DUNE REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

There’s no denying that Denis Villeneuve is one of the best visionary filmmakers working today. In the last decade, he’s found success with films such as Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. This is why Villeneuve was the ideal choice to adapt Frank Herbert’s novel, Dune, into a feature film. The book has already been adapted into a film in 1984 by director David Lynch but the results were disastrous as it failed to impress at the box office with critics describing it as too dry and a truncated adaptation of Herbert’s book. With a higher budget, better special effects and a talented ensemble cast, is Denis Villeneuve’s Dune a successful adaptation of its source material?

A mythic and emotionally charged hero's journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Making a film adaptation of Dune has been a longstanding dream project for Villeneuve, however, he didn’t think he would succeed in getting the rights to Herbert’s book. After establishing himself as a skilful and unique visionary filmmaker with Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, Herbert’s son, Brian, who was the author of later books in the Dune series, confirmed that Villeneuve would be directing the project. Fortunately, the hard work has paid off as Villeneuve has succeeded in adapting Dune into an epic and spectacular science fiction film. I think that the film will mean more to those who have read the novel as they’ll have a better understanding of the story and know who the characters are and what they represent in regards to the narrative. However, Dune is worth watching for those who enjoy watching science fiction films that prioritise a compelling and original story and interesting characters over artificial special effects and underwhelming action sequences. 

The main issue with Lynch’s take on Dune was that it struggled to include all of the book into its 137 minute runtime. Because the book features complex ideas and themes within its story, adapting it into a feature length film with a running length of roughly two hours was always going to be challenging, however, Villeneuve made the decision to split the book into two parts. This decision was a risk as, at the time of its release, a Part Two hadn’t been announced as the producers wanted to wait for the box office results of its opening weekend before confirming a follow up. Fortunately, at the time of writing this review, Dune has impressed at the box office, making over $41 million, leading to a sequel being confirmed. A release date is yet unknown, however, it will most likely be released within the next two years. Understandably, many may be disappointed that Dune doesn’t cover all of its source material and ends quite abruptly, however, for those who can’t wait to find out what happens next can easily pick up a copy of Herbert’s book. 

Because I hadn’t read Herbert’s book or seen Lynch’s infamous 1984 adaptation, I had no idea what to expect from Dune, however,  I mainly wanted to watch it as Villeneuve is one of my favourite directors and I was impressed by the talented actors appearing in the film. Since its release earlier this month, Dune has been praised by critics with most of them saying that its issues, including its unwieldy source material, are “overshadowed by the scope and ambition of this visually thrilling adaptation”. This is how I felt about Dune as, although I wasn’t always sure about the characters and story, I was blown away by the incredible visuals brought to life through Villeneuve’s unique filmmaking talents. Although in the United States it has been released simultaneously in cinemas and on the home streaming service, HBO Max, there’s no denying that Dune was a film made to be experienced on the big screen. It’s a film that needs your 100% attention which is why I’m happy I was able to watch it at the cinema as, if I had watched it at home, I would’ve lost interest and become confused as I’m easily distracted at home. Dune will most likely frustrate impatient viewers as the film takes its time introducing the characters and setting up the story.

Dune features an impressive ensemble cast, however, only a handful of the actors appearing are given enough screen time to leave a lasting impression. The standout is, unsurprisingly, Chalamet who has previously appeared in critically acclaimed dramas such as Lady Bird and Call Me By Your Name and recently had a role in Wes Anderson’s latest film, The French Dispatch. As Paul, he delivers a strong performance. Both Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Isaac stand out as his parents, Jessica and Leto, who is the ruler of House Atreides. Other memorable performances are delivered by Jason Momoa as one of Paul’s mentors and the sword master of House Atreides, Duncan Idaho, and Josh Brolin as the weapons master, Gurney Helleck. What’s most surprising and also disappointing about Dune is that, despite featuring prominently on the poster and in interviews as part of its marketing campaign, Zendaya has little screen time as Chani who is a mysterious young woman that Paul has visions of throughout the film. The two meet towards the end, with Villeneuve promising that she’ll have a bigger role in part two.

After originally being scheduled for release in 2020, Dune has finally been released and, for fans of Frank Herbert’s novel, is certainly worth the wait. It benefits from Denis Villeneuve’s unique vision as he has created one of the year’s most visually stunning and spectacular looking films.

8/10

THE MIDNIGHT SKY REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Although George Clooney is best known for his acting, including in films such as Ocean’s Eleven, Up in the Air and Gravity, he has also impressed with his directing, with Good Night, and Good Luck and The Ides of March. Unfortunately, his recent films, The Monuments Men and Suburbicon were disappointments, with the former’s narrative being described as slack and the latter struggling to balance social satire, racial commentary and murder mystery. Clooney’s latest film, The Midnight Sky, looked like it could be a return to form for the actor/writer/producer/director with its interesting premise.

The Midnight Sky focuses on Augustine Lofthouse (Clooney), a lone scientist in the Artic who races to warn a crew of astronauts, including Sully (Felicity Jones), Adewole (David Oyelowo), Maya (Tiffany Boone), Mitchell (Kyle Chandler) and Sanchez (Demián Bichir), about a mysterious global catastrophe that’s affected Earth.

When the trailer for The Midnight Sky was released earlier this year, my interest for it increased as it looked like a compelling and thought provoking feature. Because of this, I was surprised when it began receiving mixed to negative reviews from critics. While The Midnight Sky isn’t a terrible film, it is disappointing as it’s not as great as it could have been. There’s a lot of potential, unfortunately, the end result fails to meet the high expectations I had.

The Midnight Sky’s premise surrounds Lofthouse, a lonely scientist, who must quickly warn a crew of astronauts, who are planning on returning home, about the global catastrophe on Earth. While this could have made for an exciting feature, Clooney chooses to make a slow and quiet drama. Patient viewers will struggle to sit through the first hour which focuses on Lofthouse trying to communicate with the astronauts whilst taking care of a young girl, Iris (Caoilinn Springall). Through Iris, the terminally-ill Lofthouse, who planned on dying on Earth, is given a reason to keep going. Although the relationship between Lofthouse and Iris is effective, prior to watching The Midnight Sky, I saw a spoiler revealing Iris’ true identity. This impacted how I perceived Iris. The film also frequently cuts to the astronauts on the space craft, Aether, which is returning from Jupiter after discovering a habitable moon named K-23. While I was hoping that their scenes would add to the drama and suspense, not much happens apart from a predictable meteor shower that results in the death of one of the astronauts. I can imagine this sequence was only added in to prevent the film from becoming too boring. The connection between the two settings isn’t established until its anticlimactic ending. 

Although the story wasn’t as compelling as I was hoping it to be, The Midnight Sky benefits from the impressive dramatic performance by Clooney as the terminally ill Lofthouse. For most of his acting career, he was always associated with charming characters, especially in the Ocean’s trilogy, however, by hiding his good looks with white facial hair, Clooney is almost unrecognisable. I found The Midnight Sky to be at its most interesting when it was focusing on the relationship between Lofthouse and the silent Iris as it reminded me of the relationship between Hugh Jackman’s Logan and Dafne Keen’s Laura in Logan, however, it’s not as powerful. Although the rest of the cast, including Jones and Oyelowo, deliver solid performances, their characters are underwritten and aren’t as interesting as they could have been. I don’t understand the decision behind making Sully pregnant other than giving somethiing for the astronauts to talk about. After discovering that she’s having a girl, this leads to the rest of the crew discussing potential names. This lead to me thinking that Sully would give birth on board the space craft, however, the film ends with her still pregnant. 

Because little is known about Lofthouse, Clooney tries to give his character some background by adding in a few flashback sequences where the scientist is portrayed by Ethan Peck. I think that this scenes were unnecessary and forgettable. The Midnight Sky would have been better if it had focused entirely on Lofthouse’s current life and the sequences involving the astronauts. 

The most impressive aspects of The Midnight Sky lie in Alexandre Desplat’s powerful score and Martin Ruhe’s breathtaking cinematography. Desplatt’s score emphasises the dramatic scenes and is most effective during the quieter scenes. Rube captures the beauty of space. Because I watched The Midnight Sky at home on Netflix, there were several times where I wished I could have seen it at the cinema and that’s mainly because of the stunning visuals.

The last decade has seen the release of several of the best science fiction films, including Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival and Alfonso Cuarón‘s Gravity. Although The Midnight Sky isn’t the best sci-fi film to be released recently, I can imagine Clooney found inspiration from Gravity for the scenes set on the Aether. The meteor shower sequence is where The Midnight Sky is at its most intense. 

Although The Midnight Sky wasn’t as great as I was hoping, I still think that it’s a good film that is worth watching as I can imagine that there will be those who will appreciate that Clooney has created a character based film rather than a predictable space adventure that prioritises its unconvincing special effects instead of telling a meaningful story. It’s just a shame that The Midnight Sky doesn’t explore its premise enough to leave much of a lasting impression.

6/10

TENET REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

A lot of films, unfortunately, have had their release dates delayed due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Other films have been released through video on demand, which allows viewers to watch it at home without it having a theatrical release. It's been disappointing seeing all of these films be delayed. At the beginning of this year, I was most excited for the newest James Bond film, No Time To Die, and the sequel to A Quiet Place. Both were due to come out earlier this year, unfortunately, cinemas across the UK were forced to close at the end of March leading to the films having their release date pushed back, with No Time to Die due to be released in November this year and A Quiet Place Part II pushed back to next year. Another film I was excited for was Christopher Nolan's Tenet. This was because the premise sounded interesting and Nolan is one of my favourite directors. Tenet was supposed to be released in July, unfortunately, it was soon postponed indefinitely by the distribution company, Warner Bros, in June. When this announcement was made, I was devastated as I was really hoping to see it. However, at the end of July, things began to look up as cinemas reopened with new safety measures, such as the availability of hand sanitisers throughout the cinema and social distancing guidelines, put in place. I returned to the cinema and watched new films such as Proxima, Unhinged and Babyteeth. With cinemas reopened, Warner Bros. announced that Tenet would be released this year on August 26th. I couldn't be happier about this decision as I honestly didn't think that it would get released this year. With its release date approaching, I watched Tenet's trailer and my excitement increased. Following a mostly positive reception from critics, my expectations were high, however, is Tenet a film worth returning to the cinema for?

Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a secret agent, known only as the Protagonist (John David Washington) journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.

In answer to my earlier question, yes, I think that Tenet is definitely a film worth returning to the cinema for. It features many of the things viewers have come to expect from Nolan's films, including exhilarating action sequences, strong performances delivered by its talented ensemble cast and a story that is either going to confuse you or excite you. While I understand that there's a lot of anxiety surrounding people over whether or not they should go to the cinema, especially because of the current pandemic, I think that, if you really want to go, you should. I've visited my local cinema frequently since they've reopened and I've been really impressed with the new health and safety measures they've put in. In my opinion, I think that cinemas are cleaner now than they were prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 because members of staff are cleaning it more often whereas last year, they only tidied the screens and they didn't clean them as regularly as they do now. What I'm trying to say is, if you want to watch Tenet at the cinema, then go, however, if you are too anxious about visiting the cinema, then don't feel bad about staying at home. Now, back to my review of Tenet.

I think that, the main reason why I enjoyed Tenet so much is because I'm a fan of Nolan's previous films, including Inception, The Dark Knight and Dunkirk. Because Tenet's narrative is complex, like Inception and Memento, a lot of it is going to be lost on the average viewer looking for a typical action film. That's also why I liked it so much as there are too many action films that are lazily made and focus more on special effects rather than character and story. Because Nolan focuses more on creating thought provoking and compelling films rather than telling unoriginal, predictable stories, that's why I think he's one of the greatest filmmakers working today. His passion for film is shown clearly in every feature he makes and that couldn't be more true of Tenet. Nolan took more than five years to write the screenplay after deliberating about Tenet's central ideas for over a decade. He made a conscious effort to abstain from any influence of the spy genre other than his own memory. While Tenet is often confusing at times, that doesn't prevent it from further establishing Nolan as one of the most creative and best visionary filmmakers working today.

One aspect Tenet excels in is its exhilarating action sequences which is where the film is at its most exciting. I've always been impressed with Nolan and his use of practical effects instead of relying on computer generated imagery. While CGI isn't necessarily a bad thing, practical effects are more impressive. As evident in the trailer, one of the highlights shows a plane crashing into a building. While other filmmakers would have, understandably, played it safe and used a model plane, Nolan used a real plane for the sequence. To create this sequence, the production team purchased and then crashed a real 747 into a hangar. The stunt was all practical with no CGI. Nolan had originally planned to use miniatures and set-piece builds, however, while scouting for locations in Victorville, California, the team discovered a massive array of old planes and it became apparent that it would actually be more efficient to buy a real plane of the real size and perform the sequence for real on camera. It's because of the exciting action sequences why Tenet is worth seeing on the big screen. 

Prior to viewing Tenet, I was worried I would find Tenet confusing. The first time I watched Inception, Interstellar and Memento, I will admit to being confused, however, following several re-watches, I thoroughly understand them now. I think that is, most likely, to be the case with Tenet. During my viewing, I was asking a few questions in my head, however, by the end, I understood the complex narrative. Now I know what happens, I think I'll enjoy Tenet more on my next watch.

Tenet's plot is simple as it follows a secret agent that is trying to prevent World War III, however, Nolan's execution is not. What is most interesting about Tenet is that not everyone who sees it will have the same opinion of it. It's definitely the most divisive film as some, like me, will love what Nolan has created and appreciate all the hard work that has gone into making an exciting and unique action film, however, there will be others who will leave the cinemas asking more questions and wondering what they've just watched. A lot of action films, that are predictable, fail to leave any lasting impression and will have been forgotten about by the time the viewer has left the cinema. That's not the case with Tenet as it's a film people will be talking about for years to come. It's been a decade since the release of Inception and people are still discussing its ambiguous ending. Chances are, most people aren't going to understand what's just happened in Tenet but that doesn't necessarily means it's a bad film, it's just a film that would benefit from repeated viewings, however, it's a struggle when people are unsure about visiting the cinema even once. 

A lot of Nolan's films, including Inception, The Dark Knight and Dunkirk are known for featuring an A-list cast of famous actors, however, while they've all delivered strong performances, I felt that Nolan's cast was getting a bit repetitive with Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Caine frequently appearing in his films. The cast consists of some of the most talented actors working today. Denzel Washington is a famous name within Hollywood, however, his son, John David, has successfully made a name for himself. Following his effective performance in Spike Lee's Oscar winning film, BlacKkKlansman, which targeted issues of racism, Washington continues to impress. He is everything a protagonist should be: smart, brave and likable. Unsurprisingly, because there are a lot of action sequences, there are a lot of fight scenes, however, instead of relying on stunt doubles, Washington performed them himself. While I understand why actors would use stunt doubles for their own safety, the action sequences and fight scenes were all the more impressive knowing it was actually Washington performing the stunts and not a professional and adds to Tenet's authenticity. Since appearing in the infamous Twilight franchise, Pattinson has appeared in many films to establish himself as a more serious actor and I think that he has mostly succeeded. In Tenet, he portrays Neil who is the Protagonist's handler. His performance here has made me even more excited for his take on the titular caped crusader in Matt Reeves' The Batman, which is due to be released at the end of next year. Elizabeth Debicki has delivered small but memorable supporting roles in films such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Widows, however, as Kat, she delivers one of her most impressive performances yet. Another actor I was impressed by was Kenneth Branagh who is known for portraying likable and charming characters, however, as Russian oligarch, Andrei Sator, he plays against type and is the antagonist to Washington's protagonist. Solid supporting roles are delivered by Caine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, Himesh Patel and Dimple Kapadia.

Tenet marks the first film since The Prestige, which was released in 2006, not to be scored by Hans Zimmer, who composed the score for his dream project, Dune. He was replaced by newcomer Ludwig Göransson who recently won an Academy Award for his score for Black Panther. His score for Tenet is effective and adds to the dramatic tension that feature within the film. 

With Tenet, Christopher Nolan has created another exciting new film that is entirely worth visiting the cinema for. 

8/10

AD ASTRA REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

The end of the year has seen the release of several memorable sci-fi films, including Interstellar, The Martian, Arrival and First Man. This year, it’s Ad Astra which, since its release last week, has divided critics and audiences. Critics have praised the special effects and Brad Pitt’s leading performances, however, audiences found it too slow and boring. While I agree with critics, I can understand why audiences failed to be impressed.
Ad Astra focuses on astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) who travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father, Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones) and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.
Prior to watching Ad Astra, I had no idea what to expect and, fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised and found it to be a thought provoking watch. Those expecting a film that is action packed will be disappointed as Ad Astra focuses more on its story. There are a few thrilling action sequences, including a lunar rover chase scene that sees Roy attacked by scavenging pirates whilst on his way to the SpaceCom base on the moon, which has become a cheap tourist trap, much to his disappontment.
Over the course of his 30 year long career, Pitt has shown his strength as an actor, however, I think that a lot of people will be surprised that he is yet to win an Oscar for Best Actor. The only Academy Award he's won is for being a producer on 12 Years A Slave which won the Best Picture award in 2014. Pitt succeeds at making Roy an interesting individual, however, I don't think he'll be nominated at the Academy Awards next year. While I wasn't a huge fan of the film, I found his performance in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood to be more memorable. Ad Astra features a solid supporting cast that includes Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland as Colonel Pruitt and Ruth Negga as Helen Lantos, however, neither has enough screen time to leave much of a lasting impression.
Roy's mission to find his father proves to be an incredibly difficult task. This is because Clifford has been missing for sixteen years. He was believed to be dead until mysterious power surges are linked to the Lima Project, which he was the leader of. This leads to Roy being sent across the Solar System in order to reach his father and find out what happened. For the majority of its 124 minute runtime, Ad Astra succeeds at being a compelling and unpredictable watch. All of the drama that occurs throughout the film leads to a moving and emotional climax when Roy finally reunties with his father. Unfortunately, it's not the happy reunion he was hoping for as Clifford confesses that he didn't once think about his wife or his son whilst he was gone. This revelation is both shocking and heartbreaking, however, that doesn't stop Roy from wanting to bring his father home. I think the ending will have a stronger impact on those who can relate to Roy whose relationship with his father is non-existent. Finding his father causes Roy to reflect on his own life and inspires him to reconnect with those closest to him, including his wife, Eve (Liv Tyler), who is only briefly seen in flashbacks. Despite the tragedy he just experienced, Roy returns to Earth with new-found optimism. I quite liked this ending as it concluded Roy's story and doesn't leave the viewer wondering what happens next.
The standout aspect of Ad Astra is its visual effects which is why it’s worth watching on the big screen. A lot of sci-fi films that overindulge on the special effects fail to impress as they tend to lack in interesting characters and a compelling story. That wasn’t the case for Ad Astra as director James Gray uses the special effects as a tool rather than relying on them. The cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema also deserves a mention too and another reason why it's a must-see at the cinema as they won't be as impressive when viewed on a smaller screen. The special effects succeed at making you feel like you're in space with Roy and, by using close-up shots of his face, we can clearly see how much the mission is affecting him, both mentally and emotionally.
At the Cannes Film Festival in 2016, Gray stated that he wanted to make a sci-fi film to feature "the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie and to basically say, 'Space is awfully hostile to us'." I think that he has mostly succeeded. Despite filming beginning in mid-Augst in 2017, it took two years to complete, mainly due to its cutting-edge special effects. It also received a poor reception from test screenings which lead to reshoots being conducted and an increase in the budget from $80 million to over $100 million. A lot of hard work has clearly gone into making Ad Astra an unforgettable viewing experience and, fortunately, the hard work has paid off.
One of the biggest questions is if there is life in outer space. When Roy reunites with Clifford, we learn that the latter has become obsessed with the possibility of non-human intelligent life in space. Throughout the film, Clifford is praised by the U.S. Space Command and is viewed in a positive light. However, when we finally meet Clifford towards the end, we see a darker side to him. His obsessive personality and actions have lead to the deaths of his crew and threatened life on Earth. This made me think if finding life in outer space was worth it if it meant the deaths of others.
With a film like Ad Astra, I think that it's best to view it without having seen the trailers or any knowledge of the plot. Those who saw the trailer were expecting a sci-fi epic that's similar to Interstellar which is why they left disappointed. Just because it's set in space doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be the same to any other sci-fi film that's been released.
Ad Astra may not be one of the best sci-fi films that's been released, however, it's entirely worth viewing on the big screen for its mesmerising visual effects and also for Brad Pitt's leading performance.
8/10

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Earlier this year, Marvel releases the final film in the Avengers franchise, Endgame. It was an emotional finale as viewers and fans of the franchise said goodbye to one of the most beloved superheroes, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), also known as Tony Stark. The sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming has recently been released and, because of Endgame, expectations were high for Far From Home. Fortunately, it doesn’t disappoint and succeeds as a follow-up to Endgame. However, because Far From Home includes references to the events of Endgame, it doesn’t work as a stand-alone feature so those going in without having seen it will be confused.

The story sees Peter Parker (Tom Holland) being recruited by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) to face elemental threats from another dimension while he is on a school trip to Europe. After defeating one of the Elementals, Parker informs Fury that he just wants to live life as a normal teenager and enjoy his trip to Europe. He is more interested in becoming closer to MJ (Zendaya) than saving the world. 

While I liked Homecoming, I think that Far From Home is an improvement and is funnier and less predictable than its predecessor. Despite the events of Endgame and with the world mourning the loss of Iron Man, Far From Home has kept its lighthearted tone and is an overall fun and satisfying sequel.

Holland returns as Parker and delivers a strong performance. Despite insistence from Fury that he should help S.H.I.E.L.D defeat the Elementals, Parker just wants to live a normal life as a teenager and enjoy his school field trip. He shares chemistry with Zendaya, who improves on her portrayal of MJ after having a small appearance in Homecoming. Batalan is just as funny as Ned, who also finds romance with classmate, Betty (Angourie Rice). 

Gyllenhaal proves to be a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and leaves a lasting impression with his portrayal of Mysterio. While Mysterio is shown helping S.H.I.E.L.D defeat the Elementals in the beginning, it is soon revealed that he is the main villain. While I knew that Mysterio was the main villain, as it wasn't possible for it to be anyone else, I was surprised by his backstory, which explains that he was a former holographic-illusions specialist at Stark Industries who was fired for his unstable nature. Thisl leads to him and a team of disgruntled ex-Stark employees and using advanced projector drones to simulate the Elemental attacks. Gyllenhaal is known for his serious and dramatic performances so it was refreshing to see him take on a role as a villain in a superhero film.

While this year has been filled with superhero films, including Captain Marvel, Shazam!, Endgame and X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Far From Home proves that audiences aren't suffering from superhero fatigue. While the story can be predictable at times, it's still fun to watch Spider Man in action and saving the world.

With most of the films in the MCU, Far From Home features two extra scenes that take place during the middle of the credits and after. Both are worth watching, especially the first one which features an unexpected cameo from J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, a reporter he portrayed in the original Spider-Man trilogy alongside Tobey Maguire as Spider Man. At this point, audiences believe that Spider Man has successfully defeated Mysterio but it's in this scene that we see that he made a video revealing Spider Man's true identity, much to Parker's shock. The post-credit confirms a fan theory regarding Fury. In Captain Marvel, Fury admits that if bread is cut diagonally, he can’t eat it, however, in Avengers: Age of Ultron, he is seen eating toast that was cut diagonally which lead to fans wondering if he was actually a Skrull in disguise. The Skrulls are a species of aliens that first made their appearance in Captain Marvel and could disguise as humans. The post credits scene confirms this fan theory by revealing Fury’s true identity, which is Talos (Ben Mendelsohn). This lead to many fans wondering how long Talos has been disguised as Fury and I think that, after the events of Avengers: Assemble in 2012, when he knew the team was assembled, Fury took his skills to space and left Talos in his place. This post-credit scene both amused and impressed me as I didn't believe in the fan theory, however, I was proved wrong.

Creating a sequel that meets fans' expectations and matches the quality of its predecessors was always going to be a challenge, however, with Far From Home, director Jon Watts, who previously directed Homecoming, succeeds. It features everything fans could want from a sequel, including character development, thrilling action sequences, an interesting villain and a strong leading performance from Tom Holland as the titular web-slinging superhero.

8/10

AVENGERS: ENDGAME REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become one of the most successful franchises, with the majority of their films impressing both critics and at the box office. Based on the comic books by the late Stan Lee, each film has provided entertainment for fans of superheroes. Avengers: Assemble, which was released in 2012, saw the titular team appear on screen for the first time and the result was successful as it earned over a billion dollars at the box office. Featuring a team of memorable characters, including Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Chris Evan's Captain America, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, and exciting action sequences, Avengers: Assemble proved to be one of the greatest superhero films. Three years later, its first sequel, Age Of Ultron, and, while it wasn't as good as its predecessor, it was still a solid successful and it was great seeing the Avengers team up again. It wasn't until 2018 when a second sequel, Infinity War, was released and it was a huge improvement over its predecessor, in terms of story, character development and action. The film saw the characters face their biggest threat yet in the form of Thanos (Josh Brolin) who wants to restore balance in the world by destroying half of humanity. However, he can only achieve that by collecting the Infinity Stones. The majority of Infinity War focuses on the characters trying to stop Thanos, unfortunately, they are unsuccessful, leading to a shocking and emotional cliffhanger.

Avengers: Endgame sees the remaining characters dealing with the aftermath of Thanos' actions. After an unsuccessful attempt to reverse his actions, they are left hopeless, until Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) turns up after being trapped in the Quantum Realm for five years. He reveals there may be a way to bring everyone back, however, the plan requires bravery, teamwork and personal sacrifice in order to succeed. Together, the remaining team, which includes Tony Stark (Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers (Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff (Johansson), Bruce Banner (Ruffalo), James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), Rocket the Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Nebula (Karen Gillian), become determined to succeed in their plan and bring everyone back. However, the plan is easier said than done as it involves time travel. 

Creating a conclusion that satisfies fans and meets their expectations was always going to be a challenge, fortunately, the directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, have succeeded. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with what they've created. Together, the brothers have created four of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Endgame, Infinity War and two of the Captain America films, The Winter Soldier and Civil War. They clearly understand what each of the characters have been through, making them the best choice to direct the final two films in the Avengers franchise. With Endgame, they've created a satisfying conclusion that is, at times, emotional and full of action.

The majority of Endgame focuses on the main characters as they travel to different points in time to collect the Infinity Stones before Thanos does. In this sequence, we return to events we've already experienced and view them from a different perspective, which made for a fun watch. In one scene, we see Stark, Rogers, Banner return to New York in 2012 with Lang when Loki (Tom Hiddleston) caused havoc with the Tesseract. This is also one of the more lighthearted scenes in Endgame and is full of comedic potential, especially when Rogers accidentally encounters his past self, leading to a fight between the two. It's during the time heist, as the characters call it, where Endgame is at its most entertaining. Another scene sees Thor finding closure with his late mother, Frigga (Rene Russo), in a moving scene. However, as mentioned earlier, the plan requires personal sacrifice. After Romanoff and Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) arrive on Vormir in order to retrieve the Soul Stone, the pair are surprised to discover that a sacrifice must be made, leading to a tragic death. This scene is similar to one in Infinity War, where Thanos sacrifices his adopted daughter, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), to retrieve the stone.
With most superhero films I've watched, there doesn't seem to be much at stake and I've always found the stories to be lacking in tension, as it's obvious that the superhero will save the day. However, with Infinity War and Endgame, there's a lot of stake, with half of humanity having vanished from existence. With so many superheroes teaming up together to defeat him, you'd be forgiven in thinking that Thanos would be an easy villain to defeat. However, Infinity War proved that theory wrong and that he's stronger than a team of superheroes. In Endgame, Thanos still threatens the Avengers, even after his death early on in the film. This is because a past version of Thanos learns, through Nebula, of future events, leading him to become even more determined to defeat them, making their plan even harder to successfully achieve. While there have been a lot of villains in the MCU, Thanos is, undoubtedly, one of the best and is portrayed brilliantly by Brolin.
The most impressive aspect of Avengers: Endgame is its ensemble cast, which consists of the most talented actors working in Hollywood. The stand-out performance comes from Downey Jr. who gives his best portrayal of Tony Stark yet. In his first appearance in Iron Man, the character came across as a cocky billionaire. However, since then, he has developed into a more mature person. In Iron Man 3, we saw Stark suffering from anxiety, following the events of Avengers: Assemble. I thought that this was Downey Jr.'s best dramatic performance yet, however, with Endgame, he has improved and has developed Stark into a true hero. Like Logan did with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Endgame provides a farewell to a beloved character. The MCU started with Iron Man, it's only fitting that it should conclude with him as well. While I think that every actor involved did a great job with portraying their characters, I think that Downey Jr. deserved a special mention.
While I enjoyed the time heist sequence, I thought that Avengers: Endgame was at its best during yhe final battle sequence, which is exhilarating throughout. The sequence sees the lost characters successfully return and team up to defeat Thanos once and for all. With so many characters featuring in the battle, it was always going to be difficult to make sure they all each get their time to shine, however, the Russo brothers succeeded. With her film, Captain Marvel, having recently been released, I was expecting Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) to have more screen time, however, she's only seen in the beginning and during the final battle sequence. Despite her limited screen time, she still leaves a lasting impression and I can't wait to see more of her in future sequels.
While Endgame may be the final Avengers film, the final scenes hint at future films, including the upcoming Spider-Man sequel, Far From Home, and a third Guardians of the Galaxy film. While I doubt any future film in the MCU will ever come close to matching the emotions that Endgame leaves you with, I'm still looking forward to future instalments and seeing what direction the story goes in, following the events of Endgame.
Overall, Avengers: Endgame is a successful conclusion to over a decade's worth of films and will satisfy fans.
8/10

SHAZAM! REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Most of the films that have been released in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) have been negatively received, both from critics and audiences. The only two films in the franchise to receive a positive reception are Wonder Woman and last year’s Aquaman. The latest addition to the DCEU is Shazam!. After watching the trailer, I was skeptical as I found the titular superhero to be a bit irritating. However, the positive reception from critics surprised me.

We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson's (Asher Angel) case, by shouting out one word - SHAZAM! - this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult superhero, Shazam (Zachary Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou). Still a kid at heart, Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child and with help from his superhero-obsessed foster brother, Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer). But he'll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong).

Without a doubt, Shazam! is DC's most entertaining and funniest feature yet. Most of the humour comes from Levi's portrayal of the titular superhero, he clearly seems to be having a lot of fun with the role and the film is at its best when it focuses on him. Like I mentioned, I was worried that I would find him irritating, fortunately, this wasn't the case and he gives an unforgettable performance. The supporting cast are all great, including Grazer, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen and Grace Fulton who each portray a member of Billy's new foster family. As is the case with every superhero film, there's a villain and, in Shazam!'s case, the villain is portrayed by Strong, in one of his darkest performances yet. Most villains feel underwritten and undeveloped, fortunately, I didn't feel this was the case for Sivana. We learn that, as a child, he was visited by the same wizard as Billy but didn't receive the powers. Now, an adult, he becomes determined to steal Billy's new found powers from him. Mainly because of Strong's serious performance and the writing, Sivana does feel like a genuine threat and he proves to be a difficult villain to defeat, due to his own powers, and help from the Seven Deadly Sins which are a supernatural team of demons, Pride, Envy, Greed, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, and Sloth. They are initially trapped in statues guarded by the wizard but align themselves with Sivana. The characters were portrayed by stunt doubles in motion capture suits on-set during filming and depicted as CGI characters.

Shzama!'s story does feel similar to the classic 1988 comedy, Big, which starred Tom Hanks as a child stuck in an adult's body. The writers knew this and there's a funny reference where we briefly see Shazam and Sivana fighting on a floor piano. This reference will go over the heads of younger viewers but will most likely amuse those who recognise the reference. The story successfully balances its tone. Most superhero films, especially those in the DCEU, struggle with deciding whether it wants to be comedy or taken seriously. This isn't the case with Shazam!. While there's a lot of laugh out loud scenes, there's also some touching and heartfelt moments too. These come from Billy looking for his mother who he lost when he was a child at a fair. This is why he struggles to fit in with his new found foster family, at first, despite them caring for him. A heartbreaking scene sees him reuniting with his mother, unfortunately, he doesn't get the reunion he was hoping for. The story effectively includes the theme of family and that those who unconditionally love you are your true family, even if they're not biologically related to you. 

The release of Shazam! comes just a few weeks after the release of Captain Marvel, the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). There is irony here, due to Shazam originally being named Captain Marvel. While DC's Captain Marvel is the original, with comic books featuring the superhero on stands in 1939, they renamed their superhero, Shazam, in 2012, due to Marvel holding the trademark of the name. Shazam's name is an acronym of six "immortal elders" which includes Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury. He also gains their powers including Solomon's wisdom, Hercules' superhuman strength, Atlas' stamina, Zeus' powers, including the ability to summon lightning, Achilles' increased courage and Mercury's super speed. At first, Shazam shows off his powers and uses them as a way to gain popularity from the public, who all take immediate interest. However, he soon realises that me use them to stop the villainous Sivana. 

A common trait with superhero films are scenes that appear during the middle and after the end credits. Shazam! features two scenes. The middle scene features an imprisoned Sivana meeting the alien worm Mister Mind, who proposes an alliance. I'm not sure if this scene is hinting at a future sequel where Sivana breaks out at prison and teams up with Mister Mind to stop Shazam. The final scene takes place at the end of the credits and shows Shazam trying to talk to fish and is only worth watching for those who want to see more of Shazam.

While Shazam! is one of the most family-friendly films in the DCEU, it's not without its dark and scary scenes, which is unsurprising considering it's directed by David F. Sandberg who previously directed horror films such as Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation. One scene that may be considered too scary for younger viewers involves Sivana and the Seven Deadly Sins monsters killing several people in a business meeting. Although I didn't find this scene too scary, I think it's worth noting that, while Shazam! may appear to be all fun and games, parents hoping to see this film with their children may want to reconsider. 

When it comes final acts in superhero films, which sees the superhero fighting the villain, some of them are predictable and fail to excite. Fortunately, this isn't the case for Shazam!. The final fight between Shazam and Sivana takes place at a fairground and while, at first, Shazam struggles to defeat Sivana, he soon comes up with the idea of transforming his foster family into Shazam-like superheroes, who all help him defeat Sivana and the Seven Deadly Sins. This made for final act that is action-packed and exciting to watch.

With a story that is funny and full of heart and a memorable performance from Zachary Levi as the titular superhero, Shazam! can join Wonder Woman as one of the best films that the DCEU has to offer.

8/10

  

CAPTAIN MARVEL REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 2015, Brie Larson impressed critics and audiences with her Oscar-winning performance as Joy in the moving drama, Room. Larson had previously given solid performances in films such as Short Term 12 and Scott Pilgrim vs the World. However, her performance in Room earned her recognition and she has since given further solid performances in films such as Free Fire and Kong: Skull Island. Larson has also recently made her directorial debut with a comedy titled Unicorn Store that is set to be released on Netflix in April. There seems to be no end to her talent and that is further proved with her portrayal of the titular superhero in the much anticipated Captain Marvel.
Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) is an extraterrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls. Living on Earth in 1995, she keeps having recurring memories of another life as U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. With help from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Captain Marvel tries to uncover the secrets of her past while harnessing her special superpowers to end the war with the evil Skrulls.
It doesn’t seem like it’s been three years since Larson was announced to be portraying Captain Marvel when she appeared at San Diego Comic Con in July 2016. Since then, there has been a lot of anticipation surrounding her performance and the film itself. Fortunately, Larson doesn’t disappoint and gives a strong performance as Captain Marvel. In the beginning, her character is known as Vers, a member of the Kree species who begins to have strange memories that she can’t remember. Over the course of the two hour runtime, we learn more about Vers, her strengths, weaknesses and background. Larson captures her fierce and brave personality and proves to be a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As is the case with most films in the MCU, Captain Marvel features an ensemble cast, including Samuel L. Jackson as a young Nick Fury, Jude Law as Yon-Rogg and Annette Bening as Wendy Lawson. It was interesting to see Fury’s life before he created the Avengers Initiative and how he lost his eye. Law is known for portraying likeable and charismatic characters so it was interesting to see him play against type as the villain. Similarly, Ben Mendelsohn is known for portraying the antagonist, however, while in the beginning his character, Talos, a shape-shifting Krull, is seen as the enemy, we see a different side to him. A memorable character is a cat named Goose who Fury bonds with. Goose also brought a lot of comic relief into the action packed film. Those unfamiliar with the Captain Marvel comic books will assume that Goose is just a cute cat, however, fans of the comic books will know that that isn't the case. Because I haven't read the comic books, I was very surprised when Goose was revealed to be a Flerken, which is an alien creature that resembles cats. Unlike the common Earth cat however, they possess cognitive intelligence and can lay eggs. Their mouths contain pocket dimensions used to store and hold almost anything; they can also teleport and summon tentacles with fanged maws from their mouths to attack and consume with.
Speaking of action, there are a lot of great sequences throughout Captain Marvel. The most memorable occurs early on in the film, where Captain Marvel chases a Krull, who is in disguise, onto a train. It’s thrilling and captures Marvel’s strength and refusal to give into her weaknesses.
As is the tradition with films in the MCU, there are two mid and post credit scenes. The mid credits scene is an exciting tie in to the upcoming Avengers: Endgame and the post credits scene isn’t necessary to watch, only for those who want to see more of Goose.
Many people have said that the weakest aspect of Captain Marvel is its story as it follows the same path of similar origin based films set in the MCU. While, at times, it is fairly predictable, I found the story to be empowering and inspiring as it’s revealed how Captain Marvel became known as the powerful superhero. When she was growing up on Earth, we see that she was always belittled by the people around her, saying that she’s weak. However, she soon gains strength and becomes increasingly powerful. Captain Marvel isn’t saying that women are more powerful than men, it’s saying that women are equally as powerful as men. What I've noticed with most superhero films is that the female character serves as a love interest for the main protagonist. I found it refreshing that the writers of Captain Marvel, Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, decided against adding in an unnecessary love interest for Captain Marvel.
Late last year, the creator of Marvel comics, Stan Lee, tragically passed away at the age of 95. Before his death, Lee filmed cameos for Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame and the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home. Aside from his cameo appearance in Captain Marvel, the film pays tribute to him in the Marvel Studios logo at the beginning. It’s a heartfelt tribute to a man who leaves behind a legacy and a collection of comic books and superhero films that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Captain Marvel is directed by Fleck and Boden, who previously worked together on indie films such as It’s Kind Of A Funny Story and Mississippi Grind. While there must have been a lot of pressure throughout production to create a feature that matches the quality of the previous films in the MCU and meets people’s expectations, I think that the directors have succeeded. It’s action-packed, tells a meaningful story and does justice to Captain Marvel’s character. I can't imagine fans of the original comic book being disappointed with what Fleck and Boden have created.
Overall, Captain Marvel is a strong addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and features an impressive performance from Brie Larson.
8/10
​

GLASS REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 2017, director M. Night Shyamalan surprised his audiences when it was revealed that his latest film, Split, was actually a sequel to one of his earlier features, Unbreakable, which was released in 2000. He soon announced that he was creating a film that would link the two films together. Two years after the release of Split, Shyamalan has released Glass, however, does it live up to expectations or is it a disappointment like most highly anticipated sequels?
From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast. Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb's superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
I was pleasantly surprised after first watching Unbreakable two years ago. At the time, Shyamalan was known for his bad films, including After Earth, The Happening and The Last Airbender so I wasn’t expecting Unbreakable to be as good as it was. Despite the quality of Unbreakable, I wasn’t interested in seeing Split. However, with the release of Glass, I decided to finally watch Split and, while I enjoyed it overall and was impressed with McAvoy’s portrayal of an individual with dissociative identity disorder (DID), I think that making it a sequel to Unbreakable was unnecessary and I felt that Bruce Willis’ cameo felt forced. Split could have easily worked as a stand-alone thriller.
Prior to watching Glass, my expectations weren’t high, due to critics’ reviews ranging from mixed to negative. While I can definitely see people walking away from this disappointed, I think that Glass was a good sequel. It’s being described as a thriller and horror, however, for most of its runtime, Glass lacks both thrilling and scary elements. Its conclusion, which takes place outside a psychiatric hospital, features a lot of action, which leads to a surprise ending, a common trait in Shyamalan’s films.
Unbreakable describes Willis’ character, Dunn, who is the only survivor of a train crash and miraculously didn’t have any injuries. Split describes McAvoy’s character, Kevin Wendell Crumb, who suffers from DID. Glass is the nickname of Jackson’s character, Elijah Price, as he suffers from Type 1 osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease, where his bones break easily like glass. While Jackson returns as the titular character, who, at the end of Unbreakable is sent to a psychiatric hospital, many people may be disappointed with his screen time. He doesn’t make his appearance until almost halfway through the film and, even then, he doesn’t say much. After being imprisoned for almost two decades, Price appears to be depressed. However, after both Crumb and Dunn are brought to the same psychiatric hospital and after discovering one of Crumb’s multiple personalities, known as ‘The Beast’, Price finally begins planning his escape. During the scenes with the doctors, although he isn’t communicating, you can tell he’s planning something dangerous. Jackson has given many memorable performances in the past and is currently best known for portraying Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While his portrayal of Price isn’t his best, he proves that he can still give solid performances outside of franchises.
McAvoy, whose performance was the most impressive aspect of Split, doesn’t disappoint and shows off his ability to portray several different personalities in one scene. Willis, unfortunately, gives the weakest performance of the three. It’s not a terrible performance, it’s just that he isn’t given much to do, except fight against McAvoy’s ‘The Beast’ and, even then, his fighting sequences are performed by a stunt double. Returning characters include Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey, who was kidnapped by one of Kevin’s personalities, Dennis; Spencer Treat Clark as Dunn’s son, Joseph, and Charlayne Woodard as Price’s mother. While Taylor-Joy gave a solid performance in Split, I don’t agree with how Shyamalan’s written her character. You would think that, after going through something as traumatic as a kidnapping, the victim would never want to see their kidnapper again. However, Casey hasn’t stopped thinking about Kevin and wants to see him again. Clark and Woodard are given little to do. Sarah Paulson portrays Dr. Ellie Staple who is a psychiatrist that tries to convince Dunn, Price and Crumb that they don’t have supernatural abilities.
What I found most surprising about ‘Unbreakable’ was how well it worked as a unconventional superhero film. Now, the genre is associated with films in the MCU and DCEU (DC Extended Universe). Glass contains many references to superheroes and Dr Staple tries to convince her patients that they’re not superheroes, however, that is all proven wrong in the final act that takes place between Dunn, Price and Crumb outside the hospital. It isn’t one of the greatest fight sequences, however, it’s the most thrilling part of the film. What I found amusing were the references to Marvel and Avengers. The word, ‘Marvel’ appears on the front of a magazine and Jackson asks The Beast if he’s going to avenge them. I have no idea if these were intentional references or just a coincidence.
I think that, as a viewer, I’m not easily disappointed and my expectations are rarely high. I think that’s why I’m satisfied with Glass. I do still think that both Unbreakable and Split would’ve worked better as two stand-alone features and I don’t think Glass was necessary, however, I can understand Shyamalan’s decision to create a trilogy as it was interesting to see the characters of Dunn, Price and Crumb interact alongside each other.
7/10

AQUAMAN REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

As of late, the majority of the films in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) have been received negatively, both by critics and audiences. So far, only Wonder Woman, which was released last year, has been successful after it received critical praise and impressed at the box office. Because of this, it has been deemed the best film in the DCEU. A few months after the release of Wonder Woman, Justice League proved to be a disappointment after its negative reception. This lead to doubts about the next instalment in the DCEU, Aquaman, a spin-off that focuses on the titular Atlantian, who made a cameo in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and appeared in Justice League. However, is it another disappointment in the franchise?

In Aquaman, Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, must step forward to lead his people against his half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), who seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms against the surface world.

To a lot of people's surprise, Aquaman is an improvement over Justice League, in terms of acting, special effects and providing over two hours of entertainment. However, it's certainly not the best superhero film we've had recently. Unlike Justice League, Aquaman doesn't take itself seriously and is a lot of fun. It is both an origins story and a follow-up to Justice League as we learn more about his background and who he is as a character. In Justice League, we barely knew much about him, however, his spin-off gives viewers that insight. The beginning shows us how his parents, Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) and Thomas (Temuera Morrison), met. Unfortunately, because Atlanna is Queen of Atlantis, she was forced to return to her home, leaving Arthur behind when he was an infant. Because he was born out of wedlock and he's half-human, Arthur isn't welcome at Atlantis, which leads to his half-brother, Orm, taking the throne. By the time the film finishes, we have a stronger understanding of who Aquaman is and we learn more about his strengths and also his weaknesses. 

In Justice League, Momoa's performance as Aquaman wasn't anything special but that wasn't necessarily his fault as his character was undeveloped and he did what he could with a small description. However, in this spin-off, Momoa's performance has improved. He captures the strengths of Aquaman and he impresses in the fight sequences. Also returning after making a small appearance in Justice League, is Amber Heard as Arthur's love interest, Mera, an Atlantian who persuades Arthur to take his rightful place on the throne and stop his brother from declaring war on the surface world. I think that this may be Heard's strongest performance yet as she captures Mera's fierce personality. Wilson makes for a good antagonist and is definitely an improvement over the villain that featured in Justice League. Kidman and Willem Dafoe round out the cast as Atlanna and Aquaman's mentor, Vulko. 

Director James Wan is known for creating violent horrors such as Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring. Because of this, he may seem like an unusual choice to create a superhero film, however, he proves he can make a family-friendly film. After the disappointing reception that Justice League received, I think there was a lot of pressure on Wan to create a successful superhero film, however, he doesn't disappoint. For most of its 143 minute runtime, Aquaman is fun, entertaining and action packed. Unlike the majority of films he's previously directed, Aquaman has a light and breezy tone and is an easy watch, however, because of its long runtime, it does drag. Despite the runtime issue, Wan's Aquaman isn't a bad film and it's not the worst superhero film we've had this year.

While Aquaman has received more praise than Justice League, critics still aren't impressed. With other superhero films, such as Avengers: Infinity War, Incredibles 2 and, most recently, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, being released this year, Aquaman is the weakest of them all. That's not to say it's a terrible film, though, but I can understand why it probably won't leave as much of a lasting impression as the aforementioned films, especially Avengers: Infinity War, which ended on an emotional climax. The trouble with most films in the DCEU is the comparisons people make to the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which, unsurprisingly, leads to disappointment. While a lot of people will probably prefer the MCU films, fans of the DCEU with this latest instalment. Aquaman is far from a perfect film, however, it's entertaining and develops the titular character into a superhero, with Momoa impressing in his performance.

7/10 

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

When I first saw the trailer for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a few months ago, I was, initially, doubtful and wasn't intending on seeing it as I thought it looked like it was going to be your average animated superhero film. However, after seeing the critical acclaim it has received and because it's currently nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, I decided to watch it. At first, I wasn't sure what to expect but, fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse really is as great as everyone is making it out to be.
The narrative introduces its viewers to Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) who, after being bit by a radioactive spider, suddenly develops spider-like powers and abilities. After discovering his powers, he meets the current Spider-Man, Peter Parker (Chris Pine). The two meet whilst Spider-Man is trying to defeat a crime lord known as Kingpin (Liev Schreiber), unfortunately, tragedy occurs and Morales must team up with other Spider-People, including Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) also known as 'Spider-Woman', Spider-Noir (Nicholas Cage), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn) and Peter Porker (John Mulaney), in order to stop the evil Kingpin from achieving his plan.
The stand-out aspect of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is its unique animation style. Producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wanted the film to feel like you "walked inside a comic book", and were excited to tell the story in a way that the live-action films couldn't. With this, they have succeeded as I definitely felt like this was a comic book brought to life via the big screen. The computer-generated imagery animation was combined with "line work and painting and dots and all sorts of comic book techniques" to make it look like it was created by hand, which was described as "a living painting". A lot of effort and hard work has gone into making Into the Spider-Verse one of the most visually stunning animated films. I also saw Into The Spider-Verse in 3D and, with a lot of films, this added feature is wasted and is merely used as a way to get audiences to pay extra for 3D glasses, however, this wasn't the case here. While I'm sure it looks just as visually stunning in 2D, I'd recommend giving Into The Spider-Verse a watch in 3D.
What I liked most about Into the Spider-Verse was how well it works as a stand-alone superhero film. It does make several references to previous Spider-Man films, including the various live-action adaptations that were released between 2002 and 2017, however, these are fun references and add to its self-deprecating humour. During production, the writers had to to decide why this film needed to be made, and the answer for the creative team was to tell the new and unique story of Miles Morales, who had yet to be featured in any film. Morales is an interesting character. He is still in high school when he becomes Spider-Man so a lot of viewers, especially those who are around the same age as him, will find him relatable as he has all the normal worries, including passing exams and impressing the girl he's attracted to. He's a great leading character who is also brought to life through Moore's impressive voice acting.
With its PG rating (suitable for ages 8+), Into the Spider-Verse will appeal to the whole family as it works as a thoroughly entertaining superhero adventure. The majority of the feature has a lot of exciting action sequences and isn't too scary or violent which means children will enjoy it too. Unlike most of the previous Spider-Man features, Into The Spider-Verse has a light-hearted tone and is also very funny. Both Lord and Miller have experience working on comedies, including animated features, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and The Lego Movie and also on 21 Jump Street. The comedy mainly comes from witty lines of dialogue.
What's most impressive about Into the Spider-Verse is how fresh it feels, despite a year filled with superhero films, including Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Incredibles 2. It doesn't follow the typical narrative path that most superhero films tends to. For those new to the superhero genre, there can be a few unpredictable moments, however, comic book fans won't be surprised by outcomes, however, this doesn't mean they won't enjoy it.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is currently nominated at the Golden Globes for Best Animated Feature alongside Incredibles 2, Ralph Breaks The Internet, Isle of Dogs and Mirai no Mirai. While I thoroughly enjoyed Incredibles 2, I would like to see Into The Spider-Verse win and I won't be surprised if it also gets recognised by the Academy next year.
Overall, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is, not only one of the best animated films we've had this year, but also a great superhero film, with visually stunning animation and is thoroughly entertaining.
8/10

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Steven Spielberg is known for directing features that have gone on to become classic films, including Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, Jaws, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial and Schindler's List. Jurassic Park, which was released in 1993, is no different. The film focused on the titular theme park created by Dr. John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) and featured cloned dinosaurs. Because of its impressive special effects, gripping and tense action, it was a huge success at the box office, receiving over $914 million and becoming the highest grossing film of 1993. Of course, because of its success, Spielberg released a sequel in 1997 titled The Lost World: Jurassic Park. While it didn't live up to the quality of its predecessor, it still proved to be solid entertainment, with Jeff Goldblum returning as Dr. Ian Malcolm and Julianne Moore giving a supporting role as his girlfriend. It didn't make as much money as Jurassic Park, however, it was still the second highest grossing film of 1997, making over $618 million.  In 2001, a third film was released, Jurassic Park III, which saw the return of Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant who helps a divorced couple find their son who has gone missing. This proved to be the weaker film of the three and, 17 years after its release, people still agree it's the worst of the Jurassic films. Because of its less than impressive box office results (it made $368 million) and poor reception from critics, it seemed like that was the end of the Jurassic films. Until 2015, when Jurassic World was released. Set 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World takes place on the same fictional Central American island of Isla Nublar, off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, where a theme park populated with cloned dinosaurs has operated for ten years. The park plunges into chaos when a genetically created dinosaur breaks loose and goes on a rampage across the island. Although the sequel was unnecessary, it impressed both critics and audiences and made over $1 billion after its release in 2015. Three years later, another sequel has been released, however, is it a good follow-up or another disappointment?

It's been four years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles. When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who’s still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times. With all of the wonder, adventure and thrills synonymous with one of the most popular and successful series in cinema history, this all-new motion-picture event sees the return of favourite characters and dinosaurs - along with new breeds more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before. 

I wasn't the biggest fan of Jurassic World as I didn't think it was necessary as it offered nothing new to the franchise. People screaming and running away from dinosaurs, it had all been done before in the previous three films. I thought that Jurassic Park III would be the last film but nope, the producers wanted to make money out of the franchise. While the special effects had certainly improved since the release of the first film in 1993, that was the only thing that was impressive. The characters of Claire and Owen weren't as interesting as Neil's Dr. Grant, Goldblum's Dr. Malcolm and Laura Dern's Dr. Ellie Sattler. Despite all of this, Jurassic World still managed to be entertaining at times but there were a few eye-roll moments, especially that scene where Claire tries to run away from a Tyrannosaurus Rex in high heels. Although it wasn’t a perfect sequel, it still managed to be successful at the box office, which lead to yet another sequel.

Because I was less than impressed with Jurassic World, I wasn't interested in seeing its sequel, Fallen Kingdom, however, I watched it recently and I had to say I was pleasantly surprised. Fallen Kingdom manages to be an improvement over its predecessor, however, it still doesn't come close to the quality of the first film. It has a darker and more intense atmosphere and, with the dinosaurs at risk at becoming extinct from an erupting volcano, Claire reunites with Owen in order to save them and take them to a new home. She teams up with Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) as he wants to help her but, surprise suprise, he really wants to make money by using Blue (the velociraptor from the previous film) to create a more advanced dinosaur.

Bayona is known for creating features that stir emotion, including 2012’s disaster drama, The Impossible starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and a young Tom Holland, and last year’s A Monster Calls, a fantasy that focused on a young, lonely boy who gets visited by a friendly monster. With Fallen Kingdom, he successfully managed to make me feel sympathy for the dinosaurs. A moving scene shows one of the dinosaurs succumbing to the effects of the volcano as Owen and Claire watch from a ship. It’s a sad scene but it made me wonder, should we let them succumb to their fate? Dr. Malcolm, who makes a small cameo, seems to agree as he believes that this is nature’s way of correcting the mistake that Dr. Hammond made in the first film. However, Claire has set up a ‘Dinosaur Protection Group’ and becomes determined to prevent the dinosaurs from becoming extinct.
The special effects are probably one of the most impressive aspects of Fallen Kingdom, especially with the dinosaurs. They all look real, especially the terrifying indoraptor, which was created by combining the DNA of a velociraptor with that of an indominus rex. Most of the intense scenes occur after the indoraptor escapes, especially the scene that shows a small girl trembling in her bed as the indoraptor's claws reach out to grab her. Those looking for dinosaurs chasing and eating people will not be disappointed here.
The ending of Fallen Kingdom hints that a follow-up may be released at it shows Dr. Malcolm explaining that humans may have to co-exist with the dinosaurs. If that is the case, I actually wouldn't mind another sequel being made as the idea of humans and dinosaurs co-existing together is an interesting one as, so far, the films in the Jurassic franchise have been all about people being afraid of dinosaurs and running away from them.
Like Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom isn’t as good as the earlier films in the franchise, however, it’s still fairly entertaining and I’m sure that those who liked the previous film will enjoy this latest instalment.
7/10

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Since the release of Iron Man a decade ago, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has gone on to be one of the most successful franchises ever. Each film released in the MCU has received impressive box office results and received a lot of praise from both critics and audiences. Infinity War is the third film in the Avengers trilogy and is the nineteenth film in the MCU, however, does it live up to the expectations its previous films have set up for us?

There's a lot going on in Infinity War, however, the plot basically surrounds the main villain, Thanos (Josh Brolin), whose plan is to steal all six 'Infinity Stones' so he can become incredibly powerful and destroy half of humanity in order to restore balance to the universe. This leads to the majority of the characters returning from previous MCU films and teaming up in order to stop him.
Infinity War was a lot better than what I expected it to be. I wasn't a huge Marvel fan, mainly because when I was in high school, I studied the superhero genre and, after two years of watching and studying them, I'd grown a bit bored of them. However, I'm glad that I decided to start watching them as I understand what the hype is about now. After watching the majority of the films in the MCU (excluding Ant-Man), my excitement for Infinity War grew and, fortunately, it didn't disappoint. It tells a compelling story that features a lot of exhilarating action and a emotional climax that will leave viewers in shock. Most superhero films tend to follow the same path of having the main protagonist defeat the villain which makes it predictable, however, I had no idea Infinity War was going to end the way it did. Because it ended on a cliffhanger, viewers will be left in suspense until the release of the untitled Avengers sequel which is due to be released in May next year.
What I liked about Infinity War was its portrayal of the superheroes. In previous films, we've seen how strong and brave they are, however, with Thanos becoming increasingly powerful, the superheroes become weaker and more afraid. At first glance, you would expect that a team of almost 20 superheroes would easily be able to defeat Thanos, however, the film clearly shows that he is stronger than all of them, which is why he's easily the best villain. Brolin proves he's the best choice to portray the villain and uses both voice acting and motion-capture for his performance.
 Fans of the MCU will be happy to see their favourite superheroes teaming up on the big screen, however, they may be a bit disappointed that some characters don't get as much screentime as others. For example, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) receives the most screentime and we see him team up with Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voice of Vin Diesel) to create a weapon that will hopefully defeat Thanos. I was also surprised by the lack of Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), considering he appears on the poster, however, despite in the first Avengers film where he says that he's 'always angry' before transforming into the green monster, Bruce Banner finds it difficult to become the Hulk. This leads to Banner fighting in Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) anti-Hulk armour. I liked this, as judging from its appearance in the trailer, I assumed it was Stark fighting in the armour so I was very surprised to see Banner fighting in it.
One of the main problems with films that feature a lot of characters is making sure they all get enough screentime. Fortunately, directors Joe and Anthony Russo make sure that every character makes a contribution to the story, rather than just making an appearance. All of the superheroes work well together and are divided into different groups across the universe. One of the most memorable fight sequences takes place on Wakanda and shows Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Banner, the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and War Machine (Don Cheadle) all fighting alongside the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and his tribe. Vision (Paul Bettany), an artificial intelligence being created by Ultron the villain of the previous Avengers film, has one of the Infinity Stones located in his head, leading to Thanos sending his army to try and steal it. This leads to an action-packed battle between the two armies.
As for the performances, they're all impressive. Brolin is the stand-out as he makes Thanos an intimidating villain and someone who is incredibly tough to defeat. While there's not a bad performance to be found, I found Hemsworth, Evans, Downey Jr. and Tom Holland to be the most memorable. They all handled the action and dramatic aspects of the film really well. Holland further proves why he's the perfect choice for Spider-Man as he captures his upbeat tone and bring comic relief with a few quips. I also thought that Zoe Saldana was great as Gamora, Thanos' adopted daughter. Since her first appearance in Guardians Of The Galaxy, she's been one of my favourite characters in the MCU. There's a scene involving her and Thanos that is heartbreaking. Elizabeth Olsen was very good as Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch. Since Age Of Ultron, she has bonded and formed a close relationship with Vision and, in one scene, we see her making a tough decision in order to save the universe.
It's not worth watching Infinity War if you haven't seen any of the previous films in the MCU as the story expects you to know who these characters are and what they've been through. I would suggest watching both of the Avengers films, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians Of The Galaxy, and Black Panther. In my opinion, they're the best films in the MCU and gives most of the characters that feature in Infinity War a backstory and sets the story up.
The films in the MCU are known for their post-credits scenes. Some of them hint at the next film. I do think that it's definitely worth waiting until the post-credits scene as it involves Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smaulders).
Overall, Avengers: Infinity War ably juggles a dizzying array of MCU heroes in the fight against their gravest threat yet, and the result is a thrilling, emotionally resonant blockbuster that realises its huge ambitions.
8/10