Movie Review - Ant-Man

Ant-Man

2015

Marvel Enterprises / Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Pictures

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Walt Disney Home Studios Home Entertainment

9.5 / 10

After watching Marvel's Avengers - Age Of Ultron and Guardians Of The Galaxy, of which I was a little less than bowled over by, I was hesitant to watch this film.  I knew this had the potential to be a brilliantly visual masterpiece - which it was.  It was also a well thought out story filled with interesting characters and well-shot scenes, both innovative and ingenious.

Marvel needed this film to breathe fresh air into its universe.

Though it's not the Hank Pym Ant-Man that I remembered out of the back pages of the Hulk comic of my youth it still held up to the comic's feel and atmosphere.

Writers, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, and Paul Rudd create a good and solid story around this Ant-Man's origin and the threat which the Ant-Man tech could produce.  It could also be that the personality of Scott Lang (Ant-Man) is so steadfast and credible is that Paul Rudd who portrayed him also co-wrote the screenplay.  I've never been a great fan of Rudd's as I've found his previous work could either hit (Role-Models) or miss (Admission) - this is definitely some of his better work, and he adds quite a bit to the character and atmosphere of the movie.

Even the rest of the cast do a brilliant job with their characters.  I especially liked Bobby Cannavale as Paxton, Scott's ex-wife's new man... and cop!  He adds a nice dynamic to Scott's personal life as he loves Maggie and Cassie (Scott's ex and daughter) and tries to give Scott the benefit of the doubt, even though he's an ex-con.  Then there's Michael Pena who is outstanding as Luis.  It was nice to see Evangelina Lilly in a decent roll and she carried off the role of Pym's estranged daughter, Hope Van Dyne, admirably.  She should make a brilliant Wasp in the upcoming sequel.

The other star of this film is the Director, Peyton Reed, who seems to effortlessly weave CGI and reality together.  The scenes where Scott pops from miniature to actual size while fighting could have been so bad but thanks to the direction and the animators they're believable and very effective.  Reed is also good at switching pace to give his audience a rollercoaster ride of a movie.

The special effects are superb and seamless - respect due to all involved.  And it is truly wonderful that Thomas the Tank Engine is finally breaking into the big time.

This film is a must for all comic book and action movie lovers alike.  If you've not hopped into the Marvel universe yet this is one hell of a good place to start... though it may make the rest of the films look a little pale by comparison.  This is one film I will watch again... and again...

Movie Review - Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Journey 2

The Mysterious Island

2012

New Line Cinema / Contrafilm / Walden Media

New Line Cinema / Warner Bros. / Warner Home Video

7.25 / 10

It's great being a child at heart with a decent imagination as it allows me to thoroughly enjoy films like this.  Starring Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, and Luis Guzman, three actors who I admire, I was only too happy to give this a watch.  The thing I like most about Johnson is that even though he's a mountain of a man, he's happy to share the limelight with the other actors, and at times to take a backseat, and this is no exception; because it isn't a vehicle for just one person it builds a depth and context.  This is required to help make the storyline more believable.  

Sean (Josh Hutcherson) is a single child of a broken marriage who is unsure of the new man in his mother's life, Hank (Johnson).  It's this relationship that binds the film together.  If this was unbelievable then making you believe in the Mysterious Island would have been nigh on impossible.  However, the writers Richard Outten and Brian and Mark Gunn give the viewer one of the more realistic relationships seen onscreen; and both Johnson and Hutcherson add the icing on the cake.

When Sean intercepts a coded message, it's with Hanks help that is gets decoded and the possible location of Jules Verne's Mysterious Island is revealed.  Hank decides to take the chance on locating the island in the hopes of developing his relationship with Sean.  Even if it's a wild goose chase, their time together should allow them to bond.

Luckily for Grandpa Alexander, Michael Caine, they find the island and the adventure starts.

Director, Brad Peyton, does a decent job of keeping the pace going, whether to build tension, comedy, or action sequences and I cannot fault his work at all.

The special effects are still passable today, saying they were done in 2012.  The flight of the bumblebees is a great sequence.  I especially loved the elephants, that scene raised a smile to my lips and a laugh to my voice - very clever.  However, the strange flora and fauna they come across while on their trip to the Nautilus is a letdown and is comical in both their look and shape.

Another thing that irked me was Guzman's character which seemed to be just around as a comic fill-in.  It would have been nice to see him have a little more depth, plus the story really didn't need this type of character as there was enough humour throughout.

I found this to be a much better film than Brendan Fraser's Journey To The Centre Of The Earth back in 2008, in every aspect. So if you enjoyed that movie then you should like this one too.  If you like good wholesome family entertainment then I would recommend this film, it's lighthearted and heartwarming fun - a good film to watch when it's cold and wet outside.

Movie Review - All Star Superman

All-Star Superman

2011

DC Entertainment / Warner Bros. Animation / Warner Premiere : Warner Home Video

8 / 10

This is probably the best adaptation of a comic book to date.  Director Sam Liu and writer Dwayne McDuffie take the best elements of Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly's graphic novel from the story, feel, and pace and bring them to the screen expertly with the help of the animators and the vocal talents of the actors.

The animation is up to the high standard of the Warner Bros. Animation but I cannot help but wish that the studio would catch up to the way that the comics are now being rendered in high intensive colours and shading.  This would just add that extra oomph to the movie.  They've done a good job of bringing Quietly's artwork to life.  Their Superman is of the same mountainous physique as Quietly's but it's the subtleties of his artwork that add a depth of warm feeling adding to the reader's enjoyment.

That's about all I could find wrong with it.  James Denton does a wonderful job of adding warmth and feeling to the man of steel in his final days.  While Anthony LaPaglia adds a cool and calculating air to Lex Luthor.  Edward Asner is perfect as Perry White.

The only reason this didn't make a full 10/10 is because it isn't the best Superman story, it's good, though I did have issues with it, such as the Sampson character and his sidekick which turns up.  I found this to be an annoying and pretty irrelevant section and I still feel the same way after seeing it in the movie.  I've never been able to understand why Morrison chose this character when there were so many others to choose from.

If you've read the graphic novel you don't need to see the movie, though you should enjoy it.  If you haven't read the novel then check out the film if you like superheroes or animations, then read the novel, it's better.

Movie Review - Batman: Return Of The Caped Crusaders

Batman

Return Of The Caped Crusaders

2016

Warner Bros. Animation / DC Entertainment : Warner Bros. / Warner Home Video

4.5 / 10

I am a big fan of the Batman '66 comic so when I saw this naturally I thought all my birthdays had come at once...  Damn, birthdays have gotten worse!!!

This is nothing but a poor imitation of the '66 series.  Granted the vocal talents of Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar was a wise choice though only Ward still had the youthful sound.  I am sorry to say that West and Newmar both sounded as though they were having trouble getting a sentence out while breathing...  Then we get to the vocal talent of the other villains.  Jeff Bergman was responsible for killing the Joker; he tried so hard to carry off Ceasar Romero's voice, though by halfway through his first scene it was evident he didn't have the talent to carry it off.  Both William Salyers as Penguin and Wally Wingert as the Riddler just used their villains most recognisable vocal - so for the Penguin, it was "Wark!  Wark!  WARK!" and for the Ridler, it was his laugh.  One of the better vocals was Lynne Marie Stewart as Aunt Harriet and the worst voice was Thomas Lennon as Cheif O'Hara - If you thought Stafford Repp's "Begorrah" was bad just wait till you hear this one... I nearly hit stop at this point.

Then there was the story, though the plot and premise were solid it was the incidentals which spoilt it.  The constant in-jokes which parodied the original series got a little tiring.  The worse part was that most of the jokes just weren't funny.   Though, I did like the idea of this Batman going Dark Knight, though it could have been done much better.  One of the best parts of the story was when Batman see's three catwomen - Julie Newmar, Lee Merriwether and Eartha Kitt (her voice is spot on).

There are two heinous crimes that the writers and director Rick Morales cannot be forgiven for...

There is no Narrator's voice, "Meanwhile, back at stately Wayne Manor..."  He is there, but in such a limited manner they may as well not have used him at all.

Worse still Robin NEVER say's, "Atomic Batteries To Power; Turbines To Speed!"

On the whole, the animation is okay, though the CGI cars stand out, which isn't a good thing.  This is not one of Morales' best-directed films as the pace is all over the place and gives the movie a rambling and disorganised feeling.

I would stay away from this one if you're a Batman fan, especially of the cheesy '66 series.  Buy the original movie or rewatch the series as both are a hundred times better than this film.

Movie Review - Justice League: Doom

Justice League

Doom

2012

DC Entertainment / Warner Bros. Animation / Warner Premiere : Warner Home Video

9.25 / 10

This has to one of the best DC Stories of all time as it shows the Justice League has faults.

Here we have the ultimate bad guy Vandal Savage recruiting his crime syndicate to help him with his plan to defeat the Justice League so he can reign over the human race.  So who will help him to defeat the superhero team?

None other than Batman.

The story helps to give depth to The Batman as he's devised strategies to render the other members of the Justice League powerless, should they end up on the dark side, this is how far ahead the Dark Knight thinks.

The story is strong as DeWayne McDuffie has done a great adaptation of the comic book and Lauren Montgomery directs it just as strongly, keeping the pace fast and entertaining while allowing the characters to shine.

To be honest, there's not much wrong with this film.  I love the fact they decided to go with the known voices of Kevin Conroy as Batman, Tim Daly as Superman, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, who are the voices of the main characters who had their own series, then the rest of the voices are the actors from the original Justice League series; Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman, Carl Lumbly as The Martian Manhunter, and Michael Rosenbaum as The Flash, so right from the get-go you're in familiar territory.  This is one of the reasons the movie is so good.

If you like the DC Superhero's then this is one film you need to watch.

  

Movie Review - Justice League: War

Justice League

War

2014

DC Entertainment / Warner Bros. Animation / DC Comics : Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group / Warner Home Video

7.5 / 10

This is a strange little film in the fact that it has so much wrong with it... but it also has so much right.

So what's wrong?

Batman's voice.  There's just no conviction, power, or menace in it.  This is one of The Bat's main features, other than his lack of super powers.  It's one of the main talking points when a new Batman a character is cast.  Everybody loves Kevin Conroy from The Animated Series, I really liked Anthony Ruivivar in Beware The Batman (it has the best vocal talents of the Batman series), now Will Arnet has done a brilliant job in The Lego Batman Movie.  Unfortunately, Jason O'Mara doesn't do the character justice.

Cyborg's origin.  Though it follows the lines it's blue goo which I didn't like as it took the blame off his father, Silas Stone creating The Cyborg out of his dying son.  This made Victor Stone more a casualty of Darkseid's attack rather than the love of an estranged father.

The appearance of Shazam, who wasn't in the original story.  The choice to use Shazam instead of Aquaman, in my eyes, was not a good one.  Aquaman was instrumental in the defeat of Darkseid and his Parademons. There's also the brilliant scene when he has the whales and sharks erupt out of the ocean to devour the Parademons.

The Parademons.  I really do like the original design, the ones in the movie are too bulky and appear to be more machine than living entity.

What's right with the film?

The Green Lantern, voiced brilliantly by Justin Kirk, has the right amount of bravado and ego and his relationship with The Batman and The Flash helps to give the movie more power and a sense of humour.

Christopher Gorham does a great job of voicing The Flash and adds the joy and wonder that the character exudes in the comic.

Wonder Woman, though you don't know her origin story for the New 52 in the movie this could make her strong character feel a little strange, to begin with as she's like a child in a toy shop... if you knew that she's new to the real world after leaving Themiscyra would've helped there - however it's this scene which gives the character heart but as soon as the Parademons attack, her sword starts swinging and the no-nonsense female warrior we know and love come to the fore, and Michelle Monaghan who does a great job at voicing all aspects of the character.

Though the thing that really makes this film work is the story and the action, for which Director Jay Oliva does a great job.

These elements nullify the bad ones make the film enjoyable and watchable, though it isn't the best of the Justice League films.  Still worth a watch though.

Movie Review - Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Avengers

Age Of Ultron

2015

Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Pictures : Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

5.5 / 10

Oh, dear!  What happened here!  This had the possibility to be a great film with depth... so what does Joss Whedon give the audience - a formulaic action film lacking in characterisation and an awful lot of changes to origin stories and ongoing characters, which didn't make sense.  It felt so forced into being something big and spectacular that only helped in hindering my enjoyment of the film and story.

Usually, I'd say that a movie is worth watching due to the story or the action but in this case, things don't seem to gel just right and the whole thing is messy and disjointed.  This is definitely not the best in the Marvel Movie Universe...  This is nearly on par with Iron Man 3 (another film which could have been awesome).

I was having doubts in the opening action sequence as some of the CGI is sloppy, giving the scene an untidiness.  You can easily tell which sections are CGI'd.  Thank God things get tidier as the film progresses.

Then there's Bruce Banner; a scientist with a clinical and logical mind who only wants to help people and would never hurt anyone...  but suddenly is all too happy to let Stark activate an unknown AI though they know the dangers involved.  This goes against the core nature of Banner but Whedon doesn't care.  What would've been more in character would be Stark being his usual egotistical self and activating the AI on his own accord, only for Banner to find out and come in to keep an eye on things so nothing goes wrong, being too late to stop Stark  It's such a little thing, but the devil's in the details

When Ultron finally appears, nicely voiced by James Spader - though a little more creepiness and menace was needed (The "I have no strings" vocal is actually more menacing in the trailer than in the movie scene), you think okay here we go, but it's over too quickly and feels more like a damp squid than impending doom and throws the pace of.  In fact, there's a lot of stops and starts in the pace of this film, I'm not sure if that was Whedon's intention but it doesn't work.

Even the one-liner quips between the team were lacking in humour and feel thrown in to lighten the sequence and entertain.  The trouble being if it feels thrown in it loses its power and the feeling of reality the filmmaker is trying to create.  Once that happens then the viewer breaks away from the film and it's not as entertaining for them.

Two-thirds of the way through I'd pretty much given up on the film but decided to stay for the ground shaking final fight scene.  Which wasn't really too special as it was just loads of Ultron's minions fighting on his behalf (though he had previously stated that they were all him).  The thing is if Ultron was such a Bad Ass and believed himself superior to humans and the Avengers then he should have taken them on one on one, as they were helping the stranded people to leave.  Then when he does attack he lets his drones do it for him and you have an epic battle with epic music, which doesn't feel so epic, then it only takes four Avengers to dispatch Ultron in... less than a minute!  What a baddie!... another damp squid.

Hey, maybe that should have been the title - Avengers:  Age Of The Damp Squid!

As I said in the review for Guardians Of The Galaxy Marvel are in serious danger of stereotyping themselves and following a specific formula, which is even more evident in this film than in that one.  This could be the slippery slope to failure if they don't beware.

If you've liked the previous films in the Marvel Movie Universe then you may be able to get through this one, though I wouldn't recommend watching it as a stand alone film since there are better offerings out there.  If you're a fanboy of the comics then it's probably best to stay well clear of this film, especially if you don't appreciate new interpretations as this isn't a good one.  This movie could be a turning point for fans.

The Teaser Trailer with more eerie "No Strings On Me" Ultron Quote, which didn't work so well in the film.

Movie Review - Guardians Of The Galaxy

Guardians Of The Galaxy

2014

Marvel Studios / Marvel Enterprises / Moving Picture Company : Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / BBC One / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

7 / 10

Another Marvel picture to expand their universe a little more.  However, this didn't live up to the hype or the fanboy hysteria, well, not for me.

I have to say though the special effects crew were running on all cylinders as the visuals are truly spectacular and as close to flawless as you could get.  It was pretty difficult to see where the CGI kissed the reality.  Much respect for the crew.

Respect too to the Director James Gunn who did a splendid job keeping the action flying and the drama, what little there was, at a steady pace and flow.

However, I would have liked the formula to be a little different as it ran straight in line with all the other Marvel films.  As soon as they knew they had a winning formula with Avengers Assemble their team movies have kept to that style, which unfortunately is running thin.

As for the characters, they could be interchangeable with others from the movie universe.  Personally, I would have loved to see the original version of Star-Lord who was a much stronger character than the one here, who is a cross between Steve Rodgers and Tony Stark...  He even had the ego and nerve to call himself "Star-Lord" - what an arsehole.  This should have been the title handed down to him from his father, who was a Universe Policeman.  It also would've been nice to have had his original ship as it was a living entity and a character in its own right - but no, we stick to the formula.

Gamora was just a green skinned Black Widow... with some of the same moves.

Drax was a less powerful Hulk.  Though he had the inevitable "The bad guy killed my family" scenario, where the Hulk's incentive is to SMASH...  Drax has the same compulsion but to KILL.

The best thing, by far, were the two CGI characters of Rocket Raccoon and Groot who were brilliantly voiced by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel.  Cooper's vocal portrayal was so perfect for the character; and even though Groot only said "Groot" Diesel added depth and character to every "Groot" spoken.

These two also seemed to get the better scene's like the one where they're planning to escape but are wondering how they can get one of the escape plans components.  While they are talking about this Groot just goes and gets it.  Then when the action starts it's always Rocket you look to because this Racoon loves his weapons with a passion verging on obsession.

Respect to the actors who portrayed the hero's as they all did a great job it's not their fault there wasn't much scope for character growth.  I just think that Marvel is coming close to stereotyping themselves.  They could do with spreading their wings a little wider.

With that in mind, it would be nice to have a villain who isn't trying to conquer or destroy worlds, we've seen it before. when we finally get to the much hinted at and waited for Thanos what will he be doing?  Oh yes, probably looking to destroy or conquer the world.

Then there's the awesome 80's soundtrack courtesy of Peter Quill's walkman... where does' he get the batteries from?  Probably that's what the Ravagers were stealing on Earth when they picked him up.  The director uses the soundtrack to it's greatest potential. Well done.

All in all, it's a well told and fantastically rendered story, though all too familiar, with great action sequences, so leave your brain at the door and enjoy.

Comic Book Review - Night Of The Monster Men (Batman Crossover)

Night Of The Monster Men

A Batman, Nightwing, And Detective Comics Crossover Story

2017

4 / 10

Story By Steve Orlando And Tom King with James Tynion IV

Artists:  Batman - Riley Rossmo; Nightwing - Roge Antonio; Detective Comics - Andy MacDonald

I'm not a big fan of the crossover way of publishing and creating a story and the Night Of The Monster Men is the perfect example as to why.

The main reason is artwork.  Since comics are pretty much graphically immersive with the action being shown via the artwork while the writing expresses the characters feelings so when you have three differing styles telling the same story it can hamper and even hinder the work.

Being honest I'm not that keen on any of the artist's renditions though there are some similarities between Riley Rossmo and Roge Antonio's work.  Though they are different style-wise the characters do have recognisable faces and body sculpture.  For the most, it nearly flows, though I didn't like how Antonio drew Gotham Girl.  However, it's Andy MacDonald's art that is just too different from the other two's and this spoiled the story for me.  I am NOT saying that MacDonald's art was below par, it isn't... well not up to the last page in the series where you have difficulty recognising Bruce Wayne and Kate Kane, but it is too different to Rossmo's and Antonio's to be a distraction, though his rendition of Gotham Girl is the strongest.

I believe this would have worked better had Rossmo drawn the whole series.  His style is so well suited to this type of story.  Along with the colourist Ivan Plascencia they give the story a nice moody feel and I really love the way they created the rain-drenched streets of Gotham.

The only thing that annoyed me about his style was how small Batman's ears were on his cowl.  Rossmo's rendition of the monster men themselves, for me, was the best.

Riley Rossmo

Roge Antonio

Andy MacDonald

As for the story, we start off with a severe weather warning and a storm which threatens to flood Gotham worse than the Zero-Day flood so Batman and the Bat-Team take it upon themselves to help the police to evacuate the populace.

Though, who would have thought it, Hugo Strange has avidly been watching the weather and has chosen this particularly nasty day to attack the Batman.  Not really, it must be chance and luck he chose this particular day to fight; Batman and his posse will be spread thin when he activates the Monster Men to strike.

This is a strong beginning as we learn how Strange orchestrated his scheme while watching the team defend themselves against monsters, some of which are pretty near indestructible.

As the story progresses the Orphan and Spoiler who have helped to move the Gothamites out to higher ground start to have some issues of their own as the people crammed into the cave start to get restless and violent.

What will happen to the team...

Now, this is where the story begins to spoil.  The ending is pretty weak compared to the rest of the story and lets it down pretty badly.  Strange's reasoning for starting the assault and Batman's resolution to the situation left me feeling deflated, I wanted more.  For such a grand plan I expected Strange would have a grand justification.  Then I was expecting a big boss fight when Batman finally faced Strange, after all, you see strange working out his muscles.  The ending the writers give their readers is worse than the conclusion to Batman V Superman or Stephen King's "Dark Half".  It now ranks up in my top ten of letdowns.  Though I have to say the journey to get there was greatly entertaining... mostly.

I wouldn't recommend this title to anybody as there are so many better pieces of work out there.  It's just as shame because this story had the potential to be one of the great Batman stories.

Alternate Covers.