Change Your Image
samhawkins5056
Reviews
John Doe: Vigilante (2014)
An exceptionally good movie that brings forward real issues
A really well thought movie. It is gripping, emotional, and powerful simply because the plot of the story, some could say it address real world issues that the public face every day. Somewhere within our human minds there is a part of us that does see that these crimes of rape, murder, and sexual abuse deserve no forgiveness and if anything should result in death. The movie is also very touching as further on you discover who John Doe is, his motive for achieving justice, and the symbolism that Sally was during the end of the movie. The ending of the movie was okay but nothing of memorable moment; people heard Doe's call and continue his campaign. Dismissing the seemingly dull ending, the plot and logic of the movie seemed accurate and no over imposed murder or stunt scenes to try and spice up the visual effects. Overall a great on look to a fictional character that could exist in the society we live in today.
Lucy (2014)
A thought provoking film
The trailers for Lucy were interesting and enticed me into watching the film. Really, I didn't know what to expect apart from it being based on how far human capabilities go. The storyline is fast paced and gripping, not too fast that you lose your way but enough to keep people engaged.
This film was excellent. There were a few scenes where they seemed a little silly and unrealistic but the majority was a great performance by Scarlet Johansson. There have been a fair few negative reviews and a surprisingly low rating on IMDb. Many because people were led to believe it was a sci-fi film. It did have some Sc-fi elements including levitation people and various time warps; however, what really gripped me with the film was the fact that it introduced true and very relevant facts of the world.
The concept and story of Lucy is very philosophical to say the least, or at least that is what I found. Leaving the cinema it left me wondering about human existence and the capabilities and limits of the brain. It truly was a thought provoking movie!
The Inbetweeners 2 (2014)
A few real laughable moments, apart from that the whole thing was overdone and crude.
The first Inbetweeners movie was great and the characters of Will, Jay, Simon and Neil really shone through. It was a true realistic film about how students left school, went out on their first crazy holiday, and all the antics that they got up to. The comedy was clever and the sort of thing you would expect from four lads on holiday. With news about a second film, the potential film was pretty high and would have to be even funnier to top the first.
From the trailers of the second film it looked to be high hopes and a new type of holiday filled with many more humorous moments to talk about long after the film. Sadly, to my disappointment it was nowhere near as good as the first, despite the big talk about it, it did not live up to expectations. The whole feel of the Inbetweeners as fun likable guys had seemed to disappear.
Jay was now even more sex crazed, and his love of gash is even more apparent. This is funny in small doses as it is jay, however constant use made it look like poor scripting; Jay's likable bullshit talking character then became rather annoying and he became less interesting. Simon had stayed the same. His life had not changed much apart from the struggle with an over attached Lucy. His character was pretty basic and not many punch-lines were made from him. Will was probably the only character who I felt stayed true to their original Inbetweeners identity. Yes, he may have got a little geekier but he still had that likable annoyance and posh logic attitude towards everything. Now, Neil was a completely different story; the usual likable and maybe, bit gormless Sutherland had now been pushed a lot further.
The scripting and directing of the film had a whole different feel, it sounds funny as it is a movie but the whole thing seemed too scripted. It was also obvious that it was a script and things didn't flow as well as they should have like they did in the first movie. The directors were trying to make things too funny and as repercussion, it made the whole film less enjoyable and somewhat frustrating to watch.
The biggest let down as I may have hinted was the character of Neil. We all love Neil; his original character wasn't too forward, he and lacked a few brain cells but it made him a humorous person and not to dim in the head. Unfortunately the directors chose to make Neil the new character of the light in this film. In an attempt to bring forward the lovable Neil on the audience, Neil now was sillier than ever. The thing about Neil before was the character and phrases were subtle but realistic. This time it was too in your face and some of the lines were just to be honest, moronic and NOT funny. As well as learning about his attachment with dolphins, there also are the troubled bowels he has. Now, I am not saying it was a bad film; it's merely a lot of factors to criticize. I will say however the film had two majorly funny scenes which will be unforgettable as they were so smooth and simple. That is something this film lacked. The overall feel was a slightly silly movie with a lot of crude jokes that were not needed.
Transcendence (2014)
An interesting concept to think on but not the best plot
This film has good potential; the whole idea of a person's conscious uploaded worldwide online is captivating giving you something to ponder on. The tension of the story rose as Will was shot after a presentation with a radiation bullet; this was one of the many lab attacks during the film. In an attempt to save him Evelyn and a co-worker successfully upload his mind to a computer. Will is then virtually alive and initially Will and Evelyn don't feel at such a loss with each other.
As will was mid-way through research he then expands himself worldwide onto all the internet servers and can practically be with Evelyn anywhere via smartphone, ipad or TV. Sadly what began as an attempt to save existence for love of the two then spirals out of hand. Will continues his research and the relationship tensions. Will appears to want to complete his research rather than just to be there for Evelyn. With super humans and self-healing beings, Evelyn realises the danger and madness of what Will has become. Technology goes too far and Evelyn is in a crisis. The technology created allows Will to see Evelyn's hormone levels and feelings in real-time, private instances are now visible too easily.
Evelyn begins to realise the troubles of what Will has created. This online conscious is not the Will she knew in life. The story has a short moment of interest as we question the effects of advanced technology and how it may affect human relationships and emotions. It is a good movie although in places it left me tempted to leave. Once the initial idea was there and everything had happened I couldn't really see where else it would lead. There is a bit of romance within the end that concludes the whole story up which ends rather suddenly as predicted. Overall not much of a surprise with the plot but it gives a whole new lease of what things would be like if technology were to advance like that.
The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
A much improved film
The purge when first introduced as a film was an interesting concept and something new to the horror scene genre of films. Sadly, to my disappointment the first film was a complete disaster and completely missed the concept on what the trailer had advertised. The storyline initially was interesting but within minutes the plot lacked suspense and an entire innocent family were put in danger due to their kid stupidly letting a homeless man out of sympathy. The film ended as a very dull and disappointing film.
The purge anarchy however was much better, the storyline was feasible although had some predictions with who would die and what would happen next. The characters were interesting individuals; they each had their own morals and concept of the purge as the film progressed. The only minor is that Zoe Soul's role as Cali ended up being a bit too outspoken in the film displaying teenage naivety and some ignorance towards the whole issue of the sergeant. Frank Grillo played a great sergeant and kept his cool with the ice cold persona giving the film a great new feel.