'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

'The Secret Life of Pets' Review

There isn't a whole bunch of animated films coming out this summer as Pixar are set to dominate the market with 'Finding Dory'. Dreamworks won't be sitting still though and bringing competition in the form of 'The Secret Life of Pets'. Coming from the minds of 'Despicable Me' and 'Minions', it would be sure to entertain, even if that were just so for kids.

Spoiled dog Max (Louis C.K) and his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper) seem to have a perfect relationship together until Katie brings in a new dog. Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a large and clumsy dog is now sharing Katie's love with Max which causes a lot of conflict. The rivalry overflows and sees the duo wind up encountering dangerous felines and also the dreaded dog pound. They come across a psychotic bunny (Kevin Hart) who agrees to help them but only if the pair join him and his gang to bring the humans down.

I made this point not too long ago when reviewing 'The Angry Birds Movie' but I feel that the situation is similar in this movie. 'The Secret Life of Pets' is most definitely made just to entertain children. I would say in that aspect it is a bit more mature than 'Angry Birds' in it both it's themes and also with it's humour. This also does make the film a lot better and more enjoyable for the members of the audience who have brought their young ones to see the film.

The film takes a look at just what our pets do when we are we not home and thy are left to their own devices. The start of the film showcases a wide range of animals and what they get up to which is entertaining for both parties. From the slightly realistic to the bizarre, this does take an interesting and fun look at what our pets may get up to. Of course, this is also creates a great viewing for kids as the humour is perfect for them.

The film actually surprised me in the route that it went. It leaves the setting of the pets being at home and now becomes an animals lost in the city movie. Now this has happened quite a lot with animated movies but I don't recall any taking the same steps as this film did. Duke and Max come across a bunny, who looks soft and cuddly yet is a menace and the leader of a vicious gang of animals who look to get revenge on humans. The film essentially them becomes quite vicious which certainly surprised me considering it looked to be just a harmless and cute film. Of course it's not blood and guts but there is a whole load of threats throughout many of the scenes. It's harmless to the audience and won't be frightening and the film does do well to try and incorporate its humour into these scenes.

Kevin Hart lends his voice to the bunny in this film and he is fantastic. His voice is perfect for this character and he pulls it off phenomenally well. Hart's delivery is phenomenal and his voice is usually entertaining enough on its own and it shows in this film. He is the standout in this film and that may be down to his character being given more to work with, Louis C.K and Eric Stonestreet are fine in this film too and do provide some good moments in the film.

The film is entertaining at times and does succeed at its job for entertaining children. However I cannot say that this is an animated movie that adults will get enjoyment out of for the full run time. This is clearly due to the film not being targeted to this audience and it really shows. The film had opportunities to go a bit deeper, including a scene which could've created a moment that could've devastated the mature audience but they didn't handle it nearly as well as it could. This really showed that the intentions was just to create a child friendly, fun movie and to be fair they succeeded in doing so.

Final Verdict = 

The film is entertaining at times and should do the job to entertain younger audiences. However adults won't get as much enjoyment from this one so I cannot recommend seeing it unless you are taking children to see it. 

So have you seen 'The Secret Life of Pets'? If so what did you think of the film? I hope this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the film or not. Once again, thank you for reading my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor