'Sing' Review

Koala Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) runs a theatre that is haemorrhaging money. In order to pay his debts, Moon sets up a singing competition. After a misprint about the prize money, Moon sees animals of all kinds come forward to showcase their singing talents.

The animated film industry seems to be going mad right now for worlds inhabited by animals. Last year saw 'Zootopia/Zootropolis' and 'The Secret Life of Pets' take their shot at building a film starring animals, not humans. The latter saw Illumination Studios make a lofty $875 million worldwide, proving to be a huge success at the box office. It is to no surprise then that the company have returned to an animal story, this time where no humans exist, much like 'Zootropolis'. This effort also sees Illumination using bigger talents in an effort to outdo previous efforts.

In doing so, though, 'Sing' does look to fall back on cliches within the animation and musical genres. Whether that be from its characters - the likes of there being a German pig and Russian bears - or using pop songs instead of making genuine jokes. The latter will indeed please its target audience as the songs are well known with the characters performing them, are charming enough for it to be enjoyable. Like most films, if the cliche is done well, then it can work. And for 'Sing', it does, for the most part. Illumination are known for their films to be mainly child orientated - see 'Minions' as a clear example - and that is the case yet again. This transcends to the rest of the film, being apparent in the humour as it features childish slapstick comedy and jokes about the different animals. If you're looking for this to be similar to a Disney or Pixar film that delivers both to adults and kids, then you will be disappointed when you do not get that complete experience.

The main story features a music talent show being introduced to make a lot of money, which very much reflects today's television. The aspect of a musical talent show ala 'The X Factor' or 'American Idol' is handled well, as it creates a replica of what these shows are like. You have your dreamers, the ones with a backstory, the arrogant ones, the trainwrecks and of course, the diamonds in the rough which leads into the main storyline. Here we get to see the lucky contenders look to wow the audience but also balance their day to day life whilst doing so. This provides interesting looks at different families, one where Johnny (Taron Egerton) is thought less of due to his choice to sing and  Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), having to divide her time up between her responsibilities as a mother and also for chasing her dream to name a few. These storylines bring a sort of realism to the story as there is probably something relatable within one of the characters stories, even if it's simply not being confident enough. 'Sing's message from here is then very clear, that you should do what you like and not let anything stand in your way. It's not going to be easy but if you at least try and are driven and passionate enough about it, then you should have no regrets.

Of course the music is a main part of the film but early on it is mainly dominated by pop tracks playing constantly after one another. The muic of Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and others may put many off but as it is aimed at kids, its clear to see why they done so. Thankfully, as this movie moves on, we see some more of the cast members start to stand out. Fans of Seth McFarlane will already know about his singing chops, showcasing them very well in 'Family Guy' and 'Ted'. McFarlane excels with his Sinatra-esque vocals which can be appreciated all across the board. Former American Idol contestant and Grammy Award nominee Tori Kelly also shines bringing beautiful vocals to great songs like 'Hallelujah' and 'Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing'. Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton and the other cast members bring their own renditions to other well known songs, showcasing more of their talents than we were aware of. Matthew McConaughey shines as Buster Moon, the Koala mastermind behind the theatres talent show. McConaughey isn't recognisable in his voice unlike some of the other cast members and does a great job holding this film up.

'Sing' is a perfectly harmless family movie that does bring some good moments through its musical numbers. The humour is targeted towards a younger demographic but the message within the story is clear and understandable for all. A step back in the right direction of quality for Illumination after 'Minions' and 'The Secret Life of Pets' for sure.

Final Verdict = 

So have you seen 'Sing'? If so, what did you think of the film? I hope that this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing this film. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, 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