Warcraft (Review)

Warcraft: The Beginning (Film Review) 2016

Warcraft: The Beginning is a 2016 fantasy film directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code).

Warcraft follows an ongoing battle between the human Alliance and the orc army Horde. The Horde create a magical portal to the human realm to conquer their world.

I received free tickets to the preview of Warcraft in the Savoy, and have to say I wouldn't have gone otherwise.

Warcraft is a mindless fantasy film designed solely for fans of action or the Warcraft franchise. I don't feel the film has the ability to stand on its own due to its low quality. I found the title, ''Warcraft: The Beginning'' to be over-confident, assuming box office success and therefore a sequel. I feel that the film is too weak to perform well a second time.

The plot was underdeveloped and was got convoluted easily. At some points during the film, I dropped my concentration and missed some plot points, and I have to say that I really didn't care. The film was so unengaging that I forgot most of the characters' names and felt hardly anything towards them.

The film wasn't complete trash. While I am not a fan of the fantasy or sci-fi genre, the CGI and visual effects were quite good. I felt that some of the visual effects, such as the spells used by some characters, were very impressive. Some of the characters also had interesting CGI designs. Although, the CGI was extremely excessive at some points.

Warcraft can be described simply as fun and mindless. The former only applying if you're a massive fan of this sort of film.

I give Warcraft: The Beginning 4/10.

Runtime 123 minutes (feels twice as long), rated 12a.

Black Mirror (Review)

Black Mirror is a British anthology series by Charlie Brooker.                                                                                                                          
Each 40 minute episode follows different characters in different situations. The episodes generally follow a theme of the effect of technology on society, especially in the future. The show is constantly compared to the Twilight Zone.

Black Mirror is going to be renewed as a 12 episode Netflix show this year which I'm really looking forward to.   

Each episode is very high quality. This includes the acting, soundtrack and especially the story-lines. The stories are all very unique and interesting, and usually contain a twist. The premier follows a politician being threatened on live television, the second follows a virtual reality concept. The episodes jump from idea-to-idea very quickly, but the messages for all the episodes are still very similar. The episodes never really drop in quality, although I definitely preferred the first season. 

I would give Black Mirror 8.5/10, and would definitely recommend it.

Rated 15, runtime 42 minutes.

Drive (Review)

Drive (Film Review) 2011

Drive is a 2011 crime thriller directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling.

Drive follows a stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) who also works as a criminal getaway driver.

Drive is an extremely stylised film, both the cinematography and soundtrack are very unique and give the feeling of the 80s. There's definitely a great amount of attention to detail.

I found Ryan Gosling' character's cold attitude overdone and repetitive. Although his acting was good, the character brief was dull.

The plot was engaging and didn't drop in consistency. It was filled with interesting twists and dialogue.

Overall, Drive is an excellent movie. It's very entertaining and stylistic, with a good quality cast and soundtrack.

I give Drive 8/10.

Rated 18, runtime 100 minutes

Eye in the Sky (Film Review) 2016

Eye in the Sky (Film Review)

Eye in the Sky is a 2016 political thriller starring Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul and Alan Rickman.

A military colonel orders a drone strike on a terrorist group in Kenya, but the ethics board worries about the morality of killing innocent civilians.

Eye in the Sky is very tense, and the great cast's acting also adds to the intensity. The feeling of limited time is portrayed very well.

I can't deduce whether its accusations of propaganda are true. I felt that both sides of the drone strike were portrayed as mixed morally.

The movie didn't have any major flaws, but wasn't ridiculously impressive. Some characters should have been developed more to add to the film's engagement. It was a very enjoyable and tense movie.

I would give Eye in the Sky 8/10.

Rated 12a, runtime 103 minutes