Okja review

Okja is a film which sees the friendship between a Korean girl and a superpig tested once the pig is taken to America to be a mascot for a food corporation.

The superpigs in the film were created by the fictional Mirando company as a new source of food. 26 of these superpigs are sent to farmers around the world to compete to see who can make the best superpig, as a publicity stunt. This is how the main character, Mija, meets Okja, her grandfather's superpig. They grow up together, but we only see them the day before Mirando comes to take Okja away. The film is based completely around Mija's friendship with Okja, so it's great that it is properly established in the day that we see them together.

After this is when the film takes a turn to following eco-terrorists, the corporate plans, developing it's vegan message, all while Mija is trying to reunite with Okja. This main chunk of the film is very entertaining, if difficult to watch at times. The difficulty comes from seeing Okja mistreated. Bring able to get a reaction out of seeing a fictional, CGI animal getting harmed shows how well the film makers were able to make Okja into a believable, effective character.

I mentioned the vegan message that is portrayed in Okja. I'm not a vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian, pescepescetarian, or anything else. I eat meat, and I'm fine with it, it's how life on Earth goes, creatures eat other creatures. So while the film does a good job at developing its vegan message, and at times it is very damming towards the processed food industry, it's not enough to make me change my diet.

In short: Okja presents a strong inter-species relationship while also effectively commenting on the commercialisation of food.

Gifted review

Gifted is a film about a child prodigy, and the legal case for her guardianship being fought between her uncle and her grandmother.

This is a very formulaic, cheesy melodrama. There are no moments that took me by surprise or could not be mapped out half an hour in advance. That said it succeeds in what it's trying for. I enjoyed watching the film and I wasn't very bothered by the predictability of it all. In fact, by the end I was invested in Chris Evan's plight, despite knowing that there would be no diversion from the well travelled path. The only surprise in the film is when "Directed by Marc Webb" appeared in the credits, as I didn't expect the guy who made The Amazing Spider-Man films to then move onto a film like this.

In short: Gifted is effective melodrama.

Transformers: The Last Knight review

This is the fifth Transformers film to be directed by Michael Bay, and once again features Mark Wahlberg as the human protagonist as a usually overcrowded story takes place.

I had a thought while watching The Last Knight. This thought wasn't provoked by any moment in particular, but by the film as a whole. I don't think Michael Bay has ever seen an episode of the original Transformers series. That series was made to sell toys but featured fleshed out Transformers, detailed lore, and reasons to keep watching. The only thing that Bay seems to have successfully transferred over is the toy advert angle, but he could have got that from an actual toy advert. I had this thought because of all the Bay-isms, inconsistencies in continuity and murder of the lore that is present in The Last Knight.

I'm not sure how I didn't realise this before. Maybe it's because I was younger when the other films came out. Though now that I think about it, it is pretty obvious. Just think about the way the Autobots and Decepticons are portrayed, the wasting of The Fallen, the treatment of Sentinel Prime, Galvatron in the last film, a GIANT spoiler for this film. Then there is the mistreatment of the main and side characters between films (apparently Simmons can walk again, Galvatron is Megatron again, and what every happened to Lennox's family that was mentioned in the first film). And there is one glaring problem facing the conclusion of a character's story that feels extremely like an afterthought just to wrap things up. And the basic story is very similar to the third.

In fact, this film is really not that different from the other films. But I didn't care.

If you don't like the other Transformers films then you're not going to like this either. I just enjoy watching giant robots hit each other. It's as simple as that. The second time I saw this I made the mistake of trying to think. Please, please, don't make the same mistake I did. Just don't think. It's as simple as that. Don't think. Think and you're dead. This is dumb. Dumber than you can imagine. Don't turn it on. Don't look away. And don't think. Good Luck.

In short: It's a Transformers movie.

Baby Driver review

Baby Driver is the latest film by Edgar Wright, and follows a getaway driver named Baby (huh) who wants out of that business.

I love Edgar Wright's films. Hot Fuzz is one of the best comedies ever made and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is one of my favourite films(I could write about it for ages). Shaun of the Dead is up there with the best romantic comedies(but nothing beats Groundhog Day). Ant-Man still remains as on of the biggest cinematic 'What if?'s that I have. My one complaint about one of his films is that it wasn't until rewatches that I truly appreciated The World's End. So when I found out about a preview screening for Baby Driver I was extremely excited.

Luckily I wasn't disappointed. I had seen a trailer before watching the film, but I wasn't really paying attention. So I'm not going to say anything that either wasn't in the trailer or the interviews with Wright, Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx that I watched/heard/read.

The opening scene of the film is essentially the music video for Mint Royale's Blue Song, but moved to Atlanta and without the presence of Noel Fielding's hair. After that, it goes straight into a car chase as Baby helps the bank robbers escape the scene of the crime. During this, and the next, scene anyone unfamiliar with Wright's style will be able to tell what the rest of the film will feel like. During this chase scene, the movements are synced up to the music that Baby must always listen to, and, unlike another film with Jamie Foxx in that was released this year, the camera is allowed to stay steady and follow the car through the streets of Atlanta without cuts every other second.

After the opening scene, the rest of the film mostly keeps the pace and tone, while also expanding on that tone. There are moments of comedy but, unlike Wright's other films, it never becomes a full on comedy. Instead it keeps the focus on two main story lines: Baby wanting out of Kevin Spacey's crime group, and his new relationship with a waitress played by Lily James. This second plot thread is a recurring one in Wright's work (Shaun and Liz in Shaun of the Dead, Scott and Ramona/Knives in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), and given how it's such a large part of the film, it's really important that you believe in them as a couple. Luckily Ansel Elgort and James have enough chemistry to sell the story that is being presented to them. A lot of their early relationship plays out in a very Edgar Wright way that feels almost like a fairy tale. Despite the near-fantasy, it still feels real.

There is one major aspect of the film which I have neglected: the soundtrack. In the film, Baby has tinnitus and will always listen to music on a variety of iPods. Whenever Baby is listening to music we all hear it too, so the moments of silence are few and far between. But these silent moments are not completely silent, as the ringing in Baby's ears are implemented into the sound mix. This really helps to build his character through sound which is not created by Elgort. This is one of my favourite aspects of the film. The way it manages to create a character through isolated sound, while most films would use the actor, props or setting, is excellent.

In short: Baby Driver is yet another complete success from Edgar Wright, proving his British style transfers well to an American film.

Churchill review

Churchill follows Brian Cox as the ex-Prime Minister in the days leading up to the D-Day landings.

Every few years there is a film released in June which is in some way about D-Day. The best of these in recent years was Edge of Tomorrow (or whatever it's called this week) in 2014. The reason this was the best of the recent D-Day films is that on the surface, it looks like a sci-fi action, but when you actually think about it, you realise it's ties to D-Day. Churchill, however, does nothing original with the historical event.

If you've ever watched a BBC or Channel 4 historical movie, the you will have seen something very similar to this film. I'm not saying that they can't be original, just that this is typical of what you'd expect from them. The problem is that I can see what the director was trying to go for. There are several scenes where Churchill is walking on the beach mournfully, remembering a similar operation that didn't work during the first world war. These sequences would be more effective if they weren't handled so ham-fistedly. Brian Cox is a great actor, and he's great in this too, so take advantage of having him in your film and let him do the heavy lifting in regards to the portrayal of his haunted nature.

In short: Brian Cox is great.

The Mummy (2017) review

The Mummy is an attempt to reboot the adventure franchise and set up a "Dark Universe" of iconic monsters. In this version, Tom Cruise is a military man who accidentally awakens the mummy Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella).

Remember the 1999 film with Brendan Fraser. Of course you do, it is really good blockbuster entertainment that still holds up. That film begins with the story of how Imhotep was cursed. This new version opens with the construction of Crossrail. How exciting!

That is the main problem with the film: it's just not exciting. It definitely tries to be at times, but it just does not manage to be. Aswell as that, it tries to be scary, fun and serious. It fails at all this. If they succeeded at all of them then it would still have the same main problem, and that is that it is tonally all over the place. It keeps on trying to stick with one tone, but never for long enough to actually make an effect. I think that this is in part because of director Alex Kurtzman, best known as a screen writer. Before this he has only directed an episode of Alias and the drama People Like Us, which had a budget of only $16 million, of which it made back $12 million. His hiring perplexes me. The studio was probably looking for someone to push around, so they hired a man who directed a small budget film which failed to make its budget back and received a mixed critical reception. "We did it for the fans!" they cry out, as the film fails to engage properly. If that were so, YOU WOULD HAVE GIVEN BRENDAN FRASER A CAMEO YOU MONEY SUCKING VAMPIRES!

Hold on a second, I just need to calm down... I need to think happy thoughts... Wonder Woman, Fargo, the current series of Doctor Who is pretty good, exams are over, life's going swell. Thanks for bearing with me through that.

Anyway, this is a cash grab if I've ever seen one. This film was made with the sole intention of making money.

You know what's the popular thing right now? Cinematic universes! Add Russel Crowe to give some exposition and give the film its best, if unintentional, scene.

You know what's nostalgically profitable right now? The 1999 version of The Mummy! Let's reboot it, and not have any cast member cameos despite Rachel Weisz still making films and there being a huge internet following for Brendan Fraser.

Ypu know who's hot hot right now? That Tom Cruise is so hot right now! Let's give him a bland, forgettable character and add some "intrigue" to him for the sequel.

You know who has a new following from fan boys after two films? Sofia Boutella! Let's make her mummy nowhere near as memorable as Imhotep, but instead play to her strengths as a physical performer and give her nothing else to do.

You know where a popular place to film is and also has inticing tax breaks? London! Make the majority of the film set there despite it being miles from any sand and the only things remotely Ancient Egyptian are in the museums. But we're not going to show any of that.

You know where is currently politically unstable and problematic? Egypt! No scenes will be set there despite the fact that the movie is BASED ON ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MYTHS SO WE'RE GOING TO MOVE THE TOMB TO IRAQ AND THEN LEAVE AFRICA IMMEDIATELY AND NOT RETURN!

Throw in an unexperienced director the studio can boss around, 6 writers and a big CGI budget and we have ourselves a cash grab on our hands.

To be fair, after Crossrail, the film then tells us Ahmanet's back story (despite the fact that they then explain it naturally again during the story). And they solved the problem of sandless London in an inventive sequence. And when Russel Crowe tries to do a cockney accent it is laugh out loud funny.

Unless the next film in the Dark Universe gets good reviews, or I'm impressed by the marketing, I will not be supporting this franchise designed to make money.

In short: The Mummy is one of the laziest, most panderous attempts to make money recently. But hey, at least the finale didn't take place in China.

Wonder Woman review

It's good.

I wrote the whole thing and then it didn't save. By now you will have heard many glowing reviews, this one being similar, and I'm not sure whether I can add much more that will be interesting to read. What I will say that the whole film is like The Warehouse Scene in Batman v Superman. What I mean by that is that this is exactly what I wanted from a Wonder Woman film.