Tuesday 2 May 2017

Movie Review: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Image Source: Wikipedia
(Copyright: Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures,
the film publisher
or graphic artist.)
Written By: Paul Burke

Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Production Company: Marvel Studios
Director: James Gunn
Producer: Kevin Feige
Scriptwriter: James Gunn
Main Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell
Released: April 28 2017
Running Time: 136 Minutes
Certificate: 12A

He says “Welcome to the frickin’ Guardians of the Galaxy”. Only he didn’t use “frickin’”. – Rocket

The sequel to Marvel’s surprise hit finally lands. Were this any other studio, we would have had a sequel to the critically and commercial hit much earlier, keen to jump on all that goodwill, alas with the Marvel Cinematic Universe being interconnected every movie has a place in line. Thankfully, we will not have another three-year wait to see the group again as they will be teaming up with the Avengers next year, which a truly exciting prospect.

Funnily enough, though, there is barely any connection to the wider Marvel Universe in Volume #2. Writer and director James Gunn gave us such an offbeat hit that he has basically been given carte blanche in the sequel. This is quite the compliment in the tightly-controlled Marvel Universe, one not even afforded to Joss Whedon in Avengers Age of Ultron.

We open to the Guardians in team mode, a not-so-well-oiled machine, and straight away we are reminded of how different these films are to the others in the universe with a funky, mixed-focus, alien battle set to the music of ELO. Obviously.

Actually, the music deserves special mention. George Lucas once said that sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie, and both Guardians of the Galaxy movies are prime examples of this. This sentiment most likely refers to a score (of which there are some really nice emotive pieces here by composer Tyler Bates), but in Guardians of the Galaxy, it is a collection of 70’s hit singles, some classics, and it gives the pace of the movie a real rhythm. Sells a hell of a lot of soundtracks too. Due to the success of the first film, Gunn has obviously been allowed any song he wishes, and boy he’s crammed a lot in, but it’s to his credit as a writer how the songs hit the right tone.

The pacing of the first act seemed somewhat off after that first scene. Without the villain not being so clear until later, there does not seem to be much focus on the overall plot. However, it does at least leave plenty of room for that rarest of things in an ensemble – character development. Each character is so well-defined to us now, yet you get a sense of a deep history behind them that you know there are so many stories there and so many directions you can take this group on.

There were moments were it seemed like the movie was going for some sort of gag-rate record that the constant stream of jokes were beginning to undermine serious moments. This was more in the first half, mainly involving scenes that involved the over-used Ravagers. And quite frankly, there is a certain Pac-Man moment that should not have happened. I get the fun of Peter Quill’s old culture references to his comrades, but this was a cringe moment in what was an emotionally and physically charged scene.

But it can be forgiven because the hit rate is much better than the miss, and some hit hard. When did comic book movies become funnier than comedy movies?

The visual effects are eye-popping; this truly is a comic book on screen. The different states we see the character of Ego in are very impressive. It’s great to see a director allowed to really give us the entire colour pallete. And the effect of showing older Hollywood legends as the young men we remember them as – like Michael Douglas & Robert Downey Jr in past Marvel films – turns up again here to wonderful affect. Kurt Russell as Ego is just really cool, guys. Credit too for the promotional team as the fantastic trailers gave nothing too important away.

Finally, although I am a fan of the plot device of well-established teams splitting to join up again later – something that allows characters more room to grow and create different dynamics – the real magic in this space age comic book action adventure of mismatched family drama is when our heroes have a back-and-forth together.

Each member brings something different and the lines sizzle. There are not many cinematic sights more guaranteed to make you smile than the Guardians of the freakin’ Galaxy together in full flow.

Overall Rating: 8/10 – We Are Groot

Wednesday 19 April 2017

Beauty And The Beast

Image Source: Wikipedia
(Copyright: Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures,
the film publisher
or graphic artist.)
Written By: Scott Gunnion

Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Production Companies: Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films
Director: Bill Condon
Producers: David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman
Scriptwriters: Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos
Main Cast: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson
Released: March 17 2017
Running Time: 129 Minutes
Certificate: PG

Beauty And The Beast arrived upon us burdened with high expectations. It came shackled with the intimidating legacy of the original that came before it, whilst also afflicted with the immense pressure to convert animated greatness into something credible and magical at the same time.

Apparently, Emma Watson turned down La La Land before signing on to star as Belle; allegedly, she wanted La La Land to be filmed in England. Instead, she opted for this. Good decision, whether it be intentional or not.

The film allowed Emma Watson to finally abandon the shadow of Harry Potter, cast aside its legacy and establish herself as an actress in her own right. The film was so good that it made you forget all about Watson's well-documented pretentious posturing concerning feminism and everything else, something that has no doubt been holding back her career progression.

At times, the film felt like a word-for-word reproduction of Disney's animated original, yet it somehow managed to add an extra half-hour to the running time. So surely it can't have just been a word-for-word remake, though at times it certainly did seem like one. It's interesting that Kevin Kline's Maurice didn't have a musical moment, considering his musical background with two Tonys to his name.

The golden moment was the Gaston musical number involving Gaston, Le Fou and the villagers in full swing. It was an epic moment; a musical at its best. Another musical moment - "Be Our Guest"- felt like, as I said earlier, a word-for-word reproduction of its counterpart scene in the Disney original. A disappointment, though visually impressive.

The much-speculated 'gay moment' turned out to be overblown. Yes, Le Fou was obviously in awe of Gaston, though this could quite easily have been misconstrued as admiration as opposed to unrequited lust and desire. No doubt, it will have gone unnoticed by the legions of young cinemagoers who absorbed the movie and enjoyed it in whole. There is a moment towards the end where Le Fou dances with a man, and this too is underwhelming and overblown. Much ado about nothing.

To those who bigged it up, I say: stop trying to politicise Disney!

Despite these criticisms, the movie in whole was visually impressive and delightful. In fact, it was magical. The cinema was rammed with children and adults in equal measure, which speaks to its universal appeal. No doubt, there is a Golden Globe for Best Picture in either the Musical or Comedy category pending.

Overall Rating: 9/10 - Outstanding