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Thursday, 12 May 2016
The Angry Birds Movie
This review may contain spoilers!
This is probably going to be the worst animated film I watch this year. I would give The Angry Birds Movie a 2.5/10.
The most successful aspect of the plot in this film is the character of Red and how his backstory is depicted, his loneliness and isolation makes you feel bad for him so it's all the more satisfying when he's welcomed in the Bird community at the end of the film. I'll also admit that the animation was pretty good, though it really was the best in action sequences; seeing the Birds fly through the air and attack the Pigs was immensely satisfying.
Keegan-Michael Key, who voiced Judge Peckinpah, was one of the more iconic and stand out voices in this film; Key presents a figure who's very gruff and full of bluster. Bill Hader, who voiced Leonard, made for a pretty good antagonist in this film; Leonard was very sly and one of the more entertaining characters of the film.
However the best performance came from Jason Sudeikis, who voiced Red. Sudeikis did a great job at presenting the film's protagonist, he really showed the role's bitter attitude. Red was a role that had an underlying desire to belong and that was one of the more touching qualities of this film. Ultimately Sudeikis is a great comedic actor and he presents some really funny deadpan humour in this film.
This film has some incredibly crude humour for an animated film aimed at kids, I was actually disappointed at the amount of terrible jokes. While the story of Red kicks the film off to a good start it is the very abrupt introduction of the Pigs that brings the film down. There is no set up for the villains of the film, they're quite boring and two dimensional as far as animated bad guys go; between these villainous characters and the lack of chemistry between the rest of the voice cast the film starts to drag early on. The soundtrack for this film is awful, nothing works towards creating a consistent sound for this film.
Peter Dinklage, who voiced Mighty Eagle, is far too over the top even for this film; his vain character isn't funny or likeable. Maya Rudolph, who voiced Matilda, is one of the most boring and stereotypical characters of the film; she's the zen meditating woman that you see in any film with a zen meditating woman. Danny McBride, who voiced Bomb, should probably consider classes in voice acting, his performance was extremely wooden and hard to listen to. Josh Gad, who voiced Chuck, has had a pretty terrible track record with his recent films; Gad's role is annoying and not funny in the least.
Wednesday, 11 May 2016
Eye In The Sky
This review may contain spoilers!
A truly horrifying and insightful glimpse into the moral debate of drone warfare. I would give Eye In The Sky a 9/10.
This film is essentially a debate and it's by no means a simple one, it asks whether it is justifiable to use drones to kill terrorist cell leaders if it means civilians will die in the process. It's an extremely relevant debate and there is a lot of controversy around this subject in the world today. There is no doubt that this film condemns drone warfare and the consequences of this type of warfare but it still makes a compelling argument for the necessity of drone warfare and why this type of attack exists. The incredible discussion within the film as well as the mounting suspense means this film flow really well, there is a great sense of pacing. The cinematography in this film looks really good, mostly everything is just framed really well and there's a great contrast between the static military spaces and the busy world of the Kenyan streets. The score for this film is linked to the success of the film, the music used creates this atmosphere of tension and uncertainty as well as a building sense of horror. The special effects in this film are minimal but look quite good; the CGI models of the beetle and the drone look pretty good, however the most stand out effect in this film is the explosion that could be described as the greatest scene of the film.
Faisa Hassan, Aisha Takow and Armaan Haggio, who played Fatima Mo'Allim, Alia Mo'Allim and Musa Mo'Allim respectively, are the heart of the film; the way this family acts and interacts makes the audience care so much that when young Alia dies at the end of the film it's all the more profound. Helen Mirren, who played Colonel Katherine Powell, really developed from the film's protagonist to quite an antagonistic figure; I liked seeing her frustration and almost blind desire to kill her targets. Aaron Paul, who played Steve Watts, is quite reserved and by the books when first we meet him in this film; however the amount of emotion Paul shows when he attempts to defend Alia is exceptional. Babou Ceesay, who played Sergeant Mushtaq Saddiq, played a very submissive role in this film; Ceesay did a great job of showing his discomfiture under Mirren and you really feel the pressure he faces. Carl Beukes, who played Sergeant Mike Gleeson, is one of the few roles who contests Mirren's actions exceptionally well; he reminds us that there is culpability for any misguided actions that would take place. Monica Dolan, who played Angela Northman, very sternly reminds us of the value of human life in this film; the ferocity with which she battles for 'capture not kill' option is admirable. Barkhad Abdi, who played Jama Farah, was quite an earnest risk taker in this film; it felt like Abdi's character was one of the few intelligence/military agents who cared about civilian life. Iain Glen, who played James Willett, is rather comical at first in this film; however Glen is one of the best cast members suited to debating and discussing the severity of committing to a drone strike.
However the best performance came from Alan Rickman, who played Lieutenant General Frank Benson. Rickman is first introduced rather comedically, almost in an attempt to remind us of the absurdity of ordinary Western life. As the film goes on we seem him struggle to gather a decision from a group of extremely indecisive or opposed people. As I previously stated this film ultimately condemns drone warfare yet it debates for the other side of the argument strongly as well. A big part of that is Rickman's performance, his military role reminds us of the consequence of war and that peaceful action is not always an option.
The editing in this film wasn't particularly exciting, the cutting was extremely basic and this was probably to ensure a longer running time. The one quality that really hurt the plot was the number of characters in this film, throughout the feature character after character was introduced to the point it became hard to keep up with everyone which was rather frustrating.
Warren Masermola, who played Agent Atieno, didn't have much screen presence in this film; for an on the ground operative he didn't really do all that much. Phoebe Fox, who played Carrie Gershon, was perhaps a bit too emotive and shaky to be a soldier; a lot of the film it felt like she was playing he role's emotional extremes way too high. Lemogang Tsipa, who played Matt Levery, was the third member of the drone team apparently; unfortunately he was never part of any of the plot that mattered nor did he have any particular impactful dialogue. Gavin Hood, who played Lt. Colonel Ed Walsh, was a bit of a stock character; his stereotypical military commander was rather bland to watch. Ebby Weyime, who played Damisi, didn't do a lot for the film; she never even had any chemistry with Abdi the one actor she worked alongside. Vusi Kunene, who played Major Moses Owiti, was a boring military role; he made the Kenyan side of things a bit dull to observe. Francis Chouler, who played Jack Cleary, was one of the most forgettable characters in the British office; his constant exits and entrances were the most noteable thing about him. Richard McCabe, who played George Matherson, gave a good attempt in this film but ultimately didn't make much of an impact; McCabe had a role that was just too two-dimensional for his own good. Jeremy Northam, who played Brian Woodale, gave a cowardly performance that felt out of place in this film; Northam gave a flimsy delivery and showed himself to be a weak link in the British office cast. Kim Engelbrecht, who played Lucy Galvez, didn't have much of an active role in this film; while she did receive a lot of screen time most of it was just bogged down with exposition delivery. Laila Robins, who played Ms Jillian Goldman, was a character that was introduced far too late to be interesting; her brief speech barely leaves an impression.
Friday, 6 May 2016
The Man Who Knew Infinity
This review may contain spoilers!
This film is like The Imitation Game, the only major differences being it has an Indian protagonist and it's a whole lot more boring. I would give The Man Who Knew Infinity a 4.5/10.
This film did a great job of portraying the genius of the main protagonist and how he built a relationship with the English professor who aided him in getting published. There was also a focus upon the racial prejudice against the Indian people during this time period and I thought this was shown quite well. The score for this film is quite important because it signifies the Indian roots of the film itself, we are also made to visualise the emotional struggles of Ramanujan through the music.
Jeremy Irons, who played G.H. Hardy, was a very gruff yet likable role in this film; it was quite important to see how well his relationship with Ramanujan developed. Dhritiman Chatterjee, who played Narayana Iyer, was a great mentor figure for Ramanujan before the England segment of the film; his constant reassurance and optimism were good qualities to see during this initial low point. Arundathi Nag, who played Komalatammal, was a great minor antagonist towards Bhise in this film; her out of touch manner and harmful actions made a strong mark upon the story. Toby Jones, who played Littlewood, was a very good-natured character and performance in this film; he had an incredible amount of chemistry with Irons from there very first scene together onwards. Anthony Calf, who played Howard, was a great recurrent antagonist to this film; his outburst towards Ramanujan is one of the most shocking and raw scenes of the film. Kevin McNally, who played Major McMahon, was the perfect display of character development in this film; he begins as a very vocal opponent of Ramanujan but by the end of the film expresses a completely different view which i thought was superbly performed. Shazad Latif, who played Chandra Mahalanobis, was one of the first genuine welcoming members of Cambridge that Ramanujan meets; I liked seeing a character who recognised and indicated important cultural qualities of Ramanujan as a character.
However the best performance came from Dev Patel, who played S. Ramanujan. patel is brutally honest in his performances, showing all the qualities of his character in a very open way. It is because of this method of performance that we find Patel so easy to connect with, he is a character that can very much be emphasised with. Patel shows the raw anger, humiliation, embarrassment and pain that Ramanujan experiences extremely well, some of the scenes where he presents these specific qualities are very shocking and hard to watch.
This film has terrible pacing and drags on for far too long, a big reason for this is that this film is obsessed with either talking about racial prejudice from time to time or focusing solely upon the mathematical proofs aspect of the main plot which is quite boring. Sadly the more exciting qualities of this film, such as the subplot between Ramanujan and his wife or the outbreak of the first World War, are neglected in favour of more lethargic scenes. The cinematography is agonisingly simple, the framework is basic and there was no real effort to create a visual style. The editing if simple, movement between shots isn't exciting and only serves to slow the pace of the film down further.
Stephen Fry, who played Sir Francis Spring, has no real reason to be in this film; Fry makes no mark and isn't particularly important to the film as a whole. Devika Bhise, who played Janaki, had no chemistry with Patel at all in this film; as a result the romantic subplot between the two of them felt awkward and forced. Padraic Delaney, who played Beglan, faded into the background more often than not; Delaney's only real purpose in this film was to create a dialogue for Irons to play against. Jeremy Northam, who played Bertrand Russell, didn't have much of a screen presence in this film; his purpose seemed to be to remind the audience of the impending war but it didn't help make that aspect of the film any more exciting. Richard Johnson, who played Vice Master Henry Jackson, was far too important a character to be given such a small role within the film; Johnson played a figure who could've been an interesting character if given the screen time to work with. Nicholas Agnew, who played Andrew Hartley, was an awkward addition to the cast of this film; his interaction with Patel and Latif felt out of place and a bit forced.
Thursday, 5 May 2016
Florence Foster Jenkins
This film is quite a bit of a fun and you'll leave the cinema with a grin on your face I'm sure. I'd give Florence Foster Jenkins a 7/10.
This film is rather comedic in how it presents itself, it presents a scenario that is quite artificial and wacky but at the same time manages to be enchanting and entertaining. This is a story that will keep you hooked throughout, Florence is a gem of a character and the journey she takes you on in this film is quite a fun one. The music in this film is used really well, the best part is how off-key music performed by Streep is used for comedic purposes. I also really enjoyed the editing, it helped create the older vibe of this period piece with the transitions that were used.
Hugh Grant, who played St Clair Bayfield, has a lot of passion and chemistry with Streep in this film; I liked that he had two sides to his life and that we saw the duality of his role in this film. Nina Arianda, who played Agnes Stark, was the perfect casting for this boisterous incredible performer; her support for Florence at the end of the film was one of my favourite scenes. David Haig, who played Carlo Edwards, makes the singing lessons a really entertaining part of the film; the stock serious performance contrasting with the events themselves is extremely funny.
However the best performance came from Meryl Streep, who played Florence Foster Jenkins. Streep has always been famous for being a powerhouse actress and you can see it without a doubt in this film. I thought she did a great job of playing out the disillusions of her character; her off-key singing was especially a funny quality of the film. However Streep shows the deep sadness of her role that exists below the surface, the tragic backstory of Florence is explored and her dependence upon the other characters is constantly displayed.
I found that this film let itself down in places by being either too over the top or playing too closely with the tragic biopic aspect; there needed to be more of a middle ground between the two forms of storytelling rather than bouncing back and forth between the two extremes. I also found the cinematography in this film to be quite static, the visuals of this film never really looked too impressive beyond the editing.
Rebecca Ferguson, who played Kathleen, gave a relatively good performance but was never explored as a character much; I thought her subplot with Grant was necessary but she felt more like a plot device than a role in this film. Simon Helberg, who played Cosme McMoon, gave a performance that was far too over the top even for this film; Helberg was a bit too quirky and didn't ever feel like a real person. David Mills, who played Augustus Corbin, wasn't a very necessary role in this film; Mills felt like a last ditch effort to make Ferguson a bit more relevant to the film.
Sunday, 1 May 2016
Captain America: Civil War
This film is probably one of the more thought provoking films Marvel has done and I'd say it certainly does the Marvel characters the most justice. I would give Captain America: Civil War an 8.5/10.
This film knows how to hook it's audience, this is one of the longest Marvel movies thus far and it was masterfully paced. From the great opening scene against Crossbones at the start of the film, to the introduction of Bucky, to the mounting conflict between Cap and Iron Man that resulted in a brilliant end to this film. What this film did really well was give each character in this film a moderate amount of focus, you come to enjoy how each individual impacts this story. The cinematography for this film was mindblowing; there was great framing for dialogue scenes but immense epic shots for the big battle sequences. The score for this film was very powerful and worked so well with the scenes in this film; the scores for the Marvel films are some of the best that we get out of blockbusters. The special effects in this film looked great, everything was very detailed and looked quite realistic. The fight choreography was one of the best parts of the film, frankly the fighting in this film is the best of any Marvel film to date.
Chris Evans, who played Captain America, really embodies the moral leader that Cap is in these films; he performs this incredible resolve really well. Robert Downey Jr, who played Iron Man, really showed Stark spiralling out of control quite well in this film; I loved the blind rage we got from Stark when he found out Bucky killed his parents. Scarlett Johannson, who played Black Widow, has some great chemistry with the rest of the cast in this film; I really enjoyed seeing her engage with her friends and attempt to support them. Sebastian Stan, who played Bucky Barnes, really showed the pain and guilt his character was carrying around well in this film; I liked the chemistry between him and Evans which only grew as the film went on. Anthony Mackie, who played Falcon, had such a strong presence in this film; he's a fiercely loyal role and I've always found Mackie to be quite entertaining with his line delivery. Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye, has gotten better and better the more films he's appeared in; I liked the scene in the prison where he confront Stark about the morality of imprisoning the Avengers. Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther, has a fairly good introduction into the Marvel universe; I appreciated how Boseman portrayed the blind determination his role had to kill Bucky. Paul Bettany, who played Vision, was quite charming in this film; I enjoyed the chemistry between Bettany and Olsen and I liked how he was trying to understand himself better as a living being. Elizabeth Olsen, who played Scarlet Witch, was one of my least favourite parts of Age of Ultron as some of you will know but in this film Olsen has completely changed my mind; as a character Scarlet Witch is still trying to gain control of her powers and find herself a bit so it was brilliant seeing her character development in this film. Tom Holland, who played Spider-Man, might not be the best Spider-Man performance that we've had but he does a pretty incredible job; Holland nails the quick dialogue and funny qualities of the role. Frank Grillo, who played Crossbones, really kicked the film off in a big way; I liked seeing his raw hatred for Cap as well as his incredible menacing presence. William Hurt, who played Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross, was quite a stern government figure in this film; He really rallied well against Cap and was an interesting role.
However the best performance came from Paul Rudd, who played Ant-Man. It's really hard to pick a favourite role in a film like this, there are so many stand out performances but for me personally Rudd was the best. I loved how he worked within Cap's Avengers; he was immediately a very energetic and comedic role. Rudd was having fun in this film and ramped the film back up to 110% when he was introduced. I loved seeing him become Giant Man and I look forward to his future performances within the MCU.
After the great start of this film there is a major drop in energy, Stark is doing a TED talk and goes through a few emotional problems relating to his character; these moments around Stark's character aren't particularly interesting and they even feel a little awkward. When the Sokovian Accords come into play and Black Panther is introduced the energy still doesn't pick up, it takes Bucky being introduced for the film to find it's fast energy again. I also thought that Zemo as an antagonist was a weak example of a main villain; he's a pretty patchwork villain that only really exists to be a conduit for conflict to be created in the plot. My only other real complaint is quite minor, the giant setting title transitions were a bit jarring, when they appeared onscreen I was pulled right out of the film.
Don Cheadle, who played War Machine, is a role that I normally love but who was so bland in this film; Cheadle wasn't funny nor did he have much of a voice in the stuff that matters when it came to the film's plot. Emily VanCamp, who played Sharon Carter, was the token love interest of the film; it was bad enough that she was an unnecessary romance subplot but worse than that was that her romance with Cap took away from the death of Peggy Carter in the film. Daniel Bruhl, who played Zemo, was quite a boring antagonist in this film; he lacked screen presence and I feel like the story could have been a lot more interesting if they made him more engaging or if they had removed him all together. Martin Freeman, who played Everett K. Ross, was completely unnecessary in this film; instead of casting Freeman they should have just given Hurt more screen time. Marisa Tomei, who played May Parker, was poorly written and porrly cast; I've never seen someone so completely out of character in all the Marvel movies. John Kani, who played King T'Chaka, didn't have much screen presence in this film; because his role was never really well explored his death didn't feel that major. John Slattery and Hope Davis, who played Howard Stark and Maria Stark respectively, weren't very interesting cameos in this film; Davis particularly did a bad job of making an impression. Alfre Woodard, who played Miriam, gave quite an awkward portrayal of grief in this film; her scene with Downey was strange and seemed to come out of nowhere. Gene Farber, who played Karpov, never had much impact upon the film; It's a shame because he could have made Bucky's backstory really engaging if he'd left more of a mark.
Friday, 29 April 2016
Mother's Day
This review may contain spoilers!
This film has an incredible cast that did a great job with a less than perfect script. I would give Mother's Day a 4.5/10.
This was a really charming film with a multitude of individual storylines to get invested in, I found this to be a pretty interesting style because it meant the film was relatively well paced. I thought there was a great sense of humour throughout the film, but when the film isn't aiming to be funny it can land some pretty impactful emotional moments when it wants to. The soundtrack for this film works pretty well with the general tone, I thought Jason Sudeikis singing "The Humpty Dance" was a really fun use of musical comedy.
Jennifer Aniston, who played Sandy, did a great job of playing quite an erratic character; I think Aniston made a character who could have been very hard to like easier to connect with and quite funny. Timothy Olyphant, who played Henry, brought out the qualities of his character that made his character dislikeable quite easily; what spoke for Olyphant's character is that he displays a more charismatic and caring side as the film progresses. Shay Mitchell, who played Tina, was immediately quite likable and full of energy in this film; Mitchell refused to be written off as the 'young mistress' and molded a memorable character. Hector Elizondo, who played Lance Wallace, gave some great lines in this film; he built a strong relationship with Roberts and really brought some of the more inspirational messages behind this film to the forefront. Margo Martindale, who played Flo, is one of the few actresses capable of pulling off the character development her role went through; Martindale is fantastic at playing these kind and compassionate roles. Aasif Mandvi, who played Russell, had some great chemistry with Hudson in this film; I loved his comedic introduction to Jesse's parents. Sarah Chalke, who played Gabi, really bounced off Hudson well; she felt like a very natural choice to play her sister. Cameron Esposito, who played Max, had a lot of chemistry with Chalke in this film; I really appreciated this lesbian subplot it was very well done. Jason Sudeikis, who played Bradley, was a bit of a surprise for me in this film; I never expected to see Sudeikis do such great work with a dramatic role. Ella Anderson, who played Vicky, was one of the funniest performers in the film; I loved the scene between her, Sudeikis and the football ref.
However the best performance came from Kate Hudson, who played Jesse.Hudson gave a very laidback performance and I feel like that's exactly what this film needed, her character was able to make comedic asides and fun exchanges with other actors quite naturally. In saying that I liked her storyline about being in a bi-racial relationship; she portrayed her character's emotions on the matter extremely passionately.
This film didn't always seem to know what it was trying to say; for example the racist parents are still racist by the end of the film and Julia Roberts turns her daughter's wedding into a media circus. There's no real moral compass behind this film, everything feels up in the air and nothing concludes in a manner that's very satisfying. The film also failed to create convincing connections between characters, most of the time it stretched belief by saying characters knew each other through a flimsy excuse. The cinematography for this film wasn't very good, the framing was quite basic and nothing showed much creativity. The editing for this film was incredibly jarring, sometimes a scene would cut from one storyline to another at a really awkward moment.
Caleb Brown and Brandon Spink, who played Mikey and Peter respectively, weren't very funny in this film; they also shared a chemistry that felt a bit awkward. Julia Roberts, who played Miranda, presented a character who was very artificial; she became a hard character to connect with in this film and you never really empathised with her. Adreana Gonzalez, who played Publicist Inez, didn't have very much screen presence in this film; a big reason for this was because she had very little chemistry with Roberts and Elizondo. Robert Pine, who played Earl, felt like he was trying a little too hard to be funny in this film; ultimately his role was the weak link of the parents from Texas storyline. Owen Vaccaro, who played Charlie, wasn't a very good child actor; Vaccaro was quite a forgettable performer in this film. Anoush NeVart, who played Sonia, was a funny performer who could've been interesting with a little more screen time; her sudden relationship with Martindale wasn't very believable. Jessi Case, who played Rachel, didn't have much chemistry with Sudeikis in this film; her outbursts and awkward interactions with other performers made her character extremely hard to understand. Loni Love, who played Kimberly, was given far too much screen time in this film; I didn't understand why her role kept barging so forcefully into the lives of these other characters. Grayson Russell, who played Tommy, was pitched as a bit of a heart-throb in this film; I mean look him up on IMDB and you'll see why I found that so hard to buy. Britt Robertson, who played Kristin, started out as quite an aspiring actress but her roles seem to be getting progressively worse; Robertson's flippant role in this film isn't at all grounded. Jack Whitehall, who played Zack, has some great moments when he's doing stand up but doesn't have the acting talent to play a dramatic role; Whitehall has absolutely no chemistry at all with Robertson in this film which makes for a boring storyline. Gary Friedkin, who played Shorty, was a little person being the butt of little people jokes; I never get the need for roles like this.
Thursday, 28 April 2016
Eddie The Eagle
This film is inspirational and filled me with joy. I would give Eddie The Eagle a 9/10.
Sometimes you need a light film that keeps things simple and knows how to make it's audience feel good, Eddie The Eagle has this tone in spades. I was honestly hooked throughout the run of this entire film because I was invested in Eddie's journey to the Olympics; at first I thought the pacing was down to how funny the film was but by the end of the film I realised how much I really had connected with the main character and his journey. The cinematography in this film is spectacular, the camera is particularly good at showing the immense scale of some of the jumps that are made in this film. The editing for this film is also really well done, everything feels quite natural and visually the film has a great flow to it. The score for this film is also really powerful to go alongside some of those incredibly jaw-dropping scenes, however it's the soundtrack that I think will really stick in your mind after watching this film.
Tom Costello and Jack Costello, who played 10 Year Old Eddie and 15 Year Old Eddie respectively, gave us a great introduction into the title role of this film; they had the exact same witticisms as Egerton in their performances. Jo Hartley, who played Janette, was quite a likable role in this film; the support and faith she had in Eddie made her a true pleasure to watch. Keith Allen, who played Terry, was great at playing the gruff and distant father figure in this film; Allen did such a great job at portraying these qualities that the reconciliation between him and Eddie was made all the better by the end of the film. Taron Egerton, who played Eddie Edwards, was a great protagonist for this film; Egerton is very good at portraying inherently comedic characters but he also performs roles that you can connect with. Tim McInnerny, who played Dustin Target, was one of the few good antagonistic performers in this film; McInnerny is great at presenting a snobby role that rallies very strongly against Eddie in this film. Edvin Endre, who played Matti Nykanen, was a really interesting minor role in this film; the elevator scene he shares with Egerton at the end of the film is extremely profound. Iris Berben, who played Petra, had a great presence in this film and was quite a tease to say the least; Berben had some great line delivery and certainly made her mark on the film. Jim Broadbent, who played BBC Commentator, had the perfect voice to portray a commentating role; the key to his performance was eloquent description which he presented perfectly. Christopher Walken, who played Warren Sharp, had a fantastic presence in this film despite having only two scenes and one voice-over; Walken built an incredible rapport with Jackman in the scene they shared together and it was one of my favourites of the film.
However the best performance came from Hugh Jackman, who played Bronson Peary. Jackman is really good at playing characters with a hard exterior that eventually gives way to quite a caring persona in films. In this particular feature you see him as being quite indifferent and almost downtrodden at first, by the end of the film he's become a very exuberant and earnest coach which was some great and well performed character development. I loved the chemistry he had with Egerton, they bounced off of one another very naturally.
This film suffers from something that underdog biopic films suffer from: a sense of safety. Eddie takes several bad crashes in this film but you know for a fact that by the end of this film he'll succeed and so the film is robbed a bit; it never really feels like Eddie is in true danger. This film also has some minor offbeats, particularly moments of comedy that didn't feel natural to the story.
Mark Benton, who played Richmond The BOA Official, was an antagonist in this film that lacked screen presence; his performance was constantly being eclipsed by McInnerny. Mads Sjogard Pettersen, who played Erik Moberg, was an antagonist that never had any menace to him; his confrontation with Jackman didn't even feel like a big deal. Marc Benjamin, who played Lars Holbin, felt quite unnecessary in this film; he acted as antagonist and bystander in several scenes but his role never seemed to have much purpose. Rune Temte, who played Bjorn The Norwegian Coach, felt like a cartoon villain; his performance was very over the top and didn't seem at all grounded in reality. Daniel Ings, who played Zach, was a very rushed antagonist that was swiftly inserted into the last act of the film; Ings' motivation for antagonising Eddie was never really made very clear and so he became one of the weaker characters of the cast.
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