Hercules Review
The Plot
Brett Ratner and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson bring a new version of half-man half-God all muscle Hercules to the big screen. With his stories being spread across the land, Hercules (Johnson) is hired by Lord Cotys (John Hurt) to bring down King Eurystheus (Joseph Fiennes) with a small army of men and his loyal companions.
The Good
Brett Ratner is known mostly these days for directing the third and what most fans perceive as the worst instalment of the original X-Men Trilogy, The Last Stand. His work on Tower Heist and Movie 43 certainly didn’t help people forget this. With Hercules though, he seems to be going in the right direction. Ratner could very well have the beginnings of a franchise on his hands if Hercules does well, and at parts it deserves to do well.
The casting of Dwayne Johnson as the titular hero is a fantastic decision and Johnson proves it within the opening segment. Coming face to face with a lion, Johnson gives us a reason to believe he was born to play Hercules. And his humungous muscles certainly help. The most interesting part of Ratners new take on the old tale is the way in which he manages to dissect it and turn it into something completely different in a way. Instead of simply labelling Hercules as a God, Ryan Condal and Evan Siliotopoulos’ script brings an air of mystery surrounding the character. Is he a God or are his collection of heroic stories simply there to impress his fans and scare his foes?
A supporting cast of Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Aksel Hennie, Ingrid Bolso Berdal and Reece Ritchie turns Hercules from a one man hero into a team of renegades who band together to create the legend of Hercules and both characters and actors seem to have no problems with him being the main attraction. For while McShane’s character Amphiaraus in particular has some stand out moments, it really is Johnsons film.
Plenty of action makes sure that you won’t get too bored with Hercules even if his adversaries don’t really stand a chance against him.
The Bad
Humanizing Hercules in a way lowers the character at points. The demi-god lie teeters a touch too much on the human side eventually, leaving the air of mystery surrounding his past to disappear slowly along with some interest in the character. The film tries to counter-act this at one point by attempting to send the message that anyone can be a hero and using Hercules as their example. Which is all well and good except for the tiny niggling fact that Dwayne Johnson has something the average cinemagoer will probably not. Put any other person in the same situations that Johnson faces throughout the film and their lack of muscles will most definitely hinder them slightly. After all Dwayne Johnson wasn’t called the Rock ironically!
The Ugly Truth
Brett Ratner is definitely making eager strides to redeem himself from being simply known as the man who nearly ruined X-Men with Hercules. With a neat twist on the old tale and enough humour, action and Dwayne Johnson to keep audiences entertained, a sequel/franchise is definitely not the worst idea…
The Rover Review
The Plot
Guy Pierce and Robert Pattinson star in this post apocalyptic crime drama. When Eric’s (Pierce) car is stolen by three crooks, he sets out to retrieve it by any means necessary. But after coming across one of the thieves brother Rey (Pattinson), his search becomes both easier and harder as he struggles to cope with Rey’s company.
The Good
There’s one simple yet utterly bizzare way to sum up The Rover which really does give a slight idea as to what you’ll be getting yourself in for if you see it. It’s essentially an artsy post apocalyptic Dude, Where’s My Car? With the smallest hint of Rain Man.
Now, while this sounds crazy, for the most part The Rover does work surprisingly well. Guy Pierce holds the opening spectacularly, with the lack of instant dialogue giving an air of anticipation. As Eric takes his time to slowly remove his thieves old pickup truck from it’s stuck position to catch up with them, he seems to take joy in showing his power in the situation by driving as close as possible and then falling back, yet barely expresses it. The sequence works incredibly well and Pierce proves that he could easily handle the film with perfect ease on his own.
That said, when Robert Pattinson finally enters the story, he gives just as good as a performance. His role as simple and naïve Rey is quite unlike anything he’s done before and soon enough, he proves he is good enough to get equal billing with Pierce.
Accompanied by an extremely well fitting score and a simple yet full script, of which it seems Joel Edgerton shares story credit, The Rover does it’s job well.
The Bad
If you look back over Robert Pattinsons career so far (The Twilight franchise, Remember Me etc.) it’s easy to conclude that one of his main acting traits has become his ability to express himself through the cunning use of broody stares mainly. His role in The Rover gives him the opportunity to work with more dialogue than usual. Although it’s an interesting twist on the RPattz we’ve all come to know and love, most of what he gets to say is rather pointless and will surely end up annoying viewers as much as it seems to annoy his co-star.
Just as the film is starting to head towards it’s conclusion a completely out of place entry to the otherwise decent soundtrack utterly distracts from the mood of the film, making it a struggle to get back to where it was. It’s only one throwaway scene which you will no doubt know when you see it, and it unfortunately damages what was otherwise a well performed, well written and well directed film.
One last point to make is in regards to the films ambiguous title. It does become clear eventually why it’s called The Rover but the makers really did miss a trick when they didn’t make Erics car, one of the main driving pieces of the story (no pun intended) a Rover…
The Ugly Truth
David Michod’s follow-up to his Oscar nominated debut feature Animal Kingdom is a definitely worth a watch at least for Guy Pierce. While it loses it’s way towards the final act, The Rover is still a chilling and tension-filled simplistic story which will entertain. Mostly.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Review
The Plot
Eight years after the events of Rise, ape leader Caesar has built a well maintained community in the redwoods just outside the city of Los Angeles. But when two young apes encounter the first human they’ve seen in two years, events are set in motion that will change both ape and human lives forever.
The Good
When Rise of the Planet of the Apes was released in 2011, it came with plenty of warning signs and low expectations. Thanks to Tim Burton’s failed attempt at a remake ten years earlier. After the success of the film, and the news that both Andy Serkis and visual effects company Weta – undoubtedly the two things that truly made the film a success – were back on board, it’s safe to say that the worries for Dawn were much less so. And it seems that even the slight worries fans and critics had were definitely unnecessary.
With Serkis being given his rightful place at the top of the credits this time around, he proves that he is quite simply, a god among actors. His ability to completely embrace the character of Caesar is nothing short of perfection. As is Weta’s ability to bring such lifelike CGI to the screen that it will make you completely forget that these are actually humans and not apes. Weta have really outdone themselves this time around, having much more of a challenge on their hands with director Matt Reeves’ decision to film on location as much as possible. This of course brings all sorts of problems to the visual effects company, one in particular being the weather. But Weta seem to be able to battle these problems effortlessly.
Without giving the storyline away, Dawn is a 130 minute thrill ride of domino effect after domino effect which lead to an inevitable finale which is both satisfying and painful to watch. As ape and man begin to work together, all seems to be going well. Enter the stunning Toby Kebbel as Koba. Kebbel gives Serkis a run for his money as the troubled ape who fans of the previous installment will no doubt remember. Having only experienced the bad side of humans, Koba has some sympathy surrounding his character, however his actions soon make cross lines that challenge those sympathies. He also brings about a scene which is so shocking that it surpasses the shock of Caesar’s infamous ‘NO!’ moment in Rise.
Although the main highlight of Dawn is surely the titular apes, Gary Oldman and Jason Clarke bring some equally interesting human characters into the mix. Clarke plays Malcom, a family man trying to keep what’s left of his family together in this post apocalyptic world as he tries to find an alternative fuel source for the small band of surviving humans. He is essentially the human version of Caesar, wanting to keep the peace between human and apes. Oldman provides the other side of the spectrum of human nature, serving as an antagonistic human counterpart to Koba in his ominous plans for a future.
All this plays along to a beautiful score by Lost composer Michael Giacchino which matches the perfection seen on screen. If you haven’t yet, do check out the score for yourself which also boasts some of the best ape puns you’ll ever see in it’s track list.
The Bad
The only real criticism that Dawn deserves is, the comparison between the actors and actresses. Judy Greer plays Caesar’s wife, Cornelia in the film and has next to nothing to do throughout the films storyline. As too does Jason Clarke’s on screen wife, Keri Russell. Other than these two, there isn’t really much female representation in Dawn which is a big shame.
The Ugly Truth
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is bigger than Rise and surprisingly better. Andy Serkis is again the franchises biggest asset along with the talented animators at Weta, with Toby Kebbel easily catching up to very nearly steal the show. Whilst the lack of female characters is somewhat worrying, the massively expanded storyline certainly makes up for it, along with Michael Giacchino’s moving score.
Earth To Echo Review
The Plot
With their homes being removed to make way for a new highway, three friends decide to spend their final night together trying to figure out the mystery behind a strange map that begins to appear on their phones. Armed with handheld cameras and their bikes, the boys soon come across a lost alien/robot looking for his ship.
The Good
Found footage films almost exclusively fall predictably into the horror genre, with only a few notable exceptions. Earth To Echo is perhaps the first found footage film for children since the genre took off. And it’s odd to think it’s taken so long. On the other hand it’s easy to see why.
Found footage has always been inextricably associated with horror and it’s obviously not a genre that lends itself to family friendly fare. However, with Earth To Echo audiences get a traditional family film which surprisingly manages to make the most of the medium.
Although the film occasionally jumps audiences out of their seats with well timed scares, the central plot of three heroes setting out on a mysterious nighttime quest is generally much less intense. Building suspense without ever risking traumatising younger audiences
Then of course we have Echo. The titular robot/alien hybrid is the heart of the film and brings with him, echoes (no pun intended) of ET. A lost alien looking for a way back home is definitely not a new story. However Earth to Echo gives it a modern update and makes it feel like a traditional family classic with a dash of YouTubing mixed in for good measure. Sort of a mix of ET and The Goonies with a tiny sprinkling of Super 8 added in.
The three main cast members do their job well, despite their young age. With them, and the young girl who comes into the story, being really the only fleshed out characters in the film it’s nice to see them work together and play off each other easily.
The Bad
There’s not much to criticize about Earth to Echo. It’s put together well enough and has no real gaping holes in either plot or character. The film’s only real flaw or vice is occasionally being a little overly unrealistic. The fact that these children have access to quite extensive camera equipment is rather ridiculous. The most dubious item being a camera built into a pair of sunglasses that look completely out of place in a child’s possession.
Also it would have been nice to have some of the adult characters, such as the parents having more to do than simply being proof of existence in the background. But as mentioned before, the child actors hold the film together well enough on their own.
The Ugly Truth
Earth to Echo is a well done family film which brings the found footage genre to a new audience, hopefully paving the way for more opportunities like this. With great nods to classic family films and a simple yet engaging storyline, Echo is definitely worth a trip to the cinema with the kids.
The Fault In Our Stars Review
Plot:
John Green’s hit teen romance novel is brought to the big screen with Divergent stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as the troubled couple. When terminally ill Hazel meets Gus at her cancer support group they quickly become friends. Hazel soon finds it hard to avoid escalating romantic feelings between them despite her intention of making sure her inevitable death affects as few people as possible.
The Good:
Shailene Woodley first caught attention in The Descendants as George Clooney’s troublesome daughter. A film in which she showed she can has the raw acting ability needed to make cinema audiences everywhere cry their eyes out. In The Fault In Our Stars she proves it yet again and even manages to surpass her previous efforts.
Hazel is cynical from the start and readily displays a sharply acerbic wit. However, importantly her attitude rarely seems particularly angry. When films approach the sensitive subject of cancer and adolescence it’s often hard to avoid the cliché of merely making characters constantly abrasive and hostile. By welcome contrast Shailene Woodley’s performance feels simply matter-of-fact. The fact being that she will probably die in the near future. Woodley brings Hazel to life flawlessly and doesn’t beg for audiences pity.
When Hazel meets Gus (Elgort) the connection is instantly easy to see. Woodley and Elgort capture a raw chemistry that will have you smiling from ear to ear. Gus’ easygoing attitude and self-evident love for Hazel is incredibly beautiful. Particularly as Gus goes to incredible lengths to demonstrate his love, such as his quest to find out what happens after the end of Hazel’s favourite book.
In the aftermath of Divergent, Woodley and Elgort both prove more than capable headlining a film, each injecting considerable personality and subtle poignancy.
The Bad:
Whilst the two young leads do bring an incredibly realistic chemistry to the screen, the story feels strangely familiar. Though it will inevitably bring tears, it will also bring along with it memories of other films of the same subject matter. One such example is My Sisters Keeper, which shares themes and emotional resonance if not necessarily matching plot points.
Willem Defoe’s undoubted talents are largely left unused during his appearance as Peter Van Houten, the author of Hazel’s favorite book. Likewise much of the supporting cast fade into the background, including Hazel’s Parents. The film sacrifices attention to its supporting figures to streamline its romantic narrative and fix focus firmly on its young leads. It’s understandable but denies the film some interesting territory to explore.
The Ugly Truth:
The Faults In Our Stars largely deserves it’s box office hype and delivers a well-crafted adaptation of John Green’s beautiful novel. Led ably by the performance its two young stars the film will linger in the hearts and minds of audiences long after they’ve wiped away the tears.
