Under The Skin!!!!

Under The Skin.

Hearing nothing but good reviews from a film, you kind of think to yourself that it can't be true but I have to admit that it did live up to the reviews. If not it surpassed my expectations as a film and will definitely go straight into my top films of all time as this film is incredible in its own rights. 

Starting with the most haunting of strings sounds you see the formation of what looks like a black pupil becoming a human eye but could be portrayed as an alien egg into birth. Watching a naked woman character (Scarlett Johansson) strip the clothes off the body off her dead doppelgänger and put them on just to confuse you. Dropped off in the countryside by a lone biker and left the keys to a white transit van the woman drives off into the unknown. 

Walking through busy shopping centres and looking around at the world you feel the character is learning how to adapt, language, mannerisms and how to act are all absorbed. Driving along the roads she stops and talks to men at the side of the road, asking for directions and giving them a lift to places she plays on their vulnerability. They are soon enticed by her as she takes them back to her house where she takes them for her own. Walking along and stripping off her clothes the men follow only to slowly walk into a thick black liquid never to be seen again.

As she learns about the world she starts to slip up and is soon enough rescued by a random stranger, having sex and being shocked at the realisation she has a vagina she is still learning more and more. The film for me is able to show two different sides to our woman character at the start and at the end. She starts off confident knowing what she has to do and becomes the predator but soon enough by the end is insecure about herself and becomes the prey.

The way in which the film is made is not only clever but it makes you feel uncomfortable and also amazed at times. The use of hidden cameras is what gives it that edge and gives her character a feel of loneliness in such a busy environment. Showing hidden camera footage of her picking up men in her transit van Scarlett is able to be confident and get the right information out of the men, using her charm and looks she portrays her perfectly. 

Another aspect that really has you on the edge and affects your viewing is the music, never has a film needed the right soundtrack and this has an incredible score. Whining and scratchy violin sounds bring the tense moments in well, if it wasn't for the music some of the scenes would be seen as throwaway but add the creepy music and it changes the mood of the scene.

Scarlett Johansson is perfect in this film, you feel it has that double alien feel to the film in which Scarlett is an alien in an unknown Glasgow and her character is also an alien in a new world. This has to be one of the strongest performances from her and will go down as one of her greatest films of her career so far. But it will obviously be overshadowed by other bigger named films which is a shame really. 

For any fans of intense, gripping, weird and at times uncomfortable films then PLEASE I urge you to go and watch this film. One thing you will do after seeing this film is you will leave the cinema and still be thinking about it hours after, an incredible, mesmerising, unsettling yet intense film.

10/10.

Top Ten Movies of 2013!!!!

Top 10 Movies of 2013!!!!

So let me back track just a little bit to New Years Eve 2012 where I said I'd see as many films as possible in 2013 and review them all as well. Well I have kind of succeeded in this task, I have seen in total as of last year 66 films at the cinema. I have reviewed around 62 of those films with just four more reviews to finish off. 

It has been a great year for film and I know I could list so many other films I wanted to see but either couldn't find a cinema close enough to see or just didn't have time. I've seen massive epic special effect films like Gravity, Thor: The Dark World, Pacific Rim, The Wolverine and I have seen quirky impressive independent films like Short Term 12, Drinking Buddies, Ain't Them Bodies Saint's, You're Next and many many more. 

So out of the 66 films I have seen this year which ones have made my top ten. Well I have decided to just list the films and not put them in 1-10 order as they're all impressive films in their own way. 

So here goes:

Stoker: What was to be Park Chan-Wook's (director of Oldboy) first English spoken film in my eyes is a cinematic masterclass. The story of a family torn apart by the death of a father and the arrival of a mysterious uncle who has an interest in the daughter. Subtle hints of a different underlying theme was clever and made the film one to really think and talk about. Scenes that blend together so fluidly and of course the strong yet at times weird performances from Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode make it an impressive film.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brjtL-2kE9A

Zero Dark Thirty: A film that touched upon one of the many hailed triumphs for the United States of America, the hunting down and killing of Osama Bin Laden the then most wanted terrorist in the world. Set in Pakistan it shows the story of agent Maya who works tirelessly for years to track him down. Fast paced scenes of chases and information coming in it shows the meticulous intelligence work that the agents go through day by day. Bomb attacks and random shootings show how dangerous Pakistan can be and what can happen when the agents get deeper and deeper into the terrorists world. Juxtaposing for the last quarter the film it slows right down, a single night vision view is shown as your right in the thick of the siege on the compound. In my eyes it is one of 2013's biggest successes and a well deserved Oscar/BAFTA Nomination for Jessica Chastain's portrayal of Maya.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxC_JNz5Vbg

Short Term 12: This has to be one film this year that really took me by surprise and really did hit me emotionally as it is an exquisite film. The story of a foster home called Short Term 12 it shows a place for troubled teens looked after by Grace (Brie Larson) and her boyfriend Mason. Focusing on two particular teens Jayden a self harmer who respects no-one and Marcus who is just  turning 18 and ready to leave the foster home. Three scenes in particular with Marcus and Jayden will hit you right in the stomach and in an instant raise your spirits right back up. Strong performances by Brie Larson, Keith Stanfield and Kaitlyn Dever make it an impressive film and bring out characters you really feel for and go along with on their individual emotional journeys.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8QxAYxNRgs

Gravity: Visually stunning, amazing, incredible, their are so many words to describe this film, four and a half years in the making Alfonso Cuaron and his son Juan have made an unforgetable film. As the Hubble Telescope is hit by flying debris Ryan (Sandra Bullock) and Matt (George Clooney) are hurtled into outerspace and are thrown into the darkness. Both of them try to survive and make it back to Earth but at what cost?. The film is in my eyes amazing, it disorientates, makes you breath fast and at times causes motion sickness which is something you don't get from other films. I have to mention the special effects as when you watch it you think it's real documentary footage but it's not, an incredible film everyone should go and see and in 3D.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiTiKOy59o4

  

Nebraska: The latest film from director Alexander Payne and it sees the most simplest and yet endearing stories to hit the screen this year. An ageing man with onset dementia Woddy Grant (Bruce Dern) receives a scam letter in the post saying he has won a million dollars and needs to go to Lincoln, Nebraska to receiver his winnings. Constantly picked up by the police who spot him walking along the main roads his son David (Will Forte) soon enough caves in and decides to drive him to Nebraska. Diverting to their hometown of Hawthorne you see how his close family including his brothers and his old friends treat him when they learn he has a million dollars. It's the warm sentiment, little quips and reactions of the characters that make you laugh so much. Another great film from Payne it will no doubt see Bruce Dern, June Squibb and Payne nominated for multiple awards come awards season.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT5tqPojMtg

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty: A late entry to the list and still in cinemas this film really made me smile and just sucked me right into the film. Directed and starring Ben Stiller I wasn't too keen at first but this is a more serious role for Stiller and he really impressed me. Walter Mitty is a man who lives a normal life but zones out and imagines things that could happen inside his head. Threatened with losing his job and having to find photographer Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn) for the photo for the last copy of LIFE magazine Walter goes off on an adventure. Walter soon learns to live his life to the full and stop living inside his head, doing things he would never usually do he gains the confidence he has always wanted. Stiller is perfect as a more serious actor and certainly impresses behind the camera as a director. A warm, life affirming and entertaining film for all the daydreamers of the world.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Xk-yTuFEU

You're Next: Now some people will be confused as to why I have put this into my top ten and my reasons are quite valid. Advertised as a horror, home invasion film it shows a family being picked off one by one by masked invaders. But the film has a brilliant little twist to it which surprised me and definitely made the film alot more interesting. As a lone girl fights back she turns out to be the saving grace for the family and their only way to survive. To be honest I found the film to be a really black comedy film as the way in which people are killed had me in pieces with laughter and I'm not saying I have a twisted sense of humour. For anyone who likes the home invasion, threat style film with a lone blonde girl fighting back and want a big laugh then check it out.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufUQWpEkbf0

Pacific Rim: I have to admit I am biased at times when it comes to films and for me this is in my top ten because I am a massive Guillermo Del Toro fan. His first directorial film in almost five years it has him return in fine form with a giant robot VS Kaiju monster film. With earth under threat the jaeger program is formed to defend the world against the giant monster invaders. Raleigh and Mako drift to pilot Gypsy Danger and fight back for one last time to rid the world of the Kaiju monsters. I followed this film through production photos leading up to its release and to see GDT back on fine form with this style of film made me smile immensely. Looking at the making of book with the artwork and the meticulous design that went into the film really made the film stand out for me. A giant monster VS giant robot film directed by a giant director and artist in the fantasy film genre.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5guMumPFBag

The Way Way Back: This was a hard film to choose as I wanted a comedy that really stood out and I have seen many comedys this year that have impressed. None more so than this one, Duncan a young boy dragged along to his mothers boyfriends holiday retreat he is out of place and has no friends at all. Finding by accident the local water park he gets himself a job and soon enough he starts to have fun and enjoy himself. Having to contend with the ups and downs of his mothers relationship and also having to learn to grow himself he learns alot about life and what to get out of it. The film is written, directed and also stars Nat Faxon and Jim Rash who bring out the funniest parts of the characters but also leave the charm in their to see as well. A really funny film that has a big massive heart in the middle of it and lets people know that life is what you make it and to not let anyone drag you down. Out on DVD now and in shops to buy for anyone who likes The Descendants, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine then check this film out NOW.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwNo1i3jkCo

Ain't Them Bodies Saints: A Bonnie and Clydeesque film that for me brought in the styles and workings of many other impressive directors. Set in southern USA you follow the story of a outlaw couple who survive by stealing and hiding out in an abandoned house. As they both give themselves up in a shoot out at the house he goes to jail and she ends up alone in a house and has to bring up their unborn first child. As he breaks out of jail and goes on the run the film turns its attentions to her relationship with the local police officer who takes a liking to her but will this happiness last?. The film for me is a triumph as the cinematography and visual imagery in the scenes is very Terrence Malick it has that use of light and beauty that is brought out on screen and makes it staggering to watch. Also the use of sound be it the long silence or the sound of crickets in the background it just transports you right into the heart of Texas. A visual treat that has strong performances from Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck and yet has the substance script wise to bring a lost souls style sentiment.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga0c0v-stK0

So this is my top ten list of films for 2013 and I hope anyone who reads this has either seen a few of them or at least goes out and watches them at some point. I wanted to create a list that is diverse and doesn't have the obvious films you would expect. 2014 is turning out to be yet another big year in film and with awards season starting up quite soon it will be interesting to see who takes what award this year. So for you all I hope you had a great film filled 2013 and have an awesome time this year in 2014 for yet more great films to come. 

Gravity!!!!

Gravity.

With a film that has nothing but constant praise you have to stop and think for a second is it "really" that good well I have to say the critics are correct, Gravity is in my eyes phenomenal. Avatar was the last film that was highly praised by all and was James Cameron's billion dollar movie which was to make him one of the most talked about directors, now is Alfonso Cuaron's time.

Gravity sets the scene in outer space where we see Dr Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) attached to the explorer shuttle and working on the Hubble Space Telescope while we see Lieutenant Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) on a space walk flying around the shuttle trying to set a new record. Flight engineer Shariff Dasari (Paul Sharma) is attached to the shuttle and finishing up his latest repairs while also fooling around being tethered to the shuttle. 

Soon enough a transmission from mission control Houston (voiced by Ed Harris) comes through telling the team to abort the mission as a Russian missile strike on a satellite has caused a chain reaction of debris to come hurtling towards the shuttle. As the debris hits Explorer the crew are thrown into chaos, Ryan is still attached to the arm of Explorer and is spun around numerous times, Kowalski keeps shouting for her to detach. Detaching and being thrown into space she is soon spinning out of control with nowhere to to and soon panics and hyperventilates. 

With both of the astronauts stranded and floating around in space its only a matter of time until their oxygen runs out and they have yet to find a way back to Earth. 

For everything Cuaron has done with the film it has all been cleverly thought out as every shot and camera angle has been planned. The visual effects are just something I have never seen before, seeing the curvature of the earth at one point with the northern lights green effect is just astounding to see. The debris that flys around on screen looks really impressive and at times you have to stop and say "this isn't a documentary" as it looks visually that good you think it's real.

I have to mention the 3D aspect as for some films it is used as a gimmick to get bums on seats but with Gravity the 3D is used to enhance the film and it does it perfectly. With Ryan being thrown in circles on screen she comes flying towards you at one point, bolts, tears and floating objects all come towards you subtly. 

One thing the film does is it disorientates you completely, not knowing where the character is going and just floating around upside down and round and round. And with no fixed point of land/Earth you can't gauge where the character will go next and I have had people comment it left them feeling abit of motion sickness. And this to me is another quality to the film it effects your body, feeling motion sickness and also out of breath when Ryan is gasping for air it just effects you so much. 

In my opinion the story of the film could have been worked on abit more as it is at times easy to work out, sound wise it can at times be alit bit too loud and abit much. But for what Cuaron has produced is a sheer masterpiece of filmaking, a film that can rival and stand up against Cameron's Avatar and Howard's Apollo 13 this is one film to stand the test of time. Come award season let's just expect Gravity to be in every category apart from Animated film. 

A stunning, visually aweing, incredible, immersive sci-fi film that will leave you breathless and wanting it to never end.

10/10.

Enders Game!!!!

Enders Game.

Sci-fi films have been coming thick and fast this year and this an adaptation of Orson Scott Card's book is another one to add to the list. Set in the future it sees the human race devastated by an alien attack, with a future much bigger attack imminent the government seeks out a young mind to lead them. 

Andrew 'Ender' Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is a young demure character who is nothing but tormented every day while on the program. Being shunned as an outcast he struggles to socialise with his other cadets and is soon kicked off the program as he didn't make the grade to advance to the next level of training. Finally back home he is visited by Colnel Graff (Harrison Ford) and Major Gwen Anderson (Viola Davis) who decided to recruit Ender to come back as he showed great potential. 

As Ender again struggles to fit in he finally finds a friend in Petra (Hailee Steinfeld) with whom he trains with and strikes up the one true friend he can rely on. Moved onto lead his own Dragon Army he finally starts to earn the respect from his fellow cadets and again shows promise working on tactics in practice sphere's and also impressing Colonel Graff in simulation alien attacks. 

Ender of course has psychological problems to overcome as well, vivid dreams and a relationship with his sister Valentine (Abigail Breslin) that is constantly strained with long periods of lost contact with her. He not only has the moral dilemma of what he should do during the finally battle with the alien race but also what the aliens are trying to tell him in his dreams. 

Showcasing what is a more younger style sci-fi film it is an interesting take on the future of the human race when an alien race threatens to attack. Asa Butterfield plays Ender really well and brings across a very confused and conflicted but strong character who values his family alot especially his sister. 

I have to say the ending was to be desired it just felt too up in the air and no particularly nailed down but it was an overall goo film. The special effects were great and brought the film to life, a better more elaborate back story for the alien race would have made the film more interesting but then sticking to a story from a book and not deviating from the text can be hard to do. 

An overall good sci-fi film that showcases alot of younger up and coming actors with an interesting future of the human race.

7/10.

Elysium!!!!

Elysium.

I have to say this is a film that has been speculated ever since director Neil Blomkamp's released his first major film 'District 9' which was to be highly rated by critics at it's take in the future. With people speculating that this film was a sequel to District 9 and then some saying it was a prequel, speculations quashed it was announced to be an entirely new story. 

Set in the future we see how the rich and the poor are divided, the poor living in the squalor on Earth and the rich living on a huge floating space station called Elysium. With humans living in the poorest of conditions day to day it is a battle to survive and obviously soon enough something has to happen to make the people snap. With the rich living on Elysium everything is perfect for them, clear skies, good food, instant "medi-pods" to instantly heal people, their lives are perfect. 

As we enter the we see how a simple worker Max (Matt Damon) works for weapons manufacturer and soon enough is caught in a radiation chamber and is given five days to live. So his only option to live is to get himself to Elysium and to one of the medi-pod's so he can be cured of his radiation. This idea he needs friends in high places, deciding to do a favour for a black market friend Spider (Wagner Moura) Max is giving a metal enhancing suit that will make him stronger, faster and more powerful in exchange for hijacking a executive of Elysium who lives on Earth and stealing some information off him via his brain. 

With Max deciding to take on this task he is up against a formidable foe as the head of Elysium Delacourt (Jodie Foster) sends her best mercenary Kruger (Sharlto Copley) to take him out once and for all. As Max and his fellow crew try to get to Elysium certain situations change and the group are even more desperate to get to Elysium but will they make it there?

This film does feel like the best of this years major sci-fi releases, Oblivion and After Earth being these other two films released this year. Elysium just feels more relate able and something that is not confined to just two or three characters as you have a whole race of people relying on these renegade people wanting to change and stop the social split on Earth. The whole idea and premise is great, poor VS the rich and how they are both split morally is clever and really brings that urge inside you to side with one or the other. 

Matt Damon is a great character but to me he just isn't too grounded, obviously he's not a fighting character like we've seen from Jason Bourne he's just a normal guy trying to do good. Sharlto Copley is the polar opposite of his character in District 9 as he plays a psychopathic mercenary and has some interesting ways to take people out. Jodie Foster just comes across as a little bit too cold and doesn't show too much emotion but then again her character is a stern faced executive so she has to be like that.

A great and really enjoyable sci-fi film that really does make you think about the whole social class system that we have in the world and how it could end up being in future years. The special effects are impressive and There are certain things I'd like to have seen like a bit more time spent on Elysium and maybe another character thread involving someone from Elysium and their views on people of Earth. Copley's South African is thick and at times can grate but it doesn't matter as he's a more physical character. 

For a film set in the future it scarily shows a realistic view of what the future might be and the way things could go with a massive social split. Thought provoking and definitely entertaining.

8/10.

Pacific Rim!!!!

Pacific Rim.

I have to say I am kind of biased when it comes to reviewing this film because of one reason, Guillermo Del Toro. The ever so imaginative and amazing director of some of my favourite movies from Pans Labyrinth to Blade 2 to Hellboy 1+2 he is an amazing creative genius in my eyes.

So anyway onto Pacific Rim which is GoT's first major budget film in five years and in which has been a long time coming. With a sneak peak trailer being aired at Comic Con in 2012 fans have been waiting to see the giant Jaeger's and Kaiju's in action and battle it out on the big screen in all it's glory. 

Set in a world where a rift opens up in the Pacific ocean and giant Kaiju monsters come through the rift and decide to attack the city's around the world as Sydney, Manila and China are all attacked in a matter of months which calls for decisive action. As the country's of the world call a truce to fight a greater evil together the Jaeger program is put in place to build giant mechanical robot's to fight the Kaiju's and to stop them from destroying the world. 

As we see our first two characters on screen Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and his brother Yancy Becket (Diego Klattenhoff) are alerted to a Kaiju attack they must deploy their Jaeger Gyspy Danger and kill the Kaiju. As the brother's fight the Kaiju at first the brother's are cofident but soon enough catastrophic events take place and Gyspy Danger is soon enough flat on it's face on a near by beach defeated with an injured Raleigh. Fast forward a couple of years and we see Raleigh working on the Canadian Kaiju defence wall, now not a Jaeger pilot he moves from city to city to keep working and his mind of that catastrophic event.

Soon enough the Kaiju's are becoming stronger and are breaking through the defence walls like knives through butter and so the government has no choice but to close and shut down the Jaeger initiative. With their leader Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) given only a time frame of funding for another six months he must find a way to stop the Kaiju's once and for all and quickly. Visited by Stacker Raleigh makes the decision to re-enter the Jaeger initiative and pilot Gyspy Danger once more with a new co-pilot Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi). 

As we see the process of finding his co-pilot the rivalry between Jaeger pilots and the imminent danger of the Kaiju every day it is a race against time for the team to finish this war. As day by day more Jaeger's are taken down and destroyed by the Kaiju the team is cut down to just four Jaeger's. The Australian speedy fighting Striker Eureka piloted by Herc Hansen (Max Martini) and his son Chuck Hansen (Robert Kazinsky). The three armed Chinese all fighting Crimson Typhoon piloted by the Wei Tang triplets (Charles, Mark and Lance Luu). The heavyweight Russian Cherno Alpha piloted by husband and wife Lt. S+A Kaidanovsky (Robert Maillet and Heather Doerksen). 

As the pilots fight the Kaiju's out in the world the Shatterdome (home of the team) scientists try to work out how the Kaiju work and how they communicate. Dr Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) and Gottlieb (Burn Gorman) work together to try and learn about the Kaiju, even approaching Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman) a back street underground Kaiju dealer in parts the try to find out information to defeat the Kaiju anyway possible. 

With the imminent threat of a high class of Kaiju to come through the rift and destroy the rest of life on earth the team must form a plan and follow through quick but what will happen?!

Overall a great film especially if you love Transformers, Godzilla and the whole Gundam Wing franchise as this film has a great mix of all three with some massive fight scenes added on top. The Jaeger's on screen look daunting and yet powerful and forceful, the Kaiju look again massive, impressive and at times scary as well. I could go into detail about the lighting and how well it was used, the sound effects and little touches of western spurs chinking on boots to how impresive the sets look but I could be here for hours. 

The characters were believable and really brought the story forward, a downside was that of Stacker Penetcost as he just felt a little bit too overly cold in my opinion and the film could have slowed down a little bit in order to take all the information in. But I have to say this is impressive film making from GoT and I really hope that we don't have to wait another five years for another film from him.

So if you want to see a film with massive robot's versus giant Kaiju monsters with an emotive underlying theme then check this film out as it is in my eyes an amazing film that is not to be missed. Welcome back Guillermo Del Toro........Pacific Rim 2 now, PLEASE??!

9/10.

After Earth!!!!

After Earth.

For what looked to be a great ensemble of producers,director and actors, After Earth looked promising and the trailer boasted a visually stunning landscape and yet another take on Earth in the future.  The film itself reads to be a Smith family orientated film outing with wife Jada Pinkett Smith in a producing role her younger brother Caleeb Pinkett producing and Will Smith producing and writer of the story the whole family is involved. Let's not also forget that Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith are also starring in the film, the only person not involved with the film is Will's younger daughter Willow Smith. Obviously the directing role is given to director M. Night Shyamalan whose film credits are of either hit films or films that have completely flopped so lets hope this is a hit for him. 

The film starts showing that the earth was hit by a environmental cataclysm so all humans left to inhabit another plant called Nova Prime. Jump 1000 years later and you see chief ranger Cypher (Will Smith) leading the fight against the monsters (Ursas) who threaten to take over Nova Prime . Learning how to suppress his feeling of fear called 'ghosting' he is able to be undetected by the Ursas and trains his other rangers to do the same thing. 

As we see his son Kitai (Jaden Smith) training to be a ranger just like his dad he doesn't make the grade and soon enough convinced by his wife Faia (Sophie Okonedo) Cypher takes his son on one last mission before he retires. As the father and son are on the aircraft it soon enough crash lands and Cypher is badly injured from the crash and Kitai is left to travel to the tail end of the craft to send a distress beacon to save them both.

The rest of the film is pretty much a basic storyline of how the son fights giant animals on Earth and finally learns how to ghost and fight off an Ursa he finds a beacon and sends the beacon into the atmosphere saving himself and his father. END. As you can tell I just gave away the whole film be to be honest I've done you a massive favour as the film itself is quite awful and another film to add to Shyamalan's list of failure films. The storyline is slow and doesn't keep you hooked or interested with the overly stupid quotes from smith like "take a knee" is just aggravating. With one scene where Cypher tells his son a story his accent changes from southern Texas to Jamaican to English and back to American it just doesn't make sense and confused me. 

The acting is wooden as Jaden Smith plays Kitai like a spoilt brat who doesn't want to do anything his father says, it's like a reality TV version of "At Home with The Smiths". Will Smith himself is just stern faced, maybe that's because his character controls his emotions well but he's just cold. And of course this has to be the film where Will Smith has been sat down for most of the film and his character is not really needed at all. 

The only upside to the film is the clever internal decor of the space craft with a mixture of wood and fabrics mixed with metal it shows the potentially futuristic renewable designs of space crafts. The weapons and technology are impressive with a single weapon that transforms the blade into other blades and can split in two is clever. 

Overall it has to be the worst film I've seen this year, at a measly 100 minutes it's short and sharp and leaves a very bitter taste in your mouth and you won't get the 100 minutes of your life back either. If you want to go and see this film at some point then by all means do so but just let me say this "I told you it was rubbish".

2/10.

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.