“A thousand generations live in you now”. Luke’s utterance must have also been what J. J. Abrams heard when he was asked to direct the final episode in the Skywalker Saga. Every generation of child, young or old, was waiting to see what he was going to do with the final chapter. The answer? He … Continue reading “A thousand generations live in you now” (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker review)
Terminator 2: Judgement Day has long been one of my favourite films. Its action, its emotion and its CGI are all stunning for its age, and upon countless re-watches it still holds up as one of the greatest films ever made. The team behind Terminator: Dark Fate clearly noticed that, and decided to try duplicating that film. What’s left is a fairly enjoyable action flick with none of the flair of the originals.
The ninth film in the Fast and Furious franchise, 'Hobbs and Shaw' is the first spin off from the original series and stars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Taking the action, jokes and thrills into another gear, it delivers everything you could ever want from a big summer blockbuster.
The Toy Story Franchise was, and in my mind still is, the greatest and most perfect movie trilogy ever made. The story it told about childhood and growing up, all through the eyes of toys, was utterly masterful. While this latest film does not extend the trilogy into a perfect quadrilogy, it certainly acts as a thoroughly enjoyable epilogue.
The Men in Black franchise started strong. One of the breakout hits of the 1990’s, it set up a film series that has somehow survived a terrible second instalment and a mediocre third one to now somehow deserve a spin off. ‘Men in Black: International’ takes all the fun aspects of the world that was … Continue reading Alienating Entertainment relies on Star Power (Men in Black: International review)
Bringing together the characters of Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2016), Glass is the final chapter in M. Night Shyamalan’s unlikely superhero trilogy, nineteen years in the making. Despite some minor narrative issues, Glass delivers the superhero thrills you’d expect, while also offering a lot more depth than the average comic book film.
The Transformers franchise has, for a long time, been a joke among film lovers. While the films are entertaining enough, they are some of the worst written films of recent years, saved only by their pioneering CGI effects. Bumblebee, the latest in the series, has taken clever steps to ensure the characters are more important than giant metal creatures smashing together. Though it still doesn’t quite work, if you’re a fan of Transformers and The Iron Giant then this is the perfect film for you.
Based on the hugely successful Swedish thriller novels, ‘The Girl in The Spiders Web’ is the latest adaptation of Lisbeth Salander’s adventures. The first in the series, ‘The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo’, opened in 2011 and was directed by David Fincher. A stunningly powerful piece, it set a towering bar that unfortunately is not met by this by-the-numbers action thriller.
I must preface this review by saying that I am not a ‘Potterhead’. I like the original Potter films, I think they’re perfectly fine. I was NOT, however, a fan of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the first prequel in J. K. Rowling’s ‘Wizarding World’. I found it boring, lacking in story and favouring style very much over substance. It’s with surprise that I announce this latest film is actually even worse, and highlights a lot of major issues in Hollywood’s Franchise-Saturated market.
Mission: Impossible is arguably the most consistent movie franchise going. Sporting some of the most incredible practical stunt work in movie history, the franchise has jumped from strength to strength and has only grown in quality and scale. With the sixth film arriving in cinemas next week, I thought I’d take this opportunity to look back and review the franchise so far.
Daniel Robinson: From Reel to Real 