HOW TO HAVE SEX REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

For a lot of people, the teen years represents the most difficult period in someone’s life as they make that awkward transition from a child to becoming an adult. There have been several coming of age films that effectively capture that awkwardness, however, none more so than How To Have Sex, which explores important subjects such as sex and consent in a thought provoking way. 

The premise is simple as it focuses on three best friends, Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Skye (Lara Peake) and Em (Enva Lewis) who, while anxiously waiting for their exam results, decide to go on a carefree holiday to Malia. Out of the three, Tara is the only teen who is still a virgin and hopes to finally have her first sexual encounter on the holiday. After meeting two guys, Badger (Shaun Thomas) and Paddy (Samuel Bottomley), the chances are promising, however, while Tara shares natural chemistry with the charming Badger, it’s Paddy who takes an interest in her. It’s clear from Tara’s body language that she’s uncomfortable with Paddy’s advances, however, he clearly doesn’t care and, before she knows it and can even prepare for the loss of her virginity, the moment is over. The scene itself isn’t shown but it’s obvious what has happened as Tara’s disappointed facial expression and uncomfortable body language express more than words ever could. What makes this even worse is that Paddy leaves her behind as he rushes to join his friends with Tara looking on. What was meant to be a special, life changing moment in Tara’s life is ruined by Paddy’s advances. There will, undoubtedly, be countless people who see themselves in Tara and can resonate with her experience, however, there will also be others who recognise themselves as Paddy in the situation and will think about their actions. That is what makes How To Have Sex such vital viewing especially for teenagers. While I personally can’t relate to Tara, I still felt extremely uncomfortable, especially as Paddy couldn’t continues to invade Tara’s personal space, even in one scene when she’s trying to sleep. A lot of men have complained that it’s “not all men” who are responsible for this kind of behaviour but, the truth is it’s still some men when it should be no men at all. All men should be treating women with respect and not forcing them to do stuff they want to do. While the film itself doesn’t exactly teach people “how to have sex” as that title suggests, it does succeed in teaching them the importance of consent. 

The strength of How To Have Sex lies in McKenna-Bruce’s impressive central performance as Tara. She is utterly convincing as a teenage desperately wanting to grow up but is clearly an outsider as she is yet to have the same experiences as her friends. Tara has a bubbly and likeable personality, however, that all changes following her encounter with Paddy. She tries her hardest to stay positive on the outside for her friends so she doesn’t ruin their holiday, however, it’s clear on the inside she’s struggling to process what has happened. The rest of the cast provide strong supporting roles, including Peake and Lewis as Tara’s friends, Skye and Em. The former is wild and fails to notice that something has happened to Tara and that she’s clearly uncomfortable, however, Em is the one who can sense that something isn’t right with Tara. Equally as impressive are Bottomley and Thomas as the lads who quickly take an interest in the three girls that have arrived at the hotel in the room opposite to theirs. Badger is caring towards Tara but struggles to stop his friend, Paddy, from his forceful behaviour towards Tara. Every single character feels authentic as that’s what teenagers are like, especially in this modern society that is obsessed with social media and getting the most likes, followers and views on the latest popular app. 

How To Have Sex represents an incredible directorial debut for filmmaker Molly Manning-Walker who effectively captures the realities and pressures of being a teenager. The first half of the film captures the chaotic energy of carefree holidays teenagers go on with the characters rarely seen without a drink and/or a cigarette in their hand. However, the tone changes and becomes more somber and serious as it focuses on Tara as she tries her hardest to enjoy her holiday. The final half is where the film is at its most thought provoking. Manning-Walker is clearly a skilful filmmaker who understands the importance of telling a story that explores the subject of consent from the perspective of a teen girl as they’re the ones who have mainly been affected. 

Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, where Manning Walker won the Un Certain Regard, How To Have Sex has been lauded by critics with most of the praise going towards McKenna Bruce’s central performance and the powerful and thought provoking story. It’s not hard to understand why it’s been received so well as it tells an important story that will, most likely, resonate with those who have had similar experiences.

8/10

THE CREATOR REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Making an original sci-fi film can be challenging as there’s been so many that have explored similar ideas in an effective way and left a lasting impression on critics and audiences. That’s why, when a new sci-fi film is released, it can be difficult for it to stand out. That’s definitely an issue with Gareth Edwards’ latest film, The Creator, which has a futuristic settling and mainly focuses on the conflict between humans and Artificial Intelligence which has been done many times before but is still relevant in this modern day. However, does The Creator still manage to leave a lasting impression? 

Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua (John David Washington), a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, Maya (Gemma Chan), is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war-and mankind itself. However, Joshua is shocked to discover that the weapon is actually a young child (Madeleine Yuna Voyles), leading to him protecting her. 

Since the release of The Creator last month, the response has been divisive with most of the praise going towards the stunning visuals, practical effects and production design. However, there has been a lot of criticism towards the narrative and its lack of originality. It’s challenging making an original sci-fi that focuses on the conflict between the human race and AIs as it’s been done so many times before in films such as James Cameron’s The Terminator, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Steven Spielberg’s AI: Artificial Intelligence. While the narrative is predictable and is similar to several other sci-fi films, I didn’t find this to be much of an issue with The Creator. The unoriginal story is only a small flaw with the positive aspects of The Creator, including mesmerising visuals, impressive practical effects and an outstanding performance by Madeleine Yuna Voyles, outweighing the negatives and, as a result, is worth watching.

The Creator is directed by Gareth Edwards and is based on a script he co-wrote with Chris Weitz. Edwards is best known for impressing with his debut as director with the sci-fi horror, Monsters, which was released in 2010, with critics describing it as a “surprising blend of alien-invasion tropes, political themes, and relationship drama”. Sticking with monsters, Edwards then directed the 2014 Godzilla remake starring Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen. While far from a great film, it still further proved Edwards as a skilful filmmaker. In 2016, Edwards made the Star Wars spin-off, Rogue One, which starred Felicity Jones in the lead role, and, while far from the best film set in a galaxy far, far, away, still provides fans of the blockbuster franchise with thrilling action. Seven years later and Edwards continues to impress with his latest film, The Creator. Undoubtedly, he succeeds at capturing the futuristic setting and providing audiences with stunning visuals, making this a must see on the big screen. What’s most impressive is that, unlike a lot of films that rely on computer generated imagery and look artificial, the special effects are practical. The visuals are a good enough reason why The Creator is worth watching.

While most of the praise has gone towards the visuals and world building, the story has been described as unoriginal and predictable. While I do agree that the narrative is the most disappointing part of The Creator, I still found it to be an engaging watch for the majority of its 134 minute runtime. What I liked most was that Edwards’ decision to focus on the characters and story rather than relying on action sequences to keep the audience entertained. There will be those who may be hoping for a film that’s action packed like The Terminator and will be disappointing, however, that doesn’t mean that The Creator is a bad film. It’s the type of sci-fi that is more interested in exploring thought provoking ideas and relevant themes, such as the ongoing conflict between the human race and Artificial Intelligence. 

The Creator features a talented cast who each deliver strong performances, with John David Washington leading the way as Joshua. While far from his best performance, he makes for a likeable lead and someone easy to root for. I think that it’s difficult for John being the son of one of Hollywood’s best actors, Denzel Washington, as he’ll always be compared to him. I think that John has succeeded in making a name for himself with roles in Spike Lee’s Oscar winning drama, BlacKkKlansman, and Christopher Nolan’s twisted and action packed thriller, Tenet. Solid supporting roles are provided by Gemma Chan as Joshua’s wife, Maya, and Allison Janney as Howell, a colonel in the U.S. Army who recruits Joshua. She harbours a deep prejudice against AIs due to losing both her sons in the war. Ken Watanabe leaves a lasting impression with his portrayal of a simulant soldier named Harun and is proof that not all AIs are evil. As great as the talented cast are, the most impressive performance is delivered by Madeleine Yuna Voyles as robotic simulant that has the ability to remotely control technology and is seen as a threatening weapon to the human race. She is affectionately named “Alphie” by Joshua who becomes like a father figure to her. Their relationship is where The Creator is at its most effective.

While I understand why there’s a lot of disappointment towards the story as it’s far from original, I still found The Creator to be a compelling watch and filled with stunning visuals and an impressive performance by Madeleine Yuna Voyles.

8/10 

A HAUNTING IN VENICE REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Following on from his adaptations of Agatha Christie’s best selling novels, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, Kenneth Branagh returns to the role of the famous detective Hercule Poirot and the director’s chair with A Haunting in Venice, which is loosely based on Christie’s 1969 novel, Hallowe’en Party. Although I can understand the mixed responses to both Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, I was one of the few people who enjoyed both films and, because I hadn’t read Christie’s novels, I knew little about the plot and found it to be a mostly unpredictable watch. Because of this, I was looking forward to seeing what Branagh had created with A Haunting in Venice.

In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a seance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer.

Like Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, A Haunting in Venice features a talented ensemble cast and surrounds a murder mystery plot. However, unlike the previous two films, A Haunting in Venice feels more suspenseful and the plot is is unpredictable as it’s based on one of Christie’s lesser known books. The problem with Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile was that most people watching them knew about the revelations and twists and, as a result, were left disappointed by the adaptations. A Haunting in Venice succeeds at keeping its viewers guessing throughout. 

The highlight of both Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile is the star studded cast. The former featured the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe, Derek Jacobi, Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad and Olivia Colman. The latter’s cast was less impressive mainly as a result of the controversies surrounding several of the actors involved in the film including Gal Gadot and Armie Hammer. While it’s fun seeing a talented ensemble cast working together, the issue is that most of the actors are lacking in screen time and struggle to leave much of a lasting impression. I didn’t find this to be the case with A Haunting in Venice which features a smaller number of familiar names, including Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Dornan. Fey portrays mystery writer Ariadne Oliver who convinces Poirot to attend a séance at the palazzo of famed opera singer Rowena Drake (Rowena Drake) and expose Joyce Reynolds (Yeoh), a World War I army nurse turned medium, as a fraud. Following her Oscar winning performance in the mind bending multiverse comedy, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Yeoh is perfectly creepy as Joyce. After appearing as father and son in Branagh’s Oscar winning drama, Belfast, Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill reunite, with the former portraying Leslie Ferrier, a doctor suffering from psychological trauma, and the latter cast as his son, Leopold. Kelly Reilly delivers the most impressive performance as Rowena Drake who is haunted by the mysterious death of her young daughter, Alicia. As usual, Branagh’s Poirot is front and centre, however, he is less confident than in the previous films as a result of the Second World War and is himself still haunted by his wife’s death. Poirot’s uncertainty around the mystery adds to the increasing suspense. 

Since its release, while the main plot has been criticised, most of the praise for A Haunting in Venice has gone towards the tone. A flaw a lot of people found with Murder and Death was that the performances were melodramatic and camp and, as a result, made it hard for viewers to take the films seriously. That’s not the case with Haunting which, while not a horror film, comes close with its dark and suspenseful tone. It keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with the occasional jump scare. There’s also a sense of unease with Poirot frequently seeing the ghost of Alicia. The revelation is also quite disturbing as it involves her death. Because of this, most people may enjoy A Haunting in Venice more than Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.  

7/10

PAST LIVES REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life, in this heartrending modern romance.

Described as an “adaption” of writer/director Celine Song’s life, Past Lives is a meaningful character driven drama that effectively explores the bond between two individuals who are separated as children when Nora moves to New York with her family. However, Nora and Hae Sung are reunited as young adults when they begin communicating through video calls. They clearly have a strong connection as they spend most of their free time talking, despite the time difference. Eventually, Nora tells Hae Sung they should stop talking for a while, as she wants to focus on her writing and her life in New York. The two do not resume their video calls. It isn’t until over a decade later that Nora and Hae Sung finally reunite in person when the latter travels to New York on vacation. Unfortunately, there’s no possibility of a romantic relationship as Nora is married to Arthur (John Magaro). Despite this, there is still a special connection between Nora and Hae Sung, with most of the film’s 106 minute runtime following them as they go sightseeing in New York which includes a ferry trip to see the Statue of Liberty. Obvious comparisons have been made to Richard Linklater’s romantic film, Before Sunrise, which was released in 1995 and starred Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as two strangers who meet on a train and spend the day together. What makes Past Lives stand out from Before Sunrise is that Song’s script explores the idea of in-yeon, which argues that when a person encounters another person and has even a brief interaction, it means they have met in a past life. It’s hard to specifically describe the relationship between Nora and Hae Sung as they aren’t exes as they met as children. They’re not friends as friends aren’t as estranged as Nora and Hae Sung are. They aren’t strangers and can’t be described simply as acquaintances because what they feel for each other is much deeper. It’s easy to understand all of the praise Celine Song has received since Past Lives premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, with 98% of over two hundred critics giving it a positive reception. This is especially impressive considering how divisive most films are.

Aside from Celine Song’s skilful filmmaking, the most impressive aspect of Past Lives are the two central performances delivered by Greta Lee and Teo Yoo. They both share a natural, unforced chemistry that makes their bond all the more effective. John Magaro delivers a strong supporting performance as Nora’s husband, Arthur, who, despite speaking very little Korean, is accepting of Nora’s relationship with Hae Sung. What I liked most about Arthur was that there was no unnecessary jealous trait in his personality, he was generally happy for his wife reuniting with someone from her home. 

With Past Lives, writer/director Celine Song has created a moving character driven drama that explores the relationship between two individuals.

8/10

OPPENHEIMER REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Whether you love his films or not, there’s no denying that Christopher Nolan is a unique visionary filmmaker who, since the release of his debut feature, Following, in 1998, has wowed audiences and critics with his thought provoking films such as Memento, The Prestige, Inception, Interstellar and Dunkirk. His latest film, Oppenheimer, is no different and provides audiences with an epic three hour long insight into the theoretical physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) who was pivotal in developing the first nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project and ushering in the Atomic Age. 

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding the release of Oppenheimer, not only because it’s a new film by one of the best visionary filmmakers working today, but also because it’s released on the same day as Barbie, a comedy starring Margot Robbie as the perfect doll, with social media describing the day as “Barbenheimer”. This led to cinemas being packed with audiences watching Robbie going on adventure to the real world as Barbie and others watching an epic three hour long drama about one of the most famous scientists in history. There were even some, like me, who watched both films on the same day. While both Barbie and Oppenheimer are, obviously, two completely different films, they’re both entirely watching at the cinema as they provided audiences with hours of escapism. This is especially true of Oppenheimer because of its sound design and high definition image which immerses you in the film and keeps you invested throughout the lengthy three hour runtime. Technically, Oppenheimer features impressive work from cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who uses close ups of Oppenheimer as he reacts to the creation and test of the Atomic Bomb, editor Jennifer Lame and composer Ludwig Göransson. I’m sure they won’t go unrecognised when the Oscar nominations are announced next year. 

Oppenheimer represents Nolan at his best and that’s when he’s making thought provoking films. It’s similar to his Oscar winning drama, Dunkirk, which told the story of the World War II soldiers trapped on the beach in France from three different perspectives, that of the soldiers, a fighter pilot keeping enemy planes away and a sail man using his boat to rescue the soldiers. It made for a gripping watch as does Oppenheimer which is different to other biopics that tell the story of its subject in a formulaic way, with the film struggling to leave much of an impression. That’s certainly not the case with Oppenheimer, which provides audiences with an insight into Oppenheimer’s mind, with the coloured scenes showing the development of the Atomic Bomb from his perspective. The film frequently cuts to black and white scenes which focus on Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) who was responsible for Oppenheimer’s security clearance being revoked, which damaged his public image. While the majority of the film focuses on Oppenheimer, the scenes that focus on Strauss are just as compelling to watch, with Downey Jr. impressing with his most serious performance yet. By losing the charm he brought to his most famous role as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Downey Jr. provides audiences with the closest thing the film has to an antagonist. It makes for an interesting alternative perspective as Nolan knows that, while Oppenheimer should be remembered for his scientific work, he’s hardly a celebratory figure as, following the Trinity Test, the President of the United States, Harry S. Truman (Gary Oldman) decides to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forcing Japan's surrender and thrusting Oppenheimer into the public eye as the "father of the atomic bomb". Although Oppenheimer has been widely praised, one of the biggest criticisms it has received is Nolan’s decision to not show the devastation in Japan, following the bombing by Truman. In my opinion, I think that this was the right decision as the film is being told from Oppenheimer’s perspective so it would have felt out of place to have cut to a scene in Japan showing the aftermath. There is a stirring sequence where Oppenheimer is being celebrated for his work but imagines members of the cheering audience as victims of the bombing. This sequence is scarier than most of the horror films that have been released recently, due to it being based on real events that affected thousands of people. 

What’s most interesting about Oppenheimer is that people will have their own knowledge and opinion of the physicist, however, after watching Nolan’s film, may have their thoughts on him changed. Prior to watching the film, all I knew about Oppenheimer was that he was a theoretical physicist who was responsible for the Atomic Bomb. This is why I found the film to be a fascinating watch throughout as I learnt a lot more about Oppenheimer as a human being, rather than a historical figure. Most of this is down to Murphy who, after providing strong supporting roles in Nolan’s previous films, Dunkirk, Inception and in The Dark Knight trilogy, is finally given a chance to lead and he succeeds and delivers one of his most impressive performances yet. The film is mainly compromised of close ups of Murphy’s face as Oppenheimer reacts to the changing world around him and the outcome of his creation. It may be too early to say, however, I’ll be surprised if Murphy is overlooked by the Academy next year. The supporting cast are all on top form, with Downey Jr. standing out as Strauss. As Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty, Emily Blunt is underused, however, she still leaves a lasting impression with her performance. Florence Pugh has a small but unforgettable role as Oppenheimer’s love interest, Jean Tatlock. There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the sex scene featuring Murphy and Pugh, however, Nolan has said that he included it to show a more vulnerable side to Oppenheimer and a part of his life viewers are unaware of. A lot of people have been critical of the lack of screen time for Blunt and Pugh, however, it’s being shown from Oppenheimer’s point of view. Because he only ever saw Kitty and Jean romantically, that’s how they appeared in the film. 

With Oppenheimer, visionary filmmaker Christopher Nolan continues to blow audiences’ minds with a thought provoking drama that sees Cillian Murphy delivering one of his most impressive performances yet.

8/10

BARBIE REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Since the launch of the doll in 1959, Barbie has become one of the best selling toys of all time and is still popular today. It’s easy to understand the wide appeal of Barbie as there are countless types of the doll and is a part of people’s childhoods, including mine. Like a lot of young girls, I grew up playing with Barbie dolls, however, the early 2000s saw her appear in straight to video animated films inspired by fairy tales, including Barbie In The Nutcracker, Barbie as Rapunzel and Barbie of Swan Lake. I also remember playing with some of the computer games inspired by the animated film, including Rapunzel. However, as I approached my teen years, I quickly lost interest in the doll as I believed she was a children’s toy. Since September 2009, there have been several plans to make a live action film based on Barbie, with Amy Schumer attached to the role of the doll at one point. However, it wasn’t until 2019 when it was announced that Margot Robbie would be portraying Barbie and, two years later, a director was found in Greta Gerwig, best known for impressing with her teen drama, Lady Bird, in 2017, and her adaptation of Louise May Alcott’s classic novel, Little Women, in 2019. Excitement for Barbie quickly grew when Ryan Gosling was cast as Barbie’s love interest, Ken, with supporting roles being provided by famous faces such as Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Issa Rae and Kingsley Ben-Adir. As a result, Barbie quickly became one of the most anticipated films of 2023. 

Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.

Released on the same day as Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic, Oppenheimer, Barbie provides audiences with a thoroughly entertaining comedy that focuses on the iconic doll. While Gerwig’s script, which she co-wrote with her partner, Noah Baumbach, explores themes of feminism and the inequality between women and men in modern society, parents wanting to take their children may be surprised that it’s not just a silly film about Barbie experiencing the real world. The first half is similar to Disney’s live-action/animation hybrid film, Enchanted, which focused on a two dimensional animated princess being sent to New York City. While Enchanted was more family friendly, Barbie will probably have a wider appeal, due to its themes and mature references. While Gerwig and Baumbach’s script highlights the difference in rights between women and men, Barbie isn’t “anti-men” as the media have made it out to be, in order to prevent people from seeing it. Their script is simply highlighting the unfair inequality between the two genders and why both should have the same rights. What’s most impressive is that Barbie remains a silly comedy throughout and never takes itself too seriously. 

While the film is a celebration of all things Barbie related, Gerwig knows that the doll has set an unrealistic standard for young girls wanting to look like her. Because of this, she chose to create a film in which she would be both "doing the thing and subverting the thing", in the sense that she would be celebrating the feminism behind Barbie while also noting the controversial beauty standards associated with it. This is why Barbie is so much better than expected as it could have just followed a typical fish out of water narrative with Barbie, however, it develops into something far more meaningful. The film also explores the relationship between a mother, Gloria (America Ferrera) and her teenage daughter, Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt). Their relationship is where Barbie is at its most heartfelt and I can imagine their scenes will resonate with mothers and their teenage daughters. With Barbie, Gerwig continues to establish herself as a talented filmmaker with her unique take on the world’s most famous doll.

Aside from Gerwig’s work behind the camera, the entire cast all deliver fun performances as the various Barbies and Kens. The standouts are, obviously, Robbie and Gosling who bring the dolls to life through their amusing portrayals. Robbie succeeds in developing Barbie into more than a plastic doll and portrays her as someone who wants nothing more than for women to have the perfect life, perfect house, perfect jobs and perfect days. However, that soon changes when Barbie visits the real world and she learns that reality isn’t perfect. Robbie perfectly captures Barbie’s perfections, however, what’s most impressive is that she humanises the doll. Since her breakthrough role in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street a decade ago, Robbie has impressed with a wide range of roles including as Harley Quinn in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) films, Tonya Harding in I, Tonya, and in Damien Chazelle’s epic drama, Babylon, just to name a few. Her role as Barbie further proves why Robbie is one of the best young actors working today who rarely fails to impress. Alongside her, Gosling delivers one of his funniest performances as Ken who is only having a good day when Barbie looks at him. In my opinion, Gosling is one of the most versatile actors who has delivered impressive performances in a variety of genres. He’s delivered charming performances in comedies such as Crazy, Stupid, Love, The Nice Guys and the Oscar winning La La Land. Gosling has impressed with serious performances in films such as Half Nelson, First Man, Blue Valentine and Drive. With his latest role as Ken, Gosling shows off his comical skills with his amusing portrayal. Michael Cera is a scene stealer as Allan, the only doll who isn’t a Barbie or a Ken. It’s clear that the entire cast are having a lot of fun on the set of Barbie and, as a result, I enjoyed watching them.

This time three years ago cinemas were closed internationally as a result of the deadly pandemic. While they briefly reopened in the summer of 2020, they were forced to close down again, before officially reopening in 2021. During this period, cinemas struggled to regain its audience, with most of them favouring streaming services such as Netflix. This weekend saw cinemas packed with audiences seeing either Barbie or Oppenheimer or both in a phenomenon known as “Barbenheimer”. I visited my local cinema to watch both films and, as someone who has been visiting the cinema since I was a child, it made me so happy to see cinemas packed again. While I do occasionally watch films at home, I always prefer watching them at the cinema as I’m easily distracted at home and I find myself on my phone and pausing the film frequently. For me, cinemas provide the perfect form of escapism through entertaining films and that’s certainly the case with Barbie.

8/10

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

The Mission: Impossible films are one of the most successful action based franchises. Since the release of the first film in 1996, the films have continued to impress critics, provide audiences with fast-paced and thrilling action and Tom Cruise performing jaw dropping stunts. Although Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh film in the franchise, both the films themselves and Cruise himself are showing no signs of slowing down.

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF (Impossible Mission Force) team, which includes tech expert, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), long time friend, Luther (Ving Rhames) and Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan's past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission -- not even the lives of those he cares about most.

Dead Reckoning is the follow up to Fallout, which was released in 2018 and was widely successful with critics, who praised Cruise’s stunts and the compelling story, and audiences, making over $791 million. Because of this, expectations were high for Dead Reckoning and, fortunately, it doesn’t disappoint as it’s packed full of the trademark fast paced action and a suspenseful story before concluding with a heart racing stunt performed by Cruise that sees him riding a motorcycle off a cliff. The stunt alone is why Dead Reckoning is a must see on the big screen, especially in IMAX. The highlight of the Mission: Impossible films have always been Cruise’s stunts, including the sequence that saw him on the outside of the Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol, in Rogue Nation when he clung onto the outside of a plane whilst it was in the air and the helicopter sequence at the end of Fallout. Dead Reckoning is no different and proves that, despite now being in his sixties, Cruise is still willing to perform unbelievable and jaw dropping stunts. The footage of Cruise driving a motorcycle off a cliff was revealed on a chat show in 2021. This was a great way to market the latest film in the Mission: Impossible film as viewers were already eager to watch the stunt on the biggest screen possible. Although the stunt doesn’t take place until the climax, the wait is definitely worth it.  

Aside from the climatic stunt, Dead Reckoning focuses on Hunt on another mission that is seemingly more impossible than the previous as it sees him trying to retrieve a dangerous key, which unlocks the chamber housing the computer of Sevastopol, a Russian submarine which was sunk by its own torpedo in the start of the film. An early version of the Entity infected the system with the task of sabotaging the submarine's stealth capability, but it instead tricked the Sevastopol into destroying itself. This early version is still on the submarine, and whoever can access it can devise the means to either control or destroy the Entity. However, Hunt isn’t the only person after the key and he soon meets thief, Grace (Hayley Atwell), who doesn’t understand the key’s powers. He also comes face to face with the villainous Gabriel (Esai Morales), a powerful terrorist who shares a past with Hunt. Arms dealer, Alanna Mitsopolis (Vanessa Kirby), who is known as the White Widow and previously appeared in Fallout, also shows an interest in the key. The tension builds over the two and a half hour runtime as the key passes from character to character. Although the plot follows a similar path to the previous films, as they all pretty much focus on Hunt trying to stop the villain, that doesn’t prevent the film themselves from being a compelling watch. What’s most surprising about Dead Reckoning is that there’s a twist involving one of the characters that I honestly didn’t see it coming. 

Dead Reckoning sees the return of Hunt along with series favourites Benji, Luther and Isla, and the chemistry between the four characters is just as strong as it has been in the previous films. Newcomer Hayley Atwell leaves a lasting impression as Grace who, unintentionally, becomes involved in the dangerous mission. 

What’s most impressive about Dead Reckoning is that the action sequences and stunts were all practically shot with little to no computer generated imagery. This is especially refreshing as a lot of films rely on special effects and this can result in them looking artificial. This is certainly not the case with the action and stunts in Dead Reckoning. Aside from Cruise riding off the cliff on a motorcycle, the other suspenseful sequence sees him and Atwell in a car chase around Rome. The film then concludes with the pair trying to escape from inside a train which has fallen off a destroyed bridge. Because the actors are actually performing the stunts themselves, it makes the sequence all the more suspenseful. 

Although the film doesn’t exactly conclude on a cliffhanger, the Part One in the title hints that there’s more to come and, although no release date has been confirmed for the eighth film, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is packed full of the thrilling action sequences and Tom Cruise performing jaw dropping stunts the franchise is known for.

8/10