'Thor Ragnarok' Review

It's safe to say that the previous 'Thor' movies haven't lit audiences up like many of Marvel's other projects have done so. The first two films haven't been bad, they just haven't been particularly exciting or memorable. However, the same cannot be said for 'Ragnarok' as the film creates an exciting identity that is unlike any other superhero film that we have ever seen.

After a family revelation, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finds himself imprisoned on a strange planet by a man known as the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). Whilst on this strange planet, Thor is forced to battle for his life and in doing so, he is reunited with fellow Avenger The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Together they must find a way to get off the planet and return to Asgard before the evil Hela destroys the entire civilisation. 

Comic book movies are often heavily criticised for lacking an identity that makes the film stand out from the others. Many claim that all the films look and feel the same whilst having similar if not identical plot points and storylines. With Taika Waititi directing 'Ragnarok', many were unsure to how much of his style would be replicated into this film as Marvel hasn't collaborated well with unique auteurs previously - see Edgar Wright and the 'Ant-Man' situation. However, Marvel have taken that risk they've held back on previously as 'Thor Ragnarok' is much more of a Taika Waititi film rather than a Marvel film.

Waititi's fingerprints are all over this film as it is a straight-up comedy. Over the years, Waititi has proven himself to be a true force when it comes to comedy and has made two - now three - of the best comedies of the last decade. With Waititi, you know that you will be getting a barrel of laughs in the film with cleverly crafted jokes, gags and slapstick humour. 'Ragnarok' has the same identity of Waititi's other film that allows it to truly stand out from the pack. Nobody else could've made this film as it is so distinctive to anything out there or that we have seen before in a big budget superhero flick. Waititi has been rewarded for his hard work on smaller indie films and has followed the likes of James Gunn in showing why such bright, creative minds should be given chances on a much bigger scale. 

The film most definitely possesses its own unique visual style to allow it to stand out further from the previous MCU films. The colour palette of 'Ragnarok' is off the chart with bright blues, yellows and red/pinks which creates a vibrant look that matches the tone of the film. As the film is a complete joy to watch and is 130 minutes of complete fun, the bright colours only enhance the film's exciting personality. The brightness of the film, again, helps the film stand alone as it goes against the norm to create something truly unique. The colours also blend very well with the action as it adds more excitement to these adrenaline filled scenes, as well as simply making them more appealing to the naked eye.

'Ragnarok' still does fit into the superhero genre but offers many moments that again differentiate it from other films, most noticeably within its climax. The film doesn't have the same ending as every other superhero film as it offers a fresh situation with a different solution. A lot of time is dedicated to the heroes actually being heroes in this moment as it isn't just a showdown to end the film. Instead, there is an abundance of characters fighting to save others, sacrificing themselves and looking to save as many people as possible. There are genre tropes that are hard to avoid but 'Ragnarok' manages to offer fresh and new situations that allow it stand out from a story perspective as well as the nature of its tone and visual style.

At this stage in the MCU, the films are still looking to develop the characters whilst adding many new ones at the same time and 'Ragnarok' does this tremendously. There are many regulars like Thor, Loki and Hulk who are yet again magnificent but the many new characters are great additions to the series. Tessa Thompson is the main example as Valkyrie, an independent tough female superhero who can hang with Thor and Hulk as she becomes an instant fan favourite. Waititi himself even appears as a rock creature Korg who manages to steal every scene he's in with his soft Kiwi accent. Cate Blanchette and Jeff Goldblum are two incredible additions to the already impressive cast and both commit to the wackiness of the film.  

Chris Hemsworth provides his best performance yet as the God of Thunder as his recent experiences in comedy films has helped his overall charisma as he truly shines. In previous films, he has sort of taken a back seat as others have stolen the show, even in his solo films. Hemsworth commands the screen and works tremendously well with the humour in what is his most enjoyable performance to date. His chemistry with Tom Hiddlestone is ever apparent as the two continue to impress working alongside together, with Loki continuously using his brother for his own good.

Once again, though, Marvel does not completely nail the villain as Hela is often forgotten about for large periods of time. We spend a lot of time away from Asgard where Hela is causing havoc but we see very little of it and at times, she becomes a bit of an afterthought. Blanchette does commit to the role but some extra screentime would really have made her much more fearful to our heroes. There are a few scenes that show her capabilities but not enough to consider her as a great villain. The film can be accused of not offering much more than laughs but as a bona fide comedy, these complaints cannot merit too much. 

Overall, Taika Waititi brings a very welcome addition to the MCU that is also one of the years best comedies. This is easily the best 'Thor' film there has been as this stands out from the rest of the films in this cinematic universe. A fresh film within a genre that is considered to have some fatigue, 'Thor Ragnarok' is a complete joy from start to finish.

Final Verdict = 

So have you seen 'Thor Ragnarok'? If so, what did you think of the film? I hope that this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the movie or not, I highly recommend that you do so! Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, it is much appreciated!

'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

The Huntsman: Winters War Review

'The Huntsman: Winters War' is the second live action visit to the world of Snow White but this time the story isn't based on the fairest one of them all. It is the sequel to 'Snow White and The Huntsman' which was highly successful at the box office. There is a high chance that 'Winters War' could also be a commercial success worldwide but would the film actually be any good?

When tragedy strikes, Ice Queen Freya (Emily Blunt) decides to leave her sister Ravenna (Charlize Theron) as well as Ravenna's kingdom to move to the north and pursue a kingdom of her own. Whilst doing so she plans to raise children to become Huntsman to protect her. She also teaches them to not to fall in love out of bitterness due to what happened to her. However when Eric (Chris Hemsworth) and Sara (Jessica Chastain) look to defy her, she tries her best to split them and keep them apart from each other. The sisters start to develop a rivalry leading in events between the two to escalate very quickly.

The two Queen sisters Freya and Ravenna

The main reason that I wanted to see this film was due to the abundance of talent in this film. The four on the poster are some of my favourite actors and actresses working today so I was interested in this film for that sole reason. I'm happy to say that I left the film pleased with the performances and none more than Emily Blunt. Her character was by far the most troubled and Blunt's performance showed the troubles the character faces extremely well. The character was clearly suffering and used this to drive her towards building a successful and ruthless kingdom. I would say that Blunt's performance in 'Winters War' is a great addition to her ever growing reputation.

Jessica Chastain was another stand out in this film for me as Sara who was a strong female character in this film. A very badass character who is more than capable at holding her own and is also very clever. A good character to add to the list of great, strong female characters in recent years. 

Emily Blunt as The Ice Queen Freya

I was surprised to see Nick Frost- known for the likes of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz- to appear as Nion, a dwarf in this film. Thankfully he brought great comedy to the film that did add a bit of life to the earlier parts of the film which it definitely needed at points. The comedy was also helped by fellow dwarves Gryff (Rob Brydon), Doreena (Alexandra Roach) and Bromwyn (Sheridan Smith). The quartet bring great humour including a fantastic scene where Bromwyn and Gryff exchange insults that were truly great. The love-hate relationship between the two is highly entertaining as it develops throughout the film. 

I would say that Charlize Theron was underused in this film for sure. We have seen how great she is and she was one of the main reasons to why I wanted to see this film. However I was disappointed that she was only in the film for a short time at the start and then only reappears once again at the end. I would've liked to have seen more of her in the film. When she was on screen she was good but not in it quite enough for my liking.

Charlize Theron returning as Ravenna

The visuals in 'Snow White and the Huntsman' was deemed good enough that it was nominated for an Academy Award for Visual Effects. The effects in this film are fantastic and really make this world look really beautiful. I was taken back by the animals in this film due to how realistic they looked in the film. I also loved the look of the animals that they combined with plant life such as turtles and snakes. They looked incredible and as if they were actually real creatures rather than just a fantasy creation. 

The action scenes in this film had both good and bad moments to them. I really enjoyed most of the fight scenes as they weren't completely one sided showing that the characters weren't indestructible and could easily vanquish their opposition. The action was also filmed fairly well with wide shots showing great detail to what was going on. However there were moments in the film where the action scenes had far too many fast jump cuts that made some parts of the action hard to watch. This was a problem at parts as you were intrigued enough but just couldn't keep up with the fast cuts making it a real test to watch at points. 

The two queens had an abundance of powers, some making more sense than the others. The abilities that some fantasy characters get to change clothes instantly has always amazed me. There is a particular power that Freya possesses whenever she puts on a magical ice mask that is quite odd. Ravenna also posses some powers that are questionable but I guess with what is going on in the comic book universes, anything is available.

There is one last thing that I want to talk about and that is the accents. Being Scottish I absolutely have to talk about them as it seems as if that is what both Hemsworth and Chastain were trying to pull off. They weren't terrible but at times it was definitely overdone to the extent that it was hard to understand what was being said. I can only imagine what those who aren't used to the accent thought of it!

Sara (Jessica Chastain) & Eric (Chris Hemsworth)

Final Verdict: The Huntsman: Winters War = C+

I enjoyed this film a lot more than I ever thought I would. I was very surprised at this film and most definitely feel that there are a lot of things to enjoy from this film. The cast do a good job and in my book is a good addition to the world of Snow White.

So have you seen 'The Huntsman'? If so what did you think of it? If you were planning on seeing this film, I hope this review helped make your decision. Once again thank you for reading my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor