The Fallout

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

The Fallout follows high schooler Vada and her emotional recovery after surviving a school shooting. This film is a powerful investigation into how gun violence can affect young people in schools and the trauma that being a survivor of such an incident entails. I really loved how strongly this feature presented its themes while telling such a personal and complex character story. This film focuses on Vada and paints her in such a realistic light that I couldn't help but be impressed. This is a role with dialogue I could see coming out of a high schooler's mouth, her language was never matured up for scenes with adults, often the language felt very random and slang-heavy. This really powerful use of grounded dialogue is a shining example of why this is one of the better coming of age films I've seen in years and definitely one of the better depictions of a modern high schooler. What this film has to say about mental health and how we recover is significantly profound, watching these young people grapple with the severity of surviving an attack upon their school only makes it all the more signifcant. The difficulty of trying to recover is a different journey depending on the character; in Vada we really see her shut down to certain people, live in fear of going to her school and grow extremely confused by her friendships and relationships. Her initial resistance to therapy and subsequent dependency on alcohol and drugs to get through an ordinary day is intimidating to watch. These characters are endearing people, you want to shelter them from these events but you can't; as the film indicates they have to find that road to recovery in their own way with their support network. Yet the strength of this film is in how it ends, that shattering moment in which we come to understand how Vada will always be impacted by this event and how many more events like it there will be. It's a message well worth reflecting upon in this day and age.

 

Megan Park has such an intimate style that perfectly suits this style of storytelling. I was really impressed with how the visual language seemed to focus on a character's inner struggle via close ups, as well as their reactions to the messages they receive via social media. In fact the way this film highlights phone conversations might just be the best way I've ever seen it done in a film. The text dialogue is really powerful when coupled with the visual impact of the recipient's reactions. Finneas O'Connell's score is quite a melodic, reflective piece that moves in harmony with Vada's own struggles; the soundtrack also has this indie pop quality that suits the film's younger protagonists.

 

One of the best performances in the film comes from leading protagonist Jenna Ortega, who played Vada Cavell. Ortega is nothing short of one of the more spectacular up and coming actors I've seen over the past year; seeing her in Scream was a treat but this is easily her best work to date. Vada is such a grounded role with a quick wit coupled with extremely awkward energy. Ortega's portrayal of a young woman wrestling with the extreme feelings of fear, rage and depression is powerful to watch and throughout the feature she is expanding her range before your very eyes. Her chemistry with Ziegler is extremely moving, and I liked seeing their friendship grow, intertwine and even become messy. The last time I saw a tragic coming of age film this good was probably Edge Of Seventeen, with then up and comer Hailee Steinfeld. 'Nuff said.

 

Some of the other powerful performances in this piece came from Maddie Ziegler, playing Mia Reed, an extremely popular Instagram influencer who had to cope with the fallout of the shooting by herself until she befriended Ortega's Vada. The friendship and romance that grew between these two is one of the defining character arcs of the film and a joy to see unfold. Niles Fitch, who played Quinton Hasland, gives the extremely moving portrayal of losing a sibling and directly surviving a confrontation with the gunman; the way he carries around his grief is quite subtle and very real. Lumi Pollack, who played Amelia Cavell, has some of the funniest dialogue in the feature; her vulnerability around the distance that grows between her and her on-screen sister is very moving to watch. John Ortiz and Julie Bowen, who played Carlos Cavell and Patricia Cavell respectively, really suit the types of parents they are portraying. Ortiz has this quiet manner to him but really knows how to let his emotions out to help his daughter, while Bowen plays a more anxious figure who stumbles her way through her daughter's recovery in a well meaning attempt to help.

 

Some of the struggles this film faces are chiefly in the second act where the only action is Vada's introspective moments but little else within the plot is advancing. There really needed to be a bit more to either tighten up that second act or make some of those scenes hit with a little more weight. I also felt like the film fumbled with the final scene between Vada and her mother, Patricia, basically taking the emotion out of the scene for a half-hearted joke about Mum needing a drink of wine to get through discovering her daughter's secrets.

 

There were some performances in the film that I don't think worked as well as they could've. Will Ropp, who played Nick Feinstein, really needed a few more scenes to make us see the connection between him and Ortega before rippiong them apart; Ropp's intensity around the shooting feels unearned and this is really due to the script not really knowing how to place him in the narrative. I also felt that Shailene Woodley, who played Anna, was a big splash of star power that was wasted in this film. Woodley's role was quite stoic and neutral, I never really saw her as an individual who could help or guide our protagonist through her complex emotions.

This is an unrelenting coming of age story that really reflects powerfully upon the impact of gun violence in America and its impact on our younger generations. I would give The Fallout a 9/10.

Nightmare Alley

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Nightmare Alley follows Stanton Carlisle, a man with a shady background looking to eke out a living in Depression-era America. Stanton becomes attached to a carnival and garners quite the adept skill with mentalism, his rising ambition and talent leading him down a path he won't be able to turn back from. I love when Guillermo Del Toro plays with Gothic undertones in his films, he has a natural affinity for it and I often find some of his best works has risen from this. His recent success with The Shape Of Water styled a gothic fairytale/romance in what was a very compelling light; I have no doubt this wonderous crafting of a gothic noir isn't going to have similar acclaim. The journey Stanton goes on is such a fascinating example of a man so hopelessly abused and desperate that he takes a kindness and warps it into greed and ambition, his desire to gain more perpetually undercuts all the good visited on him. I think the great thing about seeing an adept manipulator like Stanton go through this narrative is coming to see the hubris of his designs for wealth and success at all costs. In a lot of ways the rise and fall of Stanton is a story format that could be very familiar to an audience already, but the unique carnival elements and traditionally inspired 'black widow' character makes this such a genuinely worthy watch. In that final act there are plenty of shocks or sudden revelations that will genuinely startle you, it's an absolute thrill. The cinematography is going to be some of the best I'll see all year; Del Toro's incredible colour palette and exquisite use of lighting crafts an atomsphere that is simply unmatched. The editing for the feature is a beautiful homage to the style of classic noir, while also maintaining a very steady and precise pace. The score for the film is eerie and will haunt you, it grows in desperation as our protagonist does which I loved.

 

Cate Blanchett, who played Dr. Lilith Ritter, is a very sinister figure who is immediately intriguing while radiating danger; the way she wears this very subtle mask hiding her true intentions in scenes is what makes Blanchett such a versatile performer. Toni Collette, who played Zeena The Seer, is quite a world-weary leader of the carnival who has lost the sense of charm behind performing; Collette is completely enamoured by Cooper's protagonist and we see how this character flaw leads to fractures within the carnival. Willem Dafoe, who played Clem Hoatley, is truly quite a despicable character; Dafoe plays Clem as this individual who is almost prideful in how he harms others for the sake of creating profit for the show. Richard Jenkins, who played Ezra Grindle, is a figure of immense arrogance and power; the manic way Jenkins obsesses over reconnecting with his dead wife gets to quite a frightening and dark place. Rooney Mara, who played Molly Cahill, is a very likeable and charming role; seeing Mara play this young woman who goes from being so in love with her partner to feeling so betrayed by him is a hard character arc to see played out. Ron Perlman, who played Bruno, is very much an intimidating father figure to Mara's character; seeing the hostility Perlman brings against Cooper and the fierce loyalty he has for Mara's character is quite sweet. Mary Steenburgen, who played Mrs. kimball, isn't in the film for very long but has a lasting impact; the way Steenburgen shows how the impact of losing her son has had such a profound effect on her role is both moving and unsettling. David Strathairn, who played Pete, is quite a wise figure who wields the tricks of mentalism in a way that is enthralling to watch; Strathairn's character feels inherently tragic because he has so much promise but has closed himself off from those who love him due to his alcoholism. Holt McCallany, who played Anderson, is an imposing figure who is fiercely loyal of Jenkins' role; the amount of respect McCallany has for his on-screen employer is well portrayed and makes you all the more worried should he discover Cooper's lies. Jim Beaver, who played Sheriff Jedediah Judd, is a minor role that I felt quite entrancing to watch; seeing Beaver act out being deceived by Cooper all in the span of a scene was extremely engrossing to watch. Tim Blake Nelson, who played Carny Boss, was a very fitting role to end the feature with; Nelson is an amiable presence that lowers the audience into a false sense of security before peeling his mask back to reveal yet another duplicitous twist.

However, the best performance came from Bradley Cooper, who played Stanton Carlisle. This was a leading role who was clearly very complex to play due to a journey that showcased how multi-faceted Carlisle is. When first we meet our protagonist he's quiet and sullen, uncertain of his place in the world and seeking food and income. Cooper plays Stanton as a cautious figure, he seems to have his guard up but he is steadily drawn into the oddities and charm of the carnival world. Watching him grow in confidence and utilise his charm to become rooted into the carnival is fascinating and the first sign of how manipulative Stanton can really be. Cooper takes us to the brink when we see his ambition come to the surface, letting to a violent act driven by jealousy and desire. Stanton is a figure who always rings false and is never satisfied with small success; he imagines himself well-renowned and decorated with decadent riches. The venomous relationship between Cooper and Blanchett that turns from hatred to mutual manipulation amidst an unsteady alliance is a fascinating watch. I loved seeing how Cooper showed Stanton to be desperately clinging to his talents and lies in a bid to stay afloat. The final scene of the feature in which we see the dark ironic twist of fate Stanton has been dealt is such a bone-chilling moment that is played perfectly by Cooper.

The unfortunate flaw with something like Nightmare Alley is that because it plays so closely with film noir elements, it isn't very surprising how certain plot elements play out. The entire downfall arc is almost immediately predictable from the conclusion of the first act; so while it is a satisfying character arc, I feel you can see the general way it maps out early on. Also the minute Dr. Ritter is introduced it becomes pretty apparent the sort of impact her character will have on Stanton, though it is brilliant to see performed by Blanchett. The nature of film noir is quite slow burn, so this pacing may feel slow for some audience goers.

Mark Povinelli, who played The Major, is a carnival oddity who isn't always the dry comic relief the film is hoping him to be; Povinelli's character is extremely similar to Perlman's and the two could've been rolled into one. Clifton Collins Jr., who played Funhouse Jack, was really one main carnival performer too many; seeing the film try to push Collins Jr. into more scenes just as the carnival story was winding down made some scenes feel a little bloated.

A Gothic triumph for Del Toro in what has to be one of his finest works yet. I would give Nightmare Alley an 8.5/10.

The 355

 This review may contain spoilers!

The 355 follows Mace, a CIA agent gone rogue who steadily assembles an international team of agents to prevent a new, dangerous piece of technology from falling into the wrong hands. The film takes a long time to find a moment of strong writing but the shift from act two to act three is quite powerful. In this moment we see the protagonists actually taken by surprise by the main antagonist who dispatches several supporting characters in a way that really ups the emotional stakes of the film for a brief period of time.

 

Diane Kruger, who played Marie Schmidt, is a very tough role who embodies the loose cannon element of the film; I enjoyed seeing Kruger play to her character's intense past betrayal from her father and the deep distrust for others that history had left her with. Lupita Nyong'o, who played Khadijah Adiyeme, is a very intelligent character who knows how to control a scene with presence; Nyong'o is very generous at sharing a scene with a variety of performers and probably manages to maintain the best chemistry with everyone.

However, the best performance came from Penélope Cruz, who played Graciela Rivera. A lot of joy from this role came in seeing a character who wasn't this hardened secret agent, Graciela is a civilian consultant who is quickly swept in over her head. Cruz has this very light, innocent energy to her that makes her role a bit of a fish out of water; definitely not able to handle situations that turn into massive shoot-outs. At the same time this role has so much empathy and care for others, she constantly uses her intuition and understanding to help her team and friends cope with the difficult history shared amongst them. Her love for her family that is at the centre of her character is one of the best parts of the role, Cruz really sells you on this in the scene in which her loved ones are taken hostage. I also enjoyed how Cruz played up her character's ability to read people as a way of infiltrating a party and attaining information the team desperately needed.

As a spy film this really fell flat very early on and never really found its way to a point that really engaged the audience for long periods of time. The film introduces all these roles with long histories with one another; Mace and Nick have worked together for years and have romantic chemistry, Khadijah used to be an MI6 field operative which is where she befriended Mace. All of this heavy backstory is told to you with lengthy exposition or is just quite abruptly delivered. The flaw of this is we get scenes like Mace and Nick finally deciding to get together after all this time but the pair have literally only been in three scenes; there's no payoff for the audience and they can't feel what the film is clearly hoping they feel. The film is quite dull as a whole because the entire feature is just chasing one object around and watching it change hands, but the stakes for this never feel high. The film doesn't utilise the big bad weapon everyone wants in a way that directly affects our protagonists, so you just feel like you're watching action scene after action in which the big important Doomsday device is tossed around from party to party. The film doesn't have a clear antagonist; it should be Elijah Clarke but the film keeps putting the henchman, Nick, front and centre so that also lowers the stakes. The longer the film goes on the more difficult it is to believe that all these international operatives would stay together in an illegal operation this way, the film never works to convince you that its core premise works. Ultimately, The 355 isn't interested in showing you a global spy adventure, it tells you the plot as it happens which makes for a boring entry into such an expansive genre. The cinematography throughout the feature is quite blocky and falls back onto numerous simple wides, this crafts quite a simple style that also highlights some very underwhelming fight choreography. The editing was deadset on creating a slow pace and some of the transitions during scenes were ill-timed and didn't uplift and already lazy visual style. The score for the feature is entirely forgettable and often absent in key moments.

Jason Flemyng, who played Elijah Clarke, is very miscast as the main antagonist of the feature; Flemyng just does not feel like he wields the power to control a global mercenary operation. Edgar Ramirez, who played Luis Rojas, is a role with very confused principles; watching Ramirez flip flop in character over his motivation is just as confusing as how Luis is actually written. Sebastian Stan, who played Nick Fowler, really feels quite out of his element as one of the major antagonists for the film; Stan struggles to play threatening and his lack of on-screen romantic chemistry with Chastain is very telling. John Douglas Thompson, who played Larry Marks, is quite dull as the head of a major CIA branch of operations; Thompson does no work to make the twist his character is a traitor interesting to the plot. Jessica Chastain, who played Mace, is a boring protagonist for the most part; Chastain doesn't play strongly to the motives her role has for going rogue so you struggle to connect with her. Sylvester Groth, who played Jonas Muller, is framed as a father figure for Kruger but does none of the work to make this convincing; Groth really drags through the lines but fails to cut through to the emotional subtext. Raphael Acloque, who played Abdul, has absolutely no romantic chemistry with Nyong'o which takes the weight out of the only thing holding her back from joining the mission; Acloque's inability to connect in a meaningful way with his co-star makes his death scene quite a hollow one. Bingbing Fan, who played Lin Mi Sheng, was probably one agent too many for this film; her monotonous delivery and heavy exposition-based dialogue made her a dull third act entry into the film.

This is a spy film with no sense of character, no mystery and certainly no thrills to it. I would give The 355 a 2.5/10.

Scream

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Scream is the fifth entry in the Scream franchise, this time bringing back a whole host of new and old characters when a new Ghostface killer strikes Woodsboro. The film follows Sam Carpenter, a young woman with a shadowed past who is brought back to Woodsboro when her younger sister is attacked by a new killer. Sam finds herself back in a town filled with painful memories from her past and surrounded by a group of her sister's friends, any of which could be the killer. The strength of this film is really what makes most of the Scream film so great, it exists in a format that allows it to be very self-referencing and meta about the horror genre. This is a film that can go from observation around fandom, jokes about Reddit, mocking some of the franchises' old plot points and poking fun at new 'elevated horrors like Hereditary. I enjoyed the very genuine wit within the feature because it showed the writers cared so much not just for Scream films but also the horror genre as a whole and, more significantly, how it has evolved since the last Scream feature. The film has a great new protagonist in Sam, who comes with her own share of mystery that links back to characters from the first feature and I enjoyed how this played against the mystery of the Ghostface killer. I also think the film was extremely clever in having the new cast of supporting characters all second-guessing one another almost from the start; having all the characters questioning who is really Ghostface amongst them actually made it more difficult to pin down from an audience perspective. Ultimately this film is a massive homage to what Scream has achieved in the past, all while framing quite an exciting new direction it can go with a new protagonist if desired. I'm certainly keen to see more of Sam Carpenter in the future. The cinematography for the film is stunning, toying with classic horror shots and also highlighting a stunning colour palette. The editing moves at a great speed and is crucial for the tone and humour in a variety of scenes. The score for the feature manages to craft an incredibly eerie atmosphere, while the soundtrack really pumps up the threat of Ghostface.

 

Neve Campbell, who played Sidney Prescott, is woefully underused but great to see again as her most iconic role; the way Campbell takes charge of directly coming after the antagonist is a perfect example of the survivor her role evolved into. Courteney Cox, who played Gale Weathers-Riley, is another returning character who immediately returns strongly to that sharp biting dialogue delivery; Cox really delivers on the more emotional scenes around grief relating to her role. David Arquette, who played Dewey Riley, is very visibly quite broken and distant after the events of previous movies; watching Arquette play such a hollowed out figure who still finds the resolve to get up and protect those who need him is why his role has been such a fan favourite for so long. Marley Shelton, who played Sheriff Judy Hicks, is fairly different from her last Scream appearance but in a good way; seeing her as this hellbent protective mother is very endearing and gives her one of the sadder character deaths of the feature. Jenna Ortega, who played Tara Carpenter, is a genuine scene stealer; not only does Ortega give us one of the best openings to a Scream film to date but the way in which she performs her role's endurance in the face of physical and emotional trauma is inspired. Jack Quaid, who played Richie Kirsch, is this brilliant charming boyfriend role who you tend to like initially; but Quaid's real strength is when he really gets to cut loose and get quite depraved in the final act as the main antagonist. Jasmin Savoy Brown, who played Mindy Meeks-Martin, is an absolute comedic master in this feature; Brown's quick wit and line delivery around analysing past horror elements in Scream films leads to some of the better scenes in the film. Mason Gooding, who played Chad Meeks-Martin, has a lot of fun in the hyped up jock-type role; Gooding stumbling around guessing at the killer while getting killed in a rather comedic manner made for a great minor role.

However, the best performance came from Melissa Barrera, who played Sam Carpenter. For a long time these films have been Sidney Prescott's film, so it was significantly different seeing the film shape Sam as our new protagonist. Scream 4 toyed with the idea of what passing on the torch would look like and subverted it, but this film found a really excellent way to shape a new protagonist through Barrera. When we meet Sam she seems a little distant and sad; she is clearly haunted by something and holds on to the one bright aspect of her life, her relationship with her boyfriend Richie. Barrera plays well to her role's sense of distrust in others and more significantly the doubt she has in her self. She shares a wonderful relationship with her on-screen sister, Ortega, the pair build this wonderful chemistry that goes through conflict and betrayal and reconciliation over the course of the film. I enjoyed how Barrera's role ultimately embraced that she wasn't intent on being a victim to the killer, instead embracing her 'slasher origins' to turn the tables on Ghostface in what is one of the most satisfying conclusions to a Scream film yet.

My main issue with a film like Scream is that it constantly highlights the main elements of slasher horrors and intentionally works out how to subvert your expectations. In fact this film subverted expectations multiple times but there are a number of big scenes that feature the stereotypical slasher elements. Ultimately, there was just a bit of a clash in perception because the film couldn't even escape the jokes it was making about the genre. I also wasn't really onboard with Sam's backstory coming with a mental illness, this distortion around her character's sense of self cheapened what was an otherwise incredible new protagonist. The killer reveal also wasn't the most surprising when it finally happened, even following in the footsteps of past features. It was a moment of disappointment in what was actually quite a solid final act.

Dylan Minnette, who played Wes Hicks, hasn't really actually got a lot of meaningful actions to actually do in this film; Minnette's role spends a lot of time being paranoid and getting killed without doing much else. Sonia Ammar, who played Liv McKenzie, is pushed as this shy virgin character to Gooding's 'ready for the next step' jock and it was kind of cringe-worthy; Ammar jumps from this more shy and reluctant role to quite a confrontational one in a matter of moments making her performance quite confused to watch. Mikey Madison, who played Amber Freeman, isn't a very subtle performer and is quite obvious as one of the two antagonists; I also felt that Madison dials things up a bit over the top the moment she is revealed to be the killer.

A very fitting entry into what continues to be one of my favourite horror franchises. I would give Scream a 7.5/10.

 

House Of Gucci

This review may contain spoilers!

 

House Of Gucci is a biopic depicting the relationship between Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci, the devastating effect wealth and ambition had upon them, and the subsequent assassination of Maurizio. The film is extremely interesting when it focuses upon the politics being played out within the family, seeing how particular members schemed and undercut one another to advance their wealth and power within the Gucci brand. Observing Gucci as a company beset by the hubris of the same family that owned makes for some extremely satisfying viewing, and nothing is more impressive than the initial power play for control from Patrizia and Maurizio over Aldo and Paolo. The soundtrack for the film grounds us in a blend of classic elegant pop music and famous classical hits to mark the luxury the feature was capturing.

 

Lady Gaga, who played Patrizia Reggiani, is wonderful as the central protagonist and plays to the growing greed within her role well; I found Gaga's steady approach to unhealthy ambition to be a really interesting and well-executed one. Adam Driver, who played Maurizio Gucci, is this calm figure who portrays a great character arc from love to greed; Driver portraying his role falling out of love with Gaga's Patrizia is something he does remarkably well. Jeremy Irons, who played Rudolfo Gucci, is a measured man with a vice-like sense of control over his on-screen family; seeing Irons so vehemently reject Gaga's Patrizia makes him quite an interesting and venomous character. Jared Leto, who played Paolo Gucci, has found one of his best roles in years within this film; Leto is a real scene stealer with wild and bumbling figure. Jack Huston, who played Domenico De Sole, is a quietly intimidating figure who is dominates scenes the minute he lets himself be known; Huston knows how to tip the scales of power in a scene very subtly which I appreciated.

 

However, the best performance came from Al Pacino, who played Aldo Gucci. There is a reason this man is an acting legend and all of it is on display throughout this feature. What I loved most about Pacino in House Of Gucci was just how easily he connected with the rest of the cast, he focussed on depicting this really genuine character relationships that enhanced the scenes he was in. He presented Aldo as a man of good humour, who revelled in the grand lifestyle the Gucci family possessed without flaunting it excessively. In spite of this, Pacino also acts with a heavy amount of intellect and we see Aldo as quite a cunning figure who has safeguarded the family business for years with skill. Watching Pacino present Aldo as a man who quietly crumples after being betrayed by the protagonists is an incredible show of subtle performance that rounds out his character's arc nicely.

This is a film that treads over a type of biopic storytelling that has really been done to death in recent years, and this isn't even the first time by Ridley Scott. In House Of Gucci we see a very charming love story develop between Patrizia and Maurizio in the first act, its got chemistry and the conflict from Rudolfo fuels it well. However, the minute the film tilts into being about excessive wealth corrupting our protagonists for the entire second act and most of the third, things grow very tired very fast. Patrizia turning into this figure who grows fixated on immersing herself in the Gucci business and retaining her sudden wealth is a storyline that is neither very new nor interestingly told here. Seeing Patrizia go through a plot of corruption then immediately seeing Maurizio go through the same thing separately to her is lazy storytelling and drags out an already poorly paced plot. The worst aspect of this is that Patrizia's screen time is severely diminished around this point because the film doesn't really have anything for her to do, despite her being the central protagonist of the feature. The film is very slow burn, lingering in the lives of the Guccis without ever really justifying why we need to see the same dynamic for so long. By the end of the film, moments like the assassination are anti-climatic because it has little impact and the relationship between Patrizia and Pina has been so poorly cultivated. The cinematography boasts some nice shots in places but ultimately is populated with an excess of wides that push a very colourless palette for the feature. The editing moves at a sluggish pace and there needed to be more variety to the visual style of this film to pair with the subject matter.

Salma Hayek, who played Pina Auriemma, is quite a nonsensical figure that the film almost treats as comedy relief; Hayek's character is very poorly inserted and she never seems confident in portraying relationships with other figures in the film. Youssef Kerkour, who played Namir Kirdar, is a figure that feels like he should be an imposing face of business but he has little presence onscreen; Kerkour is too soft and quiet in the presence of skilled performers such as Driver or Pacino. Reeve Carney, who played Tom Ford, is a hilarious ill-fitting casting for the legendary designer; Carney barely manages to let himself be known in scenes let alone embody any of Ford's characteristics.

Probably the worst Ridley Scott film I've seen in nearly a decade. I would give House Of Gucci a 5.5/10.

 

The King's Man

This review may contain spoilers!

 

The King's Man is a prequel to the first two Kingsman films and details the origin or the Kingsman Agency at the outbreak of the First World War. I found that the film served itself best when it focussed on the relationship between father and son; seeing how Orlando and Conrad complemented one another. There was a lot of love between these two but also a stubborn conflict around Conrad's desire to join the war effort in service of his country. I think this lead to a great theme around there being a flaw in the mentality that it is patriotic to engage in war and die on behalf of one's country. The film also spins the other way and shows the immeasurable grief families had to suffer at losing their children to war, seeing fathers and mothers outlive their sons in such an unthinkable way. They are very carefully considered and well used themes for the film. I loved the final act and seeing Orlando seek out justice for his son and right the wrongs conducted to ignite war in the first place, this was a Kingsman that engaged with some surprising plot elements that certainly made me think of the original film at times. The cinematography was extremely good, action sequences are blended with a variety of really creative shots and angles to keep the style fresh. The special effects look decent, particularly the bi-plane sequence and the destruction of Kitchener's ship. The score for the film was a thrill, blending a number of classical sound with the upbeat tempo of a modern blockbuster.

 

Ralph Fiennes, who played Orlando Oxford, is a protagonist on the same level as Colin Firth; I loved seeing Fiennes as this stubborn moral figure who was propelled into action as an act of love. Charles Dance, who played Kitchener, works as a natural military leader and tactician; he pairs well with Fiennes as a mentor figure and posits advice well. Gemma Arterton, who played Polly, is an extremely passionate character with the energy to match; I enjoyed seeing Arterton as the backbone of her team and she fits into the action nicely. 

However, the best performance came from Rhys Ifans, who played Grigori Rasputin. This role was always fated to be one of the more bonkers characters but in Ifans hands Rasputin was actually the stand out antagonist for the feature. This was a character with a deep ego, he was very grandiose and self-assured; chiefly because he could back his words up with action. We see Ifans' Rasputin as very ill-tempered, insubordinate to his master, a man of appetite and excessively lustful towards men and women. There is this real hunger to the role, he is used to having what he desires and covets control like a predator. The scene in which we see him heal Fiennes' leg is a nice blend of the dark comedy Ifans brings to the role while also illustrating how menacing a figure Rasputin actually is. I was stunned by the fight choreography in that scene, the way in which we see Ifans move akin to a dancer is brilliant and marks him as one of the more significant entries in the Kingsman universe.

The film really grapples to tie the story down as being this historically set epic, in which the entire First World War is ignited by a vindictive Scotsman. There's something very simplistic in how history is examined and held up as the building blocks for the main stage of our action. Seeing all of these historical figures placed as little more than caricatures of themselves feels like quite a lowbrow move, particularly in the case of King George, Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas. I also think the film took significant moments like the war and acts taken within the war far too lightly, often mischaracterising real figures or events for the sake of it's own narrative. This got to a point where even though the message it attempted to convey felt genuine the actual narrative lost this quality. In fact the entire antagonist reveal was quite predictable and I felt that making him little more than a disgruntled Scotsman took away from the scope of the feature. The feature really grapples with how to potray the more homoerotic aspects of Rasputin, which muddies their best character at times. I also felt that for the majority of the feature The King's Man loses the thing that makes these particular films so good: the humour. The scenes of comedy here are extremely sparse in the first and second acts, making this a feature that differs heavily in tone from previous Kingsman films.

Djimon Hounsou, who played Shola, comes across as a bit of a sidekick figure to Fiennes; he deals in very little dialogue and is mainly in this film to have another fighter in action sequences. Matthew Goode, who played Morton, is a figure I went very back and forth upon; as the traitor in the film he plays to the twist quite obviously and his Scottish antagonist gets pretty absurd in the final confrontation. Harris Dickinson, who played Conrad Oxford, is certainly not here to be the next Eggsy; Dickinson plays a very straight-edged character brimming to fight as a soldier for his country which gets quite two-dimensional after a while. Daniel Brühl, who played Erik Jan Hanussen, is wasted as a lackey to the main antagonist in this feature; when he isn't grovelling in his meagre screen time Brühl is really just here to tease a potential sequel. Tom Hollander, who played King George, Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas, is an acting gimmick that doesn't really pan out; the gag of one actor playing all these world leaders is funny in the first scene but loses out ultimately by demonstrating a fairly limited range. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played Archie Reid, is another decent actor sufficiently squandered by this film; Taylor-Johnson is treated more like a prop piece than an actual character by the film.

A huge step up from The Golden Circle but a far cry from the original Kingsman film. I would give The King's Man a 6/10.

 

The Best and Worst Films of 2021

 2021 is the slow and steady return to the big screen, in spite of the obstacles placed by Covid. This year saw studios take more risks to release larger, big budget films that they sat on rather than release this year. This meant there were a big number of big anticipated releases that really drove right to the top of my list for the year. The other side of the coin is that some studios shrugged and released some films that weren't worth holding back any longer. I definitely watched a few disappointments this year and couldn't bring myself to enjoy some of the sequels and reboots shipped our way. Covid times means that I carried on watching a number of streaming films but there is an ironic drop in quality here this year, leaving me underwhelmed with this medium somewhat. In fact two of my bottom five are Netflix originals and one I managed to watch via HBO Max. 

In a weird way this felt like a more hesitant year, there were some brilliant features but the quality of the films throughout the year certainly could've been better. 2022 is the year in which a large number of delayed features have been slated for and I for one highly anticipate the year we have in store. There's a lot of big titles that I have been waiting a couple of years for now while there is also some fresh content that just looks plain exciting and original.

As for what I saw this year, allow me to walk you through some of the high and lows I got to experience in theatres this year...

The Best:

 

5. Reminiscence - 8.5/10

 

I think this is the dark horse of my Top 5 list this year, not least because the audience for this Hugh Jackman lead feature wasn't large. I have to empathise that I'm off the opinion Reminiscence is a cult film in the making, it has all the marks of great cinema and will only find more and more of its audience with time. This was a wonderful blend of sci-fi and film noir, with all the compelling components of both. I thought visually this made an enchanting dystopian setting, with the reminiscence scenes being especially unique. The mystery at the heart of the narrative is really intriguing and I was deeply engaged by the protagonist's pursuit for the truth from start to finish. Reminiscence is the Blade Runner of the 2020s and if you haven't caught it yet I strongly urge you take on this very stunning piece of cinema.

Check out my Reminiscence review!

 

4. Luca - 8.5/10

 

Rare is the year in which Disney/Pixar doesn't find one of its animated features on my Top 5 list for the year. These studios tend to embody the very best of the animation film industry, toting some of the most charming and heartwarming narratives in any given year. I also think we look to these studios to set the bar for what we expect from our animation industry throughout the years. In Luca, we are given this folktale brought to life; a pair of young fish-folk who seek out their place in the human world. This is a very charming tale that sets out a wonderful theme around inclusivity and how we treat those who are different to us. Luca wasn't as big and flashy as some of the animated features you'd expect from these studios and if anything that was the strength of this wonderful piece of animated cinema.

Check out my Luca review!

 

3. The Harder They Fall - 8.5/10

 

This might well be my new favourite Western of all time; a film that has literally honoured and at the same time, reinvented the genre. In The Harder They Fall we get a classic narrative of revenge between outlaws set to a very fresh take on the elements of the Western. I loved seeing the triumph this was for black cinema, the step taken here is something that I think stands for a big shift in our media. As a genre the Western has been one of the worst for African-American representation, with black protagonists often being placed in the role of freed slaves or women who run brothels/bars. The Harder They Fall is entirely led by a black cast with a diverse range of characters, more than this there is a significant black production team behind this feature. The music for this film is my favourite collection of tracks for any film out this year. Nothing short of a triumph, this one is a must watch.

Check out my The Harder They Fall review! 

 

2. Spider-Man: No Way Home - 9/10

 

This film comes like a shot of adrenaline to movie-going audiences right at the end of 2021. There has been such excitement in the lead up to the release of this superhero blockbuster that it almost became difficult to imagine it could ever live up to the hype; but boy, does it. I went to the midnight screening at my local cinema and found an electric atmosphere, people were cheering or applauding at all the big moments. In a number of ways I haven't seen an audience react so strongly to a film since I went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This feature gives a lot to the fans; a number of cameos or special throwbacks that reward long-time viewers of superhero media. But more than this it rounds out the emotional coming of age story for Tom Holland's Peter Parker in a way that is bittersweet, and absolutely perfect.

Check out my Spider-Man: No Way Home review! 

 

1. Raya And The Last Dragon - 9.5/10

 

Yeah, Disney stepped it up with this one. Raya And The Last Dragon is my favourite film to have emerged from the main Disney studio in years, maybe even a couple of decades. In this story we are treated to a rich fantasy world, with a compelling character who is an action heroine in her own right. Throughout the film Raya learns to trust in others, setting aside her personal prejudices to build a community of people dedicated to saving the world. I was very moved by the themes in the story but also fascinated by the well-written characters and intricately detailed world-building. The most impressive quality of this film is the animation, in which I think we are watching the next step of animation unfold before our eyes. The sheer detail is unbelievable, especially when it comes to how water is presented (a quality I admired when water is such a significant motif). If Disney makes a better animated feature than this in the next five years I'll be surprised.

Check out my Raya And The Last Dragon review! 

 

The best films for the year was strongly dominated by animated features that really stood out this year, an absolutely inspired years for superhero media and a couple of genre-defining features. I really loved how big the mainstream releases here were but also just how good dark horses like Reminiscence and The Harder They Fall earned their respective placings. Now, Without further ado, my bottom five for 2021...

The Worst:

 

5. The Boss Baby: Family Business - 2.5/10

 

The Boss Baby was never the best film in and of itself, but it certainly had its strengths. The sequel strips a lot of what made the first film good, leaving us with this joyless excuse of a sequel. The main protagonist of this film is adult Tim, who is reverted back to a child and proceeds to use this opportunity to reconnect with his young daughter. It's a strange writing choice and doesn't depict the relationship between those characters very well at all. It also means the character of Boss Baby is reduced to little more than a side character, which is a bizarre move considering he's your title role. There's even a terrible moment in the film in which the animation for this film is held in comparison to the classic Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron; a moment which really only convinces me how poorly Dreamworks films have become.

Check out my The Boss Baby: Family Business review! 

 

4. Shadow In The Cloud - 2/10

 

In spite of Chloe Grace Moretz giving one hell of a performance, Shadow In The Cloud is a cautionary tale for B-grade blockbusters. The way this feature is film is intentionally quite unique, sticking with our protagonist in the cockpit of a gunner turret seat for an hour with no cut away. This technique has been done well in past films but Shadow In the Cloud uses the same inane shots, repetitive dialogue and a rather forgettable supporting cast to film in the time. This leads to an excruciatingly slow pacing time, a worrying development for a feature that couldn't even make a 90 minute runtime. The entire final battle of the film in which we move away from the turret is awful, showcasing a poor special effects design and never once justifying the supernatural elements of the feature.

Check out my Shadow In The Cloud review! 

 

3. Gunpowder Milkshake - 2/10

 

In a world where Atomic Blonde and the John Wick film series has lately been drawing audiences I had some pretty decent hopes for this one. Unfortunately Gunpowder Milkshake is a film that is very corny in nature, with a heavy 50s/60s aesthetic and an overly gritty tone that does not blend well together. The movie does not balance out the action sequences well at all, light in the first act and then dumping almost the entire action for the whole feature into the final act. The protagonist for the feature is entirely unlikeable, and sadly this makes this role a bit of a low for lead star, Karen Gillan.

Check out my Gunpowder Milkshake review!

 

2. Space Jam: A New Legacy - 1.5/10

 

Space Jam wasn't a good film, even as a cult film this is basically recognised. So why we got a sequel to it is far beyond me, the fact that it was worse than I could ever imagine is just further fuel for the fire. This feature is a self-congratulatory mess, toting LeBron James as this untouchable athlete who is only hampered by his dismal parenting skills. Far weirder than this is seeing Warner Bros. playing such an intrinsic role within the film, both as a setting and a collection of characters felt like a strange choice that just didn't work. Overall it's quite a vapid film with few interesting roles, poorly written dialogue and a very two-dimensional theme around sticking by your family.

 

Check out my Space Jam: A New Legacy review! 

 

1. Thunder Force - 1.5/10

 

If there's one reason I'll be less likely to review streaming original films in 2022 it is because of Thunder Force. This film is a very drab superhero comedy that looks like it was made with the budget of a CW network show. Not a single special effect throughout the film looks very good and visually there is entirely no style to the feature. The film is riddled with lazy writing and plot holes, rushing to achieve what a scene needs to get closer to the end rather than to weave together a compelling story where each moment leads off from the other. The film is lead by Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer, who have each had some bad roles but both of these are admittedly career lows. The biggest failing of the feature is that it is really pitched as a comedic outing but there is a very dull feel to the film and the only scenes I found myself laughing in were the ones with Jason Bateman.

 

Check out my Thunder Force review! 

 

So concludes another wrap up of the year's best and worst films, as always I'm keen to hear what your own favourite and least favourite films were! Here's to a new decade of exciting cinema ahead! For those curious where your favourite film of 2021 wound up check my list below to see my complete rankings:     

 

1. Raya And The Last Dragon – 9.5/10
2. Spider-Man: No Way Home – 9/10
3. The Harder They Fall – 9/10
4. Luca – 8.5/10
5. Reminiscence – 8.5/10
6. Nobody – 8.5/10
7. Free Guy – 8.5/10
8. Rurangi – 8.5/10
9. The Suicide Squad – 8.5/10
10. Eternals – 8.5/10
11. Synchronic – 8/10
12. Promising Young Woman – 8/10
13. Shang Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings – 8/10
14. King Richard – 8/10
15. Last Night In Soho – 7.5/10
16. Jungle Cruise – 7.5/10
17. Black Widow - 7.5/10
18. Kate – 7.5/10
19. Crisis – 7.5/10
20. Cruella – 7.5/10
21. The Little Things – 7/10
22. No Time To Die – 6.5/10
23. Dune – 6.5/10
24. I Care A Lot – 6.5/10
25. Ron’s Gone Wrong – 6/10
26. Judas And The Black Messiah – 6/10
27. Ghostbusters: Afterlife – 6/10
28. Wrath Of Man – 6/10
29. Those Who Wish Me Dead – 6/10
30. The Starling - 6/10
31. Voyagers – 6/10
32. Army Of The Dead – 5.5/10
33. Godzilla vs Kong – 5.5/10
34. Monster Hunter – 4.5/10
35. Escape Room: Tournament Of Champions – 4.5/10
36. A Call To Spy – 4.5/10
37. The Ice Road – 4.5/10
38. Don’t Breathe – 4.5/10
39. The White Tiger – 4/10
40. Mainstream – 4/10
41. Night Teeth – 4/10
42. Venom: Let There Be Carnage – 4/10
43. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard – 4/10
44. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins – 3.5/10
45. The Matrix Resurrections – 3.5/10
46. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It – 3.5/10
47. The Marksman – 3.5/10
48. Mortal Kombat – 3/10
49. The Boss Baby: Family Business – 2.5/10
50. Shadow In The Cloud – 2/10
51. Gunpowder Milkshake – 2/10
52. Space Jam: A New Legacy – 1.5/10
53. Thunder Force – 1.5/10