⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, Monica Bellucci, Ralph Fiennes 
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 148 mins 

Daniel Craig is a fantastic James Bond and all of his films (‘Casino Royale’, ‘Quantum of Solace’ and ‘Skyfall’) so far have been top-notch. ‘Skyfall’ was particularly well-recieved by critics and audiences alike (in my opinion, a little overrated) so it is a tall order for ‘Spectre’ to replicate this success. The same crew remain from ‘Skyfall’ with the exception of Hoyte van Hoytema taking the reins as cinematographer from veteran Roger Deakins. Sam Mendes returns to direct, although he was unsure to begin with and here he has a lot more creative control due to the success of ‘Skyfall’ so he has a choice. Rehash ‘Skyfall’ by cranking everything up to eleven or take a risk and do something completely different? Mendes has assembled a very impressive cast list here with Christoph Waltz playing the antagonist, Franz Oberhauser (or someone else…?), Dave Bautista playing the henchman, Mr Hinx and Andrew Scott playing a mysterious character who Bond names ‘C’ who plans to get rid of the Double-0 program. With a cast this good and a reliable crew, surely this is a recipe for success…

‘Spectre’ is an extremely different film to ‘Skyfall’ – it’s very dark and has some excellent action sequences but it’s also a lot more playful in tone and harkens back to the days of Sean Connery and Roger Moore. The performances are excellent and the locations and cinematography are mesmerising. ‘Spectre’ is not without its flaws – it has a slow middle section in its lengthy 148 minute run time and the ending is extremely predictable. It’s refreshing to see that Mendes hasn’t just tried to rehash ‘Skyfall’ – one can tell that both cast and crew have complete trust in him and everyone has settled into their roles which makes for a very entertaining and thrilling film.

One of the best aspects of the film is its performances. Daniel Craig is again, excellent and really owns the role. Ralph Fiennes is a much more forceful and witty M than Judi Dench and has made the role his own as does Naomie Harris as Moneypenny. Ben Whishaw gives a fantastic performance here in an expanded role and is easily Desmond Llewelyn’s equal – his interpretation of Q is witty and nerdy and the chemistry he has with the rest of the cast is top notch. The cars and gadgets he bestows to Bond are a guilty pleasure and are put to good use. The Bond girls this time are played by Léa Seydoux and Monica Bellucci, the latter being wasted in a small role. Seydoux is solid but unfortunately does resort to becoming a damsel-in-distress in the film’s climax. The villain played by Christoph Waltz is fantastic and Waltz is incredibly charismatic and calm. The black cloud covering his face until the big reveal is executed flawlessly and makes him a dangerous and menacing character. The torture sequence is especially well played and provides an entertaining throwback to the traps that villains set Bond in the days of Sean Connery and Roger Moore. Dave Bautista plays perhaps the most memorable henchman since ‘Jaws’ in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and ‘Moonraker’ and Andrew Scott is again, solid in a fairly minor role.

The locations, although not particularly original as they have all been used before, are beautifully realised and Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography is outstanding – the film fluctuates in its colour from the dark black of Rome and London to the pure white of Austria and the desert in Morocco. Like with the playful tone of the film, the locations are reminiscent of the older Bond films and despite not being original, on the strength of the cinematography are excellent. Van Hoytema’s sterling work continues in the film’s action sequences with a thrilling car chase in Rome to a helicopter fight in the film’s opening sequence of Mexico which Van Hoytema uses a tracking shot for the first half of the sequence which really absorbs the audience into the film.

Thomas Newman’s score is solid – he reuses a lot of themes from ‘Skyfall’ but there’s enough new material here to differentiate the two soundtracks. Whilst Sam Smith’s theme song is annoying and uninspired, it works really well in the film as Newman chooses to revisit it several times in the film. The title sequence for the song is innovative and connects Daniel Craig’s last three outings to ‘Spectre’.

Where the film stumbles is in its pacing – 148 minutes in itself is a lengthy run time and whilst I never found myself bored, there is a 20 minute section in the middle that loses a bit of steam and there is perhaps a bit too much exposition from the characters in parts. The opening sequence, despite being innovative is extremely implausible and silly in places The ending is also woefully predictable but this can be forgiven as it’s still extremely entertaining and satisfying.

Ultimately, ‘Spectre’ is an excellent addition to the Daniel Craig canon and Mendes and his crew are able to expand but at the same time make ‘Spectre’ stand on its own feet from ‘Skyfall’ with its dark yet playful tone. The performances are excellent here with Waltz, Whishaw and Bautista being the standouts who provide memorable performances. It looks very unlikely that Sam Mendes will return to direct ‘Bond 25’ which is a shame but it will be interesting to see how other established directors can lend their creative eye to the Bond series and further develop it. As for Daniel Craig, he’s not contractually obliged to come back for a 5th film but from a story point of view, it would seem silly not to. If Craig does walk, he can hold his head high knowing that he’s done an excellent job with the series and he will be the most consistent actor the series has had to date. ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘Quantum of Solace’ (the latter woefully underrated) are the best in his collection, but ‘Spectre’ is a hair better than ‘Skyfall’ from a creative point of view and performance-wise, although Javier Bardem’s flamboyant and menacing villain was also top-notch.

An excellent film and it will be another tall order for the as-yet-untitled 25th instalment to match or exceed Daniel Craig’s work for the series. It’s just a shame that reviews have been mixed in the USA which has left a bit of a sour taste.

 (Excellent)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Daniel Kaluuya, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, Maximiliano Hernández 
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 121 mins 

Denis Villeneuve is an extremely talented director who received recognition for 2011’s, ‘Incendies’ and then hit the big leagues with 2013’s masterpiece that was ‘Prisoners’. ‘Sicario’ (which is slang for ‘hitman’ in Mexican) deals with the subject of the Mexican Cartel and the FBI’s bid to tackle an escalating drug war. The film follows an FBI agent, Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) who is sent to help but is constantly kept in the dark of what their purpose and goals really are. The film hit the big leagues when it competed at the Cannes Film Festival for the coveted Palme d’Or Award and critically has elevated Villeneuve’s status as a film director. With Villeneuve set to direct the upcoming sequel to ‘Blade Runner’, it is crucial that this film resonates with audiences to prove that he will do an admirable job with a sequel to a film that is so highly regarded.

‘Sicario’ is a near-perfect film that features some heart pounding action sequences and excellent performances, most notably from Benicio Del Toro who delivers a career-best performance and hopefully will attract attention in Awards Season. Villeneuve’s direction is superb and he has created a very gloomy, dark film that is extremely intense. It’s not quite as good as ‘Prisoners’ as it doesn’t have the same emotional punch and the ending is also a little muddled but in its own right is superbly crafted and paints a very bleak picture of Mexico as a country.

The story is gripping and features many twists and turns, particularly with the shady characters that are Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and his even more suspicious partner, Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) who the audience are kept in the dark of what his true intentions are right until the very end. The film is told from Kate’s point of view which is excellent as we feel her frustration when she isn’t clear on what is happening and really helps to elevate the storytelling. However, the ending of the film shifts focus to a different character (no spoilers) and the film’s ending is extremely satisfying and morally conflicting but it does mean that the film ends up being a little disjointed in its ending as we have followed Kate’s perspective for so long and it is a bit of a shame to lose that feeling of ‘being in the dark’. As an ending in its own right, it’s still extremely satisfying.

The performances in the film are top-notch particularly as mentioned from Benicio Del Toro who plays his part of the shady operative, Alejandro, to a tee. He delivers an extremely cold performance and steals the show – this is his film through and through. Emily Blunt is very good in the main role and is very easy to empathise with her character’s situation but for some reason, I couldn’t help but think that Rooney Mara would be better suited to the role. Josh Brolin is also very good here as is the rest of the supporting cast.

The film contains some exhilarating action sequences to its merit, the highlight being what is possibly the one of the most intense traffic jams in cinematic history and very creative use of night vision for an action sequence set underground.

‘Sicario’ demonstrates another masterful pairing between Villeneuve and composer Jóhann Jóhannsson  and acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins, who is still yet to win an Academy Award. Jóhannsson’s score is stunning and not only fits the film but also works as a soundtrack in its own right. The cinematography is also very fitting, but I don’t think this film will earn Deakins the Oscar as there’s better competition this year.

Overall, ‘Sicario’ is another hit for Villeneuve and he will hopefully be better recognised from more mainstream audiences. He is one of the best directors working today and is extremely consistent with the quality of his films. Although this doesn’t quite have the emotional punch that made ‘Prisoners’ a masterpiece, ‘Sicario’ boasts some excellent performances with a scene-stealing Benicio Del Toro and some stunning action sequences. I am confident that Villeneuve is the right person for the sequel to ‘Blade Runner’ and he will hopefully create something extremely original and thought-provoking. Between now and then, he still has one more film slated to prove himself currently titled, ‘Story Of Your Life’ which will be released next year which is a sci-fi film – a good indication of what the ‘Blade Runner’ sequel will turn out to be. ‘Sicario’ is a very impressive film and is one of the best films of the year.

 (Excellent)

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

Director: Justin Kurzel
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor, Elizabeth Debicki, David Thewlis 
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 113 mins 

Aussie director Justin Kurzel is the latest individual to bring a new version of what is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays to the big screen, however it is not just any adaptation. Kurzel’s adaptation has impressed many and was selected to compete at the Cannes Film Festival where it received a very strong reception. The film boasts a very strong cast with Michael Fassbender in the lead and Marion Cotillard as his ill-fated wife and both look likely to receive nominations in the upcoming Awards season. The fact that the film was picked up by the Weinstein Company to distribute is very promising and with their track record, it only strengthens the film’s Awards prospects.

‘Macbeth’ is a perfect film – it’s visually stunning, well-paced and boasts several incredible performances but the film’s perfection is completely undone with Kurzel’s decision to stick with Shakespearean language. I realise that I might not appreciate Shakespeare’s works as some others but the old English is hard to understand (particularly in gruff Scottish accents!) and the lengthy speeches and soliloquies bored me. If the script had a bit of an upgrade in language, I would without doubt be giving this film 5 stars, but it’s just too big an issue to ignore. Kurzel is able to put a personal stamp on the material by adapting the play into a war film – the battle sequences are very reminiscent of the ‘300’ films with plenty of slo-mo and they are heart-pounding to watch.

The set pieces are visceral, visually stunning and match the time period perfectly, particularly the opening battle sequence and Dunsinane. All this is achieved by Adam Arkapaw’s perfect cinematography which in my opinion is the best cinematography I have seen in a film in a couple of years – it’s stunning and the battle sequences in particular are exhilarating. Arkapaw manages to perfectly capture Scotland and includes many sweeping landscape shots which are breathtaking and perfectly lit. Arkapaw is a talent to watch. Another talented individual is Jed Kurzel’s (brother of director Justin Kurzel) exhilarating and emotional score for the film which compliments the scenes perfectly – the soundtrack also stands extremely strong in its own right and is one of my favourite scores of the year so far.

The performances in the film are Oscar material and Michael Fassbender is mesmerising as the titular character. He brings a lot of gravitas to the role and is the best performance of the film. Marion Cotillard plays his wife, Lady Macbeth and she also puts in a very strong performance who tempts Macbeth but unfortunately her French accent does come through a little bit. Her final scene at the end, where she is driven insane is incredibly performed and devastating. The supporting cast is made up of Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor, Elizabeth Debicki and David Thewlis and all put in strong performances as well, particularly Sean Harris as Macduff who has an incredible scene towards the end of the film, learning of his wife and children’s death and he has an emotional breakdown – it’s simply amazing to watch.

Overall, Justin Kurzel and his talented crew have wonderfully realised ‘Macbeth’ and the film is visually stunning and features terrific performances. It’s just a real shame he decided to stick with Shakespearean English which I had a tough time watching and I just couldn’t enjoy the film as much as I wanted to because of this. As mentioned, I do acknowledge that I don’t appreciate Shakespearean language as some others might but as a personal review, I just couldn’t enjoy the film because of this and had a really tough time in places watching it. From my perspective, what ‘Macbeth’ does prove is that Kurzel is a talent to watch and with his magnificent visuals, he should be a very good match for the upcoming ‘Assassin’s Creed’ adaptation.

 (Good)

⭐⭐ (Poor)

I realise that this isn’t a film review but seeing as the James Bond song is always a big spectacle, why not review it?

Coming off Adele’s Oscar-winning theme for ‘Skyfall’, writing a Bond song was always going to be a heavy challenge. After months of denying rumours, it was finally announced on 8th September that Sam Smith would be taking the helm of penning the song for the upcoming James Bond film, ‘Spectre’. The single was released on 25th September and the video shortly after. It has received mixed reviews and comparisons have been unfavourably made against it sounding very similar to Michael Jackson’s, ‘Earth Song’.

Sadly, ‘Writing’s on the Wall’ is an uninspired and poorly written effort by Smith and the claims that the song sounds very reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s, ‘Earth Song’ are true. It bears many resemblances to the Grammy-nominated hit and the lyrics are extremely poor, particularly the cringe-inducing first lines – “I’ve been here before but always hit the floor” which corroborate the claim that Smith made when he boasted of how easy the task was and how he wrote the song in 20 minutes. Smith seems to think that covering up the stodgy lyrics with an orchestral piece will mask the lyrics which for the most part it does but the piece never comes to a satisfying climax and ends abruptly.

I had a bad feeling that the song wouldn’t be any good which has turned out to be true but what really angers me is how the verses copy the rhythm of ‘Earth Song’. After listening to ‘Writing’s on the Wall’, I was inspired to listen to ‘Earth Song’ and had a much more entertaining time listening to that.

The video fares slightly better – it’s quite a thoughtful and well edited video and dodgy lyrics aside, I could actually almost connect with the song with the events happening on-screen, James Bond with the new Bond girls played by Léa Seydoux and Monica Bellucci.

Overall, a real shame with what Sam Smith has churned out and perhaps if he had spent longer than 20 minutes writing the song, it would have fared better. The lyrics are cringe-worthy and uninspired but the orchestral piece isn’t too bad, as is the video. However the glaring resemblances to Michael Jackson’s, ‘Earth Song’ are unforgivable. Here’s hoping this isn’t a bad omen for the film itself.

‘Spectre’ will be released in cinemas nationwide on 26th October.

 (Poor)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Starring: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Emily Watson, Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Kelly, Jake Gyllenhaal
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 121 mins 

“Human beings simply aren’t built to function at the cruising altitude of a 747,” explains Rob Hall, the leader of Adventure Consultants, an expedition company to a crew of budding climbers who are looking to summit Mount Everest. And it is no easy trek indeed, as the new IMAX 3D disaster film ‘Everest’ documents. ‘Everest’ is based on the 1996 disaster where 8 people tragically lost their lives when they were caught in a deadly blizzard on the way down Earth’s highest mountain. It features a stellar cast, comprised of Jason Clarke playing Rob Hall, leader of Adventure Consultants and Jake Gyllenhaal who plays Scott Fischer, leader of Mountain Madness, who is very much in a supporting role. Joining Clarke in his group is Beck Weathers, played by Josh Brolin, Doug Hansen, a mailman, played by John Hawkes who wants to prove that an ordinary man can achieve anything if they put their hearts to it and Yasuko Namba, played by Naoko Mori who had previously climbed six of the Seven Summits and was attempting to become the oldest woman to summit Everest. Keira Knightley and Robin Wright play the wives of Rob Hall and Beck Weathers and Emily Watson, Elizabeth Debicki and Sam Worthington comprise the Base Camp control team. With a subject matter as delicate as this, can director Baltasar Kormákur deliver a film with a heart and avoid the disaster film clichés as well as being a solid 3D IMAX adventure?

‘Everest’ is an awe-inspiring film that features incredible visual effects and some fantastic performances from its star-studded cast. It also manages to pack an emotional punch and character development is solid for a film of this genre. The tone of the second half of the film is extremely unnerving and upsetting and the film’s ending is perfect. Not only is it Kormákur’s best film, it is the best disaster film that I have seen in a long while. The reasons why this doesn’t get full marks are because it is a little hard to distinguish characters in some places (mainly because they’re dressed in tons of layers!) and the film cannot quite get rid of all the clichés associated with the genre but it is a very admirable attempt. The film also would have benefitted from having a 15 rating to make the film look even more realistic by showing more of the degradation of the characters.

A lot of the characters in the film are extremely well established and then developed such as Rob Hall, Beck Weathers and Doug Hansen played by Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin and John Hawkes respectively. Clarke delivers a very real yet brilliant performance as Hall and his performance is a career best. Brolin and Hawkes play pretty much themselves. The best performance of ‘Everest’ is by Emily Watson who plays Helen Wilton, who manages the Base Camp in an extraordinary and hyper-real performance that is Awards worthy. Scott Fischer, portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal is a small role that isn’t particularly well developed and with an actor this big, it would have been nice if he would have had a bit more screen time. Unfortunately where all this good work is undone is with the wives of Hall and Weathers, played by Keira Knightley sporting a Kiwi accent and Robin Wright, whose characters are extremely conventional and cliché-ridden.

The visuals and cinematography of the film are nothing short of extraordinary – expect nominations for these categories in this year’s Academy Awards. I felt totally immersed in this world and felt as if I too was climbing Everest and this was only heightened by the glorious use of 3D and IMAX – the 3D here is not a cash grab.

It’s the scenes that pack the greatest emotional punch that manage to elevate this film from the rest of the crowd and there are so many worthy scenes in ‘Everest’. The final ascent up to the summit is awe-inspiring yet horrific at the same time as we see the inner struggles of some of these climbers and the scenes where Hall slowly withers away are heartfelt. No one knows what happened to Doug Hansen, but Kormákur offers a no-nonsense approach and the scene where Hansen falls to his death is harrowing and chilling, as is another scene where a climber suffers from hypoxia and hallucinates that he is overheating and starts undressing himself. It is here where the sheer horror of the situation is really brought to fruition and Kormákur is brilliant with building this sense of dread. The ending is perfect – it steps up even more in urgency as Weathers is rescued by a helicopter after suffering frostbite and the film ends with a fitting memorial to the fallen climbers.

Overall, ‘Everest’ is one of the best disaster films in a while. It manages to be both awe-inspiring and emotional and when disaster strikes, Kormákur executes the sheer horror of the situation with an expert hand. The cast are also very talented at carrying the film and there are some fantastic performances here. The film stayed with me for a long time and made me want to find out even more about this horrible disaster. It’s satisfying to know that Kormákur and his crew have really done their homework here and the film is very concise in terms of the facts. I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Everest’ ended up being the dark horse in Awards season – it deserves a lot of praise.

 (Excellent)

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan 
Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, Kathryn Hahn 
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 94 mins 

M. Night Shyamalan has had a very shaky career in the film industry, to put it lightly. He made his mark with ‘The Sixth Sense’ in 1999 which was extremely well-recieved and is widely regarded as one of the best films of the 1990’s – deservedly so. His next two films, ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Signs’ were also well-recieved by critics and audiences alike. 2004’s, ‘The Village’ received mixed reviews. Shyamalan then directed, ‘Lady In The Water’, ‘The Happening’, ‘The Last Airbender’ and ‘After Earth’, the first film being bad then the latter three being embarrassingly bad and his career was effectively ruined. ‘The Visit’ is his latest offering and here he has gone back to basics. He has teamed up with Blumhouse Productions, a micro-budget horror production company behind hits such as ‘Insidious’, ‘Sinister’ and ‘The Purge’ and Shyamalan has financed the film from his own pocket. With a shaky track record on his hands, is this money well spent?

‘The Visit’ lacks in the scares department and its pacing is very uneven but the film boasts some very impressive performances and an extremely well-crafted storyline supplemented with Shyamalan’s signature twist which pays off. The film is a mix of comedy and horror and this combination is pretty balanced although the film isn’t particularly scary as mentioned. It’s very tongue-in-cheek in tone and I watched the entire film with a big grin on my face. Many people were sceptical of the film being shot in the style of a found-footage documentary as this is a very tired concept, here it works very well and the shaky-cam adds to the tension. Not only is ‘The Visit’ Shyamalan’s best film in 15 years, the storyline is one of the most creative concepts in a horror film in a while.

The performances in this film are very, very convincing and the combination of Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould who carry the film have great chemistry with each other. Oxenbould provides much of the comic relief to mostly good effect, but I did cringe at the multiple raps his character does in the film. Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie, two actors who have a couple of films on their resume are very sinister in their role as the grandparents and their acting in the climax is top class, particularly McRobbie. Kathryn Hahn is probably the most famous face in the film, but she doesn’t really have a lot to do here but when she is on-screen, she’s fine.

Without spoiling the plot, the plot is very impressive and features an extremely satisfying twist in the film’s final act. The concept of ‘grandparents being old and not-with-it’ is implemented fantastically and will make audiences watch their own elders habits and problems. Shyamalan is famous for adding a twist into his films, but they’ve felt very forced of late and haven’t fitted in with the film but here, the twist is very satisfying and there are a couple of clues scattered around the film foreshadowing it. It elevates the film from being an average horror film to an above average one.

However, the film does run into a lot of problems pacing-wise and the beginning is drawn out and is a little boring. Shyamalan undercooks the scare scenes and the jump scares are shoehorned in most of the time and  have no lasting effect. A horror film is designed to be scary and this is where it loses its stars as it really isn’t. It’s a shame because the concept has a lot of scope to have more chilling and tension-filled sequences but unfortunately this just doesn’t happen.

With its flaws aside, ‘The Visit’ is a very good effort by Shyamalan and it boasts some excellent performances with an extremely well-crafted storyline. It’s just a shame the film isn’t nearly as scary as it should be. I hope Shyamalan continues to pick up his feet after a decade of flops and manages to bring back his image of his earlier films. As for ‘The Visit’, it’s a huge step in the right direction and Shyamalan’s should expect to make back a profit with the money that he invested. Money well spent.

 (Good)

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams, Naomie Harris, Victor Ortiz, Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, Oona Laurence 
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 124 mins 

Originally intended as a continuation of the hit 2002 rap-biopic film, ‘8 Mile’ with rapper Eminem in the lead role, ‘Southpaw’ has evolved quite a long way from its inception. Eminem put filming on hold to focus on his successful music career with critically acclaimed actor Jake Gyllenhaal filling in for him. Sitting in the director’s chair is Antoine Fuqua who has delivered solid action flicks, ‘Training Day’ and ‘The Equalizer’ in the past. The fact that the film was picked up by the Weinstein Company to distribute is very promising and with their track record, it seems pretty likely that this film could very well be Awards material.

‘Southpaw’ is not Awards material in the slightest – the film is very formulaic and manipulative in its storytelling and the film has pacing issues, but where the film is triumphant is in its acting and sheer watchability. This film has been done time and time again but by the strength of the acting alone, the film is able to hold itself up and despite being overfamiliar, the film is ultimately satisfying.

Although the film can’t match his performance, Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as boxer, Billy ‘The Great’ Hope is nothing short of transformative. Gyllenhaal is on a very strong roll lately and it’s refreshing to see him pick different types of film roles. The character of Billy Hope is completely the opposite of Gyllenhaal’s narcissistic and daring turn as the immoral Lou Bloom in last year’s ‘Nightcrawler’ – Hope is a more moral character, a born fighter that never wins until he bleeds enough. Fuqua directs many fight scenes in the film that test Hope’s physical strength to the maximum and on the verge of defeat, he is able to pull of heroic successes. It’s very easy to see Eminem’s inspiration shine through in Gyllenhaal’s performance.  Without Gyllenhaal in the role, the film would have reduced itself to be nothing more than a cringeworthy and flat television drama.

Rounding out the cast is Forest Whitaker who plays himself pretty much, Rachel McAdams as his wife who again plays herself pretty much and Naomie Harris in a small role where she doesn’t really get to show off her acting chops. Who is surprisingly good here is Curtis Jackson, more commonly known as rapper 50 Cent who is quite good at acting and his character is quite cold and self-interested. Oona Laurence plays the daughter of the Hope family and after her role in the Broadway musical ‘Matilda’, she is very good here and is most likely set to have a successful future in the film industry.

The story in the film is fairly uninspired – it’s been done time and time again but despite Fuqua manipulating our emotions, it is still an emotional journey to see Gyllenhaal’s character sink to an all-time low and then rise again. He loses everything – his mansion, his earnings and even his daughter all down to the death of a certain character. However, Forest Whitaker, who plays a ‘Mr Miyagi’ type character in the form of Titus ‘Tick’ Wills who coaches Hope back to his previous successes.

One final noteworthy feature of the film is its impressive score. Even though Eminem didn’t end up playing the main role, he helps to contribute towards the film’s soundtrack and it really fits in with the film. The late James Horner’s score is even more impressive, his first posthumous release after he died in a devastating plane crash and the score is almost another supporting character in the film, helping to guide Hope through his tough and enduring journey.

Even though ‘Southpaw’ doesn’t manage to be the smash-hit it looked to be and also the fact that it relies on an overfamiliar and uninspired storyline, it is still an entertaining watch that boasts some impressive performances. If you want a break from all the big-budget blockbusters that have dominated the box office this Summer or just want something to pass the time, this does the job very well. Just don’t go in expecting a big Awards contender.

 (Good)

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

Director: Josh Trank
Starring: Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Reg E. Cathey, Tim Blake Nelson
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 100 mins

‘Fantastic Four’ is Marvel’s fourth attempt at bringing these superheroes to the big screen, after the 1994 failure and the cheesy 2005 and 2007 outings directed by Tim Story. This time, young director Josh Trank is at the helm after impressing with his low-budget superhero film, ‘Chronicle’ in 2012 and 20th Century Fox decided to give him a shot with this respectable material. However, production of this version has been plagued with problems. Trank reportedly treated the film crew terribly, trashed his house and ultimately was unprofessional. Fox executives didn’t like the finished film and reshoots then had to be carried out, with some reports hinting that Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, Kingsman: The Secret Service) stepped in to direct the reshoots after Trank was allegedly deemed incompetent. All this bad news culminated in Trank leaving (more likely kicked off) an upcoming Star-Wars spin-off. Fox was so sceptical of the film that the critic embargo for the film lifted on the day of its release so bad word of mouth couldn’t get out. Unfortunately when the film was released, it tanked hard at the box office and has an abysmal 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – the worst rating for a Marvel comic book film ever.

I realise I am in the vast minority here but I found ‘Fantastic Four’ to be a thoughtful, dark and entertaining reimagining of the iconic superheroes but unfortunately it is marred by a tonal shift in the film’s tacky and incoherent third act which undoes all the good work of the first two acts and culminates in an end battle which is utterly horrendous. It is by no means the best superhero film that has been released in recent year and with comic book films setting the bar so high, it is very hard to stand out in an already saturated market. But if someone were to ask me what the worst comic book film ever to be released was, this film wouldn’t even come into mind, not even close. When one reads between the lines during the film, it is quite clear to work out what scenes / ideas were who’s in this film (Trank or Fox) and this has culminated in what I believe another film where the studio has disowned their property – take a look at the development with Edgar Wright for ‘Ant-Man’ for example. There is a really good film absolutely screaming to be looked at here and unfortunately, it is undermined by the last minute reshoots which are so blatantly obvious – look at Kate Mara’s hair for example in different scenes and Miles Teller’s facial hair.

What has been salvaged in the final cut however, is still promising and shows off a spark of brilliance of what the film was meant to be. In early marketing for the film, Josh Trank cited inspiration from David Cronenberg filmography, most notably ‘The Fly’ and ‘Scanners’ – a sci-fi horror first, a superhero second just like last year’s ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ had many traits of a political thriller.  This is something that has never been done before and sparks of these ideas have been left in the final product and it is beautiful to behold. When the Fantastic Four first wake up to discover their powers, it is chilling and they feel shock and disgust with themselves. When Doctor Doom walks through the facility and kills people, which is rather gory for a 12A I must add, again this is exactly what Trank had promised – a sci-fi horror. I also like the fact that Trank chose the film to be devoid of humour – too many comic-book films rely on cheap, dumb humour to entertain fans whereas this film cuts the humour out to make the film more dark and serious. There are still slight moments of comic relief but not consistently.

The casting here is very good. Miles Teller makes for a serious and emotional Reed Richards and Michael B. Jordan is tongue-in cheek as Johnny Storm. Kate Mara is competent as Sue Storm but doesn’t really advance the story anywhere. The only weak link out of the four is Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm who isn’t given a lot to work with and is missing from large portions of the film, surprisingly. The Fantastic Four themselves are miles ahead of the 2005 incarnations and now that they have been established, I’d be happy to watch them in future sequels. The cast is rounded off by Reg E. Cathey and Tim Blake Nelson as Franklin Storm and the sinister Dr Allen and a small cameo by the voice of Homer Simpson, Dan Castellaneta. Toby Kebbell plays the film’s villain which is horrendous. In human form, Kebbell shines but once he becomes the villain, he is a run-of-the-mill villain who unfortunately due to the reshoots is only a villain for about 10 minutes and then gets quickly killed off. With a year full of sinister comic book villains like Ultron and Yellowjacket, the iconic Doctor Doom is by far and away the worst. He lacks any motive and in terms of the CGI work is a total botch.

The first two thirds of the film are a pretty good build-up to what would appear to be a satisfying third act. The characters are fairly well established, with the exception of Ben Grimm and the pacing is suitably slow in order to set the scene but all of Trank’s good work is undone in the third act’s tonal shift which descends into a generic sub-par affair with poor visual effects and a terrible script. As mentioned, I suspect this is probably where the film was reshot as it doesn’t tie in with the dark, gritty tone of the first two thirds. The fact that the film is only 100 minutes in length is questionable as many comic book film nowadays are almost always comfortably at the two hour mark and with a good third-act, this is where it should have been. Instead it is 80 minutes set-up, 10 minutes fight, then credits. Even the score by horror-veteran Marco Beltrami and the wonderfully talented Philip Glass has a tonal shift in the film’s third act where it is awful and cluttered whereas in the first two thirds, it is quite melodic and brooding.

Overall, ‘Fantastic Four’ is a film where the first two acts suitably set up these superheroes but a tonal shift in the third act undoes all this good work. The hints of what was originally in Trank’s film are brilliant and it’s a real shame that Fox executives couldn’t allow him make the film he wanted to make. However, what is left is competent and definitely has potential that can be explored in future sequels, if a sequel will ever happen which is doubtful and even more doubtful that Trank would ever return to direct it. On the film’s release day, Trank publicly disowned his own film as he took to Twitter and tweeted:

“A year ago I had a fantastic version of this. And it would’ve received great reviews. You’ll probably never see it. That’s reality though.”

I will reiterate that it is a real shame that Trank wasn’t allowed to make his own film and like he himself is, I am confident that the film would’ve been excellent. There are moments of brilliance here and some fantastic concepts but they are ultimately watered down by last minute reshoots that Fox encouraged that allow the film to become a very standard and cliched affair. It’s a real shame.

 (Good)