PERSEPOLIS MOVIE REVIEW

Persepolis takes place during Iran’s Islamic Revolution from the 1970s to the 1980s. The film is told from the perspective of a young girl named Marjane who grows up during this time. 

The film is based off the graphic novels of Marjane Satrapi which are a semi-autobiographical account of her life growing up in Iran. From the start of the film it’s clear that Marjane is very curious of her surroundings, always asking questions, sometimes to the point of irritation of her peers.
The film is also animated and is limited to a monotone colour palette helping emphasise the sombre tone of the film. The animation is very striking and some of the more surreal imagery is visually effective in showing Marjane’s child-like view of her world. 

We follow Marjan’s family as they deal with this huge political and social change within their country. Once things start to take a dark turn in, order to keep Marjane safe they send her away. 

The film explores Marjane’s experience with pop culture, specifically western pop culture. It delves into the traditions of her culture and the impact it has on the women of Iran. It’s this balance of cultures that stand as Marjane’s core conflict. 

Persepolis tells a personal story of coming of age, hope, discovery and dealing with different cultures and the difficulties they present. It’s clear to see the passion behind the project in the engaging characters, story and animation. Satrapi succeeds in providing a snapshot into Iranian culture and the journey she has gone through to reach this point. 

HEAVENLY CREATURES REVIEW

Heavenly Creatures is a 1994 film by Peter Jackson who both directed and wrote the screenplay along with his wife Fran Walsh. The film is based on the true story of Juliet Hulme and her best friend Pauline Parker as they form a close bond and the terrible lengths they go to to keep their relationship intact.

The film follows Pauline, a quiet slightly frumpy girl who doesn't seem to have a lot of friends, this changes when a new girl joins the her class, Juliet. Juliet is smart, free spirited and lively and the pair soon become good friends.

They share their love of stories, drawing, film stars and music. the girls become inseparable and spend almost all their time together. As the film progresses we start to see some of the demons the girls carry with them and how similar they are. Pauline injuring her leg when she young and having to spend a lot of time bed-bound. Juliet too fell ill at a young age and she was left alone for several months to recover.

Its this fear of abandonment and loneliness that strongly connects the girls, as no matter what happens they will always have each other. This is when the parents of the girls start to become concerned with the amount of time they're spending together leading to the speculation of the girls sexuality. The parents make several attempts to separate the girls which leads them to concoct a plan to make sure they can stay together.

The film showcases the trials and tribulations of being a teenager and trying to discover who you are, it delves into the psyche of the girls and how they cope with their past and interfering parents. They are several scenes in which the girls travel to their imagined world a kingdom of their own creation to escape the horrors of the reality.  Despite the film's dramatic and horrifying ending, it allows us the see the journey that led them to this conclusion and maybe understand why they would commit this act.

The film manages to blend its genre, taking a mostly dramatic tone but there overtones which wouldn't be out of place in a horror film as the film builds to its close. A strong dramatic emotional film that captures the tragedy and danger of friendship and love and serves as a strong showcase for Jackson's talent which he would go on to solidify in his magnum opus, The Lord of The Rings Trilogy seven years later.

THE INCREDIBLES 2 REVIEW

I have always been a huge Pixar fan, ever since I saw Toy Story on VHS, I have enjoyed pretty much every movie Pixar has made with one or two exceptions, *cough* Cars 2 *cough*. one of my favourites is The Incredibles directed by Brad Bird, who also directed The Iron Giant and Ratatouille both films I also really enjoy.

The Incredibles was a fun action adventure following the Parr family as they adapt to a world that has banned superheroes. the first film came out in 2004, so it has been over ten years waiting for a sequel so no pressure Brad!

The Incredibles 2 picks up moments after the original ended, with Mr Incredible and his family taking on the Underminer. The Underminer escapes however and the damage caused leaves the public feeling bitter and the government cancels the superhero relocation programme leaving the Parr family stranded without financial aid. a lifeline is giving to them in the form of Winston Deavor, CEO for a large telecommunications company with the aim to improve the superhero image and bring them back into society.

This time however we follow Mrs Incredible as she is asked to help kickstart Winston's plan much to the dismay of Mr Incredible who thought he was going to be chosen. It's a welcome change to let Mrs incredible take the reins as the last film focused heavily on Mr Incredible.
The film then follows these two threads with Mrs Incredible of fighting bad guys and being super while Mr Incredible must look after the kids leading to all kinds of problems and usually contains the film's funniest moments. there are plenty of fun cameos such as Frozone and Edna Mode and some great additions in some of the new superheroes introduced.

Looking at the film technically, the animation has improved significantly, the films looks incredible, no pun intended, the characters are still as fun and likeable as you remember with essentially the entire cast returning to reprise their roles bar Dash who's voice actor has grown up and likely had his voice break. The soundtrack is also great in keeping with the punchy superhero vibe of the original.
If I had to chose one aspect of the film I didn't like, it would be the villain. in the first film you had Syndrome who worked very well as he had a personal connection to Mr Incredible. The villain is kept a mystery in this film for a large portion of the film only being revealed in the last act. The villain here feels a little undercooked and the reveal isn't so shocking with many people admitting they saw coming.

I feel that since such a gap was left in between films, expectations were just too high and it was never going to exceed the original, however Incredibles 2 is a well acted, animated sequel that should give fans of the original alot to enjoy and is a worthy addition to the Pixar line up.

Overall Incredibles 2 was just not quite as good as the original but I really enjoyed the movie and I'm glad to see that Brad Bird has yet to disappoint me with his animated films. Would highly recommend 8/10.

EQUALIZER 2 REVIEW (MINOR SPOILERS)

Equalizer 2 is the sequel to 2014 film "The Equalizer" directed by Antoine Fuqua. The sequel again stars Denzel Washington as the deadly ex marine Robert McCall.

At the end of the first film we left off with Robert offering his services to those in need, he had become the equalizer trying to right the wrongs of the world. The sequel begins with a sequence on a train with McCall disguised as a Turkish man. as expected Robert engages with his targets and swiftly dispatches them, returning a child to her mother who had been kidnapped.

It was a promising start, however as the movie progressed it's flaws began to show. Compared to the original which goes along at a steady pace with action set pieces sprinkled throughout. The sequel suffers from pacing issues and at times I felt bored. The film focuses alot more on the relationships Robert has with the few people close to him, specifically his old marine partner. There's good chemistry between the two and their scenes together are great.

For a large portion of the film there's a lack of agency as there's no main antagonist for Robert to fight, again comparing to the original, the Russian mobster is a constant threat to Robert keeping the film focused. This is where the sequel fails as it isn't until we are a good half an hour into the film does the plot focus on a single narrative, who attacked Robert's friend from the CIA, Susan.

Robert then goes on a manhunt to find those responsible, there are a few twists and turns on the film that keep the hunt interesting. when the ones responsible have been revealed the climax of the film involves Robert returning to his seaside home during a storm and a game of cat and mouse ensues with Robert picking them off one by one. the climax fails to pack the same punch the original gave especially with the badass soundtrack combined with it. the sequel's soundtrack feels very muted and doesn't utilise the original's theme as effectively.

I really enjoyed the original Equalizer, it was a fun action thriller that knew what it was. The sequel tries to be something more, with a stronger push towards drama, it ultimately fails in this as it sacrifices the constant action and pacing from the original. The best praise I will give the film is that Denzel Washington is on fine form, an actor who rarely disappoints. If you enjoyed the first you will probably like this one but will find it lacking in some aspects. It should have stuck more with the formula of the original.

Above average but would only recommend if you enjoyed the original Equalizer.  6/10.

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!