'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

'Bastille Day' Review

'Bastille Day' stars Idris Elba as a badass cop who takes no nonsense from anyone and isn't afraid to get tough with his suspects. That alone is probably enough to get a lot of butts into the seats for this film. But would 'Bastille Day' actually be worth your time? Or would it wind up being a generic and forgettable action-thriller movie?

When a skilful pick pocketer (Richard Madden) accidentally causes what seems like a terrorist attack in Paris, he is then hunted down by Sean Briar (Idris Elba) a CIA agent who looks to bring justice. When the mess that has happened is explained, it is undercovered that there is something much more deadly to worry about as more terror attacks are planned to be carried out. They must now work together in an anti terror mission before it is too late on France's national day.

Mason (Madden) and Briar (Elba) being forced to work as a team.

It would be very easy to say that 'Bastille Day' was simply Idris Elba's audition tape for him to be the next James Bond. If he hadn't done so already, Elba has cemented himself amongst the contenders to take over from Daniel Craig. His performance in the action of this film, could easily fit into a Bond film with him pursuing enemies as well as using weapons and hand to hand combat. His ruthless attitude towards his work adds to the similarities and to why we could possibly have Elba as the next 007.

Our next James Bond possibly?

Elba also shows fantastic chemistry with his co-star Richard Madden throughout the film with the two characters being quite the opposites of each other. Not only looks wise but also with Elba being a part of law enforcement and Madden's character Michael Mason being a thief who looks to make his money through selling others belongings. The two interact and play off each other very well and the pairing also bring a lot of laughs to the film. Due to this, the film is much more funnier than you probably would of expected.

As an action film, there are most definitely some impressive scenes. One of the first action scenes involves Briar having to chase Mason down going through buildings and rooftops. At times this chase was a little slow paced but I actually think that this added quite a bit of realism to the scene as they were actually performing the scene on a rooftop rather than just in front of a green screen. A problem that I did have though was the film at times kept changing how they were filming the action. There were times when the action was being filmed very well and it was clear to see everything that was going and it looked fluid. However the film at times did resort to some cheap tactics such as shaky cam which makes it pretty unbearable and incredibly hard to watch.
Albeit this, there is a scene that has a little feature within the trailer which has the action taking place in the back of a van. This scene in particular was my favourite and involves some great chaotic action. All within the constraints of the back of a van made it more impressive for me which appeared to be quite a fresh piece of action.

The film is allowed to progress a lot in this film due to some of the characters being quite clumsy. A lot of times throughout the film, people will blow their covers or place things and lose sight of them to progress the story. This happened far too much throughout the film for my liking. Also the insinuation of hashtags being a main drive for a lot of the films events was a way of keeping it youthful but mainly pretty silly. It also leaves one quite important thing up in the air by the end of the runtime. There is quite a lot of convenient and silly things that go on throughout the film but if you can look past that and just see it as adding to the fun, then you will get enjoyment from it.

Final Verdict: Bastille Day = B-

A very fun action movie and Elba and Mason are great together. However the film at times is quite a dumb action movie and nothing more really. There is definitely enjoyment to get from this film though and would be worth your time!

So have you seen Bastille Day? If so what did you think of the film? I hope this review has possibly even convinced you to maybe check this film out. Once again, thank you for reading, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor

'The Jungle Book' Review

The latest Disney animated film from your childhood to be brought into live action is 'The Jungle Book'. Directed by Jon Favreau, this adaptation promises to be a visual masterpiece with all but one character being made up entirely by CGI effects. But would this be the only pleasing aspect of the film and would it be able to bring the life that the Disney animated version was able to do successfully? 

Raised by wolves since losing his father at a very young age, Mowgli (Neel Sethi) must leave the pack after he is threatened by the fearsome Shere Khan (Idris Elba) and is putting those close to him in grave danger. Mowgli is lead away by the wise panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) whom he becomes separated from. Due to this he encounters many creatures including deceiving snake Kaa (Scarlett Johansson) and then his protector and friend Baloo (Bill Murray). Mowgli will learn valuable life skills from his journey leading to him deciding to go back and face Shere Khan and end his reign of terror.

It does seem quite odd that this is the first of two live action 'Jungle Book' movies to come in the next few years with Andy Serkis bringing the tale to life once again in 2018. However if it is as good as Jon Favreau's creation, I'm all for it. Favreau has brought us an adaptation of a film that has been made numerous times but never to this calibre.

This film is one of the most impressive in the history of cinema when it comes to the special effects. It is hard to believe that this film wasn't shot in these locations and that it is all special effects to create this very realistic version of the jungle. Everything in the jungle looks incredible from the trees to the rivers that flow through the jungle. It's so visually impressive that you don't even think its visual effects- it leaves you adamant that you are actually in the depths of the jungle.
Another part of the visuals that is so impressive is the details of the animals within it. Again, everything looked incredibly realistic with some standing out more than the others. Strangely I was particularly blown away by how great the porcupine looked and was sure that it was the real thing. The detail on the wolves as well were especially outstanding and true credit is deserved to all who worked on bringing these creatures to life. A visual masterpiece.

'The Jungle Book' also features some very well done action scenes. Everything was clearly visible and you didn't miss out due to loads of quick cuts and I feel it was done very well. If you have seen the trailer for the film, you will see Baloo and Shere Khan running towards one another looking at a potential square off. That scene in particular is pretty epic and one to look forward to seeing.

Luckily the film wasn't just down to great visual effects. The voice castings for this film did not disappoint at all with all members doing a great job. Ben Kingsley was phenomenal as the wise panther Bagheera and was a great mentor and protector to Mowgli throughout the whole film. His calm portrayal and excellent delivery was perfect for Bagheera as he kept Mowgli safe and out of the clutches of Shere Khan. Speaking of Khan, Idris Elba was menacing as the vicious tiger who wants to get rid of Mowgli so desperately. He was the perfect voice to bring to this fearful creature and the combination was a great match.

 Bill Murray was great as Baloo and brought a whole load of fun to the film in what was a great reincarnation of the film. Murray's comedic delivery and timing was on show throughout the run time and truly proved to why he was the correct casting. It would of been a tough job to take over as one of Disney's most beloved characters and if it had gone wrong, Murray would've most likely of been crucified by many fans. Fortunately that wasn't the case.

 Scarlett Johansson was also good as Kaa the python. She did a great job as the seductive snake who draws Mowgli in with her hypnotising eyes and charm. Christopher Walken played King Louie which was highly entertaining to listen to whenever he was on screen. Albeit I wasn't a huge fan of the look of King Louie in this adaptation, I do feel that Walken made the character better.

Although the voice acting in the film was pretty great, I can't say that I overly enjoyed the new versions of the classic songs. The Bare Necessities was fine but I don't feel it was nearly as fun as the one in the animated film. I wasn't a big fan of Christopher Walken's version of 'I want to be like you' and feel it was vastly inferior to past renditions.

As a whole the live adaptation probably isn't as fun as the animated classic. However it doesn't try to be and is much more intense. There were many times when I could physically feel people in my row jumping in their seats due to what was happening on screen. If you are expecting this film to be all happy, you won't get that throughout the whole run time. I'm not saying its devoid of this but there are certainly some very intense scenes. Intense to the extent that I'm unsure that this would be perfectly suited for little kids as it may be too much for them at certain points.

Neel Sethi definitely does deserve credit for his role as Mowgli in the film. For your film debut to be in a film that is entirely CGI must of been really challenging. The fact that he would of had nothing to really act against for most of the shooting really makes this an impressive performance especially from an actor of such a young age.

Impressive work from Neel Sethi

Final Verdict: The Jungle Book = B

A very good adaptation of 'The Jungle Book' following mainly the same tale. A visual masterpiece with great voice acting that is most definitely worth seeing!

So have you seen 'The Jungle Book? If so what did you think of it? If you haven't seen it, I hope this review has maybe influenced your decision to go see it! Once again thank you for reading, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor