This month sees an abundance of big blockbusters movies...from kings to pirates...from guardians of galaxies to guardians of beaches...
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5-USA, Apr 28-UK, Apr 27-Singapore)
One of two movies I am looking forward to the most in the summer, and by far my most anticipated movie of the month. I always say that while the first Guardians was never even close to being my favourite MCU film, I deeply appreciate how special it was and how unique it was, and I have deep admiration for Mr. James Gunn because of that. And this sequel, based on everything that I've seen, fully embraces that uniqueness in the tone & in the characters, and I really love it.
You only need to look at the trailers to see how they proudly embrace the brand that is Guardians of the Galaxy. Even in the very first teaser (first look), they did not even feel the need to put in the title because they know people are aware of this brand. And even as I am not too sure what the plot will be or who the main villain actually is, I really don't mind it at all because the best thing about James Gunn's films are the distinct characters and the humourous dialogue, and I already like what I've seen from all the trailers.
Trailers:
(Must See!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX0aiMVvnvg (Teaser)
(Must See!!!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr7tDrwQ3t8 (Trailer #1)
(Must See!!!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hdv_6gl4gk (Trailer #2)
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (May 12-USA, May 19-UK, May 18-Singapore)
Initially, I wasn't really too keen about this film. I am curious, yes, but it is not a movie that I felt I need to watch. Then, I watched the trailers and saw Guy Ritchie's stamp all over it (much like the kind of sequences you see in Sherlock Holmes, or more recently, The Man from UNCLE).
Not that it completely turns my feelings about this film, but it does intrigue me a little more. I had fun with his aforementioned movies, and I felt that his type of visual style is always unique & fun to watch, so I am a little bit more excited about this film than I initially was.
Trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4luDtkC3Oy0 (Comic-Con Trailer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqbePJOLdjY (Trailer #1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTOuIvxd578&t=9s (Trailer #2)
Alien: Covenant (May 19-USA, May 12-UK, May 10-Singapore)
I was never personally a fan of this franchise. In fact, I don't think I have ever watched any of the films apart from the most recent Prometheus. And to be honest, I don't exactly remember that film and what I thought of it. But I am aware of how big the Alien brand is and how popular this franchise is. For many people, I suppose this should feel more like the original Alien film (also by director Ridley Scott), which blends a good horror element to a science-fiction story.
The first trailer is also really good, though.
Trailers:
(Must See!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ6RX8YBpI4 (Trailer #1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5KPP6lxRVg (Trailer #2)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May 26-USA, May 26-UK, May 25-Singapore)
The Pirates franchise have never been the greatest of films, but they always have been good fun blockbusters. The story is about pirates and thieves and killers but the movies have always taken a very light approach. Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow is a very unique & likable character (and is arguably Johnny Depp's best character role) and is clearly a key selling point of these movies. But more than that, the dialogue between characters have always been on the lighter/funny side, and the movies never takes itself seriously. Add to that some fun, swashbuckling action sequences, and these Pirates films tend to be one good fun summer blockbuster. This next one looks to be no different.
Trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i77T6KzYxM&t=4s (Teaser)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrGyD4kHTSE (Trailer #1)
Baywatch (May 25-USA, May 29-UK, May 25-Singapore)
I wasn't initially too sure what to expect from this movie, but the trailers gave all the answers. An action comedy which doesn't hold back at all. And Dwayne Johnson really is at the top of his game nowadays. I feel like I see him in a movie every few months now. But he is a great action star who has shown his comedic chops in many movies before (Central Intelligence being my favourite). This is really quite the action-comedy to look forward to.
Trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ5tqzw841s (Teaser)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G25VrMdArlU (Trailer #1)
Other Movies:
With so many blockbuster movies (as above), there is almost no need for me to look elsewhere for a chance to spend my hard-earned cash. But there is a film that caught my interest (although I probably won't be watching it, anyhow), and that is The Wall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSjQr8Bc-QY), a film directed by Doug Liman. I get the concept of the plot, but the film looks to be so small in scope, I am not sure what to expect from this film. It comes out on May 12th.
Spoiler Alert, people...this is to share some of the surprises which made me love the film a bit more than I would have...
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Let's start with the (rather quite literally) smallest surprise....
Dom's Baby
I suppose this should have been a very nice little surprise. But in the context of the film...not so much. In fact, we find out that this is the reason why Dom turned against his own crew - because Cipher had held Elena & his son captive. Sure, one of the talking points from here is the fact that Elena mothered his child (and not Letty), but of course, it makes sense given their time together in Spain at the beginning of Furious 6. And to no surprise, Dom names his son Brian, because why would it be anything else, right?
Elena Neves
But what happened to the mother is rather quite tragic. Unfortunately, due to Dom's failure in his mission in NY, Cipher decided to teach him a lesson and had Elena killed. In truth, it was not a very big surprise...but it was very sad indeed. Elena is easily the kindest, sweetest, most innocent character in the whole franchise. She's the one who has no shady background or history, and she was just a pure cop doing her duty. It is truly sad to see this kind of character go away.
The Shaw Family
Now, we come to my favourite surprise of the whole movie. First off, Helen Mirren as Mama Shaw...how cool is that?? Unfortunately, this is not a surprise for me due to my extensive research of the film beforehand. But I'm sure for some people this is a pleasant surprise, especially as her name is not even announced in the opening credits.
Then, there is also the small matter of Deckard's apparent death in NY, but that "revival" was so telegraphed. It was too quick, the shot was far away, there is not enough emphasis - all this meant that we're not done yet with Deckard.
But my favourite surprise of them all: the return of Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). He is easily the best villain this series has ever produced, and I still personally consider him as my favourite character in the whole franchise. Owen Shaw in his prime (Furious 6) is just awesome.
I had previously hoped for a potential return by Owen Shaw - with the first spark of hope in the beginning of Furious 7 where you see him lying at the hospital (not dead, at least). Then, the question becomes when you might see him return or if the filmmakers decided that it works for the story. Add to that the fact that I have no semblance of a clue whatsoever that Luke Evans is involved in the film - it totally makes it a surprise reveal for me. And if you bring back my favourite character of the whole franchise in a cool action scene like that...it surely feels like Christmas (though it is Easter, in fact).
Now, the question changes to: Will they re-appear in future films? Of course there is that small matter of Cipher still out loose, and Deckard & Owen may want to settle matters once and for all. To be perfectly honest, I don't see it happening anytime soon, but you never know. Shaw Brothers FTW!!
I was initially concerned walking into this movie as to where else this franchise could go and how it can top previous installments. After watching, I realize that they actually didn't need to. There is always a feel-good feeling watching the Fast films and obviously you have cool action and some decent humour, and I suppose that's all we would ever ask for from this franchise. There is actually no necessity to top previous films with an even larger or weirder spectacle...just keep progressing the story naturally, and I'm sure the fans will turn up.
And I think The Fate of the Furious did that, at the very least. Though they did try to top the spectacle with a submarine sequence (which I personally believe is forcing it a bit too much), the main focus is still on the story & characters, and I appreciate that. With this franchise, the characters are always key. I mentioned above that there is always a feel-good feeling with these movies, and that's because the family relationship & dynamics between these characters are always at the core of it all. Hence, our main protagonists always mean a lot to us, and we cared for them in return.
And to talk about Furious 7 a little bit, I always teared up when I watch that final scene. And not only because I know Paul Walker has passed...but because I feel how much the relationship between Dom & Brian has developed, and that came to a end in that peaceful goodbye.
Now, back to F8. In terms of plot, the overall plot works fine. It was nothing groundbreaking but it was decent enough to move the story forward. If anything, though, there are many smaller moments which I love (but I won't spoil them here). The action, meanwhile, is pretty fun and exactly what you hope to see from a Fast & Furious film. There is quite a lot of humour & jokes throughout the film. Not all of them hit the mark and some are getting rather predictable...but they are consistent & enjoyable.
Overall, it was good fun and I personally loved the film. On a quality level, I may put it as the 4th best of the whole series, but on a personal level, I think this is my 2nd favourite (behind Furious 6).
Note: This is a case where you might see scores that aren't that high for a particular film, but that film may end up in my Top 10 of the Year...not saying that this will, but just saying sometimes we can end up loving movies which weren't that great.
VERDICT: 71 / 100
If you are a fan, definitely go see it. If not, I think this film can give some good fun, but don't expect a great movie.
This April, unfortunately, is a very quiet month...well, the calm before the summer perhaps...
The Fate of the Furious (Apr 14-USA, Apr 12-UK, Apr 13-Singapore)
Probably the only big blockbuster of the month, and the only one I am quite looking forward to. And even so, my excitement of the Furious movies have recently been falling. Up to film number six, I was very much enjoying the series, but Furious 7, for me, wasn't really good. And now it looks like just more of the same stuff that happens, the same kind of humour, the same kind of action. The difference...well, now they have submarines. And even as they try to switch the game a little bit by making Dom turn against his family, it just doesn't look believable and it doesn't really excite me that much. I think we can all safely have an educated guess on how that would end.
So all things put together, I am really not quite keen on this film, but I still think it can at least be a fun, dumb, action flick. And perhaps the thing I'm most looking forward to is to see The Rock and Jason Statham go at each other...
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XBmsl7wbIQ (Trailer #1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GvX2uexGkA (Trailer #2)
The Lost City of Z (Apr 14-USA, Mar 24-UK, Apr 20-Singapore)
This is another one of those films that wasn't initially in my radar. And even when I first saw the title, I thought it sounded cheesy and it may just be one of those lesser budget films that could even be direct to Video or Streaming (especially with Amazon Studios popping up). But apparently not, and I saw the most recent trailer, and it looked pretty intriguing. The film sounded pretty serious considering what I thought it might be. I am not 100% sold on this, but given the drought in April, it is highly likely that I will check it out...
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu4UAf8Vfnc (Teaser)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZKM4ZlAZ6g (Trailer #1)
Other Movies:
I'm looking at quite a few interesting comedies here in the month of April. The first of which is Going in Style (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1pe_eRiMiE) - out on April 7th - which is perhaps the one I'm most excited about. The plot is about three old men trying to pull of a heist. Might not sound like something groundbreaking, but the three old men are Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine & Alan Arkin...all Academy Award winners. That sold me immediately!
Also out on the same day is another interesting comedy called Colossal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqcZtz8VXXE). The interesting aspect of this film is the fact that Anne Hathaway's character has some sort of connection to the Kaiju (monster) wreaking havoc in Seoul.
Films also coming out on April 7th include Smurfs: The Lost Village (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3scpLbTCINw) which I am not even a little bit interested, and a drama called Gifted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI01wBXGHUs) which stars Chris Evans and is directed by Marc Webb.
Next, out on a different date (April 21st) is a movie that I'm personally very intrigued about: Free Fire (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BfNs3YOIVA). It is one of those action comedy films which just doesn't hold back - both in terms of the violent action and the profane comedy.
Finally, we have The Circle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C9tKfl8t0Y), an intriguing thriller starring Tom Hanks, Emma Watson and John Boyega. There probably isn't a lot of action (if any) so a lot is dependent on how good the plot unfolds and the revelation of it all.
As a person who was never a fan of the franchise, I had many concerns going into this. I was bracing for what was potentially a bad movie, but it turned out differently, and I had some fun...surprisingly. The cheesiness that I had expected is mostly still there, and I don't think the dialogue are that well written. That being said, there are some rather fun moments to enjoy, and the main characters are better than I thought they'd be.
I always like to say that characters are the most critical element of a film, because without good characters, we'll be just looking at things happening to some random individual. Fortunately, this film got this element just about right and I managed to get invested with these characters...at least, some of them.
The plot, on the other hand, is...acceptable. The overall plot just about works, but really it is as generic as an origin story can be and its not hard to predict what happens next. And there are quite some cheesiness and conveniences in how things turn out (how they all meet, etc). I won't complain too much about it, but the plot points actually feel pretty weak.
However, between those plot points, there are some fun to be had. The action sequences are not bad at all. And while the cheesy lines/jokes are, for me, the biggest drawback of the film...there are surprisingly some humour that works, too, which I find enjoyable.
For a non-fan, I really find myself surprised to at least be able to enjoy some of the fun moments in the film. As a whole, I definitely won't say that this film is good in any stretch, but there are some fun moments peppered throughout.
VERDICT: 60 / 100
Again, it really isn't a good film, so I won't go out recommending this to people. But if you are a fan (or you feel that you can at least enjoy these kind of films), then I think you might enjoy the film (or at least, some of it)...
Alright. A quick note before I start. My review will be quite different from most of the reviews you will see anywhere else. Why? Because I have not watched the original animated film. So, for me, this almost feels like a new film entirely, and hence my review will actually incorporate the story elements, too. I can't even compare the two, so it will be a pure review of the new live-action film itself.
With that out of the way, I have to say I really loved this film. It very much feels like watching a great Disney animation film....the same way I felt after watching Moana or Tangled, and the like. The only difference, of course, is the fact that this is live-action. But even so, (for quite obvious reasons) it does feel like I'm just watching a Disney animation flick. And I enjoyed it for the most part, the music, the story, the characters...
The tale as old as time works as an overall plot, but what really gets me are some of the funnier moments throughout. Most of all, I like the dynamic between Lumiere & Cogsworth, and there is a lot of fun banter between the two. And then the chemistry between the two titular characters is also really good. Perhaps one unexpected character I find to be very funny is Belle's dad, played by the brilliant Kevin Kline. These characters provided some really fun & touching moments throughout the film.
Now, the songs. I have only heard the main 'Beauty and the Beast' song itself previously, but even that song feels great to hear when seeing it in the dance scene itself. And all the other songs are really good as well, and I really enjoyed them in the film. Although, it didn't really struck me that much as the likes of Moana or Tangled did where I ended up listening to the songs too, outside of the film. I didn't do the same with this film, but I promise you, the songs were really excellent within the movie.
And overall, I really enjoyed the film the way I would expect a Disney film. There is nothing to really complain about. I don't expect action sequences any way, so I'm not going to comment on that. And the visual effects were pretty good. And so are all the actors. They played the characters a bit over-the-top but that didn't bother me at all, because I was always feeling like watching an animated film, anyway.
In the end, to simply put it, for me it was really like watching a great (and it really is great) Disney flick which I thoroughly enjoyed from start to end.
VERDICT: 85 / 100
I cannot comment really for those of you who have watched the original, but my sentiment is simple. This is a really good Disney film and I would recommend it to everyone, because its a nice feel-good story, anyway, and we all need a bit of that in our lives...
When you see a movie titled Kong you would expect some awesome action with the great big ape himself...and that's exactly what you get in this film! Unfortunately, you don't get too much more. Its not that everything else is bad...its just that there is nothing else that this film to offer.
Easily put, everything in relation to Kong in this film is handled brilliantly. The big action sequences are definitely part of this, and you will definitely have a lot of fun with it. To add to that, I like the way they introduced Kong in this film. For me, that scene when Kong attacks all the helicopters was excellently done. I don't really want to spoil the scene, but the way we get to see Kong's face for the first time is brilliant.
However, as mentioned above, this film has little else to offer. Most of the characters are not quite well developed. The only character I can relate to is Tom Hiddleston's character. And though this next character wasn't in the spotlight enough, I still think that John Goodman is a brilliant actor and always gives his best and makes things believable, even if it sounds weird.
The plot is okay. It works, but its not particularly good. If there is one thing that really needs improvement, it would be the dialogue. Some of the dialogue are just plain bad and sounds like it was written by a ten-year old. Oh, but the score/soundtrack is pretty good.
Overall, it was a good watch. I had fun where I expected to, and the film was overall pretty solid. But the plot, the characters, the dialogue really needs improvement. So if you ask me whether it is a particularly good movie...no, its not - but its fun to watch.
VERDICT: 70 / 100
If you like these kind of big monster movies, then I think this is a good watch. Just don't expect a really good movie...
