Jurassic World 2 is the latest film in the Jurassic Park Universe; following on months after the events of the 2015 film. The Question that I will hopefully answer with my review is, does the world need a Jurassic Park film every few years, or should the franchise be made extinct? The main plot of the film follows Owen Grady, (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing, (Bryce Dallas Howard) as they try and save the dinosaurs on Isla Nublar, from a potentially species destroying volcano. The film does try and have an intelligent conversation about whether they should try and protect the dinosaurs or let the volcano wipe them out: thereby restoring the natural order of things. This conversation is shown during a Senate hearing and is the only appearance of Jeff Goldblum’s Dr Ian Malcom, despite the marketing suggesting that he had a bigger presence. Conversely to this intelligent pretence, the other 95% of the film is frustratingly dumb. In term of the screenplay, characters make decisions that make no sense, such as during a chase scene where the Indo-Raptor, (the film’s new hybrid dinosaur), is chasing a little girl down a corridor. During this sequence instead of chasing the girl into her room, which is what you would expect, the Indo-Raptor instead decides to climb up on to the roof and howl at the moon, and you are left thinking, “What? Why has it done that?”. Only being made odder when the Indo-Rex then lowers itself off the roof and unlock the girl’s bedroom window, with its ability to this never being established. This is not the only plot point that is just glossed over, the third act twist revolves around said little girl, Masie, (Isabella Sermon), having been a product of the technology that brought the dinosaurs back from the dead, but again no mention is given to this. What’s more, the film often sets up its own rules only to break them moments later for no reason, with the whole thing reeking of bad writing. Said, poor writing is also shown in the dialogue which is at best inoffensive, but at worst downright awful; with a few of my favourite examples being something like, “They’re alive just like me”, and “Welcome to Jurassic World. Moreover, the film tries to have emotional stakes, such as Owen and Blue’s relationship, Blue being the Raptor he raised, but it fails at even that. In addition, the film’s villains are needless and weakly written, with one just being a guy who likes to rip out dinosaur’s teeth, for no explained reason, and the other being Rafe Spall’s Eli Mills, who does his terrible actions for the money alone. However, it isn’t all bad news as there are some pros as well, such as Owen and Claire’s relationship which is believable, and the two have great chemistry. Also, the new characters of Franklin Webb, (Justice Smith) and Dr. Zia Rodriguez, (Daniella Pineda), are both likeable and welcome additions to the cast, they also have great banter together which makes them very easy to watch. Additionally, though the film doesn’t do its horror inspired scenes well, as mentioned before, it does deserve some praise for trying something new: because a lot of this film is just painfully by the number. Finally, the visual effects on the dinosaurs are all fantastic, as you would expect, with there being no noticeably bad CGI. To conclude, this film does do a few things right, but these are severely outweighed by everything else. Being boring and a real slog to get through at times, and perhaps worst of all, the film does nothing to make its spectacle of dinosaurs fighting interesting, leaving you with one lacklustre confrontation after another. Let’s hope this franchise goes extinct!
1.5/5
Reviewed by Luke

Spoilers.

Solo: A Star Wars Story focuses on the early life of Han Solo. The events of the greater Star Wars Universe are not the focus here, with the story itself being far more self-contained. For me Alden Ehrenreich is a believable Han Solo, bringing the right amount of charisma to the role. However, he is greatly outshined by his on-screen peers, Woody Harrelson,(Tobias Beckett), Emilia Clarke, (Qi’ra) and of course Donald Glover, (Lando). Beckett is a father figure to Han throughout the film, and the two have a believable emotional bond. Conversely, the relationship between Han and Chewbacca, (Joonas Suotamo), is lacking with scenes such as the life debt being left out, and the relationship, on the whole, being sidelined for the Han Qi’ra romance. Qi’ra is perhaps the best character as she is incredibly three-dimensional. Qi’ra is a very capable character as shown during third act fight scene with a sword; which is the action high point of the film. The best thing about the writing for Qi’ra’s character is that she is not written as merely Han’s love interest, but instead as a very cunning character whose allegiance you can never be sure of. Furthermore, the end of the film sets up her connections to Darth Maul, which as far as twists go is very welcome and satisfying. Overall the shortcomings of the film are as follows, firstly the film relies far too heavily on nostalgia, with the constant use of Han’s dice becoming unbearable towards the end of the film. This is also reflected in the diegetic dialogue where character will say things that equate to, “remember that?”. Moreover, there is also the use of incredibly on the nose foreshadowing to hint at future events, such as when Qi’ra says something to the extent of, “Chewie needs you and I have a feeling you will need him to”. Furthermore, and this may the films greatest crime, there is no real villain, sure Paul Bettany’s Vos is menacing when he is on screen, but that equates to two scenes if that, with the film lacking real danger as a result. A final complaint is that Donald Glovers’ Lando is underused, he is the scene stealer of the film and seems to be punished for that fact by being given precious little to do. On the whole Solo is a lot better than I was expecting it to be, I believe that both hardcore fans and more passive viewers can find something to like here. I would recommend you see it.
3.5/5
Reviewed by Luke

Spoilers ahead!
The plot of Rampage focuses on Davis Okoye, (Dwayne Johnson) as he searches for answers after a gorilla, that he has a strong bond, with is struck with a pathogen turning it into a monster. This film is loosely based on a series of video games, in which, you play as various monsters whose goal it is to cause the most destruction. In that respect, this is quite a good adaption: with the simplicity translating well to the big screen, however, only the creature names carrying over from the games. The plot is ridiculous and nonsensical from the start, but the film seems to be aware of that; and revels in the fact that it’s just a dumb B movie. The bond between Davis and George, (the gorilla) is done very well and is surprisingly endearing. However, the relationship also has a lot of cheap and needless moments. Such as a scene in which George is tranquillized and falls to the floor; done in slow motion. This scene carries no emotional weight, being incredibly overdramatic, with the slow motion only adding to the needless nature of the scene. Furthermore, the humour between Davis and George didn’t work, with the middle finger bit seeming quite repetitive by the end, and the sex joke at the end is incredibly out of place and dated. In contrast, the humour outside of that dynamic works very well with Harvey Russel, (Jeffery Dean Morgan) having some especially funny lines. All of the actors in this film, (but especially Jeffery Dean Morgan) seem to be having the time of their lives; with that being apparent in their performances. The Villian of the piece Claire Wyden, (Malin Akerman), is just what you would want from a B movie villain; being menacing but also being amusing at the same time. Wyden is just a sub-villain to the film’s mutated monsters, Ralph, (The Wolf) and Lizzie, (The Crocodile) and to an extent George. The CGI on the film’s creatures is all very convincing and brings you out of the experience. My main issue with the film is the character of Kate Caldwell, (Naomie Harris). First, let me preface this complaint by saying this isn’t the sort of film that has flushed out characters. Kate is particularly bad in this regard, as the whole point of her character is to spout exposition. She also furthers the needless plotline about getting Davis to trust humans again, which takes away from the overall fun of the film; in general everything about the relationship between the two seems forced. Overall this film would be right at home in the 90’s, whether that is a good or bad thing is for you to decide. If you are looking for the sort of film where Wyden’s plan for the monsters is called, “Operation Ramage”, being essentially just dumb fun, then look no further.
3/5
Reviewed By Luke

Ready Player One is a futurist Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; featuring more references to pop culture than you ever thought possible. The plot focuses on a video game developer who creates a virtual world, called the Oasis, which is up for grabs after his death. With people across the world searching for an easter egg, that will grant them control over the Oasis, passing tests and traps along the way so far so Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This film wears its influences on its sleeve, ranging from King Kong to Battle Toads, in every way Ready Player, One is a love letter to the pop culture of the 80’s and 90’s. Spielberg helms this ship of nostalgia, bringing with him all the heart and magic that made his earlier films such hits. Said heart is shown through Wade, (Sheridan) and Samantha, (Cooke). Sheridan makes for a likeable lead with his Wade feeling oddly relatable throughout. Olivia Cooke’s Samantha is amazing right from the off, with the decision to make her the leader of some sort of resistance against the evil IOI being incredibly interesting; though not in the book. Furthermore, the villain Nolan Sorrento, (Mendelsohn) is a fantastic presence throughout feeling both very menacing, whilst also being quite human. The film struggles with supporting characters, for a start, they introduce an ally for Sorrento with F’Nale, (Played by Hannah John-Kamen). What makes F’Nale so bad is that until writing this review I didn’t know what her name was. Furthermore, the film does not develop the characters of Sho and Datio, (played by Phillip Zhao and Win Morisaki respectively). What makes this so egregious is the fact that both of these characters are members of the “High Five”, with the film instead decides to focus on the trio of Sheridan, Cooke and Mendelsohn characters; everyone else is reduced to forgettable background fodder. The references and cameos are mostly done to great effect; though they do occasionally pull you out of things. Finally, as this film is in a virtual world, only featuring a few short sequences in the real world, it is very much CGI heavy. Said CGI is a mixed bag, with the Oasis avatars for the main cast being particularly bad. This is the clearest with Samantha’s avatar of Art3mis who belongs on the wrong side of the uncanny valley. In closing, this film benefits greatly from old school Spielberg magic. However, fans of the book will feel somewhat disappointed, as a lot of the characters aren’t fleshed out and the film is too reliant on pop culture references. Overall it is a good popcorn movie but not a must-see.
3.5/5
Reviewed by Luke

Pacific Rim Uprising is a science fiction action film; and the second film in the Pacific Rim series. The general plot focuses on aliens sending giant beasts, called Kaiju, into our world with the Human resistance fighting back against them in robots called Jaegers. Pacific Rim Uprising is welcoming to new viewers of the franchise: as it recaps the events of the first film. However, the exposition becomes tired and repetitive leaving you thinking, “I already know this” Therein lies this films greatest problem, it doesn’t justify its existence. Uprising adds little to the mythology set up by the first film, leaving a lot of questions unanswered. The screenplay is also noticeably weaker, with numerous plot threads that lead nowhere, and characters that are redundant. Chief among these redundant characters is Scott Eastwood’s Nate; who lacks all the charm of Charlie Hunnam’s co-pilot from the first film, being the cliché of a soldier in almost every regard. Furthermore, this poor character development is also shown by Jules, (played by Adria Arjona) with her character being nothing more than a love interest for Nate and Jake; which might I add is one of the most pointless subplots of the whole film. John Boyega has a strong performance as Jake Pentecost, lending an air of credibility to the film. Another mayor returning character from the first film is Charlie Day’s Newt. This film completely butchers his character: this is done by a late in the game plot twist that is beyond questionable. The recruits are handled much better, with the comradery between them all seeming real; with Ivanna Sakhno’s Vik being especially good. The relationship between the film’s two main stars in Jake and Amara, (Cailee Spaeny) feels incredibly generic and predictable. Something is lost by not having del Toro back to direct, with the direction in this film by Steven S. DeKnight being without identity. Uprising is DeKnight’s film debut, with his approach being far too indulgent with close up shots and an oddly placed montage sequence. This film has more in common with the Transformers series than it does the original Pacific Rim, with Uprising being an example of a film that sells its soul for mass appeal. If you are a fan of this series then give Uprising a miss, as it is a worn-out husk of the first film favouring spectacle over substance; with a surprising lack of Kaiju.

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Annihilation is a science fiction horror film by Alex Garland; the man behind Ex Machina. Annihilation follows a team of scientists led by Lena, (Natalie Portman) as they explore the shimmer: an area of land that has been overrun by a strange alien sphere. The script I found to be quite a mixed bag, with Tessa Thompson’s Josie, Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Dr Ventress and the before mentioned Lena being the only memorable characters. With Josie, in particular, being instantly likeable and relatable, also being well developed. However, this strong character development doesn’t reach all the cast members as most are underdeveloped: this is shown by Gina Rodriguez’s Anya. Anya is never really developed as a character, which then makes certain actions committed by her later in the film come across a little unbelievable. Natalie Portman gives a satisfyingly strong performance as Lena: as we see her become driven to find out what happened to her husband; played marvellously by Oscar Isaac. The film is visually stunning throughout, from the costume design to the creatures that inhabit the sphere: including a nightmare-inducing mutant bear. Said bear and the other creature that live inside the sphere are all very well designed; with them all being both beautiful and unique. My only real issue came from the ending, which was a little too ambiguous for my taste; with the plot twists at the end not really adding much outside of making it a bit more confusing. Furthermore, the ending doesn’t come across as satisfying more as a bit pretentious; as though the film is trying to remind you one last time just how clever it is. Other than that though this is a very strong science fiction film; I got notes throughout the film of other similar films, such as 2016’s Arrival to name but one. There is more than enough here to get genre fans very on board with this film. One closing note I would like to bring up is that cinematography is exquisite: with one shot from the inside of a crocodiles mouth being my favourite of the film. Overall, I would recommend this film, though perhaps not to casual science fiction fans. It’s just a shame about the needlessly pretentious ending.
3/5
Reviewed by Luke