Chernobyl Diaries (15)

As a concept the Chernobyl disaster is an interesting, although devastating, urban event which could originate a range of urban myths and be a suitable setting for a horror film. Especially the town itself and the deserted poignant shells of the buildings left to rot in their radioactive residue. The director Bradley Parker, who has much experience working on blockbusters such as Fight Club and Red Planet but in the Visual Effects unit, obviously saw this as a major strength and the character of the location is well shot and incorporated into the narrative. The haunting scenes capture a tragic sorrow which is edged with the fear of the potential horror which is about to commence.

We have a party of six young adults, joyfully oblivious to the obvious dangers, led by the Russian Extreme Tourism guide, Uri who is played by the gruff Dimitri Diatchenko. Diatchenko pulls off the expected stereotype with enough subtle humour to make him the stand out character. The rest of the cast is young and brittle and their character’s are glossed over. Within this mix of frantic bodies is the recognisable Jonathan Sadowski  (Die Hard 4.0) but his aggressive persona fails to find the right counter balance and at times it feels he is simply shouting at the camera, and suffering from poor direction.

The main problem that the Chernobyl Diaries has is that it doesn’t deliver enough horror. It is a fifteen rating and so the punches were always going to be pulled but it really could have done with being an eighteen. There are moments when one of the trapped group Amanda played effectively by Devin Kelley, whose van has been sabotaged by some unseen assailant in the middle of Chernobyl, finds herself trapped and we never really glimpse the warped creature who’s trapping her. It is frustratingly anticlimactic considering this is a contemporary horror and a genre we have become used to revealing all. In fact the mutated populace of Chernobyl remain much of an enigma, which is a surprise when you consider the Director’s past in special effects. The sets are grand, the pace picks up towards the end but the delivery is disappointing.

48/100

Men in Black 3 (PG)

The important thing about Men in Black 3 is that it is Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Sonnenfeld  directed the first Men in Black as well as Wild Wild West and obviously understands Will Smith who in his own right is a producer of blockbusters as well as a super star. Sonnenfeld's original vision of the concept of the Men in Black is carried through in this film and he rightly focuses on Smith who is an expert on screen. Smith is perhaps one of the most comfortable and likable figures to ever appear in a sci-fi and his emotional foil (and partner) Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K is suitably bland and understated to counteract any excess bravado.

Agent J played by Will Smith has to go back in time and rescue Agent K while saving the world from an alien played by the very scary Jemaine Clement, who's character is monstrously grim and about to change the course of history, save his species and instigate the invasion of the planet Earth. Smith encounters the young Agent K played by the excellent Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) who replicates a young Jones superbly. 

Emma Thompson also has a minor role as the Agent O and appears slightly awkward when trust into the alien world. Her younger version is played by Alice Eve, who is forging a career in the main stream after staring in The Raven and will soon be appearing in the much awaited blockbuster Star Trek Into Darkness. Eve is a competent character actor and slips comfortably into character, adding a needed love interest for the suddenly deeper Agent K, although it is a role as brief as Thompson’s.

There are many chuckles and a couple of laugh-out-loud moments in the film as well a poignant and revealing story twist which, in the context of a outlandish science fiction film, surprisingly jumps out of left field and pulls at the heart strings. The exaggerated effects and sometimes crazy ideas which couple the story together are elements you have to accept as it rockets ahead on screen. Men in Black 3 is a fun and farfetched which is what you sign up to when you switch on and engage.

DVD Review.

71/100

My Men in Black 3 DVD Review at the Herts Advertiser

Click this link to check it out....extended review to follow

http://www.hertsad.co.uk/what-s-on/dvd_review_men_in_black_3_1_1695550

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (12)

Benjamin Walker, a relative unknown, features as the young Abraham Lincoln in this dark twist on reality, where the man known so well to the American Populace battles the ever resistant vampire fraternity of Southern America, after seeking revenge for the death of his mother. This menacing supernatural  force is lead by the believable Rufus Sewell who commands a number of despicable minions two being well crafted by Erin Wasson and Marton Csokas. The battle this ever growing threat Abraham Lincoln enlisted his lifelong friends of Speed and Johnson and as we skip through decades of successful political elevation we are faced with a reckoning, that the director Timur Bekmambetov has attempted to make as dramatic as possible.

Another prominent feature of this film is the prosthetic nose Walker is forced to wear throughout. This is obviously Lincoln’s trade mark along with the beard and hat which doesn’t suit the young actor. At times he looks more like a wax work and it is uncomfortably unnatural.  Paying such close attention to Lincolns physically features is distracting and when Walker launches into the familiar hand trusts and the emphasised slowed voice of the president, a sporadic impersonation which he seems prompted to commit, it is cringeable.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is rated as a 12 and features much violence. We are witness to severing, chopping, impaling, biting, ripping and much more of the same. Vampires and victims alike are brutally murdered on screen and this 12 rating seems a little inadequate. It’s not just a question of violence either; there are scenes of nudity and psychological terror. A 15 rating would be more appropriate.

All in all the cast is good and Dominic Cooper as Henry Sturges stands out as well as Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd Lincoln who also puts in an agreeable performance. The film’s unusual concept is interesting but the main problem is its struggle with its own identity. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is an adult film trying to appeal to the family market, meaning it loses some of its edge as it tries to compromise.

57/100

Wrath of the Titans (12A)

The squeal to the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans appears out of this first film’s success. The Director, Jonathan Liebesman, the relatively inexperienced director of Battle Los Angeles, has an extra 25 million dollars to play with, making a massive budget of 150 million. Like a Titan rising from a mighty fire it lurches into life but is consumed by the over use of visual effects and poor make up. It strings together a mish-mash of scenes based upon sections of the first film, using the same characters and similar ideas. 
 
Sam Worthington as Perseus and Liam Neeson as Zeus seem to be on auto pilot and largely stone like as if Medusa had been on set. The interesting Danny Huston, Poseidon, is quickly expelled, and the excellent Ralph Fiennes fails to impress partly because he appears in his theatrical Harry Potter mode. Rosamund Pike appears as Andromeda and here we feel she may be a foil for Worthington’s often shocked expression but she is not allowed to share out her class and we lose track of her.

The main problem with Wrath of the Titans is the plot; find the very powerful weapon and kill the angry mega god. There are no twists or surprises and it really lacks the mythical magic of the original 1980s film. We do not come to know Perseus’s son, played by John Bell, who had an acting break by winning a Blue Peter competition, or really feel that we understand much at all about the characters. 

Having said that if you love special effects then there are some great examples here, especially the two headed hell hound which Perseus single-handedly dispatches. This aspect of the film must have been the reason why it grossed over 300 million dollars.

42/100

The Cabin in the Woods (15)

There has been a lot of press coverage regarded this supposedly typical horror, with suitable name and twisted poster showing a grim cabin, where horror might commence. But this unexpected film is co-written by Joss Whedon,  sci-fi and fantasy master scribe, and so there was always going to be an added science fiction element. But where could this come from when dealing with your standard slasher in the woods horror?

From the beginning it is apparent that perhaps there is something quirky about Cabin in the Woods. Rather than the stereo typical 'teenagers preparing for a road trip' opening sequence we are confronted with some kind of science laboratory or technical institute. Then a hard hitting title sequence which smacks of a Carry on film rather than a gruesomely atmospheric frontispiece to a spooky horror. Not all as it would seem.

The group of young adults are in trouble. The little know Kristen Connolly steps up as the lead female, Dana Polk , and yet somehow steps back into the shadows her presence weak. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) as Curt does well, doesn't need a surname and can't help but dominate a group of lack lustre victims, yet is soon dispatched. Anna Hutchison and Jesse Williams appear and disappear, where as the geeky Fran Kranz is more memorable as the one who has enough brains recognise the trap the group have found themselves in.

There is plenty of gore and psychological terror in this action packed horror come thriller come sci-fi. Experienced TV Director Drew Goddard churns ups a cauldron of dark filmic references but surprisingly the strength of this story, other than its unpredictable nature, comes from the two control room operators Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. They're dead pan, unmoving behaviour followed up by high fives and slap stick moralistic judgements is hard to fathom until you realise they may well have the fate of the world in their hands.

68/100

Looking back at a few reviews on different websites....

Having a look back at some other reviews which have appeared on a number of websites through the Archant Group:

DVD Review: Hugo

Thursday, May 3, 2012 9:50 AM 

IN THE CAMBRIDGE TIME

DVD Review: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Thursday, May 3, 2012 9:53 AM

IN THE HUNTS POST

DVD Review: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 9:58 AM 

IN THE ELY STANDARD 

DVD Review: Immortals

Thursday, April 5, 2012 9:48 AM 

IN THE HERTS AD

DVD Review: A Thousand Words

Thursday, August 2, 2012 10:22 AM 

IN THE ROYSTON CROW

Gone (15)

Amanda Seyfried plays the desperate Jill in this tense thriller which revolves around a simple but much travelled storyline of abduction. Jill believes that the man who kidnapped her years before has returned and taken her sister. Seyfield is convincingly paranoid and struggles to make the police believe her as her original abductor was never found and it is surmised that it is all going on in her head. Detective Powers, Daniel Sunjata (Dark Knight Rises), the man who takes Jill’s ear bashings, is tired of this apparent irate girl and fobs her off. Jill will not give up and takes on her own law busting investigation.  

This film is all about the beautiful Amanda Seyfield. She is on the screen for much of the time and the clues which make up her journey are carefully followed. We see through her eyes, experience her paranoia and pain as the dark secrets and the horrid ordeal, she went through, are revealed. She takes it all in her stride, at times battling with an unoriginal, drab script.

Gone could work on many levels though. We have a history which could introduce doubt over the state of the main character’s perceptions. Was she really kidnapped? Who is this mysterious and overly helpful Detective Peter Hood played by a creepy Wes Bentley (The Hunger Games)? Who is the villain? But ultimately the big build up has a disappointing ending, despite Seyfried trying to do her best to make something of it. By the time we arrive at this conclusion though we realise we have been gripped and that the relevantly inexperienced director, Heitor Dhalia, works well with Seyfried and delivers a marketable product.

65/10

Battleship (12A)

This all out, full steam ahead, family film directed by actor turned director Peter Berg suffers from an identity crisis. The reference to the board game Battleships is misleading as it could imply a ship vs. ship situation when in fact it heavily focuses on something completely alien to the board game...aliens. There is no modern wartime epic, country against country, and instead you will find an intergalactic conflict set sometime in the near future when the human race has developed a technology which allows them to beam a message light years into space. This has a knock on effect of calling forth an aggressive humanoid species who hope to take control of our beautiful green globe.

Standing in their way, other than thousands of tonnes of battleship, are the brothers Hopper. We meet the older responsible Commander Stone, Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood) and younger irresponsible Lieutenant Alex, played by the roguish, rising star Taylor Kitsch (John Carter). Kitsch spends much of his time wrestling with his love for Sam, Brooklyn Decker, the Admiral’s (Liam Neeson) daughter and the need to take responsibly and kick some alien but. Sometimes he carries it off at other times you let him get away with it. Then the action takes over and with an edge of humour it really works.

This film has been designed to be family entertainment, in an explosive way, as well as throwing in some subtle references to a popular board game when they have to use beacon readouts to pin point the enemy when their radar is knocked out. But let us not get away from the fact that it is a big and bold Science Fiction movie and that for some shameful reason this has tried to be covered up. This trend has come from the recent renaming of ‘John Carter from Mars’ to just ‘John Carter’. This film is a celebration of big screen action and yes it won’t win any Oscars but it is a lot of fun and one that children all over the world will be allowed to watch again and again because, let’s face it, the parents won’t mind.

79/100