Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom continues on from 2015’s Jurassic World and this time the island of Isla Nublar is erupting so Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return to help save the remaining Dinosaurs from the island but when an evil millionaire (Rafe Spall) decides he wants to sell them to competing world powers the race is on again to stop another genetic hybrid: The Indoraptor and from the Dino’s from being sold as living weapons.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is well made and entertaining enough and that’s mainly due to director JA Bayona taking the reins instead of Colin Trevorrow who did write the script with his writing partner Derek Connelly he brings a level of artistic sophistication that has not been seen since Steven Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park in 1993 and there are a number of shots clearly designed to up the filmmaking quality like we saw in the original film.
The film also has some fun dinosaur chase and eating sequences as well even if they aren’t as tense or effective as the ones we saw in the original Jurassic Park.
But as for that script I mentioned it is sadly the biggest weak spot of this sequel as it is a bit of a mess on the one hand it is a rescue mission to save a species from extinction and on the other it tries to revive the themes of the original movie about Man playing God and trying to engineer not only the return of a species but also trying to weaponize it for combat and the two just don’t mesh together without a unifying vision to tie it all together.
And there is one other objection I had to this movie and it’s the way that Bryce Dallas Howard is treated in this movie almost the entire time Owen (Chris’s character) has a bad tendency to talk down a little bit towards her and behave in this master/servant kind of a way the kind of dialogue that is “Get this, get that, carry my bags” way and I’m sure in the script it didn’t sound that way but in the movie with the kind of delivery Pratt gives it has a very bad feeling to it and I love Bryce as an actress and she deserved better.
And so does a Jurassic movie I feel as much like Solo: A Star Wars Story to see it become just another franchise to be milked to extinction after 65,000,000 years is very saddening as Jurassic Park was not only Steven Spielberg at the height of his power but a film that was full of wonder and danger but also genuinely broke new ground and had something to say about Man Playing God with Science and like the Star Wars Trilogy became a movie that people pass onto their children and to see it become another run of the mill franchise is very disheartening.
And so that was Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom a by and large fun and entertaining movie that doesn’t feel special nor does it have a great script and so it gets a 2 out of 5 from me.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Film Review - The Incredibles 2 (2018)
Incredibles 2 is the newest Pixar Animation and the long awaited sequel to the 2004 Incredibles written and directed by Brad Bird this time Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) looks after his 3 kids Violet, Dash and Jack Jack after Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) takes a new job with the head of Devtech who might be able to help them turn around the legal status of heroes so they can use their powers again but when a new villain called the Screenslayer appears the heroes have to suit up once again to stop him.
Incredibles 2 is a fun sequel and one I definitely enjoyed watching in the cinema first off the film hasn’t missed a beat visually since the first film in 2004 you wouldn’t know it was 14 years between the 2 films and the mix of retro deco style and computer animation was very appealing on a nicely sized cinema screen and the film also has some very nice action scenes and displays of super powers that is rarely seen in live action unless you have a large budget like Avengers Infinity War to properly display them.
What also works is the character dynamics and it is great to hear Ms Hunter and Mr Nelson back in those original roles same with Violet, Jack Jack and Dash as well as Mr Jackson as Frozone who thankfully gets a little bit more to do here than in the first film plus it is very nice to see Edna Mode come back and have a fun cameo.
All that said I wish the storytelling here was a little better not to say that it’s bad not at all but given the 14 year wait and the infinite number of possibilities that could have been done the overall story feels a little small in scale and like Finding Dory in 2016 it just feels a little bit samey the family is still the same heroes being illegal is still the same and the children are still the same and I wish there was a bit more change in terms of those situations and that their story had more at stake.
Then again when one of the biggest films of the year concerns the fate of the universe and an all powerful Mad Titan then there’s a distinct possibility that what comes next could well be a little underwhelming.
Last but not least there is a short before this movie called Bao about a Chinese woman and her son and it’s a very nice short about that particular bond and it was very nice to see Pixar doing another short again as I always look forward to seeing those in front of their films and I missed having one before Coco last year.
And so that was Incredibles 2 and it’s a nice sequel with nice visual design and character moments and a good villain but I wanted something a little more to justify the 14 year gap but alas we got what we got and it’s a nice movie and a fun sequel but that’s about it, 2 and a half out of 5.
Incredibles 2 is a fun sequel and one I definitely enjoyed watching in the cinema first off the film hasn’t missed a beat visually since the first film in 2004 you wouldn’t know it was 14 years between the 2 films and the mix of retro deco style and computer animation was very appealing on a nicely sized cinema screen and the film also has some very nice action scenes and displays of super powers that is rarely seen in live action unless you have a large budget like Avengers Infinity War to properly display them.
What also works is the character dynamics and it is great to hear Ms Hunter and Mr Nelson back in those original roles same with Violet, Jack Jack and Dash as well as Mr Jackson as Frozone who thankfully gets a little bit more to do here than in the first film plus it is very nice to see Edna Mode come back and have a fun cameo.
All that said I wish the storytelling here was a little better not to say that it’s bad not at all but given the 14 year wait and the infinite number of possibilities that could have been done the overall story feels a little small in scale and like Finding Dory in 2016 it just feels a little bit samey the family is still the same heroes being illegal is still the same and the children are still the same and I wish there was a bit more change in terms of those situations and that their story had more at stake.
Then again when one of the biggest films of the year concerns the fate of the universe and an all powerful Mad Titan then there’s a distinct possibility that what comes next could well be a little underwhelming.
Last but not least there is a short before this movie called Bao about a Chinese woman and her son and it’s a very nice short about that particular bond and it was very nice to see Pixar doing another short again as I always look forward to seeing those in front of their films and I missed having one before Coco last year.
And so that was Incredibles 2 and it’s a nice sequel with nice visual design and character moments and a good villain but I wanted something a little more to justify the 14 year gap but alas we got what we got and it’s a nice movie and a fun sequel but that’s about it, 2 and a half out of 5.
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Film Review - Oceans Eight (2018)
Oceans Eight is the newest entry in the Oceans franchise and this time Danny’s sister Debbie (Sandra Bullock) takes centre stage and decides to rob the Met Gala of a very expensive necklace which is also being used by Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) so she assembles a team (Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Rhianna, Awkwafina, Mindy Kaling and Helena Bonham Carter) to pull off the heist.
Oceans Eight was a fun heist film for me and I’ve been a big fan of the 2001 Oceans Eleven film since I saw it on DVD in 2002 and the main reason I had as much fun as I did is because of that central cast of ladies all eight of them play off each other very well and their scenes together really do a lot to elevate Gary Ross’s screenplay (he also directed this movie and the first Hunger Games film) Ms Bullock in particular is a nice replacement for George Clooney and takes over his mantle well.
But the show stealer here is Ms Hathaway with her shallow and bitchy comedic timing and genuinely funny physical comedy just about every scene she was in had me properly laughing out loud in my seat and as someone who has been a big fan of hers for a long time and seen some of the frankly crap movies she has made it is fantastic to see her on such great form here.
If I have a complaint and I do a little bit is that the central heist isn’t as strong as it could have been and given the 2001 Oceans Eleven had a great heist that felt daring and dangerous but also something of a personal feel to it as well as the bigger picture whereas here the personal element doesn’t feel as integral to the storytelling and also a jewellery heist just felt like a bit of a step back for me personally speaking as I felt this new team of con artists deserved a great heist like in the 2001 Oceans Eleven film.
And so that was my review of Oceans Eight a film that despite some storytelling stumbles I had some good fun with and would definitely want a sequel if one comes to pass, 3 out of 5.
Oceans Eight was a fun heist film for me and I’ve been a big fan of the 2001 Oceans Eleven film since I saw it on DVD in 2002 and the main reason I had as much fun as I did is because of that central cast of ladies all eight of them play off each other very well and their scenes together really do a lot to elevate Gary Ross’s screenplay (he also directed this movie and the first Hunger Games film) Ms Bullock in particular is a nice replacement for George Clooney and takes over his mantle well.
But the show stealer here is Ms Hathaway with her shallow and bitchy comedic timing and genuinely funny physical comedy just about every scene she was in had me properly laughing out loud in my seat and as someone who has been a big fan of hers for a long time and seen some of the frankly crap movies she has made it is fantastic to see her on such great form here.
If I have a complaint and I do a little bit is that the central heist isn’t as strong as it could have been and given the 2001 Oceans Eleven had a great heist that felt daring and dangerous but also something of a personal feel to it as well as the bigger picture whereas here the personal element doesn’t feel as integral to the storytelling and also a jewellery heist just felt like a bit of a step back for me personally speaking as I felt this new team of con artists deserved a great heist like in the 2001 Oceans Eleven film.
And so that was my review of Oceans Eight a film that despite some storytelling stumbles I had some good fun with and would definitely want a sequel if one comes to pass, 3 out of 5.
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