Film Mini Review: Insurgent

The second film in the Divergent trilogy (or is that quadrilogy? I can't keep up now) is pretty cool, I have to say, and the effects are stunning.

So Tris and Four (and the rest) have safely gotten out of the city and away from those awful factions that basically let you die if you don't fit in. And now they're wandering around aimlessly looking for a place to be safe. Luckily, there's a faction for that. Oh, my mistake, there are two.

The Good:

• Shailene Woodley shines here as she gets to flex those acting muscles, also, we get to check out Ansel Elgort, Jai Courtney and Theo James again... yummy.
• Loads of action to keep you on your toes and it all looked amazing
• Well thought out concepts (some of which weren't in the book, apparently)
• They actually got me! For a moment I was shocked and confused! Unexpected events, yay!
• Loved the way you were kept guessing about the allegiance of a few of the characters and their motives
• Great visuals, especially when Tris is inside her own little world again.

The Bad:

• I think Tris was lost here as a character. It was like she just wasn't her any more. Ok, so some pretty major things happened to her and no doubt that changes a person, but it was like watching Mockingjay Part 1 Katniss all over again!
• I also couldn't help but compare Ansel to The Fault in our Stars. Caleb is just such a boring ass in this film; a completely different person. However, as a result I completely rate him as an actor.
• According to other sources (since I actually haven't read this one), the film leaves a fair bit out that the book has in it, and the concepts are different, slightly. However, as films go, it was good!

Overall:

A good little film which packs plenty of punch. Perfect for teens and fans of action movies where the girls wear practically nothing. A great sequel in my opinion. It'll be interesting to see if that opinion changes once I've read the book.

I have a feeling that the next film will be great. Now off I go to read the books. I need to know what really happens and I MUST know how it ends this instant. I have heard disturbing things, but I WILL reserve judgement. No spoilers please!

Insurgent on IMDB.

Kyra_x

Book Banter #2 - Book vs Film: Which order do they go in?

For a long time, I would have told you to always read the book first. However, since the books are generally more in-depth and emotional then their TV or film counterparts (apart from The Hobbit), I would say go for the adaptations first to avoid disappointment. This way I find I actually value the adaptation as a film because there is nothing to compare it to. You can get a similar feeling if you haven't read the book in an age as well, the only difference being you are forewarned of any twists.

Now, there are quite a few adaptations which may not be the case and it is down to personal preference I think. I have so much trouble reading old books like Dorian Grey, The Phantom of the Opera or Great Expectations, so the adaptations are a nice way to know my classic stories without having to read them.

There are some who only ever watch the adaptations. Shame on them, because mostly the books are far more engaging. I suppose it might be good for someone who is extremely busy, as films tend to take up less time than their papery counterparts.

Then there are the people who only read the books. The issue with that is that there are a lot of incredible adaptations that they will miss. They also won't be seeing too many films from now on, as most of the stuff coming out of Hollywood is derived from books, comics and graphic novels. There aren't too many original films out there nowadays.

I find the best way to live is to just choose carefully. Reviews from us bookish types always help, though be careful for fans who may not be able to see past what the film has missed out. I can tell you right now to leave Robert Pattinson alone in favour of Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants, or tell you that if you want a fairytale, read Neil Gaiman's Stardust first, and then watch the film to see the strangeness seep away in favour of Robert de Niro and classic cliches. OK, I loved the film, but it did suck out all of the Gaiman-ness.

I guess it's all personal preference. I think I'll be reading Gone Girl and Before I Go To Sleep before the films, but will you be?

Kyra_x

Divergent - Film Review

I read the book to this film a long, long time ago, and quite frankly, I like it that way. When you neglect to re-read just before you watch the film version, you tend to see it for what it is instead of nit-picking wrong or misplaced elements. I could remember the main plot but not much else, and the ending was a rather confusing jumble where I could remember how it all went down. That suited me just fine.

Divergent is a dystopian YA fiction set in a  world where people are divided into five factions, when they are a certain age, they undergo tests to discover which faction they belong in, and then they choose where they should be. Tris, out protagonist, gets inconclusive results on her test, marking her as a divergent and a threat to the way of life. She manages to place herself in the worst possible position when she opts to enter Dauntless, a free, fearless but harsh faction, where her nature could be discovered at any moment.

One thing that struck me straight away about the movie was that the explanation of the world was extremely rushed in order to get to the action, meaning that perhaps some in the audience don't fully understand the first few scenes where Tris and her brother choose other factions rather than the one they were born into. However, I don't see that as too much of an issue as you get the idea of the main factions involved as you watch the rest of the film.

Tris was acted very well by Shaliene Woodley, as her cleverness, determination and general kick-ass attitude shone through. Her range of emotions as opposed to the book weren't quite there, as in some scenes when you know Tris is terrified, she appears all too calm. A little bit of sweaty palms or twitchy fingers wouldn't have gone amiss there, though I understand that it would have been quite difficult to show her exact emotions. Four (Theo James) was pretty good too, and I think the right actor was chosen for the job sine he comes across really scary at first, and although he stays that way, his actions speak louder. The one thing that bugged me about the characters was the fact that it was very hard to differentiate between Al, Peter and ?, who all looked far too similar. Considering that Al at least was described rather differently in the book, I'd say that was a poor judgement call in order to get more good-looking boys onto the screen. Some famous faces included Kate Winslet, whose acting was fair but she didn't get much screentime, Jai Courtney, who was really cool, . while they were good, none really stuck out to me.

The depiction of the world was something that very pleasantly surprised me. everything looked extremely similar to how I envisioned it being as I was reading. Maybe the Dauntless camp could have looked a little bit more dangerous though.

As for content, the plot stayed very close to the book, and if there were any discrepancies, I never noticed. I was pleased to see one major event included that I had not expected after no-one fell to their deaths during initiation. Some elements have been left out, but honestly I felt that it lent to the overall pace of the film.

This is a very engrossing film and a really great story. It has very much spurred me on to read both Insurgent and Allegiant, which had fallen by the wayside until now. I can't wait to see what the film-makers do with the rest of the series, even though I haven't read them yet!

My Review of the Book

Divergent on Goodreads

Divergent on IMDB

Kyra_x

Despicable Me 2 - Film Mini Review

Gru isn't an evil villain any more, but now he is bored with his normal life. when an opportunity to become a spy for a secret organisation arises, he leaps at the chance.

The Good:

• New levels of cuteness (Gru dresses up as a fairy princess).
• Awesome new characters in the form of an overenthusiastic spy, Lucy.
• Voices from Steve Carell, Russel Brand and Kirsten Wiig
• Still as funny as the first one.
• Romance, mutants and Gru dealing with parent issues
• Best scene: Lipstick Taser!

The Bad:

• Agnes becomes officially weird.
• Iffy villain with no real explanation as to his back-story. How did he fake his his own death and why? How does he have a son and what happened to the mother?
• The ending comes rather too close to cheesy for my liking.
• Don't hate me: the minions were not funny - they were too slapstick this time around.

Overall: 
Very entertaining, but I would still say that the first one is better. Still a great, original idea and still very well done. Suitable for kids but certainly watchable for grown-ups too.

Top Ten Tuesday #17 :Films I Never Knew Were Books (until after they came out)

Top Ten Tuesday is a Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where I will be picking from their top tens and attempting to reveal what my thinking is behind these choices.

Maybe I am clueless, maybe I was just too young to remember the book coming out and making a splash, or maybe too old? Some of  this I am ashamed of, some of this you might not even know.

1. I Am Legend - Richard Matheson
To be honest, I have seen this film once and I thought it was alright, but Will Smith has done better.
I Am Legend on IMDB

2. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
How could we not know about this one now? I was entirely clueless about the books when I watched  the first film though, and only read the series afterwards.
Twilight on IMDB

3. John Carter (A Princess of Mars - Edgar Rice Boroughs)

I happily watched the sci-fi adventure made by Disney impervious to the fact that it was thought-up by a writer years ago. It was only after an older fantasy fan said something that i looked up the books.
John Carter on IMDB

4. How To Train Your Dragon - Cressida Cowell
Yes, there are in fact 11 main books to this children's series. Now, I adore the film and I think it might be unfair on the book if I ever read them. I've heard that they are very much different.
How To Train Your Dragon on IMDB

5. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton
Three years before this classic dinosaur movie was released, this book came out. I had no idea until recently.
Jurassic Park on IMDB

6. Shrek - William Steig
Another classic kids movie taken from a book. The movie is, again, very loosely based in the book, playing with the characters and the story. I think the same goes, I don't want to read the original for fear of hating it.
Shrek on IMDB

7. Slumdog Millionaire - Q&A - Vikas Swarup
There was a whole lot of hype for this film, but I never once saw anything about it being an adaptation until waaay after I saw the film.
Slimdog Millionaire on IMDB

8. Stardust - Neil Gaiman
I loved the film, and shortly afterwards I also fell in love with Neil Gaiman's writing style and his strange sense of creepy fantasy. Such a good writer, and such a good film, if it is rather different from the book, the fairytale elements are all still there.
Stardust on IMDB

9. The Shawshank Redemption (Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption) - Stephen King
I never knew this amazing film was really a book by this great writer until my boyfriend told me not that long ago. Shame on me.
The Shawshank Redemption on IMDB

10. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
I know. How could I? But I am afraid it is true, I honestly didn't know the movie (the one starring Martin Freeman) was actually a TV series remake, let alone an adaptation.
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy on IMDB

Bonus!
11. The Walking Dead - Robert Kirkman
This TV series actually started out life as a graphic novel. I'm not so sure I would want to read that...
The Walking Dead on IMDB

12. Disney.
They love their adaptations! 101 Dalmations, Bambi,  Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Peter Pan, Winnie-the-Pooh, Chronicles of Narnia, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Oliver Twist (Oliver and Company), Basil The Great Mouse Detective (Basil of Baker Street), Treasure Planet (Treasure Island), The Jungle Book. I could go on and on about all the adaptations Disney have made. For an extensive list, go here.

Kyra_x

How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Film Review

Caution: Spoilers for How to Train Your Dragon follow. Ye Be Warned.

It's been five years since Hiccup convinced everyone on Berk that Dragons were nice and friendly, but now trouble is brewing once again. His father, Stoic, wants him to become chief, but Hiccup only wants to go flying with Toothless to explore new terrain. On one of his adventures, he and Astrid stumble upon a group of dragon-catchers (check the term) and hear about a man who is building an army of dragons. This new threat quickly escalates and before you know it, Hiccup has embarked on a whole new adventure.

I could go on and on about how great the first film was. I could say that the mixture of Scottish-accented vikings and adorable dragons was epic. I could say that Toothless is as much a character as every single Viking there, and he's hilarious. I could say that the film appeals to both children and adults. This is all old news for many of you, but I will say that this film does all of that and then adds some more epic on top. In the form of exploring more about dragons and about the area surrounding Berk. Where the first film had no real bad guy, this one takes it up a notch to include a very bad guy and some cronies too. So this guy has some ability to talk to dragons, and he is amassing a dragon army, all enslaved by an Alpha dragon who is doing Drago's dirty-work. One issue; we have no idea how Drago managed to get this giant dragon who could simply crush him with his foot to do his bidding. However, this is a children's film, and since children don't think about things like that, it's not too much of a criticism.

Big themes in this film are those of family and responsibility. Hiccup is 20 years old now, and his father wants him to take care of the entire village. In this film, we see him truly growing up, and with the appearance of his mother (oh come on, we've all seen the trailer) giving him a full family once again, this really gives a coming-of-age feel to the whole thing. One issue though; there's this one scene where his parents start singing; it's completely surreal and kind of stopped the flow of the film. Thank God it quickly escalates to a bit of fun instead of the cringey parent romance it would be perceived as by children and teenagers.

I'd also like to take a moment to appreciate the differences in the animation style and the character design between the first and second films. I have to say that particularly with the younger characters the design is pretty flawless. You know who each character is meant to be, but also you can see the small ways that the artists have built on their teen forms and transformed them into adults. This is especially prominent with Hiccup, who, although he is still skinny, is no longer a gawky-looking boy. The animation style is very slightly different, but that to me is a good thing, as effects are improving all the time.

The ending is brilliant with an epic finale, lots of dragons and lots of action. One truly shocking thing happens and it blew me away that the film-makers decided to do it. However, it really wraps up the plot well, and I left the cinema elated.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 has entertainment value for kids and grown-ups. It merges the hilarious with the serious and the action with more emotional scenes. With the voice talents of Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Dijom Hounsou, Kristen Wiig, Chistopher Mintz-Plasse, America Ferrera, Kit Harington, Jonah Hill and Jay Baruchel, the cast list makes for a pretty impressive read too.  I would definitely reccommend to anyone.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 on IMDB

Kyra_x

The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement - Film Mini Review

Mini Review

Princess Mia is now 21 and has just graduated from education. Now, she is going to live in Genovia and learn how to be Queen from her grandmother. But there is a notorious plot to ruin her plans when it is announced that unless she marries, another will take the throne of Genovia away from her.

Good:

• Chris Pine. Need I say more?
• Much better outfits than the first one, and it's much less contemporary.
• So much less teenage strops and angst and so much more mature handling of the role.
• Is that Stan Lee in that scene with Julie Andrews before the wedding? It totally is!
• Lessons Learnt: Practically the opposite of last time, sometimes you have to do what's right by you instead of what other people think you should do.
• Some cute moments at the end, as well as a really nice coronation scene.

Bad:

• The clumsiness thing is a bit overdone.
• Story-wise, it's very rushed at the beginning.
• The sleepover and the singing really doesn't work with the rest of the film, it gets really cliche and a bit boring to be honest!
• Is it me, or is it trying too hard to still be relevant to teens by adding Raven in there?
• You feel so sorry for Andrew, the guy she's basically being forced to marry.

Overall thoughts:

Much better than the first one in terms of moaning and hissy fits, a bit more mature and works it's way well into an older audience (which is exactly what the teens who loved the original would have been). Man candy in the form of Chris Pine is always good in my book.

Kyra_x

The Princess Diaries - Film Mini Review

Mini Review

Mia is a nerd and an outcast, trying to get through high school. She feels invisible, that is, until she receives a visit from her grandmother and she discovers that she is the heir to the Genovian throne. A cute comedy with some tough lessons.

The Good:

• Lessons learnt: don't try to be someone you're not, don't ditch your friends for new-found popularity. You have the ability to change the world, but change the world for others, not just for yourself.
• Julie Andrews as Queen Clarisse was a great casting choice
• The Princess lessons are pricelessly funny
• A perfect teen story, involving something every little girl dreams about; being a princess
• Also perfect for teens due to themes of love, bullies and parent/family issues
• Anne Hathaway's teen attitude is absolutely spot on

The Bad:

• Extremely contemporary to that time period, so everything looks dated, especially the scooters that the girls ride to school.
• Mia's best friend, Lilly, is really annoying.
• This is one of the times I'd rather not see Mandy Moore acting.. also, she was definitely used for her voice in this to appeal to teens.
• Riddled with teen angst, melodrama and buzz words.

Overall impression: Watch when you want something cutesy and teen-like.

X-Men: Days of Future Past - Film Review

In the future, the war is no longer between mutants and other mutants, or between human and mutants. The war is between the mutants and their human allies and the sentinels; machines developed specifically to combat mutants, able to identify the mutant-X gene and given the power to change themselves so that they do not succumb to mutant powers. The mutants are losing the war, and only a few remain. With no more time and their luck running out, they have one last hope; Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) must send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back to the 1970s to prevent Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating the scientist who created the sentinels.

Rewind to the 1970s, 10 years after the events in X-Men: First Class, and Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) is a powerless, alcoholic mess, hiding away with Beast (Nicholas Hoult) in his home. Mystique is already set on her mission to destroy Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), the man who has already experimented and killed many of her mutant friends in his attempt to fight them. Eric Lensherr/ Magneto (Michael Fassbender) is being kept in a high security prison at the heart of the pentagon after executing a high-profile assassination. Wolverine must bring all these people together and convince them that Trask must be saved in order for the sentinels to never exist.

The film is all-action, hardly pausing for breath. The initial scene is an epic fight sequence between the remaining X-Men and the sentinels, culminating in a confusing shift where it all seems never to have happened. In fact, the whole plot could get really confusing, but the film makers have done an excellent job of making it obvious what has happened; where time shifts have occurred and how the powers work. The explanations are in no way long-winded, meaning that they don't infringe on the plot and the pacing. Expect a lot of visual effects and awesome fight scenes, as well as some cool new characters.

Speaking of characters, this film has a massive cast. The addition of new mutants, such as the comic relief Quicksilver (Evan Peters) actually makes this film a lot more interesting, but it is fair to say that Quicksilver should have had more of a role because his involvement was pure brilliance. Also, for any comic-fans out there, there's a certain line that is sure to amuse you when he meets Magneto. I am afraid to say that Quicksilver's involvement in Marvel's Avengers 2 may fall short due to this depiction of the character. 

Fans of all the films will love the way that the old school and new school cast have been combined in this film to make both sets of films more cohesive. Well.. ish. However, quite a few will be thinking 'but didn't Professor X die in The Last Stand?', and the answer is yes, he did. But he managed to save his consciousness by going into the mind of a patient at a hospital. This in no way makes up for the fact that he still has his own body in Days of Future Past. As of yet, I haven't found an explanation for that obvious goof and have to conclude that this is meant to be in a separate Marvel Universe. Anyway, the awesomeness of seeing both versions of several characters, as well as cameos from Rogue, Jean Grey, Scott Summers and appearances from Colossus, Iceman, Storm and Stryker really make this film a fans dream.

So anyway, the acting was fairly good, with the most convincing portrayals by James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence and Hugh Jackman. However, McAvoy stand out as the clear winner of the acting trophy, as he plays a character that is struggling to deal with the loss of his childhood friend, the deaths of his newer friends and the loss of his legs. 

I had an issue though. I just couldn't find it in my heart to see Bolivar Trask as a villain. Maybe that was the point, and maybe it is also due to the fact that as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, Peter Dinklage could never be a villain. Instead, I saw Trask as a Doctor who was trying to save his species, while all the while having serious issues with his dwarfism, making him prone to overdoing it. 

Ultimately, the film is brilliant for anyone who loves action and superheroes. It completely reboots the franchise, almost making up for the anomalies and mistakes in the previous films while paving the way for some new material. I don't think we will be seeing the older generation of X-Men again, but it was nice having them around. This film gets a 9 out of 10.

300: Rise of an Empire - Film

300: Rise of an Empire starts where the last film left off; the King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans have fallen, and the Persian army are still invading. The widow, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headley), tells us the story of the General Thermosticles (Sullivan Stapleton) at the battle of Marathon, where he shot an arrow into the Persian ruler, King Darius, as his son watched. Then the story changes direction as we jump to a time before the 300 died, when Thermosticles is trying to unite Greece to fight the Persians but to no avail. What follows is the story of the battle of Salamis, where Thermosticles is pitted against the beautiful Commander Artemisia (Eva Green) in a bid to keep Greece's freedom.

As you might expect from the second film in the 300 franchise, there is a lot of blood and gore, and a lot of fighting, therefore if you don't like action sequences and faint at the sight of blood, you should definitely not watch this film. If you're watching this in 3D, watch out, because the blood gets literally everywhere, including all over the screen in the first action sequence. After the battle of Marathon is over, the 3D element calms down somewhat, and we get on with the main plot.

The plot is actually quite good, as it is based on real life events, if rather embellished. The way that the film shows you character's back-stories and manages to incorporate them into the plot is very nicely done, and the story flows very well from one element to the next. Of course, the main focus is on the battles, and therefore a lot of the plot is lost amongst all the fighting scenes. One impressive thing is the manner that people die, and you can't help but wonder at the inventiveness of the people who thought them up; one man gets his head smashed in by a horse, another simply gets his head cut off in two simple knife strokes. As stated before, there is an abnormal amount of blood in these scenes, try not to be sick.

As for the acting, although we have suffered the blow of having Gerard Butler's character die, we still get the acting talent of Lena Headley, Rodrigo Santoro and David Wenham, but with the added bonus of Eva Green, who is a very welcome addition. You may also recognise Jack O'Connell (Skins) and Hans Matheson (The Tudors, Les Miserables). The main character, Thermosticles, is quite well played, but given that he seems to have only one driving force, he ends up being a very one-dimensional character and so I doubt Sullivan Stapleton could have done much more to save him from scrutiny. Really, the star of the show was always going to be Eva Green, whose character is interesting, lively and reasonably multi-faceted.

One thing that was particularly stunning about the film was actually the special effects and the costumes. The beauty of the landscape and the attention to detail in the naval ships, the flowing cloaks and the spraying blood was quite acute. Eva Green's ensembles were always flawless; a perfect mix of femininity and harshness that suited her character very well.

This film, although a gorefest and a standard action-type plot, was visually stunning (in a macabre sort of way) and strangely enjoyable to watch when you want a slightly less intellectual film. The history is artfully twisted into a story that turns out to be quite watchable. On that note, it gets a 6 out of 10, and it may even get a second watch.

geekexchange

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The sequel to An Unexpected Journey is finally here, and fans of the book are going to love it. Once again, we follow Bilbo, Gandalf and the band of Dwarves as they carry on in their quest to conquer Smaug and claim back the Lonely Mountain and the Kingdom of Erebor.

Unlike the last film, where the beginning is somewhat a recollection and a chance to bring in the likes of Ian Holm and Elijah Wood once more, the second hurls you headlong into the story. There is no backtracking and no long-winded back-story; you are straight where the story of the first film ended. This makes the film much faster in terms of pace and settles you in to what is actually a very well-made middle film.

The plot of the original book is followed very nicely. No part is missed out (unlike in the Lord of the Rings, where a greater part was missed out due to timing issues) and in fact extra parts that piqued our curiosity in the book have been put in, such as Gandalf's adventure in Dol Guldur where he attempts to deal with the Necromancer. New ideas have also been added, and while I felt that the inclusion of Legolas is unnecessary, it does bring together the two sets of films so people who have never seen the Lord of the Rings will have extra people to recognise. Fans of the LOTR films will love this inclusion, as Legolas is a very well-loved character. Gimli is even mentioned, which is amusing as I was debating how old he might have been at this point and was entirely right.

There are a couple more new bits thrown in for good measure; A huge action sequence with Smaug (which I feel went on for a tad too long) but it was all very watchable and quite intense, a she-elf by the name of Tauriel, whose storyline is actually very interesting and quite lovely, and then there is the fact that not all of the dwarves go to the Lonely Mountain. This part is very different to the book, but I liked it nonetheless because the story had several plot-lines rather than it focusing on one thing for too long.

So now we get on to the visuals. As always with adaptations of Tolkien's novels, the scenery, the design of costumes and the effects are simply magnificent. For me, though, I particularly liked Laketown and Mirkwood, despite the fact we see quite little of it. Oh and Smaug? He is just as terrifying as I ever imagined him to be, and yet not really as clever as he should be thanks to that enormous action sequence where Smaug is simply following the dwarves about and getting confused by the fact there are so many of them.

The actors in this are all excellent. Martin Freeman shines again as Bilbo, as he discovers he has more courage than he thought; this time tables are turned as Bilbo begins saving the dwarves. Luke Evans also does a great job as Bard the Bowman, and Bard's story is a given a little bit more significance too (but you'll have to see the film to find out how!) Aiden Turner also comes into his own with a flexibility that I can only marvel at. How is it that one man can play a vampire and a dwarf and play the characters in an utterly different style? Kili is an extremely likable dwarf and is given his own subplot in this particular installment. It leaves me secretly hoping that the third film ends up slightly different to the book (again, spoilers!)

There is one tiny little thing I think this film, as well as it's predecessor, lack. The book was for children originally, and so it had a large amount of comedy in it. Most of the dwarves were amusing, the conversations with Smaug were witty, the barrel sequence was hilarious and highly memorable. I think the film has left out most of the hilarity in favour of the darker mood that encapsulates the LOTR franchise. I think I would have liked to see lighter moments in this film as it would be much more in keeping with the book.

In a nutshell, The Desolation of Smaug is everything I could have asked for. It is full of references to the other books, new plot-lines to add interest and has a vast amount of action. Apart from the lack of comedy, the film is a roaring success in my eyes. It is certainly something that most people would like, particularly people who are fans of the fantasy genre and of Tolkien. 9 out of 10.

containsmoderateperil.com

Star Trek: Into Darkness - Film

In the second film from the reboot of this classic Sci-fi franchise, we pick up as we left off with Captain James T Kirk getting into all kinds of trouble, and almost getting members of his crew killed.. again. The first scene delves straight into the action with a mission going slightly awry for the crew of the Enterprise. Then the story really begins. A disgruntled Starfleet officer by the name of John Harrison attacks Starfleet and then flees into Klingon territory, knowing full-well that it could cause a war if someone from earth were to follow him there.

It keeps getting better. There are a couple of lovely twists, especially for those of you who have seen the previous films and series. Some may not like this take, but I guarantee that if you liked the first reboot, you'll love this. It carries on in the same vein of the first film; it's full of action, great effects, interesting landscapes, a well-thought-through plot and a few laughs too. The way that the crew have been swapped about a bit and put out of their comfort zones is really clever. Sulu's turn at being captain is a priceless moment. The fact that the entire cast seem to have come back is also brilliant. It wouldn't be the same without Anton Yelkin's Russian accent or Karl Urban's cynical eyebrows.

Speaking of actors, there are so many that stood out. Some in good ways, some not so good. Chris Pine, in one particular scene, brings tears to the eyes, while Benedict Cumberbatch's superhuman villain is pure genius. The character suits him down to the ground. He's clever, sneaky, and he fights, too! His evil acting was perfect. Sometimes people can overdo the evil. Take the Wicked Witch of the West in Oz: The Great and Powerful, for example, whose laugh was so forced you wondered how she wasn't coughing after every cackle. Zachary Quinto has always been a favourite too. It's amazing how likeable Spock is, given that he hardly shows any emotion. Still, Benedict Cumberbatch wins the acting trophy hands-down.

There are some amazing effect moments; red vegetation and weird white crusty-looking indigenous species are there from the first scene. I also loved the warp dust that you get at the beginning as the title comes up. But really it's the climax where the best parts are. A free-falling spaceship anyone? Or perhaps you'd prefer a fight that ends up about 50 feet in the air with futuristic buildings all around? Maybe the aliens are more your thing. If so, look out for a lot of strange-looking people. My favourite is the one that looks rather a lot like Data, with a computer in the back of his head, bright blue eyes and a robotic voice.

So that is probably enough gushing. This film is well worth a watch, even if you've never watched the like of this before. You'll quickly get into the action and laugh with the rest of us at a few comments. It is, however, recommended that you watch the first film before this one. Should I give it a 10 out of 10? I think I will. It's the best film I've seen for a few months.

Image from renegadecinema.com