Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Marvel movie ever! Even better than The Avengers, and that's saying something because I thought that was one of the best action films of all time. Maybe because it was fresh, new, and I'd never heard of these characters before, and it was well done.

I actually went in with high expectations which I don't usually do with a film like this, but came out smiling...way way impressed. Casting was great, acting was brilliant, except for Dave Bautista who was a bit stilted but what can you expect from an ex WWE wrestler, though it didn't bring down the film. Chris Pratt performed the comedy/action hero combination really well, Zoe Saldana was at her sexy green best, but the movie was almost stolen by the digital characters Groot (Vin Diesel) and Rocket (Bradley Cooper). Raccoons with big-ass weapons rule!

It never really took itself seriously and I laughed a hell of a lot more than I expected. I also have to admit, nearly had a tear or two at times when it was a little bit serious. Possibly the only fault I could find was the bad guy. A little one dimensional, but the other 99% of the film was amazing. Yes, it was heavy on special effects but mostly you didn't notice it, which is good.

No doubt a sequel is in the works...I can't wait!!

*Thoroughly Recommended

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON!

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I had high hopes for this 'Apes' movie. It's predecessor (Rise-2011) was excellent, the previews were good, the reviews weren't too bad and of course, who wouldn't love apes with guns riding horses?

It didn't take long before I forgot that the apes were special effects which is an unusual thing for me as I can usually spot a 'special effect' a mile away. This was essentially a war film, so there was a lot of action, of course, but there was enough quieter moments so it wasn't an all action slugfest.

The human acting was good (Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell) but the most applause should go to that motion capture genius Andy Serkis as Caesar, leader of the apes. The most touching moments occurred with the apes and was quite well done without being all soppy and contrived.

And baby apes are sooooo cute!

* Recommended

The Lego Movie

One big advertisement for Lego....yes!

Do I care...No!

The Lego Movie  was quite an experience and I have to say it was one of the most entertaining films I've seen in a while. It was very well made and the story, if a little hokey, was good too. Remember this is rated PG and I'm sure it only missed out on the G rating because of a few scary bits, so I wasn't expecting anything deep and meaningful.

They stayed faithful to the way Lego works but still produced a film that adults will enjoy and have fun with the 'which superhero/movie character will show up next' game. Kids will love it because it was bright and fun and there were only few serious bits.

It was just like real Lego, only alive.

Everything is awesome!

*Thoroughly recommended

Hunger Games - Catching Fire

I enjoyed the first Hunger Games film but Catching Fire wasn't as good as I expected. Definitely not on par with the original. 

It seemed to me as though there was stuff missing, and not having read the books I have no idea what that would be.

However, it was entertaining. Jennifer Lawrence is always a pleasure to watch but Stanley Tucci stole the show again...those teeth! And sadly it may be one of the last films in which we'll see the great Philip Seymour Hoffman. It's a shame his part was so small.

* Hunger Games fans will love it.

300 Rise of an Empire

Seriously, how much blood is there in a human body? Someone gets scratched in this movie and I'm sure they lose two or three pints!

Okay, now I have that out of my system...300 Rise of an Empire looks exactly like the first one but with more blood (didn't think that was possible). Don't get me wrong, it's a visual feast, with spectacular digital effects though I'm not convinced that the 3D version enhanced it any.

The acting is average, the monologues/rousing speeches were lame (possibly because of the acting) though Eva Green was quite excellent. She nearly made me want the "bad guys" win, and given how much the film-makers screwed with history anyway, they could have and no-one would have cared.

All in all I did enjoy it as a bit of escapist fun. I didn't think the two hours was a waste of my time...but the blood!

* Recommended only if you liked the first one

Man of Steel

Being a big fan of the "original" Christopher Reeve Superman movies - well, Superman 1 & 2 only, the rest were crap, and don't even get me started on Superman Returns - I didn't have high hopes of yet another Superman reboot to entertain me that much. But I was pleasantly surprised with what director Zach Snyder (300, Watchmen) came up with.

Henry Cavill as Superman was a good pick. He's certainly not the greatest actor in the world but you don't really notice it with stellar cast that surrounds him. My personal favourite was the casting of Michael Shannon as General Zod. He was extremely disturbing in Boardwalk Empire and does a great job as the baddie. I liked the change in story and it was a good not seeing Clark Kent as a bumbling idiot at the Daily Planet.

If I had any complaints it would be that some of the action was hard to see. Stuffing too many special effects into one frame. Unfortunately that issue is not just confined to this film. It seems the done thing on those big budget spectaculars.

* Recommended

White House Down

Roland Emmerich has done it again. The guy who has portrayed the world being completely wrecked to varying degrees in his past films (2012, The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day)  but this time has scaled it back and only blows up a small portion in his latest outing, White House Down.

 

I got exactly what I expected.

It's loud, light on story, heavy on explosions, a bit lame, but really, who doesn't like seeing the White House blown up? Acting is pretty good considering the material. Channing Tatum & Jamie Foxx lead a pretty good cast and almost make the story believable.

My only gripe was that some of the special effects actually looked like special effects, which is disappointing given Roland Emmerich's pedigree in this genre.

* Recommended