Lightyear

An intergalactic journey just isn’t the same without your best friend.

What is supposed to be the film that made Andy from the world of Toy Story fall in love with Buzz Lightyear doesn’t quite meet expectation as this lack lustre Disney film leaves a lot to be desired.

Now, I’m as big of a fan of Chris Evans as the next person, but there is something quite frankly just odd about not hearing the voice of Tim Allen come out of Buzz Lightyear, and even Chris Evans, with his docile tones, can’t convince me otherwise.

With a film that is supposed to be the basis for one of Pixar’s biggest franchises, Lightyear is a flimsy attempt at the Disney joy that is sparked in the ever-so-loved Toy Story series.

Probably the most frustrating thing about this whole attempt at film making is the fact that every plot hole seems to resolve itself by implementing the use of mechanical emotional support cat. Need a screwdriver? Use the cat. Need a say-the-day solution? Use the cat. Need a laser beam? Use the cat. Whilst this starts off as amusing, it soon becomes annoying and a little lazy in terms of storytelling.

The only thing that can be said for this film is the animation is at least passable and the cast are somewhat trying to make the best of a bad situation.

But if I’m completely honest, I would not waste your money seeing this at the cinema and instead wait until it inevitably gets released on Disney+ in the upcoming weeks.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Bringing Jurassic life into the twenty first century turned out to be a little more complex than the creators of Jurassic Park could have ever envisaged.

Following the collapse of the park’s renovation, the fate of the dinosaurs hangs in the balance as the humans responsible for their resurrection debate whether they deserve to live or die with an impending volcano due to erupt upon the island of Isla Neblar.

In an epic bid to save these animals from a second round of extinction, Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire) and Chris Pratt (Owen) return to this dinosaur driven franchise with faces old and new on a quest to preserve the live’s of these endangered species.

Despite this now being the fifth film in this ever-growing franchise, it remains a whirlwind of activity and suspense as new obstacles provide new entertainment, alongside actors whose talents are inextinguishable.

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Hans Solo; a name that has become synonymous with the insurmountable franchise that is Star Wars.

From star-crossed lover to fighter pilot, Hans’ delightfully dark past has become an intriguing part of an ever-growing series of films that encapsulates the world of Star Wars.

Focusing on one character can often come across as a desperate spin-off, but luckily this film manages to evade such stigmas, by dedicating a niche of the universe exclusively to Hans’ interpretation of it.

As this is a Lucas Film production, it almost goes without saying that the attention to detail in this film is of flawless standard, with the special effects and CGI reflecting equal brilliance.

With the likes of Donald Glover and Woody Harrelson as key cast members, this film is hard to be anything other than lovable.

Deadpool 2

Disgustingly violent fun; everything you could possibly wish for in a Deadpool sequel.

Deadpool is back with comedic vengeance as he becomes a trainee x-man who’s unwillingness to follow the rules results in a painful loss.

With unrivaled rudeness and tremendous amounts of gore, Deadpool broke onto the Marvel scene as an unexpected surprise, but unfortunately nothing has changed since this inauguration, which leaves this sequel feeling rather undeveloped in comparison.

Though the Deadpool wit and humor still remain, the plot takes a tumble as the unusual becomes all too familiar.

If a little more had been spent on the development of the script and little less on the all too frequent CGI battles, then this film may have been in with a fighting chance of making cinematic history, but alas, that was not the case.

Avengers: Infinity War

The culmination of action packed heroics over the past 10 years of Marvel mania has resulted in a cinematic crossover like no other.

As the marvel universes’ collide to unite against Thanos, so too do the stories that led them there.

With such a prolific cast, comes the responsibility of orchestrating them, but no one could have done a better job than the Russo brothers who seamlessly intertwine each character’s story with the other to make viewing effortless for audiences young and old.

Though perhaps one of Marvel’s darkest plots yet, the film encapsulates it’s audience from the outset, providing both comedic highs and devastating lows, all whilst showcasing the vulnerability of Marvel’s most star-studded superheros, including the likes of Captain America and Spider Man.

Pacific Rim Uprising

A couple of aliens and a handful of robots, what could possibly go wrong?

After the devastation that ensued in the first installment of Pacific Rim, this film enters an unknown realm in an attempt to pick up from the past disasters.

With a new story comes new actors, who have the tumultuous task of taking over from the seamless cast of the past film. However, rather than seeing this as a disadvantage, the new talent take this in their stride with John Boyega leading the new revolt with enthused ease in the wake of his fathers shadow.

Despite the films easy going formulaic action, the CGI robots and aliens make for impressive entertainment given the fact the plot itself is just your everyday saving the world kind of pursuit.

Watch the trailer here.

Stars Wars: The Last Jedi

‘We are the spark, that will light the fire that’ll burn the first order down’

-Poe Dameron-

As the Star Wars saga grows with unequaled velocity, George Lucas finds a way to keep the ever impending doom at a distance that keeps audiences far and wide coming back for more galactic-fuelled excitement.

Death and destruction face the last of the rebel alliance in Lucas Film’s latest installment as Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) must both find their balance in determining the force to fulfill their destiny.

As per usual, the special effects on offer throughout the film, leave little to the imagination, as the audience are engulfed in all things space, from a near-miss fighter jet crash to phenomenal close-ups of the Millennium Falcone.

Though many new faces make a debut, many old come to an end, as this film marks the beginning of the end for the original star wars cast, whose teachings are graciously passed on to the new generation of rebels.

‘The Last Jedi’ not only gives hope for the future of this all-consuming franchise but gives audiences a story to fall back in love with all over again, courtesy of director Rian Johnson, who puts the ‘war’ back into ‘Star Wars’.

 

Geostorm

Hollywood has once again put Gerard Butler in charge of saving the world.

As global warming hits dangerous heights, a NASA engineer is given the task of developing a system controlled by the international space station to neutralize the turbulent weather.

Despite this film being Donald Trump’s worst nightmare, the script poses storylines that even the general public would find ludicrous. From spontaneous cities bursting into flames to ice waves hitting deserts, the plot outgrows realistic climate changes from the offset.

Unfortunately, the special effects do nothing to reinstate the realism of the film, with the standard of CGI coming straight from the creative team behind the 1979 ‘Alien’ film.

 

Power Rangers

Go Go Power Rangers. More like No No Power Rangers.

Original content seems to be a thing of the past for filmmakers today. Dredging up past concepts has become a trend within the cinematic world.

Rather than leaving the Power Rangers in their ever so glorious past, instead the story has been warped and conveniently adapted upon breaching the surface for a second round.

The acting is just as you’d expect from a film that drenches itself in teenage adolescence; awful. The cast seem to have a consistent default setting of mild frustration throughout the film, a characteristic that is undeterred regardless of circumstance.

If the acting wasn’t enough to make you nauseous, than the astonishingly shocking use of CGI certainly will. With a film as full of stunt orientated action, one would have thought that a little more effort could have been injected into the post-production aspect of the special effects. But, alas, the audience is left contemplating why the creators even bothered to remove the green screen, for the painful lack of realism that the final cut displays.

What is more, is the very fact that the vast majority of the film doesn’t even show the Power Rangers as, well, Power Rangers, until the last twenty minutes of the film; a climax that is of no satisfaction after enduring a storyline lacking both substance and originality.

Logan

A devastating end to Hugh Jackman’s stint as Wolverine is filled with emotional blunders and revelations. 

Though we all knew this day would come, it doesn’t make the overall outcome any better. Especially given the fact Wolverines not exactly in the best shape with his metal plating slowly killing him from the inside out. 

As if Logan’s imminent death was not enough to put a downer on the end of this particular marvel series, there is a prolonged sense of loneliness and pessimism throughout the film, which seems a little much, even for Wolverine.

Marvel, have, I think, given Wolverine the send off he deserved, all things considered, and at the very least left the audience with the optimism for a future generation of x-men.

No superhero film is complete without a few explosions and handing over a couple of million to the stunts and CGI departments. And I think we can all say that this character certainly went out with a bang.

There’s very little point discussing Jackman’s acting, because it’s probably one of the only roles he’s befitting for. But the little Wolverine prodigy, Laura, played by Dafne Keen, is not only greatly gifted in terms of talent, but is also a total badass.