Movies - BGCP Comic Con

Review – Nobody

24th April 2021

Review – Nobody Directed By: Ilya Naishuller Written by: Derek Kolstad Produced by: Tobey Maguire & David Leitch Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Christopher Lloyd & RZA Release Date: June 9th 2021 (UK) If you’ve seen the trailers for Nobody, then you already know exactly the type of movie that you are in for. That is not a slight against the movie, it is just to say that there are no great twists here or subversion of audience expectations. The question in looking at Nobody for review is; does it fulfil its purpose and deliver on that intention? Thankfully, the answer is hell yes, it does! If like me you are a Better Call Saul fan, then you will have a pre-conceived notion of who Bob Odenkirk is as an actor at this stage in his career. That was my one main concern going into this film; can Odenkirk pull off being a believable badass at this stage in his life? Again, the answer is hell yes, he can! Odenkirk is phenomenal as Hutch Mansell in this movie, he delivers in both the role of a washed up nobody leading an unfulfilled life and as an unrelenting killing machine. He really looks the part after the two years he spent training for this role and although a stuntman was used in a few brief instances, Odenkirk does nearly all of his own stunt work in the film. After seeing some of the stunts performed in the movie, this fact is extremely impressive for a guy pushing 60. Derek Kolstad’s writing in Nobody is also huge factor in what makes this film great. Kolstad also wrote the John Wick movies, so we already know that the guy knows how to write action. What I really appreciated though was the pacing of the action and the pacing of the movie overall. There is enough set-up to the character of Hutch that we are invested in him by the time that the first punch is thrown. I also enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek nature present in a lot of the film’s scenes. The action choreography is as intense and exhilarating throughout the movie as you would expect. Something that I did really like though was how brutal and gritty the fight sequences were. In the John Wick movies, although the action is exciting to watch, it sometimes feels a bit too clean and smooth, whereas here it is a lot rougher and more visceral. As much as Hutch Mansell is a badass killing machine, he is also pretty rusty having not done it for years and this is really felt in every hit that we see him take. His fighting style is far from the fluid, ninja-like style of John Wick and closer to a brawler or a bare-knuckle boxer. I liked seeing that and appreciated that it wasn’t like he just flicked a switch in order to go from washed up dad back to total badass. The rest of the cast in the movie were also great. It was nice to see Christopher Lloyd also showing some serious badassery in his old age and I also enjoyed the brief appearances made by RZA and Colin Salmon. The film is also well shot by Pawel Pogorzelski. The cinematography choices combined with the nice use of lighting made for some really good looking shots. I also really enjoyed the soundtrack in the film and felt that each song choice really complimented the scene that it was used in, without feeling forced or distracting. Lastly, I don’t think there was any question that the director of Hardcore Henry knows how to shoot action, but just in case there was, Ilya Naishuller really shows that he is able to direct complex, fast moving action and stunt-work in Nobody. The action is all captured beautifully and really allows everyone on camera to show exactly what they are capable of doing within an intense fight scene. Overall, my thoughts after watching Nobody for review is that it’s a phenomenal geriaction dadsploitation movie. If you are fan of Better Call Saul, John Wick, or just action movies in general then you should check this one out. I had a brilliant time with it and even ended up watching it twice in one weekend because I enjoyed it so much. It does what it says on the tin and is hugely entertaining throughout. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Nobody, check out what he thinks of The Raid: Redemption here. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Is Thor: The Dark World the MCU’s Lowest Point? A Retrospective Review

3rd January 2026

Is Thor: The Dark World worth watching in your MCU marathon? We review the flawed sequel, analyzing its forgettable villain, tonal issues, and why it is often ranked as the worst Marvel movie. The Verdict at a Glance Introduction: The MCU’s Identity Crisis In the grand tapestry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Thor: The Dark World (2013) occupies a difficult spot. Sandwiched between the Shakespearean drama of the first Thor and the psychedelic comedy of Thor: Ragnarok, this sequel struggles to find its footing. While it was a financial success, critical and fan reception has soured over the years. Is it simply a skippable chapter, or is it a fundamental misstep in Marvel history? This review breaks down why the God of Thunder’s second solo outing is widely considered the franchise’s “black sheep.” The Plot: A Generic Fantasy Slog The story picks up post-Avengers, with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) bringing order to the Nine Realms. However, an ancient enemy returns: Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) and his Dark Elves, who seek a weapon known as the Aether (the Reality Stone) to plunge the universe into eternal darkness. When Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) accidentally absorbs the Aether, she becomes a target, forcing Thor to bring her to Asgard and eventually team up with his treacherous brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Where It Went Wrong Malekith: The “Who?” of Marvel Villains The film’s fatal flaw is its antagonist. Christopher Eccleston is a fantastic actor, yet he is buried under prosthetics and given zero character depth. Malekith has no relatable motivation—he simply wants to destroy the universe because he likes the dark. In an era of complex villains like Thanos or Killmonger, Malekith is shockingly one-dimensional and entirely forgettable. A Tonal Mess The Dark World tries too hard to be “Game of Thrones” in space. It abandons the fish-out-of-water charm of the first movie but lacks the bold, colorful humor that Taika Waititi would later bring to the franchise. The result is a movie that feels gray, dreary, and overly serious without the emotional weight to back it up. The Wasted Talents of Natalie Portman Jane Foster is reduced to a plot device. Rather than an active participant, she spends the majority of the film as a living vessel for the MacGuffin (The Aether), fainting or being carried from room to room. It is no surprise that Portman took a long hiatus from the MCU after this entry; the script gave her nothing to do. Boring Exposition Much of the dialogue consists of characters explaining fantasy pseudoscience to one another. The pacing drags significantly in the second act, making the 1 hour and 52-minute runtime feel much longer. The Saving Graces It isn’t all bad. Here is what keeps the movie watchable: Final Thoughts: Essential Viewing Only for Completionists Thor: The Dark World is a film that checks boxes rather than telling a compelling story. It introduces an Infinity Stone (The Aether), but fails to make us care about the journey. If you are doing a full MCU rewatch, you might feel obligated to sit through it. However, if you are looking for entertainment value, this is easily the most skippable entry in the Infinity Saga. It is a harsh reminder that even Marvel Studios isn’t invincible. Pros: Tom Hiddleston’s Loki; High production value; Important for Avengers: Endgame context. Cons: Forgettable villain; Dull color palette; Weak script; Wasted supporting cast. Where to Buy & Watch If you need to complete your collection or want to see the introduction of the Reality Stone, you can purchase the film below.

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Review – X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

23rd April 2021

Review – X-Men: Apocalypse Directed by: Bryan Singer Produced by: Bryan Singer & Stan Lee Written by: Bryan Singer & Simon Kinberg Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender & Oscar Isaac Release Date: May 18th 2016 I remember when this movie first released and received very mixed reactions from both critics and fans. At the time, I fell on the more positive side of the fence and actually kind of enjoyed this movie for what it was when I saw it for the first time in the cinema. It is amazing how things change… I revisited X-Men: Apocalypse for review last night and found it very difficult to get through. The year is 1983, 10 years after the last X-Men movie, Days Of Future Past; as in the kind of 10 years where no one ages a day. We know that it is 1983 because some of the young mutants go and see Return Of The Jedi in the cinema. The hairstyles and fashion statements are suitably 80’s, which is actually a very appropriate motif to choose as it adds a more comic book feel to the movie and forces it to stick to a brighter colour palette than some of the previous X men outings. Another positive is the return of Quicksilver, who has another grandiose slow motion scene in the film, but unfortunately it is not as well choreographed as the one in DOFP and somewhat falls flat in comparison. The design of Apocalypse in this movie is something that I just could not get behind. There were points where it took me out of the movie entirely and although Oscar Isaac is a great actor and he does his best with this portrayal of the ancient mutant even he can’t make this film palatable. The other major downside to his character is that he is significantly nerfed in terms of his powers here. He does feel mildly powerful at points, but never overwhelmingly so and when the final confrontation does take place, it feels like he is holding back. This could be explained in a contrived manner by saying that he doesn’t want to kill mutants, because they are all his children, but if the success of his plan depends on it then he shouldn’t even hesitate, he should just wipe all the X-Men out in an instant like we know that he can. The tone is another issue I have with the movie, it is extremely inconsistent throughout and never reaches the level of threat or peril that it is aiming for. However, this isn’t the fault of the cast or the performances they give. MacAvoy and Fassbender stand out here as you would expect, their relationship also remains one of the most interesting parts of the plot. Isaacs’ performance is also suitably threatening and sinister, the only thing lacking in his character other than the odd design choice, is how short he is next to the other mutants. He doesn’t have to be huge like in the comics and cartoons, but making him a little bit more physically imposing with clever camera tricks would have went a long way in adding to the character. Jennifer Lawrence is fine here as usual, even if it does seem like she doesn’t want to be there in certain scenes. Young Cyclops and Jean Grey are perfectly serviceable, although Sophie Turner’s American accent does come and go in certain scenes. Even Peters does his best as Quicksilver and the actress who plays Storm here is also pretty convincing, as is the young English actor who plays Angel. Nightcrawler is also a welcome addition to the roster as I feel that he has been criminally underused since the second X-Men movie and his power set is definitely one of the most interesting in all of the X-Men movies, also the actor playing him here does a good job throughout the film. The special effects are noticeably shabby throughout the film, especially when you remember that this movie came out in the same year as Captain America: Civil War. This was also the last X-Men movie directed by Bryan Singer and knowing what we know now, good riddance. The direction in this movie certainly isn’t anything to write home about anyway and the cinematography is also pretty lazy and by-the-numbers. Overall, upon re-watching X-Men: Apocalypse for review, it has not aged well at all. I don’t often say that about movies that are only five years old, but here we are. If you remember this one being okay back when you first saw it in the cinema, then please don’t do what I did and revisit it because you will only be disappointed. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] Check out Dan’s review of Captain America: Civil War here. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Review – Captain America: Civil War

3rd January 2026

10 years later, Captain America: Civil War is still the smartest movie Marvel ever made. From the debut of Spider-Man to the rise of Thaddeus Ross, here is why you need to re-watch the Avengers’ breakup in 4K. ⚠️ Affiliate Disclaimer This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Verdict at a Glance The “Empire Strikes Back” of the MCU In 2026, we are living in the aftermath of the Sokovia Accords. With President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) now transforming into the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World, the events of Civil War have never been more relevant. Released in 2016, this wasn’t just “Captain America 3″—it was “Avengers 2.5.” It took the fun, quippy tone of the franchise and shattered it. It dared to ask: What if the good guys are dangerous? Here is why Civil War remains the gold standard for superhero storytelling. The Villain Who Actually Won Thanos might have erased half the universe, but he eventually lost. Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) is the only villain who truly won. He didn’t have a magic rock or a laser beam. He had a grainy VHS tape and patience. By revealing the truth about Tony Stark’s parents, he fractured the Avengers so badly that they lost to Thanos in Infinity War. Watching his quiet, cerebral manipulation today is chilling. The Airport Battle: The Ultimate Comic Book Splash Page We have seen bigger battles since (like Endgame), but we have never seen one this creative. The 17-minute sequence at Leipzig/Halle Airport is a miracle of choreography. It balances 12 heroes perfectly. Ant-Man turning Giant? Spider-Man webbing up Falcon? Hawkeye firing Ant-Man on an arrow? It is pure joy. In 4K HDR, the colors of the costumes against the grey concrete look incredibly sharp. The Debuts of Titans It is easy to forget that this one movie introduced Spider-Man (Tom Holland) AND Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) to the MCU. T’Challa arrives fully formed: regal, dangerous, and driven by vengeance. His chase scene (running faster than cars) is still one of the best practical stunts in the series. And Peter Parker? His clumsy, chatty introduction remains the best version of the character we’ve seen. The Emotional Finale Most superhero movies end with a sky beam. This one ends with a fistfight in a bunker. The final brawl between Steve, Bucky, and Tony isn’t about saving the world; it’s about betrayal. When Tony screams, “He killed my mom,” you feel it. It is arguably the best acting Robert Downey Jr. ever did in the suit. How to Watch: The Definitive Editions To appreciate the details—like the texture of Black Panther’s vibranium suit or the scuff marks on Cap’s shield—you need the physical disc. ? The Best Experience: Captain America: Civil War (4K Ultra HD) The 4K transfer is a significant upgrade over streaming. The airport scene (shot on IMAX cameras) fills the screen, and the Dolby Atmos audio track makes the clash of Vibranium vs. Repulsors sound terrifyingly real. ? The Source Material: “Civil War” by Mark Millar The movie is very different from the comic, but the original 2006 book is a classic. It features the Fantastic Four and X-Men (who weren’t in the movie) and a much darker ending. ? The “Choose Your Side” Merch Are you Team Cap or Team Iron Man? This movie divided the fanbase, and the merchandise lets you pick a side. Final Thoughts Captain America: Civil War is a masterpiece of tension. It proves that you don’t need an alien invasion to create high stakes—you just need characters you care about trying to kill each other. If you are watching Thunderbolts* or Captain America: Brave New World in 2026, you must revisit this film. It is the origin story for the modern MCU’s political chaos. Where to watch next: The fallout of this movie splits the timeline.

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Review – Thor: Ragnarok

17th May 2021

Review – Thor: Ragnarok Directed by: Taika Waititi Written by: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost Produced by: Stan Lee & Kevin Feige Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston & Mark Ruffalo Release Date: October 24th 2017 (UK) Last night, I re-watched Thor: Ragnarok for review to see how well it holds up a few years on from its release. While there is still a very fun movie to be enjoyed here, it is far from perfect. I wonder if the filmmakers were so paranoid about not churning out another formulaic, checklist of a Marvel movie after the snooze-fest that was the Dark World, that they just chucked a whole bunch of disparate ideas into this mixing pot of a film and hoped that some of it would work. To some extent they were right; some of it does work, but some of it really doesn’t. The stuff that doesn’t work would probably work okay in a separate movie, but here it just provides a lack of cohesion and brings a jolting change of tone to many of the film’s scenes. The abrupt tonal shift that takes place whenever we change environments is one of my biggest issues when going back to re-watch the film. Some plot elements also feel rushed in the film, which means that less emotional impact is felt overall by the audience at the climax of each plot thread. The plot elements of Ragnarok could have been split across a few movies and it would mean that certain characters wouldn’t have been wasted and that the big events that take place would have had more weight and gravitas to them, instead of just being brushed off in favour of getting to the next punch-line. For example, Odin dies in this film and Thor and Loki deal with it and move on in a matter of seconds. There are no emotional repercussions felt whatsoever. Another example of this is the Warriors Three appearing in a single scene, having no dialogue and then being killed in a matter of seconds of being onscreen. Additionally, a character arc is attempted with Skurge, but again Karl Urban is onscreen for such a small amount of time that no resolution is felt following his sacrifice at the end of the movie. As soon as Cate Blanchett starts to show some potential as a memorable Marvel villain, the movie cuts away to yet another scene of Hulk and Thor bantering on Sakaar. The fact that Hela spends the whole movie in Asgard and Thor and Loki spend most of the movie on Sakaar, means that the main threat in the film always feels very distant and disconnected. Idris Elba is wasted here too, having barely any dialogue and a very dull subplot. Jeff Goldblum is used purely as a gimmick and again is wasted by not having anywhere near enough screen time. I normally like seeing Tessa Thompson in things, but even she phones it in here. Then, at the end of the movie, it is like the filmmakers suddenly remembered, ‘oh that’s right we need to conclude that Ragnarok subplot that we started at the beginning of the movie.’ You know the goddamn title of the movie? And so Surtur destroying Asgard gets tacked on at the end to sort of bring a conclusion to all of the other multiple subplots and lazily wrap up the movie. The sheer amount of ideas that they attempted to incorporate here, causes a number of elements of the movie’s plot to feel underdeveloped and although most of these separate parts could have worked if they were split up and fleshed out, here they all just end up falling flat by the end of the movie making the film feel anti-climatic as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, there is also a lot here that works too. I thought the cameos from Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth and Sam Neill was awesome. I liked the Doctor Strange appearance. I like how they had Thor lose his eye and I especially like how they managed to keep that out of all of the trailers and marketing. The trailers did ruin some things though, if we didn’t already know that Mjolnir was going to get destroyed through seeing the trailers, it would have had more of an impact and all the talk about the vicious rival that Thor would have to face in the gladiator ring would have been way more effective if we didn’t already know that it was going to be the Hulk. Let’s end things on a high note, the visuals were spectacular and this movie is worth going to see in theatres just for this alone. The CGI was incredible and the soundtrack was pretty great too. Overall this is still a very fun movie, even if it is a little bit all over the place. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Thor: Ragnarok, you can check out what he thought of Thor: The Dark World here.

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Review – Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

18th May 2021

Review – Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi Directed by: Rian Johnson Produced by: JJ Abrams & Kathleen Kennedy Written by: Rian Johnson Starring: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac & Adam Driver Release Date: December 14th 2017 I decided to re-watch The Last Jedi for review last night for the first time since seeing it in the cinema upon its release and with the benefit of hindsight, I can honestly say that I hated it even more than I did the first time. I get that Rian Johnson was going for something different, but damn! This movie was not what anyone expected and not in a good way. I now feel comfortable definitively saying that absolutely none of the twisted decisions in this film were made for the better. Despite that, there are still aspects of this movie that I do like. First off, the performances all around were brilliant, with the stand outs being Adam Driver and Mark Hamill. Adam driver plays a conflicted and tortured, yet exceedingly powerful Kylo Ren. His performance is electric throughout the movie and as an actor, his range is extremely impressive. Although this is definitely my least favourite portrayal of Luke Skywalker in a Star Wars movie, it is probably my favourite performance of Mark Hamill playing the iconic character. He commits to the absurd decisions that Johnson makes with integrity and grit and it is clear that he has greatly honed his skills as an actor in the 30+ years since the original trilogy. The special effects and CGI work in the movie is breath-taking at points, the movie is a joy to look at on a visual level and the technical achievement of some of the shots featured is nothing short of incredible. Now, onto the issues I had when re-watching The Last Jedi for review. First off, the whole Casino planet section of the movie really should have just been removed altogether. Ignore it, it has no bearing to the overall plot and if it wasn’t included, the movie would still play out in the exact same way. The entire segment is a waste of time and the end result isn’t even worth the hassle. Finn was one of my favourite characters in The Force Awakens, so it was good to see him get his own storyline here, but the awkward moments and lack of payoff make it such a waste of time for the audience. The shoehorned message about animal cruelty also felt too forced and cringe-inducing and that is coming from an animal lover. The whole sequence also brought back horrible memories of the prequels, which is something that I never want to be reminded of again. The other dumb subplot in this movie revolves around Poe and a new character played by Laura Dern called Admiral Holdo. After Leia is incapacitated, Holdo is put in charge of the Rebels. Poe asks her repeatably what the plan is to get out of the compromising situation they are stuck in and she refuses to tell him, labelling him as a hothead flyboy. He eventually decides he can’t just sit around and do nothing while their ship is destroyed, (which is also the catalyst for Finn and Rose going on their dumb side mission to the casino planet,) and so he enacts a mutiny on Holdo. Then Leia wakes up and reveals that the plan all along was to take the escape pods to a nearby planet containing an old rebel base and attempt a last stand there. This whole mutiny could have been avoided with a simple conversation, or even a goddamn post-it note. Another thing that bothered me was the lack of any significant scene showing Rey being trained by Luke. There are two fleeting scenes of her training and that is apparently enough to allow her to become a ‘jedi.’ Instead of following Finn and Rose on their pointless adventure, or Poe and his pointless mutiny, we should have spent the majority of the movie on Luke’s island. To this day, I still don’t know why they chose to portray Luke as such a slob. This is the guy that blew up the Death Star and spearheaded the rebellion that changed the tide of war across the entire galaxy and now he’s milking weird sloth creatures for food. Even now, I still don’t hate the reveal that Rey’s parents were nobodies that came from nothing, but it just makes all of the set up in Force Awakens and in the first half of this movie seem like such a waste of everyone’s time, especially when you know that they are going to go back on it in the next movie. I also hate the fact that they squander an interesting character when they just nonchalantly kill off Snoke. Watching the film for the first time, you are left wondering, with the age he looks and his torn up face, this guy has clearly been around for a long time, like probably as long as Yoda or Vader, so how come we have we never seen him over the course of the previous eight films? Was he in hiding? If so, then why was he in hiding? Why did he come out of hiding after the Empire fell and why was he appointed as Supreme Leader? However, it turns out that none of these questions matter when you find out that he is just a clone and Snokes are ten-a-penny puppets for Sidious. What an absolute waste of potential. Knowing that reveal is coming also makes the throne room scene in The Last Jedi such a hollow victory in hindsight. Lastly, I want to talk about Phasma. Rian Johnson has joked that she was like this trilogy’s version of Kenny from South Park and frankly I think that this is a valid comparison and I don’t think that it’s something to joke about. Gwendoline Christie is a phenomenal actress and she was so wasted in these movies. Her bulletproof armour

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Review – The Raid: Redemption

22nd April 2021

Review – The Raid: Redemption Directed by: Gareth Evans Produced by: Todd Brown Written by: Gareth Evans Starring: Iko Uwais, Ray Sahetapy & Doni Alamsyah Release Date: May 18th 2012 (UK) What do you get when you take a Welsh director, a bunch of Indonesian stuntmen and a block of high rise flats and put them together? One of the greatest action movies ever committed to film apparently. I love a great action movie and I love tight, clever fight choreography and the Raid delivers this in spades. There is an extravagant display of martial arts on display here all shown with a realistic sense of brutality and grit that is a joy to watch onscreen. Whether it is a bare-knuckle hand-to-hand fight that you are witnessing, or a fight using deadly melee weapons, every sequence is beautifully brutal and expertly crafted in terms of its choreography. Although the fight sequences and intense action are the star attraction in The Raid, Gareth Evans uses his actors and his camera work to make the audience feel an unfaltering sense of tension when necessary to balance the sheer, white-knuckle excitement of other scenes. I have watched this movie a ton and I have seen the subtitled version, the dubbed version and the original Indonesian version without subtitles. Even in the latter, when none of the characters are speaking any English, you can still easily follow what is going on, due to the expressive performances given by the cast. Overall, if you are an action fan, you can’t do much better than the Raid. It is an intense story told so well by a bunch of extremely talented people. I would go as far as to argue that the level of intensity present in this movie’s fight choreography and its sequel has not been equalled since in any other action movie. Which makes the Raid movies some of my favourite action films of all time. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] Fun fact: some of the cast members from The Raid also appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Read our review for that here! Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Review – Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

23rd June 2021

Review – Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens Directed by: JJ Abrams Produced by: JJ Abrams & Kathleen Kennedy Written by: Lawrence Kasdan & JJ Abrams Starring: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac & Adam Driver Release Date: December 17th 2015 Remember that time when an exciting, entertaining Star Wars movie came out for the first time in 30 years? Remember how everyone loved that movie at first and then everyone simultaneously turned on it? Well last night, I watched The Force Awakens for review for the first time in a few years and I still very much enjoyed it. Let’s begin by talking about the cast of this new trilogy. A lot has been said since this movie’s release about the wooden, phoned-in performances from this trilogy, some of which I agree with. However, going by this movie alone, the three leads are fantastic in their performances. Daisy Ridley does a fine job with Rey, John Boyega is probably the best he’ll be in the whole trilogy as Finn in this film and Oscar Isaac oozes charismas as Poe Dameron in the same way he does in all of his roles. Poe has the smallest role out of the three, which is my biggest and only complaint about the character. Issac is funny in the role, he is believable as an amazing pilot and he reeks of cool throughout the film. Finn works as the in-over-his-head character dealing with an inner conflict, but he still manages to be likeable and relatable. Rey is the most central of the three new main cast members and Daisy Ridley also delivers in her role for the most part. She sells the fairly bland character trope of dealing with an exciting new adventure calling her name pretty well. I do think in hindsight that she possibly could have done a bit more in a few of the movie’s scenes, as at times it does sort of feel like they could have cast anyone of a similar age in this role and they would have been just as good. Of course, the old cast are also back. Anthony Daniels as C3PO is just as irritating as he was 30 years ago. Carrie Fisher is back as Leia and the while lines she had are engaging and at times touching, she simply isn’t in the movie enough. As for Han, it is nice to see grumpy old gramps Harrison Ford actually looking enthusiastic and as if he is actually enjoying himself for a change. His performance surprisingly isn’t phoned in and he genuinely commits to the role just as much as he did 30 years ago. Also, out of the original returning cast, he is definitely the highlight. Now that we have discussed the light side, now let’s move onto the dark. These characters are nowhere near as strong as the protagonists. I don’t think that this was the fault of the actors though. Domnall Gleason as Hux does a decent job with his role being the super evil and almost Nazi-like character trope. It does feel a bit one-note, but he serves his purpose in the film’s larger narrative. Andy Serkis is intimidating in his performance as Snoke, which just makes it more of a shame when you see what they do to his character in the sequels. Adam Driver delivers one of the best performances in the movie as Kylo Ren, showing deep sadness and explosive anger, all while being an unhinged threatening presence. The problem here is that the villains in this movie just don’t have the same impact as the villains in the original trilogy. Hux and Ren are made out to be young and naïve and while Snoke is pulling the strings, but we only ever see him as a hologram and even then, we don’t see him all that much. Couple that along with the fact that we now that we know he was a mere puppet the whole time an he feels even less threatening. It is as if this film serves origin story for these villains, but in A New Hope, the villains and the Empire already felt like an established organisation. Whereas, in this movie it is as if a bunch of amateurs have happened across a new Death Star, because let’s not lie, that’s all that the Starkiller base really is. As for Captain Phasma? She is hardly worth talking about. She is in two scenes and does nothing in either of them besides let herself get taken advantage of. When I first saw the film, I remember thinking, “surely they will do more with her in the sequels though.” Spoilers; they don’t. A great deal has also been said in the last few years about JJ Abrams’ handling of the sequel trilogy and whether his attempt at damage control has done more harm that good for the franchise. Whether you agree with that or not, in this film at least, he captures the tone of what Star Wars should be perfectly. The Force Awakens is funny enough that it is constantly entertaining and never boring, but serious enough that the audience feels a genuine, palpable threat throughout. The score is also fantastic, as it always is when John Williams is involved. The movie’s special effects are spot on also. Some of the CGI characters are slightly distracting, namely Snoke, the tentacle monsters that show up briefly and the market owner that was in possession of the Falcon at the start of the movie played by Simon Pegg, but there were also a lot of puppets and practical effects used and it really pays off in the overall look of the movie. The pacing of this movie is very quick, with Abrams not really giving the viewers time to breathe and digest what just unfolded before throwing another dogfight or lightsaber battle at them, but you certainly can’t accuse it of being boring. The only issue is, because of all of the significant

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Review – Ready Player One (2018)

18th May 2021

Review – Ready Player One (2018) Directed by: Steven Spielberg Produced by: Steven Spielberg & Ernest Cline Written by: Zak Penn & Ernest Cline Starring: Tye Sheridan, Mark Rylance, Ben Mendelsohn and Simon Pegg Release Date: March 28th 2018 (UK) Writing a review for Ready Player one is a task that requires several viewings of the movie due to all of all of the references and Easter eggs etc that are present in the film to take in. So please take comfort in knowing that I had to suffer for the sake of this review. After watching the movie a couple more times and watching a bunch of Easter egg videos on Youtube, I now feel more equipped to discuss the film. First off, I have never read the book that this film is based on. It has been recommended to me quite a few times, but I have never gotten around to reading it, so I went into this movie with no pre-conceived ideas of what it was going to be other than what I had seen in the various trailers. Let’s start with the good stuff. Although I have some issues with the overabundance of CGI onscreen, as a 3D animator myself I was extremely impressed at the sheer quality of the animation in the movie. I know that this thing had a pretty high budget behind it, but still the level of quality in the animation is really high throughout the film. The references are also pretty cool, at least for the first third of the movie but the novelty of seeing some of your favourite pop culture characters does wear off after a while and ends up feeling like a cheap gimmick before too long. Finally, if all you are looking for is a big dumb fun blockbuster, then this movie provides that in spades. Ok, onto the stuff that bothered me. As I said above, although the quality of the CGI is pretty incredible, the vast amount of it gets tiresome after a while. I also didn’t like the character designs at all; Parzival looks like a rejected piece of Final Fantasy artwork and Art3mis looks like a stereotypical version of a what a middle aged man thinks a cool hacker looks like with a weird resemblance to a feline. Aech just looked chunky and awkward, like something from a last-gen Gears Of War game, I-R0k’s weird, edgy, fantasy-based design didn’t fit his voice or the tone of the scenes he appeared in and Sorrento’s avatar just looked distractingly like a dastardly Clark Kent for some reason. Also, these original character designs seemed oddly out of place being surrounded by other characters from franchises that we already know like DC and Mortal Kombat, none of it meshed well at all. It also really annoyed me how they kept touching on the idea that someone in the Oasis might not necessarily look the same as they do in real life and if you ever met them in real life you would be sorely disappointed, only for the reason for all of this to be a small birthmark on Olivia Cooke’s character’s face. The way that they make her out to some sort of beast-like monster because of a minor skin-irregularity is ridiculous and also slightly offensive. Also, we are told during the movie’s opening sequence that the Oasis is a worldwide thing, where people from anywhere on the planet can meet up online and fight together or kill each other for coins. Then halfway through the movie, all of the characters meet up in a small ice cream truck in the real world and it turns out that they all live within a few miles of each other. It just made the whole thing feel really small scale. Another issue is that the movie is only 3 years old at this point and it already feels terribly dated. I don’t see this movie ageing very well in the long term at all and this is both due to the CGI and the references that they choose to include. Lastly, as I said earlier, if what you want out of this movie is mindless fun, then you’ll walk away satisfied, but the problem with that is that the movie seems to want to be more than that. The way that the movie treats itself and the way it was marketed along with the fact that it’s got Spielberg in the director’s chair, signifies that the filmmakers were intending for this to be this generation’s Back To The Future or Star Wars and on that front it totally fails. In these other movies that this film is aspiring to be, you care about what happens to the characters and want to see where they go, whereas here the audience cares way more about seeing the next popular franchise references than anything that happens to the main characters at the heart of this story and once you’ve seen the film, you are going to leave talking about the characters that appeared from outside franchises rather than the ones created for this story. The characters are also instantly forgettable, for example I have seen this film more than five times now and still couldn’t tell you the real world names of any of the characters other than Wade Watts and Sorrento and that’s only because he has the same name in the real world as he does in the Oasis. I also don’t care if I never see any of these characters again if I’m being honest. Apparently there is a sequel movie to this already in the early stages of development, as the first movie made a bunch of money at the box office and there is apparently a sequel book in the works, but frankly I wouldn’t care if I never saw any of these characters again and I don’t care where the story is going either. In conclusion, upon revisiting Ready Player One for review, it