Reviews

Guardians of the Galaxy

With relatively unknown characters and a completely new setting for the Marvel movies it would seem that this is an extremely risky venture for Marvel Studios. However it has managed to pay off big time with Guardians of the Galaxy quite possibly being the best Marvel film to date and one of the most entertaining films of the year. Coming from cult hits such as Super and Slither James Gunn brings his own unique style to the Marvel universe and manages to give this new team of superheroes and incredible introduction.

Most of the film revolves around Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt, who was abducted from Earth in the late 80s as a child and brought up by aliens. As he grows up he ends up becoming the legendary outlaw Star-Lord who spends his time raiding ancient tombs on distant planets and trying to sleep with as many species of alien as he can. With an incredible opening title sequence the film reveals its sense of humour with Peter Quill dancing around to Redbone's 'Come And Get Your Love' in a dark abandoned tomb as he searches for the treasure within. Due to Peter having only ever experienced the 70s and 80s on Earth much of the characters humour come from pop culture references from that era. The same goes for the films amazing soundtrack which is filled with classics from the 70s and fits perfectly with the films tone.    

The rest of the 'guardians' are introduced to us via The Usual Suspects-esque line up as they are being sorted to be placed in prison. The first of which is Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana, a stone cold assassin sent by Ronan to retrieve the orb who quickly ends up befriending the rest of the group and helping them on their mission. Next up is Bradley Cooper voicing the genetically modified wise cracking raccoon Rocket with his partner in crime Groot voiced by Vin Diesel. While it may not be the most demanding performance of his career Vin Diesel manages to create an incredibly lovable character similar to that of his role in The Iron Giant. Lastly there is Drax the Destroyer played by wrestler turned actor Dave Batista who has some of the funniest lines of the film bringing a great sense of comedic timing and deadpan wit. We then follow these bunch of misfits as they must protect this mysterious orb from the clutches of the super villain Ronan and his henchmen.

The only place where this film slips up is with the villains, Ronan the Accuser and his henchmen, Nebula and Korath, are simply not interesting enough when compared with the standards that The Avengers set with Loki. We are shown a little glimpse of Thanos who is Marvels major antagonist for the third Avengers film. While it is cool to see Josh Brolin's Thanos in action, this makes this films antagonist Ronan feel like a waste. This could however be a deliberate choice as this film is meant to be an introduction to this new team of superheroes. If this is the case then it was a good choice as the film focuses more on the relationships between these new heroes rather than the relationship between hero and villain. 

The supporting cast on the other hand are fantastic with Michael Rooker as Quill's mentor and super bad ass Yondu. While not having a lot of screen time for an important character in the Marvel universe, Benicio Del Toro gives a short lived but sweet performance as The Collector. John C. Reilly and Peter Serafinowicz are great as two of the members of the Nova Corps with Glenn Close playing their leader. Even though not being an interesting character Lee Pace is sinister as hell as Ronan the Accuser whereas Karen Gillan as Nebula falls flat most of the time. Overall the casting for the film is superb with Chris Pratt being the stand out of the crowd bringing a great sense of charisma to the role similar to that of Harrison Ford's Han Solo.

The film manages to not take itself too serious and plays with a lot of the conventions of modern super hero movies. There is a lot of emotional depth between this group of characters and you become attached rather quickly. In the wrong hands this film could have been a disaster and Marvel knew it was a risk however from beginning to end James Gunn provides one of the most enjoyable films of the year with Guardians of the Galaxy being the best space opera since The Empire Strikes Back.

Reviews

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

In 2011 viewers and critics a like were pleasantly surprised with the impressive Rise of the Planet of the Apes which wiped the slate clean of the previously failed attempt by Tim Burton to reboot the franchise. The sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, is a consistently tense and thrilling film that has greatly improved on what the first film set out to do.

It has been ten years since the events of the first film and the simian flu has killed billions world wide after the outbreak in San Francisco. The apes who escaped to the woodland surrounding the city have built a peaceful community for themselves with their leader Caesar. For the first fifteen minutes of film we follow these apes as they hunt a herd of deer through the thick forest with some stunning cinematography which is consistent throughout the rest of the film. There is also a great tribute during this sequence with the eerie chant from 2001: A Space Odyssey playing in the background which fits perfectly with the apes slowly stalking their prey. After spending time with the apes who are shown to be developing their society rather quickly, we are introduced to a small human enclave situated in the heart of the city. Compared to the apes, this small community of humans are in chaos and struggling to survive with their power running out and the fear that the apes could attack at any moment. Gary Oldman plays Dreyfus, the leader of this small community, and fits the role perfectly as he's done in every other role he's ever been in. While not being an incredibly important character to the plot he is still a nice addition to the cast. For most of the film on the human side we follow Malcolm, played by Jason Clarke, as he tries to negotiate with the apes and while being a very generic and predictable character Jason Clarke manages to provide some depth and emotion to keep the plot going. The rest of the human characters are very much forgettable as the movie decides to focus more on the side of the apes which proves to be a lot more interesting. 

The main protagonist of the film is the character of Caesar, and like the first film, is played by the incredibly talented Andy Serkis which through the use of motion capture is able to provide one of the most convincing and emotional performances of the year. Throughout the film you start to forget that these aren't real animals that you are witnessing which is thanks to the amazing visual effects of Weta Digital with each ape being meticulously detailed. This all adds to create one of the most visually impressive films of all time and a land mark of motion capture technology. 

With the plot revolving around two sides of a conflict, the audience instinctively wants to pick a side but cant due to there being good and evil on both sides. This is not only smart writing but allows the plot to be very unpredictable and provides a lot of the films tension. This also allows for the battle scenes between apes and humans to have a much more emotional impact which is very much felt in the ending battle scene and nicely evokes a similarly brutal scene from the Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.

Overall Matt Reeves has done an excellent job at creating a film that questions your morality as you struggle to decide who to root for in a conflict which is not all black and white whilst also creating a very impressive and superior sequel. 

Ieuan's Masterpieces

Film of the Month (July): Edward Scissorhands

Possibly the easiest film to define as Burton-esque, this 1990 fantasy tells the heartbreaking tale of a misfit trying to fit into society. Perfect for the 90's, a decade of youth confusion and isolation that caused Generation X and all of it's by-products i.e. Grunge and emo music, both often connoted with the film. Although the description may sound generic, the misfit in society story has not been handled as well as this since King Kong. Very much like King Kong or Charlie Chaplin, no words are needed in this film to make it any more heartbreaking. However, the dialogue and attitudes of the more cynical characters in the films are ingeniously captured in Caroline Thompson's screenplay. With ultra-realistic and believable performances from Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, this film has and will break hearts and speak to anyone who has ever felt different for years to come. The stellar combination of Burton's direction of the film and Stefan Czapsky's cinematography makes this film one of the most visually beautiful and heart rendering pieces of cinema ever committed to film.
It may not be the most notable moment of the film, but it is hard not to give a mention to the very last screen appearance of horror legend Vincent Price in this film. His short passing after the film's release makes the moment he meets his end in the film even more sadder in real life.

Classic Line:
The eponymous character rarely gets a chance speak throughout the whole film, but his total soul crushing delivery to respond to Winona Ryder's request of a simple hug will break hearts of every generation to come. He replies simply yet effectively with:
I can't

Classic Scene:
Though it may no be the most recognisable moment of the film, it is hard to ignore the last on screen appearance of Vincent Price who's death, not long after the films release, makes the moment of his character's passing even more sentimental.

Disney: Teaching Children Fear Since 1937

Whatever generation you have grown up in, you have seen a Disney film. The global phenomenon of the studio has been unavoidable since the first screening of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1937. The delightful animation, the whimsical plot lines and of course the oh so memorable songs from 'Whistle While You Work' to the recent Disney anthem 'Let It Go' have chiselled the Disney franchise into the hearts and minds of generations after generations.

Yet despite every pleasant memory you may have of your cherished Disney films, I beseech you to find a Disney film that does not induce a moment of fear or sadness that is brought on from a subconscious fear you may have. All the happiness and glorious sing-alongs are merely the façade created by the Walt Disney Company which possibly makes the moments of fear within these films ever more shocking.

A lot of you may be scoffing at this point, but I can guarantee that a number of you would think of a Disney film if asked to try to remember the first time you felt scared. Disney films have done a great thing for the development of children by introducing them to fear without going overboard and totally petrifying them. They're going to come across this emotion at some point and I'd rather be accompanied by anthropomorphic animals and catchy songs about flying (see Peter Pan or Aladdin) before I see what true fear is.

Yes not all Disney films show boat a single scene of fear, but a lot of the classics that you have seen and are most likely to show your children have a notable moment of this. Whether this is the subconscious fear of losing someone important to you (The Lion King, Bambi, Dumbo to name a few), the fear of being abandoned or becoming an outsider (Toy Story, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) or being just all around genuinely terrifying, ranging from the Evil Queen's haunting transformation into the Witch in Snow White to the eerily possessive nature of Mother Gothel in Tangled. Fear has been almost omnipresent in the Disney catalogue.

It's a fact of life that we are going to be scared in life, and I for one am happy that my first encounter with fear was through a Disney film (it was Dumbo) than it being at the hands of a person in the real world. It is important for children to learn about fear at a young age so that the real world, which is a scary place, doesn't seem as scary.

The Film Blog: The Fellowship of The Film Blog

The Film Blog

Hello and welcome to The Film Blog. This blog has been set up to bring you the latest in big film news, reviews of films both past and present and also to house any films you have made for a greater public screening. Our bloggers are Ieuan Walker and Christopher Lamb, both Welsh and Scottish respectively. Talk about diversity! We also offer a chance to hear the opinion of fellow film fanatics too so sit back and enjoy The Film Blog.