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Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Masterpiece
Mad Max: Fury Road is a Australian post-apocalyptic action film, starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron and Nicolas Hoult and is directed by George Miller.
This film is amazing! A true action film for the ages, and just like the trailers show, it's all action, it hardly slows down in its 2 hour running time, yet it also has a fun yet simple story, interesting characters and great world building.
In the stark desert wasteland populated by a broken humanity driven with survival and the unending ravage for gasoline, a loner named Max finds himself unwantedly caught in the middle of a chase while aiding the heroine Furiosa, and her female companions, she struggles to return to her homeland and escape the clutches of a ruthless dessert gang leader, Immortan Joe. With the harsh desert sands in front of them and marauders behind, only the maddest will prevail the storm.
I only just caught up with all of the previous Mad Max films and enjoyed them greatly, and i feel like this one fits right in with the previous ones. Tom Hardy has replaced Mel Gibson as "Mad" Max Rockatansky and he is just as good as Gibson, Hardy is an amazing actor and he doesn't have a lot to say in the film, like the older films, but his physical acting makes up for his lack of lines, you also understand his mental condition more in this film than previous ones which i thought was interesting, in the older films i didn't really think that Max was crazy but in this film Hardy proves that he is. Nicolas Hoult plays Nux, a warboy, who is on the antagonist's side of the fight in the film, i thought that Nux was a really interesting character because in the older Max films, we saw all of these insane tribesmen fighting and don't really understand these crazy characters, Nux lets us into that kind of mind-frame which i found fascinating, Hoult played him very well, and is unrecognizable in the role, not just because he shaved all the hair off his body, because this is a side of the actor we have never seen before, and he has the best line in the film which has become the tag line for the film "What a lovely day!" Saving the best character for last, Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa, by far the most bad-ass character in the film and one of the strongest female characters that has been put on the big screen in quite a while, like Hoult, Theron also shaves her head and sinks into her role as Furiosa, she is arguably the main character in the film, having the best lines, great action and emotional scenes. While Max is just along for the ride in this film Furiosa is taking charge, looking after people and trying to save them which was nice to see. I thought it was interesting that while Max is a big part of the film and the namesake of it, Miller decided it doesn't need to only be about him.
The side characters are also interesting, Immortan Joe's wives are all strong women which each have their own thing to do and feel like real characters instead of just plot points which was nice to see, the main antagonist Immortan Joe was also good, played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played Toecutter in the first Mad Max film, he was a intimidating, imposing character but not much more than that, we don't delve into his character like we do the others but i think that is okay because the film doesn't focus on him too much and knows that he isn't the most important thing in the film. The great thing about all of the side characters were their designs, they all looked so unique and interesting that they stood out even if they were not the most vital character, like Coma-Doof Warrior, who is a random character that plays a guitar that spouts fire and gets the enemy troops riled up, the character looks so cool that he is instantly a fan favourite.
Going back to the action scenes because that is the most important thing in the film, Director, George Miller does such a fantastic job of keeping all of the action scenes fun and exciting, the film is 2 hours long and i'd say there is about 1.5 hours of action yet it isn't boring and is always exciting to see. Filming in Australia again was a great idea, the locations in the film are amazing, long rocky roads and empty deserts really made you feel like this was a post-apocalyptic world that these character are living in.
The fact that the movie is one long action scene is a real big feat for me and it establishes the film as one of the greatest action films of the last decade. The actors are all great in their roles, i can't imagine any film being better than this, this summer.
4.6/5
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Spoilers Review - Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron is the sequel to 2012's The Avengers and the 11th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is written and directed by Joss Whedon and boasts a huge cast including; Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L Jackson, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgård and James Spader.
This was one of my most anticipated films of this year and it had a lot to live up to, every single Marvel movies seems to up itself and get better, especially the last 2 films, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians Of The Galaxy which are my favourite so far, and i'm glad to say Avengers: AOU didn't let me down but i had a few problems with it, that didn't make me enjoy as much as the two films i just mentioned.
The story of the film is pretty complicated because of the various plots going on but the main plot is Ultron, Tony Stark with help from Bruce Banner help create a A.I that would stop The Avengers having to go and risk their lives for the world, and that this new A.I, Ultron could prevents disasters from happening first, but when Ultron is created he realises that humanity is the real problem and tries to vanquish them all and start all over again, so The Avengers have to deal with this threat they created from within. This is enough story for the film, yet there are various side plots that feel like they are just build up for the upcoming films in the Marvel universe instead of helping this story. One of the weakest side plots was when new addition, Scarlett Witch, uses her powers to give The Avengers nightmares, which was interesting but these didn't really lead anywhere, especially Thor's which seemed like a lot of set-up for his next movie, Thor: Ragnorok, and makes me think a lot of this film got left on the cutting room floor, Whedon said that the first cuts was over 3 hours long so they definitely took a lot out of the film, which i think was a disservice but you can't have a 3+ hour movie. Also the main villain Ultron, he was a great character but i think his evolution was rushed in the film, i would of liked him to start off good and then realise that humanity was the problem in the world instead of being there from the get go.
Moving on to the good things in the film, the dialogue between the characters were just as witty and funny as in the first film, maybe even better thanks to Whedon's writing, i thought the 4 new main characters were great; The Maximoff twins' Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch were great additions to the team, there powers were really cool, especially Scarlett Witch's which had a big effect on the story of the film. The other new avenger, Vision, was also amazing to see on screen, Paul Bettany did a really good job of playing this android who was just born very well, he had a scene which blew my mind when he lifted up Thor's hammer which immediately shows you what kind of character he is. Ultron was the last new character and he was a great imposing and intimidating villain, not as good as Loki but he was close, i thought it was really interesting that he was a lot like his maker, Tony Stark, even did the same funny quips that Tony Stark would do, but i was disappointed that they didn't focus on that too much because Ultron is really like Tony Stark a worryingly amount that could be foreshadowing for Tony Stark doing something really terrible to try and help humanity.
Of course the returning Avengers were better than ever, Captain America was a bad-ass, head of the team who had some really interesting stuff to do in the film, trying to keep everyone on the same side, Iron Man really messed up by creating Ultron and feels really bad about it but he still has time for his funny lines and has one of the best scenes in the film in his hulkbuster armor fighting The Hulk which was amazing, speaking of The Hulk he wasn't as impressive as in the first Avengers when he was the highlight of the film but he was still good here, Bruce and Black Widow had a very strange relationship story-line which was really good because they are both such messed up characters that it was nice to see them messed up with each other. But the standout of the returning Avengers is Hawkeye, after the first Avengers when Hawkeye was a mind controlled drone of Loki, it was nice to see the real Hawkeye this time round, he had some great lines and we got to meet his family which added to how we looked at the character, they also did a really good job of making it look like Hawkeye was going to die in this film, every-time any character in the film was talking about death, it would cut to Hawkeye and they put him in peril a lot, to do the swap at the end of the film and have Quicksilver was a great change to what i thought was going to happen and worked great and will also give Scarlett Witch some great character development in the films to come.
There is really too much to talk about in the film, i really enjoyed the film but i think it was too much for one film, and that it messed up some of the pacing for the film, but i still loved it and can't wait to see it again.
The Salvation (2014)
Review- The Salvation
The Salvation is a 2014 Danish film, directed by Kristian Levring, the film boasts an very impressive cast including; Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green, Jefferey Dean Morgan and Jonathan Pryce.
The film is set in 1870s America, it focuses on Jon (Mikkelsen) a peaceful Danish settler,who after getting revenge on his family's murderers, which infuriates the local gang leader, Delarue (Morgan) who in turn wants revenge on Jon. The story isn't the most complex, actually it is rather simple but it is a very enjoyable ride. There are a few very exciting action scenes throughout the film but the real focus is on this man, Jon, who has lost everything and how he copes with that.
The film was very interesting being a Danish western, its nice to see a Western at all, they are probably the least made genre of film now days, so seeing a western is a pleasant surprise.
Mikkelsen is great in this role and it is nice seeing a different side of him, he tends to usually be a villain so i thought it was refreshing to see him the other way round. As was Jeffrey Dean Morgan who played a very good bad guy, he was intimidating and evil with a sympathetic side for his brother which was very intriguing. The most surprising actor in the film was Eva Green, who plays Madelaine, a mute widow, Green was amazing in the role and it was a surprise to see a character like this on screen, of course being a mute she couldn't speak at all and acted a lot with her eyes, but you knew exactly what she was feeling and wanted to say.
The film looks beautiful and is shot in Johannesburg, South Africa, they built sets for the town which looks exactly like you think a western town would look like.
The Salvation is a very fun, enjoyable film to watch, it boast great performances from the leads but isn't an absolutely must watch, but it is a nice place holder until the next great Western debuts.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
I am Groot
I am Groot... That means i love this film.
Guardians of the Galaxy is Marvel latest film in its cinematic universe which is currently in Phase 2, this film is the next Marvel film since Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which was great and i'm happy to say this film is even better.
When Guardians of the Galaxy was announced a few years, i was one of the many that had no idea who these characters were and i was very surprised at Marvel for taking such a gamble on a film, but it definitely payed off. Image and video hosting by TinyPic The film is about Peter Quill (A.K.A Starlord) a human who is a child when he gets abducted by a spaceship, the film then cuts to 26 years later and Quill grows up into a egotistical, playboy, outlaw, who is only in it for himself and would betray anyone for a certain price. Quill founds an orb after a great first scene of Quill dancing around listening to his Walkman (which is a highlight of the film), Quill realizes everyone wants this orb he has required and tries to use it for his own self. On his journey he meets his eventual teammates; Gamora, a famous assassin and daughter to one of the deadliest people in the universe, Drax the Destroyer, a warrior who is set on vengeance to the one who killed his family, Rocket Raccoon, a loud mouthed Raccoon who is also a bounty hunter and his friend Groot, a humanoid tree, who can only say the words "I Am Groot" The explanation of these characters sounds ridiculous and they are, i think that's why they work so great as a team of screen, they are all rejects put together make a strong team.
Guardians of the Galaxy is interesting because its tone is everywhere, but it works, from one laugh out loud moment to a quiet sincere moment and it all works which is a real testament to the actors on screen and the director, James Gunn.
James Gunn does a great job at establishing these brand new worlds we have never been to before, from the wasteland planets to the beautiful Xandar.
The film has a interesting story, full of galactic conquests, betrayal and villains, but James Gunn chose to focus on The Guardians in this first film and i think that was the right idea, i was worried going in that all 5 Guardians wouldn't be full developed by the end of the film, but i was wrong all 5 come out at the end of the film as fully fledged characters thankfully that's with help of course from the actors portraying the characters; Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill and plays the cocky playboy very well, and was very well cast, Pratt being a comedic actor worked perfectly because this film is really funny and he is a big reason why. Gamora is played by Zoe Saldana, who seems to always played primary colored characters! She plays the sexy assassins very well, having to act serious and dead- eyed for a lot of the film but can also be cute when least expected. Rocket Raccoon is voiced by Bradley Cooper and when cast i thought that was a strange pairing but it worked well in the film, Cooper played the Raccoon very cocky and funny and in interviews so he was trying to do a homage to Joe Pesci, which is apparent when seeing the film. Vin Diesel voices the humanoid Tree, Groot, and was the perfect casting, Groot can only say three words yet can put so much emotion in those three words that you always know what he is really saying when he says the words, they must of thought of Vin Diesel because of the film The Iron Giant in which he does the same kind of performance. Rounding out the main characters is, Drax the Destroyer, who is played by Dave Bautista, i was worried that he was going be the weak link in the cast but i was totally wrong, Bautista plays Drax very well, acting deadpan and having great comedic delivery which i really didn't expect.
Because the film was so focused they didn't spend too much time with the villains of the piece which i think worked in their favor, Ronan the Accusor played by Lee Pace, is a very cool and meanacing looking character but he is very deep as well as his sidekick Nebula played by Karen Gillan, Ronan wants to get revenge, that is all, but that is all that is needed, for the film to have a baddie that the Guardians can defeat and i think it worked very well. The supporting cast also did their thing featuring such actors as Glenn Close, Michael Rooker and John C. Reilly but the standout to me was Benicio del Toro, who plays the Collector, a Liberace type character who as his name says collects interesting things.
Another interesting film about the film is that it hardly is connected to the other Marvel films except for two small things, the infinity gems and Thanos and they are not big parts of the film, it is really focusing on the Guardians and the universe and doesn't feel like a sequel to The Avengers and doesn't feel like an advert for the second Avengers film.
The soundtrack for the film is one of the best soundtracks i have heard in film, through the plot device of Quill's Walkman it allows the film to have 80's songs playing all throughout this futuristic film which is such a juxtaposition and shouldn't fit the film yet it does perfectly.
But the reason i think the film really excels is because of James Gunn, the film still has Gunn's eccentrics that are in all his films and this is his best film yet.