ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL REVIEW

Alita Battle Angel is a cyberpunk scoff film set several hundred years into the future in a slight dystopian world where humanity and technology have become interconnected with one another with cyborgs and humans living alongside one another.

Based on the manga series of the same name Battle Angel: Alita by Yukito Kushiro, the film is one of many manga adaptions over the past few years. James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar) purchased the film rights many years ago and the film has been in development for over a decade. James Cameron had to hand the directing over to Robert Rodriguez in order to focus on his Avatar sequels.

As with most of James cameron's films, he constantly tries to push the standard to which films are made and Alita is no exception. One of the film's greatest strengths lies in the visuals. The cgi and performance capture is exceptionally well done and showcases a very vibrant lived in world.

The characters for the most part are well cast with a couple being either underused or miscast. The protagonist Alita played by Rosa Salazar is beautiflly realised with Rosa giving a very solid performance in both emotional and action orientated scenes and really helps drive the film forward. The rest of cast are also very good in particular Christoph Waltz as Ido, Mahershala Ali as vector and Jennifer Connelly as Chiren.
The soundtrack is also particularly good with a fun blend of action and emotion in keeping with the film's tone, a notable track being during the roller ball sequence.

If there was a weak link to the cast it would be the character of Hugo played by Keean Johnson. Whether it is being miscast or giving poor dialogue Johnson fails to keep up with the rest of the cast and proves to be quite a weak love interest. The other weak aspect to the film is the story which ins't terrible by any means but is a fairly simple story and it has the issue of trying to fit in a lot of backstory from the manga.

Overall Alita excels in giving a visually spectacular film with some great acting and world building and while it does end setting up a possible sequel, it is a story I would happily see more of.

GREEN BOOK REVIEW

Green book follows the real story of Tony lip (Viggo Mortensen) and musician Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) as they journey through the Deep South of America during the 1960s helping to promote Shirley's music.

Tony Lip, an Italian American man from the Bronx, is man affected by his surroundings garnering slight racist undertones. The film follows the unlikely pairs journey as they begin to warm to each other during the long car rides betweens shows.

The title Green Book refers to the travel book that coloured people at the time carried in order to find hotels and accommodation that they are allowed to stay at. Throughout the film there are several scenes which depict this divide and despite Shirley's talent and being a guest at these venues he is still treated differently.

The film is one that deals with prejudice and racism however what is surprising about the film is the level of comedy the film is able to achieve without sacrificing the dramatic tone. There is a nice blend and balance which allows the film to have moments of levity in-between dramatic scenes.

The highlight of the film is the back and forth between the two leads, Mortensen and Ali are fantastic and have great chemistry selling both the drama and comedy. It does help that the son of Tony Lip helped co-write the script to help give a level of authenticity.

While not breaking any new ground in terms of racial dramas, Green Book is a well acted, well shot personal story of two men from vastly different backgrounds finding common ground through the beauty of music, highly recommend!

A Collection of Nonsense - (Short Film)

For my first film I am making a series of comedy skits, 3-4, which I am directing, editing and starring in it.

This will be good as it will test me on various different skills and will help me to find what avenue I wish to pursue. Below is my initial concept ideas:

I will be entering this short film into the inter media college competition. I shall be posting the film onto youtube and onto my own personal weekly page. the initial trailer of the film is already up and I will provide the link below. going forward it will be important to take all manner of critique on board to help improve upon my skills for the next short film I will make.


https://www.seanmcgrory.weebly.com

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REVIEW

The greatest showman was one of the most popular movies of 2017. It proved so popular in fact that it remained in the cinema longer than Star Wars The Last Jedi, no small feat.

It was met with mixed critical reception from movie critics with a 55% rating on rotten tomatoes, however looking at the audience score with 87% liking it, it’s clear to see the strong divide between the audience and critics.

The greatest showman follows the story of P.T Barnum a famous entertainer who is credited with the creation of the circus. The film follows the key events of his life and the struggles to make his dream of the circus a reality. The film is also a musical with many set pieces throughout the film.

The film stars Hugh Jackman who has a history is musical theatre along with Zac Effron and Zendaya. The film was a passion project of Hugh’s and it’s clear to see the effort and passion that has gone into the film.

The film contains visually engaging set pieces with catchy songs and like all good musicals the songs help progress the story. Going back to the divide between audiences and critics, it’s clear that the critics feel the film does not accurately portray PT Barnum. The film takes a rather romanticised version of his story showing him as a more sympathetic character compared to what history will tell you.  

I feel however that Hugh Jackman wanted to make a film that was entertaining to audiences and carry a strong message of being proud of who you are and no matter what there will always be a place for you in the world. From strong performances to wonderfully catchy songs The Greatest Showman is definitely a crowd pleaser and more than worth buying a ticket for the show!