Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) Review

So, the latest instalment in the ‘Transformers’ franchise is here and stars Mark Wahlberg, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Laura Haddock and Isabela Moner, and is once again directed by Michael Bay. Optimus Prime is gone, and humans and Transformers are once again at war, with all transformer activity on earth being declared illegal. The secret to securing the safety of the planet lies in the hidden history of the Transformers on Earth, which Sir Edmund Burton (Hopkins) knows much of, but he needs the help of Cade Yeager (Wahlberg) and Professor Vivian Wembley (Haddock) to protect the future.

Michael Bay has always been a ‘popcorn action movie’ director, meaning his films tend to be rather silly or not grounded in reality, but he does create huge spectacles with great action.  And there is certainly a place I feel for these kind of directors, as sometimes we do not feel like seeing an impeccably acted, written and directed drama, sometimes we just want a light bit of fun. The Rock (1996), Armageddon (1998) and Transformers (2007) were all thoroughly enjoyable and successful attempts from Bay at making a ‘popcorn movie’, as they were all very fun and entertaining, did not take themselves too seriously, and had really likeable characters that you cared about to make the action so much more impactful, so even though the premises of these films were not particularly realistic, they were very fun and had heart to them. However, just like the second, third and fourth ‘Transformers’ films, Transformers: The Last Knight is not one of those movies…

I’ll quickly get the positives out of the way, of which there are few, but at least there are positives. Sir Anthony Hopkins is the best part, and the film makes good use of his great, commanding voice. Also, the opening scene, set in the Dark Ages in England was epic, watching knights go into battle etc, and Michael Bay does have a fantastic way of directing action and has great command over these big studio productions.

However, despite how great the action looks, it is not fun in any way because of the fact that there are no characters involved in these great action scenes that we care about. Mark Wahlberg is a passable action hero but I did not actively care about him, and this film felt like there was more useless and pointless side characters and subplots than in any previous transformers film. I really do not understand why these films cannot just stick to one plotline and a few key characters rather than constantly introducing new ones that are literally seen once. Consequently, the entire film, especially the final battle, becomes the most convoluted, chaotic CGI mess with practically nobody you want to root for as nobody develops throughout and so many of the character motivations make absolutely no sense (which I won’t go into as it is spoiler territory). Also, this film is filled with the most cringe worthy humour, with really only a couple of chuckles throughout. It tries to be the funniest film in the series but really is the least funny, with about one in every ten attempts at being funny actually paying off.

In conclusion, there really is not that much to say. Transformers: The Last Knight is exactly what you’ve probably come to expect from these films by now, and does not freshen up the franchise in any way. It is an inexplicably long, convoluted, boring, CGI mess, with some fantastic looking action and spectacle, but the lack of characters to make that action impactful and truly entertaining. As I’m sure you can tell, I can’t wait for the next one!

4/10

The Mummy (2017) Review

Setting the stage for Universal’s new ‘Dark Universe’ is Alex Kurtzman’ remake of ‘The Mummy‘, starring Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis and Russell Crowe. This ‘Dark Universe’ is Universal’s plan to bring back all it’s well known monsters, including Dracula, Frankenstein and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, starting with this one.

‘The Mummy’ tells the story of an ancient princess that was denied her right to the throne of Egypt by her father as he had a son after her, and thus she murdered them both, and was buried alive deep underground for her sins. But thousands of years later, she is awakened from her crypt and wreaks havoc and terror.

Unfortunately, Tom Cruise’s latest action vehicle does not live up to his other great films, and Universal’s new cinematic universe is off to a somewhat shaky start. Firstly, pretty much all of the characters in this film were underwritten and were not nearly fleshed out enough to make you care about them, in my view at least. Even Tom Cruise, who brought what he could of his action star prowess to the film was hindered by a poor script that featured no truly memorable lines of dialogue or ones that ramped up the tension. Also, while I did not think the villain or story in total was necessarily bad, it was just generic and average, and you never truly felt that Sofia Boutella’s villain would succeed or that the protagonists were in any real danger. Furthermore, there were so many hallucinations and dream sequences, including spending lots of wasted time with a side character that seemingly died earlier in the film (which I won’t say any more about as I don’t want to spoil anything), which the film would have benefited from if it had just left excluded them completely. They added nothing to the story and just made everything more confusing.

However, aside from the many flaws, there are also a good number of positives to take from ‘The Mummy’. Firstly, as you can expect, Tom Cruise gives this film all he’s got, and is fully committed to the role, and although he is hindered by a script that doesn’t give him a fantastic character, he is still entertaining to watch. Russell Crowe also gives a surprisingly mysterious and intriguing performance in this movie, and the name of his character is one you will recognise straight away that ties in nicely to the ‘Dark Universe’. He seems to be someone who will play a big part in later films, and I really liked the way his character has been initially presented in this first film, with Crowe’s commanding on screen presence really making him very watchable. Also, despite some very generic and boring action sequences, there were a few really compelling ones that were well shot and the direction made it fast paced without being confusing or using useless shots or cuts, and these were also enhanced by some excellent set and costume design, which is probably to be expected to be fair when you consider the $125 million budget. Another thing I will commend the mummy for is the subtle hints to the later characters it will use in the ‘Dark Universe’, as I was worried it would concentrate solely on trying to set up other films rather than focus on this one, and although this one was pretty average, the allusions to upcoming were subtle enough to not take you out of the film, and although the ending does set up a continuation of a character, it does work in and of itself I feel.

Overall, ‘The Mummy’ was a pretty average start to Universal’s new cinematic universe, which could have been much better but also could have been a lot worse, and was ultimately hindered by a script that did not know where to focus to make the story compelling and how to make the characters ones that we would care about. Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe did show what they were able to of their undoubted star power, and were easily the best parts of the film, but ultimately everything around them was not up to a very high standard. But although this isn’t an awful start, lets hope the upcoming films in the ‘Dark Universe’ improve upon this first instalment!

5/10

Wonder Woman (2017) Review

Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielson, Robin Wright and David Thewlis, and is directed by Patty Jenkins, detailing the story of Diana, an Amazonian Goddess unlike any before her. She is trained for battle throughout her life, and when Steve Trevor, a World War I soldier, crash lands on her island warning of a “war to end all wars”, Diana decides to put these skills to use and realise her true power by travelling back to fight in the war with Steve.

I don’t think its a controversial statement to say that the DCEU has got off to a fairly shaky start with its first three films, with Man of Steel, Batman V  Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad all underperforming at the box office and not being particularly highly rated by many fans or critics. Although I thought all three were moderately enjoyable, they all had many flaws, and had the potential to be so much better. So, Wonder Woman was a massive opportunity for DC to finally steady the ship, but does it?… YES!

Firstly, this film is so much more colourful than previous DCEU films, which is what many have complained about. but in Wonder Woman, particularly on her home in the first act, the surroundings are so vibrant and joyful, and make the sequences of her growing up and training a lot more enjoyable. Another element where the DCEU’s latest instalment improves on its predecessors is that its story is simple, allowing us to enjoy the characters and their journeys without trying to decipher a convoluted plotline.

Also, both Gal Gadot and Chris Pine are fantastic casting choices, with incredible chemistry that allows you to care so much about both of them, and amidst some of the action, there are multiple subdued scenes where the two of them simply talk and get to know each other, which were some of the best moments in the film, and took their relationship to unexpected emotional heights. They learn things from one another and grow as individuals throughout, especially Diana, who is so naïve about mankind and how evil they can be, but Steve helps her realise the truth of the horrors of war, and this makes both characters so much more relatable. Patty Jenkins also did a brilliant job of directing all aspects of Wonder Woman, especially the action scenes, with my favourite of those being Diana in No Man’s Land. She executed these scenes perfectly, allowing for fast-paced, exciting action, while also maintaining a smooth feel to it, varying the speed of her cuts, as opposed to a quick-cut, shaky sequence. And these sequences are brilliantly complimented by the epic score.

However, I do have a couple of negatives regarding the film. As is so often the case with superhero films recently, the villains, of which there a few, are all just symbols of evil and are not fleshed out enough to make them compelling or three-dimensional, which was a disappointing element. Also, the final fight did lean too heavily on the use of CGI, and did often feel like the fight with Doomsday at the end of Batman V Superman, and this is often the case when our heroes take on a supernatural foe, but all the action that came before that I thought was sensational.

Despite this, Wonder Woman is a brilliantly directed, heartfelt film with an absorbing story and fantastic chemistry between the two leads, and I think it is comfortably the best DCEU film to date, finally fulfilling the potential of what some of DC’s iconic characters have to offer, and hopefully the upcoming Justice League is of the same quality.

8/10

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) Review

Guy Ritchie’s latest film is the story of King Arthur, starring Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Astrid Bèrges- Frisbey, Eric Bana, and Djimon Hounsou, telling the classic tale of a man robbed of his claim to the throne, but when he pulls the sword from the stone, he is forced to acknowledge his destiny in an attempt to save the kingdom from the evil Vortigern.

So, it’s a classic tale, but is this latest retelling of the story a classic film? Well… no, no it’s not. If I was to describe this film in one word, it would be “meh”, or “average”, or something like that. There is nothing fantastic, there is nothing awful, it is just simply an okay film.

Let’s start with the positives, of which there are plenty: Firstly, Jude Law delivers a menacing and compelling performance as the villain, and his backstory is effectively built up so we understand how he was seduced by these magical beings. Secondly, Ritchie creates a very believable world, with some fantastic locations that make you feel like you truly are in that time period. Add to this the music that creates a very epic atmosphere, increasing the feel of authenticity. Also, this film is a lot more fantastical than I expected, and while this hinders it in parts, there are many magical creatures and creations that do make it entertaining.

However, there are also many flaws: Charlie Hunnam I felt was an adequate protagonist as King Arthur, but was somewhat lacklustre and didn’t really show the spark required to drive the film, and although this may be the direction Ritchie wanted to go in with his take on Arthur, I personally just felt that Hunnam’s delivery and performance in general was fairly bland. Also, Ritchie’s kinetic style that is often so brilliant in films like Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000), is very hit and miss in this film. Sometimes it really works and there are some great action scenes, but sometimes the use of close up shots and slow motion make the action feel a bit stale, confusing and often video game-like. Added to this is the fact that I thought the plot was passable but not particularly compelling.

Overall, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a reasonable watch I feel, with no great highs but no terrible lows, and is simply a fairly middle of the road, uninspired but inoffensive movie.

5/10