jackransom-69832 Reviews

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

"The multiverse is a concept of which we know frighteningly little."

[7/10 · 15 December 2021]

Easily the most anticipated and theorised comic book film since Avengers: Endgame. Spider-Man: No Way Home is set directly after the end of Far From Home. With Spider-Man's (Tom Holland) identity now revealed, Peter asks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help. When the spell goes wrong, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear.

It was always going to be difficult for this to live up to the myriad of potential expectations that had built up in mine and millions of others heads after the first trailer released back in August. Luckily throughout its duration No Way Home excels at fan pleasing moments and truly giving Peter monumental stakes and potential consequences. However it is undeniably overstuffed and choppy, as well as for me personally a lot of the MCU'isms not always particularly gelling well with the returning villains.

I will be keeping the plot details vague, but for those who had expectations and ideas of what the film might be, it probably is pretty much what you expect. The opening act ripple effect of Peter's identity being revealed, with he, MJ and Ned being turned down by colleges and constant harassment sets the stage well and understandably Peter's desperation for Doctor Strange to fix it. From there the rogues gallery pour through and it's up to Peter to stop them.

Here is where some of my favourite aspects of the film are, as well as my irritations. It's undeniably great seeing these characters return to the big screen, and throughout the second act it is uniquely executed and delivers some satisfying interactions between the foes (though some of their motivations could have been a bit more fleshed out), as well as time to breathe. However it is once again the abundance of joke attempts and alterations to a couple of the characters that just make some of the interactions feel awkward and cringe inducing.

Doc Ock's bridge battle is a standout return and the choreography, sound design and score all intertwine nicely. Holland wasn't lying about this being a darker and more violent entry into the franchise, with the first Goblin brawl being the film's highlight, alongside the jaw-dropping visual spectacle of the mirror dimension duel. The final action set piece is pure spectacle and grin inducingly fun, it's just a shame that yet again it's another CGI heavy sequence set at night, so it's frequently hard to see what's going on at certain points.

This is probably Holland's best Spider-Man performance as he really has some emotional heavy lifting to do, as well as keeping the quips and enthusiasm fresh. Willem Dafoe absolutely steals the film. He's still got all of it: the grin, the laugh, the expressions and genuine menace. Molina as well, brilliantly capturing the commanding intelligence and personality of Doc Ock and Jamie Foxx is far better suited in this iteration of Electro. Benedict Cumberbatch adds a layer of bitterness and snark to Strange, yet keeps his core values and dedication to help in check.

Spider-Man: No Way Home may just be the film many fans of dreamed of. Unfortunately for me, whilst it still delivered a lot of what I wanted, I can't help but feel a bit disappointed. Dafoe & Molina prove once again why Spider-Man 1 & 2 will never be topped, the increased personal stakes for Peter are welcome and I'm still partially in awe that the film actually happened. However the leering presence of now extremely familiar and annoying MCU traits and tropes, certain character interactions and an overstuffed storyline do hold it back.

Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One (2021)

Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One

[7/10 · 21 June 2021]

The latest DC animated feature, and the second in their newly rebooted approach to animation. Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One sees a brutal series of murders occur during various holiday's, striking fear into the heart of Gotham City. Batman sets out to pursue the serial killer with the support of police officer James Gordon and district attorney Harvey Dent.

Based on the iconic Batman tale of the same name, Part One does a very solid job of seeing the seeds of mystery, balancing bombastic action and grit, as well as being bolstered by a strong voice cast. However the animation style and various pacing, structural and storytelling hinderances thanks to the runtime and divided narrative are noticeable.

A significant amount of me thinks that this should have been one 3 hour feature (which it will no doubt be re-released as, and obviously more parts = more sales). This first part does translate the material well. It has been a while since I have read the graphic novel, but the moody tone, harsh edge and smatterings of Golden Age goofiness are on display here. It's also fun to see the moments in the source material that influenced Nolan's The Dark Knight.

Decent enough focus is given to each plot thread, but unfortunately due to the runtime land large scale nature of mystery means that some of them feel very surface level and lack emotional weight. There are a few moments that will likely subvert expectations of those unfamiliar with material (and those like me who have forgotten significant chunks) and though it's repetitive, the intrigue of the murders and the dynamic between the characters is engaging.

Unfortunately I'm still not 100% taken by this new animation style. It works well enough for the action beats (one particular Yakuza clash and the Joker plane sequence are both great). However some of the character models' anatomy, facial designs (mainly Joker again), lack of detail and stoic demeanour is very noticeable. The film does have its standout shots and colour usage, as well as replicating iconic frames from the comic.

Jensen Ackles does a strong job as the Caped Crusader, bringing a menacing, blunt and deep voiced solemn approach. The late Naya Rivera brings enthusiasm and witty playfulness to Catwoman. Troy Baker explodes onto the screen in a whirlwind of maniacal cackling with his film stealing Joker portrayal. Billy Burke and Josh Duhamel both deliver as Commissioner Gordon & Harvey Dent respectively and David Dastmalchian brings a spaced out, wispy sneer to Calendar Man.

Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One unfortunately doesn't reach the heights of DC's best. It's sprawling portrait of Gotham and vast cast of characters set it apart from its peers and the story keeps up the interest. However some weak animation, cliche dialogue and a lack of focus and depth in the subplots thanks to its decision to be two separate films do let it down.

Artemis Fowl (2020)

Artemis Fowl

[1/10 · 12 June 2020]

After several delays and a cancelled cinematic release, Artemis Fowl arrives on Disney+ today. The film sees Artemis Fowl (Ferdia Shaw), a young criminal prodigy, hunts down a secret society of fairies to find his missing father (Colin Farrell).

Having never read any of the novels or knowing the source material aside from the name, I didn't have an emotional or already existing investment in the source material, so this film didn't irritate from that perspective like it has done to the fans (due to the negative reactions to the trailers and the reviews of this film). No, Artemis Fowl irritates me purely from a filmmaking and narrative perspective and for wasting 96 minutes of my life on its boring, convoluted, poorly written, blatant sequel/universe set up story, poor performances of uninteresting and irritating characters and a laughable production value at times.

The story is a choppy mess, in which the writers clearly didn't know whether they wanted to make a straight up origin story or an original tale in which the characters are established. Instead the film attempts to do both, as well as craft a launching platform for a sequel (which I guarantee won't happen). There is so much lore, terminology, locations and name drops thrown at the screen with 90% of the dialogue being expository, of which is delivered insufferably by Josh Gad's character in a ridiculous and grating gravelly voice. The villain (I honestly don't think they even name them and they never even interact with Artemis) motivation is utterly boring and lacks any depth. The pacing is terrible, due to the lack of plot focus the film feels far longer than its 96 minute runtime.

Visually the film varies wildly from at times decent CGI and a bold colour palette to a low budget TV show set design and awful special effects. This is the same with costume and prosthetic designs that vary from fairly impressive to tacky and garish. The purely CGI characters have a bizarre frame rate and almost blur around them which is especially prevalent in the Troll battle sections in which the choreography is a complete mess, with poor editing and lacks thrills. The last battle you will have seen so many times before and done better in other similar genre films.

The performances are basically all bad. I don't want to be too harsh on the child actors but they are awful here, Artemis lacks any personality or presence, and whenever he and the other kids have dialogue it normally descend into shrieking annoyance. Josh Gad is the 'comic relief' and exposition machine. He gives an unfunny and cringe inducing performance with his voice at times switching tone from line to line. Colin Farrell completely phones in the 3 or 4 scenes he is in and Judi Dench is laughable as the deep voiced (it rivals Gad's) leader of the fairies.

Artemis Fowl is an utter waste of time, a boring, convoluted, uninspired, annoying chore that Disney have thrown onto their streaming service because it would have completely bombed in cinemas. More like 'Artemis Fail'.

Extraction (2020)

Extraction

[7/10 · 24 April 2020]

The latest Netflix original film to arrive on the streaming service. Extraction sees Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth), a black market mercenary, embark on the most deadly extraction of his career when he's enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) of an imprisoned international crime lord.

As much as their originals are hit and miss and the sheer amount of content they release being ridiculous, there is no question that Netflix allow pure filmmaker freedom without the restrictions and interference of Hollywood influence as here the film is allowed to make full use of its 18 rating and not have the burden of setting up or continuing a franchise. Though generic and cliche in its story telling, the action and stunt work are an absolute blast to witness and make this a step up from what I was expecting.

The film's 2 hour runtime may have some filler sequences around the middle section, but the 1st and 3rd acts are fast paced and frantic, throwing you right into the situation, the film knows exactly what it wants and sets out to deliver it. The race against time and constant improvisation of the extraction itself makes for a consistently engaging watch, though the film does brush over motivations (the villain here is especially lacklustre) and character back story, with Tyler solely relying on a few flashbacks and essentially an exposition interview with the kid he is protecting, so that we get more of his story.

However what this basic premise does allow for is to be filled with brutal, well choreographed and creative action. This film delivers one of the best set pieces of this year, with a phenomenal one-take style 15 minute sequence, which goes from a car chase, to a building assault to a lorry chase, it's absolute controlled chaos. As a fan of John Wick, The Raid etc. it was excellent to see their influence on the choreography, the camerawork never is too shaky or quick cutting meaning it is easy to follow and witness every stab, punch, kick in their bone crunching and visceral glory. The shootouts sound great and are intense, always ending in bloody results, especially the finale sequence.

It's good seeing Hemsworth in a grittier, darker non-Thor/MIB role and he delivers here in a more somber and focused role, though also channels some of the action hero vibe of the 80/90's that this film is going for. Jaiswal is also good here as the kid thrown into this life or death situation, he is never irritating or acts unrealistically at all (which is the case with kids in these types of films at times). Randeep Hooda has an intimidating screen presence as someone working for the kid's father and David Harbour gives an enthusiastic performance, though his character's section does stall the plot pacing.

Extraction is a fun watch to turn your brain off for 2 hours and was actually better than I expected. The action is bloody, visceral and frantic with some brilliant practical effects and choreography and the cast give good performances. The film does suffer from several cliches and genre traits and lack of character depth, but honestly from a purely entertainment perspective this does the job.

A Dark Place (2018)

Steel Country

[6/10 · 25 August 2019]

A low budget small town mystery thriller, the film sees a young boy go missing in the woods leading to a local sanitation truck driver called Donald (Andrew Scott) start to play detective and embarking on a dangerous and obsessive investigation.

This had been on my watchlist for a while, it didn't get a wide UK cinema release so I had to wait for the streaming/DVD release. I like the small town and edgy atmosphere of the location and the characters. You get the sense of a close-knit community with dark undertones isolates from the rest of society and the (mostly) bleak colour pallete reflects this and sets the tone of the film really well. The location cinematography is very good throughout, giving mundane locations a more interesting look.

The performances are very solid. However Andrew Scott steals the movie and is arguably giving much better than the material demands. His character Donnie suffers with autism and Scott gives a very realistic portrayal of the symptoms and nuances that people with it can sometimes portray. He is an interesting protagonist and really carries the plot. There is some tense and difficult to watch dramatic moments between him and other cast members with Bronagh Waugh being the other highlight of the film.

The mystery of the film is interesting and it's outcome is disturbing, however it's is let down by the film's pacing and structure. The film is short at 90 mins yet still meanders around and loses focus throughout, making it feel longer at times but also not having enough time to develop some of the supporting characters, who just show up and then don't really do much else.

There's also a couple of scenes which are key elements to the plot but don't really seem to have a lasting impact on Donald, one in particular (I won't spoil it) I thought was verging on unrealistic for his character but there are no consequences and it gets basically forgotten about.

It's a interesting and good 90 min time-killer if you don't have anything else to watch. Has some excellent acting from its lead character and a good atmosphere and setting. However it is let down by the way it presents and paces its story.

Angel Has Fallen (2019)

Angel Has Fallen

[5/10 · 25 August 2019]

The third and i'm guessing final (depending how much money it makes) instalment of the 'Has Fallen' franchise. The first film - 'Olympus Has Fallen' is a genuinely very good action film in my opinion, it's brutal, bloody and well directed with some good performances. However its follow 'London Has Fallen' was rubbish, a bland, lower budget messily cut and shot film which somehow made more money than it predecessor, which is why we now have 'Angel Has Fallen'.

The film once again follows Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is framed for attempting to murder the President (Morgan Freeman) and must evade his own agency and the FBI (led by Jada Pinkett Smith) as he tries to uncover the true threat and who framed him.

This is better than the previous film by quite a bit, it's much more self-aware and the story is more interesting. Gerard Butler does give his all here and clearly cares about the franchise (he is producer on the film as well) he throws himself into the action scenes and Banning actually has more character focus here. His previous fights are finally catching up to him and he is having to medicate himself to prevent insomnia and headaches. You get this sense that every punch, throw and bullet he takes is really hurting this time round. Nick Nolte is clearly having a blast as Father Banning , his character is completely ridiculous but also has the most entertaining sequence in the film. Danny Huston is also enjoying that one role he plays as a military/evil organisation/politician and chews all the scenery around him. Jada Pinkett Smith is fine in her role but she really doesn't get anything to do and by now you do get the sense in some scenes that Morgan Freeman is just done with this sort of film now, however he does still have his moments.

There is some entertaining action at points. The whole father/son team-up sequence is easily the highlight, with enough explosions to make Michael Bay feel a bit jealous and it is still cool and satisfying to see bloody gunshot and knife kills from an action film not restricted by its age rating, however this film really is left behind now that we have John Wick, Deadpool etc. to fill that niche with better writing and more inventive action. Also the action relies on too much quickcutting and shaky cam so there is no structure or scale to the shootouts.

The film is just over 2 hours and it really feels it at points, there are several bland dialogue sequences and honestly no one cares about these characters enough to focus on family and dramatic sequences. Also there are several unintentionally funny inconsistencies. For a start they recast Mike's wife and she is younger than the previous actress and get's some horrendous dialogue (which is also a staple of this film at times), in the final section Morgan Freeman goes from being barely able to walk only being pushed in a wheelchair to full on sprinting about a minute after. The budget and scale is less than the previous film as well with some of the CGI being awful especially when the film swaps between practical and digital effects. Also it has the most utterly pointless, unfunny and random mid-credit sequence I've ever seen put to film.

If it wasn't for the brand name and the cast this probably would've gone straight to DVD or streaming. It's an already dated and forgettable action film. It has some entertaining moments but its really not worth bothering with.

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

A Feast For The Eyes

[8/10 · 7 February 2019]

Easily my most entertaining film of this year and probably my favourite so far. This is a film that is designed to be seen on the biggest screen possible, the visual effects are incredible, action sequences are unique and well choreographed. The movie is worth seeing alone for the 'Motorball' sequences. The acting is good all around, Alita is well voiced and motion captured, her personality is likeable and it's great seeing her go from friendly to unkillable badass. Christoph Waltz/Jennifer Connelly & Mahershaha Ali are all as good as expected and everyone is clearly having a blast. Yeah the dialogue is very cheesy at times, the plot skips around at a bit and loses some focus and the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger and hopefully this film is financially successful enough to get a sequel as it does deserve it. Go and see Alita on the biggest screen possible, it's a cinematic visual blast and well worth watching.

Aquaman (2018)

Reclaiming The Throne

[8/10 · 12 December 2018]

The best of this current series of DC movies. Visually incredible, epic set pieces and tonnes of potential for more out of this character's universe. James Wan's direction and the cinematography is brilliant during the fight scenes and the spectacle of the large battles (the final act of the film is mind-blowingly epic, with sea creatures fighting alongside armies etc.). The performances are good from everyone, Momoa has managed to make Aquaman cool, Amber Heard and Willem Dafoe are spot on as Mera and Vulko, and lastly we get two of the DC universe's coolest cinematic villains with Ocean Master and Black Manta (the latter having one of the best action sequences in the movie) and costume wise everyone is straight out the pages of the comics. Few minor issues, the humour just isn't funny at all, some of the dialogue is awkward and not well delivered. Also some of the licensed music used is dreadful (the score is good though). This is proof if DC aren't done with their universe and is one of the best comic book movies this year 👍🏻

Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018)

Slaughterhouse Does Rule!

[7/10 · 12 November 2018]

Basically exactly what I wanted from this. A quirky entertaining, funny foul mouthed horror comedy with a load of over-the-top blood and gore. Could easily work as a fourth part of Edgar Wright's Cornetto films (despite Pegg & Frost not being the leads here). The film's main cast of school members are great and memorable each with their own unique personalities and the bantering, insults and some emotional moments between them are well executed and relatable. Despite not being the leads Pegg & Frost are as hilarious as usual and each have their own side stories, Martin Sheen is also great as the head master of the school. This film also was way more bloody and action focused then I expected (which is a definite positive). The soundtrack also is a standout featuring 90's indie/alt-rock and old school punk. There are a few negatives, the creature designs are generic and they are literally given zero back story at all, also some of the editing and structure of the film is a bit choppy, especially around the halfway point. I do kind of wish that this could've been directed by Edgar Wright as well because there are definite influences here. However the film is ridiculously entertaining especially if you like horror comedies and definitely worth a watch 👍🏻

Overlord (2018)

An Overlord Of Awesome

[9/10 · 7 November 2018]

2018 has been a great year for new original idea movies: American Animals, Apostle, Bad Times At The El Royale and now Overlord. This film delivered exactly what I wanted from it. Aside from a bit of a slow paced and slightly clunky first act Overlord is a blast. Brutal and bloody violence, tense and frightening chase sequences and disturbing horrifying Nazi lab experiments, all of these are here and it's awesome to see. However I didn't expect to become really invested in the characters in the movie and for them to all have interesting development and arcs. The music/cinematography and editing are all excellent and the CGI and practical effects are both used to their strengths in the best situations. Go see and support Overlord, it's a refreshing take on type of film that you really don't see done well anymore with a big budget, good acting and a plot that takes itself seriously while also embracing the fact that it is a schlocky over the top B-Movie 👍🏻

Apostle (2018)

Apostle - The Best Netflix Original Movie

[9/10 · 14 October 2018]

Was looking forward to this since it was announced and it didn't disappoint. A weird, disturbing and interesting story with a unique setting. Really well shot and directed and featuring some insane brutal and bloody violence. My favourite Netflix original movie and defo one my favourites this year 👍🏻

Mile 22 (2018)

Mile 22 - Miles behind other action movies

[5/10 · 21 September 2018]

Bit of a mess to be honest. Good to see a proper 18 rated movie that pulls no punches, the action is bloody and very brutal in places which was cool. However the editing is terrible, genuinely some of the worst I've seen, the first 30 mins or so is headache inducing and like it's been put on fast forward. The plot is confusing and convoluted for no reason, the characters range from bland to pure unlikeable. There are way better action films to see than this.

The Predator (2018)

The Hunt Has Evolved...

[6/10 · 12 September 2018]

The Predator - One of my most anticipated movies of this year and it didn't disappoint while also subverting my expectations. All the stuff involving the Predators is badass as expected, loads of blood and gore (seriously loads, it's insanely cool), awesome kills and wicked gadgets. The film is also one of the funniest I've seen this year, if you like Shane Black's writing you'll like it, the jokes (even the 'mum' ones) basically always land, there are witty and some not-for-the-easily-offended jokes constantly being chucked around which also basically all land. Even The Predator itself gets one of the biggest laughs. Also surprising amount of character development and backstory. The only main issue I have is the editing, it's obvious where they re-shot and cut around the film and the ending scenes feels very tacked on and some jokes are bit awkward and badly timed. Overall it's entertaining as hell and a throwback to old school action movies and defo worth watching.

The Meg (2018)

A Meg-a Fun Movie!

[6/10 · 14 August 2018]

Exactly what I was expecting from this movie: pure, stupid, awesome fun! All the shark sections are brilliant, the CGI is excellent. The film is really well shot with great cinematography as well. And yeah Statham is cool as always. However it does have some issues for sure, some of the dialogue is genuinely awful and the jokes land awkwardly (some do work), the film does have a bit too many boring scenes and the way they are edited is strange especially in the dialogue ones. Lastly they should've made it a 15 (which it originally was planned to be) perfect opportunities for loads of over the top blood and gore. Overall a refreshing blockbuster and definitely the best creature movie I've seen in ages!

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Ghost In The Shell (2017)

[8/10 · 1 April 2017]

Saw this yesterday been looking forward to it for ages. Very good remake/reboot (which is uncommon haha) cool characters and costume/weapon design and action scenes also defo some of the best visuals I've seen in a movie for sure. only real issue is that it should've been a 15 to make the action scenes more bloody and entertaining and go with more of the darker themes of the original... Also can't go wrong with Scarlett Johansson as Major haha

Logan (2017)

Logan - His Time Has Come

[10/10 · 2 March 2017]

Saw 'Logan' yesterday it was one of (if not) my host hyped for movies of this year. This is not a typical comic book movie at all and is nothing like any if the X-Men franchise, if it didn't feature the characters of Wolverine, Professor X etc. then it could easily be mistaken as a completely different movie. This film is a dark, depressing, brutally violent drama action movie. The film see's Logan (Hugh Jackman) at the end of his rope, his healing factor is going and the admantium in his body is poisoning him, he's relying on alcohol and drugs to numb the pain, he also now a limo driver for hire to pay for medication of Professor X (Patrick Stewart) who due to his ability is experiencing brain seizures which are affecting everyone around him, he is also being looked after by the mutant Caliban (Stephen Merchant). However unexpectedly a young girl (Dafne Keen) (I won't spoil who she is and why) enters Logan's life and we find out she is being hunted by a group called 'The Reavers' led by Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) and this leads into a chase/road movie spread over the 2hrs 17 mins. The acting in this movie is brilliant, this seals the fact that no-one can replace Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, this is his best portrayal of the character and seeing go full berserker mode was one of the coolest things I've ever seen on screen, Patrick Stewart is as good as you'd expect as Charles Xavier he's becoming more insane and reacting to the drugs which is affecting his behaviour, also hearing both him and Logan drop the f- bomb didn't feel wrong or forced because it shows just how sick they are of everything that's happened. This is Dafne Keen's first movie and she is also brilliant, it's not often like 6 or 7 year old girl can be menacing but she acts this part really well and she works well with Logan & Xavier, for me the most unexpected casting was Stephen Merchant as Caliban, however it works really well he's sarcastic, creepy and it's interesting seeing Merchant in a non- comedic role. Last Boyd Holbrook plays Pierce well, he is a menacing and threatening villain and immediately dislikeable (which is the point). This film is R-Rated/15 for a reason, honestly seeing those claws slashing throats, stabbing heads, chopping limbs was incredible, it's what I've wanted to see my whole life, these action scenes are brutal and grounded and as the director said no CGI is featured. 'Logan' is the wolverine film I've always wanted to see and is nothing like any other comicbook movie.

Rings (2017)

Rings - One of the most boring horror movies I've seen

[5 February 2017]

Saw this film last night, trailer made it look like a return to form after the rubbish Ring 2 (2005) which was terrible. However I genuinely think Rings is worse. The film follows girlfriend and boyfriend Julia and Holt as they try to work out Samara's history so she they can set her free and also free Julia from the cursed videotape. Also there's a pointless subplot about a group of college students dedicated to analysing the videotape. This film started off interesting but it gradually get's worse and really boring, literally nothing happens it's just people talking, doing mundane things and giving exposition, honestly I can say there were only about 2 properly good sections: Samara's first proper appearance is cool and then the end 15 mins or so of the film. Samara is barely in this film and she isn't even scary because she is badly CGI'd and does nothing at all apart from crawl around and stare neither are jump scares also don't work which is bad because this is the only scare tactic the film has going for it. Also another reason I had hopes for this is because it has two well established good actors in it: Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) and Vincent D'Onofrio (Daredevil Series, Jurassic World, The Magnificent Seven), Galecki plays a sarcastic miserable professor, I'm guessing he was in the right frame of mind then because he looks and sounds bored throughout and D'Onofrio plays a blind gravekeeper/priest who is actually more menacing than Samara and is the most interesting character in the film which is irritating because he only shows up in the last 30 mins or so. Don't bother with this its an insult to the original Ringu films and the 2002 US version The Ring.