The Raid 2!!!!

The Raid 2.

Iko Uwais the star of the first The Raid film is back for what is the second round of fast paced martial arts impressive violence. Following on from the first film we at first see a corn field in which a shaking scared man is executed and thrown into a shallow dug grave by a mysterious man Bejo (Alex Abbad). As Rama (Iko Uwais) is taken to meet with Bunawar (Cok Simbara) the chief of Jakarta's anti-corruption task force, told that his brother has been killed by Bejo, Rama is persuaded to help bring down the corrupt police commissioner Reza (Roy Marten). 

To get inside and find out information he must infiltrate two rival gang familys, Bangun and Goto. Assaulting a son of a politician who opposed the Bangun gang he is thrown into prison. This is where the first fight sequence takes place, in the middle of a exercise courtyard that is a foot deep in thick mud a riot breaks out. Fighting off most of the prisoners he soon enough saves the life of the son of Bangun, Uco (Arfin Putra). Finally out of prison and in marched in front of Bangun (Tio Pakusadewo) he is taken in by the family and given a job to do whatever Bangun says. 

Being close to Uco he sees his frustration for the fact his father hasn't given him enough power in the family business and years for something bigger. Going behind his fathers back Uco meets with Bejo and they both work out a plan to start an all out gang war between Bangun and Goto so that Uco can prove himself to his father. 

With this war started the bloodshed comes quick and fast and really violent with assassins on both sides, Prakoso (Yayan Ruhian) works for Bangun and fights and kills to keep the city in order. Bejo has his own two assassins who we shall only name Baseball bat man and Hammer girl and you can guess what their choice of weapon is. 

The storyline of the film if you can keep up with the subtitles is quite basic but really effective and interesting at the same time. So one thing I haven't covered is the fight sequences and the violence of the film that really make it seriously impressive and exciting all the way through. Their are fights in cars, fights in a toilet cubicle, fights in a building, fights in a corridor, fights in a kitchen, fights in a massive mud filled courtyard and even a car chase to top it all off. It takes the fight sequences from the first Raid film and just triples, no quadruples it and makes it more fast and technical. 

Throw in the fact you have hammer girl and baseball bat guy and you can understand the sequences, you watch in awe but you flinch, grimmace and shout out "woahhhhh, that's insane" when you see what happens on screen. You can tell director Gareth Evans has really thought about these scenes and takes his time to get the scenes right and precise and perfect and he does it so well. 

For me this is already one of my films of the year, not many 18 films have entered the UK cinema and this one has really impressed me. The way in which the film is pieced together and how the fight scenes are brought in really bring the film together, with the right storyline of family loyalty and betrayal it works really well. For anyone who loved the first Raid film you will seriously love every minute of this film and you'll bask in its glory and smile, laugh, wince and flinch at every punch,kick, hit,shot and stab.

10/10.

Robocop!!!!

Robocop.

When a "classic" film is re-hashed and put together and re-booted fans will of course always wade into the argument of what should and shouldn't be covered. For this version of Robocop we see the usual storyline of how Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) a successful police officer suffers a personal tragedy and is blown half to pieces when his car is sabotaged. Fighting for his life and on the verge of death his wife Clare Murphy (Abbie Cornish) makes the decision with the help of Dr Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) the OmniCorp chief scientist to save her husband. With every part of his body destroyed, the only parts his own being one of his hands, his heart, his lungs and his brain he is every bit a walking talking machine. 

Robocop is born and his main purpose is to make OmniCorp look good, with robots serving the US military overseas OmniCorp wants to put the same robots on the streets but because of the Dreyfus Act they can't. To gain the public's trust Robocop is deployed onto the streets, shown to be a robot with human conscientiousness he is there to gain their trust and help OmniCorp to get rid of the Act. 

As Robocop starts to become a success people start to turn on the Dreyfus Act but being stopped of seeing his family his wife soon has to fight to get her husband back. With Alex's head filled with every crime that has taken place in the city he soon starts to reflect on his own crime and start's to feel for his son and his wife. 

With the Dreyfus Act still in place and Alex fighting to control his own emotions soon enough something will happen, will Robocop stay or will he be pulled off of the streets. 

I have to say for a film about a Robocop I felt their was too much backstory and not enough action, seeing Alex's backstory and how he came to be was all well and good but it took up too much time. With a little bit more action and being able to see him in action it would have made a far better and interesting film. Kinnaman as Robocop was at times convincing but then again he just has to act as a robot for most of the time. Gary Oldman for me raises the film and really brings across a scientist who is torn to his allegiances and also what is the best course of action morally and professionally. 

Now that we have dealt with the origins I'd like to see if a second film was to surface and maybe this time around we could see him in some proper action scenes. See what Robocop is LITERALLY made of.

6/10.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit!!!!

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.

When it comes to the all out action films their are certain "go to" franchises, James Bond and The Bourne films are two franchises that people love to watch. But this time round the Tom Clanct based character gets re-boot after a few years off and with a new leading man in the form of Star Trek's Captain James T Kirk, Chris Pine.

Set in present day we see a student Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) at the London School of Economics, deciding to join Marine's he is posted in Afghanistan. Injured by a helicopter crash he is told he won't be able to go back, meeting Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley) during rehab he strikes up a relationship with her. He also meets and speaks with William Harper (Kevin Costner) who is never revealed as a CIA agent but he recruits Ryan. Fast forward ten years and Ryan is working as an undercover CIA agent on Wall Street investigating dodgy transactions of company's. 

Soon coming across Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh) who's company has come up in his investigation, turning up for an audit of the company Ryan is soon put in danger having to kill a man for the first time. Meeting up with Harper he is told he is now operational and is handed a gun to protect and defend himself. Working out what Cherevin is up to it is a race against time to stop something disastrous taking place back home in the United States but will he save the citizens of the US and stop Cherevin?

For a new launch to the Jack Ryan world it is a pretty good start, learning about where he came from and what he has been through you can tell they're expecting to get a good few films out of it. Chris Pine as Ryan was a good choice he is memorable from his Star Trek films and a fresh new young face to throw into the world of action movies as well. Branagh can definitely do an impressive Russian accent, Knightley brings in another dynamic of Ryan having a wife and brings out a more softer side of his personality.

The storyline itself at times can get complicated and if you were to miss even fifteen minutes you'll feel a little bit lost. For a story set about the Russian situation and how a business owner can threaten to cause mass chaos in the US it can be seen as little far fetched and spirals a little too quickly.

Obviously the script and the actors are utilised well but it can not really stand up to the Bourne or Bond films, with a few little tweaks here and there and a much stronger script it could really set itself apart from the rest.

7/10.

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug!!!!

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug.

It has to be said The Lord Of The Rings trilogy of films was a massive success and many a Tolkien fan rejoiced at the films and finally saw the books on a big screen. Peter Jackson was of course to decide to adapt this time round The Hobbit book, with the news that he was to spread the film across three films and also add characters of his own creation fans were sceptical.

Second time round and we see the story continue with the dwarves and hobbit carry on their journey to the lonely mountain to slay the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). As the group continue their journey they venture into places that they shouldn't go and get into all sorts of situations. 

Being chased by giant spiders and getting caught up in their giant webs, floating down a river in wooden barrels fighting off Azog's orc's with the help of the elves, to  escpaing from the Woodland realm of the Elves the small dwarf group get into different predicaments. 

Of course Gandalf has his own small quest as well to speak with Radaghast and find out what is going on in the old ruins, finding a darkness he soon enough sees the all seeing firey one eye of Sauron. I obviously have to mention the hobbit in this story Bilbo, having found the one ring he toys with it and soon learns of its power of making him invisible and something he can use against Smaug. Entering the mountain you see the interaction between the two and how Smaug can see the hobbit even with the on ring. 

Back story's of Laketown and Bard the Bowman and his role within the movie comes clear and no doubt you will see him in a more important role in the third film. An added thread in the film is of course adding Legolas and a new character called Tauriel is something interesting and to show a love triangle situation between those two and a dwarf is interesting. 

The action comes thick and fast in the film and it covers alot of ground and locations which keeps the film fresh and interesting. Splitting the film into what is at times two storylines, that of Bilbo and the group and Gandalf and Radaghast I liked as again it kept things interesting and gave an insight into what is yet to come. 

I felt the love triangle and adding Legolas to the film had no real impact, he ran about with his bow and arrow, killed a few orcs along the way and then drifted off which was not very good. Showing Beorn and also Bard to bowman was a great decision as many Tolkien fans will know Bard's real involvement with the book. Smaug is of course massive and certainly a force to be reconned with and Bilbo definitely has alot of work to do in order to help the Dwarves reclaim their home.

The only downside I found was that the film was a little bit long and for a younger audience they certainly would drift and maybe at times get bored. For any Tolkien fans this will be something to rejoice over as it is the second installment of a popular classic book loved by many. 

With the third and final film to come at the end of the year it will definitely be something everyone will want to see, especially anyone in the Tolkien fandom. 

8/10.

Thor:The Dark World!!!!

Thor: The Dark World.

What is the third film Marvel film to be released this year and the second film from phase two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: The Dark World sets the scene of a war on Asgard. 

A story is told of how a dark elf army led by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) went into battle against Thor's grandfather Bor (Tony Curran) in which they battled to stop Malekith from using his latest created weapon 'the aether'. With Bor triumphant he was to take the aether and place it in a stone and bury it deep underground, Malekith of course escapes with his general and sacrifices the rest of his dark elf army.

With Thor (Chris Hemsworth) back in his home world of Asgard after the attack by Loki (Tom Hiddleston) on New York in Avengers Assemble Loki is placed in jail on Asgard by his "father" Odin (Anthony Hopkins). As Thor battles enemies on the different planets with his fellow Asgardian soldiers he is hoping to bring peace to the nine realms and become king of Asgard. 

Of course Thor's love interest Jane (Natalie Portman) is back on earth and investigating strange occurrences with her assistant Darcy (Kat Dennings) and soon enough Jane comes into contact with aether and is attacked by it. With this aether running through her body nothing can attack or harm her and the only person who can help finally arrives back on Earth, Thor.

Soon enough Malekith awakens and knows the whereabouts of the aether and is hell bent on obtaining it to use it when the nine realms align and he can destroy all the light and turn everything into darkness. With Jane in danger and now in Asgard, Thor asking for Loki's help and Malekith set on destroying the universe what will happen?.

The film has alot of characters which are in part all integral to the storyline that is running through the film, Thor has alot of things to do to save not only Asgard but the other realms as well. Deciding where his fate and life will lie is also another point he has to work out, be with a mortal human (Jane) or stay on Asgard and rule over the nine realms. At times it can be moving along a quite a pace which isn't too bad, setting the film mainly on Asgard was a good idea as you get to see his home world and the whole dynamics of the people of Asgard. 

Hemsworth as Thor is of course charming and brings the character to life really well, Portman plays the vulnerable Jane and is just swept away with everything that is going on. Hiddleston as Loki is funny and witty and brings some laughs but also brings the fight as well when he is needed by Thor. The effects are massive just like Iron Man 3 they have gone ALL OUT with this film and bring plenty of destruction and explosions and pump in more and more action sequences. 

The ending for me could have been alot more planned and thought out especially what happens to Malekith it feels just a bit of a cop out. Of course the after credit scenes set the scene for the next Marvel installment film and tey certainly entice and give insight in what we can expect next from the Marvel cinematic universe. 

An overall entertaining, action packed, fast paced superhero movie that fits in perfectly with the other Marvel releases and sets you up for Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

8/10.

White House Down!!!!

White House Down.

Before you start thinking "wait I've already seen a white house siege film this year" and you would be right. Gerard Butler's film 'Olympus Has Fallen' was released this year and had a slightly same running theme as this film but they are different in certain ways. 

I could go through the whole storyline of the film but from what the trailers have shown you have already seen what the main storyline theme of the film is. As John Cale (Channing Tatum) is a U.S Capitol Police Officer he works constantly and never gets the chance to have some quality time with his teenage daughter Emily (Joey King). As John gets two tickets for a tour of the white house for his politics mad daughter he combines the visit for a Secret Service job interview with an old college acquittance Carol Finnerty (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

With father and daughter seperated and the White House under attack from the inside the safety of the President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). As John is caught up in all the drama he decides to take matters into his own hands, vows to save his daughter, save the president and stop the terrorists who have taken over the White House. 

The storyline doesn't particularly deviate too much from this plot line, the odd few generic twist and turns that you could easily work out take place. Seeing a scene at the start showing head of the Presidential detail Martin Walker (James Woods) taking off his US flag pin badge from his lapel on his jacket clearly gives away straight away who is going to be behind the attack. Some scenes do escalate and at times you think "really oh so it's getting that ridiculous".

Tatum as the hulking hero fits into the film perfectly as he jumps, fights and shoots his way through the White House and looking unscathed at times. Foxx plays a more stupid, naive yet verbally articulate and at times geeky president which can come off as a homage to Barack Obama. 

A film with plenty of action yet the storyline is to be desired at times, if your after non stop action with clichéd plot twists that you could easily work out and don't need to think much about it then you'll enjoy this. An entertaining yet predictable film that brings the action, explosions and interesting storyline. 

5/10.