Hunter Killer

This review may contain spoilers!

In the past couple of years, Gerard Butler has really come back with some decent blockbuster features. I would give Hunter Killer a 7.5/10.

Hunter Killer is the sort of military blockbuster that will have you on the edge of your seat gripped in suspense, the scenes are set up really well to hold your attention in a state of nervousness right till the last second. While this feature is brilliantly thrilling it also manages to depict a theatre of water that we don't normally see in a feature film, the underwater depths. The submarine naval combat is fascinating to observe; everything feels monolithic yet you're still vastly aware of how small the submarines are compared to the ocean it sails through. This only ups the stakes, making every moment of conflict all the more risky and enticing. The plot really manages to weave together a fascinating narrative between that of the naval conflict, the black ops team and the command centre in Washington. The cinematography is stunning, capturing grandiose settings while proving extremely dynamic in the more confined sets. The special effects enable some great rendering of the submarine itself and the huge Russian dreadnought, really immersing you into the conflict between these two that sits at the heart of the final act. The score for the film plays to the scale of the scenes; which obviously adds to the action but also adds a lot of power behind moments in which characters give uplifting speeches or face death at the hands of the Russian radicals.

Common, who played RA John Fisk, has had a really solid year for his roles thus far; Common's RA was exemplary at keeping a level head and managing the theatre of war from afar. Gary Oldman, who played CJCS Charles Donnegan, is an extremely aggressive and antagonistic role; Oldman plays a role that feels rather relevant right now and he makes many key choices in his portrayal that conveys this. Gerard Butler, who played Captain Joe Glass, makes for a great leading protagonist who really knows how to share the screen; Butler's character is stoic yet extremely capable and diplomatic under fire. Carter MacIntyre and David Gyasi, who played XO Brian Edwards and Cob Wallach respectively, really brought forth the mood and emotion upon the greater submarine as a whole; Gyasi served to play a more moral compass for Butler while MacIntyre did a great job at portraying the fears and anxieties the crew held. Alexander Diachenko, who played President Zakarin, is extremely charismatic and fits the benevolent leader role he is in; Diachenko plays a strong leader with ever-present values well yet also shows his powerlessness in the face of unexpected betrayal. Michael Gor, who played Admiral Dmitri Durov, is a great antagonist for the film; Gor shows an almost insatiable desire for power and a hunger for a battle to ensue. Michael Nyqvist, who played Captain Andropov, gives a very subtle yet powerful performance it what is his last American feature; Nyqvist has great chemistry with Butler and the trust these characters build is the emotional centre of the film.

However, the best performance came from Toby Stephens, Michael Trucco, Ryan McPartlin and Zane Holtz, who played Bill Beaman, Devin Hall, Matt Johnstone and Paul Martinelli respectively. This group's military black ops subplot worked strongly alongside the main story and the group of actors had such fine chemistry and camaraderie that they wound up standing out strongly. Trucco and McPartlin really lent a tough vibe and immersed the audience in the military operation at hand. Holtz takes the audience on one of 'new recruit who has to prove himself' stories and it actually works rather well. I was strongly impressed by Stephens who managed to make time for funny bits of banter in amongst the action and violence; yet not for a moment does he drop the fearless leader persona he is portraying. It's rare for a group of actors to come together so strongly that it's hard to pick a single best performance, but this one is a no-brainer for me.

The first act of this film really rushes you out the gate and introduces you to a lot of characters and subplots very quickly, this can be a little jarring at first and takes time to settle in with. More significantly is how quickly Hunter Killer dives into the meat of the film, entering conflict quite early which feels a little premature when we're still processing a lot of information being given to us. The film plays the blockbuster angle very safe, the heroes and villains are just that and wouldn't come across as especially complex if the film didn't have such a solid cast. The film's pacing is quite strange because it rushes itself to act three which is where you feel like the narrative wants to be the whole time. Unfortunately, this means that a lot of the story passes by rather passively so that the real excitement can kick off later.

Linda Cardellini, who played Jayne Norquist, is quite a go-getter role that doesn't fit very securely alongside Common and Oldman; Cardellini's 'we share everything' attitude feels naive and doesn't mix well with the tone of the feature. Yuri Kolokolnikov, who played Oleg, is given a little too much screen time for the significance of his character; Kolokolnikov is quite a generic fighter/bodyguard who gets pushed from being a background figure into the spotlight rather abruptly. Caroline Goodall, who played President Dover, is quite a dry performance to watch and doesn't lend a lot to the film; the portrayal of the President should feel like a major role but in Goodall's hands the role became boring.

King Of Thieves

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I'm a sucker for heist films and this talented cast make for quite the rogueish crooks. I would give King Of Thieves a 7.5/10.

King Of Thieves is a heist film based on the true events of the Hatton Gardens 2015 burglary, in which a group of renowned thieves take on a job they'd been hoping to pull off for years. What I like about this feature is the casual camaraderie the whole cohort shares, there's a lot of banter at the expense of one another and this translates into the heist scenes, revealing how professional they are at stealing. As the film progresses it becomes intriguing to watch as the cohesiveness of this crack team falls apart; making idiotic mistakes, getting cold feet or attempting to turn upon one another. Greed gets the better of the thieves here and besmirches the code of honour that runs amongst them, it's an interesting film about the decline of an era of criminals. The cinematography looks really good, keeping steady and in motion to immerse you into the setting while also taking some creative efforts by developing shots from different security cameras. The score for the film has a gripping light edge that is unique to the heist genre, while the soundtrack totes some brilliant numbers with 'The Man' by Jamie Cullum amongst the standouts.

Charlie Cox, who played Basil, presents a role who is very restrained and at odds with the rest of the thieves; Cox presents an outsider who is just as competent as the rest, if not a little more duplicitous. Jim Broadbent, who played Terry Perkins, is quite a mean-spirited role prone to bullying in this; Broadbent plays to the ego of Perkins marking a big downfall come to the end of the film. Ray Winstone, who played Danny Jones, was truly neck and neck with Caine for best performance in this film; Winstone plays a thug who is very prone to bouts of extreme anger and narcissism that make him fascinating to watch. Tom Courtenay, who played John Kenny Collins, is hysterical as the rather dottery member of the group who has lost his sanity somewhat; Courtenay really makes for an eccentric role and stands out as the comedic performer of the cast.

However, the best performance came from Michael Caine, who played the leading role: Brian Reader. Caine is fantastic at presenting a calm and efficient role, one who is extremely adept at whatever he does in many of the films he is in. While the above is true in this feature too, it's interesting to see Caine take on a darker persona: this kingpin of thievery. The way Caine handles scenes in which he has to quietly lay down the law and bully his subordinates into following his vision you feel the strength behind his composed figure. Yet what really made him stand out were the moments in which Caine was completely losing his cool, when this role was consumed by avarice and envy at what his partners were swindling him out of.

This film is a very slow burn to watch, quite intentional given the nature of the characters and the heavy focus on the aftermath, but that doesn't mean this doesn't greatly affect the pacing in a serious way. There was also a tendency to give away big reveals a little early, most significantly being showing Basil as having taking the lion's share of the heist as a way of ending act two rather than immersing it into act 3. The editing for the film was rather slow and chopped up great cinematography into surprising places, most significantly the flashbacks to past heists were confusing and didn't really add a whole lot to this feature.

Michael Gambon, who played Billy 'The Fish' Lincoln, places up the oddness of his character but seems to be really going at this character in an exaggerated way; Gambon doesn't put a lot of effort here and it shows in this goofy role. Paul Whitehouse, who played Carl Wood, has the least amount of screen presence in the cast; Whitehouse's role could have done with less of a focus if he was just going to disappear halfway through the second act.

Bad Times At The El Royale

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a highly entertaining and shocking thriller that with a few more drafts for the screenplay or a little more direction in the editing room would have been truly spectacular. I would give Bad Times At The El Royale a 6.5/10.

Bad Times At The El Royale is a thriller about a group of strangers who all choose to stay at the El Royale hotel, only to discover that no one is whom they seem and neither is the place they are staying in. What works for this feature is the unique characters and how they interact with one another, there is special care placed here to avoid roles that feel stereotypical or done to type and that makes this movie a treat to watch. Beyond this, there are a number of surprising moments that will have you gripped, or even fearing for your favourite role as you wonder which body will hit the floor next. The soundtrack for the El Royale is stellar, hearing tracks like 'I Got A Feeling' or 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' sets up the time period of the film and transports you there effortlessly.

Cynthia Erivo, who played Darlene Sweet, is one of the few characters who is true to herself throughout the feature; Erivo takes a role who is unsure of herself and transforms her to a woman confident in her own self-worth and strong in the face of a life or death situation. Jon Hamm, who played Dwight Broadbeck, has one of the best twists in the film and that's all thanks to how Hamm plays the transition of his role; Hamm's aloof and arrogant salesman melts away before the eyes of the audience into a heroic FBI agent of principle and self-sacrifice. Lewis Pullman, who played Miles Miller, steals the show in a greater number of his scenes and contends very heavily with Bridges for the standout role; Pullman wears his character's guilt like a glove and shows such deep horror at what's he done and seen that you can't help but cast him as a tragic figure. Xavier Dolan, who played Buddy Sunday, is a nasty minor antagonist in the backstory of Erivo's Darlene; Dolan's portrayal of a character consumed in self-importance makes for a very nasty figure who really challenges Erivo well.

However, the best performance came from Jeff Bridges, who played Father Daniel Flynn. This is one of those characters whose big twist you see coming but that's rather intentional both in the script and the performance. Bridges manages to convey the subtle traits of an older man suffering from dementia while also loosely fronting his priest ruse. As the act of being a priest slips away we see the scoundrel with a heart of gold that this character truly is. He is a sharp-minded criminal despite dementia, and the way he manages to achieve his goals while remaining kind to those who show him kindness in return makes for quite the charismatic role.

This film crafts the set up for a great thriller with interesting characters and some very interesting twists and turns but it makes some distinct mistakes. Most noteworthy was the way this film didn't really know how to structure itself, the first act is quite bland to watch until the death of Dwight kicks of the second act, but even that gets lost as the film chops up the pacing with flashbacks that feel very jarring in how their place. These moments carry throughout the feature even interrupting the major conflict in the final act of the film. This film needed to prioritise what was important to say and work out a sound strategy for how to present that. By choosing the presentation style that the film went with we only got a surface presentation for some characters or were left wondering why certain elements of the plot were never explained; there was no significant focus on the Summerspring sisters' backstory, the sinister management never went any further than a surface mention and the minute Dwight stops being important the FBI arc disappears into the wind. Leaving the audience wondering after things like this meant that it was disappointing when the cult leader was the major antagonist of the film when the audience didn't feel strongly connected to this particular plot thread. The problem with too many characters each having a subplot is that you hedge a bet when you say one if more important than the other. The cinematography seen throughout felt disappointingly washed out and there were a number of sequences where you just felt the presence of the camera, an experience that really drew me out of the events. The editing did alright, though it was a little slow pacing wise; the real tragedy was those cut to black title cards that functioned as a transition between scenes and acts.

Dakota Johnson and Cailee Spaeny, who played Emily Summerspring and Rose Summerspring respectively, were by far some of the more boring members of the main cast; Johnson, in particular, has proven to not show a great range of emotion in past films and that trend continues in El Royale. Chris Hemsworth, who played Billy Lee, didn't really cut it as the film's antagonist; Hemsworth just doesn't sell it as the overzealous wandering cult leader, this was a case of the wrong antagonist for the feature or poor casting. Nick Offerman, who played Felix O'Kelly, is woefully underused in the feature which means you never really come to appreciate his character; Offerman's role needed to be shown more with Bridges so you could appreciate their relationship and history with one another.

Smallfoot

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This year is really flaunting some great animated films so far. I would give Smallfoot an 8/10.

When it comes to moral messages in animated films they've always been rather simple from a mature perspective, even as more modern themes have cropped up this general principle has rung true. Smallfoot manages to challenge this in a way few animated films do, by taking a rather complex theme and making it into something all audiences can watch and engage with. This film tackles the idea that humans don't exist through the eyes of the Yetis and Yetis don't exist through the eyes of the humans when the two finally interact they're forced to realise there's more to life than what they've just been told. Smallfoot does the monumental task of teaching youngsters and adults alike to question the world around them, not merely to accept something just because it's so, an inspired narrative element. The animation style is bright and colourful, lending an incredible range to the Yetis and their village while casting the human town in harsh bright neon colours. The soundtrack for this film makes use of its incredible musical talent, Zendaya really sets the film apart with her songs and Common lends his own twist to the antagonist's ballad.

Channing Tatum, who voiced Migo, has a charismatic way of leading the action as the main protagonist; Tatum grows this role from a naive member of his tribe to a hero who has awakened change in his people. James Corden, who voiced Percy, is an overly ambitious, desperate figure when first we meet him; yet Corden finds the compassion in Percy and rekindles his moral compass come to the end of the feature. Common, who voiced Stonekeeper, presented a very calm and persuasive antagonist' Common's portrayal here is expertly done as you can strongly understand this character's actions and the way he reflects and makes a change in his values speaks strongly to the message of the film. Danny DeVito, who voiced Dorgle, makes a great father figure; DeVito exerts a stubborn viewpoint in the film that changes as his love for his son takes precedence over his worldview. Yara Shahidi, who voiced Brenda, really plays out her frustration over Corden's Percy quite well; Shahidi demonstrates a strong moral compass and sets a bar for what we want to see Percy achieve as an audience. Jimmy Tatro, who voiced Thorp, is one of the funniest performers in the feature; Tatro attempts to layer on the thug-like menace but undercuts this with a rather amiable and likeable undertone.

However, the best performance came from the leading actress: Zendaya, who voiced Meechee. At first, the role of Meechee seems like a romantic interest, she's beautiful and holds a high station as the Stonekeeper's daughter. Yet Zendaya needs little time in unveiling the truth of her role, this is a character who will not blindly follow her father's rules and must understand what is true and why things are designed to be the way they are in her village. This character has a ton of energy from the moment she properly engages in dialogue, excited by knowledge and hungry for answers Meechee is going to have you hooked. She never once is conflicted in her values and makes an effort to always be true to what is right. It's not hard to see why Meechee is one of my favourite animated protagonists this year.

This film spends a lot of time fleshing out the theme and dwelling upon it, which is very unique and daring. However, this means the narrative arc is quite simple: Yeti thinks humans exist, gets one and inevitably attempts to put the human back. The risk here is a slow-paced feature which can be a detriment in animated films and children especially could grow bored during the second act.

LeBron James, Gina Rodriguez and Ely Henry, who voiced Gwangi, Kolka and Fleem respectively, are generic sidekicks to the major protagonists; the goofball antics from this lot tend to fall flat when it comes to Smallfoot's more serious tone.

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies

This review may contain spoilers!

This has the hilarious 'fourth wall-breaking' humour of Deadpool with the light-hearted charm of an animated feature. I would give Teen Titans Go! To The Movies a 7.5/10.

I loved watching the original Teen Titans cartoon series when I was younger and never picked up Teen Titans Go! back when it came out. However, when I heard that a Teen Titans film was coming out I figured that my young cousins would have a superhero film similar to what I used to enjoy; never once did I expect to be the one laughing the most in the entire theatre. Teen Titans Go! is packed with an inspired sense of humour as it weaves the tale of Robin trying his hardest to get his very own superhero movie, the 'defining sign' of a true superhero. This is an experience packed with funny gags at the expense of DC Entertainment, Marvel, the Deadpool films, Michael Bolton and even the Titans characters themselves. The fourth wall breaking gags lead to some hilarious scenes; the Lion King parody, Michael Bolton song and superhero origin story scenes standing out. The animation style is bright and colourful to watch, effectively transporting you to a classic cartoon style. This film is probably one of the funniest this year when it comes to the soundtrack (outside of maybe Pitch Perfect 3), the use of a Teen Titans theme song, Michael Bolton song and techno remix strongly lend themselves to exceptionally funny scenes.

 Greg Cipes, who voiced Beast Boy, is very comedic as the radical and laidback member of the team; Cipes really knows where to find the line when it comes to how over the top he can take Beast Boy. Khary Payton, who voiced Cyborg, is the party animal of the group, Payton lends himself strongly to the musical scenes and the comedic moments alike. Tara Strong, who voiced Raven, has perfected that almost monotonous voice of Raven's and lends an incredible amount of range to the character; when Raven has a more emotional or comedic moment it's all the stronger for how Strong delivers those scenes. Hynden Walch, who voiced Starfire, is the very bubbly optimistic member of the team; Walch is so good at portraying a character who seems very much the conscience and heart of the Titans. Will Arnett, who voiced Slade, is quite brilliant as a more comedic antagonist; Arnett certainly knows how to do 'over the top sinister' but his more quirky ways of tricking the protagonists make for funny scenes. Michael Bolton, who voiced the Tiger, lends himself to a very comedically timed upbeat song; yet Bolton gets to have his own fun with his character being one of the few casualties of the feature. Greg Davies, who voiced Balloon Man, does a great job of bringing forth a more over the top cartoon villain; Davies is certainly menacing but his way of interacting with the protagonists makes for quite a bit of fun. Stan Lee, who voiced himself, really has a great time mocking his way of popping up in superhero films; this is a great parody and suits how the film riffs on the superhero movie genre. Dave Stone, who voiced the Challengers Of The Unknown, has a very fun dry delivery; Stone's stoic superhero depiction makes for one of the funniest superhero teams in the film.

However, the best performance came from Scott Menville, who voiced Robin. This role is a highly ambitious one, who is driven by this extreme desire to have his own superhero film. The fact that Menville shows Robin to be a bit over the top in his superheroics makes fora very funny juxtaposition to how capable the character is in the fight scenes. Robin is an insecure hero, still very much aware that he's seen as a sidekick but desperate to prove that he's something more. Menville really knows how to play Robin with such a serious edge that a lot of the comedy just comes from him naturally due to the situations he's in. The arc we see Robin go through is brilliant; he starts as a somewhat selfish character driven by his need for a film but he moves past that and embraces his friends as being more important. It's hard not to like Robin, and he's certainly a favourite coming out of this film.

This film's strength is certainly the comedic elements but there's such a push to be funny all the time that there are several moments where it just degrades into toilet humour, this just lowers the quality of the film after what we'd seen up until this point. The film takes a long time to get to the main points in the narrative, the first two acts are mainly gags and don't really have much substance beyond setting up the premise. It's disappointing that Teen Titans Go! crams so much into its final act because you do feel like the back end is quite heavily loaded with content that could've been dispersed throughout.

Kristen Bell, who voiced Jade Wilson, is peppy but doesn't really put a lot of herself into this role; it's a shame because Bell has done some great voice-over roles in the past, but this certainly isn't one of them. Nicolas Cage, who voiced Superman, really doesn't have the voice to match this iconic role; Cage is hushed and restrained which doesn't really suit the optimistic and bright role. Halsey, Patton Oswalt and Lil Yachty, who voiced Wonder Woman, Atom and Green Lantern respectively, each give rather bland performances for such significant superheroes; these are quite casual figures with voices that don't hold a lot of presence in their scenes.

Venom

This review may contain spoilers!

This isn't the best superhero outing ever, but Tom Hardy's incredible acting ability makes it well worth watching. I would give Venom a 6.5/10.

This film really works when it's exploring Eddie Brock's descent into becoming bonded with Venom, their symbiotic relationship and how they eventually develop a begrudging respect for one another. They have a very serious back and forth, each is constantly grappling with one another for control but neither can exist without the other. It isn't until they have become synonymous with each other in the third act that we really see this anti-hero fulfil his true potential and defeat the sinister symbiote: Riot. The cinematography looks really good, particularly for action sequences; yet I love how creative the director gets with movement once Eddie has bonded with Venom or the slightly off-angle framing in dialogue scenes from that point. The special effects look superb, Venom, Riot and She-Venom are all excellently designed and their action sequences a true joy to watch; these are characters that have to look scary and intimidating which is captured throughout the film. While the score for this film has its drawbacks the soundtrack works fairly well, tracks from Eminem and other grittier artists help set the dark tone a Venom film requires.

Reid Scott, who played Dr Dan Lewis, really does a great job at getting away from the 'oblivious new boyfriend' stereotype; Scott really plies the humour for his friendliness towards Hardy yet shows a genuine degree of care when his role is attempting to diagnose and heal the character of Brock. Woody Harrelson, who played Cletus Kasady, may only serve as a part in the post-credits scene but it is a great moment; Harrelson draws on Hannibal Lecter somewhat and you can feel the menace oozing out from between his prison bars. Peggy Lu and Emilio Rivera, who played Mrs Chen and Lobby Guard Richard respectively, demonstrate a great amount of talent despite their minor roles; Lu has an optimistic look on life despite the hardships her role faces while Rivera and Hardy have some exceptional friendly chemistry towards one another. Ron Cephas Jones, who played News Network Executive, has an easy way of delivering out cool and concise dialogue; Jones very calmly sets out a degree of power between him and Hardy leading to the ultimate conflict between them.

However, the best performance came from leading actor: Tom Hardy, who played Eddie Brock. I'm not going to lie heading into this film I doubted that I would be able to see Hardy as Brock but he really nails it in this role. When first we meet Hardy's Brock he is a bit aloof and comfortable in his life and relationship, yet as a reporter, he is very grounded and hard-hitting. Hardy really pushes the sense that this character needs to see justice done, no matter the price as a theme throughout Venom. Eddie's drive for justice leaves him very lonely and dejected after he loses everything that gives his life substance, and for a time we see a broken Brock. However, once he bonds with Venom the character really has to grapple with this symbiote he's joined with. The pair has a very conflicting view over what it means to wield power and for what purpose. Once Eddie embraces Venom it's clear his drive for justice changes the symbiote and in turn, a more self-confident Brock emerges too. This is a great arc from Hardy and it's not for nothing that he works hard on two roles in this film. He voices the very narrow-minded, hunger-driven Venom as well, doing great work to craft the alien entity and in turn lend some of Brock's mannerisms to the symbiote.

This film was always going to be an origin story but it takes a very long time to reach the introduction of the title character. The symbiotes are seen and discussed a great length in the first act but we don't reach the union of Eddie and Venom until about halfway into the feature. The pacing of the first act really does make for a slow opening, not a strong start for the feature. The really messy aspect is the antagonist, both the symbiote and Carlton Drake. The villainous Riot is seen in brief, jarring glimpses throughout the feature making his way to Carlton, yet their union is very sudden and rushes the audience into the final act of the film. Carlton, on the other hand, is an antagonist with a very generic motivation. He's unhappy about Earth being overpopulated and wants all human beings to be bonded with symbiotes or something, not giving a damn about who gets killed along the way. It's pretty tired, played out and a role that just lets the film down majorly. The romantic subplot throughout Venom is very dull and has little substance to it, the way it's written is quite vanilla and there's nothing there to make this thrilling or something audiences can connect with. The score for the film is dark and ups the noise for the action sequences, but you won't hear anything very original or inspired in these tracks.

Michelle Williams, who played Anne Weying, just doesn't have much to do in this film; Williams really struggles to lend any sort of character to this very two-dimensional love interest. Riz Ahmed, who played Carlton Drake, proved in the last Jason Bourne that he's not fit to be an antagonist; Ahmed doesn't have the screen presence to come across as menacing and doesn't really feel like he's connected with his role. Scott Haze, who played Security Chief Roland Treece, is just a generic henchman with a little too much screen time; Haze's gruff exterior and gravelly antagonism is nothing new and rather boring to watch. Jenny Slate, who played Dr Dora Skirth, has shown herself to be great in comedy and voice acting but this dramatic role really doesn't suit her; Slate just feels out of place in her scenes and doesn't exactly fit the scientist role she is given.