Review – Immortal Hulk Time of Monsters. Al Ewing joins with writer Alex Paknadel for this one-shot, which explores the horrific tale of the first Hulk!
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Review – This Land #1 and #2. What if you had the powers of a God? What if those God’s wanted that power back? THIS LAND.
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Review – Glass (2019) Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan Written by: M. Night Shyamalan Produced by: Jason Blum & M. Night Shyamalan Starring: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis & Samuel L. Jackson Release Date: January 18th 2019 I revisited Glass for review last night and I did not enjoy it. Glass is the 3rd movie in M. Night Shyamalan’s pseudo superhero trilogy following Unbreakable and Split. Unfortunately it is probably the worst movie out of the three and doesn’t live up to the twenty years of build-up it had going into it. Full spoilers will be present through this review as it’s kind of hard to discuss the film without spoiling anything. The movie opens with what is essentially a condensed version of both Unbreakable and Split. We see Bruce Willis’ Dennis Dunn stalking criminals in his poncho and we see James MacAvoy’s Kevin Wendell Crumb keeping four young girls captured in an abandoned warehouse. The old ‘unstoppable force meets immovable object,’ trope plays out and the two of them wind up getting caught by Sarah Paulson and her team, who apparently specialise in investigating those who have delusions about having superhuman powers. She brings the two of them to a mental hospital where she is keeping Samuel L Jackson’s Mr Glass. Sarah Paulson’s character then spends the next chunk of the movie trying to convince the three that the powers that they believe they possess is actually in their heads and there is a real-world, logical explanation to everything that they can do. This part of the film is actually pretty interesting in the ideas that it poses and I liked where the film was going at this point. Then the third act happens and we are reminded why Shyamalan so desperately needs an editor to keep his ideas in check. There is this huge build up that takes place teasing an epic fight between Dunn and The Beast at the top of some huge brand new building in the middle of the city. Unfortunately we never get there and instead we just get some mediocre action choreography in a medium sized car park between the two. The whole thing ends with the fairly contrived ret-con twist that Kevin’s dad was in the same train crash that Dunn survived and Mr Glass caused, thus making Mr Glass the ‘creator,’ of both superheroes. Then the three characters die in an extremely anticlimactic fashion. The Beast breaks a couple of Mr Glass’ bones and he falls out of his wheelchair and dies, (even though this is something that we have seen happen to him in Unbreakable and he survived it.) Then a sniper randomly shoots Kevin even though the beast is tamed by the appearance of Anya Taylor-Joy’s character, Casey from Split. He just gets shot once and dies with hardly any fanfare. Then David Dunn is drowned in a puddle as Sarah Paulson explains that she is part of a secret organisation that hunts people who believe that they are superheroes. They determine whether or not they really are superheroes through a pretty drawn-out process and then proceeds to kill them if they do in fact possess superpowers. We also see that for some reason this group apparently only meets in crowded public restaurants in the middle of the city centre in broad daylight and have to wait until any non members of this super secret club, (that just killed 3 people in a public car park in broad daylight in front of cops and family members,) have left the restaurant before they can discuss business. Then it turns out that Mr Glass leaked the footage from the hospital security cameras online so that people would see that superheroes really do exist. If you are someone that hasn’t seen the movie and doesn’t care about spoilers so you just read this review anyway; your brain is probably falling out of your ear after reading my description of the third act and that’s because on paper this whole sequence of events is absolutely ludicrous and the fact that no one pointed this out during the movie’s production is mind-boggling. What a waste after two solid movies and a decent two first acts worth of build up… There are some positives I took away though. It is as much of an absolute joy to watch James McAvoy play so many totally different characters convincingly in one scene as it was in Split, maybe even more so here as we get to see even more personalities emerge and in even quicker succession. He is an utterly phenomenal actor. It is also cool to see Mr Glass and David Dunn after twenty years to see where they are at in their lives and how they have been spending their time since the events of Unbreakable. There are also some nice shots and camera angles in the film, (more so in the first two acts of the story,) and some nice colour scheme aesthetics going on in certain compositions that made some shots more interesting to look at. Overall, this movie could have been so much more and in the end it throws away some really potentially interesting plot threads in favour for a few tacked on twists and gives us nothing more than a half-baked conclusion to an otherwise solid trilogy. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Glass, you can check out what he thought of Us (2019) 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 www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com
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Review – Us (2019) Directed by: Jordan Peele Written by: Jordan Peele Produced by: Jordan Peele & Jason Blum Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke & Elisabeth Moss Release Date: March 22nd 2019 (UK) I re-watched Us last night for review and I really enjoyed getting to revisit it. Us is directed by comedian turned horror auteur Jordan Peele and after how much I loved Get Out, I was very much looking forward to seeing this when it first released. I do think that if Us had came before Get Out, I probably would have enjoyed it more, as for every element that I enjoyed in Us, I couldn’t help but keep thinking that it had already been done better in Get Out. One of the main differences between the two films though, is just how quickly things go South. In Get Out, the first 3 quarters of the movie were all build up before things eventually got nuts in the last 30 minutes, whereas in Us we are only just at the end of the first act when crazy antics start to go down. I get why Peele did this from a film-making perspective. In Get Out, we didn’t really know what we were in for and he had the benefit of keeping us in the dark for as long as he wanted to, whereas in Us we all went in expecting bizarre things to take place. So ,rather than messing about for too long building tension, Peele lets things get weird fairly early in the film. Whether you prefer the slower burn of Get Out like I did, or the faster pace in Us will be down to personal preference. The worst thing about Us is that it is following Get Out. Even when something really cool happens, it was done better in Get Out. Take the score for example; it is pretty great in Us, but was superior in Get Out. The same goes for the editing, the script, the cinematography and a whole load of other technical elements. One thing that did stand out was the fantastic use of lighting. It was perfect in every scene throughout the film and conveyed the feelings that Peele was subjecting the audience to flawlessly. The performances were also great. The whole cast did a fantastic job, (including the kids,) but the stand outs for me were Lupita Nyong’o and Elisabeth Moss. They were pretty good as the normal versions of their characters, but they really shone when they got to play the psychotic doppelgangers, for way more reasons than just how scary they were. Another thing about the film that I appreciated was that for the most part it doesn’t treat you like you are dumb, with one blatant exception. The film opens on a shot of an old CRT TV showing various adverts. One of these is an advert for Santa Cruz tourism and another tells us that the year is 1986. In the very next shot we are shown a title card reading, “Santa Cruz, 1986.” This isn’t an outrageous inclusion, just one that causes an eye-roll for anyone actually paying attention to what they are seeing onscreen. Another thing that didn’t quite work for me was the use of comedy. Where Get Out used comedy to cut away from the intensity and give the audience a breather, Us intertwined it more with the carnage, which made it come off as fairly messy in parts. Don’t get me wrong, the film’s comedic dialogue is well written and well delivered, I just feel that it could have been implemented a bit better. Overall, Us is another great horror/thriller from Jordan Peele. I know that I compared it to Get Out all the way through this review, but even when watching it, it is extremely hard not to make comparisons. That does not mean that this is a bad movie by any stretch though and I am very much looking forward to seeing whatever Peele’s next project happens to be. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Us, see what he thought of Andy Muschietti’s It movie 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 www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com
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Review – It: Chapter One Directed by: Andy Muschietti Written by: Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga (Screenplay) & Stephen King (Book) Produced by: Barbara Muschietti Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Finn Wolfhard & Sophia Lillis Release Date: September 8th 2017 I re-watched It: Chapter One recently for review and I had a pretty good time going back to it. It is not a perfect movie by any stretch, but as far as remakes of classic horror movies usually go, this could have been a lot worse. The 2017 remake of IT was highly anticipated by Stephen King fans around the world upon its release and being a huge fan of King myself and growing up reading his stuff meant that I was one of these excited fans. I also loved the original 1990 version starring Tim Curry when I was younger, so I was really hoping that this remake wouldn’t suck. Let’s go through what I like about the movie first of all. The movie opens with the tragic and brutal death of Georgie Denborough. Just like the book, he follows his paper sailboat down a storm drain, where he first encounters IT. This first appearance of Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise sets the tone for the rest of the movie; unflinching and horrifying. I felt that this intro was extremely effective in setting up what the audience could expect from this adaption, both tonally and visually. I think that performances given by the child actors in the movie are phenomenal, much better than I had anticipated before seeing the film. They all do a great job with the material they are given and each manage to bring some range to their roles. I like the visuals for the most part and appreciate the use of mostly practical effects, my highlights being the headless burning boy in the library and when Pennywise’s entire head opens up to consume Beverly. I enjoy the fact that the movie serves as both a coming of age story and as a horror movie. Stranger Things was clearly inspired by the original IT and this version is clearly inspired by Stanger Things, which is nice to see as a fan of both series. I like how the movie was about kids, but deals with adult themes in a mature manner. I also admire how the movie works in a fair amount of comedic moments whilst still remaining frightening. Another thing that I appreciate are the few moments of subtle creepiness that the film sprinkles throughout, such as the kids TV show that can be heard in the background talking about how ‘you should dance along with the clown,’ and encouraging you to be violent etc, I think that this is a really nice touch. Also, during the library scene where Ben is flipping through the history book, you see IT taking the form of the librarian in the background, as she stands really creepily staring at Ben from the background of the scene. This really freaked me out when I first noticed it. I also like how some of the jump-scares worked, but unfortunately not all of them do. Now onto what I don’t like about the film; my biggest issue with this movie is how formulaic it ends up feeling by around the halfway mark. With each new member of the losers club we are introduced to, we find out what the kid is scared of, then IT appears to them as the aforementioned fear, then we get a jump-scare and the scene cuts away, the next kid is introduced and the same thing happens again. This occurs repeatedly about eight times and by the fifth or sixth time it isn’t scary any longer. The worst thing that a horror movie can be is to become predictable and I’m sorry to say that this is what happens here. It ends up feeling like a checklist: 1. A child is introduced into the movie. Check2. Some exposition is given for why they are scared of a certain thing. Check3. IT takes the form of said fear and scares the kid. Check4. Jumpscare happens and we abruptly cut to the next scene. Check5. Rinse and repeat. Some of the jump-scares do work though. Although the jump-scare during the projector screen is very obviously telegraphed, the fact that Pennywise is so huge in that scene did take me by surprise during my first viewing, which is a nice touch. Also the scene I mentioned earlier with the headless boy in the library is well structured in the sense that once the boy is chasing Ben through the library you think that you have already seen the scare, but when Pennywise leapt out from nowhere it was a genuine surprise. The sound design is another element of the movie that I had a love/hate relationship with. For me, good sound design is essential to any worthwhile horror movie. I think that the score used in the film was fantastic; the varied pieces perfectly complement the tone of each scene they are used in. I also think that some of the sound effects are very well implemented in places. At other points though, the audio just annoys me. The most egregious example of this is after Beverly smacks her dad across the head and IT appears behind her and grabs her. The sound that occurs here is ear piercingly loud, to the point that it is uncomfortable. Its not scary, its not enjoyable, its just obnoxiously loud. It also comes across as lazy; it’s as if in post production someone decided that that scene wasn’t scary enough, so as a quick fix they just put in a painfully loud noise. Another technical element that bothers me in places is the lighting. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy how a lot of the scenes take place in broad daylight, meaning that we get to see IT in all of his terrifying glory. And in some scenes the lack of lighting adds a sense
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OVERVIEW Love Death + Robots: Volume 2 is the long awaited follow up to the shockingly dark animated anthology of short stories, brought to you by Deadpool’s Tim Miller and Seven’s David Fincher as well as Jennifer Miller and Josh Donen. The show is known for its masterful artistry, brutal violence, virtuosic genre diversity and very real ethical dilemmas of the future to be. Be sure to check out Dan’s review of Love Death + Robots: Volume 1! With that being said, let’s dig into this existential nightmare and get whimsically uncomfortable! AUTOMATED CUSTOMER SERVICE Like Wall-E meets Hal 9000, this introductory episode perfectly sums up what Love Death + Robots is all about. Eerily realistic but cartoony animation mixed with humorous tension and a dark commentary on household machines and customer service. You won’t be scarred for life with this one but you will be frightfully giddy and uncomfortable throughout. ICE What does it mean to be a modded human being? Are you better or just different? One brother looks to prove himself as an equal amongst a gang of modded beings (including his younger brother) on a thrilling but beautiful race across the ice. The animation is sharp and cold to synergise with its gripping brotherly narrative. The only downside being some hoaky dialogue which I think is supposed to be cool. POP SQUAD In a world of revolutionary evolution, overpopulation is a crime. The birth of immortality breeds inhumanity as one cop discovers. This is the “I can’t believe it’s not butter” of computer-generated animation in this series; with the exception of some artistic choices (characters would be right at home in the Dishonoured franchise), you could believe this was a live action Blade Runner spin off. Despite the heavenly possibilities of a futuristic utopia, the story is a dystopian abyss of the primal human condition that will pull on your heart strings. SNOW IN THE DESERT Regenerative immortality is only a peaceful existence if everyone has it, otherwise you’ll be hunted down for what makes you tick. Did you like The Mandalorian but wished it could be Rated R? Here’s your episode! Once again, seamlessly computer-generated animation to the point where you might as well make it a live action story, brought down a little bit in its action sequences that can look somewhat rubbery at times. Otherwise, this is once again a perfect trifecta of love, death and robots. THE TALL GRASS The distant lights of the dark don’t always lead to safety, stay with the train or risk not coming back. Usually I’m not a fan of the jittery shell shaded animation style but its utilization here blends impeccably with the creepy industrial age charm of this episode. In comparison to other episodes, this is the least impactful but no less thought-provoking in its themes and artistry. ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE There’s a reason you need to be sleeping when Santa comes to town, these two curious kids will never forget to be good. This is the shortest but potentially the best episode of this volume. If you enjoy practicality in your stories such as stop motion animation and Pans Labyrinthian horror, I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a certified Christmas classic for all the family. Kids gotta learn to behave some way or another! LIFE HUTCH Never before has a pet playing with a laser tory been so stressful. Just the uncanniest of valleys in terms of life-like animation here, I’m unsure at times where the line between live action Michael B. Jordan and animation lands throughout this episode. You’ll feel every shot of pain, hopelessness and isolation in this space thriller. Welcome to Life Hutch! THE DROWNED GIANT Ending on a colossal note, we are invited to experience an Osymandian tale of woe and modern society in the face of the grandiose and gargantuan. Where there is no life or power, humanity dwindles and leaves only a materialistic carcass. While by no means a poorly animated episode, in fact it is suitably unbelievable how detailed and realistic the animation is, the crutch of this episode is the thought-provoking message of humanity’s eclipsing capacity for inhumanity and a commercialised circle of life. OVERALL In conclusion, Love Death + Robots: Volume 2 is a solid and surprisingly easy watch. There are significantly less episodes than its predecessor and that loss is not entirely made up for with extremely diverse animation styles. The styles utilized however, bestow an uncanny valley of realism and a bouquet of beautiful colours and artwork to blossom the masterful short stories. In my opinion, less is more. I personally began to tune out towards the latter episodes of Volume 1. This volume lands a softer blow in comparison to the viscerally disturbing twists and menacing gore of Volume 1 but rest assured, that trauma is still present and is sure to keep you on your toes! If you enjoyed our Review of LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS: VOLUME 2 then rate or comment below. [yasr_multiset setid=4] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=4] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on Love Death + Robots: Volume 2, your favourite episodes and be sure to check out Dan’s review of Volume 1 and Netflix’s Trese! 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 – Deadpool Directed by: Tim Miller Produced by: Ryan Reynolds & Stan Lee Written by: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Ed Skrein & Morena Baccarin Release Date: February 10th 2016 (UK) Believe it or not, this movie came out over five years ago, so I thought that it was high time to go back and revisit the first Deadpool movie for review. It is hard to imagine now following the huge success of this film and its sequel, but there was a time when many thought that this movie would never get made, but I am very glad that it did. The movie served as an origin story to Deadpool, – something that was long awaited by many comic fans. The movie version of The Merc With A Mouth is fairly faithful to his comic book counterpart, at least much more so than the previous iteration of the character that Ryan Reynolds played. Reynolds is fantastic as Deadpool in this film, he truly was born to play the character in my opinion. He brings the crass, funny, violent and energetic energy needed for Deadpool. He manages to consistently do this along with being pretty similar to comic book Deadpool, with the only thing missing from this version being the multiple voices in his head. Now that the rights to the character are with Disney following their acquisition of 20th Century Fox and Deadpool has been confirmed to be joining the MCU, hopefully that is a character trait that we will see developed in future movies. The movie’s plot is pretty straightforward but it is well-written and delivers on what we need it to; humour and action. We are introduced to Wade Wilson and shown how he got his powers after being diagnosed with incurable cancer via flashback. From there we basically follow him while he attempts to track down Ajax, or Francis, (the guy that turned him into Deadpool and made him deformed,) so that he can cure his skin and give him back his good looks. The screenplay isn’t exactly of a Nolan-level complexity, but it doesn’t need to be and it works. The one thing that was always going to either make or break this movie, was the humour. However, the script captures Deadpool’s signature meta humour perfectly, which is an essential as it is a crucial component in what makes up this character and is one of the main reasons why so many people love him. So, if you are one of these fans, don’t fret as the movie is chock full of clever fourth wall breaks and pop-culture references. The film was granted an R-rating by the studio and the filmmakers take full advantage of that fact, with constant violence and egregious amounts of blood splattered along with plenty of f-bombs being dropped throughout the film’s dialogue. The hip hop based score also adds to the energetic tone of the movie and helps to add to the excitement of the action scenes throughout. Overall, whether you are a fan of the Deadpool comic or not, as long as you are into crass humour, over the top cartoon violence and R rated superhero movies, then there is no reason why you won’t love this movie. It is also still the best Fox superhero movie that we ever got some may even argue that it is the best R-rated superhero movie ever produced. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Deadpool, you can check out what he thought of the sequel 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 www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com
SUMMARY ORWELL: The Graphic Novel, is written by Pierre Christin with illustrations by Sébastien Verdier and follows the life of the prophetic author and deity of dystopia, George Orwell. Born into a self proclaimed lower-upper-middle class, Eric Blair travels the world in search of humanity and its societal secrets. Along the way he finds himself; his true self that we know now as one of the most influential writers, George Orwell. This is the real-life story of how the world changed a man, and how that man changed the world. ART The minimalistic use of colour by Verdier is ironically Orwellian by design; making what colour there is stand out amongst the overall black and white. Only utilized when significant or interesting items are in show, like seeing a wonderful world of culture in a bleak existence through Orwell’s eyes. In contrast to but within the same vein, colour floods the pages when artists illustrate the fictional worlds in which Orwell created. The imagining mind needs colour. Furthermore, the graphic novel has a variety of art styles from a variety of different artists which can be dissonant and confusing at first. As one progresses however, you’ll be overjoyed to find a Monet-like pastel buried between the monotony. WRITING From what I gather, Orwell would take a boring and bleak existence and imagine it to be more exciting or interesting, simply through the use of visceral characterisation as opposed to any fantastical or otherworldly ideas. A coping mechanism for the times surely, that coincidentally proved in the end to be groundbreaking in its real-world sociology. With both Christin’s summation of the life of Orwell and the typewritten word of Orwell himself, we are presented with a seamless and simultaneous third and first person narrative. Moreover, the details while not wholly accurate in some cases, are a testament to how dedicated Christin is to recreating the life of Orwell. Orwell’s style of writing is a reminder that even through all his bleak storytelling and dystopian nightmares, he is a man of revolutionary change and beauty. OVERALL In conclusion, ORWELL is a fantastic and big brotherly look into the life of a child once known as Eric Blair, becoming the man that will be fondly remembered, George Orwell. I’m familiar enough with the more notable of his works such as Animal Farm & 1984, in most cases I was shockingly more attuned to them than the real-world politics laid out here in black and white that inspired them. Despite the small liberties taken to maintain cohesive storytelling, this is a truly inspired memoir dedicated to the Orwellian life of George Orwell. Leave a comment or rating if you agree with our Review of Orwell. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Let us know your thoughts on ORWELL: The Graphic Novel, your favourite George Orwell book and who’s journey you’d like to see explored in a biographic novel! 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
Review – Kingsman: The Golden Circle Directed by: Matthew Vaughn Written by: Matthew Vaughn & Jane Goldman Produced by: Dave Gibbons & Mark Millar Starring: Taron Edgerton, Colin Firth & Pedro Pascal Release Date: September 20th 2017 In the wake of the release of Jupiter’s Legacy on Netflix, I decided to revisit Kingsman: The Golden Circle for review. When I first saw this movie back in 2017, I was extremely disappointed at how much of a let down it was in comparison to its predecessor. I thought that now we are a few years separated from that initial disappointment that it would be a good time to look back and see if I still feel the same about the sequel to Kingsman. You can look at this movie from two different perspectives. If you choose to see it as a dumb, switch-your-brain-off spy movie and are only going for the crazy, insane action scenes, then you will have a good time. If you are looking for a decent comic book movie that serves as an adequate sequel to the first movie and sets up a potential future franchise, then you will probably leave feeling similar to how I did; pretty disappointed. The first movie was released with no hype behind it and for most people was a pleasant surprise. This film had a lot more to live up to and unfortunately it never quite gets there. Although the movie does feel like a sequel, (and not a great one,) it still isn’t the worst sequel I’ve ever seen to a comic book movie. Julianne Moore plays the antagonist in the movie and whilst her motivations for what she is doing are questionable, you can clearly tell she is having a lot of fun with the character and that results in a fun performance to watch. The action scenes are as fast paced and as fun as you would want them to be and although they do feel cartoony, there are a few crazy set pieces that you can not help but grin at. This movie also introduces the Statesman, an American version of the Kingsman who work out of a whisky factory rather than a tailor’s shop. Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry don’t get much screen time, which is fine, but Channing Tatum is hardly in the movie at all. All of this despite him appearing on a lot of the marketing for the film prior to release. I think he is onscreen in Hateful Eight for longer than he is in this! Also, the decision to bring Colin Firth’s character back from the dead is still a jarring one due to the explanation for this being sort of anti-climactic. Essentially, The Statesman have came up with a cure to gunshot wounds to the head and any other fatal wound that you may sustain. The process involves wrapping the wound in a gel strip and then inflating it with two syringes. Sure, you can argue this is a heightened reality where crazy stuff like this is entirely possible, but my problem with it, is that it immediately lowers all of the stakes. If anyone can be brought back from the dead, then how is there any peril left for the characters in the franchise? After this whole revelation, they kill off Merlin, the character played by Mark Strong. His death is really pathetic and something that could have easily been avoided. Eggsy accidentally steps on a landmine, (even though they specifically point out that they are using a minesweeper,) then Merlin sprays the mine with a freeze gel so that Eggsy can step off of the mine and Merlin takes his place, then he distracts some guards and gets blown up. What I’m left wondering is the limit of what can be fixed with the regeneration strip. Surely if a bullet to the head can be walked off, then getting blown up by a landmine is fair game? Could they not have tried piecing him together like a jigsaw a wrapping him in the magic gel strips? I guess they could bring him back in the next movie and I’m sure if they do, we will know when the first trailer for Kingsman 3 is released, since Colin Firth’s resurrection was spoiled in the trailers for this movie. Overall this isn’t a bad movie, it’s just disappointing. There are some entertaining action scenes, but rubbish dialogue and ridiculous plot elements make this inferior to the first Kingsman movie and pretty mediocre overall. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Kingsman: The Golden Circle, you can check out our review of Jupiter’s Legacy 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 www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com
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Review – Sons Of Anarchy Directed by: Kurt Sutter & Peter Weller Written by: Kurt Sutter Produced by: Kurt Sutter & Craig Yahata Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman & Katey Sagal Release Date: 2008 – 2014 When this show initially premiered, I dismissed it entirely. I ignorantly assumed that it was just some manly, cheesy rubbish that wasn’t worth my time. How very small minded of me that was in hindsight. It was only a year after the show has already finished that I went back to it after being recommended it by a friend. For the first few episodes, it seemed as though I was right in my preconceived assumptions, as the first few episodes are just a bunch of leather clad manly bikers shooting up rival gangs and blowing stuff up, but stick with this show for just a bit longer and you will see just how deep this rabbit hole really goes. The writing here is phenomenal, the show was created and written by Kurt Sutter, who also plays Otto in the show. I have always been a fan of Sutter, but SOA is definitely his magnum opus as a writer in my opinion. The show follows a gang of bikers called SAMCRO, (the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original,) loosely based on the real life biker gang, The Hell’s Angels, (a few of which’s members actually have cameo roles in the show.) Our protagonist is a young man named Jackson Teller, he is the son of John Teller, who was the original founder of the biker gang. Soon after Jax was born, his father was killed in a traffic collision, although it is suspected that there is more to his death than that. Since then his mother Gemma has remarried to the current President of the gang; John Teller’s best friend, Clay Morrow who also co-founded the club along with JT. When the show begins Jax is Clay’s Vice President or VP however, when Clay begins to lead the club on what Jax sees as a more violent, destructive path, he opposes him and he seeks a way to maintain the club. Jax believes that the club can be ran without having to kill anyone or take part in any shady business dealings. Clay sees Jax as an idealist and tells him so, but Jax is persistent in his ideals, as he believes that this is the way that his Father would have wanted the club to be ran. This dynamic sets up one of the most interesting relationships ever committed to television, covering everything from legacy and love to bitter betrayal and everything else in-between. It also allows Perlman and Hunnam to really flex their acting chops, with Perlman in particular really getting to chew some scenery. My favourite aspect of the show other than the tense relationship between Jax and Clay is the supporting cast, who really add a great deal to the overarching plot and each have their own respective back stories. Maggie Siff puts in a fantastic performance as Tara, Jax’s ex girlfriend, whom he falls back in love with over the course of the first season. Katey Sagal nails her role as the emotinally damaged Gemma, who is Jax’s mother and the matriarch of the club. Kim Coates stands out as one of my favourite performances as Tig, initially being little more than Clay’s trigger-man, until we see his softer side as the show goes on. Ryan Hurst is stellar as Opie, Jax’s best friend from a young age who initially wants to leave the biker life behind, but after certain events in the first season of the show unfold, circumstances force him to stay by Jax’s side. There is also Tommy Flanagan’s Chibs, the Scotsman who doesn’t mess about when it comes to dealing with a problem. Real life ex Hell’s Angel member David Labrava is brilliant as Happy, an emotional psychopath who brings a lot of heart to the show. Theo Rossi brings a great conflict to Juice, a young Latino man who struggles with his personal demons throughout the show. Finally, there is Mark Boone Jr as Bobby Elvis, another older member of the group who may be a big softie on the cover, but can also handle himself adequately if anyone tries to cross him. From after the first season to the last, the plot twists and turns in unpredictable ways as we witness several double crosses and multiple agendas come into play. One of my favourite things about this show is that even though Jax is clearly the protagonist, he isn’t always the good guy and he makes some questionable decisions when he is put under pressure. Hunnam really manages to bring multiple layers to the lead role. Overall, upon revisiting Sons Of Anarchy for review, it definitely is worth your time and I would definitely recommend this show to anyone who is interested in a good crime saga. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Sons Of Anarchy, check out what he thought of Mayans MC here. 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