Movie Reviews 101

Director: Danny Boyle
Writer: Alex Garland
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, Troy Garity, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong, Mark Strong, Cliff Curtis

After reaching Mercury Harvey picks up a signal that has been lost in the background of space. The signal is from Icarus 1 the ship is still intact. The team is left with the dilemma on whether to complete their mission or go to Icarus 1 and collect a second bomb increasing the chances of success. Capa concludes two payloads will be a greater chance and the risk is worth it. After a small miss calculation from Trey some of the reflective shields are damaged. They lose their oxygen garden not leaving them with enough oxygen to complete the mission.

They arrive at Icarus 1 and see Pinbacker (Mark Strong) video on what happened Icarus 1 is in full working order but there is no crew to be found. While searching Icarus 1 something happens leading to the airlock being damaged Capa, Mace, Harvey and Searle after left to work out who is most important to the mission. After losing crew the team now has little choice but to go complete the mission but how far can they get?

Verdict: This is a top sci-fi movie take an idea that hadn’t been looked at before.built up with incredible tension from start to finish and very believable characters. The music adds to everything that happens so well creating more tension. The story will keep you guessing what will happen all the way through. This is a real edge of your seat classic one for all to see.

Best Quote: Capa’ So if you wake up one morning and it’s a particularly beautiful day, You’ll know we made it’.

Favourite Character: Mace He is willing to do anything to save humanity and has some of the best scenes.

Stand out Performance: Cillian Murphy again playing his character to his normal perfection.

Best Moment: The first reveal on Pinbacker on board Icarus 2

Worst Moment: Hard to find one but i guess the end half of the movie feels alot like Event Horizon

My Rating 89%

Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Tyler Mane, Ray Park, Rebecca Romijn, Bruce Davidson

Rogue goes on the run and end ups in a down in the gutter bar where there is cage fighting. One of the cage fighters is Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) who is unbeatable with his healing ability and his metal body frame. After being kicked out the bar Wolverine heads off for his next place to make money while Rogue sneaks a lift. After being discovered the two travel together only to be suddenly attacked by Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) but saved by Storm (Halle Berry) and Cyclops (James Marsden) and taken back to Professor Charles Xavier’s (Patrick Stewart) school for the gifted.

Senator Kelly (Bruce Davidson) is trying to pass a bill to make mutant registration compulsory. Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) one of Xavier students tries to appeal against this decisions but to little success. Magneto (Ian McKellen) also witnesses the outcome and sets out his plan.

Magneto gets his team of mutants Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) and Toad (Ray Park) to kidnap Senator Kelly and they turn him into a mutant. Magneto reveals his plan to turn all the worlds leaders into mutants and it is now up to Xavier X-Men to stop him can they over come their differences using the abilities to their advantage?

Being the first of the X-Men series this had little to live up to so turns out to be a good film. All the characters have different abilities which give the story what it needs to make every pieces of the puzzle come together. Each part is cast very well to suit who is playing the role with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as the wise elder characters who are preparing for a war that could change both their views on life.

If you are going to look at this film compared to the stories of the other X-men movies it starts as a building block for a successful franchise. While the prequel movies build on characters who start in this movie like Sabretooth who is a main character in X-Men Wolverine being Wolverine brother and rival in. Mystique starting as a friend of Charles Xavier in X-men first Class. The movies hints at an old friendship between Xavier and Magneto which get show more in X-Men First Class.

As a movie on its own i will give this a strong mark of 77%

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, Oliver Platt, Alex Conzalez, Jason Flemyng, Zoe Kravitz, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Caleb Landry Jones, Edi Gathegi, Lucas Till, Glenn Morshower

In the early sixties a young C.I.A agent Morra MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) is investigating Colonel Hendry (Glenn Morshower) when she find the secret passage to Shaw’s secret meeting place. Shaw is trying to get Hendry to put missiles in Turkey incase of war with the Russians. Shaw has a few assistants who have powers in Emma Frost (January Jones), Janos Quested (Alex Gonzalez) and Azazel (Jason Flemyng). Having little option Hendry agrees to the plan.

Morra tracks down Charles to help talk her bosses that these people are real. Using Charles and his only friend Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) they meet with William Stryker (an enemy for a later film) and a man only known as Man in Black Suit (Oliver Platt) who take up their offer to work together.

The first mission is to locate Shaw but they are not the only ones looking for Shaw this night Erik is on a mission of his own. Shaw escapes but Erik is now recruited by Charles. Going to their new base they meet Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) a genius who also has a mutation that he has hidden.

Charles is introduced to Cerebro the equipment that shows Charles where the mutant are hidden. Charles and Erik set off to find as many different mutants as they can. The ones they find are Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), Darwin (Edi Gathegi), Angel (Zoe Kravitz) and Havok (Lucas Till).

Will this new team the X-Men be able to stop a potential nuclear war? How Did Erik and Charles friendship collapse?

When it comes to X-men films they were becoming plain with the Last Stand being quite poor. this new idea to show origins the characters is working well Wolverine proved that. First Class goes one better seeing how Charles and Erik become the figures they are in the first three films. Having cameos from later heroes and villains gives the future story an extra touch.

Some of the action sequences are simply brilliant. The fact all the new mutants are younger adults or children makes the idea that Professor Xavier teaches them to control the power or Magneto to unleash the powers adds to a real life prospective of being given guidance by a more experienced mutant.

Kevin Bacon does an excellent job as a mastermind of potential nuclear war while this is the first time i have thought James McAvoy has give a massively impressive performance. Michael Fassbender proves he is a rising star with another great performance as Magneto and having a character who never really shows which side he will be fighting for.

If your a fan of the characters in the films you will like this, as i have never read comics or seen cartoons i couldn’t tell you how closely it follows those. This is one of the best superhero movies I have seen which makes two highly recommend this year.

My rating is 91%

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Clark Gregg, Idris Elba, Colm Feore, Ray Stevenson, Tabanobu Asano, Josh Dallas, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo

We get taken to Asgard the land of the Gods. We learn about how the ice giants tried to conquer all worlds only to be stopped by the Gods of Asgard and an agreement to stop war once the iron giants are about to be defeated. Odin (Anthony Hopkins) the king of Asgard has two sons that will one day take his throne, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston). When some ice giants get into Asgard Thor takes his four loyal Asguardians Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano), Farndral (Josh Dallas), Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and Loki and go to Jotunheim where the frost giants roam. A big battle starts before Odin save the Asguardians and Banishes Thor to Earth.

The mysterious man the scientist hit with their car was Thor and the event was him being banished. While rescuing Thor his hammer falls to Earth which brings out SHIELD lead by Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). SHIELD take all of Jane’s research and quarantine the hammer location.

Where Thor is stuck on Earth his father Odin falls into a sleep meaning Loki becomes king of Asgard. When Loki becomes king his plan is revelled and his real father is also revealed.

Can Thor regain his power and return to Asgard? Who are SHIELD? this action adventure will answer all you questions in very entertaining style.

I watched this as someone who knows nothing about the Thor comics or myths so i enjoyed they movie for its own story. The story comes over very well filled with great action sequences and one liners that don’t put the story down. Chris Hemsworth does a brilliant as Thor in one of his first feature lead role. The story leads up to the eventual Avengers movie well too with Ironman, Captain America, Nick Fury, Hawkeye (who makes a cameo in Thor) and Hulk.

I personally think this is one of the best comic book superhero movies ever keeping me on the edge of my seat all the way through all characters are convincing and believable too.

My rating is 90%

A Look Into The Unbreakable Will of Gigantic

Director: Matt Aselton
Starring: Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, Edward Asner, Jane Alexander, Ian Roberts, Robert Stanton, Clarke Peters, Daniel Stewart Sherman, Mary Page Keller, Zach Galifianakis, Brian Avers, Sean Dugan, Frank Harts

Starting with a nice montage leading to the opening scene with the idea of two rats in a water tank one gives up the other doesn’t. Brian Wealthersby (Paul Dano, The Batman) is visiting his college friend Larry Arbogast (Brian Avers) who is conducting an experiment studying the rathile catching the ferry back to his work place Brian gets attacked by a homeless guy (Zach Galifianakis). The attack is seemingly for no reason but Brian has to give up.

Brian work in a mattress factory sales warehouse with his boss Roger Stovall (Clarke Peters) and Kevin Blue (Daniel Stewart Sherman). Roger is old wise man who seems to be like a mentor for Brian while Kevin is the delivery drive and is a bit on the slow side. On this day Al Lolly (John Goodman) and his assistant Gary (Sean Dugan) come into buy a mattress. Al is very too the point and agrees a price quickly and leaves.

Happy (Zooey Deschanel) comes to pay for the mattress and is shocked at the price but soon falls asleep on it leaving Brian to wait for her to wake up. On the day of the Delivery Kevin’s partner is off sick so Brian goes along to the Lolly residents. Turns out they are rich and have an awkward question to ask Brian. They ask Brian to drive Al to the back doctor as he thinks something is wrong with his back. Happy comes with them and proposes they have sex while they wait. Brian is left wondering what is next for him and what will happen with Happy.

Brian is in the middle of trying to adopted an Chinese from Kenyatta (Frank Harts) and is starting to get impatient with all the delays. His family are supporting him through the process his parents Kirby (Edward Asner) and Barbara (Jane Alexander) also helping him are his brothers John (Ian Roberts), James (Robert Stanton). The guys are out on their yearly tradition weekend in the woods.

With a mixture of colourful characters and to very different families can Brian and Happy have a relationship? Will Brian get his baby? and why is the homeless guy attacking Brian randomly?

This is a nice romantic comedy without any silly laugh out loud moments. Paul Dano plays a very simple role playing an everyday man who seems to be underachieving. Zooey Deschanel plays a quirky lady who seems a little out of each conversation but always wanting to achieve something from her life. Both Paul and Zooey give great performances with all the support cast giving good performances that help build and support the lead characters as the story unfolds.

It’s always good to see an indie comedy as the story is always more important than the laughs. The story has fresh side to it which gives it good value on the originality scale. The soundtrack also gives add to the story being told very well.

My Rating is 83%