Olympus Has Fallen (15)

This deceptively dark film starts with a the death of a character who you might presume would be one of the leads played by Ashley Judd. But her departure heralds the fall from grace of the Security Chief played by Gerard Butler and who ultimately the President, played by an effectively real Aaron Eckhart, holds responsible for her death. Of course Butler does a fair amount of self reflecting, bordering on pity, before he is caught up in the attack that sweeps upon the White House to result in the President being held a captive in the bowels of the old building.

Yes, believe it or not, North Korean is attacking the White House and then has a master plan which could wipe out most of the American mainland. The story unravels in the shell of the defeated presidential building where we see the super efficient Butler taking on the enemy single handily.

The problem with Olympus has Fallen is that the concept is so fanciful that it is staggeringly unbelievable. In some unexpected way this makes it fascinating and it is strangely interesting to see how an aggressor might taken over such an icon building. It smacks of American paranoid propaganda and the aim is to show that even if you attack America at its symbolic heart it will overcome and stand strong in the face anti-democratic threat.

Rick Yune plays a completely unbelievable but fun villain and perhaps the slick kind of baddie that is currently very trendy. Morgan Freeman appears as the Speaker of the house and takes control of America, seeing the vice President is also trapped in the White House, and the amazing Radha Mitchell does her best with a bit part when really it might have been more interesting if she had been the one saving the President and the world as we know it.

But despite all this badly hidden double meaning the film is full of action and is more adult than child, the type of violence sometimes surprising. The thought that someone could have the balls to attack the white house is an entertaining idea and keeps you in the story, despite there being a predictable ending.

61/100

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Jack the Giant Slayer (12)

Jack and the Bean Stalk becomes Jack the Giant Slayer in this action packed family adventure, aimed predominantly at the younger age groups but more than catering for those adults who are along for the ride. Jack played by Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies) the unconventional rising star, falls in love with Princess Isabelle played by Eleanor Tomlinson, who could see this as her big break having largely featured on TV, notably in the White Queen on BBC 1. Both are quite similar, neither are overly emotional, but seem well suited.

When the Princess is whisked away up the bean stalk Jack teams up with the King's men to save her from the giants. But there is a more terrible fate facing the world, with the bean stalk reinstated will the giants descend and destroy the kingdom. Amongst the soldiers are a mixed but impressive cast. Ewan McGregor sports another needlessly posh voice as Elmont, Stanley Tucci appears as the unexpected by slightly ridiculous Roderick and the once again excellently grime Eddie Marsan plays Crawe. There is also no surprise when Ian McShane turns up as the King in camp gold armour.

Jack the Giant Slayer does well to introduce an aspect of a legend to the plot. The back history has been well developed and the Director Bryan Singer takes care to cautiously introduce the giants as something mystical and unknown. We are the adults finding out that giants are real after all and not just a story and once they are revealed they are full on and gritty. Perhaps one of the over looked characters and one of the successes aspects of the film is the Bean Stalk itself. At times it seems to fight back and the computer graphics are impressive as it comes tumbling down from the skies to pound the outer walls of the castle. Sit back and enjoy this modern take on an old story.

67/100

Wreck-It Ralph (PG)

Wreck-It Ralph, voiced by John C. Reilly who's tones are suitably rounded, is tired of being a bad guy. No one gives him a medal for a day's work so he decides to do something about it in this slick, 3D, children's film. On his mission he encounters Vanellope, sometimes called Glitch and wonderfully voiced by the Sarah Silverman, and they must work together to overcome the excess use of ice cream, biscuits, sweets and oh yes the unexpected villain.

Wreck-It Ralph is a Disney Movie. There is no mention of sometime partner Pixar and it is therefore designed to slot into the mighty cannon of the Disney Brand. It is arguably for Disney a break from the norm; no re-interrupted legend, fable or myth,  but it struggles with its identity.  There is obviously a massive Movie Game market this unashamedly taps into which is arguably current but the main characters are purposely retro. It darts from one type of game setting to the next, picking up action heroes, girly stereotypes, familiar bad guys and an alien invasion. We never feel at home in any of the environments, like the backdrop in Cars for example, although they are intriguing yet confusing.

It's also very American Centric, the featured sweet and biscuit products, characters and consol games are largely from the said country, which is not surprising but detracts from some of the entertainment for UK viewers. It would have been nice to have seen a custard cream with a spear rather than an Oreo. It did seem at times like a branding bonanza.

But perhaps the films biggest problem is it works on only one level; the children's, whereas most successful animations throw something in for the adults. The subtle jokes which only adults get are few and often aimed at computer geeks.

The fact is Wreck-It Ralph is trying too hard to be a Pixar film. It's not surprising that this should be the case as Pixar work with Disney on their most successful films of late. They should have known better and tried to bring us a great story rather than a selection of connected short films based upon made up computer games. It's saving grace is Sarah Silverman in the role of Vanellope. When she's on the screen her voice makes the character irritably cute which somehow engages a primitive part of your mind and makes you root for her.

61/100

Alex Cross (15)

Alex Cross is the second recent new release based upon a novel serialization, following on from the blockbuster Jack Reacher. But this film is very different on many levels, although it deals with a murderer and a hard to crack case which ultimately ends up with a series of additional murders as the cast falls away.

There are two main provocateurs in this story. The lead detective, Alex Cross played by Tyler Perry, an upstanding, ready for promotion to the FBI, type of guy is suddenly faced with a vicious criminal who he must capture before he kills again. Despite his amazing intuition, that at times extracts information from crime scenes which seems almost impossible to deduce, he flaps around as people die and his weaknesses are exposed. Perry struggles with the role never quite seeming comfortable, at times appearing to be between emotions, as if he might smile at the wrong moment.

The assassin, stupidly called Picasso, played by a very poor Matthew Fox of Lost fame, ruthlessly picks off his victims and is soon taunting Alex Cross who has the supposed cheek of tracking him down.  Fox has heavily hammed up the villain adding twitching, manic shaving and an ultra lean looking body frame which we see him punishing with exercise. This skewed image of a broken man does not sit well especially with the good guy we have come to know from the Lost series. This appears to be a role he has embraced as a new challenge, something different, but in the end it comes off as a badly chosen script.

We also meet the dynamic Rachel Nichols and the lack luster Edward Burns as detectives and they try and tug at the storyline but have minimal impact. Burns is particularly weak and Nichols more a tokenistic victim and love interest.

The main problem with Alex Cross is that the two lead figures are poorly cast and the film suffers because of this. Throw in the expectations of those who have read the books and there is trouble ahead. If you enjoy this type of thriller you might find some salvation in a chase that does have a few twists but it is best to go into this film with low expectations.

34/100

Jack Reacher (12A)

The film Jack Reacher puts an ex-military, highly trained, decorated, homicide investigator into what would, on the surface, be an open and shut case. A military sniper has randomly shot five people dead. The man’s finger print has been found at the scene and he has previous history. It’s this past which is Jack Reacher’s, played by the almost legendary status Tom Cruise, connection and he turns up out of the blue to assist the now beaten and comatose suspect.

The character who enables Jack Reacher with some authority and drags him into the plot is defence lawyer Helen Rodin played by the elegant Rosamund Pike (Surrogates). Pike’s natural intensity suites the storyline well and she seems more than capable of facing up to the intimidating Cruise. In fact their good on screen chemistry keeps an energy running through the film which keeps you guessing at how far their relationship will develop.

The film has two distinct halves. Key information is revealed at the midpoint which changes the perspective and the course of the plot. The first half perceivably moves slowly at times and the viewer is probably right to question why we need to know certain facts about the victims but holding on to the trust in the writer come director, Christopher McQuarrie, is worth it. All comes to a crashing conclusion which enables Cruise to switch on his action gene. 

Perhaps the weakness in the film is the villain known as The Zec, played by Werner Herzog (Rescue Dawn), who comes across as a bad stereotype, with no fingers, and at one point steps from the shadows to explain some gruesome act. He proclaims he is everything bad and is more comic book than thriller novel. It’s a shame because his henchman Charlie, played excellently by rising star Jai Courtney (A Good Day to Die Hard), suffers by association.

Jack Reacher is a Tom Cruise production. It is about the actor and his mega superstardom, and people try and point this out as a negative but the fact is the film is very entertaining and Tom Cruise, who also does many of his own stunt scenes, is once again highly effective.

73/100

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (18)

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D

This follow-on from the surprisingly successful Silent Hill [DVD] (2006), which was based upon the computer game, opens with a brief recap and then we are introduced to the lead character Heather played by Adelaide Clemens, the daughter of the previous heroin, played by the excellent Radha Mitchell (Mitchell was nominated for the 2006 AFI International Awards as Best Actress for this appearance). This newly discovered daughter, who looks similar but struggles to fill her mother’s shoes, is on the run with her father because the creatures of Silent Hill want her back to fulfil a prophecy, no surprises there. It is believed if the daughter is returned then the people of the town will be set free from their curse and their tormentor Alessa, also played by Clemens.

Having moved to a new town father and daughter soon find that their world begins to distort and Clemens begins to see all kind of grizzly signs. Faces distort, the evil power reaches out for her and she witness strange behaviour in the people around. The director and writer, Michael J. Bassett, seems to focus in on flesh eating and in particular cannibalism, the horrific set pieces presented more for the 3D effect then to enrich the storyline. It is sad evidence of a plot which has one direction, and very little Scope.

There are a few unexpected appearances, which you might think could add some pedigree. Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix) appear as Leonard and Claudia Wolf, but both are poorly directed and merely distorted caricatures. The up and coming Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington also appears but does himself no favours, his chemistry with Clemens almost nonexistent.

The problem with Silent Hill is it relies too heavily on special effects. Some are grim and make you squirm but in this day and age it is something that we have all seen before, if you follow horror films. So whereas ten years ago these positives would have worked in favour of the film now they work against it. Yet the biggest shock is Sean Bean’s return as the father. He sports a terrible American accent and this air of fakery runs through the whole film which the inexperienced director never seems to get to grips with.

43/100