Film Review: Gemini Man

"When I Saw Him, It Was Like I Was Seeing A Ghost. Like Every Trigger I’ve Ever Pulled..."

When it comes to my own personal opinion of Ang Lee, a director who still seems to be riding off of the critical success of the multi award winning and completely overrated, Life of Pi, the Chinese born filmmaker never really settles on a steady production line of impressive body of cinematic works, with his best work, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain, sandwiched between the disastrous, Hulk, highlighting that whilst Lee isn't afraid to push new boundaries in the world of film, not every decision seems to be one which works to a successful degree. With no one on the planet managing to catch up with Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Lee returns to the world of mainstream blockbusters in the form of Gemini Man, a ridiculously preposterous science fiction action flick which sees Will Smith (Suicide Squad) as Henry Brogan, a highly skilled government assassin who upon hitting the ripe age of his early fifties, decides that retirement is the best way forward after a life full of murder finally takes its toll. 

As per the spoiler-heavy nature of trailers nowadays, the main crux of the narrative then focuses on a very out-there government conspiracy to eradicate Brogan after he is determined to be a threat to natural security, resulting in the discovery of Brogan's clone, a younger, more agile and apparently less emotional version of himself who is sent to hunt his elder counterpart down by the slick-haired figure of Clive Owen (The Informer). Part Looper, The Matrix and every other science fiction classic known to man, Lee's movie is inherently messy, stupid and unengaging, one which features a screenplay from Game of Thrones creator, David Benioff, and the type of straight-to-DVD B-movie which makes you wonder how on earth films like this manage to get widespread release when films like Dragged Across Concrete and Burning are harder to find than the Bermuda Triangle. Want an answer? Will Smith, and whilst the Fresh Prince tries his hardest to put some meat on the bones of a very stagnant plot, the truth is that Lee's baffling love of all things technical means that Gemini Man looks absolutely terrible, with the de-aging effect used on Smith creating a very disturbing uncanny valley vortex which makes half the movie look like a third-rate video game, and whilst Lee's latest isn't the worst film I've ever seen, it is clearly his weakest film to date and proves that some filmmakers only have one or two good films in them for the entirety of their careers. 

Overall Score: 4/10

Film Review: Aladdin

"You Stumbled Upon An Opportunity. I Can Make You Rich. Rich Enough To Impress A Princess..."

Acting as the second Disney backed money making exercise of the year so far, with the likes of The Lion King and Lady and the Tramp still to come, Aladdin follows hotly in the footsteps of the critically trashed and solidified box office bomb, Dumbo, by once again "treating" audiences to a live-action "reimagining" of the 1992 animated classic of the same name which to many, is the ultimate Disney adventure thanks to its' outrageously memorable and Academy Award winning soundtrack and of course, the iconic dulcet tones of the late, great Robin Williams as Genie. With Aladdin circa 2019 therefore, the transition from animation to live action brings in the cinematic enigma that is Guy Ritchie (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) as director, a bold and overly baffling decision considering the Brit's recent back catalogue, and whilst sometimes such clashes bring forth works of brilliance, it comes at no surprise that Ritchie's take on the animated classic begs the question yet again of why such a remake is necessary in the first place, and whilst Aladdin does feature some interesting and well orchestrated set pieces, all the positive elements seem to be those cherry picked from the original to an uncanny exactness with the tacked on additions only damaging a picture which falls into the same category as Dumbo; absolutely pointless.

With an opening forty minute act which ranks almost as mind numbingly dull as that seen within Dumbo, the screenplay from Ritchie and John August (Dark Shadows, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) swiftly introduces us to the main players of the piece, with Mena Massoud (Jack Ryan) handed down the titular lead role as the kind hearted, street rat who soon falls deep in love with the glowing beauty of Naomi Scott's (Power Rangers) Princess Jasmine, and whilst Scott undoubtedly has talent to burn, singing voice and all, it's ironically Massoud who nearly sinks the ship completely, with his performance devoid of all charisma or charm and supported by a vocal capacity which challenges Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia! for worst contemporary evidence of on-screen karaoke. With the first act almost sending me to sleep, I almost resorted to prayer at the sight of Will Smith (Bad Boys, Independence Day) as he finally marks his appearance on the big screen, and whilst his own take on Genie is undoubtedly a cross between the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Nicolas Cage after snorting contaminated cocaine in Mandy, the remaining eighty minutes seem to be no longer directed by Ritchie at all, with the film's choreographer instead enhancing the movie into a pretty fun ride, albeit one seen exactly before in the 1992 version, but with the noose already tightened and added inclusions which really don't work and only seek to stretch out the already tired runtime, Aladdin is fine but pointless and a remake which just happens to have Will Smith as the clear ace in the pack. 

Overall Score: 5/10

Film Review: Suicide Squad

"Seriously, What The Hell Is Wrong With You People...?"

Whilst we bask in the sweltering heat of the British summer, where anything over 10 degrees celsius encourages everyone to take their tops off and bathe in layers upon layers of sun protector, there still remains the favoured few who would much rather sink into the dark, cool surroundings of the cinema and escape into the minds of filmmakers for two hours or so, away from the pain-inducing sight of the sun and away from the sweaty masses of the general public and vast displays of chest hair. Anyhow, with Batman v Superman still sitting in my mind as perhaps one of the biggest cinematic comic flops of recent years (Fantastic Four included) the DC Extended Universe rolls on and this week gives us the hotly anticipated Suicide Squad, yeah, that's right, that film with the strange looking Joker and the one that has been plastered on every single screen for about two months continuously in some Nazi-esque propaganda fashion in order to not allow us to go without seeing some form of advertisement for at least 24 hours. With Batman v Superman still ringing through my mind like a hot poker, surely Suicide Squad is exceedingly better? Well, sort of, but not much, with Suicide Squad being a much more enjoyable experience in some sense but one that still contains a rafter of issues, some of which bear similarities to Batman v Superman and some that are brought upon itself from the latest offering of DC live-action mehness. 

If you're finely tuned into the world of comics, surely everyone is aware of the notion of the Suicide Squad in some form or the other. Although not strictly a fan of the literature form of such, I was first introduced to the team within Arrow in which we see one of the first live-action portrayals in one measly episode which gave the run-down on what the SS do and simply, how they do it. Now hitting the big time, the first major live-action display of the SS has been helmed by David Ayer, writer of the Oscar winning Training Day and director of movies such as End of Watch and Fury. So in terms of directorial choice, you would think Ayer would be the correct choice; a director attributed to dark, nihilistic action movies with a knack of not being swayed by the aspect of the twisted sense of togetherness of a team through sins of violence and crime, yet too many times through the film it felt as if we were back in the land of Zak Snyder. Limited characterisation followed by action set pieces with unbelievably cringey dialogue and a final act in which laughable CGI is meant to make the film include some sense of epic conclusion. Does it work? Not at all, yet the fault cannot be left solely at the feet of Ayer, with studio interference surely playing a part somehow. I mean a film this messy cannot be made without prodding and poking from a range of different areas, no more so than those throwing the money at it in order to see it succeed in one way or another.

So we've established problems with Suicide Squad that have been seen in previous DC Universe entries, yet one major problem that was extremely evident that I cannot say to have seen before is the unforgivable crass nature of the treatment of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn in the movie. Although Robbie herself is one of the few saving graces of the movie, with her kooky, crazy and yet sympathetic portrayal giving the first cinematic appearance of the character some form of justice, the way in which she is portrayed and wooed upon through costume design and camera angles is downright creepy. I can understand that the fundamentals of the character within the comics is one of a femme fetale nature, but to portray her in this fashion is just wrong on so many levels. Adding to the displeasure of the film is Jared Leto's Joker, a character in which had so much exposure over the films' tiresome advertisement campaign and then ultimately is in the film no more than five minutes, a decision so utterly stupid giving how much anticipation there was for the character that you don't even get a full sense of Leto's portrayal. Because of which, the jury is out when it comes to Leto. Who knows, if we get more than 5 minutes with him next time maybe he will be the definitive Joker? Doubt it. 

Overall, Suicide Squad is a slightly more enjoyable DC flick than Batman v Superman, but one that still has a wide range of problems inherent in the extended universe so far. Although Robbie is the standout, Smith also gives a good interpretation of Floyd Lawton/Deadshot, yet acting talent alone cannot prevent Suicide Squad from being yet another achingly poor showing from Warner Bros. With a soundtrack so bipolar following throughout and a sense of absence when it comes to a directorial stamping, Suicide Squad may indeed do well at the box office like its' predecessors, but it still isn't the film I, and probably many others, were indeed looking for. Marvel, it's your batting next. Cumberbatch is calling. 

Overall Score: 4/10

Focus - 2015 Quicky Review - Will Smith's triumphant return?

Its been quite a few years since we got a Will Smith movie that is actually somewhat good. With the abomination that was After Earth, any normal human worried about Will's health and mental stability. Upon news of Focus, the world relaxed when they were told that Jaden was left in a deep, dark hole as far away as possible from this film.

Focus is the brainchild of writers John Requa & Glenn Ficarra who masterminded one of my childhood family favourites "Cats & Dogs". Its comical take on the relationship between animals in a house dominated by a zoo of creatures such as ours was a great addition to the experience. Although its ratings suggest otherwise, the movie holds a special place in my heart. Focus is a very different narrative with a little less dogs and a lot more crime. Con man Nicky is the head of a select group of thieves and other con men/women. His group travel vast distances to collect fortunes through identity theft, blackmailing, general theft and a host of other crimes with massive payouts. The level of crime is so vast, it feels more of a glorification of crime rather than the real reason the story pushes onward. Margot Robbie's character, Jess is a newbie. A smallbit hustler whose experience is almost non-existent. Being caught out by Nicky, she follows him to his next destination and pesters him enough to lands a test run within his group. From the very beginning we are well aware that these two will end up together but is fraught with trouble and curveballs. Nicky pushes her away and disappears only to run into her while he is planning a huge con with her new partner.

The film describes itself as a comedy, crime drama. Comedy and drama always seem a weird mix for myself and personally, the film isn't a comedy. Albeit funny, its not stupid or silly enough to warrant such a label. As for drama, I can see the working. Focus is a complete unknown with its story. Its cleverly disguised and blends in seamlessly only for you to suddenly find a curveball approaching your face at an alarming rate. It likes to make itself inconspicuous, make you a viewer rather than a character. Scenes happen, one such incident with a bag of money worth more than my house, its contents, my car and my left kidney left me astounded by how quickly it through it into your face as if you're the one who has been conned. The little scenes, the quips and remarks that seem nonsensical play together to create a thoroughly well developed story and screenplay. There really isn't much to say about the music, its good, there is plenty of variation and its rather exciting. The sound isn't awful, in fact its quite nice and you won't be having your ear drums peeled by excessive volume issues. As for cinematography, the world is far more beautiful than I could have imagined, colours pop and the lighting is natural, even within a club, you don't struggle to see what is truly going on.

Nicky seems like a really clever man, also extremely obnoxious, Will Smith manages to nail Nicky's multiple personalities and we already know of Margot's incredible talent with her performance is another one of my favourite movies "Wolf of Wall Street". Many of the other characters seem distant and feel more like extras rather and the ones that have more screen time really are good, Adrian Martinez stands as the best of the rest and is an enjoyable character with language worse than a sailor. Apart from these, I have few faults with the movie and they are only minor issues. All in all, you are looking at a movie well worth the watch. Its narrative is different and the plot twists keep knocking you right off your feet. It easily deserves an 8/10 for its creativity and incredible plot narratives that aren't convoluted like many become. Go see this film, its got a bit for everyone...Except the brain dead.

PS - I want every single suit he wears.

After Earth Quicky Review! -SPOILERS-

Hey guys! Sorry for the huge wait since the last post. The lack of movies and games over the past weeks has been pretty poor and this isn't going to be much better for a few weeks!

After Earth is the tale of a father and sons struggle to survive upon crashing on earth which is now a quarantined planet. A race of creatures that are tuned to sensing fear were created by an alien force that is trying to eradicate humans. Will's character has the ability called "Ghosting" which allows them to remove fear and  become undetectable by the creatures. This ability is taught to the highest of their soldiers who work to fend these things off.

Every time I saw the trailers, I lost faith in it each time and it lived up to the low opinions I had developed for it. The story lacked so much and really detracted from the overall rating for me. It felt too predictable, generic and had backlogs of questionable scenes. First of all, we didn't get an in depth explanation of what was happening to Earth and who the alien race are. We also wonder what happened to guns? You can warp travel, move across space to a new planet and you go around with a stick that changes into different tools and blades. I think a flesh creature is better killed with good old fashion bullets. As a sci-fi movie, it does lack a few sci-fi moments and won't stand a chance up against Oblivion as one of the best science fiction movies this year.

Uhhhh.....

 

Acting wise, it was very poor. The father and son combination did nothing to aid this as there was never a moment which required that. Jaden as an actor has never been good, he never feels believable and is a huge annoyance throughout the film for his antics and his lack of viable emotion. As a personal fan of Will Smith, I had real trouble getting over his performance. I understand he wasn't supposed to fear anything and become a killing machine but he had very little involvement and was putting on a rock hard face for the whole film. Contrasting him in this to the incredible performance in Seven Pounds is a real kick in the teeth for him.

My last few qualms are about the filming and set pieces. Areas that were filmed on a green screen are blatant and causes everyone to stick out like a sore thumb and it is much the same with the set pieces. Yet the CGI on the creatures and living mammals on Earth were realistic and fitted into their setting, better than anyone on the green screen.

Overall, After Earth will leave you expecting more and you will spend more time looking at your watch to see how much more forest scenery you have to go through and how many more predictable moments you will see.
I feel that the movie is really poor compared to what it could have been. So it shall be getting a 5/10.