The World's End - Movie Review

"Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years earlier unwittingly become humankind's only hope for survival."

If you've seen the entry from my blog of my most anticipated films of 2013, you'll know this one was right up there with them. If you haven't, then let me tell you now that I'm a huge fan of these guys. Not only their work together from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz but projects that they have worked on without one another. To say I was excited for The World's End would be a sheer understatement, the closure to the infamous Cornetto trilogy was finally here and I couldn't be more pumped. After seeing it there must be many questions people are wondering; was it as good as I expected? Does it live up to a fitting "finale"? Was it as funny as the other films we've gotten from these people? Find out.

So The World's End follows five guys who return to their hometown after distancing from each other after a failed attempt of completing a famous pub crawl in which they must make their way to twelve different pubs before the night ends. I will start out with the plot and will say that it's pretty simple. What you see is what you get to be honest. If you've seen the trailers then you know exactly what to expect and there won't be anything in there that will shock you in terms of where the story is heading because you'll know exactly what this film will follow. Did I have a problem with this story? No not particularly. Right from when I first saw the trailer I thought it sounded like it could make for a pretty solid film and a fitting end to this trilogy of films that the trio had given us. However I will mention that a massive problem I had with the film and the route that it took in its third act was that I felt it became too much orientated towards the story and the comedy was then well and truly pushed aside. This is the first time that I have felt in any of these films that Edgar, Simon or Nick have created that this was the case and it was a huge factor in my disappointment with the film overall. I guess I could say that this was the clearest of the points in which this happened but I would say it's quite a regular occurrence in The World's End. It gets caught up with the several genres that it tries to balance which I would say more so lies within the writing and directing. Unlike the other two films where the humour flowed naturally and came from the central plot, this wasn't the case here. I have narrowed it down to a couple of things, one being the much higher budget this film had. I'm not particularly sure what the costs for both SOTD and Hot Fuzz were but I know this was almost double, if not more, of what Hot Fuzz cost. That is of course expected with a sci-fi film but this felt like much more explanation and depth was needed to be explained/shown. This meant that the comedy was frozen out in my opinion and made for a much less funnier film than was expected and hoped. Another was that it was on a much grander scale which meant that it was always going to be more action based than previous installments. I expected it to counter balance the comedy with or at least within these action scenes but for the most part it wasn't done.

Now Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg once again teamed up to write the script for their newest flick. I can't quite put my finger on it, maybe it was the fact that these people have been away for much longer than the gap between SOTD and HF but something didn't quite seem the same. The writing wasn't as quirky, sassy or clever as the previous two films, at least not for me anyway. There was so many times where after a joke or line was delivered, I felt like giving myself a good ol' facepalm. Too many times did jokes not only with myself, but friends and the rest of the cinema fail to deliver that I believe I'm not the only one in saying The World's End was nowhere near as funny as it's to predecessors within the 'Cornetto trilogy'. Maybe it is because they have become much more popular over the years and working on other projects in the longer absence has given them more influences or a different way of approaching films that had changed which meant they carried out the creation of The World's End differently than before. This was how I felt walking out of the film anyway, the solid and silky smooth writing that the previous two films had was just not there for me. Another thing I will mention in regards to the writing was the winks and nods to ongoing jokes from this 'mini series' of films that the trio have given us. Again this could just be me but I couldn't help but not really find them funny or relevant for the most part. I can think of one or two that fit in quite nicely and I appreciated but the rest just seemed like they got to a stage where they were shoe horning them in just for the sake of it and it didn't feel natural to what was going on in this particular story/universe.

Onto something a little more positive was the action sequences that the film contained. I will get out of the way firsthand a minor problem that drew me out a couple of times while watching them was that they came across a little obviously choreographed. That is the key to creating a great looking fight scene, having the ability to hide or cover up the fights being choreographed. I think as the film progressed and the filmmakers more than likely became much more confident with what they were doing, I either didn't notice or they did a great job of covering it up. Put that little problem aside and there was some fascinating stuff to behold! A really great job by everyone involved with these scenes whether it be the stunt doubles, choreographers, director, actors involved etc because they made for some entertaining, almost mind-blowing stuff at times. I was seriously impressed with the job that they did on this particular aspect of the film and was completely engaged every time a battle or action scene ensued. There was plenty of things that I'd never seen in a fight or action scene before and plenty of moments where I was in complete awe of what was going on and I can say Pacific Rim is the only other film to give me these experiences too so credit is certainly due in this department.

Another thing that overly impressed me was the amount of cameos that the film contained. I was in shock while watching with the amount of actors that I both noticed from previous work the guys had done whether it be Spaced, SOTD or HF or just Hollywood names that we've grown to love over the years being included. I won't spoil any because it is a great experience sitting back, watching the film and being genuinely surprised by the actors and actresses you are seeing on screen. This leads me into the main cast of the film and the performances that they delivered. I won't go overly into detail about each and every member of the cast but I will say overall I thought everyone did a good job. Now here's a problem that took me out of the film and hindered my enjoyment yet again which was Gary King, the protagonist of the film. I know that he was supposed to be stubborn, obnoxious, extremely annoying and unlikable; it was the whole point of his character. But it didn't make for good viewing for most of the film, it was just extremely uncomfortable and excessively irritating to watch an unfunny, and pretty bland character lead the line of such a talented array of actors. Don't get me wrong, I love Simon Pegg and I thought he did a great job portraying the character but Gary King just wasn't for me, not one bit.

Just a quick mention about the special effects that the film used, which I thought weren't half bad. Now this is a borderline £40 million budgeted film, which being a sci-fi movie was of course going to somewhat heavily rely on the use of special effects. We saw a substantial amount in the trailer and from the synopsis alone were to expect this department to be included a great deal. For the part that they had to play, I didn't have a problem. I know a few people who did, saying that they were too cheap looking and didn't really fit in but I feel that this was the whole desired effect of having it in there.

The last little thing that I will mention before giving my verdict for the film is another little piece of praise I have for the film and that is the editing. Not many films do I take massive notice of the editing because it is there to piece together the film, present a clear and free flowing story to the audience and determine the pacing of the film. In an Edgar Wright film, especially one from Wright, Pegg and Frost it is much more than that. The quirky, fast paced, quick cutting, juxtaposed, hip hop montage editing that is included is an absolute joy to watch. It does make for a much more entertaining film as it brings back great memories from the earlier work of the three. As well as this, it does help set certain scenes or moments of the film as well as cutting down unnecessary time spent on things that at least need to be shown for the audience to understand what is taking place. Huge praise to this department once again as this was something that I felt was definitely kept onto from the previous two films despite feeling that some things were lacking from this 'finale'.

Overall, I don't think there is a great deal to say about The World's End despite my disappointment with it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not denying the talents that this trio possesses or how well made the film is. I merely feel it wasn't anywhere near as funny as I was expecting the film to be or as funny as it should be judging from the filmmakers involved, the story it was following etc. You might get the feeling that I didn't like the film, I did. What I'm saying is that it just sadly didn't live up to the expectations that I was hoping it would. Was it ever going to? Who knows. I've been waiting for this film for many years now and was expecting it to deliver a great deal. I just feel the longer absence and branching off from projects together may have had more of an effect on the final product of The World's End than people will think.

Pacific Rim - Movie Review

"As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse."

As you can imagine, myself and plenty of others have been waiting for this one for quite some time now, so tonight was an exciting night to finally be able to sit down and get to watch Pacific Rim. The film comes from Mexican born visionary director Guillermo Del Toro who has brought such movies as Hellboy I & II, Pan's Labyrinth and many others. I'm a fan of the man's work so put that and the concept of giant robots vs giant monsters and I was sold from the start. How was Pacific Rim? Did it have great action? Did it meet my expectations? Find out.

In terms of the story and the writing, what you see is what you get. If you were expecting a layered, emotional roller coaster that would deeply invest you in all of the characters and help attach depth and emotion into each and every action they take, you've come into the wrong film. I do believe however, that there is more than enough featured in both the opening 10 minutes of the film as well as throughout its duration to invest the audience into what's going on and gives us some insight into these people's lives. It suffices for just about as much as you would expect from a summer blockbuster, which it is. I've seen a couple of reviews for the film which have sort of bashed it in this respect and I don't necessarily deem it fair. Like I said, if you were expecting much more in this department then you really didn't grasp what the filmmakers were going for. As for the writing, I'd say it is similar to what you would expect from Del Toro's American films. Not to say this is bad because it works for the style, tone and setting that is creating/implementing but it's nothing new. Plenty of cheesy one liners and campy dialogue from characters so if that is right down your street then you'll have a field day with Pacific Rim!

Now I'm going to jump straight into what you all want to here, how was the action. Would calling it f*cking awesome do it justice? I'm not sure it would. This film did an excellent job of really immersing you into the set pieces and action taking place which hands down credit goes down to Mr Del Toro who did a grand job. You really got the sense that these attacks were on a global scale and felt the full verocity of each one. If you are going to watch the film, do it right and watch it in IMAX 3D, it will enhance each and every moment of this joy ride. For me, that is the only true way to watch it, either that or normal 3D due to it being how Guillermo wanted audiences to see the film. He isn't one of these directors who will just shoehorn the experience in for extra money or as a gimmick, he truly wants the audience to feel something and for the whole experience to be enhanced as a result. It sure does it's job in the action scenes as it comes into full play. Whether it be in the control rooms of these Jaegers or outside watching them smash monsters to death, it's a sight to behold put it that way. There was some innovative sequences and fight scenes that this film had to offer which makes it a thoroughly enjoyable experience as was expected from all of the trailers we have been given. It does well and truly live up to the expectations that I had set beforehand, and definitely in this department does it deliver.

Something that must be mentioned and praised for this film is both the use of practical and CGI effects. It's a trademark of Del Toro and he more than sticks to his guns in this huge, Hollywood epic. It's something I definitely admire about him, that despite taking advantage of all of the new, innovative technology available he still wants to take the time to make the possible things look great and has them made practically. Take the control rooms of the machines that are being piloted, this could have easily been green screened and edited in. Instead the director took the time out to build a real set, have the actors come to grips with what they were working in, and had many functioning parts. This spells someone who is passionate and committed to the line of work he's in and it sure as hell depicts that on screen. He obviously couldn't have built these giant robots and monsters so special effects were indeed needed but he more than held his own by using a great blend of the two. All of the monsters looked great, I liked that they weren't really anything we'd seen before. I'd say the closest monster in a film that was similar to the ones from Pacific Rim was probably Cloverfield, and even then it's quite far off. As well I appreciated that they were somewhat similar to one another while having characteristics and features that helped strand away from the previous monster we'd seen. It seems like they had a great time coming up with these monsters and a lot of effort and thought was gone into them. This mirrors my thoughts about the Jaegers that were being used to fight the monsters. I thought they were really well done and I'm extremely glad that the idea to have humans piloting them was used. I know we knew this prior to watching the film but it would have made for such a bland, uninteresting movie in my opinion had it not been done in this way.

This leads me onto my next point which I will talk about the characters in the film, as well as mentioning the acting by the people playing them and tie this in with the universe Del Toro and Beacham created. I was truly invested with the characters for the most part within the film, which I was quite surprised about. This doesn't always have to be the case to enjoy a film, being that it is a summer blockbuster. But I did, I thought they had a decent amount of depth and likability to them which brought a whole lot more to the film than I could have imagined. I thought all of the acting was fine for what the film was worth, it definitely wasn't bad. I think they stuck to the style and tone that was expected and asked of them which Del Toro chooses to implement in all his films. It's fine, I don't think it was bad but what I will say for this particular aspect of the film was that there was some very poor accents being thrown around. Ones that I will point out that sort of distracted me throughout, maybe this is just more of a personal thing for these two actors but Idris Elba and Charlie Hunnam. I couldn't get past the American accents they were trying to put on, I don't believe it's just the fact that I know they're two British actors, I genuinely believe they just can't portray convincing American accents.

The world that was created by the writers was excellent and completely convincing at least for me. There was many things that had to be believed for the film to work to a certain degree, they weren't going to change your outcome of the film completely but for the build up and details of the plot they were necessary. These included the technology being used, the year the film was set etc it all had to be nailed in order to convince the audience and I thought they did a great job with it. When I first saw that the film was set in 2020 and I was supposed to believe that giant robots were to be built by that year I thought it was going to spoil some of the fun of the film. Luckily it didn't and I genuinely felt that the world Gulliermo Del Toro had created was a truly real one that could well be what it turns out to be 7 years down the line.

Overall, I don't have anything negative to say about Pacific Rim because it was exactly everything I was expecting it to be. You could even say it exceeded my expectations because it had a little more development and tiny details that I didn't expect including characters I really liked to watch. The action and spectacle of the film was something I would recommend for everyone to see and the true way to watch such a glorified, immaculate piece of cinema is on the big screen where it belongs.

World War Z - Movie Review

"United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself."

Possibly the largest budgeted film ever made due to all of the re shoots that it entailed so after all of this and the controversy of the film being in no way shape or form similar to the source material it claims to be based on, was it worth it? Find out.

I will start out by saying that I've never gotten round to reading the book. Although I have heard many good things about it and know the brief structure and narrative that it follows, after watching the film I know it has absolutely zero relevance to the novel. I'm not sure whether the filmmakers have actually come out and said this themselves because seeing the opening credits sure sends the message to me that they are under the influence of what they have produced does in fact stick to the source material. They couldn't be any more wrong. Having not read the book though, it didn't all that bother me until I finally saw the film. I couldn't help but think that it might have stood a chance of actually being a good or at least decent film had it been on a much smaller scale. World War Z was going for the grand scale and this is the reason it dove away from the source material. It transformed into a summer blockbuster, got Marc Forster and Brad Pitt on board and set sail to try and be an epic zombie flick. I think I could be in a small minority when saying this but it just didn't work for me. Based on all of the positive reviews and feedback the film has been getting, I went into it having some hope after seeing the atrocious trailers that were being pumped out and was under the belief that it could end up genuinely surprising me. Boy was I wrong.

Starting out with the plot, where the hell was it?! To call World War Z's plot 'paper thin' would be a sheer understatement. I think it was destined to fail after I was under the assumption that the little hints and details to what was truly going on were revealed to be about as much as we would get. Right from the get go, there is no mention or depth to what is going on, we are just shoehorned into a random family's life and end up experiencing what they are. I'd much rather have it take place a little bit beforehand and there are some tell tale signs or clues to this demise occurring rather than the family being in the car and suddenly mayhem ensues for no apparent reason. It seemed so nonsensical that I couldn't get my head around why this was the approach taken by the writers. It all makes sense when you look at the tone and style of film that they were going for. They wanted a laid back zombie action film that was going to be easily accessible and maybe be a cut above the average summer flicks that are being pumped out nowadays. I wouldn't even say it achieved that status in my eyes. There needs to be some depth and emotion going into this story for me to even care what's going on, let alone be invested in the characters we are scaling across the world with. That comes down to the writing which seems where the problems are lying. Minimal effort comes to mind when describing how the writers approached World War Z. It all seems lazy, bland work on their part and it was more or less the main reason why the film didn't work. Besides all of the rushed introductions and poor character development, there was never any true uncovering of the virus. We know that it came from around South Africa if I remember correctly but that's about the extent that I would tell you.

Before I go off on another tangent I will praise the film by saying that I liked how it didn't just stick to one place. While I have my complaints about it being on a large scale, I appreciated that they sort of put it to good use and had Gerry travelling across the globe in search of a cure and to uncover what was truly going on. It's much bigger than any other zombie flick I've seen before which I both liked and didn't like aspects about it. Like I said, travelling to these different countries gave us an insight into the global scale of this pandemic which allowed the action set pieces to flow nicely into. What it also allowed which was far more interesting was how other civilizations were dealing with this zombie attack. When Gerry was moving from country to country we got glimpses of how different cultures and people were managing to survive and their beliefs on what was happening. I found these little segments to be the most intriguing especially in Jerusalem when Gerry discovers arguably his most vital piece of information.

For those of you who haven't seen the movie, I can indeed confirm the CGI zombies are as bad as they look in the trailers. I get that for some of the scenes there is no way they could have gone practical but surely for the budget they had, they could have drafted in a team that could create some decent looking zombies in after effects. Apart from those, I actually really liked the zombies that were just people dressed up. I thought they did a good job of making them look and feel somewhat grounded and the make up work done on them was really good, credit must go to that department for their hard work.

A minuscule detail that I will touch upon was finally a zombie film has mentioned the word zombie! How simple but effective it felt to finally be heard on screen. Why filmmakers seemingly avoid the use of this word I don't know but it was somewhat refreshing to hear characters reacting to what was going on naturally. If this sort of scenario played out in real life, you would get hordes of people questioning what was going on and they would put 2 + 2 together, realizing that it might well be a zombie apocalypse. It was mentioned a few times and as soon as I heard it I was thankful that finally somebody wasn't afraid to give some life to this situation in the film industry.

Besides the story and the writing for the movie, the biggest problem for me lied within the third act. I was completely uninterested and bored with this extremely outrageous situation that the characters find themselves in (this paragraph could contain spoilers so if you haven't seen the film, skip the rest of this paragraph or be warned). After the plane that Gerry and his newly appointed partner are aboard crashes, they land in the destination they were in fact trying to get to, coincidence? Then after leaving the wreckage more or less unscathed, they turn a couple of corners and BAM, they're suddenly right where they need to be at a research facility, another coincidence? After the people inside discover who Gerry is, they all come together and try to find a cure. A plan is then devised but a swarm of zombies in the West Wing stands in their way of achieving their goal. Instantly I knew that this was the dreaded reshoots that were being heavily discussed. It feels crammed into the film and is no fit to anything that has taken place so far. The event goes from being on a global scale to the protagonist secluded in a small facility in Wales. There was much debate on the ending between the people involved and I even heard Pitt and Forster fell out over the talks for some time. Well I think the final product is just about as bad as what we were previously going to be given, maybe even worse by the sounds of things. It had no place being in the film and it just made a bland, lifeless film even worse in my opinion.

I will end in a more respectable manner than World War Z did as I'm not quite sure what to make of its abrupt finale. Was it setting itself up for a sequel? Even so, a sequel is a completely seperate piece of work from its predecessor so things should have been somewhat wrapped up or concluded with enough to touch upon in later films if this was the case. That was the feeling that I got anyway because we never truly discover whether all is fine and dandy. Not that I care as such to be perfectly honest because at that point I just wanted the film to end but for people that did enjoy the film, I've heard many complaining about this. I understand why they are annoyed as they have every right to be. It seemed like such a half-arsed attempt to quickly wrap things up that it leads me to believe it got caught up in all the reshoot business and was a last minute job to map out how it would all wrap up.

Overall, World War Z was just a lifeless summer blockbuster that I couldn't really sink my teeth into because it had the potential to be so much more. When both an idea and talent like that are put to waste it shames me to think that what these people were doing, they honestly believed was the best possible way to convert the film from the book. The majority of the film I had no care for because nothing was explained or developed which meant my interest was at ground zero and anything taking place was just dull to me. The action sequences weren't bad but it all seemed a little 'been there, done that' especially at a PG-13 rating, there wasn't much they could show. I really get the idea they approached this in the poorest way possible. Of course, they were going for the big bucks option but with the source material and general idea the film followed, a smaller scoped film with an 18 rating would be the clear approach that I would take that's for sure. Well their money making scheme seems to have failed in the midst of everything because it has seen a poor return at the box office so their choice to turn the plot into a much larger scale production has clearly backfired.

White House Down - Movie Review

"While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders."

Roland Emmerich, the master of disaster, he returns to the place that truly started his career and easily the scene of his most iconic triumph; the White House. To say I've not been a fan of Emmerich's films over the years has been an understatement, he is much more orientated towards the spectacle rather than including some much needed substance which I understand is intended to be the appeal for his films. For me though, it just isn't enough. Was White House Down any different? Find out.

If you go to into a Roland Emmerich film expecting a firmly layered and intricate plot waiting for you, you've been sadly mistaken. This is the recurring case which leads into White House Down as there isn't really much there. Thankfully I've grown to understand this so it is always there for me to remember if I ever do come across one of his films. Sometimes this can work don't get me wrong. If a film is entertaining enough and offers something else in another department then it can easily account for the lack of a detailed plot. I would say for the most part, the film manages to do so. We have a 20-30 minute intro where the build up to the big action set piece is taking place. Character development and mini backgrounds to the protagonists and major players in the game are included which attempts to convince the audience to later invest emotions into these characters. I wouldn't say I did and to be perfectly honest, this was without doubt the worst part of the film for me. If I'm going into a summer action blockbuster such as White House Down, then I want to be amazed by the action sequences and visuals as opposed to trying to give depth to a story about the White House being taken over and destroyed. It could sound like I'm actually contradicting myself here but with a Roland Emmerich movie, I don't expect this and I am more than happy for him to blow my mind with the gun fights, hand to hand combat and sheer destruction taking place. If he's never included this in his latter films, why start now?!

This partially leads me into my next point of the pacing of the film. I will first mention that this opening of attempted development was extremely slow. What was around 20-30 minutes felt like an extended period of time for me personally, I was on edge waiting for something to be destroyed or someone to be shot. It's actually an aspect of the earlier released and strangely similar 'Olympus Has Fallen' that I can appreciate - the fact that it more or less got straight into what the trailers, photos and synopsis were depicting what the film would be - sheer mayhem. For the duration, it had the generic pacing of action set piece, slow moment of characters recovering etc, followed by action set piece, etc, etc. It followed a pretty standard format and I didn't have a problem with it because again, this was something that I was expecting the film to do.

A little pet hate that this film fell into the trap of several times was including these lighter hearted moments and gags that  modern day action films feel the need to implement. They were thrown in left, right and centre and I couldn't stress how out of place they felt at times. I'll admit, a couple of times some of them made me laugh but I'm left constantly thinking to myself even after these moments "Why was that in there?". They're of course trying to appeal to more mass audiences, making it more suitable and less full on for families, making the stretch of drawing in children much wider. I don't mind them doing that but surely there are simpler, more effective ways of doing so. It feels like a really picky thing to attack the film on but it's just something I'm getting quite frankly sick to death of in films nowadays.

An aspect that Emmerich can more than outmatch many directors are the effects that he incorporates into his films. Even in the utterly abysmal '2012' there was great visual and special effects in that film that was probably worth at least sitting through it once just getting to see the sheer spectacle the man had to offer us. It's something that he very rarely fails on and I'd have to say he delivered once again. Now I've seen some people saying they thought the effects were terrible. I can vouch for them not being perfect by a long shot, in moments they had some cartoony look to them but you're bound to get that in places. I will definitely say they were leaps and bounds above that of Olympus Has Fallen in which I thought for the most part they were absolutely terrible. Even if they weren't the best effects, I certainly didn't have a problem with them and they sure as hell didn't take me out of the movie.

Emmerich has an easily recognizable signature style that each of his films have stamped on them; this is no different. I instantly knew I was watching a Roland Emmerich film from just the way it is shot. The sweeping shot following the helicopters carrying the president to the White House was symmetrical to that of The Day After Tomorrow's opening sequence where the camera swoops through the glaciers in the Antarctica. Others include his constant destruction of the American flag, over exaggeration and usage of politics to his central plot and not to mention his love of the mass destruction of America in general. If you are a fan of the man and have enjoyed all or some of his previous work, I have no doubt in saying you'll love this film and that it is right down your alley as he more than shows it is a piece of his filmmaking.

What is with the choppy, cutaway editing that films through in these days too? I'm getting sick of them trying to throw away a perfectly intriguing action sequence and attempting to make it seem much grander and hectic than it really is. It's just a cheap tool to try and trick the audience in to thinking more is happening than it actually is. Nobody is fooled or wowed by this, not to my knowledge anyway. All this does is just confuses and disorientate people, while the editor is clearly thinking they are drawing in the audience, they are in fact just uninteresting them in such an ineffective way. Since it was more or less a recurring thing throughout the action sequences, more so the outdoor ones involving Tatum and Foxx trying to escape from the mercenaries; on a whole I have to say that it was poor editing I'm afraid.

I will however praise the editing and potentially contradict myself yet again by saying the combination of that, the visuals and sound did a good job of upping the intensity and making a gripping finale. Normally for any film if you've not been wowed throughout, then the ending sequence will not do all that much for you but this wasn't the case for me. Overall, I had a good time with the film and was fairly entertained but the final sequence was great I thought. I got the real sense of the stakes being high and that everything really did come down to this, the whole fate of potentially the world in Channing Tatum's character's hands. A well executed final action sequence that left me pretty satisfied until of course the ending. If you haven't seen the film then just skip the rest of this paragraph while I get this off my chest. Another reason why trying to make it light hearted and fit for all is a ridiculous waste of time. "Mr President wants to do the thing" What an utterly disgraceful line and attempt a final gag from the writer which left me with a fairly sour taste in my mouth. Not to say that the rest of the film was a masterpiece but I wasn't bored like I felt I might have been from the initial trailers.

I think a couple of things that I will quickly cover includes the acting. All in all it was pretty bog standard, what you would expect from this type of flick. Nobody was particularly bad, but there won't be any Academy Award nominations for these guys. Channing Tatum was a good 'bad-ass' and maintains to be in my good books for the time being after his roles in Side Effects and 21 Jump Street. Jamie Foxx was decent, far away from many of the great performances he's given over the years but I didn't have a problem with him.  I feel by saying this I'm going to get abuse or told I'm wrong but I actually thought Joey King was quite good. She could have easily been one of the annoying child actresses that we so long for avoiding these days but she was more than bearable, in fact displayed some pretty good chops if you ask me.

Another is a minor gripe that I had which completely unsettled me throughout and was part of the reasoning that my score may seem a little harsh in the end. Now I'm not one to nit pick with films like so many do. Take The Dark Knight Rises for example, I thought it was a solid film, I picked out a few problems that it had but I certainly didn't think it was infested with problems and hiccups like so many did. I couldn't help but point out irrational decisions, reactions, and just general flaws with the movie. Some that I had included how did these mercenaries gain access into the White House? If it the most protected location in the world, how did a group of invaders manage to fool the heavily trained guards? A simple check from a worker later on revealed all of the identities and records for these people so how they could slip past so easily is beyond me. Another was how did Emily last as long as she did roaming around, remaining undetected by the invaders? Hiding behind curtains around corners that this highly trained team would not check doesn't seem like the perfect hide and seek spot to me. There are so many others I could touch upon such as the generic twist of both *spoiler alert* James Woods and Richard Jenkins being in on the act and revealing they were bad guys all along. Or that the authorities took an awfully long time to at least devise a plan or attempt to breach the White House considering that it was the biggest attack the US had ever seen and the current President was trapped inside. But who cares ay? I guess it's one of those films where you REALLY have to suspend your disbelief. Like seriously, throw it completely out of the window. Otherwise you'll be out of the cinema within the first 10 minutes.

Overall, I can't say White House Down was terrible but it just wasn't good by any means. Don't get me wrong, I was entertained while watching it but it won't last very long in my memory that's for sure. Some cool, exciting action sequences is what you were expecting, and that is exactly what you'll get. Was it too long? Definitely. Was there some dull, drawn out scenes that could have easily been cut? Sure. Was it fun to see Tatum and Foxx take these mercenaries out and have over 2 hours of explosions? Damn right. While it was about what I was expecting on terms of quality, I had a decent time watching it while it was on so for that, it earns it's 2 stars.

At least it was better than 2012.

Monsters University - Movie Review

"A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University - when they weren't necessarily the best of friends."

A rather daunting upcoming film for Pixar as its release date neared because the company hasn't been on the best of form in recent years. The two disappointments of Cars 2 in 2011 and Brave last year meant that many people, including myself, were skeptical about how this movie would turned out. Granted at least for myself, I was never a fan of the first Cars so that sequel never interested me and Brave was a completely fresh title which meant that there was always that chance of not being as good as the other films the company has produced. Is Monsters University as good as other Pixar films? Does it live up to the expectations that audiences have had? Find out.

Starting with the plot, it was a very ballsy move for them to take from the get go. Pixar's first ever prequel and I would say it was probably the most suited for one out of the films we have previously been given by them. It totally works and I was along for the ride every step of the way, having a great time which is exactly what I expected from Monsters University. It of course centres around Mike and Sulley, the two protagonists from the first film, giving us an insight into their earlier days while attending University. It is a perfect way to re introduce these characters to audiences and give us enough of a plot with substance that was relevant and entertaining that would make for a good film. It sure did I can safely say and I loved the way that the University environment was handled. This ties more into the writing I suppose but they did a great job of including many references and jokes towards University life which helped to make it suitable for all ages. Some jokes were aimed towards children that adults could still appreciate and vice versa. Something that Pixar has handled ever so well in almost each film that they have made and is one of many reasons why they are so beloved by many.

I will get more in detail with the writing for the film and reiterate a point previously made that they do an excellent job of varying the appeal to mass audiences. It is a family film and they do an exceptional job of making it translate to a variety of age groups and keeping them entertained throughout. I've seen many complaints that say Pixar doesn't stick to its true fashion in doing so but I would say Monsters University is a prime example of the company doing so. It has many jokes that are clearly aimed at children which keeps them satisfied but this is counter balanced with things that the older viewers can enjoy which makes it such a great experience. While talking about the writing, I must say this film is actually hilarious. I honestly can't remember, aside from maybe the Toy Story trilogy, another Pixar film that has made me laugh so much. I could see this being another point that many would argue against and say that it shoehorns a little too much humour into the mix. While I could slightly agree that sometimes it does come across as forced and maybe too often are they trying to search for laughs, but you have to take into account that it is a lighthearted family film so these sorts of things are expected which makes me completely fine with the matter.

Just a small point that is essential when reviewing the film for me anyway is how well of an atmosphere and tone the film had. It had a gentle, warm hearted spirit to everything that it was just a great film to watch. It certainly helps on how much you liked the film because it definitely made me feel like a kid again for the duration. An element that Pixar time and time again captures so well in truly immersing the audience into the experience and the viewers like myself really feel young again which is an amazing feeling for 1 hour 30 minutes - 2 hour 30 minutes of running time that these films usually play for. It had the look and feel of the first film which ties into the tone because it felt like the first one was just a continuation of what we were seeing now. That when this film ended, you could stick Monsters Inc into the Blu-Ray player and it would be like we never left these characters. Kudos to Pixar for this on doing such a magnificent job of keeping the raw spirit and emotion that goes into these films and makes them as appreciated as they are.

It wouldn't be a Pixar review if the animation wasn't mentioned. The sheer time and effort that goes into this work at least makes it worthy of a mention but for how truly spectacular it looks, it makes crediting it all that bit more special. They didn't of course let down on this front which none of us thought they would as every fine detail was covered ever so well. The bright, crisp colours looked immaculate and really sharp, probably one of the better looking Pixar films that I've seen too. And that is one of the best complements this film could be given, to say that it is one of the best looking Pixar films for me means that this film looked absolutely flawless. The animators did a sparkling job of touching up locations and characters that we'd previously seen, making them feel as fresh and unscathed as the first film did. It really does have that feeling of having never left these character's lives and experiences which is just the highest honor to everybody working on this project. Making Mike, Sulley and Randall all look like younger versions of themselves was well handled and something that without the finest of details and touch ups, could have made it gone wrong and killed the effect they were trying to achieve. Thankfully Pixar delivered yet again which I expected them to and just from the trailers you get the sense that this element is in safe hands.

The pacing of the film was extremely good in my opinion, I don't think anybody can have a fault with this aspect. It never let up for a second, never gave any slow moments or stopped for anybody to catch up, it just kept on going. I thought it was probably the only way to do it, or at least the best way to handle what the film was trying to be. If Monsters University did have the slower moments, I think it could have quite easily become quite dull and uninteresting so I appreciate Pixar really going for this movie and attempting to try something a little different to the usual formula that they partake with.

Just a quick mention of the voice acting which was well done just like in most animated films, including Pixar ones. John Goodman and Billy Crystal were great once again, as was Steve Buscemi who despite not having as big of a part to play in this film as Monsters Inc, I would say I actually preferred both his work and his character Randall this time round. Some new additions that I feel are worth mentioning is definitely my favourite addition which is Charlie Day's Art. Charlie Day is a hilarious actor and his character certainly shows the talent that he has. I was laughing hysterically throughout the many funny moments and lines that his character had and by far was he the best of the new bunch for me. Others include Johnny Worthington voiced by Nathan Fillion who I thought served as a pretty decent 'villain'. The last that I will say is Dean Hardscrabble who Helen Mirren lent her voice too. I thought she did a fine job but my problem was that I really didn't like her character. I understand that she wasn't supposed to be liked by the audience, she served as another character that was getting in the way of the character's ambitions and dreams but I didn't see her serving much of a purpose to the integral story. She just seemed to randomly pop up her and then and despite her power as the Dean of the University, not particularly offer much more than that.

Overall, I'm not sure whether I really got the point across in my review but I loved this film. I had a really fun, enjoyable time watching it and I will certainly remember it for a long time to come. It served laughs, emotion, ups and downs and really steered home the point that Pixar well and truly still has got it. Monsters University I would say is without doubt in my top three films of the year so far. Will it be there at the end of the year? Only time will tell.

This Is the End - Movie Review

"While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse."

I think the first thing that should be mentioned about this film is that if you aren't a fan of these actors and their previous work, this film certainly isn't for you. I've had people asking me whether they would like it or not when they didn't like previous films such as Pineapple Express, Knocked Up, Superbad etc and This is the End follows that exact style of comedy yet again. For me, this was the perfect comedy as I loved all of the actors that the story centered around including their previous work and the type of comedy that they consistently go for so I was certainly not let down because it is what it says on the tin.

To get a little more in depth with the film, I will start with the writing. Now for a comedy, this is the department that is going to be the most heavily judged because a comedy has to be funny which comes from the writing, otherwise it has failed at carrying out its job. I can safely say this film is extremely hilarious and is one of few films that I've ever watched that has had me constantly laughing from start to finish. Gag after gag is included and I would honestly say that about 95% of the material that was included had me laughing which is an unbelievable percentage. That pretty much says to you how much I liked this film and how well written it was. Rogen and Goldberg as well as co-directing the picture both co-wrote it too and it definitely shows as their subtle touches and implementations can be clearly depicted from the film throughout.

As well as heavily laughing throughout the 1 hour 47 minute running time, I sat there with a huge smile on my face. I had an absolute blast with the film and I can definitely say it's both one of the best cinema experiences I've had in many years as well as one of the funniest comedies I've seen in years. This is a credit to just everyone involved as these returning actors and crew hit home yet again with an entertaining roller coaster ride of laughter.

An aspect of not necessarily the writing, but the dialogue in the film that audience's could have a problem with is the improvisation used. Now I'm sure most who watch these films know that many of the scenes, even some of the higher regarded ones between fans are heavily improvised which makes us love these films even more because of the actors being naturally funny rather than just having a good delivery of the lines that are put in front of them. There are many moments in this film that I could pin point as being improvised and while like I said, I have no problem with this because I find it to actually enhance some scenes but I could see why people may not enjoy it as much or at all. It's more just a heads up if you haven't seen the film, it's quite noticeable in some scenes but I thought it completely worked and I don't mind the sort of thing if it's done well anyway so I lapped it up.

Before I talk about some more elements of the movie that I appreciated/loved I well mention one thing that I was slightly disappointed with. I would have to say that this is the only gripe I could take away from the film and even then it could be called nit picking. I felt there was a mass shortage of cameos as the film went on. Since the film centered around these actors playing themselves and the hysteria began with a party at James Franco's home, I expected many more treats to be in store for us. Despite the opening 20 minutes at the party, there really is only 2 or 3 after this and don't get me wrong, they were brilliant and had me in stitches, but I just felt there wasn't enough for what the film was selling itself as. This didn't really take anything away from my enjoyment of the movie but was just something I felt needed to be mentioned and would actually hope that anybody who agrees with me would leave a comment to let me know I'm not the only one who thought this.

The amount of pop culture references and gags poking fun at bad films/acting that some of these actors had done was genius. Now I'm not saying it's not been done before but when you stick 6 actors that many of us love and find hilarious, in a house condemned inside by the apocalypse and have them rip on each other for that it was just completely brilliant and I loved every time that one of them mentioned it. It was an aspect that could have easily flopped and let the film down massively but it was done in such a way that it didn't feel like it was being shoehorned into the film and was something that the actors would rip on each other for in real life.

Acting is always a bare essential that needs to be picked upon within a film review and I would say more so in this film is it essential to the film working. Each one of these guys from Seth Rogen right down to Danny McBride is outrageously funny and they are an absolute pleasure to watch on screen. I honestly was upset when the film ended because the whole experience seemed to fly by so fast going through the situations that these characters were and laughing every step of the way. To break it down, these actors were playing exaggerated versions of themselves within an apocalyptic environment. All of their deliveries were great, their over the top reactions to events and just the general way they approached what was expected of them was really well done. This was another thing that if done wrong, could have completely tarnished whether the film was good or not. Having the actors seem too extreme and their performances as themselves a little too outrageous then the whole film would have bombed but thankfully this wasn't the case.

The last thing I will say is that if you've seen the trailer or the film itself, there was A LOT of special effects used. It's expected of course being an end of the world type film but for a comedy of a budget of around $30 million, I thought they did a really good job. For the most part, the effects of the destruction of Los Angeles looked good which for a comedy you wouldn't necessarily hang all your hopes on but it does help immerse you more into the film which I can appreciate that effort went into this department. On the other hand, I have to say that some of them including the demon/monsters that were roaming the streets looked terrible. Whether this was intentional or not, which I would say it was, it was absolutely hysterical and I would more than bet that this was the effect they were going for but even if it wasn't; it was insanely funny and worked for the film yet again.

Overall, This is the End is without doubt one of the funniest films that I've seen in years and not for one second was I surprised that this was the outcome I left with. The trailers, footage, news and information about the film all had the potential to achieve this goal and for me, I have to say it certainly did. I highly recommend watching this film with a group of friends at the cinema because you'll get a bundle of laughs, have a great time and get to see a film that you'll most certainly remember for a long time to come.