Monsters University!!!!

Monsters University.

The first thing you notice about this film is that yes it is the latest film from Pixar which of course already makes you want to watch it as you know it'll be great. But lets backtrack abit as we all know 'Cars 2' wasn't the greatest of successes as the ratings for it were really low and showed that Pixar was indeed fallible when it came to filmmaking. I have to say that this film is the total opposite of 'Cars 2' and is going to be a definite hit with people as who can resist the comedy duo we all fell in love with in 'Monsters Inc' of Mike and Sully.

Obviously if you've lived under a rock you won't know that this is a prequel to 'Monsters Inc', set ten or so years before the duo even met you first see Mike as a youngster getting off a school bus on a school trip at the Monsters Inc scare factory. A wide eyed Mike then enters one of the doors and impresses a scare monster and gains a hat and vows to become a scarer. 

Fast forward a few years and Mike is getting off another school bus but this time he is a college student and looking forward to learning how to be the best scarer in the monster world. As Mike and his room-mate Randall start classes they soon meet the ever so relaxed and all round party guy James P Sullivan who has the attitude that he's got nothing to worry about. 

As situations take a turn for the worse Mike and Sully join forces with the campus rejects and join their fraternity Oozma Kappa to compete in the scare games. As the group of six misfit students take on the scare games they soon realise they have bitten off more than they can chew. With the relationship between Mike and Sully still not becoming anything but amicable the group must learn to take advantage of their skills and try to work together. Will the group pull together and help save Mike and Sully? what will happen to their friendship? and how does it all end for Oozma Kappa?

With an ending that definitely stays true to the Pixar ethos that has run throughout their films in the past it is a heart warming story of friendship and how to make the best of any situation. It's interesting to see how Mike and Sully became the best of friends and also see how other characters like Randall change and become evil. Seeing a young tiny Mike and how his and Sully's furr and skin change in colour and how they age is clever and interesting to see on a big screen.

The animation is of course beyond incredible and you can tell Pixar spend alot of time working on textures, liquids, reflection, shadow and brightness to really make the characters pop and impress. With the setting being at a college you are able to see so many new and varied monsters that live in the monster world and see how they develop over the film. Of course the only downside for me is that their is no mention or image of little Boo from the first 'Monsters Inc' film which is a shame but obviously she wouldn't have been born yet. 

A clear triumph in my eyes from Pixar another strong emotive filled film that will have you hooked from the start. One downfall I think was a little bit too rushed and just thrown at the end is how Mike and Sully became to be at Monsters Inc and how they finally got their jobs working on the scare floor. A bit more consideration could have been taken into showing it abit more on screen as people might have thought it was the end credits.

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.

Spring Breakers!!!!

Spring Breakers.

The latest film release from acclaimed director of Kids and Gummo, Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers is shown to be a cornucopia of drink, party's, drugs and the sordid and explicit world of Spring Break for many college students in the United States.

Set in the state of Florida it shows four friends Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Faith (Selena Gomez), Brit (Ashley Benson) and Cotty (Rachel Korine) who all want to go and party for spring break instead of being stuck in their dorm accommodation on campus. But as the girls put all their money together they realise they don't have enough money so they take drastic action. Holding up and robbing a local diner they finally have enough money to go to Florida for SPRING BREAK.

As the girls get into Florida the drinks start to flow and the party's happen the girls get pulled into the party world. As the party's get wilder they soon enough are arrested for drug possession with no way out of jail and no money for bail.

Soon enough the girls are bailed out by local gangster/rapper Alien (James Franco), a guy who befriends the girls and offers them the chance to have a time of their lives. As Alien brags about his guns, drugs and money and as he puts it the fact he has "Scarface on RE-peat" he is a crazy over the top guy.

With the girls being sucked into Alien's mad and crazy drink, drug and violence filled world they start working for him. Donning pink balaclavas and matching bikinis they join Alien in robbing and terrorising other local drug dealers. As the girls question their intentions of what they expected of Spring Break to what is unfolding in front of them they question their actions. Will the girls ever leave Florida and Alien's lifestyle, what will become of the friendship with him and between themselves?

The film is a vibrant neon drink and party filled world showing a coming of age story of the girls lives. Of course with the two Disney starletts Hudgens and Gomez starring in the film they both show a more adult, wilder and explicit characters not seen before. James Franco is un-recognisable in the film as Alien with corn-rolled hair and some metal grills on his teeth he plays the gangster/rapper perfectly and brings an almost at times ludicrous over the top character to life so well.

A great addition to director Harmony Korine's filmography and has to be said his best film by far. The opening scenes of the film with the aptly fitting Spring Break music from Skrillex it shows drinks in full flow, topless girls and explicit drinking games and shows just exactly what the film is about. The party scenes are shocking, full of alcohol, drugs and sex and portrays Spring Break perfectly.

In the end the film comes down to this, we as British people are reserved about sex and debauchery and avoid talking about such things so this film would be seen as not our cup of tea. If Spring Breakers was a cup of tea it'd contain 80% alcohol and 20% cocaine and be accompanied by a massive spliff with some Skrillex blasting in the background.

7/10.

The Host!!!!

The Host.

After the hype and success of the Twilight series of films taken from the books by Stephanie Meyer her other book 'The Host' has been picked up and given the same hollywood treatment. This time round the book and film itself is set in the distant future where the Earth itself has been taken over by an alien life form. The alien life form then takes over and possess the main majority of the Earth and make them into "hosts".

The film begins with the main character Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan) is running away from a group of silver suited people. As she runs through the corridors she eventually jumps through a window and falls to her death, led out on a metal slab she is sprayed with some healing spray and a new host is inserted into the back of her neck. Soon enough she wakes up, her eyes turn grey and she is alive again but this time being controlled by a new host (Wanderer).

Wanderer's job is to extract information about the location of the last remaining humans on Earth who have not yet been captured and taken over by an alien host. As Wanderer goes on through life she soon enough starts hearing Melanie's voice telling her not to do certain things and she is trying to fight back with everything that she does or says. As an incident takes place and she's stranded in the desert she lets Melanie take over and lead her to a safe place, finally meeting up with the other humans she is taken in by them. 

Re-united with her uncle, aunty and younger brother Melanie struggles to show them that she is still inside her own body and the alien host is just an outside shell. As the film progresses on and the whole story of Melanie, her brother, her love of her life Jake Howe (Max Irons) and of the other humans is told you learn about how they survive. The struggle for her family and loved ones to truly understand that she is still inside her body is also shown on screen. 

Of course their has to be a bad guy in the film which is Seeker (Diane Kruger) who goes to almost any length to catch and capture the free humans. As she gets closer and closer too them will it all end happy?, will Melanie ever get her own body back, will they all survive and not get caught and what will happen to Wanderer (Wanda)?

The film overall is a great teenage film as it is targeted towards the same demographic as the Twilight films, it's a simple sci-fi storyline that isn't too complicated. Their are other threads of story that I have missed out like how Wanderer falls in love with someone else but Melanie inside her dissagrees with it and stops her everytime they get close. The story of how to safely take out a alien host from a body is also touched upon and also the fate of Melanie's younger brother. 

The storyline is ok, at the start it has action and shows some good action sequences that get you hooked then in the middle it becomes linnear and slows right down, soon enough picking up with action sequences it then finishes. If more time was taken for the middle it would be a much better film but it has to be said it's interesting enough for people. 

Saoirse Ronan plays Melanie and Wanda really well and is able to portray two people who are in control of just one body. Her native irish accent doesn't even seep out and she passes off an american accent very well. Her fellow actors are at times a little bit wooden and seem to have only a certain ammount of facial expressions kind of like Kristen Stewart but they do a good job in the end. 

Overall a great teenage film that would be thoroughly enjoyed by a twihard fan or for someone who enjoys a simple, basic sci-fi film that you can watch, leave for a few days and watch again and not forget a thing. 

7/10.

The Croods!!!!

The Croods.

The second animated film of the year for me and it's Dreamworks newest outing in The Croods featuring an array of of well known voice actors. This time round Dreamworks have decided to touch upon the story of a stoneage family who go through "the end" and the journey they take to survive and the family problems they encounter along the way as well.

So onto the film itself, as I described above it is about a family (The Croods) who as they put it are the last remaining human beings alive. Father of the family Grug (Nicolas Cage) is an overprotective dad who tells the family anything new is BAD and will kill them all if they do anything new at all. Mother of the family Ugga (Catherine Keener) is a typical mother who fusses over her family and makes sure they're all ok and keeps Grug in-line at times as well. Son Thunk (Clark Duke) is a typical teenager, he has hardly any sense at all and runs around without any thought in the world and is easily amused. Smallest child Sandy (Randy Thom) is an animalistic little kid who runs around and awesome speeds and is generally a childish character. The older member of the family and the mother in-law Gran (Cloris Leachman) is an old wise woman who always has the line "I'm still alive". And finally we have Eep (Emma Stone) who is an inquisitive girl who wants to do nothing more than to venture out of the cave and explore new things.

As the scene is set you see how frightened the family is of the outside world and how much the father figure states that new things are bad for them. As you see the family go on a hunt for a dinosaur egg to feed the family you see how each member works within the family.

But soon enough Eep sees a bright light pass the cave and decides to follow it and leaves the comfort of the cave and her family. soon enough she gets into trouble and that's when a saviour comes to her aide, Guy (Ryan Reynolds) saves her from being eaten and thrusts fire into the air saving her. As she talks to him she soon realises that her family is not alone in the world and that their are other people out there. As she narrowly just makes it back to the cave to her family with the help from her father Grug she tries to tell family members about who she has met.

As the family cave is destroyed and the threat of being eaten again they finally call upon the help of Guy who comes running in to save the day again. He shows the family members some new inventions like fire and shoes. As each family member learns new things about the world and their eyes are opened their is one person who is not buying this new lifestyle, Grug. 

As the family carries on trying to find shelter before "THE END" takes place the family must learn to trust new things, trust Guy and last of all to accept new things as their not all bad. What happens next I will leave for you to watch, will the family survive "THE END" or will they all stand by Grug and stick to the old ways?

Overall the film is entertaining......for little kids, for adults they will find the film a little bit flat and at times a little bit ridiculous. The voice acting is ok but in my opinion Nicholas Cage just doesn't have that animated film style voice he sounds out of place and just too dull a voice for a kids film. The storyline is to be desired, a simple yet quirky storyline it's fun at times but for most of the time it's just tedious. 

Visually the colours are great, the coloured landscapes and animals featured all show off the animators skills and the 3D for the film just adds more depth to the on screen animation. But don't expect anything deep, thoughtful and emotional like a Pixar movie because you're not going to get it from this film. What you do get is a fun, bright coloured, kids film that all children will truly enjoy and adults wish would be alot shorter.

5/10.