Warcraft: The Beginning

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Warcraft was an opportunity to have the first good video game film, sadly it did not deliver. I would give Warcraft: The Beginning a 6/10.

This is a film that will have some really interesting scenes, there are several instances in the film that made me stop and really appreciate what I was watching; scenes like the King allowing Garona to kill him or the fight between Durotan and Gul'dan. The cinematography that was used in this film looks incredible, the director really captures the scope of this fantasy world. The score is also really good, it has such an original sound and redeems the film completely from the terrible trailer music used in marketing.

Paula Patton, who played Garona, is essentially the perfect female lead in this film; Patton presents the perfect blend of the orc and human character traits while also demonstrating the consequences of having allegiance to both sides. Ben Foster, who played Medivh, does a great job in this film despite being saddled with a disappointing plot twist; Foster plays quite a likeable and compassionate character in this film who is also notably distant and lonely. Robert Kazinsky, who played Orgrim, has a great chemistry with Kebbell and you feel like these two are as close as brothers; Kazinsky's role betrays Kebbell's in this film and you feel his regret and his pain for conducting this act so strongly. Daniel Wu, who played Gul'dan, makes for a great antagonist in this film; his performance borders the stereotypical but you can't help but feel how intimidating he is when he's onscreen. Ruth Negga, who played Lady Taria, plays one of the kindest and easily the most likeable character in the film; her generous actions towards Patton's role are some of the better character interaction in the film. Anna Galvin, who played Draka, is a very good-humoured character who has a lot of chemistry with Kebbell; I appreciated the fact that she appeared to be a warrior who was as fierce and strong as her husband.

However the best performance came from Toby Kebbell, who played Durotan. My pick here is interesting because going into a film like this you expect to enjoy the live action characters over the CGI characters; I found I had a lot more interest in the Orcs and their story. Kebbell portrays an amazing, selfless protagonist who is a great leader and the true champion of this film. I mentioned earlier that one of the best scenes of this film was the fight between Durotan and Gul'dan; at this point you feel like Durotan has lost so much and just the sheer amount of willpower he shows in this battle makes it one of the more impressive scenes.

This film dumps you in the middle of a world without establishing much in terms of lore and backstory, frankly you are either expected to just accept a rather threadbare plot or you are supposed to be a World Of Warcraft fan. Unfortunately this push for fan service makes the film slow and sluggish, sure there are spikes of excitement but nothing's going on for a lot of this film. Warcraft doesn't even display the capacity to conduct a good plot twist, the Guardian Medivh betraying the humans is hinted at throughout the film pretty blatantly so when it does actually happen you aren't even remotely surprised at all. The special effects in this film aren't nearly as impressive as everyone seems to claim; ultimately there were just too many things going on and it all started to look a bit simple, the golem and the magic in this film all looked terrible. The editing also was pretty questionable, the way scenes moved around wasn't consistent at all and tarnished the visual style of the film.

Travis Fimmel, who played Anduin Lothar, made for a rather uninteresting protagonist; he never made much of an impression nor did he stand out as a leading role. Dominic Cooper, who played Llane Wrynn, gave a weak performance in this film; Cooper didn't have the strong screen presence or resolve to portray a king. Toby Kebbell, who played Antonidas, demonstrates that Kebbell has the capacity to be a great performer and a weak one; this high mage type role is a rather weak minor character. Ben Schnetzer, who played Khadgar, is a rather annoying main role in this film; he's given far too much importance and ultimately is one of the weakest characters of the film. Clancy Brown, who played Blackhand, is one of the only Orc performances I didn't like in this film; Brown presents yet another war-mongering bloodthirsty creature that is rather two-dimensional. Callum Keith Rennie, who played Moroes, is a rather forgettable servant character; I wish he'd been given at least the opportunity to form some kind of relationship with Foster. Burkely Duffield, who played Callan, had a lot of importance placed upon his role but sadly due to his weak performance failed to live up to it; the father/son bond between Duffield and Fimmel was one of the weaker storylines of the film. Ryan Robbins and Dean Redman, who played Karos and Varis, were treated as background performers and didn't really serve much purpose in this film; there was a lot of wasted talent and these two are strong indicators of that. Michael Adamthwaite, who played King Magni, is an example of what the film did wrong; there were so many races like the Dwarves in this film but these characters are never explored which is horribly disappointing. Glenn Close, who played Alodi, is a weak red herring to divert from the Medivh betrayal that comes far too late into the film; this entity is a strange part of the film and was maybe one new character introduction too many.

Independence Day: Resurgence

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I'm not a big fan of the first Independence Day so believe me when I say how surprised I am to describe the sequel as one of the more entertaing blockbusters of 2016. I would give Independence Day: Resurgence an 8/10.

This film does alien invasion really well, like the scale and magnitude of it all feels very creative and well put together. I enjoyed that the film grounded itself in the original but worked hard on building up a world set twenty years later with characters both new and old. The special effects in this film were magnificent, the CGI aliens looked good but the designs for the spaceships and the moon base really impressed me too. The cinematography was stunning, it really took into account when to keep a scene small and intimate or when to really put emphasis on the magnitude of the threat.

Liam Hemsworth, who played Jake Morrison, has really found his best role in this film; Hemsworth's reserved and prideful pilot makes for a great protagonist. Jessie T. Usher, who played Dylan Hiller, really was a fun performer who embodied the poster boy archetype; however he carried a lot of emotional weight upon his shoulder dealing with the death of both of his parents. Bill Pullman, who played President Whitmore, took a more eccentric and erratic role in this film which Pullman played very well; there's a powerful scene in which Pullman gathers himself together and delivers an incredible speech to Goldblum. William Fichtner, who played General Adams, delivered a very strong military leader in this film; the speech he gives is one of my favourite scenes of the film. Judd Hirsch, who played Julius Levinson, was an entertaining comedic presence in this film; despite a diminished amount of screen time from the first film Hirsch still does a great job at standing out. Brent Spiner, who played Dr. Brakish Okun, was one of my favourite performers within the film; Spiner is a comedic powerhouse and a consistent scene stealer. Deobia Oparei, who played Dikembe Umbutu, brought a more diverse and original character to this sequel; Oparei created an intimidating and powerful performance. Chin Han, who played Commander Jiang, had an incredibly strong presence and made for a great leader figure; I enjoyed the conflict between him and Hemsworth. John Storey, who played Dr. Isaacs, was a really fun character and had some great chemistry with Spiner; Storey's death scene is my favourite scene in the entire film.

However the best performance came from Jeff Goldblum, who played David Levinson. It has been a while since I've seen Goldblum in a film but I enjoyed his performance, he without a doubt has still got it. There's a very complex intellect when it comes to Goldblum's character yet he portrays this wonderfully and it makes you enjoy the science aspect of this sci-fi hit. I think where Goldblum's real talent lies is with his comedic one liners that can be delivered in a very non-chalant and often sarcastic way.

This film might have been a lot of fun but it was by no means a perfect sequel, the follow through from the original film sometimes felt laboured and got more complicated than the film really needed it to be. Furthermore the pacing in this film wasn't always great, the were a lot of characters and subplots that just didn't need to happen in this film. The score for this film was thankfully not as bad as the 'all American' score of the first Independence Day, but it traded one bad quality for another; this time round the score was boring and rather generic.

Maika Monroe, who played Patricia Whitmore, didn't have a lot of presence in this film; she didn't have a lot of chemistry with Hemsworth so you didn't care a lot about their relationship. Sela Ward, who played President Lanford, was a very stereotypical 'take no prisoners' all American president; you didn't feel that she was a character so much as she was a tired and played out trope. Patrick St. Esprit, who played Secretary of Defense Tanner, was as forgettable in this film as he was in the last film; it felt fitting that he was killed quickly with the President in this film because he too played a rather boring government figure. Vivica A. Fox, who played Jasmine Hiller, was a great performance in the first film but was treated terribly in this one; her death for the sake of Usher's man pain performance didn't really feel justified. Angelababy, who played Rain Lao, had all the possibility of being quite a cool character but wasn't given the screen time to own the role; sadly she was boxed into a rather minor romance subplot. Charlotte Gainsbourg, who played Catherine Marceaux, had a role as a psychological expert in this film which was a character that maybe didn't need to be there; I was annoyed that her and Goldblum's roles seemed to have so much history yet the two of them had absolutely zero chemistry. Nicholas Wright, who played Floyd Rosenberg, had no purpose for being in this film; he was a weak attempt at mindless comedic relief. Travis Tope, who played Charlie Miller, was a really awkward and unappealing character; he wasn't funny nor did he have much chemistry with Hemsworth or Angelababy. Robert Loggia, who played General Grey, was an appearance that wasn't really warranted in this film; this is a prime example of the film trying to establish too many links to the original. Joey King, Garrett Wareing, Hays Wellford and McKenna Grace, who played Sam, Bobby, Felix and Daisy respectively, were responsible for a subplot that really let down Hirsch's great performance; these kids were introduced far too late into the film to really matter and as an audience you didn't want to become invested in too many more characters. Jenna Purdy, who voiced the Sphere, has to have one of the most generic alien robot voices I've ever heard; seriously this character was just too much of a sci-fi stereotype to take seriously.

The Wailing

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This is such a bizarre horror/thriller but at least it has more plot than most horror films out there. I'd give The Wailing a 6/10.

This film had tension in spades, while I wouldn't describe this as an inherently scary film it does find a way of unnerving you and getting under your skin. There is a long game here about what is really causing these evil possessions throughout the town which is far more complex than most horror films manage; the 'whodunnit' element of this film really provides something unique. The score for this film was pretty well used as well, the contrast between the shaman's exorcism and the Japanese man's ritual is one of the best scenes of the film because of the music. The cinematography shows a very trained eye in charge of this film's creation, there are several shots that look as beautiful as paintings.

Kwak Do-Won, who played Jong-Goo, is a very grounded protagonist in this film; the internal conflict he experiences over the fate of his daughter is one of the more powerful plot points of the film. Jun Kunimura, who played the Japanese Man, made for an antagonist that left me rather on edge by the end of the film; Kunimura is an actor who can display the power behind his character just through the power of his voice. Kim Ki-Cheon, who played Captain of Police Substation, was very good at portraying a strong authoritative character; his sharp cracks at Jong-Goo's expense were great.

However the best performance came from Hwang Jung-Min, who played Il-Gwang. Jung-Min has fast risen to be one of the greatest Korean actors that I've watched and he always delivers a powerful performance. This film seems to be quite a fun role for him, he plays the shaman quite over the top and in an extremely comedic manner at first. Yet his role exhibits greater and greater levels of fear as the film progresses, demonstrating the capabilities Jung-Min possesses as a dramatic performer.

This film is extremely long, with a viewing time that's closer to three hours, the pacing does become laboured and you get bored over several instances. There were some themes that also felt extremely confusing, a lot of this plot isn't really presented in a very clear way; it fails to balance the surreal and the linear narrative. The editing was also a bit of a let down, the cuts were very simple and meant the film slowed down completely.

Chun Woo-Hee, who played Moo-Myeong, felt like an important character who was really mishandled; her lack of screen time meant that we never really came to understand the character. Kim Hwan-Hee, who played Hyo-Jin, gave quite a bland performance in this film; the whole 'kid gets possessed' trope is very played out. Jang So-Yeon, who played the Wife, was given very little focus in this film; she wasn't treated as a character at all. Heo Jin, who played the Mother-In-Law, wasn't an interesting role; her only true purpose in this film was to introduce Jung-Min's character. Son Kang-Kuk, who played Oh Sung-Bok, was a side role that had very little impact upon the narrative; his lack of chemistry with Do-Won really let down his performance. Kim Do-Yoon, who played Yang Yi-Sam, was really shoehorned into the film's narrative; I felt like his character was treated as far more important than he really was.

Thirty Million

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This film is my first short film and documentary review for this blog and I'm very excited to talk about it. I would give Thirty Million a 7/10.

This film makes incredible use of it's short run time to emphasise the significance and the reality that is climate change as well as the dangers it poses to Bangladesh. It manages to stress the severity of these issues without fear-mongering (a trait some documentaries use that I dislike), instead it is reinforced to the viewer that a significant number of lives are under threat and it is up to all nations to help prevent this threat from taking place. However it is not only the powerful message behind this film that makes this short documentary stand out but also the cinematography, what I really enjoyed was that there was a very intelligent visual style that captured the themes of the documentary; for example at the end of the film when it talks about a nation sinking we see a powerful aerial shot of a group of people floating away in a crowded boat or when the subject of 'climate refugees' crossing borders is discussed a crowded train is tracked by the camera in what is one of my favourite shots of the film. The score for this film isn't invasive and provides a subtle atmosphere for the film, yet what a moving sound that heightens the viewing experience.

This film opens with about eight to ten minutes of the usual climate change message, it feels like it could be from a thousand other documentaries and so in this regard means that the film doesn't kick off with as much impact as it could have. The editing was another point that could have had a bit more of a unique or exciting flair; I felt like the way the film was pieced together didn't do anything I haven't already seen before.

Alex Norton, who narrated the film, was quite a weak voice to play over this documentary; his weak delivery took away from some of the impact the film was trying to make.

I would strongly recommend having a watch of this film for yourself, click the link below to view it for free:
http://thirtymillionfilm.org/

Finding Dory

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I was a bit skeptical at first about whether Finding Nemo needed a sequel; I should never have worried because this is as close to a perfect sequel as you can get. I would give Finding Dory an 8.5/10.

This film is probably best described as a character film; it's all about Dory, her memory loss and her rather tragic backstory. We meet a wide variety of new characters in this film and explore brilliant new locations but nothing is quite as exciting as Dory learning who she is and where she comes from. The animation in this film is spectacular, a great deal of effort is put into keeping the look of Finding Nemo but also revitalising it and providing more detail. The score is beautiful and adds a lot of emotional impact to some pretty powerful scenes; the soundtrack is also great, my favourite was the comedic use of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World".

Ellen DeGeneres, who voiced Dory, did such a great job voicing the protagonist for this film; Dorry can be bumbling or funny or distraught or excited and every single time DeGeneres will nail the delivery flawlessly. Albert Brooks, who voiced Marlin, takes more of a step back in this film but still manages to provide us with some insight into what family means; in this film Marlin really accepts Dory as a member of his family and I think that's such a touching plot development. Ed O'Neill, who voiced Hank, is a new rough type character introduced for this film; Hank doesn't get along with Dory at first but it's nice to see him connect with and befriend her as the film progresses. Kaitlin Olson, who voiced Destiny, is another new character added within this sequel; Olson brings a ton of energy and charisma to this character and there's a lot of chemistry between her and DeGeneres in their scenes together. Hayden Rolence, who voiced Nemo, really gets a lot more screen time in this film which I thought was great; I liked how Nemo connected with Dory and how he took a hand in helping educate Marlin that Dory was an important part of their family. Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy, who voiced Jenny and Charlie respectively, were incredible parental figures in this film; the love and support they had for Dory was so touching and exceptionally moving. Idris Elba and Dominic West, who voiced Fluke and Rudder respectively, were really entertaining minor roles in this film; these British seals were very comedic and stood out in the scenes they were in. Andrew Stanton, who voiced Crush, was a great throwback to the first film; I love listening to Stanton's 'surfer dude' sea turtle.

However the best performance came from Sloane Murray, who voiced Young Dory. There are a multitude of scenes in this film that show Dory as a young child, this is incredibly interesting to see her before as a kid but also to see her with her family. Murray does a great job of portraying Dory's memory loss as well as her fear of forgetting important things like her family or her home; I admire that she can do all of this hard delivery while still maintaining and creating an admittedly cute character.

What this film really lacked was a point of conflict, there was no antagonist nor was there anyone really working against anything else. Sure there was a lot of tension and you were about the main characters but at the end of the day it was a fairly straightforward plot that didn't take many risks.

Ty Burrell, who voiced Bailey, brought a new character to this sequel who was more annoying than he was funny; Burrell's voice work isn't great and Bailey is a character you won't get as much enjoyment out of. Bob Peterson, who voiced Mr Ray, was a boring character in the first Finding Nemo and keeps that up in the sequel; Peterson's role is confined to delivering a lot of boring exposition that sets up the rest of the feature.

Me Before You

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I mean sure it's sweet and charming but this film is bogged down by a weak supporting cast and a naive message. I would give Me Before You a 6/10.

This film is very charming if you're heading along to see a basic romance film, the story is fairly simple and moves along quite lightly. The portrayal of Will has it's problems which I will get into but there are some aspects of the film that depict quadriplegia rather well. The soundtrack to this film is brilliant, it fits the characters and also helps set the atmosphere for the more romantic scenes.

Sam Claflin, who played Will Traynor, does a great job with a poorly written character; Claflin manages to showcase the pain his character feels as well as the joy Lou brings him. Janet McTeer and Charles Dance, who played Camilla and Stephen Traynor respectively, do a good job as the distant parents managing the grief for their son in their own way; McTeer is very protective and almost frightened of her emotional response while Dance presents a more rational and supportive state of mind. Stephen Peacocke, who played Nathan, really fit into the nurse/caretaker role well; he was a fun and lively presence in the film.

However the best performance came from Emilia Clarke, who played Lou Clark. Clarke brings so much energy to this role that you are hooked onto her for the entirety of the film. I really enjoyed this quirky character that she played, she was funny and exceptionally charismatic. I think that this is a real indicator of the type of diverse roles we'll see Clarke in after Game Of Thrones.

This film has a ton of problems and if you want a simple romance these won't be issues for you. But the fact is this film argues that if you become disabled after being able-bodied then there's no shame in killing yourself. How hurtful is that message? I think it's ignorant to evaluate a disabled person as less than an able-bodied person and this film goes a bit beyond that. I also took issue with the mentally disabled joke that we get when Will and Lou first meet, there's a lot going on in this film that shows a lack of respect to disabled people. I think a film that is prepared to be about disability without respecting disabled people doesn't deserve much credit. The cinematography is mediocre, it's a rather weak visual style and doesn't try to stand out. The editing follows suit, the cuts being either long and drawn out or too rapid.

Vanessa Kirby and Ben Lloyd-Hughes, who played Alicia and Rupert respectively, gave exceptionally stiff performances in this film; it was hard to believe these characters were ever friends with Will. Samantha Spiro, who played Josie Clark, was a role that didn't lend much presence to the film; her character becomes rather shrewd and narrow-minded by the end of the film which makes her dislikeable. Brendan Coyle, who played Bernard Clark, had a subplot of needing a job that became quite forgettable; his role was filled with rather generic advice scenes. Jenna Coleman, who played Katrina 'Treena' Clark, was a rather plain character; her chemistry with Clarke was awful and they didn't feel like sisters at all. Alan Breck, who played Grandad, never got the opportunity to make his mark as a character in this film; he more felt like part of the family background. Matthew Lewis, who played Patrick, didn't feel like a very real character at all; I suppose he was supposed to be some kind of comedic character but he just felt really forced and obnoxious.

Now You See Me 2

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While not as good as the first film, this brilliant sequel certainly pulls out all the stops to keep you entertained. I would give Now You See Me 2 a 7.5/10.

This film is a real joy to watch, it blends tragic backstories, comedic scenes and mind-boggling magic in what is a rather spectacular plot. The story doesn't stray too far from the safety of what the last film did but that never really matters because you still find yourself hooked by this incredible cast of characters. The cinematography for this film is very smooth, particularly when tricks are being conducted. The special effects for the film are great and almost even a bit subtle, the fact you start just viewing them as magic tricks rather than special effects says a lot about the film. The score for the movie is a classic homage to the first film, that really powerful grandstanding backing music to these powerful performers.

Jesse Eisenberg, who played J. Daniel Atlas, really played up the vulnerabilities of his character's ego and ambition in this film; I think it was important to see this character humbled and redeemed to further the role and story. Mark Ruffalo, who played Dylan Rhodes, is a great central protagonist in this film; it was pretty good seeing him carrying around the pain of losing his father in this film. Woody Harrelson, who played Merritt and Chase McKinney, did a great job of playing these opposing twins; Merritt is a likeable jokester while Chase is an absolutely insane wild card. Dave Franco, who played Jack Wilder, gives one of the most sincere performances out of the cast; he does his best to play a character who is extremely grounded and eager to do well. Daniel Radcliffe, who played Walter Mabry, made for an interesting new antagonist to the Now You See Me franchise; I liked the unpredictability of his psychotic outbursts. Michael Caine, who played Arthur Tressler, was an antagonist that in a lesser actor's hands would have not made much of an impact with the amount of screen time they had; however Caine has screen presence for days and is thoroughly sleazy in his villainous role. Morgan Freeman, who played Thaddeus Bradley, has a great conflict with Ruffalo throughout the film; while I found the reveal of him being a member of the Eye predictable at the end I also appreciated the closure that came between Freeman and Ruffalo's characters. David Warshofsky, who played Agent Cowan, is a character I loved to hate; Warshofsky presents one of the only FBI characters who feels like an agent and he at the very least makes the FBI scenes a little more enjoyable. Tsai Chin, who played Bu Bu, was the perfect casting choice for one of the serene leaders of the Eye; it felt important to have a strong Chinese actor or actress for this film and Chin was without a doubt that stand out performance. William Henderson and Richard Laing, who played Young Dylan and Lionel Shrike respectively, presented a powerful opening scene to this film; seeing the backstory for Dylan was a very emotional quality to this film.

However the best performance came from Lizzy Caplan, who played Lula. Caplan is one of the new characters to the cast and she makes a tremendous impact from the get go. Her unorthodox humour and tendency to steal the scenes that she's in made her a fast favourite character in my book. I also liked that caplan showed that her role was working to try to find her place in the team, she isn't always the most confident but works hard to find her place amongst the Horsemen.

The ending for this film left a lot to be desired; there was a great build up but ultimately everything about any of the big reveals was fairly predictable, beyond that when the Horsemen got to the Eye Headquarters there were a few reveals that took away from scenes we'd watched earlier in the film. I really felt like the film had too many characters on it's plate and couldn't balance them all, especially when it came to the number of antagonists. There were a few scenes in this film that were 'off-beats' and jarred the film's pacing, the romance between Caplan and Franco was extremely forced for instance. I also wasn't a big fan of the soundtrack, this is a problem with a few blockbusters these; there is a drive to use a wide range of songs that don't necessarily match what's going on in the film.

Jay Chou, who played Li, isn't a particularly necessary character to this film at all; Chou had very little screen presence and you tended to forget about him in the scenes he was in. Sanaa Lathan, who played Deputy Director Natalie Austin, was a very boring and generic role; Lathan's performance made the FBI's presence in this film one of the worst qualities. Henry Lloyd-Hughes, who played Allen Scott-Frank, played a character that I presume was supposed to be comedic but ultimately wasn't very funny at all; the reveal that his character was a member of the Eye severely undercut the scene he was in earlier in the film. Zach Gerard, who played Hannes Pike, was quite a forgettable minor role in this film; Gerard didn't really do anything to make himself stand out. Ben Lamb, who played Owen Chase, had some awful line delivery in this film; Lamb's performance was stiff and very basic.