Mad Max Fury Road Review
The Plot
George Miller brings his cult classic post-apocalyptic Road Warrior back after 30 years, with Tom Hardy taking over for a reboot of the much loved trilogy. In a world where humanity is broken, two rebels become unlikely aliases in a race through the barren landscapes to escape the treacherous man who has kept them locked up as a human blood bag and a slave wife.
The Good
When it comes to action movies, you’ll be hard pushed to find anything that comes even remotely close to topping the action found in Mad Max: Fury Road. It barely gives you time to blink through the sheer volume of fire and destruction, which begins before the title has even appeared and still hangs in your head in some sort of drunken state after the credits have finished rolling. It is the purest action in its most undiluted form. You’ll need some sort of caffeine to stay with it.
Tom Hardy proves yet again that he can pull off the strong silent hero with tremendous ease and meticulous professionalism. He’s certainly a worthy successor from Mel Gibson’s original Road Warrior. Charlize Theron, meanwhile, is just as powerful, if not more so, as the one armed Imperator Furiosa, and is more than a worthy accomplice to Hardy’s Max.
Also surprisingly, Fury Road looks utterly beautiful for an action film. While the numerous ads and promos have shown that it’s huge in scale, it’s when the action turns into the night that the real beauty comes alive, in some gorgeous blue tint that deserves to be marvelled at on the biggest screen you can find.
The Bad
While there’s no denying the size and beauty of the film, much like the original trilogy, there’s a lot left out in the story side. Hardy himself gets barely twenty lines in the entire film and has little to no character development. He just suddenly appears and that’s that. There are some hints to a back story of how he became who he is, but it’s left very open and somewhat leaves you wanting more than just action.
On the action, there’s really not much to criticise at all, although, while clearly a lot of the special effects are practical (80% according to IMDb) there are still moments in which the CGI is rather blatant. Mainly when it comes to the explosions and fire used.
The Ugly Truth
Essentially, Mad Max: Fury Road is a two hour long chase sequence with admittedly incredible action that will be extremely hard to top. Unfortunately the story that comes with it is nowhere near the same standards…
Review by Johnny Ellis
Bonus gallery of Mad Max Fury Road World Premiere Pictures below:
A Royal Night Out Review
The Plot
On V.E day in 1945, Princesses Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) and Margaret (Bel Powley) are allowed to join the celebrations outside the palace and throughout London. Cue a night of excitement and romance…
The Good
The format of Royals mixing with common folk is usually a safe bet when it comes to british period dramas – case in point: The Kings Speech and Mrs. Brown - and A Royal Night Out is no exception. With the 70th anniversary of VE Day having just passed by, what better time to tell the story of Princess Elizabeth and Margaret’s first foray into the Real World past the palace gates.
Both Gadon and Powley are as lovely as you’d expect two young princesses to be, as they roam around London figuring out how to fend for themselves in amongst the lower class. Their performances are quite endearingly quirky and the fact that they look an awful lot like sisters definitely helps. Meanwhile, the two chaperones assigned to them bring plenty of humour as the most inept guards/chaperones you’ll see. After losing the princesses in what I’m sure is record time, they barely even try to find them and give into the temptations of the celebrations around them.
We also get a sprinkling of The Kings Speech with King George (Rupert Everett – who replaces Oscar Winner Colin Firth) and his stuttering VE Day speech. Both Everett and Emily Watson who plays his on screen queen give as good a performance they can with the few scenes they’re given.
The Bad
While it’s certainly all jolly good fun to see the princesses mixing with the rabble down below, it seems that, though the main plot is indeed apparently true, writers Trevor De Silva and Kevin Hood have allowed themselves a bit too much artistic freedom. The idea of Princess Margaret somehow finding herself in the seedy underworld of Soho’s sex trade or Princess Elizabeth finding a new, and possibly romantic, friend in the form of an AWOL soldier are fun ones but start to seem outright absurd the further along the story gets.
The Ugly Truth
A Royal Night Out isn’t as high brow as the previous Royal Family stories we’ve seen, which makes the whole premise appear quite preposterous towards the end. But it also allows for much more fun.
Review by Johnny Ellis
Pitch Perfect 2 Review
The Plot
The Barden Bellas are back for more Aca-awesome covers, and this time the stakes are higher. After embarrassing themselves in front of President Obama, Becca (Anna Kendrick) and her crew have the chance to redeem themselves. All it will take is winning the world championships…
The Good
It’s been nearly three years since Pitch Perfect appeared somewhat out of nowhere, to become a huge hit for Universal so of course a sequel was inevitable. Pitch Perfect 2 offers everything you’d expect in a sequel. It’s bigger and – ever so slightly – darker, thanks to the inclusion of the Barden Bellas’ new adversaries, German acapella group Das Sound Machine. While it’s all just a bit of fun, there’s no denying that Das Sound Machine are slightly intimidating, whether it be the way they tower over the Bellas or in Becca’s case, the sexual confusion that comes with any altercation…
Of course the old gang is back with fan favourites like Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and Benji (Ben Platt) and of course the brilliant commentary scattered throughout from John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks – who this time around also directs. But there are some nice additions too. Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) joins the Bellas as Emily, daughter of a past Bella who wants to prove herself. And we have the lovely addition of David Cross (Arrested Development) who serves as host of another version of the riff-off scene from the first film.
While the first Pitch Perfect was more of a romantic comedy, the sequel seems to focus less on that, giving more chances to see the Bellas in performance, which made the first such a hit.
The Bad
Pitch Perfect 2 seems a bit like the awkward second album and unfortunately doesn’t particularly bring anything new to the story. Yes, it’s bigger, but yet it still seems to be missing something. The songs don’t seem to be as big a hit as the last film’s and the point is almost proven when the popular Cups song from the first is brought back. Almost like there is no faith in the new songs. And though it’s only 3 minutes longer than its predecessor, it feels about twenty minutes too long.
The Ugly Truth
Pitch Perfect 2 brings back everything that made the first such a hit, but it feels like more is needed to detach itself. Much like the Inbetweeners sequel last year, Pitch Perfect 2 seems acceptable purely due to the fact that the first was such a huge hit. Here’s hoping something more is added for the third.
Review by Johnny Ellis
Asa Butterfield Might Be New Spider-Man
Rumours are surfacing that Marvel Studios have cast Asa Butterfield as the new Spider-Man. According to Latino Review the Hugo and Ender’s Game star is in final negotiations with Marvel and official confirmation will be announced soon.
Butterfield certainly fits the criteria as it had been reported that Marvel were looking for a younger actor to take over the role from Andrew Garfield since they struck a deal with Sony last year to include him in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War - which is already in production – and his own stand alone movie, due for release July 28th 2017.
Again, while it’s not yet official, Butterfield seems most likely to be the man to take over the much loved character, appearing to have beaten hopefuls such as Tom Holland (The Impossible) and Liam James (The Way Way Back) among others.
Our recent interview below wit Asa from last year’s London Film Festival:
Crimson Peak Second Trailer
Latest trailer for Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak has been released online. The Pan’s Labyrinth and Pacific Rim director teams up with an all star cast this October including Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, and Mia Wasichowska.
Hiddleston plays Sir Thomas Sharpe, whose home seems to be full of very dark secrets. When his new wife, author Edith Cushing (Wasichowska) moves in, the house soon starts to have a mind of its own… If the new trailer is anything to go by, we’re in for a terrifying treat come October 16!
Check out our exclusive interview with Star Tom Hiddleston below as well: