Extraction

This review may contain spoilers!

Beyond Thor, this has to be one of the best Chris Hemsworth roles I have ever seen. I would give Extraction an 8/10.

Extraction follows Tyler Rake, an elite Australian mercenary who accepts a suicidal extraction mission to rescue the son of a Mumbai drug lord from the clutches of his Dhaka rival. When the mission turns bad Tyler has half the city hunting him and an extraction window that is dwindling by the second. I was suitably impressed with gritty mercantile nature of this action-thriller, the first act grounds you in this world of the professional mercenary. These are all very human characters as the feature plays out but they react to combat and violence with impassivity and determination. The premise of these warring drug lords playing pawns off against one another is very well done and a lot of the significant characters are middle men fighting for these tycoons over the fate of the kid, Ovi. In particular, Saju's betrayal of the extraction team as a result of his boss not having enough money to pay them was one of the finer written moments of the feature. This film generates a conflict that is nothing but morally grey and no character emerges from this with their hands clean. It is a compelling fight to the end and I was hooked right up until the final shot. A very worthy mention for this film is the cinematography, the fluid nature in which the camera moves through combat with the intent of showing all aspects of what is occurring is phenomenal; not to mention the sheer number of carefully framed or unbroken tracking shots. The score for this feature is a melancholy one that suits the tone nicely, throughout the movie the music hits in like a despairing harbinger of death and it often enhances a number of key scenes.

Rudhraksh Jaiswal, who played Ovi Mahajan, was a great civilian counter to the mercenary lead of the film; Jaiswal had this ability of provoking these really emotional scenes in a genetle way that really took this feature to another level. Randeep Hooda, who played Saju, is a very desperate role torn between keeping his family safe and his loyalty to his drug lord boss; seeing Hooda tearfully bid farewell to his onscreen family one scene while viciously fighting tooth and claw through both forces he is up against is impressive. Pankaj Tripathi, who played Ovi Mahajan Sr., was an imposing drug lord figure who seethed menace throughout his scene; Tripathi presented a tyrant who was inclined to a warpath but impeded by the restrictions of his prison cell. Golshifteh Farahani, who played Nik Khan, was a calculating figure with a professional demeanour; Farahani was driven by the job and little more but as a commanding figure she worked her scenes beautifully. Priyanshu Painyuli, who played Amir Asif, is a very different criminal kingpin figure to that of Tripathi; Painyuli's crime lord is a cunning snake who wages his battle with intellect and strategy.

However, the best performance came from Chris Hemsworth, who played Tyler Rake. As a mercenary with extensive military experience Hemsworth's Rake is everything you could expect: a warrior in combat, impassive towards violence and other duties of the field and at all times driven towards his objective. Yet I liked seeing these walls slowly chip away naturally, moving towards his objective for the sake of the life he was protecting. When first we meet Rake, Hemsworth presents him as dishevelled, with little drive in his personal life and a significant substance abuse problem. Yet he was by all means a proficient operator and the best option for this job, even if it seemed the only reason he had taken it was to meet death. Yet as Hemsworth explored his role further, unveiling the cowardice Rake felt about fleeing from his son's death, his reasons for remaining in the op change. The journey to self-sacrifice we see Hemsworth take us through is powerful and one of the feats of his acting career.

The film did have some minor plot pitfalls, often around some of the more obvious subplots they introduced. The biggest glaring flaw was the betrayal from Gaspar, a former mercenary friend of Rake's who was called in to save his friend. The old friend coming in to save the day and turning to the side of the antagonists is a pretty played out trope and this film didn't go to any lengths to disguise that it was coming. The inevitable betrayal from Gaspar was one of the most boring moments from the film and lacked the creative spark it had been generating up until that point. Furthermore, the manner in which the film presented the opportunity for a sequel wasn't very necessary and took away from the impact of the greater story. The editing for Extraction also set a slower, rigid pace that didn't blend with the exemplary cinematography at all.

David Harbour, who played Gaspar, never really feels like he shows up to this movie; Harbour presents quite a domesticated ex-mercenary and not even his sudden betrayal of the main characters is enough to make his performance exciting.

Trolls World Tour

This review may contain spoilers!

You can expect a great soundtrack from these Trolls films but not much else to be frank. I would give Trolls World Tour a 4.5/10.

Trolls World Tour is the sequel to 2016's Trolls feature, reuniting us with 'Pop Trolls', Poppy and Branch, as they race to stop Barb the 'Rock Troll' from stealing all six of the musical strings. I think what this film really had going for it was an exploration on what is meant to be different, not just saying we should all be united as one but rather that we should celebrate difference. I felt this film managed a really complex narrative around the diversity and history of music and how that relates to our response to diversity and acceptance in real life. The soundtrack for this isn't quite as good as the first film but still totes some really excellent, covers, medleys, parodies and originals to enjoy.

Rachel Bloom, who voiced Barb, is an excellent antagonist for this sequel; she has a relentless drive and a degree of low self-esteem that makes her a strong foil for the protagonist, Poppy.

However, the best performance came from Anna Kendrick, who voiced Poppy. Both the first and second films have really lived and died on the central character of Poppy and how much energy Kendrick puts into voicing her. Poppy is such a vibrant voice with boundless optimism that really hooks you when she's onscreen. Poppy is this relentless character who believes in achieving the best from any situation. I liked that we got to see Poppy more as a nervous figure in this film, she wasn't confident about being a queen or even how to reconcile all the different Troll tribes. Making the main character of the film one who actually had to learn and understand the film's theme was a nice simple stroke of writing and performance I felt. As always Kendrick's singing is phenomenal and makes a number of the big songs in the soundtrack.

The story for this sequel starts pretty engaging at first but as the plot progresses it becomes abundantly apparent how little thought was really put into it. It's a very simple race between the good guys and the bad guys to collect the six different strings, and the antagonist's endgame to transform all the Trolls into 'rock-zombies' felt remarkably underwhelming. Beyond that the film ending this storyline with a note of 'the music is inside us all' felt very underwhelming considering how well explored the themes in the film had been explored up until this point. The random gags in this film were a lot more noticeable than in the first film but the quality of the comedy had dipped substantially. It was also pretty tough to see a romance subplot finally come to fruition between Poppy and Branch, the chemistry isn't really there and it is by far the blandest aspect of the script. The animation for this film doesn't ever really build off the first feature, in fact there is a lot of replication and repetition while also throwing in the occasional live-action animal for some weird attempt at comedy. Overall Trolls World Tour feels like an imitation of the first film at best; there is no surprise why this was rushed to digital rather than given a delayed release date.

Justin Timberlake, who voiced Branch, is a pretty monotonous protagonist when held up against Kendrick's strong performance; Timberlake never manages to find the chemistry between the pair in order to make the romance sub-plot half interesting. James Corden, who voiced Biggie, takes on just about any voice acting role and puts the same degree of effort into each one; Corden deadpans a number of lame jokes throughout this piece and doesn't serve the story beyond that. Ron Funches, who voiced Cooper, is given more responsibility than he can really manage in the shape of his own sub-plot this film; Funches doesn't have a voice that lends itself to the deep thematic exploration his role was at the centre of. Kelly Clarkson, who voiced Delta Dawn, isn't very interesting as the morose leader of the Country Trolls; Clarkson's heavy Southern accent and melancholy singing are just generic and fall flat. Sam Rockwell, who voiced Hickory, is a fantastic live action performer but hasn't found a strong role here in the voice acting medium; Rockwell's character is meant to be all charm yet lacks personality in the same manner as Timberlake's role. Kenan Thompson and Kunal Nayyar, who voiced Tiny Diamond and Guy Diamond respectively, are some of the ensemble voice cast with the worst comedic performances I had to hear; the weird Dad/baby relationship felt like a half-baked idea that never really found it's punchline. Walt Dohrn, who voiced King Peppy, loses all the personality Tambor brought to the character in the first film; Dohrn reduces what was one of the actual good characters to a role that spouts boring exposition the audience will swiftly lose interest in.

Onward

This review may contain spoilers!

A bright sparkling adventure and a beautiful story about the relationship between two brothers. I would give Onward an 8.5/10.

Onward takes to a modern world that is not too dissimilar from our own, only populated with fantasy creatures who no longer rely upon magic due to the convenience of technology. Our story follows Ian and Barley Lightfoot, brother elves who discover a magical staff that offers them the opportunity to reunite with their deceased father for one day. The spell goes awry and the brothers are forced to embark upon an epic quest, the likes of which hasn't occurred in years. The charm and strength of this film is the relationship between Ian and Barley, the brotherly bond that the narrative lives and dies upon. This pair lean on each other for support throughout the film and obstacles they face are surpassed through how one aids the other. It's a really beautiful message about the interwoven connection of family and how through mutual care family raises one another up. Barley is the sort of character who can be quite reckless and immature but he sacrifices a lot for the sake of his brother, becoming a pillar of support throughout the film. While Ian is more of a nervous role who lacks self-esteem and gains more self-confidence through his brother pushing and encouraging him. The writer also did a brilliant job of designing a dynamic fantasy/modern world; you really buy into how a society founded around magic has adapted and changed into something quite similar to our own. I enjoyed seeing a number of characters discover the magic they could still possess if they worked for it throughout the film, it felt like a strong message to deliver about what we can achieve if we look for it. The animation style is really vibrant, blending a wide colour palette and unique designs for the varying characters to create a world you will simply fall into. The score for the film isn't the most inspired Disney/Pixar composition I've ever heard, but it still has a few significant tracks throughout that are worth noting and enhance the emotional weight of the scene.

Tom Holland, who voiced Ian Lightfoot, is perfect as the films protagonist; he really seeks out the moments where his character is morose or uncertain and presents them in a way you can really connect with. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, who voiced Laurel Lightfoot, is quite entertaining as the comedic yet supportive parent figure in our protagonists' lives; Louis-Dreyfuss clearly has a lot of fun with her character's reckless side quest to save her kids. Octavia Spencer, who voiced The Manticore, is extremely funny as the overworked, highly strung restaurant/inn owner when first we meet her; Spencer showing the spiral her character goes down as she discovers the joy of the old ways is a great deal of fun to see. Kyle Bornheimer, who voiced Wilden Lightfoot, is a really strong introduction to this film; he presents the magic of the narrative in a way that is personal and hooks you almost immediately. Lena Waithe, who voiced Officer Spector, is an animated cop who is incredibly competent at her job; Waithe presents the suspicion and skill that come with her character's law enforcement instincts quite well.

However, the best performance came from Chris Pratt, who voiced Barley Lightfoot. Barley is this rambunctious character who is obsessed with the old ways of magic and adventure, an expert in role-playing games and the heritage of his surroundings. However, Pratt does a good job of presenting his role as a somewhat irresponsible jokester, not always thinking before speaking and stumbling into trouble he doesn't mean to find himself in. Barley goes through a lot of growing in this film and the confession of his fear when he saw his sick father as a child is a powerful scene that reminds us of that. I really have to praise how Pratt depicted his role as this pillar of support, a character who never once stopped showing unconditional love and care for his onscreen sibling.

Onward is another stellar must-watch from Disney/Pixar but it isn't without a few pitfalls, the chief of these being around predictability. The film clearly sets out the adventure styled narrative it wants to seek out from the get go and unfortunately because it never really veers from the beaten path none of the narrative beats are very surprising. The film often affirms exactly what it intends to do long before actually executing it, so what you see is exactly what you will get. The main characters never really face any real conflict or struggle outside of that within their sibling relationship, none of the 'dangers' they face actually seem threatening. I think directly of the curse dragon antagonist right at the end of the film being quite the underwhelming menace to pit our heroes against.

Mel Rodriguez, who voiced Colt Bronco, is one of the characters in the film who tends to play scenes up a bit too much and often gets melodramatic; Rodriguez as a step-father to the main roles doesn't connect at all and he is only useful when the film needs a punchline.