Sunday 31 July 2016

'Jason Bourne' Review


Matt Damon is finally back to the 'Bourne' franchise to much delight of moviegoers. No offense to Jeremy Renner, you did a fine job but 'Legacy' unfortunately doesn't come near any of the original trilogy. Returning to the franchise after 9 years, would Damon be able to deliver another great action movie to the Bourne franchise?


It's been a decade since Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) walked away from the secret agency that turned him into a deadly weapon. The CIA look to draw Bourne out of the shadows and they assign hacker Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) to try and find him. Former associate Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) looks to reunite with Bourne as well. Bourne soon finds himself back in the mix as he faces off against the network that will do anything to gain power.

Unfortunately for us fans, Jason Bourne is the worst of the Matt Damon quadrilogy of Bourne films. Maybe its just been too long and with 'Legacy', the franchise definitely seems to have lost some of its feeling. The story within this instalment is probably the main culprit for this film disappointing. It has the normal themes of a Bourne story but just isn't nearly as interesting as the others and doesn't really grip and draw you into the story. The pacing also is a problem with this as the film does become very slow at points and with nothing particularly exciting happening, you do become a little bored.

Matt Damon most definitely brings it again as Jason Bourne showing once again how well he can handle action. He was sorely missed in 'Legacy' and it is a real highlight to see him back as the character whom he made famous. The recently Oscar nominated Damon does a fantastic job once again in a role that is second nature to him by now. Like in the previous films, he handles the brutal action very well, even handing out a couple of one hit KO's on the way. 

The rest of the cast is very strong with recent Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander joining the franchise as well as Tommy Lee Jones and Vincent Cassel. Vikander shows her abilities despite some poor dialogue at times but she really does a great job with what she is given. I'm a huge fan of hers and really enjoyed her performance as Heather Lee who kept me guessing throughout the movie. Julia Stiles also returns once again as an ally to Jason Bourne and also produces a strong performance. Vincent Cassel played an interesting role as a deadly assassin who was threatening despite having little dialogue throughout the film. 

The action for me in this film is very mixed. I'm really not a big fan of action scenes that involve the use of shaky cam and unfortunately that is apparent in this franchise once again. It's not good visually and is a real eye sore which spoils some of the action that does involve some great fight scenes. Despite that, there are some set pieces that are really great and if you have seen the trailer, you will know of the carnage caused in Las Vegas. Some of the action scenes including the large chase in the finale really save the film and elevate the status of the movie as it really gives you what you want and much more. If you can get past the shaky cam, you will thoroughly enjoy all of the action in this movie to great extent. 

Overall, Jason Bourne is a good movie. It's not great and it maybe suffers because of the quality of Damon's previous ventures in the franchise. The story could've been more interesting but it isn't enough for you to completely lose interest. If it seems to be going in that direction, you can be sure that the action will liven the film up and create some great movies.

Final Verdict = 

Not living up to the original trilogy but Jason Bourne is still a credible instalment to the franchise. 

So have you seen 'Jason Bourne'? If so what did you think of the movie? I hope that this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the movie and I hope you enjoy it if you choose to see it. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor



Thursday 28 July 2016

'The BFG' Review


As a kid growing up in Scotland, Roald Dahl's books were one of the few that I chose to read as a kid. Great stories such as 'Charlie and The Chocolate Factory' and 'James and The Giant Peach' were a couple of my favourites alongside another one of Dahl's famous novels, 'The BFG'. Steven Spielberg is my favourite director of all time, creating some of my favourite movies of all time like 'Jaws' and 'Jurassic Park'. You could only imagine my excitement when I found out that Spielberg would be taking control of a live action BFG movie.


10 year old Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is mysteriously abducted and taken to a strange land. Scared at first, she soon realises that she has been taken by a big, friendly giant who is caring and gentle, unlike the other giants who live amongst him. The other giants pick on the BFG (Mark Rylance) and pose a threat to not only Sophie but children all over the world. The unlikely duo now must travel to get help from a higher power before it is too late.

In an ideal world, this combination would lead to what would be one of my favourite movies of the year. However despite nostalgic feelings and really rooting for this to be another one of Spielbergs classics, it didn't quite happen. Maybe the story doesn't resonate with me as much as it used to. In no way is that saying that the film is bad however. Just not quite reaching the levels it could have. When you have an adaptation and it is being brought to life by one of films greatest ever directors, there is a level of expectation already there and I think that 'The BFG' definitely suffers from this.

'The BFG' most certainly isn't a bad movie. It actually works really well as a family fantasy movie that does cater very well to a younger audience. The characters are enjoyable and fun to watch throughout the runtime. Spielberg creates a great world where the giants roam with quaint elements that are charming to both younger and more mature viewers. The home of the BFG is interesting enough as he makes use out of anything, even boats for human use. The land where the dreams roam is also enchanting and really beautiful to the eye which will keep the audiences attention.

Mark Rylance truly shines as the giant in what seems to be a blossoming partnership with Steven Spielberg after his Oscar winning performance in Bridge of Spies. The 5ft 7 actor is transformed into a 20+ ft giant and he brings that feeling of humanity to the role that makes his performance something to marvel at. Rylance also shines with his voice work as he does an incredible job as the stumbling giant who wants to speak correctly but it just doesn't end up coming out as he had intended. He brings heart to the role and makes you care for the giant as he shows his true kind and caring nature.

Ruby Barnhill is the only human character who appears in the whole runtime and deserves credit for her performance. It's never easy for child actors and for her to produce a solid performance without having lots to interact or bounce off of is a credit to the young actress. It's not a completely mesmerising performance but Barnhill captures the innoncence of Sophie as a helpless, kind hearted and brave girl who is in a world unlike any other.

Bizzarely I feel that the problem with the film comes with the story. At times the pacing wan't great as it also has its moments where nothing really that exciting is happening. In a fantasy film like this, it probably could have done with some more adventure of the world that we were in. Instead we spend most of it in The BFG's home which is nice but you'd like to explore the world even more. The film also suffers in the final act as it really seems to slow down for the time being as Sophie and her giant friend look for help. This was probably the weakest part of the film for me as it wasn't really as exciting or humerous like the film had been before.

It is a fine addition to Spielberg's list of films but won't be making anyones 'Best of' lists any time soon. It is a good family film that does seem to be catered to those who are younger which may be the reason for this. However if you are looking for a film that the whole family will enjoy, 'The BFG' should create an enjoyable experience that will have you satisfied.

Final Verdict = 

An enjoyable family film with Mark Rylance really shining.

So have you seen 'The BFG'? If so what did you think of it? I hope this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing this movie. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor








Tuesday 26 July 2016

'Star Trek Beyond' Review


The third of the new era of Star Trek movies is finally upon us after 2013's 'Into Darkness' that despite getting good reviews to start with, has recieved some sort of a backlash. Now we have 'Beyond' to correct the fans gripes and it certainly seems to have done so.


After beingg tricked into a surprise attack, the Enterprise is destroyed and has to crash land on a mysterious planet. The attack came from Krall (Idris Elba) a lizard like creature who prolongs his life by stealing the life out of his victims. To complete his devious plan, Krall needs an ancient artifact that is aboard the ship. The crew are split up due to the attack so Kirk (Chris Pine) must reunitte with Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of his crew and escape the planet before utter devestation is caused.

Some people had a problem with 'Into Darkness' saying that it wasn't fun enough. Well with director of Fast 5 and Furious 6 Justin Lin taking the helm of the franchise, you could almost guarantee that this movie would most definitely be fun. You then add the fact that Scotty himself Simon Pegg co-wrote the film and you can pretty much be sure that this movie would be fun. Both deserve huge credit as well as Doug Jung who co-wrote with Pegg.

Lin made it clear in the Fast and Furious films that he could handle action very well and create a very fun action atmosphere. You can see his talents in 'Beyond' as the action is superb and really has fun with itself. The sci fi elements allow Lin to really let loose which creates some great moments including the scene with Kirk on a motorcycle that seemed really silly in the first few trailers. At times, the action does seem a bit too shaky but it doesn't last for too ling to really become a problem.

I'm a big fan of Simon Pegg and I would probably say that he is my favourite comedy actor. For him to have co written this movie was ideal for me as I could expect some of the great quality that we have come to expect from him. The comedy within the writing works incredibly well and even makes the film a lot funnier than most of the comedies this year. The jokes and one liners land very well and the banter between the characters is incredibly enjoyable to watch.

It's only been recently that I have gotten into Star Trek and I'm really happy that I did. One of the main reasons for this is due to the amount of interesting and great characters within the series. Chris Pine is excellent once again as Captain Kirk as one of the standouts in the film. He portrays the character incredibly well by both being a leader and taking the fight on head on but also by being very thoughtful and making very well calculated decisions. Pine's charisma allows him to really flourish in 'Beyond' in what is another gret performance from him. A big strength in the film also comes with the other supporting characters played by the likes of Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, John Cho and also by the late Anton Yelchin. Everyone brings it in this movie and there really isn't a weak point in the crew as you care and are interested about all of the characters. Individually they all have traits that make them stand out and they have really done a great job to make you care about the whole team in this new rebooted franchise.

My favourite part of this movie comes with the focus on Spock and Bones relationship. Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban show fantastic chemistry in this film and are hilarious together. The pair bicker with each other despite having each others best interests in mind which creates a highly enjoyable viewing. The two bounce off each other very well and had the whole audience chuckling which was great. There's a lot more screen time for Urban's character 'Bones' which was great as he really adds a lot to the film which was missed in 'Into Darkness'.

Also shining in the film is Sofia Boutella as Jaylah who is one of the most badass characters of the year once again following her success in last years 'The Kingsman'. She was both very clever and also could handle herself against enemies with a good backstory creating a great heroine. I look forward to seeing more of her in future instalments as she is a truly unique and interesting character that stands out from the crew.

One gripe I do have with the film is with the villain. Idris Elba does a good job as Krall despite genuinely being hard to understand at times- and that's coming from a Scottish person! He did seem dangerous but at times they could've pushed it a bit more to make him truly terrifying and one to be feared. However, at times it seemed as if he was missing for large parts of the film. The ending as well seemed a bit lacklustre as he lost a bit of his power and seemed to be dealt with far too easily although it did have quite a nice twist on the film. 

RIP Anton Yelchin

Final Verdict = 

A great addition to the franchise and one of the most entertaining movies of the year. 'Star Trek: Beyond' is a blast and you will have a great time watching this flick!

So have you seen 'Star Trek: Beyond'? If so what did you think of it? I hope this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the movie. I also hope that if you choose to see it that you enjoy it as much as I did. Once again, thank you for reading my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor




Thursday 21 July 2016

'Keanu' Review


When I first heard the idea for this movie, I was like "What? No way are they doing something so stupid like that. That'll be awful". Thankfully I was wrong.

Rell (Jordan Peele) has recently broke up with his girlfriend and all seems to be going south until he finds a cute kitten at his doorstep. Thieves break into his home by mistake and steal the cute feline he had named Keanu, Rell will work with his cousin Clarence (Keegan-Michael Key) to try and get the cat back. They soon realise that a dangerous thug named Cheddar (Method Man) posseses the cat and will only give it back if Rell and Clarence under their fake personas of "Tectonic" and "Shark Tank" if they help him out. Armed with dangerous weapons and carrying a new fake attitude, the duo look to do whatever it takes to retrieve the kitten and also escape with their lives and no criminal offences.

Key and Peele have made a name for themselves in comedy for a while now with high success using sketch comedy. This is clearly shown throughout the movie as they create many hilarious scenes that have Key and Peele's genius marked all over them. The comedy within these skits work so well and are incredibly enjoyable. If you are familiar with their previous work, I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy this movie.

The performances in this film are very solid too with Key and Peele obviously standing out. Watching the pair act as if they are ruthless gangsters and fooling those who they encounter is great entertainment and shows the comedic capabilities of these two men. Credit also has to go to Method Man and his gang featuring Tiffany Haddish as Hi-C and Darrell Brit-Gibson as Trunk. The gang do very well playing off the two leads, acting surprised and enlightened to whatever they are being fooled with. It was quite a relief seeing a comedy movie this year that didn't really have a weak link or an annoying character unlike many so far this year.

There is no doubt that the comedy in this movie is very solid. Constantly using pop culture references is sometimes seen as cheap but the jokes all land and even lead to longer skits. George Michael is a topic that is used a lot through the film as Clarence manages to trick the gang members that he is one of the most hardcore artists of all time and gets them all to become mega fans. This is one of the more enjoyable parts of the film and never feels as if they are pushing it or that it lasts too long. That is just one of the many points that are referenced a lot throughout the film that work very well.

However this may be the case, the film certainly loses a bit of focus in the final act where it mainly becomes a straight up action movie. The comedy elements are still there to an extent but not as much as previously and it feels like they go much more serious than the rest of the film had led up to. The action scenes then lead to the two leads becoming like superhero's being able to take out experienced, armoured thugs with complete ease despite no prior experience. They seem to be completely at home using weapons which does take away from the movie as they obviously aren't used to it.

The movie also does seem to drag a bit at the end as new characters are introduced as the film looks to have been reaching its climax. The film probably could've handled the ending better by focusing more on the characters we already knew rather than introducing a new villain late on which I feel didn't work as well as it could have.

The last thing I am going to speak about is the cat. I'm far from a cat person but this is possibly the cutest cat you will see and it starts to make sense to why Rell and everyone else instantly falls in love with him. What seemed like a strange idea becomes actually not a terrible plot line despite how mad it is.

Final Verdict = 

A very fun movie that will have you laughing. Unfortunately, it does lose focus and doesn't end as solid as it could have.

So have you seen 'Keanu'? If so what did you think of it? I hope this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the movie! Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor

Wednesday 20 July 2016

'Absolutely Fabulous' Review

'Absoluely Fabulous' has been a well recieved British comedy with spells in the last three decades. I would never have thought that this would be so succesful based on this movie. Yep, this movie certainly isn't where you should start if you want to get into this series.


London publicist Edina Monsoon (Jennnifer Saunders) and best friend Patsy (Joanna Lumley) are forced to leave London to the French Riveria due to being accused of possibly murdering supermodel Kate Moss. 

Now from the plot synopsis alone, it is incredibly stupid and that is clear throughout the movie. For one, if you are a suspect in a possible murder, I'm sure the police would be a lot stricter to you. Also, paparazzi are completely surrounding Edina's home and take photos of anyone who enters or leaves the home. Apart from one time. When both Edina and Patsy put on big hats and glasses- not suspicious at all- and get away safely without any questions. The story is terrible and doesn't make sense to how they'd get this far at all. 

The film is also meant to be a comedy which for me didn't really work at all. The jokes are awful and fail to land on the most part. As a TV show that has been aired for so long, I expected a lot more and it just failed miserably. The funniest parts of the movie come from when the characters have short bursts of cynical remarks. Unfortunately there just isn't quite enough of this to carry a full length movie and it doesn't get help elsewhere for comic relief.

As a newbie to this series, it is probably unfair to start off at the movie. However, I have absolutely no intention of looking at any other 'Absolutely Fabulous' content and that is mainly down to the characters. Nobody in this film is likeable in the slightest. They are awful people who don't have many redeeming qualities or are funny enough to make up for it. Some were just horrible, insufferable people. Some were just plain weird and weren't even funny. I'm guessing I'm in the minority with this as it appears to have been a succesful show for many years which I'm hoping was much better than this movie. 

You can clearly see that this is a British movie and I can't really see it transcending well anywhere else. The film is filled with cameos of British "celebrities" that even I was like "who even is that?" at times. The cameos aren't great and don't add much to the film and it tries to rely on that for entertainment far too many times. You can get away with this sometimes but it helps if the cameos are people who you're very happy to see which doesn't happen very often in the movie.

'Absolutely Fabulous' was possibly the hardest movie to get through this year and it was topped off with a completely terrible ending. The movie tries to insert an emotional ending that was so out of place and did not work at all. Then the revelation at the end made the entire film so pointless and only confirmed that this was most definitely a huge waste of my time.

Final Verdict =

'Absolutely Fabulous' was absolutely dreadful.

So have you seen 'Absolutley Fabulous'? If so, what did you think of it? If you do choose to see it, I hope that you enjoy it more than I did. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor

Thursday 14 July 2016

'The Neon Demon' Review


So far this year, I have seen 65 movies. 'The Neon Demon' isn't quite the best. It certainly isn't the worst. It is most definitely the most weird film I have had the pleasure of seeing this year.


Jesse (Elle Fanning) is a 16 year old aspiring model who moves to LA in hopes to gain success. As soon as she gets there, she is tipped for the top much to the anger of many others who start to despise her and her natural good looks. Jesse also has to deal with a dodgy motel owner as well as photographers as she progresses as a model. She is now competition to the other dangerous models and has to look to overcome them.

This is no ordinary film. There isn't much out there that is exactly like this movie. The way it's filmed, the way it tells it's story and also just the route the story takes. The film is most definitely odd, but good odd. Well that is subjective as two couples walked out of the movie- and that was before the film reached complete madness. This won't be for everyone, some will think it's awful, some will think it's a masterpiece.

Nicolas Winding Refn has a reputation for his movies having little dialogue throughout them. For some this isn't enjoyable and might not work really that well. However Refn handles this phenomenally as he more than makes up for it with the visuals. The visuals progress the story so yu don't actually need lines to actually tell what people are feeling or thinking. The film is stunning to look at and everything is just beautiful to look at. Every shot is lined up perfectly and Refn clearly shows that he knows what he is doing. A true talent.

There are some moments in his filmmaking though that do linger for too long. Some scenes last far too long and you may be sitting there wanting it to move on just that bit quicker. This happens a few times throughout the film which does hurt the film. Sure what you are looking is very well crafted but in a film you'd like it to move on when needed to do so.

One of the other highlights of the film comes from the musical score. The music fits the style perfectly and really adds to the film. Some of it is repeated but it does an excellent job of creating a mysterious tone. With there being little dialogue, the sound has to be made up otherwise and the music from Cliff Martinez does an incredible job who was also used for Refn's previous work like 'Drive' and 'Only God Forgives'.

Huge credit must also go to the actresses and actors involved. Despite not being given a whole load of dialogue, they perform very highly and carry the story incredibly well. Fresh faced Elle Fanning is the protagonist who impressed me in the film as she captured everything that the character was meant to be and delivered it very well. Jena Malone also does very well in the film as sort of a helping hand until she is pushed too far by Fanning's character Jesse's new attitude and displeasure to her actions. Abbey Lee Kershaw and Bella Heathcoate play the two other main models in the film and deliver very well as well. You can see that the pair instantly don't like Jesse and can see this progress to give them quite a hunger to stop her. Some very good work from the talent involved. 

Keanu Reeves is also in this film and despite what many say about his abilities, he is one of my favourite actors to watch. Now this may just be my personal opinion and bias to him as an actor but I feel that the film certainly did not do enough with his character. There were many routes they could've taken with his character however they seemed to just have completely dropped the ball on his character. He disappears throughout a lot of the film and I feel his character could've had more meaning and use within the film.

The last third of this movie is really when all the craziness starts to flourish. After leaving the cinema, some of it felt quite abrupt and shocking as if coming out of nowhere. After taking time to think over it, I remembered some clever signposting from earlier in the film that may lead the audience to expect this to happen but maybe not quite as brutal as they thought. It does seem a bit strange but once you reflect, it surprisingly makes sense and doesn't seem as unexpected.

I really liked the way how this film handled the competition between the different models in this movie as well. Jesse is a natural when it comes to modelling side of things and as a fresh, new bright talent, she clearly ticks off some of the other models who have been there for longer. Although Jesse is just doing her thing, the others grow to detest her which is quite realistic. In quite a competitive market you can imagine it being like this. Just not as cynical as it leads to become fortunately.

Final Verdict =

The highlight of the summer so far me, a great film. Not your film that won't cater to all audiences but well worth your time. Unsual but great.

So have you seen 'The Neon Demon'? If so what did you think of it? I hope this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the movie. I hope you give this one a shot especially if you are looking for something unique. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor





Wednesday 13 July 2016

'Ghostbusters' Review


It's finally here! The reboot that will ruin all of our memories of the original and fantastic Ghostbusters.How dare they replace our beloved characters. Oh the horror. Guys, it's really not that bad.


Physicist Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) is looking to gain tenure at her job but is denied due to a book that her and old friend Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) wrote about the paranormal. In an attempt to get the book taken down, the pair along with engineer Juliann Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) are having to face off against many ghosts. Joining them is train station worker Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) and they have to come together to take on the ghosts and who is causing them to reappear in the masses.

Thank the lord this movie is not terrible. Hallelujah. One of the films that I didn't expect much of did much better than I thought which is very pleasing. Is it the greatest movie ever? No. Is it a patch on the original Ghostbusters? No chance. But is it enjoyable. Yes! The film is most definitely a fun flick overall that should bring audiences enjoyment.

One of the things that a lot of people were worried about were thee female Ghostbusters themselves. i don't see why as when you think of some of the best female comedy stars, you would think Kristen Wiig and - hit or miss- Melissa McCarthy. Take two of SNL's best in Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon and you're set. McKinnon was the most fun Ghostbuster for me as she seemed to be having a lot of fun in everything that her character was doing. I feel she did a great job that made her stand out slightly from the rest. All four are entertaining and bounce off each other very well. The only thing that lets them down is actually the writing. Sometime the jokes weren't good enough to start with which leads to some not hitting as much. The four leads bring it which was very pleasing.
McKinnon as Holtsmann was highly entertaining

Although the four leads do bring it, they are not the funniest part of the film. That would have to go to Chris Hemsworth as the secretary Kevin who is utterly clueless about everything. I can see some people not enjoying this character as it does like to bash you over the head with how stupid he is but for me they did really well to keep it funny and entertaining. He does fade out of the film a bit but whenever he's in a scene, he steals it.

Unfortunately for the film, it isn't as funny as everyone hopes that it would be. Some of the problems faced within the trailers were partially true. The humour isn't carried throughout the whole film which is quite a shame as it is intended to be a comedy. The film stays entertaining but doesn't get enough humour to cause your sides to be splitting which you hope for in a comedy. In the end, a comedy is meant to have you laughing the whole way through. Ghostbusters unfortunately cannot keep that up which does hinder the film quite a bit.

The action in this film is actually handled very well as well. With better technology to be used this comes as no surprise really and it would have been disastorous for this to not have suceeded. They were able to create some very cool moments with one from McKinnon's character standing out for me. The gadgets used throughout the film use a lot of jargon that make the explanations a bit hard to keep up with and understand fully what they are doing. But in a film where technology is used to fight herds of ghosts, you don't really care too much about that.

A problem that I had with the film was that there wasn't a whole load of effort put into the ghosts of the film. It starts off with explaining the past of one but doesn't do this with any others meaning that they are all just ghosts and nothing else. There is no real character to any of them other than different shapes and sizes. They are just CGI characters created just to be there and give our leads something to tackle. It would have been much better if they took more time to fan out even a couple of the ghosts to make them more interesting, threatening and overall entertaining.

Final Verdict =

Nowhere near as bad as expected, Ghostbusters is a fun time. The comedy is good but doesn't flow through the whole film but is still entertaining enough.  The leads bring it which is very pleasing too.

So have you seen 'Ghostbusters'? If so what did you think of it? I hope this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the movie. I hope you enjoy the film if you choose to see it as well. Once again, thank you so much for reading my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor

'Central Intelligence' Review


One of the years most anticipated comedies is now here and features some of comedy's best actors within it. There was a lot of hype towards this film and in a summer that has disappointed so far, it could be a bright star in the summer movie season. However if the comedies so far this year- bar a few- are anything to go by, it could be atrocious. Thankfully, the first statement relates more to this film.


A traumatic. high school experience leads Bob Stone (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) to completely change his life by trading his weight for a fit and muscular build. He goes back into town for a high school reunion where he meets up with former perfect student Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart) who has lately become fed up with his job as an accountant. That is about to change as Stone needs Joyner's help to help save secret plans belonging to the government. Together the pair will face death to come out on top against whoever stands in their way.

One thing that most definitely has to be praised for this film is the trailer. The trailer did incredibly well at not giving too much away about the actual plot of the film. Showcasing The Rock and Kevin Hart as an unlikely duo was enough and they knew it meaning they didn't have to dive in too much which was so good to see. There are many people who appeared in this film- to humongous joy- that I had no idea were in it that worked very well. Great work from the marketing team.

The film as you can see stars Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson and they both do a great job. Hart is the more serious of the two but delivers the comedy very well throughout the film. Hart plays a fed up accountant who wants the excitement from his high school glory days. Bouncing off him and as more of the comic relief is Dwayne Johnson's character Bob Stone who in reality is a massive kid only now a jacked adult. He is passionate about Ponies and fanny packs which lead to some highly entertaining moments. Although the two are really funny on their own, the duo have great chemistry in the film which makes the film even more enjoyable. You can clearly see that the two enjoyed making this movie and genuinely liked doing it as the comedy flows easily. I think that most people will want to see more of these two soon in the near future.

There is no denying that the comedy within the film is great but I would say that the story does let the film down quite a bit. The story soon starts to be based on questioning Stone's character and whether or not he is what he says he is. However throughout this many things happen only to keep the mystery going when it could easily be resolved in a short discussion. This doesn't create a very strong story which does stop this from being a great action comedy.

Despite the story not being great, the action is performed very well throughout the film. Obviously 'The Rock' is a natural when it comes to action and it is clear to see why he is one of the genres biggest stars as he pulls it off effortlessly. Kevin Hart also does well with the action but he's mainly reacting to all of the awesome things that are happening. What he does have to do actionwise as a clear rookie is done to ahigh standard which is very good to see.

Final Verdict =

A very solid and one of the best comedies this year. However the story overall isn't great but Hart and Johnson's chemistry is phenomenal which creates an enjoyable viewing.

So have you seen 'Central Intelligence'? If so what did you think of it? I hope this review was useful for if you were considering seeing the movie. Once again, thank you for reading my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor

Monday 11 July 2016

'Now You See Me 2' Review


Back in 2013, audiences were introduced to 'Now You See Me' which gained mixed responses. 3 years later 'The Horseman' are back to try and amaze audiences with their amazing magic skills and to hopefully build on the good things created from the first and be a universal success. Unfortunately, not even magic was able to save this film entirely.


After returning from their hiatus, The Horseman (Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Dave Franco) accompanied by new member Lula (Lizzy Caplan) have to flee a stage show as it goes all wrong. They are exposed as is FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and the try to escape but to unfamiliar territory. They end up in Macau, China where they are brought to the thought to be dead Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe) who forces them to steal a computer chip, that will grant him access to every computer in the world. 

The film really holds itself on the magic aspects of the film and how it fools you a lot. However I didn't really feel amazed at this film at all with the magic aspects especially in the longer tricks. The film takes out big chunks and then adds them in much later to try and wow you but it really didn't strike me as that impressive. There are twists for days in this film as it keeps changing everything that you do start to get fed up with it. You can't really trust anything you see in this film as it will probably turn out to be false just outta nowhere.

For the magic tricks themselves, it is a very mixed bag. Some of the tricks are very cool and entertaining which is what the audience will like to see. However at some points, they aren't as good. Take the heist scene in particular. In this scene there is a whole load of things happening which leads to big contrasts in quality. Some of them are really smart and clever which work really well. Others are painfully obvious that something is happening and should've been caught red handed but weren't just to allow the story to carry on. Once you see that even the most blatant proof, the stakes are lifted as surely if that didn't get them caught, nothing will. However I would be lying if I said that some of the stuff going on wasn't cool to watch and will definitely bring some enjoyment. 

Something that is done very well within these films are the performances. Mark Ruffalo is excellent once again and is one of the most interesting characters who has to deal with a lot as well as looking over the Horseman. The other standout I feel is Jesse Eisenberg who does very well as his arrogant character Daniel Atlas which he pulls off very well. Lizzy Caplan is in to replace Isla Fisher and she does bring a fresh character to the film as she is very lively and cheeky which is a good contrast compared to the others. She did well to replace Fisher's character and was entertaining throughout the film. The cast overall does a very good job as they keep the film entertaining as they bicker and challenge each other a lot. 

However a very low point of the film comes in the form of Woody Harrelson. He plays his normal character Merrit McKinney which he does well. Unfortunately in the sequel, he's doing double duty as his twin brother Chase. One of the most annoying characters I have seen this year who annoyed me oh so much throughout the film and who never got any better or enjoyable as the film progressed. 

The finale of this film as well is very underwhelming. They look to be setting up a huge final across London with tricks that will amaze. Apart from Atlas' trick the other acts were not that impressive considering how out of this world the movie wants you to think the tricks are. Due to it not being that impressive, it certainly does drag on and you just want it to move on. 

Final Verdict =

Not a terrible movie, but it's style over substance hinders it a lot. Some good performances make the film enjoyable but not enough to completely save the film. 

So have you seen 'Now You See Me 2'? If so what did you think of it? I hope this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the movie. Once again, thank you for reading my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor