The Hangover part III!!!!

The Hangover part III.

Third and no doubt final instalment of The Hangover comedy franchise and it sees the original group come back together to help out their buddy Alan (Zach Galifianakis) deal with the death of his father. As Alan starts to act out of the ordinary (beheading a giraffe on a motorway) his friends come together to take him to rehab but are diverted and that's when things get out of hand and out of their hands as well.

As the four guys are on their way across the country they are kidnapped and bundled into a van and taken to the drug lord Marshall (John Goodman). As Doug (Justin Bartha) is taken as a bargaining chip the three remaining friends have to go and find the recently escaped crazed Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) and retrieve Marshalls gold bars or Doug dies. 

As the trio Alan, Stu (Ed Helms) and Phil (Bradley Cooper) travel back to where it all started Vegas they try to track down and capture the crazed Mr Chow. Soon enough they catch up with him and all chaos ensues from breaking into a house, letting out some crazed cocaine fuelled fighting chickens and hanging of the edge of the tallest hotel in Las Vegas the guys get up to everything.

Obviously I can't give too much away but all I can say is that it's nothing we haven't already seen before. It feels to me that the film studio was pressured by fans of the films to make a third film to finish the franchise off perfectly. Deciding to follow a different storyline and run with Alan having problems in which the friends take a road trip is a nice change from the constant try to recollect what happened the night before feel of a film. 

The characters are up to their usual tricks and all the actors portray and slip back into the characters quite well. Alan and Mr Chow are of course the most outrageous and funny characters in the film but the laughs are not laugh out loud belly laughing their barely just little titters of laughs which is a shame. To me the one seriously funny moment that had the cinema laughing properly was after the credits when you see what happened after Alan gets married, does this mean another film in the franchise.......who knows.

Overall a good film but something that feels rushed and put out onto screens just to please the fans which in my mind is not the right reason to make a film but hey the fans love it so why not put it out. 

4/10.

The Great Gatsby!!!!

The Great Gatsby.

From what we've seen in the past we know that any Baz Luhrman directed film will have alot of amazing visuals and be something to really sit back and enjoy. Past films like Romeo and Juliet, Moulin Rouge, Australia and Strictly Ballroom all brought the glitz and visuals to the big screen, kind of apt that he was to next tackle a film set in the roaring twentys and what better story then The Great Gatsby. 

Set in the 1920's it sees a young war veteran Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) decide to live the high life in New York and move into a small house next door to a big mansion. As the mansion holds extravagant parties every week Nick is invited by a man called Jay Gatsby (Leonardo Di Caprio) to the party and soon enough meets the infamous Gatsby. As Nick becomes close friends with Mr Gatsby he starts to question his life and starts to work out what he has done to gain all his fortune and also his intentions. 

As Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton) live the high life they soon enough are introduced to Mr Gatsby by Daisy's cousin Nick. As Nick learns about Tom's other life and how he lives an alternate extravagant lifestyle away from his wife Nick questions his morals and loyalty to his cousin. As Nick sets up a meeting between Daisy and Gatsby we find out how they know each other the plan for both their futures is put into motion and then soon enough everything spirals out of control. 

With the bright lights and crazy out of control party's that take place you can see the amount of time that has been spent on the overall imagery of the film. But the storyline itself is something to be desired as it goes along at a steady pace then picks up and then just seems to float in the middle and finishes rather abruptly. 

Di Caprio as Gatsby was a great choice as he shows off a more emotional led character and is able to portray a vulnerable, lost and alone type of character. Mulligan as Daisy is good but she's not overly great as she doesn't portray the innocent and impressionable Daisy with conviction she just doesn't quite nail the character down. The supporting cast of other friends and family members on screen add to the film and try to bring out the best emotional responses and are a nice addition.

Unfortunately it has to be said it's more style over substance, the visuals are spectacular and showcase some of the best imagery of the roaring 20's. The music in the film be it up to date with some added Jay-Z really fits in well and really is one of the big great aspects of the film. For any Baz Luhrman fans they'll absolutely love the film as it has everything from his past films but for other people it may just be an enjoyable film and nothing more.

7/10.

Star Trek: Into Darkness!!!!

     Star Trek: Into Darkness. 

Second outing for JJ Abrams Star Trek franchise and it is a non stop action fest of a film, obviously this is a good thing. As you first see two hooded people running away on an alien red looking planet, you suddenly hear the voices of James T Kirk (Chris Pine) and Bones (Karl Urban) as they run away from a white faced, yellow hooded clan of people. Jumping off a massive cliff into the blue waters to safety you next see Spock (Zachary Quinto) being dropped into a erupting volcano hoping to freeze the volcano and save a whole planet and civilisation. With a near miss death and the fast action paced introduction Star Trek: Into Darkness is under-way and at warp speed. 

As a massive explosion blows a whole government building to pieces Star Fleet must convene to assess what to do next. As the perpetrator is named as John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) Kirk is authorised to go on a manhunt to take down Harrison and avenge the deaths of the innocent people killed from the bombing. Soon enough the crew is in full force and on the tail of John Harrison, as the crew are split up and then later on re grouped with new additions Carol (Alice Eve) the crew battle not only with alien races but with their inner feelings and judgement as well. 

Without giving too much away the crew and Kirk himself finds out the true intent and identity of the now wanted man John Harrison. With the "bromance" between Kirk and Spock growing by the minute they work  and help each other out to make the right decision for the crew and the greater good. Indeed the relationship between all the crew members are tested and as new members join the crew they must pull and work together to work efficently.

With warp speed ship chases, battles above the streets of a city, starships crashlanding, fast pilot chases and plenty of photon torpedo's fired their is plenty of non-stop action to be gazed at. The storyline of the film is a nice one and the twist or for some Trekkie fans the realisation of one characters true identity is a clever little addition. With nods to old style quotes from the past Trek world Abram's has worked to keep the old ways in tact but give it a revamp and a boost for new fans as well. 

Obviously the only downfall I can see is that the film does indeed go along at warp speed (pardon the pun). It's non-stop action, right from the get go you see members of the crew running away and to it's credit it keeps people hooked and watching everything on screen. The cast is of course great, Pine and Quinto's relationship on screen blossoms and they both learn valuable lessons from each other even though their quite the opposite. The addition of Alice Eve is nice and she plays a nice little addition to the growing family of crew members. Benedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison is just perfect casting in my opinion as he just plays a sinister character so well and anything he says sounds cold, calculated and evil. 

What could have been a terrible follow up has turned out to be a great addition to the film franchise. With Abrams also stepping up to the podium to direct the next Star Wars film it's safe to say if he carries on doing the right thing like he's done with this Star Trek movie sci-fi fans around the world will be very happy, including myself. 

8/10.

Oblivion!!!!

Oblivion.

What is to be the first proper major big budget Sci-Fi film of the year comes Oblivion, set in the future it shows a desolate earth after a War has been waged between humans and an alien race called Scavs (Scavengers). As the Scavs destroyed the moon causing Earthquakes and Tsunamis on Earth the humans used nuclear weapons to destroy the alien race. As the humans won and parts of the Earth became irradiated and unlivable the few remaining humans who survived start a colony on the moon planet Titan, powered by hydro fusion power from the seas on Earth.

You see the last of two humans still on Earth, Jack (Tom Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) who are stationed on a base to keep a check on the security bots that keep Earth safe and kill off any last remaining Scavs. As Jack goes out and repairs the various security bots he starts to have flashbacks to his life before his mind was erased five earlier. 

Soon enough a Jack is captured by the scavs and finds out the truth about the war between the humans and the Scavs. As a mysterious ship crash lands on Earth and he saves the woman Julia (Olga Kurylenko) from his flashbacks he finally learns about his own existence on Earth and what he has to do next to save Earth. 

This review isn't much because the storyline opens up alot nearly halfway through the film itself and to give exactly what happens away wouldn't be good. Lets just say alot of the storyline is revealed like Jack and Vic's existence and how they arrived at their designated base high up in the sky. The history and intentions of the scavs is also revealed and the film twists and turns at alot of turns and leaves you thinking after the film has finished.

Being directed by the Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski it has that impressive CGI feel to it and shows some of Earth's landmarks in ruins and utilises what Earth would like if it was desolate and invaded by Aliens. The characters are good but not overly impressive, Tom Cruise plays Jack really well as it has to be said it's his film. Andrea Riseborough plays a very strict conformist well and is a great addition to balance and bring in Tom Cruise's character. Olga Kurylenko  and Morgan Freeman aren't particularly utilised well in the film and feel like their just in the background to boost viewing figures with their name mentioned on the film poster. 

Overall a very enjoyable sci-fi film but nothing too impressive, for anyone who enjoys a sci-fi film with plenty of twists and turns that has some well known top actors then you'll love this film.

7/10.