Avengers: Age of Ultron - Review

Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Review by David Edwards
          

         If you think about it, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a very brave idea. The concept of taking decades worth of comic books and containing them in one interconnecting cinematic universe seems preposterous, and up until now most entries to the Marvels world have been varied – some very successful and acclaimed (The Avengers and Guardians Of The Galaxy) – and some not so acclaimed (Looking at you, Daredevil). Now, the sequel to the highest earning film in the franchise is out – Avengers: Age Of Ultron – and brings in a vast array of goodies.

         Unsurprisingly, the Avengers – features the Avengers. Its sequel is no different. The actors reprise the same roles, and for the most part do a good job doing so. Specifically, Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johannsson, who introduce a newfound chemistry between their respective characters, Hulk and Black Widow. However, with this new iteration comes two new characters, Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor Johnson) and Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). The characters are interesting additions with some very cool abilities; however the film just doesn’t really know what to do with them. One minute there fighting against the avengers, and the next with. Simply put, it just makes us not care about them in the same way we do with the original’s making them seem as more bolted on additions to draw people into seeing them film. Also, Aaron Taylor Johnson’s eastern European accent needs work. Like, a lot of work.

          The selling point of the film is the new, big and scary robot – Ultron. In the many comic books he appears in, he’s actually created by Ant Man and turns evil. In the Avengers – Ant Man doesn’t “exist” yet, so he’s the combined creation of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner from the remains of Loki’s sceptre (the bad guy from the first film, who disappointingly does not have an appearance). Ultron is a very cool character, and James Spader did a great job in performing him. However, Ultron just isn’t scary. In the trailers we see him reciting lines from Pinocchio in a very malicious and intimidating way – whilst this is present in the film; it’s literally his only awe inducing line – most of the time, Ultron’s existence is just a bunch of flying killer suits – rather than a single and intimidating entity. He’s an intriguing character; I just wish the producers did more with him to make him a truly terrifying foe – and one worthy of The Avengers second cinema debut.

          
          Age Of Ultron does bring some pretty cool action scenes, arguably more so than its predecessor. Specifically, the battle between Iron Man and Hulk was fantastic, and brought back the ‘emotional aftermath’ layer of Bruce Banners condition, which ties in with his romance with Black Widow. Another character who is focused on a lot is Hawkeye, who is shown to have a family as the Avengers spend a weekend retreat at his house. And that brings me to the main thing wrong with The Avengers: Age Of Ultron: a lot the scenes don’t make a lot of sense and/or are unnecessary. Hawkeyes a great character – but part of his charm from the previous film was that we knew very little about him – which made him a really cool ‘maverick’ type character. Now he’s got a family.etc he just seems less “super” – which is contradictory considering his badass background. Another little side story that makes even less sense is that of Thor – who goes off on an unexplained little side quest to an underground cavern – which I can barely remember. The sad part is that this is a seemingly important element, as another new character – Vision (Paul Bettany) is created from it. It’s a shame because Vision is by far the coolest new addition – being able to wield Thor’s hammer, yet there’s little backstory and reasoning behind why he’s even there to begin with. Another irrelevant narrative aspect is that of the setting – or setting(s) as Age Of Ultron is literally set everywhere and anywhere in an attempt to seem more “exotic” and “exciting” than it needs to be. The downside of this is that some settings, i.e. Hong Kong are really cool – contrasted to boring scenes in shipwrecked freighters off the African coast.

          What I will say though is this – It’s entertaining. It offers some pretty impressive action scenes (Although I would of liked some that weren’t seen in the trailers.etc), some for the most part - top notch acting and a more minor addition – a fantastic soundtrack. If the inconsistencies won’t bother you as much as they bothered me – by all means see it, it’s a fun film. But don’t go expecting the pinnacle of Superhero movies. In my opinion, that’s still tied between Kick-Ass and The Dark Knight.

The Great Gatsby - Movie Review

The Great Gatsby
Review by Sarah Carter

The Great Gatsby created by Baz Luhrmann in 2013 follows the life of Nick Carraway, played by Tobey Maguire, a young man from Minnesota who moves to New York. Nick has an honest yet virtuous persona, making the party lifestyle of New York a curiosity for him. This curiosity is enhanced when he hears about his neighbour, Jay Gatbsy; a pretentious figure who is famous for his extravagant parties in which the whole city is eligible to attend. The parties revolve around celebrating their glamorous lifestyles and high class with champagne, jazz bands, and spectacular displays of dance, music and swimming. However, despite the extravaganza, not many guests acknowledge Jay Gatsby or who is, and many myths exist around the character.

The Cast include Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Jay Gatsby. DiCaprio accomplishes a legitimate character of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious character who lives in a large mansion in West Egg, Long Island. Jay Gatsby is a dishonest man, ashamed of his past. He often lies in order to disguise his true self and past, claiming to have been educated at Oxford and son of a wealthy family, although his Mother and Father have both died. The film effectuates mystery, as the audience is left guessing who Jay Gatsby is, why he is so obsessed with Daisy, and how he has accomplished this lavish lifestyle. As the extravagant parties continue to take place every Saturday, Nick’s curiosity is heightened, until he eventually forms a close bond with Gatsby, and discovers that he is from a poor family from North Dakota, and after working for a millionaire, he strived for wealth. After meeting Daisy in Louisville, he became infatuated with her, and made a fortune by criminal activity just so that she would notice him.

This mysterious characterization portrayed by DiCaprio is executed brilliantly. The façade of his outer character as Gatsby is a man of little words, and portrayed to be isolated and obscure, despite his wealth and parties which attracts many people to his existence. However, Gatsby is also depicted as a confident man, who dwells in the lies that he tells people.

As well as this, the growing independence of women is conveyed by Carey Mulligan. At the beginning, Daisy is portrayed to be a woman who is helpless and dependent on her husband. Nevertheless, Daisy gains more and more power throughout the film, and we receive more of an insight into her real persona. She is tempted to run away, and secretly visits Gatsby at his house despite her husband’s disapproval and contempt. At one point, she has both Gatsby and Tom in her grasp, and both of them are determined to win her over. At the end of the film, Mulligan’s acting represents Daisy as her own person, yet shallow as she appears to have no inhibitions or underlying guilt towards the death of Gatsby.

In addition, the Roaring 20’s is portrayed by the Jazz, extravagant parties, flamboyant cars, houses and clothes, and the need for all the characters to make a good impression in their social situation. The Great Gatsby captures with excellence the 1920’s era, with conventions such as The Jazz Age, flapper dresses and dapper suits. These conventions are incorporated with the reality of 1920’s America in order to give an authentic outlook on this era. The economic state of America in the 1920’s, as it was a time where the country maintained a lot of supremacy and capacity; and in the near future was going to become one of the world’s only superpower country. However, this ideal of everyone equally living in wealth was unrealistic, and there were many pockets of people who lived their live in poverty and were obliged to work consistently. The split between those whose lives were adorned with elegance and luxury and those who lived in sheer poverty is conveyed by Baz Luhrmann, as we see the difference of wealth when Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Nick and Jordan all visit New York, and have to cross the industrial part of New York, a pocket of poverty. The inhabitants are shown to work continuously in underprivileged conditions and with a poor quality of life. 

However, one aspect of the classic novel which the film fails to convey is the American Gangster culture which is a prominent influence in Gatsby’s life. The film emphasizes the love and romance theme in the book as we follow the challenges which face Gatsby and Daisy’s love, however whilst only being granted a few snippets of the Gatsby’s secret life of bootlegging, selling illegal alcohol; which assists his wealth.

As well as this, some scenes do not appear genuine, and somewhat overly-edited. The computer trickery, which despite aids to conceive realistically the what many scenes would have actually looked like during this era, is overpowering and makes the film appear more like a cartoon than a film telling the tragic story of a man’s life before and after his death. In fact, it appears that most scenes have taken place with the cast of actors and a few extravagant props such as cars in front of a green screen.

In conclusion, Baz Lurhmann’s film edition of the novel captures brilliantly the 1920’s lifestyle and the significant symbols of love, culture and injustice. Despite this, at some points the film fails to acquire some of the foremost themes which allow the novel to be a classic and a realistic insight into the life of 1920’s America. This leads me, as the audience, to believe that we are still yet waiting for a film edition of the novel in the future which incorporates all of the primary themes in order to create a film of mystery, love and the sore reality of an age which is imperfect and maintains injustice which is portrayed to ideal, upbeat and pleasant.

The Bling Ring - Movie Review

The Bling Ring
Review by Connor Egan

Sophia Coppola truly portrays the takeover of social media in today’s generation. Based on true events, Sophia Coppola has her audience engaged as she successfully depicts the robberies committed by, The Bling Ring, a group of teens based in Los Angeles California. Rebecca (Katie Chang), the supposedly ring leader of the gang is accompanied by Nicki (Emma Watson), Marc (Israel Broussard), Sam (Taissa Farmiga) and Chloe (Claire Julien) who form the entirety of the gang. Set in Los Angeles the teenager’s life seems more than glamorous but it proves to not be enough to quench their thirst for expensive, materialistic items.

The soundtrack following the film is perfectly constructed as it includes artists such as Azealia Banks, M.I.A and Lil Wayne who are notoriously known for their rebellious attitudes. The explicit lyrics within most of the songs are just as outrageous, scandalous, and shocking as the crimes committed throughout. The music artists are mainly appealed to teenagers of today as they are what are big in the media and posted all over social media sites.

Throughout the film we witness various uses of Blackberry mobiles and iPhones used by the gang to gather information about the location of celebrity victim’s homes and their actual location. When the teens weren’t calculating how to break into homes they were taking photos of themselves with expensive stolen goods and uploading them to Facebook. Facebook is the main social media they basically documented their robberies on, posing in photos with thousands of pounds worth of designer clothes and jewellery. Coppola conveys the way the teenagers used social media to calculate and flaunt their crimes, showing the takeover of the 21^st century by the internet.

Despite the gang of teenagers already being immersed within the celebrities’ life style through sites such as Twitter and Facebook allowing them to follow their every move they couldn’t resist to try and become a part of it. By them being so exposed to the kind of lifestyle these celebrities lived it leads them to “think we just wanted to be part of the lifestyle. The lifestyle that everybody kinda wants.” This was taken to new extremes throughout the film and strongly portraying the effects of being so exposed to celebrities’ life style through social media and what it can drive people to do. The internet is what gave them access to the victim’s addresses and locations, which is a true depiction of what people can do when they have access to certain information.

These teens proved not to be as clever as they thought they were. Entering the homes proved to be no task for them as they discovered unlocked doors or keys under mats around all the victims’ homes. Although getting in was simple they were so overwhelmed with the materialistic possessions they forgot to remain hidden from cameras, exposing them of their crimes. The naivety of the teenagers to think they wouldn’t get caught conveys how they weren’t doing these things because they didn’t have money, it was mainly for the status it may get them. Before they were caught it gave them a great status on social media when posting photos of expensive items and bragging about being in the homes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.

Coppola had used various shots throughout the film which gave it an adrenaline feel whenever they thought they were going to be caught. The shots of the gang climbing in and out of the homes were a good insight to how brave, sly and courageous these kids really were. Sophia recreated the scenes very well to how anyone who knew about the true events would imagine them to take place. Overall the film felt to me almost like a documentary rather than just being based on events as I was so fascinated and engaged throughout the entire film.

Moreover The Bling Ring personally proved to be a great success as factors including the soundtrack and how realistic the actors were when adopting the rolls of members of the gang. I also felt the film made a great impact on showing the change and effects of social media and how dominating it is in today’s society. The Bling Ring may not be like other Coppola films but it is definitely one to be recognised and worth watching. I would recommend this film to anyone into crime and drama and definitely to teenagers as it has an engaging, fascinating modern feel to it. By the end of the film Sophia had me left wondering how I felt about the entire scandal as she didn’t portray them in any particular light and left me to form my own opinion. It turned out to be a beautifully crafted and thoroughly enjoyable film. 

Skyfall - Movie Review

Skyfall
Review by Matthew Burdfield

This has to be Daniel Craig’s best Bond film yet.  After starring in the last two Bond films Daniel Craig has shown his true colours as he goes on an intense journey with M when an attack on MI6 happens, Bond must track down and destroy the threat, whatever the cost. Alongside Daniel Craig there was probably one best played ‘M’s in all the Bonds.  Judi Dench as the outgoing M leaves big shoes to fill for future M (Ralph Fiennes) . The main reason why it is one of the best Bond films yet is due to creativeness and imaginative Sam Mendes. Sam Mendes brought a new insight into Bond as he developed the viewer’s understanding of the Bond characters. This shown for the first time as Bond shows his emotion. From Sam Mendes experience he directed SkyFall so maturely, I’m sure we would expect to see him direct more bond quality films. Javier Bardem executes one the best Bond villains of them all as his character ‘Silva’ once part of the MI6, but was later betrayed. This makes him even worse as he is a very cunning, unpredictable, savage and set for retribution.

A Bond film is most famous for Bonds charms, Aston Martins, the use futuristic gadgets and Vodka Martini “Shaken not Stirred”. All of these are iconic because if someone was to ask you about Aston Martins or a Vodka Martini you would refer to James Bond as the films are so well known all around the world. The letter M is very symbolic as it suggests that ‘M’ can be used as a mother like figure. Although seeming forward, it is also most logical as ‘M’ always tries to protect her team, as in the film James Bond protects ‘M’ when they are being tracked by ‘Silva’, when the safest place to be was a Mansion in Scotland. Later we find out this Mansion was called SkyFall, which was where Bond used to live with his Mother and Father before they died in a car crash making him an orphan. This backs-up the idea of ‘M’s M for mother as ‘M’ was the closest thing to a mother Bond had. This Bond film also introduced Q and Money Penny and how their journey in the bond films began. 

Directed by Oscar-winner Mendes and filmed with a master's touch by Roger Deakins, this is a Bond film that will transform many Bond films to come. There are two amazing choreographed action scenes, showing the bravery of bond and the traditional action scenes from chases to shoot-outs.  Adele's soul-stirring theme song ‘SkyFall’, sold £600,000 in the UK and $2000, 000 in America. This epic movie had a grand budget of £200,000,000. Money well spent. The film was very well advertised as it was on when the Olympics was taking place in London therefore making more money for the countries income.

SkyFall is one of your most typical Action, Adventure and Crime films as there is good vs. evil and the will to get the task done. As shown in the film Scotland seems darker and gives us a sense of isolation, this is shown as SkyFall the mansion was old and in the middle of Scotland’s country. Throughout the film setting is set with age. The SkyFall Mansion looked old having being dilapidated and haunted as its haunts bond for the last time. As bonds history burns to the ground he secures his future. I suppose the only bad things about the film are that some parts of the film are sexist as it shows the female actors as a pornographic icon. Some of the scenes are appear fake as when he’s climbing an elevator shaft or running on top of a train they make it look so easy.   

‘SkyFall’ drops strongly in first place as the best of Bond. So I suppose the 23rd time's the charm. If you are a James Bond fan I know you will definitely love it, if not a fan I recommend you watch this film anyway as it gives a sense perspective of that you are one of the characters as you become attached to them slightly. 

Titanic - Movie Review

Titanic
Review by Shannan Kerruish

Titanic, written by writer and director James Cameron in 1997 is the story of a 101 year old lady named Rose Dewitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) who tells the story herself of her life on a ship called Titanic set in April (14^th/15^th) 1912 when Rose herself boarded the ship with her upper class mother and fiancé, Ruth Dewitt Bukater,  played by Frances Fisher and Caledon Hockley, played by Billy Zane. Meanwhile; lower class best friends Jack Dawson played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Fabrizio De Rossi, played by Danny Nucci win third-class tickets to also board the ship in a lucky game of poker, Jack opens Roses’ eyes and steals her heart. Throughout the film Rose explains her story from boarding the ship to the destruction of Titanic, April 15^th, 1912.

Rose shared the top of the ship with the rest of the other upper class braggarts, all of whom are very similarly stuck in their ways, however as we are introduced to Jack, from the bottom of the ship we begin to see Rose as an independent, free-spirited young woman unlike her highbrow mother whom wishes her to be the traditional obedient daughter like the other high society robots. Jack was intrigued by Rose since the first time they met, when she was feeling very distressed from all the tension of feeling like she doesn’t belong. Jack gradually got to know Rose more and more throughout the journey across the seas, despite the fact that Caledon never warmed to Jack very much. We see a contrast of Rose’s character from before she knew Jack to when she met him, her true colours shone since she met him and her true colours are what Jack fell in love with. The chemistry between Jack and Rose could make anybody fall in love with love and the relationship between them both; however smug villain Caledon adds to the feelings of tension due to losing control of his soon to be wife which results with him making frantic attempts to kill them both. The strong build-up of emotions left me longing for Jack and Rose to live happily ever after. You may think that the irresistible love story only appeals to women and teenage girls, however the film its self includes the actual story of Titanic with special effects of the boat and action scenes, this is what draws in the male attention, James Cameron cleverly combines the two together in order to melt girls’ hearts whilst boys’ hearts race in excitement. The combination of action and love leads to a very dramatic ending which makes the film so immense and memorable.

Jack Dawson, (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a very strong character in Titanic, through just his voice you can feel the passion he feels when in the character of Jack, he controls the tone of his voice dependant on the dialogue he speaks very cleverly, when he feels scared of losing Rose he shouts her name with a gentle break in his voice, conveying a more realistic feeling of devastation, DiCaprio makes the chemistry between Jack and Rose appear almost too realistic that I feel emotionally attached to the love between them which had the biggest impact of leaving me thrown by the end of the film, feeling distraught.

The most memorable aspect to Titanic has to be the soundtrack, My Heart Will Go On by Céline Dion. The track begins with an Irish penny whistle which gently fades in, the song is very slow and soft yet powerful at points, listening deeper to the soundtrack the background sounds almost as if you are underwater which reflects the film itself, especially how the story ends underwater, which then leads into the soundtrack. The soundtrack benefits the film of drawing you in and making you feel as if you are actually there.

From being written in 1997 to 16 years down the line and the film will still never get old. Titanic is a classic and I believe that it is professionally made, particularly with the special effects of the ship. The special effects used help to make the film much more believable and realistic, furthermore do the actors and actresses but notably Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack Dawson) who’s acting perfects the emotion in the film, which then links also with the soundtrack by singer, Céline Dion which has the topping on the intended effect and emotion that the audience feel at the end of the film leaving them feeling heartbroken.