Suicide Squad- Film Review

Suicide Squad Film Review- 2016

There are many comic book films that have been released since the release of the first X-Men film back in 2000. There have been some excellent examples of what a comic book film should be with most of them gaining positive reviews by critics. Overall comic book films have been a safe bet for the studios which produce them and this is because people will rush to the films at the cinema. However, there are some examples of comic book films which don’t work and there are many examples of the case from X-Men origins: Wolverine to the more recent Fantastic Four remake that was released in 2015. The films that the Marvel Cinematic universe make are normally received well and while there are few films which don’t work most the films do. In the past couple of years DC comics has tried to make their cinematic universe which has had success at the box office but not with the critics. The latest entry into the DC universe is Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer and starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie, the film is about a team of villains that have been assembled by the government to retrieve something from a city which has been invaded by a mystical force. So, let’s look at this Oscar winning film and see if Suicide Squad is any good.

The positives with this film is that the performances overall are consistent throughout the film, Will Smith is very good as Deadshot in this film, he brings charisma to the role and ever through the character is meant to a be an antagonist, he creates a likeable character that is very entertaining to watch onscreen. Margot Robbie is very good in Suicide Squad, she plays Harley Quinn, and the performance is very good in this film because she adds depth to her character with some good character development. The supporting cast are consistent and even Jai Courtney is decent in the role as Captain Boomerang. This film manages to get a decent performance out of Jai Courtney and that is quite a rare achievement, he isn’t as good as Will Smith, but this is one of his better performances. The performances are enjoyable from start to finish, this is probably the most consistent aspect to this film. Alongside the performances in this film, there are some good character moments in this film.

There are some good character moments in this film, but these moments are mainly from the two main leads Will Smith and Margot Robbie. Suicide Squad mainly focuses on these characters the most. The sequences that stand out in this film would be when we learn about Deadshot as a character and understand that he uses his skills because he is providing for his daughter and he wants her to do well and not become like himself. This is some excellent character development and makes a strong character arc for Deadshot. The second explored character moment comes later on in the film; the film tells us that all that Harley Quinn wants to is settle down and have a family because she has become sick of the life that she has. This is touching character moment with it raising the question of whether a person who has been in a life crime for many years and whether they can escape and leave this life behind. The final moment is the bar sequence in the film, this is sequence that sees the characters come together and they decide whether they should fight the antagonist or walk away. There are some good character moments here with them trying to adding depth to each of the characters. However, this is where the positive aspects of the film end, because this film has a whole lot of issues with this film. 

Where to begin with this film? The action sequences are a mixed bag, the action is either clear and easy to follow but boring to watch or the more intense sequence has terrible editing and framing with the action hard to follow. An example would be first main action set piece with Deadshot in this film, the sequence sees Deadshot get on top of a car and he is shooting these creatures which are working for the antagonist, the action seems dull and flat with little creativity. The one action sequence which stands out is the final action sequences, because there are so many people part of the squad fighting at once the editing makes it hard to understand what each of the characters are doing during the action, while in a film such as The Avengers the action is always clear and you know what the characters are doing because of the one take that is used, but in this film the action is confusing and doesn’t have much clarity.

Suicide Squad is not the worst film that has ever been made and while it has some basic elements the best word to describe this film is flat, the characters, action and cinematography are all flat. The film has gone through constant reshoots and this is clear when you watch it because of these different elements. The question here is doing the studio interfere too much? David Ayer is a director who can make entertaining films such as Fury, the cast and crew of this film are very talented but this is not the finest product which they could have made and this is same because there is a good version of this film somewhere but this is it. The other thing to address would be the people who wanted shut down Rotten Tomatoes because they didn’t agree with the reviews of the film. This is something which is needs to be explained, because it is not the site which gives the overall score, the critics have come together and said that don’t like this film and while it is understandable that they don’t like this film, this is a film for the fans and it services the fans very well, however this film is a mess and overall and the final product is nowhere near the standard that it should be. If you enjoy this film then great, opinions are subjective but don’t go on the internet and try to make a statement against the critics.

Rating: 5/10.

Conclusion: Suicide Squad is a film which had potential but constant studio interference is this film greatest weakness, there are elements to enjoy about this film such as Will Smith is very good as Deadshot, but the final film feels rushed and flat, it feels rushed because not many things are explained in as much detail as they should be and the special effects look unfinished throughout. The film feels rushed because the action scenes haven’t had enough time to be planned in much more detail.

Underworld Film Series- Film Reviews

Underworld films - Film Review

This post will be a little bit different compared to other posts on this site and this is because this post is going to look at all five films from the Underworld series. This means starting with the first film and reviewing each one up to the more recent film. The first review will look at Underworld which was released in 2003. Then underneath there will be a review of Underworld: Evolution which was released in 2006, and this will continue until the most recent film Underworld: Blood Wars which was released in late 2016. These are films which either people will like or they will dislike, and this might be because some people will see these films as just entertainment and have enjoyment from them or there will be people who will think that these films will be terrible and just a waste of time and that you shouldn’t watch them, and there are many things to talk about when looking at the Underworld films.

Underworld (2003)- Review.

Films about vampires have become very popular with films such as The Lost Boys bringing attention to films about vampires. Films about werewolves also became very popular with films such as An American Werewolf in London and with these films becoming popular nobody had decided to combine vampires and werewolves and this is something that Underworld did. Underworld was released in 2003, the film was written and directed by Len Wiseman, the film stars Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen. Underworld is a film about a war between vampires and werewolves that has happened for centuries and the film follows Selene, a vampire warrior, is entrenched in a conflict between vampires and werewolves, while falling in love with Michael, a human who is sought by werewolves for unknown reasons, but they find that Michael has blood which could make the werewolves immune to their only weakness silver.

Underworld was released in 2003, it was made on a budget of $30 million. The best aspect about Underworld would be that the action sequences in this film have been made so that they are clear and easy to follow. The camerawork and editing makes it easier to follow because each shot lasts long enough so that you can see what is happening to each of the characters during the action scenes. The action is much easier to follow in this film than in any current action film that uses over editing or even shaky cam. However, there is an issue with the action sequences in Underworld and this would be that while the action is clear and easy to understand with the editing making it easy for us to follow, the action is very static and it feels like the action is boring because the action is mainly the characters standing around and using their weapons to shoot at the enemies. The best action sequence would be the sequence in the final act of the film, and this is because Michael and Viktor have a fist fight with one another. The action is better here but the budget might be the issue here because the filmmakers couldn’t create anything like the Matrix because they didn’t have the same budget. The best way to summarise the action in this film would be passable with easy to follow action but they could have done more with the action in this film.

There are some other things to like about Underworld, the acting throughout Underworld is very consistent, Kate Beckinsale plays Selene in this film she is a vampire that is also a hunter. Beckinsale is an actress who allows gives a good performance in most of here films and in this role she is very enjoyable to watch from the beginning to the end of the film. The character of Selene is very interesting because while she hunts werewolves, Underworld takes you through this narrative of where she questions her past actions and what she has done because of how the narrative reveals key information about other characters. Other good performances in Underworld are performances such as Michael Sheen, he is a talented actor and here he is very good, he uses the script to make the character his own. His performance is good from start to finish and this is because while he understands the character he also understands how to portray the character onscreen. Every moment that he is onscreen he is very enjoyable to watch, although in some parts his welsh accent does shine through a small amount and this is a bit inconsistent with the rest of the performance. However, the best performance in this film would be Bill Nighy, Nighy is someone who has had very few bad performances in his career. In Underworld, he plays Viktor who is one of the vampire elders. Bill Nighy is very entertaining in this film and this is because he understands what type of film this is and knows how to portray the character. The character of Viktor is very complex because his motives aren’t quite clear until the third act of the film, and you don’t know that much about him until the third act reveal.

Underworld is a film which has some excellent visual elements and storytelling and it has the basic filmmaking principles sorted. However, there are some issues with this film, the first issue with this film would be that the CGI looks very artificial and doesn’t look rendered correctly and this might be for a couple of reason, but these special effects are very poor and when you compare them to the practical effects in this film they are very noticeable. However, because the CGI doesn’t come into effect until the third act of the film the CGI is only noticeable in two main areas of the film. The second issue with this film would be that there are some script issues which could have been dressed if they had more time to create another draft of the script. This is a film which wasn’t going to win any Oscars for the screenplay but there are elements which are annoying to watch because there are elements which are either confusing or there are parts which don’t make sense within the narrative of the film. The third main issue would be the action which was stated above, they could have done more to make the action more creative. Underworld is a film which is not talked about anymore, this is a film which is a good film to watch on a Sunday afternoon if you don’t have anything better to do and this is the ideal popcorn film for anyone. Underworld is a film which some people won’t like but some will and you have to watch it to come to your conclusion and therefore people should watch Underworld as a film. 

Rating: 7/10.

Conclusion: Underworld is a film which was never going to win an Oscar and this is because it is not the best film ever made, but there are a lot of things that are enjoyable to watch and this is because the filmmakers have made a film which has entertaining moments throughout. Underworld is a film which is better than any of the Twilight series and people should watch this film instead of those films. Underworld is a perfect film to watch as a popcorn film.

Underworld: Evolution (2006)- Review.

The first Underworld film is a very enjoyable film and although there are quite a few issues with it but overall it a film that you can watch to be entertained, and because Underworld was a very successful film at the box office there was a sequel which was released in 2006 and this would-be Underworld: Evolution. Underworld: Evolution sees Len Wiseman return as director alongside Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman. Underworld: Evolution is a film which sees some new cast members such as Derek Jacobi and Tony Curran. Underworld: Evolution takes place right after the end of the first film with both Selene and Michael now being hunted by the vampire elders and they are also searching for more about the reason why vampires and werewolves went to war in the first place, and this is to see if they can bring peace between both vampires and werewolves. Underworld: Evolution is a film which has some very interesting elements to talk about because there are some positives things with this film and there are also some negative things about this film.

The first thing is that the quality of the action in this film has improved significantly over the first film and this is because the filmmakers had more time and budget to make this film. The action continues with the same traits as the first film because the editing is excellent with you able to see what is going during the action scenes with clarity but they have made the action more entertaining. Where the first film had action scenes where the characters just stood around and aimed guns at each other, this film is different because there is more hand-to-hand combat and this creates a more exciting environment and more tension for the characters because with hand-to-hand there is more sense of danger to the main characters. The action in Underworld: Evolution is much better than the first film and comparing the action in this film to the first, there is more tension. The action is also simple because while other films that came out around this time had hand-to-hand combat scenes which had complex moves. The fight scenes here are more like the characters are brawling with one another and this gives the action a great sense of realism.

The acting is quite like the first film in that everyone gives a good performance, Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman are adequate for their respective roles. However, there is performance that is good in this film and that would-be Derek Jacobi. Derek Jacobi is a very talented actor with many other films under his belt, this film isn’t his best work but he is like Bill Nighy in the first film in that he makes you interested in the character that he is playing. The characters in this film compared to the first film are quite similar although this film explores the relationship between Michael and Selene in detail. This relationship is explored enough in that you can care about the characters and hope that they survive the events, but it is not explored enough and there could have more screen time showing us the relationship between these characters in more detail. There some more positive elements to this film, the cinematography is quite good and the visuals of the film make this look dark and it is quite nice to look as a film. Underworld: Evolution is a film which expands on this war that has happened between the vampires and lycans very well, and why they have continued to fight and how each side has evolved to try and gain the upper hand on the other side. With the film showing how both sides having to evolved to try and win the war that the film has shown us.

However, Underworld: Evolution does have some flaws and issues. Like the first film this has numerous script issues and this is probably the weakest aspect of the film, with some of the character’s motivations being unclear and the narrative being unfocused compared to the original and this probably due to that fact the filmmakers wanted to expand this world were the Lycans and vampires have been at war but they didn’t have any clear ideas. The second thing would be that the villain is quite weak in this film because we understand why he goes after Michael and Selene but not why he kills off other characters within the story and there are little details throughout the film. These may seem like small issues with Underworld: Evolution but they do add up as the film goes on. Underworld: Evolution is a film which is only slightly worse than the original and there isn’t much of a gap between them both, however this film has more script issues and some unclear character motivations, but besides this Underworld: Evolution is film which you could watch like the first film and this being as a popcorn film.

Rating; 6.5/10

Conclusion: Underworld: Evolution is a film which is only slightly worse than the first film in more aspects but has better action scenes. It is hard to call this film a terrible film because it is decently put together with good direction. The only thing that lets Underworld: Evolution down is the fact that the script is the weakest aspect but if you don’t care about this then you can watch this with no problems because it is a film which can provide entertainment.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)- Film Review

This is first Underworld film which didn’t have Len Wiseman or Kate Beckinsale. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a prequel film to the series which sees the film take place before the first Underworld and the film tells the narrative of how the vampires and Lycans became enemies and how the war between them started. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is directed by Patrick Tatopoulos who hasn’t directed many films but is known for his special effects work on big films such as Riddick. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans stars Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Steven Mackintosh and Rhona Mitra. This film primarily follows Michael Sheen’s character Lucian and Rhona Mitra’s character Sonja. Michael Sheen plays the Lycan Lucian who is a slave to the vampires and he is there to kill off the other Lycans which are seen as animals and they should be killed because of this.

The performances in this film are solid throughout, every cast member in this film is excellent throughout the film. The performances all good in this film, Michael Sheen is a very good actor and he has returns to play Lucian like in the first film. Sheen is very consistent and while this isn’t a great performance it can carry the film. Bill Nighy is also very enjoyable to watch and this is because he is a very decent actor who understands the role and is very interesting in this film. Rhona Mitra is an actress which has had a very few film roles, in this film she is very good in the role of Sonja, she portrays the character very well and is just as strong as the other actors in this film. The performances in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans has some of best acting in the series. The characters in this film are good, this film adds to the first film because all the characters are explored in great detail. The character of Sonja has the most character development and this might be because she doesn’t appear in the first film. The characters are advanced in greater detail and this is something which is good about this film.

The action in this film is very good, and while the action isn’t as strong and as tightly choreographed as Underworld: Evolution but the action is well filmed and directed with the action easy to follow with good editing to watch onscreen and it doesn’t have shaky cam like other action films. The action is mainly hand-to-hand combat sequence and it also uses swords in this film and this is because of the time setting. The action uses swords as weapons and the fights between characters and the choreography while not as strong as the last film is still enjoyable to watch. However, the action scenes in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans have more intensity and while you know that the characters will survive there is stronger character motivations make the action sequences more intense and this is something which is lot better than the other films in this aspect. The action is very good in this film and while there is not much action in this film but this is because the narrative is the main focus of this film.

There are some excellent moments with the action scenes and has some good things, the other good things is that the film is a very visual film which has some great cinematography and there are also some excellent visual elements which make this a pleasant film to watch and this is because the filmmakers have made sure that this is film which you can watch with ease because of how the film looks onscreen. However, there are some issues with this film, and this once again would be due to the fact the script is the weakest aspect of this film. The script was once written Len Wiseman and because of this his writing is not the strongest and this shows in the film. This is because the pacing is not very consistent with it either the films narrative goes slow and then speeds up, and this is because of writing. There are also narrative elements which don’t make sense and this is because of the writing as well. There are some other issues with this and the action could be better with much better choreography compared to Underworld: Evolution. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a film which is a good prequel to the first and second film in the series, the film has some good elements and some bad elements but like the other films in the series this is simply a guilty pleasure which you could watch anytime because you don’t need to pay close attention to watch the film.

Rating: 6/10.

Conclusion: Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a film which is a prequel to the original film and it more than adequately supports the narrative of the first film and the character motivations of the characters. The action and the script are probably the weakest elements but overall this film is enjoyable to watch. 

Underworld: Awakening (2012)- Film Review.

After six years, Kate Beckinsale decided that she would return to the series which made her well known, this film came out the same year as Total Recall remake that also had Kate Beckinsale. Underworld: Awakening is different compared to the other films because the humans have discovered that vampires and lycans exist and they have been at war for centuries and now the humans have decided that they are going to hunt both the vampires and lycans because they feel threatened. The war between vampires and lycans has now got an added threat and this being that humankind are hunting both of them. Underworld: Awakening is directed by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein. The film sees Kate Beckinsale return the series and there are new cast members such as Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy and also Theo James. The film is like the other Underworld series and the film has some good elements and also some bad elements, and there is quite a few interesting elements to discuss when talking about this series.

There are some good things about this film which have already been covered such as Kate Beckinsale is very good in this film and this is because she understands the character that she is playing. The other performances are good but the direction in this film feels flat compared to the other films because the performances aren’t as strong as they could be and this might be because of the directors and because they aren’t very experienced directors. The one person that is good in this film would be Theo James, he is average in this film and this is because of the direction and if he had better direction then he could have given a better performance. The best way to some up these performances are average, the actors needed better direction but the performances are not terrible in this film but the could be better. The acting is mediocre and this is because the whole film feels rushed and like the filmmakers wanted to release this film as quickly as possible without a care about the acting.

The action sequences in this film are like the other films in the series and this is because they are dull and bland, Underworld: Awakening is a film which doesn’t feel fresh and because this film is lazy with the execution and the films adds nothing new to the franchise. The action is mediocre with the action edited to bring some form of clarity to the action scenes but there is nothing creative done with the action scenes, it becomes boring after watching the other films in the series and watching the same film but with a few different changes added to the storylines and there is some weak character development. There are some good aspects to this film, such as the fact that the film is technically competent and has some good editing and basic filmmaking put into the film. This is because they have made sure that the film has had some talented individuals working on this film, and this is the only reason why the film is made on a competent level.

Underworld: Awakening is a film which should be better that the final product, however like the other films in this series theses are guilty pleasure films which you can watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon without any care about the fact that there are lot issues with this film. This is not the worst film which has ever been made, after all to call this film the worst film ever created would be lie because of such films as Batman and Robin. This is watchable film that has some good elements which you can watch without a care.

Rating: 6/10.

Conclusion: This is a film which feels lazy and repetitive when looking at the other films in the series. The film is technically well made and has some good moments but this is a lazy Sunday afternoon film to watch when you have nothing better to do. Underworld: Awakening is a film which could have been more, but overall it is a slight disappointment.

Underworld: Blood Wars (2017)- Film Review.

This is the fifth installment in the Underworld series, Underworld: Blood Wars is directed by Anna Foerster whom has only directed a few things but mainly focused on some episodes in television, but Anna Foerster has quite a lot of experience in the film industry because she has done the cinematography on many big budget films and done some special effects on some films such as the 1998 Godzilla. Underworld: Blood Wars stars Kate Beckinsale, Theo James and Charles Dance. Blood wars sees Selene still on the run from the Vampires and Lycans after the events of the previous films, Selene has sent her daughter into hiding to protect here. The Vampire decide to let Selene back to train some new recruits because of the war, however she is betrayed by some vampires and she is once again on the run. Underworld: Blood Wars is a film which was panned by critics for many different reasons, there are many things to discuss with the film and take about.

In the review of Underworld: Awakening, the performances feel flat because the direction is one of the weakest aspects of that film, this is because the directors didn’t have much experience with filmmaking and because of this the performances were not good in the film and this took away from the overall enjoyment of that film. The direction in Blood Wars is much better and while Anna Foerster is someone who has directed much, she has been in the film industry to know who how to direct people, this might be because she has had previous experience with Cinematography. The performances are much better in this film because the you can watch this film because the performance work in this film and they are much better in this film compared to previous entry. An example of this would-be Kate Beckinsale was not bad in the last film she could have been better with her performance, but in Blood Wars she is much better in this film and her performance is much more believable in this film compared to the previous entry in the series. Theo James returns and reprises the role from the previous film, his performance is not great and will never win an Oscar but he is enjoyable and this is what makes a film like this enjoyable to watch on a guilty pleasure level. However, the best part of this film would be Charles Dance he is an actor who has had plenty experience and has not had many bad performances, Dance is good in this role and he more enjoyable than the other performance because he understands the character he is playing.

There is more about this film to enjoy, the film has some interesting concepts and explores some key ideas during the runtime. An example would be that Blood Wars explores something about the afterlife. Events lead to Selene and David have gone to safe place which has Vampires who hide out the way of the antagonists of the film. This part of the film explores the afterlife in some elements, because it is established that some characters in the film have gone to another world, which they call the afterlife in another dimension. This is quite an interesting aspect to explore, although it could have been explained in more detail this quite an interesting idea. There are some other good things about this film, in the other films the special effects and the CGI are okay and not great. In the first entries in the series, the CGI looks like it hasn’t been rendered and hasn’t been integrated into the live action elements of the film very well, and this might have been because of the budget. However, Blood Wars has a slightly bigger budget compared to the original film. The special effects are good for the budget, but this film doesn’t rely on much CGI compared to the other films in series, but the CGI that is in this film is good. The final aspect of this film which is good is that this is quite a contained film, there are a couple of locations in this film and this is something which is much better because of this because overall the film feels more focused compared to the other films.

However, like the other films in the Underworld series, Blood Wars is not a perfect film and this is because there are some issues with this film. The first would be that the script is not the strongest screenplay because there are many different things in this film which aren’t explained some of the character’s motivations are not explained properly and some elements in this film like the afterlife which is brought up in this film is not explored in much detail compared to other elements and this is because of the runtime, due to the film being one hour and half there is not much in the way of storytelling because of the runtime. There are some other issues with this film and the biggest issue with Underworld: Blood Wars is that the action sequences. The issue with the action sequences is that the filmmakers have decided to use tighter framing and quick cut editing which makes some of the action hard to follow. An example would be the final action sequences in this film. The film has too many things going on these scenes and this can make the action difficult. Overall the action is hard to follow with poor editing which is quick cut, and there are too many different elements going on at any time in this film. Underworld: Blood Wars is a film which is not terrible as the critics make out it to be and this is because there are some good elements which this film has and this is because the film has effort and some level of creativity behind it and this film has some issues which have been addressed, but overall it is a throw away action film and like the other films in this series they are throw action films which you can enjoy without the need to concentrate with the plot and script.

Rating: 6/10.

Conclusion: Underworld: Blood Wars is a not a great film, but there are elements which you can enjoy while watching this film because the film is short in runtime and there are some elements which you can enjoy and there are some bad things. If you personally enjoyed the other films in this series, then you will like this film and don’t like someone else tell you it is film you should avoid. This film is enjoyable but not great.

Overall conclusion.

The Underworld film series has been going for seventeen years and while the films have become worse over time they are very consistent in the quality. These are films which you can watch without paying close attention the storyline or the narratives in the films and this is because the films are made for mindless entertainment. Underworld as series is very enjoyable to watch because they all have something good that keeps you entertained for a couple of hours at a time.

Ghost in the Shell- Film Review

Ghost in the Shell (Original Anime 1995)- film review

This is something new for this blog, because the films which have been covered have all been live-action films and have been released by Hollywood. However, this blog post will be slightly different compared to the other reviews and this is because this post will take at a Japanese anime film. Japanese films are very different compared to the other films because of the Japanese culture and therefore different things are represented different. Anime is something which is completely different compared to the western animation because anime is aimed at many different audiences. Ghost in the Shell is arguably one of the most recognizable Japanese anime films that has been released and the film would go on to influence many different films, films such as The Matrix Trilogy. Before the live-action Hollywood remake comes out later this month, let’s look at one of the most loved Japanese anime films Ghost in the Shell. Ghost in the Shell is directed by Mamoru Oshii who is a very well-known anime director and the film is based on the manga written by Masamune Shirow, the film is about a cyborg police woman known as The Major and her partner trying to hunt down a computer hacker known as The Puppet Master.

Ghost in the Shell is a film which is part of the Japanese anime craze that started to emerge in Western countries, there were anime films before this but this film started to get people in western countries into anime. Ghost in the Shell has amazing animation; the animators have managed to combine cell animation with CGI and they have done an amazing job. The cell animation is some of the best animation work that you will see put to film, the animation has had a great amount of time and focus to make sure that it looks good onscreen. The animation feels weighted, this is something that Mamoru Oshii does well, he makes animated films that have excellent animation, and his animation style is excellent because he understands that with making an animated film the details are what matter the most. There is one scene in this film which stands out the most, there is a scene where the main character is in the city, the character’s hair is blowing in the wind. This shows that Oshii has likes to focus on the small details just as much as the most, this is what sets Japanese anime apart from its Western counterparts. Ghost in the Shell has some CGI animation in this film but it is not used too much compared to other films, the CGI animation blends well and this is because it is only used for a few sequences.

There is more to like about this film as well, the characters are explored in very interesting ways, the characters are explored through philosophy. There are excellent moments throughout Ghost in the Shell, the reason for the title is that this film is set in the future and there has been advancement of technology and someone can upload their mind into a program and put their mind into a machine. Through this the film questions what it is to be human and what does it mean to be human, this is explored quite a lot during the runtime of Ghost in the Shell. There are other good elements with this as well, the film explores the human and human nature through the film, there is a scene where the character decides that she wants to go diving. When the character comes back up, there is a sequence which explains that she couldn’t have died, and the Major’s response to this, is that the danger is what keeps her alive and what makes her feel human. There is loads of little elements throughout the film and there could be an entire post just written on the philosophy that is within Ghost in the Shell. This film explores so much of this in such as a small amount of time.

Ghost in the Shell has some excellent action sequences; the action is clear and easy to follow throughout the entire film. The action is some of the best to be put to animation, the action is everything that some could want from an action film, there are some great moments of tension and some great moments where you feel like any of the characters could be killed off at any point. The action is not the focus in the film and it relies more on narrative and character than action. However, the action sequences are excellent. The action is excellent in this film with clear and easy to follow action with some great editing. There is more to like with Ghost in the Shell, about a week ago there was post on this blog which looked at the importance of sound in film, that essay concluded that sound often goes unnoticed and while that is the case in most films. Ghost in the Shell has a fantastic score which most people will notice, the score is amazing from start to finish it has an element of distinctiveness that not many other scores have. The score is amazing and the filmmaker understand because the scenes that it is used for don’t contain much dialogue. The score and action are excellent and words can’t sum up how good these elements are.

Ghost in the Shell is an amazing Japanese anime film, there is only one small issue with this film which could be annoying to some people, the characters in the film seem to know everything and this can be quite annoying at times because it doesn’t explain how the character know the information that is been given to the audience. This is the only issue that Ghost in the Shell has, other than this issue this is a perfect film with deep meaning filled philosophy the film explores the human characters in detail and has some excellent action sequences that are excellent. The 1995 Ghost in the Shell is a film which more people should watch and this is because people should watch films that are outside of their own culture. If you are thinking about watching anime for the first time and want to know where to start, Ghost in the Shell is the film that you should start.

Rating: 8/10.

Conclusion: Ghost in the Shell is not only one of the best anime films that has ever been made, but it is one of the greatest films that has ever been made. Ghost in the Shell is a must watch for people who like anime but for people who are interested in film in general because when you watch it, you will notice where other films got their influence. Ghost in the Shell is an example of how to make a great action film with some great and deep themes and excellent characters.

  

Logan- Film Review

Logan- Film Review

There have been many comic book films in the past decade, there have been many attempts to make great comic book films and while some films have succeeded in their attempts there have been some bad films as well. Arguably the comic book series which is a key example of this would be the X-Men series. The series started out strong with the first two entries and when it came to X-Men: The Last Stand people started to see the fall of the series. The X-Men franchise has also created some spin-offs with the character of Wolverine getting a trilogy of his own. The first film was hated by critics for many different reasons and is more of a guilty pleasure than anything. The second film The Wolverine was directed by James Mangold and was liked by critics, and it did have some issues but the film was a very good attempt. Logan is third film is this series and sees director James Mangold returning this is the final film that will star Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart. Logan is set in the year 2029 where a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces, both Logan and Professor X must make sure that the young mutant evades capture and get her to safety from a group of people that are after her.

The first thing about this film would be the performances and characters in Logan, Hugh Jackman is a great actor in most of his films, his performance in Logan is excellent because he portrays a version of Wolverine that we haven’t quite seen onscreen and while we got some hint in the previous entry when his healing powers were taken away. In Logan, the performance shows a character that is just trying to survive while caring for Professor X. Logan is a broken version of the character that he used to be and at the beginning you don’t quite understand why he is dying or he is fragile compared to the version that we saw in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Hugh Jackman at this point has nailed this character he knows how to portray Wolverine as a character and this performance might be his best compared to the other portrayals of the character. Patrick Stewart has never had a bad performance in a film, in Logan he portrays an older version of Professor X which has lost control of his powers and if he isn’t given medicine then he could cause some serious damage. This performance from Stewart shows this character in a different way compared to the other films, the performance shows Xavier having various emotions at different points with him having low points to him having some laughs, this is an excellent performance and there are some great character moments throughout this film, and without spoiling this film there is an excellent character scene between Wolverine and X-23 in this film at the end.

More positives about Logan would be that most of the technical aspects of this film are very good, there is one thing which is not very good and that will be discussed below. However, most of the technical aspects of this film are good. Everything else about this film is excellent and there are many things about this film which will impress. The one aspect of the technical elements would be that the cinematography is excellent. There are some excellent character moments which have been discussed in this film but the way that the filmmakers communicate the themes in this film are what help this film stands out. The cinematography might be some of the best in the X-Men series. The other aspect of this film would be the special effects; the CGI is so well integrated into the live-action elements that the CGI is hardly noticeable compared to the other films. Although compared to the other films in this spin-off series this film doesn’t have as much CGI as the others. The technical aspects are excellent and there is nothing more than you can say about it.

Logan is very different from the previous films in the franchise, this is because this film feels more grounded and more contained than the other films in series. This film is basically a road trip film that sees Logan help X-23 from being captured by the antagonists in this film, the film has small scale action and it is refreshing to see a comic book film which doesn’t have the world being in danger. An example would be the final action sequences in this film, it takes place in a forest and Logan must take out an army of people after these other children. The final action sequence is excellent for another reason because instead of the classic one man army trope, the other children get involved in the action sequences and they can hold their own in a battle. The stakes are what make this film feel grounded because Logan is only trying to make sure that these children are safe from the antagonists in the film.

There are only two things wrong with this film, the first would be that the script could have done with another draft and this is because there are some aspects which aren’t explained in detail. The film Logan doesn’t tell you what year this film is set in and if you didn’t read the premise going into the film then you wouldn’t know. There are little issues like this throughout Logan, and it doesn’t tell you if it set in the same universe as Days of Future Past. These are just same details which could have been changed when they were written the script and it’s not a big issue with the film but some people will notice these small details that are missing in Logan. The second issue with Logan would be that some of the action has too tightly framed and the filmmakers decided to film the action quite close, while this won’t be a problem on a small screen, if you watch this in the cinema the big screen and the tight framing can make the action hard to follow at time. These are some of the issues that Logan has as a film.

The spin off trilogy of the wolverine films have become much better, they have improved on each attempt that has been released. This franchise started with X-Men: Origins Wolverine and ended with this film. Logan is more a character film exploring the weaknesses of the heroes and how relationships are created between them, there are some excellent intertextual references for the film and comic book fans in the audience. Logan is a film which is very enjoyable to watch and if this is Hugh Jackman’s final portrayal as Wolverine this is an excellent way to finish. This is a film which goes all out with the characters, violence and narrative. What does this mean for the future of comic book films? This film had received an R-rating just like last year’s Deadpool and while we are seeing more of these films, this doesn’t mean that all the comic book films in future will get the same rating. This shows that comic book films have a strong future and there are many narratives left to tell, will the future comic book films be R-rated? The answer to question is that some will be but this doesn’t mean that all the films will be. Logan, is like this to show the brutality of the character onscreen like they should have done to begin with. It is important to remember that it is not the rating which makes this film work, it is the fact that this is more of character film that explores these characters in a very contained environment and while it is essentially a road trip this film has small stakes compared to other comic book films.

Rating: 8/10.

Conclusion: Logan is a much more contained film compared to the others in the trilogy and has some excellent character moments that explore the humanity of these characters. Logan shows that while it is a comic book film the narrative doesn’t have to high stakes. Logan is worth watching because the characters and performances, this is an excellent film to end the trilogy.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story- Film Review

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is an anthology film that takes place in the Star Wars universe and this is an attempt to expand the Star Wars universe and show more characters beyond the characters of the prequels, originals and sequel films and draw the audience’s attention from the Skywalker storyline. Rogue One tells the narrative of a group of rebels that planned to steal the plans for the Death Star, and help bring hope to the universe and make sure that the empire from taking over from the universe, so that the rebels can bring peace to the universe. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is directed by Gareth Edwards who directed the remake of Godzilla and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whittaker. There is quite a lot of things to discuss with this film because there are some interesting elements.

There are some things which people will like about Rogue One; the first thing would be the direction of this film. Gareth Edwards is someone who has a style with his direction that not many others can produce and this is a sense of scale. This is something that Edwards did well in the Godzilla remake in 2014, where the focus was mainly on the characters and not on the creature and the film was mainly shot from the human prospective. The sense of scale has been transferred very well in this film, and an example of this would be early on in the runtime of the film. The Empire have decided that they want to test the Death Star on a planet, but not use the full power of the weapon. This takes place in a scene were the main characters are on the planet, when the weapon is activated the destruction is incredible and this is something which is done throughout. In the original film we only had the image of the Death Star blowing up a planet but with this new style of direction we get to see the Death Star from a new angle and perspective. The direction is something which is great about this film and the direction is the best element of this film.

There are some good elements about this film and this would be that all the cast in this film are great. Felicity Jones holds this film together; she is great in this film because she portrays her character Jyn Erso very well. There are some great moments from her, and example of this would be the scene before the test of the Death Star. Jyn’s character has been hiding away from the empire and the character’s father has joined the empire to save his family. This is something which has been done well here, during this scene there is a hologram that Mads Mikkelsen’s character has given to a rogue empire pilot. This scene reveals that the character has depth and some great emotion. The direction alongside Felicity Jones’ acting is amazing here and is the best scene in this film, and this is something which is great about this film. Also, Diego Luna is someone who is like Han Solo as a character when he is onscreen in the original Star Wars film, the character is the kind of character that will ask questions after he has shot a Stormtrooper or someone who is being an antagonist at that moment. Cassian Andor is not as relatable as Jyn in this film but he is a likable character for the entire runtime of this film. The acting is good; it is not great but the performances are strong enough for believability factor.

There are some more positive aspects about this film, and this would be that the special effects are some of the best that have been featured in a film this year and this includes films such as Doctor Strange and The Jungle Book. Somehow Gareth Edwards has managed to make the CGI in this film look very realistic, and this the same with his Godzilla remake, like in that film he managed to incorporate the CGI with the live-action elements very well. The CGI here has some great depth and you can see the textures very clearly. The detail with CGI is unbelievable, if you look at the Death Star from the original Star Wars film and the Death Star from this film and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Another example of some great CGI would be the test scene with the Death Star, the CGI here is excellent and has so much detail and some excellent visuals. However, the CGI is not completely flawless and there some other elements which don’t quite hold up compared the other elements of this film and this might be because there wasn’t enough time to put enough elements of this film.

However, no film is perfect and this includes this film, there are some aspects of this film which aren’t so good. The first thing that is a negative about this film would be certain aspects of the films CGI, there are two characters which are recreated for various reasons with motion caption technology. This is something which lets the other visual effect elements down because for some reason the motion caption here looks artificial and fake. The artificial special effects here are something which lets the film down but it is only a small negative compared to other elements of this film. Another aspect of this film which is a negative of this film would be the characters, the film is very story based and focuses more on the goals of the rebels and the characters are not explored in great detail and the characters are one-dimensional compared to the characters that were featured in The Force Awakens because the characters had more depth compared to this film. If the characters had more depth to them in this film it would have been a very enjoyable experience as a film.

There are some other aspects of this film which aren’t that good, the action sequences are that great compared to other action films. The editing during the films action sequences in this film, while the action is not the typical shaky cam, the editing is quite choppy and it is hard to follow the characters during the action scenes. The action is hard to follow for two reasons, the first reason for this would be that final action scene isn’t set up properly and this means you can’t see where the characters are and were the antagonists are in the scene. The other probably with the editing is during the final action scene, the editing takes us from the beach action scene to the dogfight in space. The editors decided to cut away from the beach action scene to the dogfight at a moment what seems to be a crucial moment for the action on the beach. The filmmakers should have waited until there was break in the action scene on the beach, and before more Stormtroopers appear. The editing would have felt more natural and this would have been a better choice.

The other negative aspects about this film which is a negative would be that this film doesn’t really have a reason to existence. The film shows us the narrative that takes the plans of the Death Star and this will annoy the true Star Wars fans because this narrative has been done already in Dark Forces video game. Disney has decided to remove the existence of the extended universe and therefore remove the characters that were in the extended universe and this something which the Star Wars fan will be annoyed at because the studios are trying to cash in on the Star Wars fans and this is something which will annoy some people but not everyone will care about. The final negative aspect of this film is that first act of this film is quite poorly done because the film decides to jump from planet to planet and it becomes confusing and you won’t be able to follow the locations unless the title card reappears onscreen, the first twenty minutes of this film are the worst for this reason because of the film jumps from planet to planet.

Conclusion

This is a film which doesn’t quite live up to the standard of The Force Awakens because of some aspects of this film such as the action isn’t that clear and the characters aren’t that great. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story isn’t re-watchable compared to other Star Wars films. This is not a bad film but it is no were near the standard that the film could have been and this film is a missed opportunity and the film could have been better, but it is nowhere near as bad as the prequel films, and it is a good watchable film and will keep you entertained for two hours and that is all you need for this film. 

Rating: 6/10.  

Jason Bourne- Film Review.

Jason Bourne- film review

Jason Bourne sees the return of Paul Greengrass in the directing chair and Matt Damon starring as the title character. This film sees the reunion of Greengrass and Damon alongside new cast members such as Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander and Vincent Cassel. The film tells the narrative that Jason Bourne has been hiding off the grid since the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, and he resurfaces when Nicky parson played by Julia Stiles, she finds him to tell him about some information related to his past. This sends Bourne on a vengeance filled mission around the world, it starts in Greece and concludes in Las Vegas, with some excellent action sequences and some great intense moments.

There are many greats moments to enjoy with this film, the first action sequence takes place in Athena, Greece during a riot. There is a great car/bike chase between Jason Bourne and the asset which is played by Vincent Cassel in this film. The first chase sequence in this film is very intense in the way that it is directed, this sequence uses some great camera angles and some strong direction. But the main thing that stands out in the opening sequence is the editing, the editing here is something which done very well because the right shots have been placed in the right order. The editing shows you a shot of Bourne and then the asset but then cuts to a wide shot which shows the next obstacle that Bourne has to overcome. The chase scene in this film is great because everything is clear and easy to follow, and you understand everything that is happening to the characters through the action scenes. The other action scenes have some great elements, the action is mostly solid throughout and it keeps you entertained while you are watching the action scenes. The other action scenes aren’t as great as the initial action scenes but they will keep you entertained enough to watch the film.

There are some other positives about this film such as, Matt Damon is fantastic in the role of Jason Bourne once again, when you watch this film you understand that he has committed himself to this role and he knows how to perform his own stunts during the action sequences. Matt Damon understands the character of Bourne quiet a lot because the character doesn’t speak much during the entire runtime of the film, but Damon knows and understands how to convey the emotions that the character needs to portray using just facial expressions. Tommy Lee Jones plays the main antagonist in this film, his character is a little one dimensional and doesn’t have much character development, and Jones works with the material he has and does the best that he can do, Jones does a give a performance which is given one hundred per cent. The performance by Alicia Vikander is also great, she brings the binary opposition between her character and Jones’ character with the old vs. new, again the film focuses more on Bourne and his mission but her character is enjoyable to watch onscreen.

However, there are some negative aspects to this film. This film is nowhere near the standard of the other Bourne films that have featured Damon. There are many reasons for this and the first thing that the action is nowhere the same standard of The Bourne Ultimatum, the action in that film is clear and done very well, the action in this film feels flat in comparison and this films action sequences just doesn’t seem as good and as in intense. An example of this would be the hand-to-hand sequence that happens in both films. In The Bourne Ultimatum the build up to the hand-to-hand sequence is very intense, Bourne is trying to escape the police in Tangier, this leads to a rooftop chase sequence and Bourne crashing through a window. The fight between Bourne and Desh takes place. The action is filmed so well here because the lighting is strong and gives clarity. However, in Jason Bourne the build up to the hand-to-hand action sequence doesn’t seem as intense. There is a car chase, but because it has been done like this before and the chase doesn’t seem intense, the action between Bourne and the asset is done in this dark area that you can see the characters and some of the camera placement means that you can’t see what character is hitting another character. The action is not clear as the other films sequence in The Bourne Ultimatum. This is a film which tries to like to other films very well, like that the events that happens in previous films. However, this film doesn’t try to explain the events that happened after the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, the filmmakers don’t tell you what happens to the CIA characters such as Pamela Landy because there should be something in this film to reference those characters, and purpose there could have been a link like Alicia Vikander could have been the daughter of Landy, but the characters are not mentioned.  

This is a film which should have been great, the creative team that made the other Bourne films came together to made this film. There are aspects of this film which are good but they are nothing to the standard of the other films in the franchise. This film is the worst Bourne film that Matt Damon has done, the action isn’t great there is not one moment that you will be able to remember the action. The other thing which could have been added would have had links to the previous films, this is a film which could have been better than we got, or maybe the creative team behind the Bourne films couldn’t recreate the high standard of the previous films, and maybe as films go we have received the peak of the Bourne franchise and there won’t be another great film like The Bourne Ultimatum in the franchise.

Conclusion

Jason Bourne doesn’t live up to the previous entries in the franchise, but the film is still quite entertaining to watch and does have some good moments. If you want a great Bourne film you better off watching The Bourne Ultimatum or The Bourne Supremacy but as a mindless action film is a passable film, but not as good as we have come to expect from the franchise.

Rating: 7/10.