KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS REVIEW    (NO SPOILERS)

When it came to watching this film I hadn't watched any trailers but once I saw an advert on the side of a bus saying it was made by the same animation team, "Laika" who had made Coraline one my favourite animated films I knew I had to see it. I had also checked review scores for the film and it was doing AMAZING so I went in expecting something good.

When I left the cinema not only had I seen a good film but a great one! Kubo and the two strings is a exceptionally well made film, from the beautiful stop motion animation, to the fun and engaging characters, fantastic voice acting and the rather mature story being told which I feel will appeal more to adults than children.

The film follows the adventure of a young boy named Kubo who along with two companions, Monkey and Beetle go on an epic quest to recover three items of power to help Kubo defeat an enemy from his past. I don't want to go into too many plot details as this film I feel will be better enjoyed if you go in fresh. The film is refreshingly original which is like a breath of fresh air in a year of remakes and sequels.

As I stated earlier Kubo and the two strings has a very emotional and mature plot with some scenes that may even frighten younger viewers. The film deals with alot of mature themes from losing loved ones, to what happens after death, to embracing the imperfections of what makes us human. For anyone who loves animation or just good stories this is a must see and a very strong contender for best animated film of the year!

SUICIDE SQUAD REVIEW (SLIGHT SPOILERS)


Well after the rather divided response to Batman vs Superman, DC began placing it hopes on Suicide Squad to bring back fans into their good books. DC's marketing for both BVS and Suicide Squad was very strong getting many fans including myself excited for their films.
With harsh criticisms on BVS being too dark with little humor, it was clear that DC was pushing for Suicide Squad to be more upbeat, funny and above all entertaining. The trailers for the film seem to show the film as exactly this however when the film premiered it would seem the trailers may have been exaggerating.

The film starts strong as we are individually shown each member of the squad and what they are infamous for with Amanda Waller talking to military generals about her response to the meta-human crisis, known as "Task Force X"; a rag tag team of super villains who are sent on dangerous off the books missions that if completed will take time off their individual prison sentences.

Very similar to BVS the first chunk of the film shows promise however as the film progresses its flaws start to surface. Its clear that the film has gone through some editing trouble, the pace feels off and some scenes feel tacked on with little purpose. The lack of  multiple environments is very evident with the vast majority of the film taking place in Midwest city where the Squad is being sent; which begins to feel stale very quickly.
There is also some music ques which feel out of place and don't match the scene they're used in. If rumours are to be believed this may be down to both drastic re-shoots and multiple edits of the film with multiple cuts of the film being made.

Moving onto the characters of the film, there are some stand-outs with Will Smith as Dead-shot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. they are very enjoyable, with strong chemistry and I feel will prove clear favourites with critics and audiences. Unfortunately the rest of the squad are not given enough time for the audience to really enjoy their characters and fall rather flat and also there is a sense of having too many characters in one film doesn't help either.
There is also Jared Leto's attempt at the Joker, with the trailers heavily showcasing him, giving the illusion that he will play a key role however the Joker has at most about ten minutes of screen time leaving a lot of fans feel manipulated and lied to. It is hard to give a full review of Leto's Joker given such small screen time, so far I'm not impressed. I understand playing the Joker after Heath Ledger would prove daunting but this doesn't feel like the Joker more a glorified gang lord. I would like to see Jared Leto given more screen time and better dialogue to work with before I write him off.

The main villains also are rather disappointing, there's Enchantress who betrays the squad to help her brother who was the initial target of the Suicide Squad; is transparently easy to see coming. She also become a very cliched, want to rule the world bad guy with a strange twitchy performance and lacks any intimidation.

So this now the third film in DCs cinematic universe and unfortunately Suicide Squad cant pull DC out of this current slump they are in. While Suicide Squad proves a more enjoyable experience than BVS it still suffers from poor editing, poor character development, a pathetic villain and very clear company pressure and meddling. Slightly above average but nothing like what we were promised, with two new trailers for Wonder Woman and Justice League part 1 looking decent but as we have learnt movie trailers are not to be taking as gospel.










 

ROOM MOVIE REVIEW (SPOILERS)


Based on the best selling novel by Emma Donoghue, Room follows the journey of Joy and her son Jack who, when the film starts are seemingly living in a small room. It is unclear why Joy and her son spend time only within this one room however we are given an answer when a man by the name of "Old Nick" opens the door to the room via a keypad and locks it again when he leaves.

So it seems that they are being held against their will forced to eat, sleep and live in this room but we still aren't clear as to why Nick is keeping them there.

The film continues and we see Joy and Jack finding ways to pass the time and its clear the Joy is trying her hardest in order to keep Jack happy with crazy stories and songs creating a small world for him within room.
Her son jack who has just turned five, constantly asks his mother questions and is curious about anything new that is shown to him. However whilst Joy is doing her best to keep her son happy its clear that she is not. She reaches of point of desperation and decides to confront Jack with the truth of the outside world and that they should escape. Without going into too much detail, Jack manages to escape and through his actions Joy also is found.

The second half of the film deals with Jacks task of facing a whole new world that he has never known and with Joy being reunited with family and dealing with the torment of years in isolation. and trying to return to the world she left behind. We are given an in depth look into how people deal with traumatic experiences both those affected and the people around them.

The greatest strength of Room is the relationship between Joy and Jack and how much they care for each other and how they both help each other in various ways. there are several inner monologues by Jack throughout the film giving us an insight into how he is dealing with the events in the film and how he views life, which offers both a charming and innocent look upon the world of today.

Room is a beautiful film with stellar acting by all of the cast, with both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments throughout and shows the strength of the bonds we share with the people we love most, highly recommend watching it for yourself!

BATMAN VS SUPERMAN DAWN OF JUSTICE REVIEW

Batman v Superman has been a long time coming since its announcement in 2013 people have been losing their minds over the prospect of DC comics two most beloved heroes facing of each other. As expected the anticipation for this film to be good was sky high. As the next couple of years passed we were given details about the upcoming film with people becoming more excited but also more worried as to could this movie work.

One of the main concerns for the film before its release was the casting for the film. When Ben Affleck was announced as Batman, there was a huge backlash and even an online petition to stop Affleck playing the role of Batman. Also the announcement that Jesse Eisenberg would play Lex Luthor there was again a backlash as to whether he was suitable.

There was also the issue that is was following on from Man of Steel, which received mixed reviews by audiences some praising this new look at superman, others condemning it. This movie would have a lot to prove both character wise and story wise if it was to please audiences. So did it work?

Well the movie starts with a brief introduction to Bruce Wayne and his origin, we cut to Affleck waking from a nightmare, clearly showing that his parents death has never truly left him. We are then shown Bruce going to Metropolis whilst Superman and General Zod are fighting in the city. Desperate to save his employees Bruce drives through the rubble to Wayne Finances to see the building collapse killing many of his employees. The camera pans back showing a rage filled Bruce surrounded by destruction in the remains of his building; his hatred of Superman fully cemented.

The movie progresses with scenes of Batman and Alfred investigating possible criminal activity tied to Lex Corp and Superman becoming aware of Batman and his activities in Gotham. As tensions rise and as Lex Luthor pushing Batman and Superman towards each other, an inevitable clash between the two ensues. The movie spends a lot of time building to the fight, possible too long but when it arrives we are treated to some entertaining and amazing visuals as the two heroes cross fists.

However when the fight between Batman and Superman is resolved the movie starts to lose its focus. Looking back at Jesse Eisenberg as Luthor, its clear that the worry people had about his casting is justified. This is a strange and uneven portayal of Lex Luthor, with a weird manic and twitchy personality, Luthor just comes off as silly and not intimidating. His reasoning for wanted Superman dead isn't clearly explained and his plan depending on a lot of coincidence.

Another character who feels misused or in this case underused is Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Her character plays a minor role in the first half of the story but when it comes to the finale she shows up to aid Batman and Superman against a new villain which if you've watched the trailers you'll know who that is. While Gal Gadot plays Wonder Woman well, she isn't given enough to do or time to develop for us to care shes here. There is even an issue with Batman that some may find out of character, depending on how hardcore a Batman fan you are. Also the small cameos of other Justice League heroes is rushed and handled poorly, with the feeling it was thrown in merely to set up future films, Marvel I'm looking at you!

So overall Batman vs Superman, starts promising, with a decent first hour, however the film starts to slowly decline into an uneven and poorly edited mess where events just happen, characters who aren't given enough development or purpose and with a predictable and rather unsatisfying ending. Zack Snyder known for his visual film making delivers on the visual front but drops the ball on the plot and characters leading many to believe he was not the best director for this film.
However to finish on a positive note, the best element of this film by far is Ben Affleck as Batman, his scenes along Alfred played brilliantly by Jeremy Irons are the strongest of the film. Affeck manages to give a convincing Bruce and a bad ass Batman. So not a good start DC, heres hoping suicide squad can pick up some of pieces left by this mixed bag.

10 CLOVERFIELD LANE REVIEW

10 Clover field lane was a surprise announcement to many with JJ Abrams busy with a little film called Star Wars, he was still able to produce another film on the side.
When announced many thought it was a sequel to the found footage monster film Cloverfield in 2008 which Abrams also produced.

However this film is actually a rewrite of a different film called "the cellar", which never saw the light of day and once JJ and his team came on-board many changes were made.

The film opens with our main character Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who seems to be having relationship problems, she packs up some belongings and drives off. while she is driving her boyfriend calls her which distracts her from the road and ends up in a violent car crash. when she wakes up she finds herself chained to a pipe with her injuries treated and in a small cell.

While struggling to understand whats happening we are introduced to Howard (John Goodman), he explains that he saved her and brought her to his custom made fallout shelter. he also explains that a terrible event has occurred on the surface and that Michelle should stay in the bunker where she will be safe.

As expected Michelle doesnt trust Howard who seems to be not entirely stable and wielding a revolver to boot. Michelle then learns that there's a third person in the shelter, a young man named Emmett (John Gallagher Jr) who Howard let into the shelter before this supposedly devastating event happened. To help quell Michelle's doubt Howard shows Michelle evidence that the surface isn't safe and so as time passes, the three characters learn to live together.

However through some shocking revelations it seems that the peaceful existence the three share isnt going to work and thorough a series of  intense scenes we are given the truth as to what has happened to the world above and whether Howard was telling truth after all.

10 Cloverfield Lane offers a tense, gripping experience with twists and turns along to the way to keep the viewer constantly enagaged. The movie never loses its grim and uneasy atmosphere building up to a satisfying and thrilling climax with the possibility of a sequel in the future but as it stands 10 Cloverfield lane is well written, brilliantly acted and makes the most of its claustrophobic setting, a must see and one the strongest films of the year so far!