Godzilla

I have been really pumped for the latest Godzilla film after all it's great trailers and posters. Even though looking back at the 1998 version now, it's awful, but I remember seeing it when I was younger and being terrified and in awe at the same time. And it looked as though the latest film had grown up with me and took a more realistic and serious look and what would actually happen if a massive lizard, whale, dinosaur thing appeared. This film is a lot different to the films before it and thankfully a whole bunch better then Roland Emmerich's version! Read on for my spoiler free verdict on the latest Godzilla.

I won't go too in depth to the plot because although it's a Godzilla movie, it's different. It's hard to explain but the less you know the more you will probably enjoy it. However don't go in thinking this going to be your average disaster movie filled with destruction after destruction after destruction, because it's not that. It's a film about humans more then anything, it's about seeing the rampage from a point of view that grounds it in a form of realism.

These human characters are played by Aaron Taylor Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen and Ken Watanabe. Cranston brings the raw powerful emotion with a force from the very beginning, he leaves you tugging at your heartstrings within 10 minutes. Which is all well and good but I wish the other characters had been just as awesome, because they fall short of this. Aaron Taylor Johnson is ok, we root for him but at times his character feels more like a plot device to get you from A to B than anything else. I wish I could care about his wife Elisabeth Olsen more, because she is also great but severely underused to make much of an impact. The film gets it right at times with the characters but always just seems to miss out on perfection after the first act.

Don't get me wrong though, there is heart to the story and it's helped along by beautiful camerawork and cinematography. The film is one big tease so when the camera decides to take a step back and admire the destruction scenery it does so with elegance that makes the image on screen look like a work of art. It's great to see that Gareth Edwards didn't just sell out to the big studios after his indie hit Monsters. You can definitely tell he had a big impact on the film and how it plays out.

One of my favourite things about this film is that it defies expectations. It's a film that doesn't give you what you think you need, it goes against all the general conventions of a Hollywood blockbuster and instead of just letting you watch the action play out, it cuts away and saves the best for later. It may be fustrating at first but what you get at the end, when you're on the edge of your seat in anticipation, is spectacular. The build up really pays off and there is no way you won't leave the cinema with a great big grin on your face.

The monster himself also looks incredible, never has there been a more glorious Godzilla on the big screen. The CGI is top notch and you will find yourself believing that the king of monsters is real. He looks great and when you finally get the full body shot complete with the iconic roar I assure you it will send shivers down your spine!

Godzilla will defy your expectations but that is not completely a bad thing. It puts characters first over action so it is shame that not all of them are worthy of your time or care. But everything else is pulled off brilliantly, it's great to see something a little different and unexpected at the cinema, especially from a big summer blockbuster. I had a great time and thourougly enjoyed the film, therefore I am rating it a 4/5. The king of monsters is back!

What did you think of Godzilla? Love it or hate it, let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Kick Ass 2

So before we get started on this review I would just like to say that I usually try to refrain from swearing in my posts but due to one of the character names in Kick Ass 2 there will be some. You probably don't care but I thought I better mention it! Anyway onto the review of the sequel of one of my favourite films; Kick Ass.

Kick Ass was a great action comedy that summed up what I wanted my life to be like. By the end of the film I wanted to join Kick Ass and Hit-Girl and be a superhero. In the sequel it seems a lot of people wanted to also do this, however by the end of this film I did not. For me Kick Ass 2 lost something special that the first film had the ability to give me goosebumps at the more emotionally heated moments whilst punching the air with my fist at the more action packed sequences, which pardon the pun, were kick ass! Kick Ass 2 just seemed to take away the fanboy dream the first one set up and turn everything on its head. There's still a lot of fun to be had with the over the top comic book violence and sweary cast members but just not as much.

The story follows Kick Ass and Hit-Girl as they try and fail to settle in to ordinary life. Events of the previous film have a brought a new bunch of people to the streets being superheroes. However the previously named Red Mist has now reinvented himself as the world's first super villain; The Motherfucker.

Kick Ass 2 is a lot darker and some of the more comedic moments don't always pay off with the tone of the film. Like an attempted rape played for laughs or watching a girl throwing up and literally crapping her pants. There are still enough laughs to class this as a comedy but it isn't as bright and witty as its predecessor. It's unfortunate but this is the first film that Christopher Mintz-Plasse hasn't been that funny in and I found most of the scenes with The Motherfucker in just to be a bit annoying.

Jim Carrey gets to don a costume in this film, even if he has now condemned the violence in it. He plays Colonel Stripes and Stars who steals every scene he is in. However he is only in a few scenes and feels much underused. That being said I haven't read the comic book this is based on and therefore realise that film was staying true to the source material however I would have liked to have seen more of him. 

I did still enjoy this film, especially the relationship between Kick Ass and Hit-Girl as Chloe Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson have excellent chemistry in this film. It really is there film and they both steal the show, apart from those few scenes with Carrey in. The action is great also though again never seemed to live up to the first film. The comic style cinematography is still there and works well making it feel like the graphic novel is coming to life.

The first half of this film is great and I really enjoyed it, the second half starts to go a bit downhill but there is still a lot of fun to be had. Kick Ass was such an unexpected gem that really stuck with me as a film, unfortunately things just don't seem to be as good in the sequel, even the soundtrack wasn't as good! Maybe the shock factor has gone or expectations have been raised but the first film for me was a 5/5 film whereas I am giving Kick Ass 2 a rating of 3/5. It wasn't a bad film it just didn't always work. 

This just hasn't been the year for superhero films with most falling below expectations. Maybe Thor: The Dark World can turn this around.