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

The Gift (Review)

The Gift (Film Review) 2015

The Gift is a 2015 thriller film directed by Joel Edgerton, and starring Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall and Joel Edgerton.

Simon, now married, meets an old classmate, ''Gordo'', in a department store near their newly bought, perfect house. ''Gordo'' begins injecting himself into Robyn and Simon's life, becoming too close for their comfort. 

The Gift is a very beautifully filmed, but slightly unoriginal film. The shots of the very window-heavy home which the couple resides in highlights their lack of privacy, and adds a bright and modern look to the film. There are no complaints about the acting or editing, but the music can be repetitive and basic, with no original-sounding tracks. 

While the plot is engaging and interesting, loopholes were not absent. And again, I felt it wasn't a creative masterpiece, though it was a very high quality thriller, which almost everyone should find enjoyable. The very familiar home-invasion cliché is highly used throughout.

I would recommend The Gift to everyone as a really interesting and fun movie, but it definitely doesn't break any creative boundaries.

I give The Gift 6.5/10.

Rated 15, runtme 108 minutes.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Scream 1-4 (Reviews)

Scream 1-4 (Film Reviews)

''Scream'', 1994, begins the Scream film franchise. It introduces the characters of Sidney and Gale, two characters present through the four films. It is, along with the other three, directed by Wes Craven (The Hills Have Eyes, The Last House on the Left, Nightmare on Elm Street), its stars include Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette.

For those unfamiliar with the Scream film series, the character of Sidney is consistently attacked by a ''ghost-face'', wearing the iconic Scream mask. Friends and colleagues die along the way, leading to an exiting, funny, and satirical group of films.

This film begun the ''What's your favourite movie?'' prank call. The intro is probably one of the best in the history of horror, so I won't go into detail. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is living through the 1 year anniversary of her mother's murder. She begins to receive phone calls from someone who claims to be the perpetrator of her mother's murder. 

The film has some genuine scares, along with over-dramatic gore and ironic jump-scares. Scream can simply be described as very fun, and satirical. Satirical of the horror genre. 

Scream has an interesting plot, great special effects, funny dialogue and over-the-top gore. I have no complaints about the acting, and the editing and music is great, and purposefully over-dramatic. Scream really nails the atmosphere and film they were trying to create.

I give Scream 9/10.

Scream 2

Scream 2's introduction scene.

Scream 2, 1997. 

Following books having been written by the character of Gale on the events of the first film, Scream 2 follows the in-movie parallel to Scream, ''Stab''. Even characters in the film complain and joke about the over-the-top gore and dramatic acting, proving that the franchise really understands the kind of film it is.

The introduction to Scream 2 is of a screening to ''Stab''. While I didn't feel the introduction was as clever as that of Scream, it really nailed the ironic/satirical aspect of the series. 

Sydney Prescott is again tracked by a new ghost-face who is announced in the film's finale. Scream 2 follows a very similar formula to its predecessor, introduction-ghost-face contact-stalking-bloody finale and twist. I felt that Scream 2 does an even better job of spoofing slasher films and their endless sequels, ''sequels are always worse'', but slightly lacks in its originality. Its third act was my favourite sequence in the entire series, with a believable twist and exiting visuals.

I also give Scream 2 8.5/10.

Scream 3

Scream 3, 2000, further spoofs the slasher genre, actually taking place on the film set of the Scream parallel ''Stab''.

I do have to say that I enjoyed Scream 3, but I am attempting to look at these movies as individual films. Scream 3 definitely drops in quality to its predecessors.

The irony of jump-scares and gore feels slightly worn in this sequel. It feels slightly less like a fun

and satirical spoof, and more of an attempt at a serious horror film, although some of those aspects still remain. I did find myself less engaged with this Scream, some of the sequences bored me.

The finale simply wasn't as good as the previous two films, and the introduction was definitely not the film's highlight.

While I wouldn't necessarily say I was disappointed, as I still really enjoyed this entry, but it definitely dropped slightly in film quality, while the enjoyment factor does remain.

I give Scream 3 6.5/10.

SCRE4M

Scream 4 acts as a revival to the series, being made 11 years after Scream 3 (2011). The time-jump is in real-time, and the film really does take place 11 years into the future. 

Along with the original director Wes Craven and the same Sydney Prescott, Emma Roberts also joins the cast to act as the new generation of Scream. ''New Decade. New Rules.''

The film opens with a very amusing introduction. It plays off the ''film within a film'' aspect of the parallel ''Stab'' films, and is ,overall, disturbing.

I felt that Scream 4 captured the new age of horror cinema quite well, along with just being a good general adaption to a new decade.

Consistent with the other films in the franchise, Scream 4 has a mixture of genuine scares, and excessive gore, a spoof of modern horror. 

Similar to Scream 3, it also is not up to the level of Scream 1 or 2 in terms of quality. The enjoyment factor is still present, but the depth of the humour isn't as developed. 

I would also give Scream 4 7/10.

Overall, Scream is probably my favourite horror film franchise. I feel the movies have an extremely high enjoyment factor, along with humour, and the spoofing of the modern horror genre.

Rated 15-18.

Hush (Film Review) 2016

Hush (Film Review)

Hush is a 2016 home-invasion horror film directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Kate Siegel.

Hush follows a very well-known home-invasion formula, but with one major difference, the homeowner is deaf.

I felt that the difference, while impressive, isn't as impressive and risky as some viewers claim. The formula of the film is very, very identical to almost all other films of the genre. I think the film could have taken more of a risk, possibly by muting or muffling sound effects, which the film did not do. I feel that the film did add some elements to the plot which separate it from other home-invasion movies, but not enough in my opinion.

There are no complaints about the acting or scariness aspect, only the basic plot and the sometimes questionable or unrealistic aspects to the actions of the characters.

I have to comment that I definitely enjoyed watching Hush. It is definitely an entertaining movie for anyone to watch in groups around Halloween, or alone. I do admire the deafness aspect of the film, and is probably the first strong deaf character I've ever seen in a film, which is a positive.

I would give Hush 6.5/10.

Rated 15, runtime 87 minutes

Currently streaming on Netflix.