The Martian

It's been a while since Ridley Scott has made a truly great film, but has his recent direction on The Martian changed all that? Read my full review below to find out!

The Martian follows Mark Watney, an astronaut who has to survive on Mars after being accidentally stranded there by his crew, who believed him to be dead. Let me start by saying, this film has an amazing cast! Ridley Scott has managed to bring some of the best talent around to take part in this film and it really pays off, I mean just read this, the film stars Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Mackenzie Davis and Donald Glover! The cast is incredible and they all do incredibly in their roles, some of which are relatively small, but they all get their chance to shine. There's a scene which features Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean and Mackenzie Davis together which had me thinking this is the best crossover of The Newsroom/ Game of Thrones/ Halt and Catch Fire that I never knew I wanted. A film is not its cast though, they have to do well and like I said before they all do however, this film mainly falls on one guys shoulders and that's Matt Damon, who has to convince us that he is a scientist/astronaut that is stuck on a different planet. Considering he mainly talks to himself through various video logs, he does this very, very well.

The plot itself is great, yes its a long film, but it's part survival film and part film about the philosophy of the human race coming together to save one man, you can't usually do that in 90 minutes. It's truly emotional at times considering the events themselves aren't based on any truth, I mean the accuracy of the science seems believable, but we have never left someone stranded on Mars. In fact the film is based of the self published novel of the same name by author Andy Weir, now I haven't read the book but from what I have heard, the film is extremely faithful to the source material. The film itself doesn't have one dull moment, you are constantly on the edge of your seat wanting to know what happens next and particularly in the final act of the film, things get very tense, it's brilliant and like with most space films it's exhilarating.

One of the reasons it's so exhilarating is the fact that it all looks so real. We saw a couple years ago with Gravity that effects these days can make outer space look very realistic. Now The Martian is not a special effects orientated film, the effects are there to enhance our experience, but hell, they might as well have filmed in space or on Mars for all I cared because the film looked stunning. Add a great soundtrack to the mix and The Martian has got it all.

This film is set slightly in the future, everything you see isn't out of the realms of possibility, unlike last years Interstellar (which yes I still love), this film presents itself as being very believable. The science, to my ears, sounded plausible enough and even though very geeky at times it was also accessible to a wide audience without ever needing to 'dumb' itself down.

I didn't really have any problems with the film, there was one moment that I felt could have been trimmed or left out but it didn't effect my enjoyment or love for this film. So yes this is a return to form for Ridley Scott, a form I hope continues when he comes around to making the next Prometheus or Alien: Paradise Lost as its being called now...

At the end of the day I am a sucker for these kinds of films, I love a good sci-fi, so much so that the first feature script I wrote was one. Space is something that has always been able to capture my imagination, I love stories that revolve around it and this one is definitely one of the better ones out there! As you can probably tell, I absolutely loved The Martian and therefore am giving it a rating of 5/5.

Have you seen The Martian yet? If so what did you think? If not then stop being a fool and go watch it on the big screen and then after let me know what you thought in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! 

Ant-Man

Ant-Man has had a whole host of problems in the run up to its creation. Not only was it one of the earlier films stated by Marvel, only now being made, it also had Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright leave the project just before production. Anybody would think that Marvel's latest would be an absolute disaster but thankfully it is not, not quite anyway...

Ant-Man follows Scott Lang, an ex-con and brilliant thief, as he is recruited by scientist Hank Pym to don the Ant-Man suit and steal back the plans from Darren Cross, who looks to turn the suit into a weapon for sale.

Paul Rudd is the hero of this film and he is supported by Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, Evangeline Lily as Hope Van Dyne and Corey Stroll as Darren Cross. Nobody really stands out in the film but nobody sucks either. Paul Rudd is a pretty convincing hero but it is one of his friends and fellow crooks who steals the show, Luis, played by Michael Peña. There are also a couple of great cameos that really help make the film better. 

The best thing about this film is the shrinking action, If you didn't know already, the Ant-Man suit allows the user to shrink to the size of an ant, but still retain their strength, as well as being able to talk to fellow ants and manipulate them. It sounds stupid but director Peyton Reed really uses the ability to create some really memorable awesome looking action scenes. Reed really makes the most of the power and has the action take place in a variety of comedical, but also impressive, settings such as a briefcase and a bathtub. These are the scenes that really stood out in the film but unfortunately, there is a lack of them in the first half. For me this did make the first half of the film a bit boring as I didn't care much for what else was happening.

With a premise as difficult to pull off as Ant-Man's is, I did think the film would be funnier. There were laughs but for me the comedy didn't always work and with someone as great as Paul Rudd as the lead, I was expecting a lot more. For a film that was described as a 'heist' movie, there is only really one clever heist pulled off near the start. The main big heist isn't really that interesting or clever and didn't do anything new for the genre, apart from the fact that the main guy is very small.

This is the problem with Ant-Man, the story itself is pretty formulaic and by the numbers. Many of the Marvel origin stories have been, but thankfully they have had more interesting characters to follow throughout. Ant-Man didn't have this. I didn't care for Scott Lang, he felt like a combination of other Marvel characters with his only unique trait being that he had a daughter to care for. Hank Pym was the most interesting character in the film because we haven't really seen an old hero pass down his mantle yet in this universe. Michael Douglas also brought a lot of weight to the character that never is or was a purely good hero.

Marvel yet again suffer from lacklustre villains. I really like Corey Stroll but he plays a villain that is just evil, a reason is given but it wasn't enough for me. The fact that his powers are similar to Ant-Man's does make their fights look great but like the rest of the film, the action works and everything else is pretty forgettable. Marvel really need to sort their villains out for Phase 3.

The troubled production doesn't help and you can tell the scenes which are very Edgar Wright-y. Who knows what his film would have looked like overall! The film is not a total disaster and I would like to see a sequel now that they are more confident with the character and the world. Unfortunately the first outing is a bit messy but overall there is fun to be had, especially with the awesome shrinking action! It's not astonishing but its not rubbish either, it's a bit in the middle. I am rating Ant-Man a 2.5/5.


What did you think of Ant-Man? So far it looks like I am in the minority of people who weren't overly keen on it! Let me know where you stand in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Fury

When I watched the very underrated End Of Watch last year, I thought that David Ayer would have been a great choice to make a war film, because the relationship he created between two police officers would have worked just as well with a group of soldiers. When I heard he was directing Fury I thought he was a perfect choice. I did however worry a little bit when his earlier film Sabotage came out and was pretty awful. Maybe I should have worried more because I saw Fury last night and I was not a fan.

I went into this film thinking that it would be a realistic portrayal of war centred on the friendships created from a five man tank crew. I was wrong. This film is is heightened macho war film made for a Call of Duty audience that focuses on Norman, a young soldier who has to endure a tank trip with a bunch of American bullies. Yes the actors were good in their roles, played by Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Berthnal and Michael Pena but they are horrible people and completely unlikeable, apart from Logan Lerman's character, Norman, who you feel sorry for, but even his character by the end of the film is rushed into becoming a bit of douchebag like the rest of them.

I'm not saying that this isn't a realistic portrayal of war because the characters weren't nice, but the writing would always contradict itself. The crew like to say how Brad Pitt's 'War Daddy' character is the only reason they are still alive, but continue to try and anger him throughout. War Daddy himself proclaims that the controversial decisions he makes are to keep his crew alive but he continues to make reckless decisions that put them in harms way.

Norman is forced to live with these people who pick on him and hit him and force him to do things, but only because 'they're keeping him and themselves alive'. I didn't buy it, they just came across as macho American bullies who I had no affection for. The script attempted to justify their behaviour, but the odd half hearted apology to poor Norman didn't work for me. These guys never came across as friends, more just like guys who had to put up with each other. There was no bonding and the brother's in arms attitude that comes in by the end of the film just feels forced.

There are some good scenes in the film, I particularly liked one that is set in house with two women, but again by the end it is flawed because Ayer writes every female character in this film as easy, and would happily sleep with his characters if they gave them food or showed any kind of affection towards them. This was Ayer's problem in Sabotage as well, the women were so badly written that they just all sounded the same.

The film itself looks great, the cinematography is very good and there are hardly any special effects, unfortunately this is let down by the writing and the storyline. The action looks good and is really well done but once you've seen one set piece then you've seen them all, it all got a bit boring by the end. And be warned, because of the use of tracers in the guns the action will sometimes look like the crew are fighting Hydra rather than The SS.

As you can tell, I was pretty disappointed by this film, I wanted so much more from it. I enjoyed watching Logan Lerman and I think he was definitely the best thing about the film but I wish some thought had been put into the other characters so I could have cared for them, no matter whether they were good or bad people. If you want a dumb Call of Duty like action film then go see Fury. If you want a unrealistic pulpy but fun portrayal of Nazi killing then go watch Inglorious Basterds instead. If you want a seriously good World War Two film then go watch Saving Private Ryan. I am rating Fury a 2/5.

I know a lot of people liked this film, so feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Quick Reviews #2

So here is another round of quick reviews for you. This week we have a couple of Oscar contenders, a bromance and a Kevin Smith classic. Two of the films have Ben Affleck in them and two also have John Goodman. So please read and enjoy:

Flight

Oscar contender number 1 and the first of the films to star John Goodman (who is comedy gold in it). Flight's plot goes like this; 'An airline pilot saves a flight from crashing, but an investigation into the malfunctions reveals something troubling.' When I first saw the trailer for this film I expected a pretty fun 12A certificate film starring Denzel Washington as the hero who saves a plane full of people. Instead this is a 15 certificate film that deals with anti-hero who suffers with alcohol and drug addiction. This is not a warm an fluffy film, it's pretty hard hitting stuff at times. This is not the Denzel Washington we are used to, here I didn't know whether I wanted the guy to go to jail or not. For the most part I ended up liking the performance but disliking the character. My praise for this film goes to the first and last 30 minutes. The start of the film is thrilling and terrifying, director Robert Zemeckis creates yet another incredible plane crash that had me scared to the bone. After the start it slows and turns into what can only be described a boring old 'oscar bait' it has it's moments and pays off in the end but I was disinterested throughout the middle of the film. I realised that the rest of the film was not going to be as thrilling as the start but I didn't realise just how slow it was going to be. There is no doubt that this is a strong film and a good return to live action for Zemeckis but I just wish I had a been a little bit more involved and had a character I could invest in and want good things to happen to him/her. A great load of performances but it probably won't win a lot at the Oscars. This film varied between a rating of 3 and 4 for me so therefore I am going to give it a 3.5/5. 

End of Watch

This film was the biggest surprise to me. End of Watch’s plot goes like this; 'this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends, and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.’. I was first surprised at the camera work, the trailer led me to believe that this going to be yet another hand held found footage films but in fact only parts of the movie are like that. However a lot of the camera work it is still hand held and the shots last no longer than 3 second before cutting to another angle throughout most of the film. This technique might not be to everyone’s taste but it did add that extra tension and made for a very fast paced film, where you are on edge throughout the film, feeling a lot like the characters do. The story to this film is good but it would be nothing without the chemistry between Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena's Characters. Their friendship/bromance makes this film! I have never seen chemistry like it, their connections seems so real and it really makes you fall in love with the two of them. It is definitely the best bromance I have seen and there have been some good ones in the recent years. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this film, no matter how exaggerated some of the situations may be or how many ‘f’ words a stereotypical Mexican can say in one sentence, there is something about this film that draws you in and engages you to the very end and even after that you are left craving more. It’s thrilling, exciting, scary, emotional, powerful and full of kick ass action, I am rating this film a 4/5.

Mallrats

The first film in this post starring Ben Affleck. These last couple months I have been going crazy and watching loads of Kevin Smith films. Why have I not seen these before? The guy basically writes characters who are nerdy teenagers and chucks them into hilarious scenarios. Not everyone may want to hear about what would happen if Superman got Lois Lane pregnant but this is just the kind of rubbish I will talk about with my friends! Anyway Mallrats’s plot goes like this; 'Both dumped by their girlfriends, two friends take refuge in the local mall'. This film isn't going to blow your mind, it's just going to make you laugh and have a good time. The characters are lovable idiots and you enjoy watching them. Like in mist of Kevin Smith's films, Jay and Silent Bob are up to no good yet again, causing mischief and attemting to use 'the force' and other hilarious stuff, I will never grow bored of the two of them. It is unfortunate that we get no dance scenes from them however. The film is just stupid, but a good stupid. A familiar face turns up also (not that he was familiar at the time) and I'm not just talking about Stan Lee, you can also see Michael Rooker at his worse. Yeah the guy who plays Merle in The Walking Dead and my oh my have the years done his acting talent well! All in all this film is not amazing and not many people will remember it but people like myself will love it and that is enough to call it a 'cult' film. I love Kevin Smith but to me this isn't his best film, therefore I am giving Mallrats a rating of 3/5.

Argo

The second Oscar contender and the second film starring Ben Affleck and John Goodman. This film has a lot of hype and I can see why. It’s not your typical ‘Oscar bait’ but it sure is damn good. Argo’s plot goes like this; ‘A dramatization of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran.’ This film is tense, really tense. And that is just how a thriller should be. It’s hard and scary to believe that the events that take place in this film really happened. Ben Affleck and his team’s attention to detail to make this film historically accurate is astonishing, not one piece of set or prop looked out of place. It's not until the end credits do you realise how similar all the actors look to the real people they were portraying, a true achievement in attention to detail in the make-up department. The story is the strong point though, I love a bit of espionage and spy work! And the story is then held by an amazing cast of actors including my favourite at the moment, Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, who is making his transition from TV to film, he stands his ground among a crowd of very talented actors. This film just is pure great and another great film from Affleck, a director/actor who is now at the top of his game and shrugging off previous projects such as Daredevil. I am hoping Argo will sweep the board at the Oscars soon as it deserves it! Finally a film I can get behind that has a good chance of winning. Personally I would prefer Django Unchained to win best film but we can all guess that it is unlikely. Either way Argo is brilliant and I am giving it a rating of 4/5.

Thank you for reading! Do you agree with my reviews? Please comment below.