Film Review: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2   7/10
Director: Bill Condon
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Michael Sheen
Plot: the Cullens gather vampires from all corners of the globe in order to protect the new-born Renesmee; following false allegations from the Volturi.

The Twilight Saga is either loved or hated by an individual; all five instalments, whether you love them or hate them, have all brought something unique to the tale. Bill Condon, the director of the two Breaking Dawn parts, has finished the Twilight saga with ease.

Part 2, despite suffering from a fairly slow and uneventful Part 1, is surprisingly entertaining, funny and satisfying. The film thankfully diverges away from the anti-climatic book finale which fans all wanted to see changed. The film, unlike previous instalments, has an incredible opening ten minutes; we are thrown into an opening credits scene with wonderful cinematography and whilst this is all very touching, it’s the moment we see Bella’s eyes open that it all begins. The opening ten minutes are captivating ; Bella’s scrounge for human blood is not only fairly comical but also very informative; Condon uses impressive visuals to show vampire senses, throwing the audience into the mind of Bella which is done perfectly. As well as this, the build-up to the battle in this film is very exciting; as Bella and Edward go all over the world in search of help, we get to see all sorts of vampire powers (however, some are uninteresting and not at all inspiring!)

The only criticism I have for this film is the special effects. The opening scene was very realistic, however the final battle and moments of high velocity (when the vampires are running very, very fast) the effects are quite distracting. The new-born, super fast growing baby Renesmee also looks more like a Sims character than a real child, something a series which has grossed billions should’ve corrected.

In Conclusion: with moments of humour and intense violence, it seems the Twilight Saga has learnt from its mistakes, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and finishes with a satisfactory finale.

Film Review: Friends With Kids

Friends With Kids    5/10
Director: Jennifer Westfeldt
Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt, Adam Scott, Maya Rudolph
Plot: a tough decision between two friends occurs when they decide to have a child.

Jennifer Westfeldt took a risky decision to direct, write and star in Friends With Kids, but she pulled it off to a satisfactory level. Firstly, looking at the negatives behind the promotion; the marketing machine behind this film was awfully misleading. Most of the main cast members were in the critically adored Bridesmaids and the trailer seemed all too similar in its material, which sadly, it isn’t. Yes, Friends With Kids doesn’t have the laughs, quirkiness and shock factor Bridesmaids had, although it is indeed a sweet and relatively entertaining romantic comedy.

Jennifer Westfeldt is fairly good in her role as Julie; her on screen relationship with Adam Scott (Jason) seems realistic and sweet throughout, yet is extremely predictable and clumsy at times. Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig – the stars of Bridesmaids – are terribly underused in this film and the very rare laugh-out-loud moments mostly consist of these two characters. The film also suffers from being a little too long; yes, the acting is surprisingly good at times (especially between Scott and Westfeldt) however none of it hides the cliché and moral-ridden storyline.

In Conclusion: it’s rather forgettable, however it’s sweet, uplifting and warm at times. Friends With Kids is perfect when you’re in the mood for mind-numbing anti-romance, yet the ending is all too inconclusive and you’ll be craving more laughs.

Film Review: Red Lights

DVD: Red Lights   6/10
Director: Rodrigo Cortes
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, Elizabeth Oslen

Plot: a psychologist (Sigourney Weaver) and her assistant (Cillian Murphy) are out to prove paranomal activity is fake; however the return of the world famous Simon Silver (Robert De Niro) leads to a change in attitudes.

Paranormal films are becoming more and more the same. The same premise seems to be repeated over and over again. However, Red Lights has sparked something new in the genre.

Rodrigo Cortes, the director of the brilliant film Buried, is no doubt a very effective writer. Throughout Red Lights, we never see any kind of possession or activity which is deliberately meant to scare the audience; all of it in fact is fuelled from the plot itself. Also, the almost comical and satirical nature of the film, delivered by both Murphy and Weaver (almost mocking those believing in paranormal activity) ensures that nothing is taken too seriously. All this only fuels the suspense which grows throughout the film as the questions of whether paranormal activity is present, begins.

Sigourney Weaver is, as usual, fantastic in her role, yet nothing different to her usual. Cillian Murphy however is brilliant; as the film progresses, he receives more and more screen time, which is perfect as he steals the show consistently, with some very memorable scenes. Robert De Niro, plays a fantastic world renowned ‘magician’, achieving the impossible – Niro plays an almost chilling side to the character, which is never too obvious, it almost comes across as playful in a disturbing kind of way.

In Conclusion: Red Lights is a surprisingly good thriller/horror with some real jump-scares and moments of complete chaos. All the leads do their jobs perfectly and the finale is terribly tense, however it’s not one you would watch again.

Film Review: Skyfall

Cinema: Skyfall   8/10
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris
Plot: MI6 is under attack and 007 returns to destroy the threat.

Following the phenomenal Casino Royale in 2006, the reviews suggested that Quantum of Solace left audiences feeling a little empty. However, I thought Quantum was relatively entertaining, with enough action to cover its clumsy storyline.

Although Skyfall has been deemed by many as the best Bond yet, I don’t think it has the edge that Casino had; nor the intense bleakness. However, Skyfall does bring a number of cards to the table. Firstly, it seems more of a throwback to the old Bonds with the cars, gadgets and ‘old’ characters coming back to helm the screen. Also the plot, on the whole is fairly good; it’s a typical track down and ‘find whoever did this’ type of plot and is nice in its simplicity.

The opening scene is perhaps the best of all. Never has an opening to a Bond film had so many different angles, sections and locations! Mendes does a tremendous job of cutting from M in the office to Bond racing through markets and on rooftops, throwing the audience between the quietness of a London office to the chaos that ensues abroad. As well as the opening sequence, the title segment in which the theme song appears (by Adele) is fantastically chilling; throwing the audience into a world of villains, women and guns – it was the best possible start for a film to have been seen in a long while.

Where Skyfall seems to differ to the previous two Bonds is in its humour. Throughout, there are many one-liners which are sometimes very successful and executed at the perfect moment, yet others are a bit forced and clumsy. Many claim this to be like the original Bonds (fair enough!)

In Conclusion: Skyfall is tightly plotted, full of fantastic action sequences, humour and gadgets. Whilst it doesn’t quite reach the uniqueness and edginess of Casino Royale, it is several notches above Quantum in its scale and is a worthy Bond to continue the legend. And the ending, well, you decide.