Film Review: Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty   6/10

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Joel Edgerton
Plot: a film following the decade long hunt for Osama bin Laden, spanning from 2001 to 2011.

The Oscar season proved how diverse a year 2012 to 2013 had been in film; boasting historical epics, disaster dramas, a musical and book adaptations. Most notably however, a thriller centring around the hunt for Osama Bin Laden was nominated for Best Picture… created by a female director.

Kathryn Bigelow steers a very ambitious film here, proving how female directors can be just as diverse, ambitious and dark as their male counterparts. The film skips through the intensive decade-long investigation, picking out key events and interrogations to fill us in on those main figures involved. Most of all, the film feels incredibly real, with a more documentary edge to it, rather than a sugar-coated Hollywood thriller. In turn, this successfully amplifies the scenes of intense interrogation, as well as some gritty policing – much of this is thanks to the very morbid cinematography and realistic camera-work. Also, whilst the trailer attempts to boast the films action, it is wrong to say this is an action film. The use of hand-held cameras, lack of soundtrack and amplified sounds work eerily well, making the explosions all the more random and shocking. Therefore, it’s safe to say that Bigelow has put her own, fresh stamp on action, proving that Michael Bay-styled (Transfomers) action, isn't always the best way.

Jessica Chastain fronts a cast of mostly unknown actors and actresses here; thankfully, it completely assists the sense of realism (with no famous stars to typecast to other roles!) Chastain, having shone in The Help, gets immersed into the case, completely unafraid of looking rather bleak during the morbid moments in the case. Similarly, Chastain deals with moments of intense anger and authority excellently.

Where the film seems to falter is in its pacing; whilst the case is incredibly engaging and its length unknown to those involved at the time, the film has little rhythm or drive. Unfortunately, this makes the film feel a little tedious during the second act, especially as the world already knows how this film ends.

In Conclusion: Bigelow presents an incredibly engaging and realistic portrayal of such a famous case. She has been ruthless and unafraid to get down and dirty and whilst the pacing falters, its understated finale is incredibly gripping and makes you forget its previous timing problems.

Film Review: Wreck-It Ralph

Wreck-It Ralph   6/10
Director: Rich Moore
Starring: John. C Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer
Plot: Video game icon Ralph, travels through an arcade from game to game, in a desperate attempt to be a hero.

The animation market has become incredibly diluted in recent years; in 2012 alone, audiences saw Brave, Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, The Lorax, Madagascar 3, Paranorman and Rise of the Guardians, to name a few. Unfortunately, it seems that;  the more animations, the more predictable they become – Wreck-It Ralph however seems to have revived my interest in a little.

Set across numerous video game worlds, Wreck-It Ralph is packed full of references to childhood favourites and the essence of these game worlds are captured perfectly. John C Reilly is the perfect choice to voice Ralph, switching from being an ‘emotional wreck,’ to angry and to sad in a matter of seconds as well as pulling off comedy (which he seems to do best, an example being in Step Brothers). Funnily enough, Reilly did have some input and has been credited as a writer for the project. This is, therefore, where the film really shines – in its script. There are jokes for children and adults alike, and they’re pleasingly consistent throughout.

Looking at the downsides, the film isn't particularly noteworthy for its animation. There are moments where the film is bursting with colour yet there’s nothing unique when compared to other animations that have gone before; it could still be seen as equally effective as some of the greats from over ten years ago. Similarly, the film isn't entirely fantastic on its characters; there seems to be an abundance of them thrown into the mix, and they all seem to pop in and out for little or no reason (something they could have held back on by introducing characters in possible sequels).

In Conclusion: Wreck-It Ralph sits towards the middle of the animation market; with its clever gags, fabulous voice actors and a fresh storyline. On the downside, it still doesn’t fit into the top band alongside Finding Nemo and The Incredibles (I think) and a sequel may not be entirely welcomed or needed.

Film Review: Man of Steel

Man of Steel    6/10

Director: Zac Synder
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon
Plot: Earth is invaded and a man named ‘Kal-El’ must attack the people of his own kind in the hope of saving those who inhabit Earth.

Zac Synder’s career has been fairly turbulent to say the least; ranging from the fan-boy antics of Watchmen and 300, to the questionable and bizarre Sucker Punch. Synder has met himself in the middle with Man of Steel, and has only just improved on the lacklustre Superman Returns from 2006.

Firstly, Man of Steel successfully weaves Clark Kent’s youth with his present day; becoming closer and closer as the film progresses. Undoubtedly, as Executive Producer, Christopher Nolan’s stamp can well and truly be seen here as the Batman layer of darkness and murkiness has been applied. In addition to this, Synder, much like his previous ventures creates enormous and lengthy scenes of intense action, particularly during a siege and attack in the beginning, making Iron Man 3 look like a made-for-TV film!

As for the films stars, there’s nothing particularly interesting here. Henry Cavill as Clark Kent certainly looks the part, yet the rather limited script leaves little room for proper character development (alas, a sequel is inevitable). Amy Adams as Lois Lane is an interesting choice and although I’ve seen little of previous instalments; it seems that Teri Hatcher shall always helm the role of Lois Lane. It also seems a little bizarre that so many other characters are thrown into the mix with little merit; as audiences see cities fall to rubble, numerous men in suits and women in dresses run around, fearing for their lives - yet it’s difficult to feel anything for them as their input to the film is limited.

In Conclusion: Synder seems to have grasped the origin story of Superman perfectly. However, the action is rather overdone (which he does do well, yet leaves little for coming sequels.) In addition to this, I feel that he has failed to grasp the Clarke and Lois relationship at a critical stage. Does it play up to the hype? Not really, but it’s good fun.

Film Review: Now You See Me

Now You See Me    7/10
Director: Louis Leterrier
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher
Plot: A group of illusionists are brought together to pull off a bank heist, the money from which is given to the audience – the question over how this heist will occur ensues.

In an interview with Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher, they both seemed to think that magic-themed films are notorious for failing. Please note, the highest grossing film series of all time is Harry Potter and The Prestige put Christopher Nolan securely on the map! Now You See Me is certainly a mainstream, modern day magician flick, appealing to the masses through its cast and simplistic storyline, yet nevertheless is very enjoyable.

Firstly, it is rare that a film assembles such talent and allows each of them enough time to simmer and adapt! Jesse Eisenberg is phenomenal here and essentially takes the lead, playing an incredibly slick and alert character with unintentional humour splashed in for good measure. Woody Harrelson continues using his elegantly cool acting skills here, and Isla Fisher is top-notch, stunning, and a bad-ass red-head! Others are noteworthy, including Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman playing out what they know best. There are key scenes between the two that are completely engaging and effortless to follow.

Louis Leterrier, having directed the rather laughable Clash of the Titans, films this magical extravaganza to top-notch effect. The film shines during the arena performances – the camera glides across the stage and amongst the characters, really engaging the audience with the magic. Looking at the downsides of the film, it is difficult to distinguish between the ‘real’ magic tricks and the computer generated ones. A particular swirling, Batman-like, computer-generated cloak seems too far-fetched and distracts from the apparent ‘real’ magic shown, creating doubts as to what tricks could literally be done and which cannot. Similarly, the film falters in its ending – it pulls something out of the bag (no, not a rabbit!) to little dramatic effect. It all seems a little unbelievable during the final act.

In Conclusion: Now You See Me surprises its audiences with its utter coolness. All the characters are worth every moment of screen time. The tricks are (mostly) pulled off to fantastic dramatic effect; riveting for audiences. In addition to this, its incredible fast pace is great fun, however, the final few scenes do suffer because of it.