The Raid: An Action Movie Masterpiece

‘The Raid’ is an Indonesian Action Film, written edited and directed by Gareth Evans. The plot follows a highly trained group of police officers who try and infiltrate a tower block owned and controlled by a ruthless drug lord. Amongst these officers we have Rama (Iko Uwais), who is our main character, Rama has gone to the tower block to try and convince his brother Andi (Donny Alamsyah), to come home.

‘The Raid’ is a beautiful film for a lot of reasons, but for me the main one would be the fight choreography. The fight choreography on display here is some of the best I have ever seen. The fights look brutal and real, you can feel the pain and exhaustion coursing through the performances. There is a hallway fight sequence that is better than anything I have ever seen before, said sequence sees Rama take on a large group of gangsters and with sheer force of will takes them all out; this isn’t like fake looking action movies like ‘the Transporter’ where the enemies attack one at a time, no here it is much more hardcore and realistic.

It makes sense now after seeing this why the ‘John Wick’ series hired the actors from ‘The Raid’ for the third film in that series, because they are incredibly impressive. The Wick series is the only other current Western action film that I would say is on par with this film in terms of its fight sequences.

The plot of ‘The Raid’ is also wonderfully complex as nothing is how it appears to be. Other than main character Rama, who is our moral compass throughout the film, the other characters flirt between the side of good and the side of bad, giving the film an excellent sense of moral ambiguity. This is shown through Rama’s brother Andi who saves Rama’s life, but decides to stay behind at the end and take over the tower block and be the next gang leader.

Overall, I think this is a must watch for everyone not just die-hard action fans, it is so beautifully done that is marvellous to behold. ‘The Raid’ has become prolific within action cinema and has gone on to influence a lot of films in the genre and I believe for a good reason: this film is fantastic and deserves to be seen!

Pros.

The Acting.

The Fight Choreography.

Maintaining The Balance Between Brutal But Not Overly So.

The Moral Ambiguity.

Making Character You Care About.

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Mr Right: A New Type Of Killer Clown

‘Mr Right’ is a romantic comedy, action film. The plot follows Martha (Anna Kendrick), a recently single women who meets Francis (Sam Rockwell), a man who seems perfect for her, until she finds out that he is a hitman. From there the story goes down the lines of Francis’s old partner wants to get him back in the game, a gang hires Francis, but then tries to kill him; as Francis has a rule of killing those that hire him after a shift in his morals, as well as the will they wont they romance of Martha and Francis.

I have to say this film was far more enjoyable than I thought it would be, this is mainly due to the fact that Rockwell is a terrific and naturally charming lead. There is a real heart to this film that prevails all the killing and the shooting and at the end of the film you are glad to see the pair end up together.

The action scenes of the film are mostly fun there are some good moments that have strong choreography, but the rest are just either Rockwell or Kendrick shooting someone which after a while gets boring.

I’m not saying Anna Kendrick can’t act but, she is playing the same character she always plays the loveable goofy oddball. The opening act of this film that sees her crying in a closest and being drunk rambling about her ex could be from any of her films. That is not to say she isn’t good in this film she is fine, but it would be interesting to see her play a different type of character.

The humour of the film I found to be a mixed bag, at times it made me smile and elevated the scene it was used in, other times it made me groan and felt like bad cringe. I would say that a lot of Rockwell’s comedy lands as he has very good delivery and timing and seems to know when to play it straight and when to crack a joke. The same can’t be said for everyone else, however.

Finally, it is nice to see Anson Mount in something, it has been too long, and he always gives a good performance even if he is only on scene for a matter of minutes.

Overall, this film is on the better side of average this is owed wholly to Rockwell. He elevates this film past the mediocrity that it could easily have fallen into. Kendrick is serviceable and the romance is sweet, it’s good but, you won’t remember it.

Pros.

Rockwell.

Some Of The Action Sequences.

The Humour.

Cons.

The Humour.

Kendrick Is Playing The Same Character As Always.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

True Romance:A Story Of Love and Crime

‘True Romance’ is a romantic crime film, written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott. The plot follows an ex call-girl called Alabama (Patricia Arquette), and her husband Clarence (Christian Slater), as they go on the run from the mob after Clarence accidentally steals a large amount of cocaine from Alabama’s ex pimp.

This film feels very Tarantino esque despite only being written by him, all the hallmarks by which we would come to know his work are all present here; much like all of his pictures this film is glorious. Yes, my thoughts on current Tarantino have been noted in previous reviews, I don’t think he has made a film that was of the same caliber as his early works since ‘Django Unchained’ back in 2012; I think he is on the decline as a director.

The tone of the film again is familiar to Tarantino fans as it has moments of extreme darkness and moments of levity, it has moments of gritty realism and moments of fantasy oddness. One such odd detail which also happens to be one of my favourite bits of the film is how Clarence has Elvis (Val Kilmer) as an imaginary friend; a lot of these wacky details add to the film’s manic sensibilities.

That said the film also pulls off slow meaningful moments well, there are a lot of scenes between Alabama and Clarence that have genuine warmth and emotion to them. The relationship between the two grows throughout the runtime of the film in a real and organic way; you can feel the love they have for each other.

The performances in this film are also excellent, Slater and Arquette do a great job as the leads, but the supporting cast also give great turns. The late James Gandolfini is terrific as a mob hitman called Virgil, though his character isn’t in it a huge amount he shines with what he has. There is a brutal fight scene between his character and Alabama and the monologue that Gandolfini delivers before and during it can only be described as chilling.

Christopher Walken is also instantly memorable as Don Vincenzo Coccotti. Though Walken’s character only has a scene he brings such a presence to the screen such as sense of gravitas that he is immediately captivating.

Overall, this film is phenomenal it a testament to Tarantino as a screen writer as it is a film that features a lot of characters, but each one feels unique and special.

Pros.

Tarantino Magic.

Great Leads In Slater And Arquette.

Gandolfini Is A Scene Stealer.

So Is Walken.

Cons.

A Little Slow At Times.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Johnny English: Bean Meets Bond

‘Johnny English’ is a spy action comedy film, the plot revolves around a bumbling super-spy Johnny English, (Rowan Atkinson), as he tries to stop the nefarious plot of a french mastermind Pascal Sauvage, (John Malkovich), and retrieve the crown jewels.

The reason why ‘Johnny English’ works so well is because it is such an excellent spoof of the British national treasure, James Bond, this parody works in every respect. It makes a joke out of everything the gadgets, the girls and of course the spy himself all of which bring genuinely good laughs. This film is one of the funniest I’ve seen in a long time and, it has a lot of moments that don’t simply make you smile but, rather they make you laugh out loud.

A lot of this is due to Rowan Atkinson his comedic delivery is always on point and, he plays someone playing at being a suave charismatic spy well. There is also a vulnerability to English that Atkinson captures extremely well we know that he knows he’s a rubbish spy deep down, but that he is trying his best and, that is what makes him so loveable. He is the underdog hero that we all want to see succeed.

The actual events of the film are all entertaining to watch they expertly capture the wacky over the top plots that some of the later Bond films, before Craig, suffered from; this is shown as Suave’s evil plan is to turn all of Britain into a huge prison. There is also some decent tension built across the film as there are moments where it looks like it’s all over for English and, we can’t help but feel sad at these times.

The one element of the parody that ‘Johnny English’ doesn’t do so well is its spoof of the Bond girl trope. Natalie Imbruglia plays Lorna Campbell an Interpol agent; who gets roped into Johnny’s manic craziness. Until writing this review I genuinely didn’t know what the character was called. Rather than be given something to do, or maybe even reject English, which would be a great spoof of how Bond always gets the girl, Campbell instead follows the same characterisation of a lot of the past Bond girls given the paper-thin development of also being a spy while actually just being a romantic interest destined to end up on Johnny’s arm.

Despite this dated depiction, this film is still an incredibly entertaining spy spoof film and, a must-watch. Perfect for over the holidays viewing.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Jumanji, The Next Level: Level Up!

‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ is a fantasy adventure comedy film and, sequel to the 2017 film ‘Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle; also serving as the fourth film in the franchise. The plot follows on from the last entry, the core group have drifted apart and, Spencer, (Alex Wolff), decides to go back into Jumanji once again, to try and recapture the Bravestone feeling; the others discover this and, then go into to rescue him. The twist this time around is that Spencer’s uncle Eddie, (Danny Devito), and his former business partner Milo, (Danny Glover), get sucked into the game too.

Director Jake Kasdan achieves something very special with ‘The Next Level’ a sequel that is far better than the films in the series before it. In almost every aspect this film succeeds the previous film, in terms of comedy, in terms of character development, in terms of world-building; all-round ‘The Next Level’ is a treat.

This time around Bravestone, (Dwayne Johnson), is the in-game avatar of Danny Devito’s Eddie, and Moose Finbar, (Kevin Hart), is the avatar of Danny Glover’s Milo. Both actors do a great impression of their older counterparts: but it is Kevin Hart that really shines in this style of comedy, his impression of Danny Glover is hilarious and he easily has the best jokes of the film.

The rest of the in-game avatars are also a welcome return, Professor Oberon, (Jack Black), played by Ser’ Darius Blain’s Fridge this time around is equally as hilarious as he was in the first film; it is nice to see Jack Black back in a big-budget film. Ruby Roundhouse, (Karen Gillian), and Seaplane, (Joe Jonas), are featured and, they do have some great moments but, they are very much pushed to the sidelines and, underused. Awkwafina is also in this film for all of 15 minutes, so she is not really given any time to shine.

The world of Jumanji is nicely explored this time around, we get to see some new locations that helped to set this film apart from the previous entry this is also done by their being new rules brought in which allow characters to do a variety of different things, including switching bodies. The one issue with all of this is that ‘The Next Level’ feels less like a videogame adaption/homage, which is one of the things that makes the first film so good.

Overall ‘The Next Level’ is a step up from ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ which was already a great film. Devito, Black, Hart and Johnson are all on terrific form here and, make this one of the best films of the year. The romantic development between Spencer and, Martha, (Morgan Turner) is also incredibly endearing and, the end stinger is definitely one to stick around for. I can’t wait for the next film in this fantastic franchise.

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Current Star Wars Climate

Today I thought I would write about the current state of Star Wars and, my thoughts on it; what better time than with the Rise of Skywalker mere weeks away. I will try and, keep politics out of it.

So before I talk about current Star Wars, I will talk about my history with the franchise I was born into the prequel era, I was 3 when The Phantom Menace hit cinemas, the first Star Wars film I saw in the cinema was Revenge of the Sith. So I grew up watching the prequels, and anyone who knows my thoughts on Star Wars knows I have a soft spot for them. I, of course, watched the Original trilogy religiously, it was revered in my house; so of course when it was announced that we would be getting a new trilogy, a sequel trilogy I was excited.

At the current moment in time, I strongly dislike the sequel trilogy and, I will now explain why.

It all began with the Force Awakens, I like many others was incredibly hyped for it, the trailers and the teaser had captured my imagination. However, when I went to see it I was left with one thought, that was incredibly average, incredibly safe.

That is my key issue with the new trilogy, it has potential but, instead it seems to be content to be average. The characters are all likeable but, they aren’t characters not really a lot of them are just there to carry the plot along; glorified macguffins. The Last Jedi that believe me I will get to in a minute, rather than deepen any of these characters just stuffs more characters into the mix, as though that will fix anything, you’re not able to care about the characters because they’re so flat. The other major issue with how the new trilogy treats characters is with the preexisting veterans. The new trilogy does two things with these characters milk them for nostalgia and, then kill them off to force an emotional reaction out of the audience; in the cheapest kind of way.

Now the second film in the trilogy The Last Jedi does take risks, I can’t criticise them for that, but what it also does far more than The Force Awakens is force in a political message; which yes Star Wars has always been political but, this is blatant and off-putting.
Whatsmore, while I do genuinely like Rian Johnson and think he is a talented filmmaker, I don’t think he was the right pick for this film as he disrupted the flow of the trilogy; through subverting expectations, this could have been done well but, here it just comes across as alienating and jarring. If Johnson was given his own trilogy set in a completely new part of the universe it could be outstanding but, this just wasn’t the film for him.

At the time of writing The Rise of Skywalker is weeks away and, I feel nothing. These films no longer feel like Star Wars to me they just feel like generic science fiction with bland forgettable characters. It is a shame to see a series that I once looked up to fall this low, I think the only way to save it is to move past everything that has gone before and, start afresh in a new part of the galaxy with new characters.

But hey Rogue One, Solo and the Mandalorian are all pretty good.

Written by Luke

Jumanji Welcome To The Jungle: The Perfect Videogame Adaption

Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle is a fantasy, adventure comedy film acting in many ways like a sequel/ soft reboot of the Robin Williams classic. The plot follows a group of mismatch teenagers, a la the Breakfast Club, that all find themselves in detention together; having to clean out a room in the High School. While there they run into a mystical game Jumanji, this time around it takes the form of a videogame, because who plays board games, as they start playing they soon realise that Jumanji is so much more than just a game.

The characters themselves are the usual collection of stereotypes, the shy quirky boy, the shy quirky girl, who end up together, of course, the vapid self-obsessed girl, and the jock. Naturally while inside the videogame each character gets an avatar, these are the big Hollywood stars, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan. The shy quiet nerds, Spencer, (Alex Wolff), and Martha, (Morgan Turner), get the avatars of the cool badass confident, Dr Smolder Bravestone, (Dwayne Johnson) and Ruby Roundhouse, (Karen Gillan), respectively. The character development couldn’t be more obvious they both learn to be more confident and to love themselves; however, despite being cliche, these character arcs are well done and, the character transformation does feel rewarding at the end of the film.

Likewise making the popular girl, Bethany, (Madison Iseman), have the ingame avatar of Professor Shelly Oberon, (Jack Black), is equally as expected, but also equally hilarious; Black has the best lines in the film and, the humour of having a teenage girl in the body of a grown man provides some great laughs. Finally, you have the traditional jock Fridge, (Ser’Darius Blain), having the avatar of Moose Finbar, (Kevin Hart), the joke here is that Fridge goes from being big and muscular to small and weak, these jokes don’t land as well and, Hart often comes off as whiny and annoying.

Jumanji itself works almost perfectly as a videogame adaptation despite not actually being one, capturing the feeling of playing a game and the rules of them really well. Furthermore, the surprise reveal of Nick Jonas’ Seaplane being Alex Vreeke a kid who went missing 20 years ago gives the story a real emotional weight; especially when he realises how long he has actually been in Jumanji. There is a kind of jokey romance between Alex and Madison in the film, which in context feels quite icky, but at least this is mostly kept on the sidelines.

Ultimately Jumanji works perfectly for what it is, a dumb popcorn movie, it is not going to give you something you haven’t seen before, it doesn’t have anything new to say, but it is incredibly amusing and entertaining. The awkward nerd romance is nice to see, and Alex Wolff is a good leading man. However, this is Jack Black and Jo Jonas’ film, they’re both equally hilarious and, if the soon to be released sequel can give them and Gillan’s character more attention and, Johnson and Hart less, then it could be something really special.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

How to Train Your Dragon: The Love Between A Boy and his Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon is an animated action-fantasy film; loosely based on the 2003 kids book of the same name. How to Train Your Dragon is set in a Viking esque world, where every night villages are raided by troublesome dragons. Most of the Vikings are brave warriors who face off against the dragons to protect themselves and their land. However, Hiccup, (Jay Baruchel) isn’t like them he can’t swing a sword or, an axe, but he has a big heart. One day Hiccup captures a dragon, one of the most feared types the dreaded Night Fury, however rather than kill it and embrace his inner Viking, Hiccup befriends the dragon that he call toothless and what follows is their story.

The themes of How to Train Your Dragon are universal, the ideas of not feeling as though you belong, being different to everyone else around you, everyone has felt like that at some point in their life; and that is what this film and it’s sequels capture so well.

The animation is beautiful, each dragon has it’s own unique design and every corner of the map is dripping with detailed Norse mythology. This is just one of the few reasons why How to Train Your Dragon is one of Dreamworks big three franchise, the others being Kung Fu Panda and Shrek.

The relationship between the Hiccup and Toothless will strike an emotional chord with anyone who has ever had a pet before. The pure love is so perfectly captured here, and the film is not afraid to go dark with this, showing just how dark Hiccup and Toothless are willing to go for each other.

Whatsmore the relationship between Hiccup and his father Stoick is also incredibly well done. Stoick, (Gerard Butler), is the clan chief, as well as this he is a Viking in the truest sense, he is tough, manly and slays dragons for fun. To him, Hiccup never made any sense, he was always keen to understand him, but the lack of anything in common always kept them apart. The scene in the final act of the film when Stoick thinks he has lost his son, after effectively disowning him not long before, and he breaks down and realises that his outlook is wrong and, that Hiccup was right all along; then it turns out that Toothless the dragon Stoick hated has saved his son and he thanks it, it is the most touching scene I have seen in a film in a long time.

Ultimately the world of the How to Train Your Dragon is beautiful the mythology is rich and well explored, but the greatest strength that How to Train Your Dragon uses so well is its use of heart and emotion. It is despite being about dragons and Vikings and very fanciful, an incredibly affecting film and, one that will leave an impression on you long after the credits roll.

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The King: All Hail Robert Pattinson

The King is a historical drama based on William Shakespeare’s ‘Henriad’ saga. The plot follows Hal, (Timothee Chalamet), the overlooked son of King Henry IV of England, who ascends the throne. Once there he faces the intrigue of the court as well as a looming war with France.

The King is one of my favourite Netflix originals, mainly because it focuses on a time in British History that isn’t much covered in glossy Hollywood epics. The period itself is fascinating.

The film is long and drawn out, which some people might find boring, but I thought the pacing was used thoughtfully and the plot moved along at a nice pace, focusing on a wide variety of different things. However, the final climactic battle, the Battle of Agincourt, is most likely my favourite sequence of the whole film; being superbly executed and choreographed.

The performances are all fantastic, lead performance excluded, Joel Edgerton makes the most of his short amount of screen time. His Falstaff takes a mentorship role to the young King and, it is incredibly endearing to see their friendship develop.

Likewise, Robert Pattinson’s performance of the villainous The Dauphin is fantastic, he steals the scene every time he is on screen and, my one request of the film would be to see more scenes of him. Pattinson’s accent has generated a lot of discussion surrounding the film, but I for one like it.

What’s more the ending of the film, in which it seems as though the Young King has been manipulated by forces at court, into going to war in France puts the whole film in a brand new context which makes it more enjoyable.

My one issue with the film is that I think Chalamet is miscast, he is one of the weaker members of the cast and, that is clear from the beginning. Moreover, he is also the least memorable part of the film, which is an extreme negative when the film is all about him, overall I think another actor should have been cast.

To conclude The King is a fascinating tale of war and duty set in one of the least covered periods in British History, with some incredibly memorable scenes, such as the balls scene with Robert Pattinson; you will know which I mean. However, a weak performance from the lead actor lessens what this film could have been. That said this is still one of the strongest Netflix originals.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Terminator Dark Fate: A Dark Day Indeed

*Spoilers

Terminator Dark Fate is the latest film in the Terminator series. Taking place in a world where Sky-Net was defeated, but the future threat still lingers in the form of Legion, the new evil machines.

To get the thing I hated the most about this film off my chest first, before I get into the review, the first ten minutes of this film kills off John Conner. Conner has been a staple of the franchise since Terminator 2 and is a favourite fan character. The death is such a massive slap in the face, as it makes all the previous film redundant and removes a beloved character simply to drive the plot forward; if they were going to handle it like this, they might as well have killed him off-screen.

We get a new hero in the form of Dani Ramos, (Natalia Reyes), who is everything John Conner was, which makes the need to kill him off seem even more needless. Dani, for the most part, is bland and inoffensive, she doesn’t induce any form of reaction good or, bad she’s just there. She is out shadowed by nearly every other member of the cast. Furthermore, and this isn’t a problem unique to this film, it baffles me to see these characters beat up villains twice their size and weight; it is as though no thought has been put into it at all.

The returning cast of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, as the T-800 and Sarah Conner respectively, are the best part of the film; despite only being brought back to encourage fan nostalgia. It is nice to see where Sarah Conner is mentally in a world after Judgement day. With Schwarzenegger being the life and soul of the film, much like he was in Genesis; proving that ultimately these are his films. The ending tries to send his character off on a high note but, ends up feeling more than a little inspired by the end of T2

The new protector Grace, (Mackenzie Davis), is also great. Her backstory is well done, and she provides an insight into what life in this post-apocalyptical world is like. Her character greatly upstages Ramos, which is a shame as they’re so tied together. I genuinely believe Grace would have been a better protagonist.

Overall this film has its moments, but nothing can make up for the decision to kill John Conner. Dark Fate is a nice if unnecessary epilogue to the series, it should not start a new trilogy if anything it should end it. It’s not the worst film in the series, but also far far away from the high point. Depending on his involvement in this, Dark Fate makes me actively worried about James Cameron’s Avatar sequels; if this is the sort of film, he releases these days.

Not worth watching at the cinema unless you’re a huge Terminator fan, wait for it to come out on streaming if you must see it. It is a dark day in the series, but not the darkest possible Fate for it.

2/5

Reviewed by Luke