War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) Review

The much anticipated War for the Planet of the Apes, like Dawn, is directed by Matt Reaves, and stars Woody Harrelson, as well as Andy Serkis once again reprising his role as Caesar. I think the previous two films in this gritty reboot of the ‘Planet of the Apes’ franchise are both brilliant, standing individually but also linking together very well.  Now, after the events of Rise and Dawn, a new threat emerges in the form of a brutal Colonel (Woody Harrelson), who leads an army of humans into a conflict with the apes, and the outcome of this epic battle will determine the fate of both species and the planet.

Firstly, this film is technologically and technically incredible . The apes look more amazing than ever before, and the cinematography and editing in general compliments the apes so perfectly as it gives them such breath-taking backdrops and environments to interact with. Pretty much every frame in this film is picturesque in some way. From the claustrophobia of the muddy caves to the vastness of the snowy mountains, War is a clinic in how to create beautiful shots and present incredible visual imagery. And of course, the motion capture work must be praised. As expected, all actors involved in this did a brilliant job, including Steve Zahn as the comedic relief Bad Ape, but Andy Serkis’ Caesar was unsurprisingly the stand out, taking the character to much darker, conflicting places than we’ve ever seen before. We can see the pain and suffering on his face in every movement and expression, and it is a truly magnificent performance, that could certainly warrant an Oscar nomination in my opinion (something which I recently talked more in depth about here- Should Andy Serkis get an Oscar nomination for his motion capture performances?).

Furthermore, a word has to be said for Michael Giachinno’s haunting score, that was used at exactly the right moments, to sometimes say more words than any amount of dialogue ever could have, and it was more pivotal than you may expect, as a lot of scenes in the film are silent, and involve the apes just signing to one another, and Giachinno’s score beautifully compliments these moments and increases the tension.

I certainly did like the approach the film took, by being much more of a character study rather than an action bonanza. However, while doing so very successfully in parts, on the whole I just feel that it did not delve deep enough into the psyche of Caesar and the pain and confliction he was feeling. Also, although some of the best scenes of the film were the more subdued, dramatic scenes, such as the Colonel and Caesar facing off, I did feel that quite a few scenes slowed the momentum down quite a bit. When I say this, I don’t mean it was because there was a lack of action, as the best scenes were the tense, dramatic, character based ones, but certain scenes felt like they were prolonged for no reason at all, and did not advance the characters or the story in any way. Unfortunately, while there is of course some epic and moving moments, I felt that the story as a whole was surprisingly thin and was stretched out a lot, and that a scenario that a huge chunk of the story is based around, could have been told much more rapidly.

Also, since the film was based so much around Caesar’s quest for revenge, I would have liked an actor of Woody Harrelson’s calibre to have been utilised more. He and Caesar have some amazing scenes where they face off, but since Caesar’s journey of vengeance is solely about actions Woody Harrelson’s character previously took, it would have made more sense I think to give more layers to his character and give him a bit more to do/say, as they were some of the best parts.

Overall, while personally being somewhat disappointed by War for the Planet of the Apes, with it having a much thinner story than I was hoping for, leading to repetition in some plot points, it is still certainly a very solid entry into the franchise. It connects well with the previous films, with some truly amazing moments, beautiful aesthetics, and a sensational central performance from Andy Serkis.

7/10

Should Andy Serkis get an Oscar nomination for his motion capture performances?

With Andy Serkis reprising his role as Caesar in the hugely anticipated War for the Planet of the Apes, in theatres this weekend, talk has once again surfaced suggesting that Serkis should be nominated for an Oscar for his performance. Of course, I will have to wait till I see War for the Planet of the Apes to form an opinion on that particular performance, but his numerous brilliant motion capture performances of the past can certainly be analysed. Although there have been other actors who have produced other really good motion capture performances, such as Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk and Zoe Saldana in Avatar (2009), Serkis is seen as the godfather of this particular kind of acting, being one of the leading reasons it has become as advanced as it has today. Talk for Serkis to be nominated first began with his role as Gollum in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films, then to a slightly lesser degree for his role as King Kong. It happened again when he first played Caesar in 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and then the loudest noises for Serkis’ exceptional and pioneering work for motion capture to be recognised came in 2014’s summer sequel Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Although Koba was also brilliant in this film, Caesar was certainly the standout. Serkis has said that his work deserves to be judged on a level playing field to all other actors, as motion capture work has reached such a level of quality and sophistication. The technology is truly amazing and the general public have generally been wowed by just how much he brings these characters to life, but some have had trouble accepting it as acting, despite the great visuals.

Admittedly, it is very difficult to know just how much credit is owed to the animators, and which expressions or movements come purely from the actor, and which are just simply added in post-production. However, despite this, what Serkis does has been well documented and I definitely think that his extensive movements, expressions, voices etc are certainly facets of acting, and that he certainly does enough to be allowed to be considered for an Oscar, if the performance is good enough. Also, it can be argued that every Oscar nominated/ Oscar winning performance is down to a team of people, not just the individual. Some of this brilliant performance is surely somewhat down to the writing, the direction etc, and not just the singular actors performance. Because of these reasons, I think that motion capture performances should definitely be considered for Oscars, despite not being traditional acting performances. However, I do of course think that were there to be a motion capture performance nominated for an Oscar, it would have to genuinely be one of the top few performances from that year, and cannot just be awarded because motion capture acting has not been nominated before.

With the ‘Planet of the Apes’ franchise set to reach greater dramatic heights than ever with the new film, there is a good chance that Serkis’ third performance as Caesar could be his best yet, but this of course remains to be seen. But if his performance is as great as we are hoping it will be, I do think that Serkis should be able to be finally nominated for an Oscar for his performance, if it truly is one of the best of the year, and motion capture performances should be judged on a level playing field, it is just a matter of how good the performance and how great the character created is.

 

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Review

Spider-Man: Homecoming is directed by Jon Watts and stars Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. This is the first solo Spider-Man film since Marvel Studios were lent back the rights to the character from Sony, but we did of course see what I thought was a fantastic introduction to the latest iteration of Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War. Now, several months after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) tries to find symmetry between his life as a high school student, and his life as a crime-fighting superhero, with the assistance of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), while a potent threat in the form of Vulture (Michael Keaton) materialises.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is quite simply a blast from start to finish. Tom Holland manages to bring something new to the character, even though we have seen him in live action twice before, and this is helped by the decision to have Spider-Man still be getting used to his powers for pretty much the entirety of this film, and the effective comedic way in which this was shown. Even by the end, he is still not perfectly aware of all the features of his suit etc, but Peter’s vulnerability is one of the things that makes us care for him so much throughout. His suit is also easily the best we’ve seen on screen, and the different elements it has literally do give the suit a personality that added an extra layer to Spider-Man himelf.

Furthermore, the decision to use Tony Stark so sparingly and sporadically was a very wise decision. He could have easily been in almost every scene, but Jon Watts recognised that he should only be used in moments, as not to take away from what should obviously be Peter Parker’s story and journey. Also, The moments Tony was in were fantastic. the dynamic between him and Peter was a huge element to the film, with Tony as his mentor, and these scenes either had great heart as Peter seeked approval from Tony, or were just hilarious moments.

Michael Keaton is also brilliant as the Vulture and thankfully breaks the trend of the thinly characterised villains the MCU has created a bit too often. He has a compelling backstory that helps us completely identify with him and understand his motivations, while also delivering a menacing and sinister performance. This is also enhanced by the fact that he has a personal connection to one of the characters in the film, and this was a hugely exciting shock. adding to this, Keaton also comes into contact with two other criminals, that i did not expect to see appear in the film and they are famous figures in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, but the film did not shove them in at all, just quiety eluded to them and moved on with the story, which was very satisfying.

However, while the film had some really funny moments provided by main and supporting characters, I did feel that the humour of Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Zendaya (Michelle) specifically, while funny at first, did become very repetitive after a while. And this is completely a scriptwriting/directorial criticism rather than a criticism of the actors, as they did their jobs well, I just felt that the humour provided by these characters became quite unnecessary during the second and third acts of the film, and slowed the momentum slightly.

Despite this minor flaw, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a really good watch. It has a fresh take on Spider-Man, has really funny moments, easily one of the best Marvel villains, and is a fantastic connective tissue with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while still standing alone as a truly enjoyable experience.

8/10

 

Baby Driver (2017) Review

Baby Driver is Edgar Wright’s latest directorial work and stars Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Bernthal, Enza Gonzalez, Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx. It tells the story of Baby (Ansel Elgort), who meets the girl of his dreams (Lily James), and sees a chance to abandon his dubious lifestyle as a getaway driver, but he is roped into one last criminal heist that threatens his life and love.

Firstly, I want to say that I am a big fan of Edgar Wright’s work, especially his much beloved Cornetto trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End). I really admire his kinetic style and passion to have his own authoritative vision, which is presumably why negotiations fell through for him to write and direct Marvel’s Ant-Man, as he would have wanted to do things his way and not fall in line with what a big studio would want. Up to this point, Wright’s films have always been masterfully written and directed, and have never failed to have a perfect sense of when to be serious and when to be humorous, with fantastic characters and great heart, but does Baby Driver display and balance these elements successfully like the Edgar Wright films that have come before it?

Quite simply, yes it does! Baby Driver is instantly a classic “cool” film, with its brilliant stylistic choices, including a unique and electrifying soundtrack that was refreshingly integral to the movie itself, with the songs serving as much more than just tone-setters. These song choices I thought perfectly matched Edgar Wright’s directorial style, as they enhanced the very sharply cut and choreographed action scenes. It is ultimately a very fun film, but is much less of a comedy than is typical of Edgar Wright, but he once again balances a lot of elements brilliantly, as Baby Driver is a brilliant blend of romance, action, thriller and musical.

I thoroughly enjoyed every performance in the movie, with Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey and John Hamm all providing very charismatic, menacing performances to balance out Ansel Elgort’s lack of speaking. Also, I think Lily James was fantastic as Baby’s love interest, and for me she was the character I cared most about as she became so wrapped up in this shady lifestyle of Baby’s, simply because he seemed to be mysterious but also have his heart in the right place. One of the main criticisms I have seen levelled at the film has been the supposed lack of depth to this romance, as the two barely know each other but Debora (Lily James) is happy to make life altering and dangerous decisions for Baby, but I had no problem with this at all, as Baby Driver knowingly and effectively uses elements of 1967’s Bonnie & Clyde, as the two do not need to know each other long to want to run away together and find a new meaning to their mundane lives.

The flaws I have with the film are not particularly major and didn’t detract too much from the film, but were flaws nevertheless. I did feel that towards the end of the third act, the action (that I won’t spoil) got quite abruptly over the top, and did not truly match what had built up throughout the film, almost descending into some kind of comic book action scene, but even so this was still pretty enjoyable.

Overall, I thought Baby Driver had an amazing retro style that was embedded in everything about the film, from the camerawork, to the dialogue, right down to the clothing and song choices, it was just a cool film. This style also does not mean there is a lack of substance, with some brilliantly charismatic performances and lots of intensity not just in the action scenes, but in the dramatic elements too, and all in all the film is just a uniquely fun romp throughout.

9/10

 

Despicable Me 3 (2017) Review

Despicable Me 3 is directed by Pierre Coffin (who has been a co-director in every film in this franchise), and is also directed by Kyle Balda, who worked as a co-director on the spin-off, Minions, with Steve Carrell, Kristen Wiig and Miranda Cosgrove once again reprising their roles. In this latest instalment, Gru meets his long-lost, more successful brother, Dru, who wants to join forces with him for one last criminal heist, in order to stop the evil Balthazar Bratt, voiced by Trey Parker.

I actually arrived quite late to this franchise, with this being the first of these films I have actually seen in the cinema, but I did eventually see the previous films a few months ago, shown to me by my girlfriend, who has an unhealthy obsession with them. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 very much. I thought they both had fun characters, brilliant animation, funny jokes, a surprising amount of heart, and were just generally, light, enjoyable films. Minions on the other hand, I did not enjoy as much. I thought it was okay, but I found it to be less funny, and I think the minions work a lot better in a supporting role, with other stronger characters being the main ones, like Gru.

This latest film has some really funny moments, with some fun new characters. Balthazar Bratt was an enjoyably silly villain, with his ridiculous plans, gadgets, and dance moves. Also, the dynamic between Gru and Dru was one of the best parts of the film, so the addition of Bratt and Dru was really fun. Just like the other films, I found Gru to be the funniest and most interesting character, with Steve Carrell’s voice work being absolutely hilarious. Also, just like the others, the brilliance of the animation of this film should not be overlooked, as the technical elements of the animation and the vibrant colour palette makes it so much more enjoyable.

However, the reason I would say this is just about the weakest of the three is that although you get what you expect, it is not quite as heartfelt as the other two, and even though we still care fully about Gru and his adopted children, there is a lack of scenes in this film that strengthen that emotional connection, moments that were very much appreciated in the first two. there is a subplot where Lucy, Gru’s wife, attempts to become a better mother to their adopted children, but it does not really work and is not pursued for long at all, making it feel very tacked on. As well as this, my other main problem with this film was that although it was funny in general, and absolutely hilarious in certain parts, there is definitely a higher percentage of jokes that miss than in the first two films, which may be because of some elements of the humour just becoming  a bit repetitive in parts.

Overall, although I don’t think it’s as funny or heartfelt as the other two Despicable Me films, Despicable Me 3 is definitely a fun and worthy entry into the franchise, with a lot of laughs and some really enjoyable characters, old and new, and a good variety of humour that appeals to adults as well as children.

6/10