Writer: Roderick Taylor, Bruce A Taylor (Screenplay)
Starring: Eva La Rue, Grant Show, Udo Kier, Flex Alexander, Audie England, Michael Riley, Kyle Fairlie
Plot: After the whole North of the Equator freezes below zero, a group of people in Los Angeles risk their lives while trying to “escape” from the city’s hostile conditions, in order to take a ship to a hotter place on Earth.
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Ice starts when scientist Dr Norman Kistler (Kier) and his team discover a new ice age coming to Earth, one that will freeze the whole Northern side of the equator. Detective Robert Drake (Show) stationed in LA looks to get together his loved ones, partner Alison (LaRue), ex-wife Julie (England), her new husband Greg (Riley) and Robert’s son Max (Fairlie) to find a way out of the snow-covered city.
Along the way they meet Kistler who promises them a chance of safety and ex-con Kelvin (Flex) as they look to make it to a rendezvous before it is too late.
Thoughts on Ice
Thoughts – Ice is a disaster movie that was jumping on the high number we were getting in the late 1990s, bringing us a global warming warning film that we would later go onto see with a bigger budget in ‘The Day After Tomorrow’. This does bring the typical characters together, while ignoring the world around them, seeing them needing to put aside their differences for a better purpose. The storm is only ice based, which is fine as it keeps the world calmer for the human threats they meet along the way. When it is put next to the other movies from the same era, this isn’t a classic, but for a basic disaster movie, we get all we need from the film.
Final Thoughts – Ice is a simple and entertaining disaster film.
Writer: Jim Thomas, John Thomas, Graham Yost (Screenplay) Lowell Cannon, Jim Thomas, John Thomas (Story)
Starring: Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins, Don Cheadle, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O’Connell, Peter Outerbridge
Plot: When the first manned mission to Mars meets with a catastrophic and mysterious disaster after reporting an unidentified structure, a rescue mission is launched to investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors.
Tagline – Getting there was the easy part.
Runtime: 1 Hour 54 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Mission to Mars starts when Luke Graham (Cheadle) first manned mission to Mars takes a turn for the worst, with everyone losing contact with him, leading to a rescue mission being put together with Woody (Robbins), Terri (Nielsen), Phil (O’Connell) and recovering astronaut Jim McConnell (Sinise).
With the new crew following the book, they too find themselves in need of rescue, as the two crews look to get to the bottom of the mystery about what has been happening on Mars.
Thoughts on Mission to Mars
Thoughts – Mission to Mars is a sci-fi adventure movie that keeps the science behind the travel simple, the mission, just being about setting up a base camp, doing research, nothing complicated, only with the events of what happens, being the driving force of the story. The idea that people would want to recover data from an incident does make sense, as it would mean the same mistakes won’t happen again. Being like this, certain bigger moments do feel like they are kept from being cinematic, which is both good and bad thing, as it could leave the story going either way depending on the audience. The mystery about what happened on Mars is the most interesting, as it all goes in a very strange direction, one not everyone would have seen coming. We do have a great cast here with Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins, Don Cheadle and Connie Nielsen making the most of their time to shine, while giving grounded performances to what is happening. This is a film that might not ever hit the heights of other sci-fi movies with the action, but the slower approach gives us something fresh to watch.
Final Thoughts – Mission to Mars is a great logical look at human history through one mission.
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Kristen Schaal, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, William Sadler
Plot: Once told they’d save the universe during a time-traveling adventure, 2 would-be rockers from San Dimas, California find themselves as middle-aged dads still trying to crank out a hit song and fulfill their destiny.
Tagline – The Future Awaits
Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Bill & Ted Face the Music starts when Bill (Winter) & Ted (Reeves) learn they haven’t reached their potential, seeing their musical dreams fading to just playing in front of small crowds. They get a visit from Kelly (Schaal) warning them they are about to perform the song that will save reality.
The pair look to go into the future to steal the song they sung, only finding themselves in more trouble than before, while their daughters Thea (Weaving) and Billie (Lundy-Paine) look to travel through time to bring the greatest minds in music together.
Thoughts on Bill & Ted Face the Music
Thoughts – Bill & Ted Face the Music is the third instalment in the popular franchise, where we get to pick up and see how Bill & Ted never managed to reach their potential, have their own family, but still needing to save the world. This is trying recapture the magic the first one had by being able to pass on the torch to the daughter who could easily go on their own adventure in the future. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter bring the pair of characters back to life just as we remember them, giving us the ‘I am older’ side to their performances, while the new additions of Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine work well for the potential future series. The biggest weakness in the film comes from not really doing too much fresh, in an idea which already wasn’t too standout. The true big fans of the originals could get enjoyment out of this one, but it you didn’t enjoy them, you will see the problems coming back again.
Final Thoughts – Bill & Ted Face the Music is just like the pair of films before, lacking the strongest levels of comedy.
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Terry Camilleri, Dan Shor, Tony Steedman
Plot: Two seemingly dumb teens set off on a quest to prepare the ultimate historical presentation with the help of a time machine.
Tagline – History is about to be rewritten by two guys who can’t spell..
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure starts as two slackers Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves) who are wanting to be music roskstars but leaves them struggling in High School and they both need to past a history exam or they will flunk the year.
Rufus (Carlin) has been sent back through time to put the pair back in line, which will see them travelling through time to meet some of the most important historical figures, causing more problems than they could ever imagine.
Thoughts on Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Characters & Performances – Bill & Ted are the best friends who want to be in their band Wyld Stallyns, they have one day to finish their history reports or face flunking high school. Little do the pair know, they are a major part of history and they need to pass this class, which will see them needing to travel through time to meet different historical icons that will give them the answers they need and learn how to take life that little bit more seriously. Alex Winter & Keanu Reeves are both great together with great chemistry through the film. Rufus is the guide for the two, who does work very well in the film. Where the characters fall short is in how the historical figures are portrayed, as poor comic book like characters, instead of showing a remote amount of serious behaviour.
Story – The story here follows to high school slackers who get to travel through time to meet historical icons to help them with a history report which sees them getting involved of a string of miss-adventures. This is a story which at the time of release would have been a lot of fun, but the world has changed and nearly everything feels outdated. The idea of the different people from history being studied in school in confusing, as a select few that they meet would never come up in any history class either. The idea that the slackers are the heroes of their own destiny is important, with the musical dream being something that is easy to get behind. We do get the story which will commit to the silly side, holding back any attempts to keep things serious in anyway.
Themes – Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a film that will take the adventure through time, which does work and give plenty of comical moments, well in the eyes of the writers, not taking history too seriously, we do get to head to different locations in time, which will show us how important learning history can be.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is an adventure comedy which hasn’t aged as well as it would have liked to, even if it has two enjoyable lead characters.
This is under Z because of actress Zuleikha Robinson.
Director: Joe Johnson
Writer: John Fusco (Screenplay)
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Zuleikha Robinson, Omar Sharif, Louise Lombard, Adam Alexi-Malle, Said Taghmaoui
Plot: In 1890, a down-and-out cowboy and his horse travel to Arabia to compete in a deadly cross desert horse race.
Tagline – Experience the incredible true story of a man who left behind the world he knew, and found the courage to do the impossible
Runtime: 2 Hours 16 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Hidalgo starts when a famous down on his luck cowboy Frank Hopkins (Mortensen) and his horse Hidalgo a mustang has a reputation for winning long distance races through America. When Sheikh Riyadh (Sharif) learns of the name he has given his horse, he invites him to Arabia to race in a deadly cross desert horse race.
With the race underway Frank finds himself targeted by the locals, but he ends up getting involved with the biggest adventure of his life, building a connection with Sheikh and making history.
Thoughts on Hidalgo
Thoughts – Hidalgo is an action-adventure movie that will see led his horse in one of the most dangerous races in the world to claim the title of greatest long distance racehorse on the planet. This will see a cowboy needing to come up against the odds as he uses his past to try and find victory, while building bridges with the locals who only see him as an outsider. While the core of the film is about the race, the journey and interactions will only make this a more engaging story. The performance from Viggo Mortensen is wonderful to watch, with him going against the odds to survive, with his relationship with the horse in the film coming off natural throughout.
Final Thoughts – Hidalgo is a brilliant story about an adventure that will put racing on another level.
Starring: Alyson Gorske, Richard Grieco, Jack Pearson, Jamie Petitto, Wade Hunt Williams
Plot: Sibling adventurers come under attack from jungle animals while searching for their missing father. As they fight back against the relentless onslaught, they soon start to realize something much more sinister is happening.
Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Jungle Run starts when Amanda (Gorske) and her brother Scott (Pearson) hire Lebecq (Williams) to take them down the Amazon river as they search for their father who has suddenly vanished working for Vera (Petitto) company deep in the jungle.
As the group head deeper into the jungle they will find themselves coming up against the different dangers within the jungle, some deadlier than others.
Thoughts on Jungle Run
Thoughts – Jungle Run is a movie looking to take advantage of the big blockbuster Jungle Cruise, where we have a pair of siblings traveling down the Amazon River in search for something, this time their father, even if there is a supernatural element behind what they are searching for. This is everything you would come to expect from the knock off version of a bigger movie, weaker story, worse effects all CGI animals for each different moment of peril, we get a different animal from the jungle, not the best acting and all and all, just sloppy. It is a film you could enjoy with a few drinks, get a laugh out of certain things, but by the end it isn’t going to be anything you remember for a good reason.
Final Thoughts – Jungle Run is everything you would expect from a cheap knock off, of a big budget movie.
Writer: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, Michael Green (Screenplay) Glenn Ficarra, Josh Goldstein, John Norville, John Requa (Story)
Starring: Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Edgar Ramirez, Veronica Falcon, Jack Whitehall
Plot: Based on Disneyland’s theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element.
Runtime: 2 Hour 7 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Jungle Cruise starts when Dr Lily Houghton (Blunt) is trying to convince the British scientific community to go in search for a plant known as the ‘Tears of the Moon’ that is known to cure curses and any illness or injury. Needing to matters into her own hands, she is joined by her uptight brother MacGregor (Whitehall) as they head to the Amazon Rainforest in search of a boat.
Lily finds Frank Wolff (Johnson) a down on his luck captain who talks the talk, who reluctantly offers to take them down river, while they are being pursued by Prince Joachim (Plemons) who wants to petals for himself, as well as the cursed souls of Aguirre (Ramirez), Sancho and Melchor searching to end their curse.
Thoughts on Jungle Cruise
Characters & Performances – Dr Lily Houghton has been dismissed by everyone because she is a woman, she isn’t taking these rejections and looks to go on the adventure herself, being able to fight her way out of different situations, proving to be more resourceful than any of the men around her believe her to be. Determined and stubborn, she will get what she wants when it comes for making history being the strongest character in this film. Emily Blunt is fantastic in this role, being an adventurer that can handle themselves, easily on that performance that could be compared to Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones. Frank Wolff is a captain who owes a lot of money, filled with dad jokes but knowledge of the rainforest like nobody else. He does play into the conman style as he looks to get money out of tourists, needing to find a way to make Lily mission more difficult for her own safety. Dwayne Johnson is great in this role, the confident figure that will look to take advantage of people, while also not being afraid to poke a bit of fun at himself through the film. MacGregor is the high society brother of Lily, he is loyal to her even if he doesn’t like getting his hands dirty, the fish out of water role would be the best way to describe him. Jake Whitehall gets most of the laughs in this role, he will get to poke fun at somebody not being prepared for a rainforest adventure. Aguirre is one of the cursed men trapped in the rainforest looking to end the curse after centuries of being trapped here. Prince Joachim is searching for the petals as he believes it will help Germany win the war, he will bring the latest weaponry to the rainforest as he looks to hunt down Lily, knowing she has what needs for answers. Jesse Plemons is delightfully over the top in this role, boarding the crazed obsessed psychopath willing to kill anyone to get what he believes is his.
Story – The story here follows a British adventurer that heads to the Amazon in search of a legendary flower that she wants to use to help cure illness around the world, only for her to learn the truth behind the legend and what it is really been hiding for all these years. This is a story that is based on a theme park ride, like what Pirates of the Caribbean did a few years ago. The story will easily get compared to Indiana Jones, The Mummy, Pirates of the Caribbean and many others in this style, it will have enough to just about make it have an original tone. The adventure itself is fun, with Lily and Frank breaking the typical molds in this world, while the villains don’t get flushed out enough, especially Aguirre and his men, who could have been haunting levels of villains instead of certain parts being played for laughs.
Themes – Jungle Cruise is a big fun adventure movie that will see the dangers and beauty of the Amazon rainforest for everyone to see, having the supernatural side to it, playing into the legends that will have come before them. The creations of Aguirre, Sancho and Melchor are special effects heavy, showing how they have become part of the rainforest through the years. Each one gaining a weapon to fight back with.
Final Thoughts – Jungle Cruise is a blast of an adventure movie that will have plenty of fun throughout.
Starring: LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Khris Davis, Sonequa Martin-Green, Zendaya, Jeff Bergman
Plot: A rogue artificial intelligence kidnaps the son of famed basketball player LeBron James, who then has to work with Bugs Bunny to win a basketball game.
Tagline – They’re all Tuned up for a rematch.
Runtime: 1 Hour 55 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Space Jam: A New Legacy starts as basketball superstar LeBron James (Himself) is looking to stay connected to his children with Dom (Joe) dreaming of something outside of basketball, Darius (Wright) looking to follow in his footsteps. Warner Brothers algorithm Al G Rhythm (Cheadle) wants to bring LeBron into become the face of the latest project Warner 3000. After LeBron rejects the offer, Al drags Lebron into the game to challenge him to a basketball match for his freedom, leaving LeBron to look for a new team, taking him to meet Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Toons.
Thoughts on Space Jam: A New Legacy
Thoughts – Space Jam: A New Legacy is looking recapture the magic of the original film with a new basketball star in LeBron James, who isn’t on the international levels of Michael Jordan, can’t act and looked lost for most of the film. The idea does bring the transportation into the modern era, by mixing the damaged relationship between LeBron and his son Dom who wants to build a game, rather than play basketball, with an evil AI that wants to control the world, bringing us the evil characters against the Looney Toons. The game between the characters goes into super moves and other gaming nonsense, which only confuses the game. The animation does look clunky for the most part. The fact that this is nearly 2 hours long is even more shocking, if clearly doesn’t need to be. We also fall into the trap that Warner Bros seem to be doing, that involves throwing all their owned materials for lazy references, that seem to be more for the adults.
Final Thoughts – Space Jam: A New Legacy is a lazy sequel to a cult classic.
Starring: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Dominic Monaghan, Ralph Ineson, Hannah New, Josie Ho, Bront Palarae
Plot: The adventures of Sir James Brooke, who defied the British Empire to rule a jungle kingdom in 1840s Borneo, embarked on a lifelong crusade to end piracy, slavery and head-hunting, and inspired LORD JIM and THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING.
Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Edge of the World starts as Britain’s Empire had continued to span the globe, with Sir James Brooke (Meyers) leading the latest expedition to a new land of Borneo, with Arthur Crookshank (Monaghan) by his side they find the new land and the Pengiran Indera Mahkota (Palarae).
As James Brooke starts to adapt to the country, he starts to see himself being considered the King of the land, looking to make sure the slavery is stopped within the country, but it doesn’t go as smoothly as he would like, with enemies from every direction.
Thoughts on Edge of the World
Characters & Performances – Sir James Brooke is a traveller representing the British Empire in the 1800’s, he has arrived at a new land, wanting to know how the people of Borneo operate, to help continue to build the British Empire in new lands. He is trying to stop slavery, piracy, all to create an equal land, despite learning about the barbaric methods the country uses. Jonathan Rhys Meyers does bring this character to life, showing him not to be an evil conquer, but someone who wanted to learn. When it comes to the other characters we get Arthur and Charlie that have travelled with James, they both have different ideas of what is needed to be done, one wants change, one wants to learn. One of the problems you will find in the film, is the lack building of the supporting characters and what they truly want from the new land to them.
Story – The story here follows Sir James Brooke as he leads the expedition of Borneo looking to learn their culture and finding himself in the middle of a war between people on the jungle island, where he must look to bring peace to the land, while trying to prevent the British Empire taking advantage of the land. This is a history lesson like story, that does show the first few days or weeks on the island, before a big moment to try and change things, which is fine. The problem will come from not really seeing the bigger work he is meant to have achieved, which is only shown through the written material at the end of the film, which could have been larger interesting aspects of what happens.
Themes – Edge of the World is a history drama adventure about Sir James Brooke and how he tried to stop slavery, piracy and head-hunting in Borneo, the locations look brilliant, being the biggest highlight of the while film.
Signature Entertainment presents Edge of the Worldon Digital Platforms 18th June and DVD 21st June
Edge of the World is a basic history lesson that does seem to skip over the bigger moments of the life.
