountain are particular highlights. I loved the scene in which Bilbo runs into a familiar face (for LOTR fans) in the caves: Gollum (who looks amazing with todays MOCAP technology). Much of the movie, is the journey of the troupe back to the mountain, but also the journey of Bilbo himself.. mild and timid at the start of the film, our hero finds his courage, several times over, through the course of this film.

Overall I loved this film, I thought it looked fantastic and the care of attention not just aesthetically but also in terms of continuity were obvious. These are Peter Jacksons films, no doubt. Much like he did with the previous trilogy, bringing us into a world full of heroes and villains, orcs and wizards this film literally (thanks to the 3D and FPS rate) literally transports you into Middle Earth.

I am already excited to see the next instalment but to keep me satisfied until then..i may go and watch my LOTR boxset again . And them maybe this film again!

Great stuff!!

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

A good addition to the franchise

[7/10 · 18 December 2012]

There was never just one. With the Bourne movies now reaching the fourth adventure in the franchise, it would be easy to say it may be getting stale, however. Hold that thought. This is the fourth story to hit the big screen based on the novels of the late Robert Ludlum, and the first without former A-lister lead Matt Damon as the spy turned fugitive Jason Bourne. The Bourne Legacy plays alongside the events of The Bourne Ultimatum but follows another agent who is also on the run after the government decide to shut down and 'contain' the Treadstone programme. While Bourne is in my opinion Matt Damon's best role to date, Jeremy Renner gives a decent performance as Aaron Cross, another agent in the program, Cross is different to Bourne in that he is very much still part of the team when it goes sour, and is taken back when he is suddenly being hunted by his own people.

After a failed assassination attempt on his life Cross realises that he is being hunted down, and his attempts to find out why lead him to Rachel Weisz's Dr. Marta Shearing whom works for the pharmaceutical company that supply Aarons meds. This is where there is a major difference in this story to previous Bourne films.. Aaron is the subject of military science viral treatments that boost both physical and mental health, making him a 'Super Soldier' (apologies for the blatant Capt. America reference) So when he suddenly becomes the enemy of the state going on the run seems the only option, but without the pills he has been taking to keep himself stimulated, he faces the threat of loosing all his new found intellect and strength, cue Weisz's character helping Aaron throughout the film.

With Tony Gilroy at the helm of this chapter, there is certainly no mistaking that this is a film from the 'Bourne' universe. The Bourne Legacy is in my opinion well worthy of this, it didn't exactly make me forget the previous films star but it didn't make me wish he was there either. Renner more than holds his own and the character of Cross as well as Ed Nortons turn as the 'Villianous' Head of the program, this film also at times really pushes it's PG-13 rating in terms of action.

Gilroy's "Legacy" is a little long, with a few of the scenes maybe better off seen on the Blu-ray extras. There is a good mix of both intense action sequences and the scenes in the offices showcasing the bureaucracy behind the program. When the action comes, it is thick and fast with some great stunt sequences that we have come to expect from these films. The Motorbike chase through Manila was my highlight. Renner does a good job proving he can be a leading man in an action film, and not to give anything away but I have a feeling we could see another film in this franchise with him at the helm, and I for one don't think that's a bad thing at all.

Alex Cross (2012)

Matthew Fox OWNS this film, worth it for his performance

[7/10 · 18 December 2012]

For those of you who maybe haven't heard of Alex Cross before let me give you a couple of other names… 'Morgan Freeman'..'Along Came the Spider'… ring any bells now? Yes this is Alex Cross as in the Sherlock-esque police detective Freeman brought to screen in two previous 90's movies, however this new story arc stands on it's own and quite frankly I think this film has been given an unfair rap. It isn't the best movie out there, no, but it certainly doesn't deserve the amount of 1 or 2 star reviews I have been reading.

In fairness there was one major thing I liked about this film…but it was such a big part that it made the film for me…that was…Matthew Fox.

I LOVED his role in this film. It's almost as though the film deserved to be about him and not Tyler Perry's Alex Cross. Fox plays 'Picasso' a truly twisted and violent hit-man for hire. He starts the film on a clear path to carry out the assassination of 3 high profile people, and after the first is taken care of we see him suddenly sparking the attention of Alex Cross and his team. This is when the film changes. and so does Picasso. Fox plays this character so believably sinister and unpredictable that you are genuinely not sure what he is going to do next. For fans of him from 'Lost'..you won't believe how he looks in this film. He must have lost around 3 stone in fat, yet bulked up on muscle at the same time..he looks unbelievably bad ass!! When he's on screen you're on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen, and in a totally non-sicko way, I found myself routing for him the entire film.

Now the bad bits… I thought Tyler Perry was wrong for this film. We are used to seeing him in drag in stupid terrible comedies and letting him take on a role made famous by Morgan 'frickin' Freeman was a mistake. He does nothing to command the screen and every time he is there doing his sherlocky CSI sh*t I was waiting for him to go away so I could see Picasso again. Not a good sign for your leading man.

I would actually love to see a spin off based on Fox's character..i would definitely pay to see that, but otherwise this one is probably going to end up going under the radar as one of those under-rated movies that only a few people appreciate.

Looper (2012)

Fricking AWESOME!

[9/10 · 16 October 2012]

A Time-Travel movie with Willis and Gordon-Levitt playing the same character? Sign me up!!

When i first saw the trailer for Looper, i was instantly intrigued, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, an assassin known as a Looper, The year is 2042 and time travel hast been invented yet, but in 30years it will have been! When the mob from the future wants to get rid of someone, they send that person back 30 years to a location where Joe would be waiting gun in hand, to take them out and dispose of the body. Everything is going well, until one 'Job' is sent back and Joe realises it is his future self (played by Willis).

The younger Joe is living well, he is paid handsomely for the work he does, and it seems as a result has become addicted to some kind of futuristic drug that he drops into his eyes regularly through the film. The older Joe has a stronger maturity to him, and seems to despise his younger self, wondering how he could've been so arrogant and stupid!

The strengths in this movie are in the performances, especially Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The way he mimics a young Bruce Willis (from Die Hard era) is fantastic! I've always been a fan of Willis and his performance in this movie is great, in a way he is the 'bad guy' of the story, but you always have a sense that he has good intentions behind his actions.

Emily Blunt played her part, but i wasn't overly impressed, however child actor Pierce Gagnon who plays her little boy was creepy as hell and was very good in this movie. Talking of which, his character of Cid plays a massive part in the story. The trailer did very well to cover another pivotal point to the story all revolving around this little boy.

My favourite thing about this film is that it is Original. It isn't a remake, or adaption of a book. It is a simple, well laid out, great action packed Sci-Fi Blockbuster. It kept me guessing right up until the credits and even then i was talking about it long after with my friends. Looper is confident time-travel movie that fills in all its own continuity holes, it packs an emotional punch and never gives away what is going to happen next!

Highly recommended.

Taken 2 (2012)

Not as good as the first but still packs a punch!

[7/10 · 16 October 2012]

Lets get one thing straight first... TAKEN kicked ass! it was an unexpected powerhouse of a movie, with awesome fight scenes an a bad-ass lead character!

TAKEN 2 has to hold that weight on it's shoulder, everyone is expecting this to be as good if not better..and in my opinion it just falls short of expectation!

Don't get me wrong, it's actually a really good movie, but i couldn't help thinking something was missing.

Positives: Liam Neeson kicks ass once again as Bryan Mills this time though it's he himself and his wife (the gorgeous Famke Janssen) that are 'taken' and daughter Kim is left to fend for herself. Maggie Grace is believable as the hardened version of the girl we met in the first movie, although still young she seems determined for the same thing that happened to her, to not happen again to her parents. The action is slick, and Neeson is as cool as in the first film. A particular car chase towards the end of the movie is worth pointing out as being pretty impressive.

Negatives: Try as they may, the whole film does have a 'seen it all before' feel to it. The plot is too similar to the first film, and at no point did i genuinely believe Mills or his wife were in any REAL danger. Some of the decisions made by the characters are ridiculous, and left me screaming at the screen "Why the hell did he do that, is he an idiot!" You'll understand what i mean when you see it! and the final thing that many reviewers have picked up on is the corniness of some of the dialogue. but i'm not going to dwell on that too much as i believe this is where the film actually shows a more humorous side and in a way i enjoyed it!

So overall i'd say this is definitely worth seeing whether you've seen the first movie or not. My only advice would be, don't go into the theatre with your expectations too high.. Just enjoy it for what it is.

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

Visually great...but lacks a a decent story!

[5/10 · 16 October 2012]

I have been a fan of the Resident Evil series since the first movie, i thought it had great potential to cross the video game/movie barrier with strong characters and it's hoards of the undead! Movie gold...Right?

Well, somewhere along the road they lost their way, and this movie unfortunately demonstrates this even more so than the others!

The narrative of this story is so confusing, the characters (including long dead ones) pop up all over the place with no real explanation and the acting is average at best! The inclusion of the 'child in peril' is also completely pointless! The Zombies are a rare sight in this instalment too which i found a great disappointment, and are replaced by poor CGI Lickers and other 'arena constructs' (Hunger Games anyone??)

Personally I think this is the weakest of the series, it's only redeeming feature is that it has some great action sequences which are shot brilliantly. The reverse shots as the film opens are stunning. And Milla Jovovich is on top Ass Kicking form!

If you've seen the rest of the films, this one is worth a look, but if you are new to them, then I wouldn't bother, you will be left wondering "WTF is happening"!

The Divide (2011)

Disturbing...but Great!

[8/10 · 9 August 2012]

I went into watching this movie with little knowledge about the plot. All I had seen was a short trailer and the fact that it had both Michael Biehn (the legendary Hicks from 'Aliens') and Milo Ventimiglia aka Peter Pattrelli from 'Heroes' in it! Not a bad combination i thought....and i was correct.

The movie starts with the Apocolyptic event as it happens, then we are thrown into the chaos with 8 residents of a New York apartment block who are forced down into the bomb shelter to escape the blasts. The pacing is a little slow at first as the characters try to deal with what is happening, and the predictable arguments over food etc start to break out. However suddenly the pace picks up and the arguments and their situation becomes more severe! We then see a dramatic collapse of morals, and humanity...and i can't really say too much more without ruining it, but this is when the performances pick up too!!

Michael Biehn is great as the grouchy 'Mickey' who it seems looks after the apartment block and so at first takes it upon himself to be in charge..but it's later in the film that we realise this character has a lot more to offer than being grumpy and smoking cigars in an airtight bunker! The standout performance though for me was Milo Ventimiglia, his character Josh, begins being the predictable 'cool' one, but his little conflicts with Mickey begin to show he may not stay that way for long..and the way the movie builds to it's climax with this character, he becomes almost unrecognisable compared to the Josh we first met! A truly great and creepy performance from Milo!

A strong supporting cast, as well as great little twists to the 'stuck underground' plot, this movie is definitely worth checking out!

Be warned though, you may need a strong stomach for some scenes.

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Not bad...but a lot of unanswered questions

[18 June 2012]

When i first heard about Ridley Scott making an 'Alien Prequel' I was very excited, I'm a huge fan of the original films (ignoring AVP1+2), and was excited to see where he would take this story of the infamous 'Space Jockey' and how we would perhaps end up seeing the birth of the Xenomorph! Well if like me this was your hope for the film…..forget it right now. This is NOT an Alien prequel, at best you could call it a Spin-off' that utilises the same universe, and some crossover ideas, but that is pretty much where the links end. For one this doesn't even take place on LV-426 (the planet in Alien) so if you were hoping to find out how the derelict Alien ship crashes and what popped out that famous space jockeys chest…You Won't! Prometheus could stand alone as a fairly decent sci-fi film, but in all honesty it isn't one that in years to come you would regard a classic, and considering it is billed as a Sci-Fi HORROR, it isn't really that scary either. Lets start with the positives: • It looks Fantastic! If you do choose to see this in the cinema, 3D is a must. Ridley has captured a truly breathtaking vision of another world, you can almost feel the dust and blood floating around the theatre! The ship designs are also stunning, making you believe this is what future space explorers will look and work like. • Fassbender, Theron and Elba are great in this movie. Fassbender's depiction of 'David' the android aboard the ship is truly haunting, Elba's ships captain is a throwback to the 'space trucker' attitudes of the original Nostromo crew, and Theron is great as the cold 'Vickers' an employee of Weyland industries who always seems like she has a hidden agenda. Unfortunately this is about as positive as it left me feeling, the film is plagued with plot holes and unanswered questions (Ridley has announced a sequel so maybe these will come in time) however some of my major concerns and dislikes were: (May contain minor spoilers) • The creature designs are poor. Considering Scott said the original Xenomorph design was overused and no longer scary, what we got in it's place was in my opinion no where near as good. One scene in particular left me laughing at how ridiculous what I had just witnessed was. • Apart from the three listed above, the rest of the characters were pretty boring. Rapace as 'Shaw' is supposedly the backbone of this new story and to be honest I couldn't care less if she lived or died throughout the whole film – not a good sign. • Plot HOLES!! Not to give things away, but massive continuity issues when relating to the original film. Unanswered questions, Why was there only one engineer left?...we never find that out.. Why does David deliberately infect a crew member?...nope, no answer for that either…Why did the space jockeys leave a map that directs us to a baron dead planet rather than their home planet?...nope…. And they go on, and on. Rest assured, love it or hate it, you will be discussing this film with your friends for weeks afterwards, disagreeing and seeing different meanings in the story. But if you go into this movie believing you are seeing an 'Alien film…you will be disappointed.

Altitude (2010)

Overall - actually not that bad

[7/10 · 13 January 2012]

This movie hasn't been rated too well and i feel it's my duty to at least cut it a little slack.

Positives: - The plot is actually very original. I wasn't expecting the twist at the end of the movie either so in a way it kept me guessing how the characters would get themselves out of the situation, i would have liked to see a bit more of 'the monster' however you get the general idea of what it's supposed to be.

• The acting is average at best, but the characters created are actually quite good! The young HOT star of the movie is Jess Lowndes who does a decent job of still looking good whilst crying, and actually i liked both the characters of Bruce played by Terra Nova star Landon Liboiron and the annoying Jock Sal who was genuinely detestable - but obviously that's the point.

Negatives: - The threat of 'running out of fuel' panics the crew, yet they're desperate to land the plane! surely running out of fuel would at least make the plane begin to loose altitude and therefore be a better situation than continuously climbing into black cloud!? - Both the characters of Mel and The Colonel are completely pointless to the story. - Some people have said it's "well shot" but i have to disagree. Whilst the director makes the small aircraft seem claustrophobic, the lighting is too dark and sometimes it is difficult to watch.