Day: November 27, 2018

Director: Jim Weedon

Writer: Julian Unthank, Matthew Read (Screenplay)

Starring: Stanley Weber, Annabelle Wallis, Karel Roden, Ed Skrein, Dave Legeno, Edward Akrout

 

Plot: Vengeance is the driving force behind a shadow walker’s return to Norman conquered Saxon lands after the Battle of Hastings and a brutal repression of it’s people by a cruel lord.

 

Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Blood Splattered Action Mess

 

Story: Sword of Vengeance starts shortly after the Battle of Hastings (1066, if you don’t know your British history) Durant (Roden) has slaughtered the Saxons and strikes fear through the remaining citizens. Shadow Walker (Weber) has a score to settle against Durant, travelling around alone he finds himself working with Saxon warriors led by Anna (Wallis) wife of a former warrior, as the two forces look set for one final showdown for the land of British.

 

Thoughts on Sword of Vengeance

 

Characters – Shadow Walker is the mysterious stranger who travels alone for his own quest for vengeance, master of combat he can easily defeat multiple deadly foes at once, he ends up leading a Saxon fight back against the tyrant ruling the land. Anna is the leader of the Saxon group, she lost her husband in the battles and now she unites the other groups as they plan to fight back, she accepts Shadow Walker as their combat leader. Durant is the tyrant ruling the land, his armies have conquered and slaughtered villages, with his power showing just the force he has become, he isn’t afraid to get into the battles himself though.

Performances – When it comes to the combat sequences Stanley Weber does look the part, this works in the film because he doesn’t get left to try any of the emotional scenes, just being emotionless is this guys strong point. Annabelle Wallis is strong also handling the fighting well, but does better with the emotional level of the film. Karel is a basic villain we know he can play this character well and this is no different.

Story – The story follows Britain after the battle of Hastings, new conquerors control the land slaughtering the people and now we follow a lone walker seeking revenge only to find himself in the middle of the battle. This brings us into the idea of the reluctant hero needing to step into a battle for the same reasons he is involved to overcome the tyrant ruling the land. It is nothing new to the genre and can be easily watched without being difficult to watch.

Action – The action is medieval style fighting swords and shields being used for combat.

Settings – The settings leaves us in what could be any woodland area which are used for the fighting.

Special Effects – The effects are used well for the combat injuries which are blood covered.

Scene of the Movie – The first attack.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The lack of interest in the villains.

Final Thoughts – This has plenty of blood, weak story and strong combat sequences.

 

Overall: Easy to watching, but nothing special

Rating

 

 

Director: Brian Fee

Writer: Kiel Murray, Bob Peterson, Mike Rich (Screenplay) Brian Fee, Ben Queen, Eyal Podell, Jonathon E Stewart (Story)

Starring: (Voice Talent) Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Chris Cooper, Nathan Fillion, Larry the Cable Guy, Armie Hammer

 

Plot: Lightning McQueen sets out to prove to a new generation of racers that he’s still the best race car in the world.

Tagline – One last chance, One last dream

Runtime: 1 Hour 42 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Enjoyable Sequel

 

Story: Cars 3 starts as Lightning McQueen cruising his way to titles with two close competitors until hot shot rookie Jackson Storm with a brand-new model that increases speed and ability over Lightning and his older models which slowly go out of the sport, before he loses his spot on the grid.

Needing a make over, Lightning sees his team taken over by Sterling who could bring Lightning a new training program with trainer Cruz Ramirez, all to get back on the track and prove he hasn’t lost it.

 

Thoughts on Cars 3

 

Characters – Lightning McQueen is now one of the top drivers in the world, experienced on the field, that is until the next generation model comes through taking his spot on the track, now an aging star, his time might be up. He must prove he still has the skills to race against the younger cars, following the footsteps of many sport stars. Cruz is a trainer for Lightning new team, she helps young drivers prepare for racing without ever getting the chance to go on the road. She does have her own dreams and Lightning will help her learn these dreams. Jackson Storm is the hot shot new racer ready to become the star of the sport, he acts like he respects Lightning, only to be the cocky arrogant new driver. Sterling is the new owner and big fan of Lightning, he wants to give him a chance, the problem comes from needing to win and Lightning just won’t give his team that.

Story – The story here sees Lightning McQueen reaching the end of his career, seeing the younger drivers taken his spot in the sport he loves. He must improve to compete, while learning valuable life lessons about stepping away from the spotlight on top on his own accord rather than being pushed out and forgotten. This story puts Lightning in a position that Doc Hudson had been and missed out on, his mentor manages to show him from his career the mistakes he made. This does always feel like an aging sports star sticking around longer than they should and ends up getting the same ideas that we see in the later Rocky movies. This does feel like the right sequel to the original with the time spent between the films.

Adventure/Comedy/Family/Sport – The adventure side of this film does take Lightning back to his roots to learn his next step in the driving world, the comedy comes from the events that happen to Lightning along the way, they will give you laugh when needed without being used to often. It would be fair to say the whole family can enjoy this one and get enjoyment from different moments of the story. the sports side of the film is big because it shows us just how a star of the game can be left behind too quickly.

Settings – The film returns to older settings which show Lightning needing to go soul searching through different worlds away from the glitz and glamour of the normal racing world.

Animation – Pixar are the leading team in visual animation, nothing in this movies look can be questioned as it looks perfect in every single shot.

Scene of the Movie – The make it or break it race.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is a very safe sequel.

Final Thoughts – This is a safe and enjoyable sequel to the much-loved franchise, it gets the story correct for the time between this and the first film which helps by forgetting the second film.

 

Overall: Enjoyable respect filled sequel.

Rating