Film Review: Pitch Perfect 2

Pitch Perfect 2   6/10
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Elizabeth Banks
Plot: The Barden Bellas compete for a second time, but will they succeed in the Worldwide Acapella Championships?

"We're back, pitches"

2012's Pitch Perfect, on its minuscule Hollywood budget of $17 million, managed to reign in a whooping $115 million at the worldwide box office. Not only did the production greatly profit, but it catapulted its leads to super stardom; donning magazine covers and chat shows, Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson have become household names across the globe. Three years on, the Barden Bellas return, yet do they succeed in reaching such sky-high expectations?

Not exactly.

Elizabeth Banks has taken a break from hemming outrageous wigs in 'The Hunger Games', instead directing the Barden Bellas to their next acapella tournament. Now, the first installment (in the now-trilogy) balanced its comedic wit, slapstick humour and musical numbers with a refreshing ease. While it is clear that the sequel strives for bigger performances and more outrageous stunts (queue the opening scene), it all falls a little flat. Banks' direction feels a little chaotic, with the 112 minutes feeling a little tedious at times.

In addition, the first film set the ground work for its characters perfectly. Unfortunately for round two, there's little movement in the way of character development.

While it's easy to pick out the negatives, Pitch Perfect 2 does hit some right notes. The leads are all on top form; Anna Kendrick's lovable goofiness continues to shine, and Rebel Wilson rightfully receives more screen time this time around. Not to forget the final performance, which picks up the entire production and ends the film on a high note.

In Conclusion: Pitch Perfect 2 has clearly suffered from the sequel treatment. The mash ups aren't as fun, there's way too many characters and there's a messy amount of side stories. Ultimately, the leads keep the whole thing stuck together and the occasional giggle will make it worth your time and money.

Film Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2    9.5/10
Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Plot: Katniss must kill President Snow for good, otherwise Panem will remain under his rule forever.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, you'll be fully aware that splitting a novel across multiple movies has become all the rage. While Harry Potter nailed the split and The Hobbit failed miserably, it's time for Francis Lawrence to send The Hunger Games franchise out with a bang - but is he able to do it with only half a novel?

Following on from the rather dark and morbid final scene of Mockingjay - Part 1, we find Katniss ready for war at the start of Part 2. Jennifer Lawrence is as emotionally captivating as you can imagine (and more). The Oscar-winner masters the pre-battle speeches, moments of loss and gigantic action sequences like a true heroine. It's fair to say that after four giant blockbuster movies as Katniss Everdeen, Lawrence has truly made this franchise her own; and while the remainder of the cast remain very much in support mode, they are not without their standout performances.

Donald Sutherland as President Snow remains one of the most infuriating yet fantastic villains in recent years. Sutherland doesn't need to raise his voice once, as his truly punishing stare and haunting presence fills the entire screen (which has become increasingly rare in Hollywood blockbusters). Josh Hutcherson finally shines as the brainwashed and very much troubled Peeta Mellark. Meanwhile, fan favourites Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, and Woody Harrelson as Haymith Abernathy, return for very sweet but awfully short scenes. With the acting box well and truly ticked for the grand finale, is this the most satisfying conclusion for worldwide audiences? The answer may well be mixed. 

The movie's IMDb rating currently sits at 7.0 out of 10, while RottenTomatoes holds a 70% approval rating. Looking back, Mockingjay - Part 1 forced the franchise to stoop to a new box office low. To counteract this, Part 2 ramps up the action to a whole new level. Director Francis Lawrence has turned the Capitol into a giant arena, with boobie traps around every corner. From zombie mutts to giant machine guns, the final hour plays out like a giant goose chase, as Katniss and co. race to President Snow's mansion before it's too late. Most notably, a sequence involving Katniss and Gale marching towards Snow's Mansion is one of the most intense and perfectly assembled in the entire series.

With all that said, this may not be the conclusion non-book readers were hoping for. With the 137-minute running time dedicating itself entirely to the original source material, moviegoers may well be disappointed with the lack of Return-Of-The-King-styled action. However, for the dedicated readers of the book, the more emotionally charged script leads for a refreshingly different finish, as the action takes a backseat to the story line.

In Conclusion: Though Catching Fire may well be the strongest entry in the series, Francis Lawrence steers The Hunger Games to its truly grand finale, with one of the most faithful young-adult adaptations to date. With its political and cultural backdrop becoming increasingly significant in today's culture, the story of Katniss Everdeen will go down as one of Hollywood's greatest.

“The Divergent Series” – Is The ‘Part 1’ and ‘Part 2’ Craze Dying Out?

The Divergent series is one of those that you’ve either heard of or you haven’t. You’re most probably aware of it if you’re a young adult, avid reader of popular fiction or dragged to your local multiplex by a younger relative. With news that the final novel in the trilogy shall be - once again - split across two, feature-length instalments, it begs the ultimate question… is the series really that popular?
 
The Divergent series of books sold in excess of six millions copies in 2013 alone, topped USA Today’s Best-Seller List and won numerous accolades in the process. Unsurprisingly, before the series grew into the young adult phenomenon it has become, Summit Entertainment had already picked up the film rights back in March 2011. No doubt, following The Twilight Saga’s incredible success, Summit were quick to pick up the new hot topic before the bidding war commenced. Likewise, before fans knew it, Shailene Woodley and Theo James had already signed up as the two leads.

Following its debut in 2014 with an $85 million budget, Divergent managed to draw in an audience of $288.7 million worldwide. Clearly, the numbers show a success story but comparing it to its predecessors? Not so much. The Twilight Saga’s first instalment pulled in a mighty $392 million worldwide on a mightily small budget of $37 million. Similarly, the first outing in The Hunger Games series accumulated $691 million, also on a smaller budget than Divergent. So why, may you be asking, should we be making these comparisons when Divergent is still raking in the cash?

Well, 2015 saw Divergent’s sequel Insurgent smash onto cinema screens across the globe. Now, even after cranking up the budget to $110 million (with marketing and advertising costs not included in this figure), Insurgent pulled in only a slice more than its predecessor, coming in at $295.2 million. While this figure doesn’t take into account DVD, on-demand and television broadcast revenue, it’s very clear that the series has suffered something of a tumbling block – a waning interest, you could say.

Now, this is where the real question comes into place. Following the news that the final novel in the series – Allegiant – would be split into two, only last week did Summit announce the surprising titles of the two final parts. While Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games series have embraced the ‘Part 1’ and ‘Part 2’ titles for their respective final novels, Divergent has decided to change to Allegiant (the title of the final novel) and the newly-introduced Ascendant for the fourth and final part.

Why does a series finale need to create a completely new name? Well, the fatigue surrounding splitting novels was evident in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, which underperformed and took in over $100 million less than its previous outing, Catching Fire. Summit clearly want non-book readers to forget that Allegiant will be stretched across two feature films. Similarly, if the original Allegiant – Part 1 had taken in an even smaller box office than Insurgent, it could prove fatal to the series, especially with the budget likely to balloon for a more explosive and satisfying ending.

It’s also important to note that Insurgent wasn’t as favourable with the fans as hoped. Major changes were made during the adaptation process, with fans questioning where the series could go next. Meanwhile, it’s been proven to be a box office disaster to upset fans in the past (note The Mortal Instruments).

Overall, it’s strange to see a movie series with a moderately sized audience stretch out an additional two films when - taking into marketing and advertising costs – its previous outing barely put any pennies into the profit pot; particularly when there’s two more blockbusters to fund.


As much as we can speculate and question whether Allegiant and Ascendant will satisfy the book fans and pull in those that have only kept up to scratch by screen, only time will tell.
Take a look for yourself at Allegiant’s new and exclusive first-look trailer below.

Film Review: The Visit

The Visit     8/10

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan
Plot: Two children visit their grandparents, yet not everything is quite what it seems.

**Major spoilers**

M. Night Shyamalan is probably the most famous hit-and-miss director on the Hollywood scene. With The Last Airbender and Lady In The Water being widely recognised as some of the worst films ever made, Night still receives the attention he deserves from his early hits such as Signs and The Sixth Sense. With many critical and financial misses in recent years, can Shyamalan resurrect his sinking career with The Visit?


Whether you're a fan of found footage or not, it's important to note that The Visit isn't your typical shakey-cam mess. Firstly, young actress Olivia DeJonge plays Becca; a budding young documentary director. As a result, the camerawork is far easier to follow than previous features in the genre. Funnily enough, it's probably the best use of this particular format since the first Paranormal Activity. Shyamalan has a keen eye for ensuring all the crucial action plays out on-screen, allowing audiences to feast their terrified little eyes on the whole picture - and boy does he succeed!

The Visit is a film that you'll talk about for months to come. Why, you may ask? It's far more memorable than other horror films in recent memory and that's because it isn't afraid to have a little laugh at itself. Viewers will be talking about scenes like the hide and seek encounter under the house, the cleaning of the oven, adult nappies and a terrifying bedroom finale. For those that haven't yet seen the film, you'll probably dwell on the 'adult nappies' for a moment - and rightly so - as Shyamalan has proved that you can gross out a modern-day audience without the need for SAW-esque gore. Likewise, the unveiling as to who the grandparents really are is also a nice surprise. You're almost led into believing that they're possessed or alien, when they've actually escaped from a psychiatric hospital (chilling stuff!)

As well as Shyamalan's innovative new stance on the overused found-footage genre, the casting is impeccable. Most notably is Deanna Dunagan as the children's supposed grandmother. In fact, Deanna is so chilling as the elderly character that she doesn't even need many lines. The most terrifying of moments are when she's stationery and staring into the camera. It's also important to take note of the two young leads, DeJonge and Oxenbould, who play Becca and Tyler respectively. Oxenbould as Tyler allows for some more lighter moments throughout the film, which work surprisingly well for such a chilling production. Likewise, the two work particularly well on-screen and seem a little more practical and clever than your typical scream-teens, something audiences seem to have numbed to.

In Conclusion: While It Follows became one of the most talked about horrors of 2014, The Visit steals the crown this year. Shyamalan handles the handheld genre as it was originally intended and with a terrific cast, unique scares and an interesting twist thrown in for good measure, Shyamalan is truly back.

Attraction Review: Studio Tour London, The Making of Harry Potter

Review: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
Location: Leavesden Studios, Watford, London

The Harry Potter film series has in total grossed $7.7 billion worldwide, with all eight films ranking in the 35 highest grossing films of all time. All films have received critical acclaim, picked up various BAFTAs and received nine Oscar nominations throughout its 10 year run and  to celebrate or commemorate the end of the series, Warner Brothers  have opened the ‘Studio Tour London’ to put the exquisite sets, costumes, make up and effects on show to the public.

Warner Brothers have, successfully, brought to the public, a great Potter experience. The Studio Tour is a real winner with plenty of ‘wow factor’ with its original sets; on-location (or near enough). The initial feeling of stepping onto the stone floor of the Great Hall is, sorry for the cliché, truly magical. The long tables, cutlery, plates and house colours show the amount of detail put into every aspect of the making of the Potter films with every part of the Hall getting its unique wizarding stamp (there is so much to see!). At the end of the Hall it is fantastic seeing the mannequin’s, representing the teachers, wearing their original clothing along with the House Point Hourglass, which has never featured heavily in the films, which is a shame, because it’s a real statement as you walk towards Dumbledore’s reading stand.

As the tour progresses, you get to see many seasonal-themed Hogwarts items, including feasts from the Yule Ball from the Goblet of Fire. There are a number of walk-by sets included too (which only die-hards fans would remember) including the Hogwarts gates, Leaky Cauldron corridor and cauldron. The tour should also be praised for being so spacious, whilst smothering the surroundings with even the smallest of sets and props (the seven Horcruxes, especially the diadem, are fantastic in the flesh). Dumbledore’s office is another great set with; the high ceilings covered in paintings of previous Hogwarts headmasters, the memory cabinet, Pensieve and, if you look carefully, the sword of Gryffindor all look so real, expensive and, in a good way, old. As well as the sets, a number of items, which mainly featured in the action sequences, appear including the Gringotts cart, Hagrid’s motorbike, Knight Bus and Quidditch broomsticks. All of them are seen in-action on large screens, along with commentary from the cast and crew with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage. The famous Butter Beer also features on the tour which, disappointingly, doesn’t taste as one would hope however it’s an experience that had to be endured!

In conclusion: The Harry Potter Studio Tour London is something that every Potter fan must experience at some point in their lives, the feeling of stepping into the real Great Hall, knowing the famous actors and actresses have performed their magic there, as well as all the scenes that took place there is an unmissable treat. As well as the Great Hall, Diagon Alley is a feature not to be missed too, as you see all the different shops with their windows stacked high with magic-related items. Not only is this a trip for Potter fans but for film fans too, as the genius art behind film making in general is explored. You couldn’t possibly go wrong.