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.

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.