Film Review: Contagion

DVD: Contagion   9/10
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne

Plot: a medical thriller surrounding a deadly outbreak of a killer disease and how a team of worldwide doctors try to stop it.

2012 and The Day After Tomorrow all did well at the box office, they proved to worry audiences by presenting large set pieces of major cities blowing up with sky scrapers falling to the ground and couples crying as they spend their last few moments together… BOO HOOO! Contagion, finally, is a disaster that is both believable and terrifying… the deserted streets are extremely disturbing as well as the lack of body bags for those who have died from the disease. Soderbergh, at last, has captured the human side to a worldwide disaster. There’s no world leaders running around shouting ‘there’s no hope’, there’s no stereotypes of divorced parents reuniting as the world ends (2012) and there is certainly not much action in the film.

The scenes located in small rooms; filled with health officials discussing the spreading of disease, becomes extremely claustrophobic and frightening and shows how real scientists, humane ones, would react to a worldwide disaster. You can tell that the writers spent time heavily researching how scientists deal with the control of disease, which they did, and it has been praised by audiences and critics alike for its realness.

The film, also, is extremely disjointed, strangely though, whilst this would usually be annoying, it gives way for plenty of stories to coincide with one another, allowing each situation to unravel before our eyes. It’s a shame, however, that many loose ends remain when the film ends, which it does abruptly, yet the writing is done to top notch effect and the trailers, honestly, do not show the best bits. Whilst disease ridden people and the virus attacking the human body is thrilling, the moments of speech and political dealings are far more rewarding, and this film is truly a thriller and shouldn’t be classed as it was marked, which was a zombie-like horror.

In conclusion: Contagion stands against previous disaster films with pride, with fantastic performances from Jude Law (though a dodgy accent), Kate Winslet and Matt Damon. For once, action isn’t what’s needed to make a great disaster film, a bunch of scientists and close-ups of germs do it perfectly instead.

Film Review: Hugo

DVD: Hugo  6/10
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley
Plot: an orphan hiding in the walls of a 1930s Paris train station uncovers a mystery concerning his late father.

Martin Scorsese couldn’t have had a different career change after helming Shutter Island, The Aviator, The Departed and Taxi Driver. Hugo, as you can tell, is his first children’s film – the famous director has decided to move away from mental asylums, gangs and airplanes that usually inhibit his films and instead go child-friendly in his new venture, a move which transitions surprisingly well, with an effective edge to it. Hugo is a new turn for the children’s market, its one of the most dazzling pictures in recent years for sure, with numerous shots zooming through the busy streets of Paris, with Scorsese making the most of his 3D budget. The intricate detail in the clockwork of Hugo’s ‘automaton’ (a robot left behind by his father) is marvellous – which, on demand, after the correct key is found, begins to draw a hidden message for which Hugo decides to decode as the film unravels.

Modern audiences however may not warm to the message of Hugo which is the history of film, as the second half of the film focuses on the first moving picture ever made, its effect on the audience and how film has transformed over time. It comes across as more of a documentary on numerous occasions and may be a little too heavy for little ones, with long passages of dialogue and a hefty 126-minute running time, perhaps too much for an Alvin and the Chipmunks generation. It’s true though, the middle section of the film does drag a little and the lack of movement in parts can be slightly dull, but set pieces including a gliding train and Hugo hanging off of a giant clock (as seen in the poster) are all worth the wait.

The film’s star, Asa Butterfield (known for starring in The Boy With The Striped Pyjamas and Nanny Mcphee and the Big Bang), plays Hugo, and does fairly well in carrying the film. Hugo as a character however isn’t particurly interesting compared to his on-screen friend, Isabella, played by Chloe Grace Moretz. Moretz does well in changing from an American to a British accent and plays her part very well. The film also features an array of A-list actors and actresses including Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Helen McCrory, Christopher Lee and Richard Griffiths, with most only taking to the screen for a moment or two. Finally, Sacho Baron Cohen (Ali G, Borat and Bruno) plays his part of the Station Inspector to perfection, he’s never too over the top unlike some of his previous films and plays the role to a comedic nature.

The Blu-Ray, if you so happen to have it, gives a brilliant insight into how the train sequence was done and how the numerous zoom-through and close-up shots were done of Paris and the intricate clockwork in the ‘automaton’.

In conclusion: Hugo is purely a visual masterpiece. It deserved its five Oscars in visual effects and art direction amongst others, and would surprisingly be enjoyed by adults more than children, which is perhaps its biggest downfall. The middle section of the film is slow and it doesn’t seem to reach a particular climax, the ending however is sweet and forms some sort of closure to the story of Ben Kingsley’s character, Georges Melies.

Film Review: The Avengers

Cinema: The Avengers/Avengers Assemble   7/10
Director: Josh Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemworth, Scarlett Johansson
Plot: a team of superheroes unite to form ‘The Avengers’ to protect the Earth from Loki and his deadly followers.

The build-up to the Avengers started four years ago back in 2008 with the release of Iron Man. The film received critical acclaim and became a box office sensation, launching Robert Downey Jr. into the spotlight. The success of the film obviously shook Marvel and gave them a good old wake up call as they begun to plan an additional three superhero films including; Thor, Captain America and of course, Iron Man 2. The initial idea of an Avengers film was announced back in April 2005, however the plans were dismissed as the characters weren’t familiar with mainstream audiences. All films proved to be a hit with audiences across the globe, leaving Marvel to eye-up the Avengers, a group which had originally been initiated in comic form. The move from page to screen has done phenomenally well; you could say the previous films were all cashing up to milk this final ‘cow’, and it’s most probably true, however you need to see this film before you begin to criticise it because it was truly phenomenal.

Josh Whedon, the writer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Toy Story, Serenity and 2012s Cabin In The Woods, has said in interviews that this project has been what he’s “always dreamed of” as a child and you can definitely see why. The first third of the scene brings the characters together one by one; we return to our known favourites Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) whilst establishing the new on-screen heroes consisting of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). We instantly grow to love the new additions to the superhero clan whilst admiring the old. Black Widow proves to be one of the main characters of the whole film, brilliantly portrayed by Scarlett Johannson (who had a small part in Iron Man 2). Johannson deals with the action brilliantly as Black Widow, she relies on one-on-one combat and fast-moving punches to amuse the audience while others rely on their superpowers. We also come across the newly-placed Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), who fits into the new role fantastically, blowing all previous versions of the green monster out of the water. It’s interesting how Ruffalo is the first actor to portray the Hulk as both ‘before and after’ as it were, while relying on motion capture to play the Hulk. The advantage of this is that you can definitely see that it’s Ruffalo playing the monster, especially as you see him change from man to beast. Both Thor and Captain America seem to be pushed to the back as the film progresses, which seems natural as they’re still fresh in the world’s minds from their recent feature length films; both Hemsworth and Evans play their parts well (and yes, Thor still has his hammer).

The unexpected part of the film is that it’s quite funny! The superhero ‘banter’, as it were, feels edgy and fresh, something that hasn’t been done before but translates onto the screen perfectly. There are the general back-stabbing jokes but also a lot of slapstick, something that Whedon plays around with in between the thrills. The action is definitely where this film stands tall; I saw the film in 2D and felt it to be incredibly intense (no Hulk joke intended). From the viewpoint of a 2D viewer, it seemed like a film that needed its full visibility to be fully appreciated (something that 3D distorts). The running time of the film, 142 minutes, zooms by in a flash and the film does pretty well on its own at establishing the characters for those unfamiliar with the previous Marvel instalments.

The only slightly strange part of the film was the villain, Loki, Thor’s brother, whose costumes are incredibly tedious and laughable during the darker, more intense scenes (a particular helmet with rhino-like horns is the one to look out for). Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, never seems to come across as scary or at all threatening, instead he seems to rely on his staff to scare (which is no doubt cool however a little far fetched). It must also be said that the film feels a little like a pantomime; some of the jokes are tedious and the storyline is, once broken down, very basic and not at all creative. It's only the characters and the action which keeps this bubble-gum blockbuster entertaining.

The large set pieces of Iron Man flying through the city and of the aliens invading are incredibly enjoyable and satisfying; you see literally everything blow up before your eyes. The film, however, doesn’t just show the action from far above, it also has a lot of close-up fighting with characters such as Hawkeye shooting arrows from the skyscrapers, Black Widow gunning from the ground, Thor launching his hammer mid-flight and Captain America just killing anything he sees, the same for Iron Man. The Hulk also has a number of memorable moments as he launches himself through the sky, catapulting the enemy up into infinity and crushing anything in his path. The film is intensely fast in its action and barely stops to breathe, a reason why it should be seen in cinemas first time around (in 2D!)

In conclusion: Avengers Assemble is the biggest and one of the best superhero action films to ever helm the silver screen. It’s funny, intense, clever, edgy and fast-paced, it gives each character the time they deserve whilst assembling them at the best of times. Appearances from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) all add to the films A-list cast. Coming from someone who generally dislikes superhero films, there’s something here for everyone and it deserves every bit of success it receives – however it cannot be denied its humour becomes tedious, its storyline dry and predictable with a petty villian.