Doctor Strange

Benedict Cumberbatch recently toppled Robert Downey Jnr, as Doctor Strange brought in a record $600 million for Marvel, which is the highest ever recorded for a solo film. Before its release there were doubts about just how successful the movie would be. Strange certainly isn’t a well-known character or anywhere near as marketable as the other heroes that Marvel have rights too.

So what makes the film quite so good? When the movie was announced, marvel movie goers were still wondering just who could pick up Thor’s hammer, however, Benedict Cumberbatch is traditionally exceptional in performing Dr Stephen Strange. But the real highlight is some of the mind bending visual effects which truly light up the film. The visual effects team have already been touted for an Oscar nomination. It might not be the best Marvel movie, but it has a slightly darker tone which the audience has been crying out for. Considering that first Marvel film came out in 2008, fans of the franchise are starting to grow up. This was the perfect timing for a slightly experimental film.

It has all the usual bells and whistles, packed with action and explosions, but what really bends the mind is some city altering Inception style graphics. It’s eye poppingly fantastic and Cumberbatch settles in seamlessly.

Strange starts off as a surgeon, a man of science. Strange starts off as a bit arrogant, he has become wealthy and successful and is more than comfortable with his lifestyle, but like so many superhero films, there’s a terrible accident. He then travels to Nepal, where he goes on a mind-bending journey to discover his unleash his powers. He soon turns into a Tudor coat, goaty bearing, astral plane sorcerer. He learns his technique from a cult leader called the ‘ancient one’ who is played by Tilda Swinton, who absolutely pulls off the bald look. He must master the techniques of sorcery in order to defeat Kaecilius, a former student of the Ancient One, who has moved over to the ‘dark side.’ (Nothing like Star Wars)

I’m certainly one for training montages and Doctor Strange nails it. It reminds me somewhat of the Matrix, with incredible effects combined with Kung Fu, magic wielding. Stephen Strange is well and truly taken down the Rabbit Hole and goes on a journey, which is destined for far greater things than the simple job of surgery.

For Marvel fans, it will undoubtedly be a must see, however, for casual comic book fans who are unsure about tackling an unorthodox Marvel movie, it is still well worth a watch. We hope to see Dr. Strange once again in Avengers Infinity war, as we attempt to see as many of the Marvel cast as possible. 

Independence Day Resurgence

Twenty years after the global catastrophe of the first alien invasion they’re back again. Things have changed on Earth, we are now suited up with alien gear and technology, meaning better guns and faster planes. But twenty years on, it’s the 4^th July and naturally they come. And come bigger!

The aliens come back armed with a 3,000-mile sized ship and start causing havoc. The ship is so massive it has its own gravity, on arrival it rips up London and then casts it onto Shanghai, really quite extraordinary! The only shame is the England football team don’t go along with them!

It’s great to see the old team back together and tackling the invasion for a second time. It’s back to the old style nostalgia of the 90s without trying to take it too seriously. Jeff Goldblum still hates flying despite being leader of the alien defence technology. Brent Spiner returns as the goofy old professor, who’s a bit of a crack pot. But one of the most satisfying scenes is seeing Bill Pullman pull on his old pilot gear. He manages to nail the part of old president still suffering with a bit of PTSD from the first alien invasion. Perhaps the only thing missing is the presence of Will Smith. Dylan Hiller tries to emulate the ‘close encounter’ line, but just can’t pull it off quite the same, although I doubt there are many who can!

Although there are plenty of old fogies, there’s also a bunch of new hero earth defenders introduced. Liam Hemsworth plays the role of maverick Jake Morrison who is engaged to Maika Monroe the president’s daughter. It is a shame really that the two sets of the cast don’t have more interaction together. Apart from a few obligatory father daughter scenes, they barely cross paths.

In terms of story line, there are a few weaknesses. The aliens have brought their mother ship, and along with it the queen. Her plan is simple, drill a hole to the bottom of the earth and suck up the core in order to power their ships and push along their technology. Simple right?

However, there is a way to stop her. A little white ball which looks conveniently similar to an Apple product is the key. Stored in this white ball is the knowledge of hundreds of other civilisations who have been wiped out by the aliens. It holds the secret to greater technology and a strategy to stop them.

Queen mother of the aliens obviously knows this and tries to destroy it, in it’s safe keeping at area-51. It is there the trap is laid and surprise, surprise Liam Hemsworth saves the day!

It’s a good film which is well worth a watch. Some of the visual effects are outstanding and like Goldblum says. ‘They always get the landmarks.’

My Rating: 7/10

Directors: Roland Emmerich     Cast: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Maika Monroe, Dylan Hiller, Brent Spiner

Race

A brilliant story of the incredible journey young Jesse Owens made, to compete at the 1936 Olympics. The American faces racism, injury trouble and persecution in his attempt for a gold medal.

It is a very significant story. Black athlete Jesse Owens boldly goes to the Nazi-hosted Olympics, despite the rein that Hitler is beginning to enter into. Not only does Owens face persecution by Nazis, but also racist Americans. It is a fantastic subject matter for a film, yet it somehow feels like film makers were intimidated by the subject matter. It is full of incident yet it lacks focus and sharpness. A film about a sprinter yet relatively slow paced.

With Rio 2016 just on the horizon it was a great time to release the film. However, maybe it was a curse. The film seems rushed in some areas, failing to focus on the really important factors that troubled Owens during his sprinting career.

The slow pace is very easy to notice during the first half of the film. Owens background is drawn out for far too long, detailing his poverty-stricken upbringing, and his trouble relationship with a beautician. Jason Sudeikis is brilliant in his role, despite it being somewhat too mature for him. The film has too many clichés. Montague’s, voiced over letter writing, rain during sad moments. Each moment feels like a trailer for a drama film.

Things do pick up towards the second half of the film. The tension racks up as the Nazis enter into the picture, and finally the film turns into the sprint it should be. There is a fantastic political tussle, Owens at one point is clearly snubbed by Hitler. ‘Traffic’ he says. One of the lamest excuses in the history of excuses.

We finally get some heart rendering moments in Race’s final moments. When Owens enters into the stadium it is goose pimpling stuff. It is brilliantly shot and shows what the film should have been more about. It’s a shame it took so long to get there.

There is no doubting that some of the camera work is terrific. There are some beautifully shot scenes, with some surprisingly good and serious acting by John Boyega.

It’s a great true-life story, which only really shows the good stuff at the end which we all knew about anyway. Still well worth a watch. With the Olympics coming up, it’s a great history insight, into one of sport’s greatest ever athletes.

My Rating: 7/10

Directors: Stephen Hopkins     Cast: John Boyega, Jason Sudeikis, Stephan James, Jeremy Irons, Shanice Banton

Captain America 3: Civil War

Possibly the best film so far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You literally get everything a comic book feature length asks for. It has bone crunching fight scenes, explosions and even a little bit of romance.

Things all start when Crossbones, (The guy who had a fight with falcon in CA 2) is trying to steal a bio-hazardous weapon. The newly formed Avengers, Cap, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch and Falcon storm the building and managed to stop the weapon getting stolen. However, predictably there is a lot of collateral damage.

The world decide they have had enough and the United Nations want someone to be held accountable for all the damage the Avengers have done over the past years. They create the Sokovia Accords. Which is a registration for everyone who is ‘enhanced.’ Robert Downey Jnr plays a more downbeat Iron Man who is struggling to cope with the collateral loss he has caused. So he is more than willing to sign up. Cap on the other hand is worried about the agenda of some people, he believes that whilst they are signed up, they will be in someone else’s control which means they can be controlled and used for the wrong reasons. It all sounds very noble and patriotic, but it’s also a bit naïve really. 

  

But after one half of the group don’t sign up things become a bit tense. They are then made even worse, when Bucky Barnes is framed for an attack on the United Nations, which means everyone is after him. Cap is trying to help him, whilst the others are trying to hunt him down. Things hardly go swimmingly and the group find themselves at cross-roads as Cap and the Winter Soldier must escape. The fight scene between six heroes is something rather spectacular. The introduction of Spider-Man is brilliant and Tom Holland nails the character. Paul Rudd as Ant-Man also manages to bring humour to the whole thing and makes it a more entertaining boxing match. Both Cap and Iron Man have good points when it comes to choosing a side and whether or not they should sign, which hardly makes one side good and one side bad.

Despite the title being Civil War, there is still a protagonist in the film. Zemo is the man behind the scenes pulling the strings and setting the Avengers against each other. Who needs a big thumping villain when you can have Iron Man vs Captain America, Hawkeye vs Black Widow, Vision vs Scarlet Witch or Spider-Man vs Ant-Man.

Arguably Marvels best ever film. There I said it. As Marvel keep churning out more merchandise, more PlayStation games even an Thor gets a casino game, let’s just hope they keep making good films.  

My Rating: 9/10

Directors: Shane Black     Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jnr, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Sebastian Stan 

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice

Arguably one of the most hotly anticipated movies of the year. Batman V Superman has had almost a years’ worth of marketing and was billed as a blockbuster of epic proportions. Despite not getting massive critical acclaim, the film has amassed $700 million in it’s opening weeks.

What we really get from the film is exactly what the title says. We start with a flashback, showing the destruction of Metropolis by Superman and General Zod, we see Bruce Wayne running into the rubble before glimpsing Supe, giving him evils from a distance. Here his hate of Superman begins.

A rugged grey haired dark knight. Ben Affleck portrays a Batman rid of his morality and mercy, torturing and branding the criminals he puts away. Clark Kent on the other hand couldn't be less sure of what he should be doing. Half of Metropolis are blaming him for the destruction of the city and the other half calling him their saviour.

The motions are set in play for the two giants to do battle, but behind it all is the scheming Lex Luthor. Jesse Eisenberg plays a Mark Zuckerberg gone mad, t-shirts, basketball but at the end of it simply an evil mastermind. Eisenberg has been heavily slated for his portrayal of Luthor, and there is no doubting that he is a required taste. However, I think he does a reasonably good job.

It’s a rather gloomy film and in an era which DC and Marvel are facing off against each other, BVS is definitely loosing on the witticism front. The only joke that seems to be made, is a reference to the ‘Joker.’ DC comics are generally known to be darker, however, and this fits the setting of the film.

It’s in the final hour or so that the film really kicks off. Ben Affleck had his own personal battle with Henry Cavill before the film about who had the best physique and they both get an opportunity to show off. We see Bruce Wayne going nuts with weights and gearing up all his high tech weaponry. He then faces off against Superman in the slums of Gotham in an all crashing and bashing boxing match. The duel between the two, is really only the start though. After a quick kiss and make up the two match up with Wonder Woman to take on the marauding Doomsday who seems to have been thrown in as an excuse for more carnage.

BVS also managed to nicely set up the expanded universe which will see the Justice League introduced. They did in a few minutes what Marvel managed in a few years. Viewers got a glimpse at Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg. Wonder Woman had already made her presence felt and even helped out in the final scenes.  

With Batman spinoffs coming out just about everywhere, game, casino, TV will BVS be just another blotch on his cape or will it set up a bright future for the DC expanded universe?

My Rating: 8/10

Directors: Zack Snyder     Cast: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Lawrence Fishburn, Amy Adams    

The Revenant

Alejandro Gonazalez Inarittue has caused a storm at this year’s Oscars with his epic ‘The Revenant.’ The film has been nominated for an astonishing 11 awards including the coveted best picture award. Shot only on location, is it fair to say that visually the audience witnesses something unique.

Based on a true American story. We follow Hugh Glass through the North Wilderness of Dakota and Montana, as he and his hunting party try to earn their crust collecting animal pelts. After a near miss with the Indian Arikara tribe, things go from bad to worse as Glass is savaged by a bear, breaking his leg.

Glass is soon abandoned in the woodlands of Dakota. The two men who were ordered to stay with him soon leave. He then faces a fight for his life, as he attempts to his avenge his son. In a fight against nature we see the power of human will, as he drags himself to safety. 

The film gives a very real view into the history of Indian tribes in America. Perfectly portraying how life was then. But where are the Arikara tribe today? To date they remain one of three officially recognised tribes in North Dakota, still living in the reserve Fort Berthold. Like many other Native American tribes, they soon followed into the gambling industry, building the 4 bears Casino in New Town.

As we celebrate the incredible movie that is 'The Revenant'. The Arikira tribe who feature in the film, have been on an enormous journey. It is quite astonishing when you think of Native Americans scalping people, to now being part of the casino industry and one growing at an astonishing economical rate.

A fantastic watch and well worth it's Oscar. Leo Di Caprio finally got that little golden award and takes his place in movie history!

.

My Rating: 9/10

Directors: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarittue     Cast: Leonardo Di Caprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Dohmnall Gleeson, 

Wade's Word is back and giving you the ins and outs of Kick Ass 2

Kick Ass 2

Where do I begin with this! Undoubtedly a good laugh as some of the things you see just seem absurd. The film manages to goofy up comic book superheroes and cut down how serious and heavy some of those films are, just as the first Kick Ass did. I mean what super villain is called the 'Mother Fucker!'  The film carries on three years from the first Kick Ass and not too much has changed. Mindy Macready aka hit girl is carrying on from where she left off, a  15 year old girl battering drug dealers. Despite her heroic actions, her adoptive father Marcus wants her to sheath the double ended up blade. On the other hand Dave Lizewski aka Kick Ass can't seem to be able to live a normal life after jet packing up a sky scraper and shooting a drug lord with a bazooka! So he teams up with Justice-Forever, lead by the brilliant Colonel Stars and Stripes, played by an enigmatic Jim Carey.

The whole idea of Kick Ass 2 I feel was to escalate the first one, there are far more self righteous vigilantes who just want to do good and make a difference, as there are more hilarious over the top bad guys! Christopher Mintz-Plasse manages to bring a nerdy Mclovin style of performance, as you get the feeling he's not really cut out for it at the beginning still living with 'Mommy' however, as the film progresses, Mintz-Plasse becomes more obsessively evil.

The film is refreshingly different and although it's a little bit controversial, it has stayed true to the original comic books it was based on. Some of the scenes are purely golden and the really did have me in stitches. Despite Kick Ass 2 not quite living up to the brilliance of the first one, it's still a very watchable film!

My Rating: 7/10

Directors: Jeff Wadlow     Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Iain Glen, Jim Carrey, Lyndsy Fonseca, Morris Chestnut