Film Review Round-Up: A Simple Favor & Mile 22 (2018)

I intended to bring you a full review of A Simple Favor last week but unfortunately life got in the way (and not Spider-Man on the PS4, honest) so instead this week I'm back with another review round-up. You know the format by now, two shorter than usual reviews that I hope will still give you a good taster of the film in question. First up it's the aforementioned A Simple Favor with my future wife Anna Kendrick, and then we'll take a quick look at the new Marky Mark action film Mile 22. Let's go!

We all have secrets . . .

A Simple Favor (15)

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding

Director: Paul Feig

The Plot: Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) is a wholesome single mother who runs a "mom tips" vlog but leads a lonely life. Through their young sons she's introduced to Emily Nelson (Lively), a fashion executive who's the polar opposite of Stephanie - glamorous, confident and successful - and the two form an unlikely friendship. Stephanie is stunned, however, when Emily - after asking her for "a simple favour" - suddenly goes missing and is found dead, and soon after she finds herself falling for Emily's now widowed husband Sean (Golding). However, all is not what it seems: as Stephanie starts finding clues that point to Emily still being alive, she begins digging into her mysterious past and uncovers startling secrets - but Emily is not the only one with skeletons in her closet . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: If you've been reading my reviews here for a while (and if you have, thanks very much) you'll know that I'm unashamedly a huge fan of Anna Kendrick. I love everything about her, and if by some miracle she would ever be interested in a slightly overweight, socially awkward nerd from Wales, I'd put a ring on it immediately. As such, I'm always excited when she has a new film out, but the trailer for A Simple Favor (yes, I'm using the dreadful American spelling of "favour" as that's the film's title) intrigued me a great deal, as it seemed not only very funny but very dark as well. The wildcard for me is director Paul Feig: he did really well with Bridesmaids, but the Ghostbusters remake was awful. I haven't seen Spy or The Heat, but I'm told they were both very funny. He's a comedy director at heart and clearly enjoys working on female led films, so what would his take be on a film where the comedy is black and the story has a very dark element to it? I'm glad to report it's a success - A Simple Favour is terrific.

Right from the start, the film makes it clear that it's out to keep you guessing. This is a story with more twists and turns in it than I've seen in a long time, and while it's central twist - that of Emily's apparent death and subsequent reappearance - is fairly easy to guess, everything else is not. Both the main characters and Emily's husband Sean keep displaying both subtle and blatant shifts in behaviour, and it really does keep you guessing as to who's really in league with who and what their agendas are. If you like a film that keeps you on your toes, this is one for you - and it's incredibly funny as well, with very dark humour ("brother fucker" is a standout moment), and this suits the story perfectly as without it this would be a very different film indeed. Anna Kendrick is brilliant (you knew I was going to say that, right?), hiding the darker aspects of Stephanie's character behind layers of clutz and innocence, but Blake Lively is also terrific. Her charisma owns the film, and it's great to see her back on the big screen in such good form after the time she took off to have a baby with husband Ryan Reynolds. Emily is the darker character from the get-go, but she too has hidden layers of her own, almost an opposite of Stephanie. The film is driven by these two ladies, and it's a great result.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

An excellent, dark, funny film that's full of twists and turns and will keep you guessing right until the end. Two strong performances from Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively drive forward a well-written story that's beautifully shot to boot. Highly recommended!

Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch

Mile 22 (18)

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, Iko Uwais, Ronda Rousey, John Malkovitch

Director: Peter Berg

The Plot: James Silva (Wahlberg) is the leader of an elite CIA special forces unit known as Overwatch, called in to handle situations that the military can't. In an undisclosed Asian city, nuclear material has gone missing and the only one who knows its location is Li Noor (Uwais) - a local police officer who turns himself in to the American embassy, offering to give them the information in exchange for passage to the USA. Silva and his crew, including Alice (Cohen) and Sam (Rousey), are tasked with escorting Li the 22 miles from the embassy to an airfield where his flight awaits, but the journey will not be easy - Li is a wanted, dangerous man, and the country sends its own special forces to stop them . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: This is director Peter Berg's fourth collaboration with Mark Wahlberg, following Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon and Patriot's Day, and it's something of a shift in tone for the pair. While this isn't the first time that Wahlberg has played a soldier for Berg, here in Mile 22 we're delving into the murky world of black ops and espionage and Wahlberg takes on a character that's a far cry from the heroic ones he's played in their previous collaborations. Now, I like a brainless action movie - I really like them - and so this film really should have been right up my street, promising not only guns and explosions but marital arts to boot, along with a very appealing cast. Sadly, the action is the only redeeming thing here, in what's a real mess of a film.

I've often said that for a film like this you're not looking for Oscar-worthy writing or performances, but you do at least want something that flows nicely and makes you want to support the characters. There is neither of that here, with a script that's seemingly just been written to allow Wahlberg to run around shouting ALL OF THE FUCKING TIME. This is all his character does - he shouts, swears or speaks quietly and menacingly, even to his fellow Overwatch team members, making him an incredibly unlikeable character. The rest of the cast don't fair any better, hampered by the script which allows zero character development - Lauren Cohan, so brilliant on The Walking Dead, is wasted here, and so is the talented Iko Uwais, who displays excellent charisma here (and even better martial arts skills) but is let down by the story. Thankfully, the action is on point and that's what you've really come for. The violence is brutal (the film received an 18 certificate because of it, which is becoming a rarity in the UK), and the film packs in more shootouts and explosions in it's short 96 minute run time than many other longer action films, but it isn't enough to save it. This film isn't trying to be a brainless action movie, and a result it fails spectacularly.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
A poor action film that tries to paint a picture of the impact on people who undertake black ops, unsuccessfully. Strong action can't save a terrible script that does no favours for the talented cast on display here. Catch it on streaming services or TV at another time.

Film Review: The Predator (2018)

Hunter becomes hunted

The Predator (15)

Starring: Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay

Director: Shane Black

The Plot: A Predator travels to Earth and crash-lands in Mexico, where Captain Quinn McKenna (Holbrook) is operating. McKenna survives the encounter and steals some of its gear, while the Predator is subdued by a secret branch of the US military and taken for study. Dr Casey Bracket (Munn) is called in to study the creature, while McKenna is debriefed and held with a ragtag group of ex-soldiers. Unbeknownst to them, McKenna's young son Rory (Tremblay) finds the stolen gear and activates it, summoning not only the captured Predator but also a new, bigger, more dangerous version to Earth as well. McKenna will need to team up with both Bracket and his crazy new unit to save his son . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: In the world of eighties action movies, Predator ranks among the very best and earned itself a cult following. Sadly though, over the years the various sequels and spin-offs have never managed to live up to the original, but fans were excited when last year, Shane Black announced that he would be writing and directing a new instalment of the Predator franchise and promised it would go back to what made the first film so exciting. Not only is Black an extremely talented individual - over his career he's brought us the Lethal Weapon series, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and in more recent years Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys - but he was also a cast member of Predator, playing squad member Hawkins who's remembered by most for cracking the infamous "pussy" joke. Given his connection to the original film and his excellent track record, expectations for this film were rightly very high. I'm disappointed to tell you The Predator fails to meet those expectations, and then some.

Why does it go so wrong then? Well, I'm sorry to say that the script is the biggest culprit, which is such a shame given Black's talent. The plot of the film is ridiculously complicated - it took me a while to try and condense it down into my summary above, and that's with a lot of stuff left out - and for an action movie with sci-fi elements it just doesn't need to be. Black has tried to both replicate the feel of the original but also expand the concept, backstory and locations and it just doesn't work, something that the lacklustre sequels and spinoffs also tried and failed. A big reason why the original Predator worked so well was its simplicity - a group of soldiers in a jungle hunted by a deadly alien. That's it. The Predator can't replicate this due to the multiple story threads and locations, and it suffers for it, particularly in the third act which turns into a shambolic mess of plot holes and poor editing, giving the impression of something very rushed. The ending would have us believe, for example, that the Predator which arrives first (the one being hunted by the film's new super-Predator) actually came to Earth to help humanity, despite the first thing it does on landing is string one of McKenna's squad up by his guts. On top of this there's poor acting across the board, with the exception of the young Jacob Tremblay who does well as McKenna's son who has Asperger's syndrome. You don't expect Oscar performances in a film like this, but everyone is really bad, even Olivia Munn who's usually terrific. Her character, a biologist who just happens to have combat skills rivalling an elite soldier, is particularly hard to take seriously. Kudos to Black however for giving a small role to the legendary JAKE FUCKING BUSEY, who deserves both the capitalisation and the expletive.

The film isn't without its redeeming qualities though, particularly if you're a fan of the franchise. It looks good visually, with particular attention paid to the Predator and it's deadly equipment, including its iconic cloaking field, and the familiar score and sound effects from the first film are present and correct. There's also a lot of violent, gory action, which is exactly what you're looking for here. There's even some humour, mostly from the crazy ex-soldiers that McKenna has to team up with but Olivia Munn gets a few good lines too. There's also some very nice callouts to the previous films as well: both Predator and Predator 2 are referenced (although, wisely, both AvP films aren't mentioned) as events that happened, at one point a character shouts "Get to the chopper!" and, on seeing the Predator for the first time, Olivia Munn says "You're one pretty motherfucker." These are all nice little moments that bring the nostalgia fans were looking for, but sadly, it's not enough to salvage this mess.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
A film made with good intentions, but ruined by a poor, overly-complicated story that goes particularly off the rails at the end. There's good action and a lot of nice callouts to previous Predator films, but this isn't enough to make up for the film's problems. A real shame.

Film Review: The Miseduction of Cameron Post (2018)

Love is love

The Miseducation of Cameron Post (15)

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Jennifer Ehle, John Gallagher Jr, Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck

Director: Desiree Akhavan

The Plot: It's 1993, and 15 year-old Cameron Post (Moretz) has a big secret - she's gay, something her devoutly Christian family considers a sin. When she's caught being intimate with another girl, her aunt sends her to a religious camp called God's Promise, run by Dr Lydia Marsh (Ehle) and her brother Reverend Rick (Gallagher Jr). The camp offers controversial gay conversion therapies to young people, claiming to "cure" them through their ultra-strict religious teachings. Cameron struggles against the camp's teachings and environment, and while she makes friends with the similar-minded Jane (Lane) and Adam (Goodluck), she must make a tough decision about her life and beliefs.

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: I've been looking forward to this film for some time, as it's been generating hype since the beginning of the year when it took the top prize at the Sundance film festival in January. It's based on a novel by Emily M. Danforth that was published back in 2012, and I must admit I hadn't heard of it before now, but from what I gather it's been widely praised; a few small alterations have been made for the film, notably ageing Cameron up from 12 to 15 and skipping the book's opening that tells of her parents sadly dying in a car crash, but this doesn't impact negatively. The story itself is a massively controversial subject for both a book and a film to cover - attempting to cast criticism on a particular religion for their practises is a dangerous thing for anyone to do these days, no matter how strongly you may feel about the subject matter, and the topic that this film deals with - the "curing" of a sexuality perceived as being a sickness - is something that I personally find abhorrent. Cameron Post deals with this by taking a non-judgemental approach, and it works.

The overwhelming tone of the film is one of observance. Rather than explicitly passing judgement, the film instead simply aims to provide a window into this particular aspect of (in this case, American) religious society to allow us, the audience, to make our own decisions about how we feel about it. While the story is arguably on Cameron's side, she isn't glorified in any way and is just shown for what she is - a young girl getting to grips with her sexuality, in an environment that forbids it. The film doesn't set out to portray what's going on at the camp as right or wrong, but it also doesn't shy away from showing the harshness of the world Cameron finds herself in once she's literally dumped at God's Promise without a say in the matter: despite its lack of fences and charming rural location the place has shades of a prison, with its "disciples" given strict rules to follow, and the claustrophobic framing of its interior shots reinforce this very effectively. Then you have the core of the story itself, the "treatment" the young kids are given for their "same sex attraction", as Dr Marsh and Reverend Rick refer to it as. It's this element that will have the most emotional impact on viewers - what kind of impact I obviously can't say, as there will be people who watch this film with strong religious beliefs and think what's being done is right, and there will be people who think the opposite. By taking the very neutral approach of presenting us with something that goes on in society, and inviting us to make our own minds up about it, director Desiree Akhavan and her fellow screenwriter Cecilia Frugiuele have made the right choice. This approach doesn't work for all films, but it does here.

The film is, understandably, driven by the central performance from Chloë Grace Moretz. As Cameron, this is the world as seen through her eyes, and Moretz gives a subtle, restrained performance that's honestly one of her best. It took me a while to appreciate it: Cameron is a relatively quiet character in terms of speaking out about what she's feeling for the majority of the film, so conflicted is she about her sexuality compared against what her family and the camp is telling her, and it's only towards the end that her real fire about her situation begins to come out. Moretz does well throughout, particularly in an emotional moment where she secretly calls her aunt (phone calls aren't usually allowed for the "disciples") and is refused her plea to come home, but also in the film's two love scenes that aren't at all titillating and very much have the feel of awkward, youthful encounters. Cameron finishes the story as a character who's much more confident about who she is and what she perceives to be wrong, and her transition to this is a believable one thanks to Moretz's performance.

Despite the focus very much being on Moretz, the rest of the cast all do well too. As Dr Marsh, Jennifer Ehle is both cold and unwavering in her faith and beliefs and to me came across as a vile character, in a very effective performance. As her brother Rick, Gallagher Jr is also very good - he's supposedly a poster boy for his sister's "cure", having been a homosexual man in the past, but there's the suggestion that this might still be the case and he has some scenes where his more vulnerable side becomes apparent. I was also impressed with both Sasha Lane and Forrest Goodluck as Jane and Adam, Cameron's fellow campers who befriend her and end up becoming an important influence on her. Both are dealing with similar issues to Cameron, and Lane and Goodluck both put in believable, likeable performances.

There are some negatives to be found, of course. At 91 minutes it has a very short run time, and I felt (for a change) that it actually would have benefited from being longer. The ending is also left open - following her decision to leave the camp, it would have been nice to have seen (however briefly) where Cameron goes from there, but this is left to the audience to imagine. I should also make a point of acknowledging that while I very much liked the approach the film took in how it doesn't judge, some viewers may be put off by that.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
A compelling story that deals with a very controversial subject, without casting judgement and instead opening it up to the audience to decide on how they feel about what's being presented. A strong performance from Chloë Grace Moretz drives the film, even through it's more unsettling moments. Highly recommended.

Film Review: Searching (2018)

How well do you know someone?

Searching (12A)

Starring: John Cho, Michelle La, Debra Messing

Director: Aneesh Chaganty

The Plot: David Kim (Cho) is a single parent to sixteen year-old Margot (La), and the two share what he believes is a strong relationship. David's world is rocked, however, when one night Margot suddenly goes missing, without any indication why. He goes to the police, and Detective Vick (Messing) begins an investigation, but David frantically carries out his own search by going into Margot's social media and talking with her friends - and this reveals a very different version of his daughter than he thought he knew. As the days pass and the circumstances grow more and more mysterious, David faces many different and difficult questions: has Margot run away? Has she been kidnapped? Is she still alive? And is he somehow part of the reason why?

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: It's fair to say that the Internet dominates today's society. More and more aspects of our lives have come to revolve around it, particularly when it comes to smartphones, computers and social media, allowing us to connect to other people in ways that weren't possible before, for both good and bad. It's become the norm, and over the last few years in particular films have really started to embrace this in the stories they tell and how they tell visually tell them. Take 2014's Men, Women & Children for example - a film that explores how the Internet affects the relationships of different people, and frequently shows its characters interacting via apps that pop up on the screen as colourful bubbles with their chats. In the same year, the horror film Unfriended went a step further and told its story entirely from the static view of a character's laptop screen, the characters themselves only appearing via its webcam and group chat programs. Searching takes that concept and ramps it up a notch, telling an intriguing tale of mystery in a very original and effective visual way.

Searching is told entirely from the screens of multiple devices and media: the desktop of Michelle's laptop, Facetime calls, phone screens, live streaming websites, CCTV cameras, online news videos, hidden cameras, and various social media like Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr. There isn't a single scene that's presented in the traditional way that a film is shot, with every one framed as if you're viewing it on a screen of a device of some kind, and I believe I'm right in saying that this is the first film to ever present its story like this - Unfriended comes close, as I mentioned, but that was one static shot. The sheer variety of ways that Searching presents itself, and the effortless way in which it swaps between them, is both unique and very effective. The opening sequence is particularly good: we see Margot growing up and the technology that David uses to record memories of her changing as time goes by, and it engages you emotionally from the start as we see his wife Pamela at first beat but then succumb to cancer when Margot reaches the age of 14. It sets up both the visual style and the tone of the story that's to follow very well.

The main story of Margot's disappearance is very clever one, featuring lots of twists and turns deliberately intended to make you follow David's increasingly desperate journey, often jumping to the wrong conclusions while at the same time presenting you with some clues that the more observant members of the audience will pick up on and correctly guess where the story is heading. It's very good writing (co-written by director Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian) and, considering it's 12A rating, gets to explore some very dark themes that are relevant in today's society: grief at the loss of a loved one, cyber-stalking, and in David's case particularly, the thin line between desperation and obsession. Margot is a bit of an enigma, appearing mostly through past recordings on a live streaming website, and Michelle La does a good job of capturing both her true sadness and the happier mask that she displays to her father. It's John Cho as David, however, that provides the real driving force of the film.

Cho is most well known for comedy roles. If you're my age, your first introduction to him was likely as the guy who created the word "MILF" in American Pie, and for many others he'll be most well-known as Harold from the Harold & Kumar series. He's been in a lot of things since then, including the modern Star Trek films as Mr Sulu, but Searching is his first leading, serious role, and he's excellent. David manages to be both a sympathetic character and an unlikeable one: he at first seems like a loving father, clearly still affected by the loss of his wife and as a result perhaps a bit more protective of his daughter than he needs to be, but as the story unfolds the uglier aspects of David's personality come out as he succumbs to desperation and frustration. He makes several choices without even considering the moral impact of them, even going as far as to accuse his own brother of having an affair with Margot. Ultimately his character doesn't go too far down this road, remaining one that the audience can get behind, but Cho handles all these different aspects of David's personality very well and, based on this performance, clearly shows he's capable of leading, dramatic roles. It's his performance that drives the story along, and it's David that ultimately provides the key to solving the mystery of Margot's disappearance.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Searching is a very unique, interesting tale of mystery and suspense. Given it's 12A rating it isn't able to dive too far into the dark themes it deals with and doesn't examine the outcome of some of the moral choices that David makes, but both the visual style and the story itself are very effective and it's driven by a fantastic performance from John Cho. Highly recommended!

Film Review Round-Up: The Darkest Minds and BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Another review round-up for you all this week, as I've been to see two very different films in the last few days: first up we have the latest adaptation of a young adult novel with The Darkest Minds, and following that the powerful new film from Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman. Let's go!

Ain't no sunshine . . .

The Darkest Minds (12A)

Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore, Harris Dickinson

Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson

The Plot: A mysterious virus wipes out 90% of America's children, but leaves the surviving 10% with special abilities ranging from enhanced intelligence to telekinesis. The government orders the remaining children be put into camps for the nation's safety, where they're given a colour that classifies how dangerous their power is. Ruby (Stenberg) is a very rare "Orange" - a powerful psychic deemed most dangerous and to be killed on discovery. She's broken out of the camp by a sympathetic doctor (Moore), but quickly joins up with a group of other escapees led by Liam (Dickinson), who are headed for a secret location where kids can live together freely. Their journey is a dangerous one, and as Ruby and Liam grow closer, Ruby will face a tough choice in order to keep them all safe . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Adaptations of young adult novels can sometimes find mass appeal beyond their intended audience - look at The Hunger Games, for example, or the Maze Runner series. The Darkest Minds, adapted from the first book in a trilogy by author Alexandra Bracken, is unfortunately not one of those films, and is one that's firmly for its target audience. It's a shame, as it has a very dark, interesting premise that makes for some effective moments - an aerial shot of fields of abandoned yellow school buses is particularly strong - and the visual effects when the characters use their powers are pretty good, with their eyes glowing the particular colour that the government used to classify them. Those uses of power are few and far between, however, and the film concentrates instead on their journey and Ruby and Liam's romance, which are far from strong. The acting is a mixed bag - Stenberg as Ruby does fine (you may remember her as the tragic young Rue in The Hunger Games, and she'll be on screens again soon in the racially-charged The Hate U Give) but the rest are pretty poor. Given as this is the first part of a trilogy the story is also left without a conclusion, but the film hasn't performed well commercially so it's unlikely that we're going to get parts two and three. It's a shame, as there was promise here.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

A promising young adult tale that hasn't been handled well here. The story focuses on the romance arc and the character's physical journey, which is hampered by poor performances, and doesn't delve deep enough into the more interesting, darker aspects of the story. The effects are great when the kids powers are used, but these moments don't come often enough. A shame, as this could have been good. One for die-hard fans of this genre only.

Infiltrate hate

BlacKkKlansman (15)

Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace

Director: Spike Lee

The Plot: Colorado Springs, 1972. Ron Stallworth (Washington) becomes the first black man to join the local Police, facing internal resistance. Convincing the captain to let him work undercover, Ron begins an investigation into the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan by calling them and pretending to be a white man. Enlisting fellow detective Flip Zimmerman (Driver) to pretend to be him, Flip attends their meetings as "Ron" while Ron himself continues to talk to them over the phone, going so far as to speak to the Grand Wizard himself David Duke (Grace). They learn that the Klan has something violent planned, but the pressure of maintaining their charade begins to take its toll on both Ron's relationship with student activist Patrice (Harrier) and on Flip's beliefs . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Director Spike Lee needs no introduction - his "joints", as he likes to call his films, have dealt with powerful topics over the years, particularly addressing issues facing black people. He returns now with a film that's actually based on a true story, and it's a brilliant one, serving as both an informative look at the racism of the era and the tactics and attitude of the KKK, and as a stark warning about how these are still present today. The film has an effective mix of both humour and seriousness - the moments of comedy are very funny, but they never detract from the ugly, serious nature of the racism that Ron and Flip are going up against, and they do help to make the whole thing more palatable. Ron's phone conversations with David Duke are comedic highlights, and there are some not-so-thinly veiled jabs at Donald Trump (at one point Duke talks about how the Klan will "make America great again"). The performances are great across the board, particularly from the two leads, but one thing to note is that (quite obviously) the film contains very strong racist language, so if you find that uncomfortable you'll have difficulty watching this. While Ron's story ends on a humorous high note, the film itself concludes with footage from last year's horrific events in Charlottesville where white supremacists clashed with anti-fascist protesters, and Trump's telling comments on it. It's a thought-provoking and powerful reminder of the hatred still plaguing society today, and a fitting way to end the story.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A hilarious but very serious film that delivers a powerful message about how the racism of the 1970s is not only still prevalent in society, but is in danger of growing to those levels once again. Told with Spike Lee's typical stylishness, it features great performances that will have you laughing but also giving you serious food for thought. One of Lee's best films, and one of the best of the year so far as well. Essential viewing. 

Film Review: The Equalizer 2 (2018)

Equal violence for all

The Equalizer 2 (15)

Starring: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders

Director: Antoine Fuqua

The Plot: Following the events of The Equalizer, former marine and DIA agent Robert McCall (Washington) now lives in Boston working part time as a Lyft driver, where he continues his solitary life of reading books while using his considerable combat skills to help innocent people, anonymously. When his friend Susan Plummer (Leo) is murdered in Brussels while investigating the death of another agent, McCall turns to Susan's second-in-command - and his former friend - Dave York (Pascal) to help find the killer. When the people responsible are revealed to be those McCall trusted, he sets out to get revenge for his fallen friend . . . with violent results.

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: The first Equalizer was an excellent - if overlong - film that added another great character to Denzel Washington's list of portrayals with the vigilante Robert McCall. The lethal ghost who helped the innocent while mourning the loss of his wife, alone, was well-received by audiences and must have struck a chord with Washington himself because interestingly, this is the first time ever in his career that the actor has reprised the role of a character in a sequel. Director Antoine Fuqua returns, as does writer Richard Wenk and original cast members Melissa Leo and Bill Pullman (Chloë Grace Moretz doesn't feature, her character's story was concluded at the end of the first film). So is our second outing with Robert McCall as good as the first one? The answer, unfortunately, is not really.

Now, if you enjoyed the first Equalizer you're going to find a lot to like here, as rather than drastically shake things up the film instead plays it safe and acts more as a continuation of the first one. As such, we get a lot of action sequences that are brutally violent - which I love - and show off McCall's skills, characteristically checking his watch to time himself as he dispatches numerous opponents. The film begins with an excellent sequence aboard a train where a disguised McCall rescues a kidnapped child, taking out several thugs with ease, and moments like these continue throughout the film while the level of violence increases. The whole thing looks great too - Fuqua has a real eye for the visuals, and the film's climactic cat-and-mouse sequence that takes place within a small coastal town that's being battered by a fierce storm is terrific. Added to this a typically good performance from Washington, which is exactly what you'd expect for an actor of his talent returning to a role he's already played once before. He handles the action and intense scenes really well, and this time around he's allowed to show a bit more emotion from McCall as he grieves for his lost friend while also revealing a bit more about his late wife.

The negatives all come from the script. Like the first Equalizer, the film is way too long - it clocks in at just over two hours, and it definitely could have been trimmed down without losing any impact on McCall's actions or his drive for revenge. It also attempts to weave a number of subplots throughout, in addition to the main story thread of McCall seeking revenge for Susan's death. Of these the most successful is the one involving a young artist named Miles (played by Ashton Sanders) who McCall takes a liking to, and attempts to help him steer clear of a life with a local gang, but this thread could again have been trimmed a bit without losing any impact. The biggest issue, however, is the lack of any real threat to be found. While it was really cool in the first film to see McCall go unchallenged, I was hoping that in the sequel he'd get an opponent/opponents that would really test him. When the villains of the piece are revealed (and you'll see the main one coming from a mile away), it's clear that they're not on his level at all and so it comes as no surprise when he dispatches them - albeit brutally and stylishly - with ease. It's a shame, as while it maintains that badass aspect to his character, the film would have worked so much better if he'd had to face a real challenge.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
A decent second outing for Denzel Washington as this popular character, that features terrific action sequences and the same brutal violence as the first, coupled with a typically good performance from Washington. It's let down by a lack of real threat from its villains, an overly long run time and an attempt to cram in too many subplots. Fans of the first film will find lots to enjoy here, but if we do see a third Equalizer in the future I hope it'll be one that gives the character more of a challenge.

Film Review: The Meg (2018)

The science is sound

The Meg (12A)

Starring: Jason Statham, Li BingBing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose

Director: Jon Turteltaub

The Plot: It's "The Stath" vs a giant shark . . . all right. When a research station successfully sends divers to previously-unreached depths of the Mariana Trench, they're attacked by a Megalodon - a gigantic, 75 foot long shark thought to be extinct. Their only option is to call on the services of deep-sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Statham), who previously encountered a "Meg" five years earlier and hasn't been back in the water since. While Jonas is able to overcome his fears and rescue the divers, their efforts unintentionally free the Meg from the trench and it begins heading towards China, attacking anything in its path. It's up to Jonas and the rest of the station's crew to stop it . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: B-movie horrors featuring gigantic animals or unusual versions of them are really popular, and not because they're good films. People enjoy them because of how bad they are: how silly the story is, how dreadful the visual effects are, how cheesy the acting is etc. In recent years the Sharknado series has proved a real winner for the SyFy channel for all of those reasons, and amongst all the different animals that feature in these kinds of film the shark is king. Take a quick look through IMDb and you'll find all sorts like Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, Sharktopus, 5 Headed Shark Attack, Ghost Shark, and my personal favourite Sharktopus vs Whalewolf. Every now and then Hollywood attempts a take on these kinds of film and the results are generally the same, just with a bigger budget. The latest addition to this is The Meg.

Now, this isn't going to be a very long review because really, this isn't a film that warrants one or tries to take itself seriously. It's exactly what you'd expect it to be - it's a big, silly monster movie with the star attraction of The Stath. The acting is bad across the board, the story is full of plot holes and gives science the back seat, there's a far too obvious romance subplot and, at close to two hours, the run time is much too long. It also relies too much on stereotypical "shark movie" tropes - jump scares from sudden appearances of the shark, people being eaten when you think it's safe, people not being eaten when it seems they're about to, etc, and the film's 12A rating means there's very little gore. It is funny (both intentionally and unintentionally) though, and to its credit the visual effects at least are very good, which you'd expect given the film had a reported budget of $130-170 million. Sadly though, if - like me - you were hoping to see The Stath roundhouse kick the shark in mid-air, Transporter style, you'll be disappointed. He does get a decent victory line of "Chew on this, you ugly bastard", but it's no "Smile you son of a bitch!"

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

An acceptable addition to Hollywood's collection of giant monster films. As long as you're in the target audience then you'll get enjoyment out of this, as it has some of the things you love from a b-movie horror - the bad acting, the silly story - combined with some genuine laughs and fairly impressive visual effects. On the flip side though, if you're not a fan of these kinds of film, this won't be the film to convert you.

Film Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Size matters . . .

Ant-Man and the Wasp (12A)

Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer

Director: Peyton Reed

The Plot: Scott Lang (Rudd) has spent the past two years under house arrest for his involvement in Civil War, facing an automatic prison sentence if he leaves his home. Meanwhile, Hope van Dyne (Lilly) and Hank Pym (Douglas) have been forced on the run, wanted by the FBI for Scott's use of their tech. They're grudgingly reunited when Hope - now operating with her own Wasp suit - comes to Scott: they're building a new machine that they hope can help them reach the Quantum Realm and rescue the long-lost Janet van Dyne (Pfeiffer), and need his help to steal a piece of technology to do it. Attempting to stop them is the mysterious young woman Ghost, who has phase-shifting abilities and wants the tech for herself. Scott faces difficult choices if he is to win back Hope's trust and become Ant-Man again, without risking losing his family . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: 2015's Ant-Man was a (for many, unexpected) delight that introduced us to yet another likeable set of characters within the MCU, and featured a combination of brilliant special effects and a light tone with plenty of comedy. It's ending promised more, including officially setting up Hope van Dyne as the Wasp, and now Marvel Studios have returned to that world with it's twentieth film Ant-Man and the Wasp. The entire cast has returned, director Peyton Reed is once again in the director's chair, and star Paul Rudd also takes a writing credit on the screenplay as well. The big question is, following the shock waves that Infinity War created earlier this year, can Ant-Man and the Wasp both lift the spirits of audiences and be a worthy sequel? The answer, you won't be surprised to learn, is yes.

Perhaps the biggest question that people were asking, ahead of the film's release, is where exactly does it fit in with the time line surrounding Infinity War? After all, Ant-Man was noticeably absent from it, and I personally was a bit disappointed that this was explained via a rather throwaway line from Falcon who mentions Scott's plea deal. Happily, AM&tW clears this all up and offers a satisfying explanation for everything: the film takes place shortly before Infinity War (and there's a incredibly effective post-credits sting that connects to it that I'll talk about later), and we're given a good explanation as to why Scott chose his house arrest deal, why he's had no contact with Hope and Dr Pym, and why he isn't around when Thanos comes to town. Trust me when I say that by the end of the film, everything makes sense.

The story itself is noticeably different to the first film, and this was intentional. Director Peyton Reed has said that while the first film was essentially one big heist movie, he purposefully wanted this one to feel more like a split between an action movie and romantic comedy. This it definitely does, as while it does feature a heist element to it, the film places far more focus on setting up action set-pieces and Scott and Hope's personal and professional partnership. The romance element, pleasingly, isn't overly mushy and progresses naturally - the attraction between the pair was already established in the first film, remember, so here we get to see them build back up to it in a way that flows nicely. The big theme of the film is choice and consequence - all of the characters either have to make important choices, or are still dealing with the consequences of ones they made before, or both. It allows the film to have a serious aspect to it, as some of these choices have life-or-death consequences, but brilliantly the same light, humorous tone from the first film is retained here and it continues to work really well. The laughs come thick and fast, from both verbal jokes and sight gags (a scene where Scott sneaks into his daughter's school and becomes stuck at the size of a small child is hilarious), and after the bleakness of Infinity War this is exactly what the MCU needed.

Now free from having to set up the characters and explain how Pym's shrinking technology works - although there's still a great deal of techno-babble, prompting Scott to ask "Do you guys just put the word 'Quantum' in front of everything?" - the film goes all-out with the action sequences and we're treated to some fantastic visual effects as a result. Some particular standouts include Hope's first foray into action against a whole cadre of thugs that turns into their first encounter with Ghost, and also the film's climactic car chase across San Francisco as the pair battle both inside and out of various cars and an enlarged Scott uses a truck as a scooter. The fight scenes where Scott and Hope team up together are fantastic, with the both of them fluidly shrinking and enlarging in sync to take out their enemies which looks really good. I was a little disappointed at Hope's new suit - the character's traditional yellow and black costume (which was revealed at the end of Ant-Man) has been replaced with  . . . green? I'm colour blind, I can't tell, but it doesn't look as good. She has her blasters and wings though, and she kicks all kinds of ass, which is what really matters. Scott also has a new suit, a prototype model that malfunctions repeatedly and causes him to get stuck at various sizes, a recurring joke throughout the film. There's lots of other great uses of the shrinking tech in the film (Hank now has a portable building containing his lab that he shrinks down to the size of a small suitcase, for example) and these are often used for great comedic effect - you won't see a Pez dispenser the size of a car being thrown at someone in another film, that's for sure.

The performances from the main cast are all great, across the board. They're certainly helped by that theme of choice and consequence I mentioned earlier, as it allows each of them to have something to grapple with on a personal level as the main story of them racing to rescue Janet from the Quantum Realm progresses. Paul Rudd proves once again that he's a good leading man, and despite being more well known for comedic roles he's more than up to the task for the heavier stuff too: Scott is torn between wanting to fix the rift he's created between himself and Hope and protecting himself, as if he's caught outside of his home being Ant-Man he faces losing his precious daughter Cassie and going to prison. On equal footing to him this time is Evangeline Lilly as Hope, who's wonderful once again, and now getting to wear the Wasp suit and kick some serious ass. Hope was already shown to be a strong character in the first film, and while she spent that one trying to state her case that she should be the one in the suit, when this one kicks off she's already proved her point. Her conflict comes from deciding whether to trust Scott again against her obvious feelings for him, and she's also facing the daunting prospect of getting to see her mother again after thirty years of absence. The two of them together - both their romantic angle and teaming up together professionally - work really well. Michael Peña returns as the brilliant Luis, offering the same comic relief as he did in the first one. This time around he's formed a security company with Scott and their friends Dave and Kurt called "Ex-Con" and he's the only one of them who seems to be serious about it, and also finds himself (terrifyingly) involved in the third act's big set-piece. And yes, he does have one of his fan-favourite exposition sequences, courtesy of a very funny scene where's injected with a truth serum. He stole the first film and he comes very close to doing it here too. Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer are also both great - Douglas gets much more screen time, as Janet (spoilers, she's rescued) doesn't turn up until the end of the film, but he's in much more of a supporting role here and has some withering put-downs for Scott. His reunion with Janet is an emotional one, and Pfeiffer brings a touch of class to the small amount of screen time she gets.

There are some weaknesses to the film, however. Chief amongst them is the villain, or rather the lack of one. The antagonists of the film (the brilliant Walton Goggins as tech-dealer Sonny Burch doesn't count, as he's never a believable threat) are Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen, and a former associate of Hank's called Bill Foster, played by Laurence Fishburne. The characters are revealed to be in a very grey area: Ghost (or Ava)'s phase-shifting condition is slowly killing her, painfully, and she needs the same tech that Scott and Hope are after to try and cure herself. Fisher has become Ava's carer and father-figure, trying to use his knowledge to help with a cure. While she proves willing to hurt innocents to get the tech, Fisher refuses to, and ultimately both characters are shown to not really be bad, but just driven to their actions out of desperation. The original Ant-Man had a good villain in Yellowjacket and I honestly think superhero films work best when you have a villain that is clearly out to do harm, regardless of how complex their reasons are for doing so - just look at Killmonger from Black Panther and Thanos himself, two of the best villains Marvel have given us - and I think this film suffers a bit without one. Another weakness is the structure of the story, which feels a bit chaotic in places - each scene feels like a reaction to the previous one, rather than a smooth progressive feel, and while I personally didn't mind this, some viewers may find this noticeable and a bit off-putting.

The biggest issue I have with the film though, is a bit of stupid one to be honest - Hope isn't referred to as the Wasp once. Not once! In a film called Ant-Man and the Wasp, which a big part of is about the two of them pairing up together, she doesn't get called Wasp a single time! It's a really silly oversight and shouldn't be that big of a deal, but it is.

Now, before I wrap things up, I mentioned earlier that the film links itself to Infinity War via the traditional Marvel post-credits sting, and you'd better prepare yourself as it's a heart breaker. Spoilers follow! Having rescued Janet, finished his house arrest and rekindled his relationship with Hope, Scott descends into the Quantum Realm once again, under the guidance of Hope, Hank and Janet, to retrieve some particles to help Ava, and while he's down there . . . Thanos clicks his fingers. The results are shocking, and Scott is left stranded, completely unaware of what's happened. The credits even end with "Ant-Man and the Wasp will return?", just to mess with us even further. Infinity War Part 2 just got even more interesting!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Another excellent film from Marvel that not only acts as a worthy sequel to Ant-Man but provides a welcome light relief after the bleakness of Infinity War. Keeping the same comedic tone as the first film but upping the action, AM&tW delivers lots of laughs, visual spectacle and emotion to boot. The lack of a real villain and the reactionary structure of the story are flaws that keep it from being truly excellent, but this is still essential viewing. 

Film Review: Incredibles 2 (2018)

Honey, where's my super suit?

Incredibles 2 (PG)

Starring (Voices): Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Samuel L.Jackson

Director: Brad Bird

The Plot: Following a failed attempt at defeating the Underminer, things aren't going well for the Parr family: they're broke, living in a motel and superheroes are still outlawed. Things look up when they're contacted by Winston and Evelyn Deavor, owners of the communications firm DevTech, who have a plan to restore Supers by putting their good deeds in the public eye - and they want Elastigirl to be the one to do it. Taking the job, Helen begins crime-fighting again while Bob unsuccessfully tries to adjust to being a stay-at-home Dad, dealing with Violet's dating issues, Dash's complicated math homework and Jack-Jack's many manifesting super powers. When a new villain called the Screenslaver arrives, who uses powerful hypnosis and intends to wipe out Supers for good, the whole family will need to come together once more to stop them . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: Can you believe it's been almost fourteen years since the original The Incredibles? Released way back in November 2004, the film still ranks as one of Pixar's best, and as well as the critical and commercial success it was also an important technological milestone for Pixar themselves - it was their first film featuring humans as the main characters (as opposed to minor or supporting characters in Toy Story and Monsters Inc) and they had to work really hard to get things like hair, muscles and movement right. And get it right they did, as the film's visuals - particularly it's retrofuturistic theme - still hold up well today. But it's the story and the characters that have remained beloved by Pixar fans, and nonesomore than its director Brad Bird, who has long spoken of wanting to do a sequel, but only if he could come up with a script he felt was as good as the first. Well, fourteen years is a long time to wait (Finding Dory, with a thirteen year gap between it and Finding Nemo doesn't count in my opinion, as it's not really a sequel), but finally the Parrs are back and I'm happy to tell you that Bird and the talented people at Pixar have produced another winner - Incredibles 2 is fantastic.

The first really smart decision by Bird is the setting: rather than have it be, for example, ten years later with the kids grown up, the story instead picks right up where the first film left off. If you remember The Incredibles, it ended with the family attending Dash's sports day, Violet awkwardly asking her crush Tony on a date, and the villain the Underminer making a grand entrance, prompting the family to suit up ready to battle him. Brilliantly, Incredibles 2 opens on that very scene, giving a seamless transition from the first film to this one and a terrific action set-piece to kick things off as the family attempt to bring down the Underminer while constantly handing Jack-Jack off to one another to look after as they each try to use their powers to help. It's a great sequence that not only provides an exciting and funny opening to the story, but acts as a small refresher of who each character is and what they can do for those who have forgotten. More importantly, it's a very clear statement that the much-loved tone of the first film is present and correct.

In another smart move the original voice cast is back, with two exceptions that couldn't be helped: Dash is now voiced by Huck Milner, as his original voice actor Spencer Fox has "aged out" since the first film and has too deep a voice these days, while Rick Dicker (great name), the Parr's handler who helps relocate them, is now voiced by the great Jonathan Banks as his original voice artist Bud Luckey (a Pixar animator who's credited with the creation of Woody from Toy Story) had retired and then, sadly, passed away earlier this year - the film is dedicated to him. The rest of the cast are all present and correct and do another great job, and they're joined by the excellent Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener as Winston and Evelyn Deavor. Listen out for the legendary Isabella Rossellini in a small role as an Ambassador who's key to Winston's plan to get Supers made legal again, and don't worry dahling - the brilliant Edna Mode returns and is once again voiced by director Brad Bird.

  
The main story of the film is split into two threads: the first - and leading - one follows Helen (as Elastigirl, complete with a sparkly new uniform that she doesn't like) who goes off to work for DevTech, while the other follows Bob who faces being a stay-at-home Dad for the first time in his life and having to deal with looking after the kids 24/7. This split works in a number of different ways. Most of the action sequences surround Helen as she at first tries to battle the Screenslaver alone - there's a really good set-piece where she has to stop a runaway train - and this allows us to see more of her kicking ass and being Elastigirl the superhero rather than Elastigirl the mom, but it also shows the effects of her being away from her family. On the flipside of this, most of the film's humour (and there's a lot of it) comes from the thread following Bob and this acts as a natural compliment to the action. Bob's woefully unprepared for having to deal with the kids all the time, and there's a lot going on with them: Jack-Jack's many superpowers are manifesting, to Bob's initial delight (there's a hilarious scene where Jack-Jack battles a raccoon he spots raiding the family's trash can), but these coupled with the regular problems of looking after a baby soon see him having zero sleep. Dash is struggling with math homework that Bob can't understand ("When did they change math? Math is math!"), while Violet is having a meltdown due to her crush Tony having his memories wiped after seeing her without her mask during the battle with the Underminer, forgetting not only their date but who she is entirely. Bob's attempt to fix the situation doesn't help, taking them for a meal at the restaurant Tony works at, in a very funny scene that prompts Violet to shoot water out of her nose.

The main reason that the film works so well is that it balances all the aspects of the story, just as the original The Incredibles did. There's plenty of action and excitement with the family all using their powers, there's loads of humour as I just mentioned (Bob's visit to Edna Mode is a particular high point, especially when Jack-Jack imitates her), but we also get some tender moments such as Helen on the phone to Bob missing her family, or Bob staying up all night learning Dash's math homework so he can help him, or again with Bob and his apology to Violet for messing things up with her and Tony, admitting that he while he was a superhero the right choices were always obvious to him, but as a parent he doesn't know how to do things right. The third act, where the action ramps up, also devotes a good chunk of its time to the kids themselves, allowing them to take centre stage as they head off to rescue their parents and Frozone who have fallen under the control of the Screenslaver, and this was really nice to see. From a technical standpoint the film is, as you would expect from Pixar these days, absolutely terrific. The visuals are stunning, giving a new life to the characters (Pixar have come a long way since 2004) whilst still retaining the same look and feel of the first film, while the score is once again composed by Michael Giacchino and just as excellent.

The only real negative that I could find is with the film's villain Screenslaver. The revelation that the villain is actually (spoiler alert) Evelyn Deavor doesn't come as a surprise, and while she's given a genuine reason for hating superheroes, she just doesn't come across as well as original villain Syndrome from The Incredibles. This doesn't detract from the overall experience, as everything else about the film more than stands up to the original, but it's just a shame that the villain of the piece doesn't. Don't let that put you off though - Incredibles 2 is a brilliant film that's action-packed, incredibly funny and heartwarming to boot. The wait of fourteen years was absolutely worth it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Another winning film from Pixar and worthy sequel to the original The Incredibles. An exciting story that's both full of action and incredibly funny, while maintaining the much-loved look and feel of the first film and sending a strong message about the importance of family. A weak villain aside, this is a brilliant film and well worth your time. Now, where's my super suit?