The Lone Ranger

When I first heard that they were making a new film version of the 80 year old character, I was a little dismayed and saw it as a cash grab by Jerry Bruckheimer to make a new franchise to replace the diminishing Pirates of the Caribbean. How wrong I was.

This film deals with the creation of the outlaw (Armie Hammer) and his first adventure with Tonto (Johnny Depp) to take down a corrupt railroad tycoon (Tom Wilkinson) and his criminal henchman (William Fichtner), whose scheme is to steal a large amount of silver and retire to San Francisco.

This movie is actually a lot of fun. All of the elements that go in to make a Lone Ranger adventure are there, including the William Tell Overture, Tonto's broken English and lots of action.

This is the first time I've enjoyed Johnny Depp in a film for a long time. Jack Sparrow began to wear on me after a while and no one can play Willy Wonka like Gene Wilder. But in this, his eccentricities went a long way and in fact I sensed a little Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He brings a levity to a film that has a very bleak premise in an unforgiving land.

Of course, I can't talk about a Lone Ranger film without talking about the man that played him. Armie Hammer (who we know from The Social Network) does a great job bringing such a revered character to life. He has a great chemistry with Depp and I feel as though this is the point that his star will rise from, rather than the past films he has worked on.

There is only one problem I found with the film and that is the extreme violence that is juxtaposed with lighthearted and funny moments. I know that this film is marketed to kids, but most westerns are quite bleak and dark at times. It doesn't really take away from the film, but it does make it a bit of a roller-coaster to watch.

Verdict: A genuinely good effort at reinvigorating a story that has been part of the public consciousness for almost 100 years.

Pacific Rim

Is your giant monster making too much noise all the time? Is you giant monster constantly stomping around, driving you crazy? Is your giant monster clawing at your buildings? Think there's no answer? You're so stupid, there is! Giant robots! Is your giant monster fat, skinny or an in between? That's okay because one size fits all.

In the near future, a portal to another dimension is opened in the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean and from it come massive monsters called kaiju (Japanese for monster). Mankind quickly develops a defence in the form of jaegers (German for warrior), giant robots that are piloted by two people who share a neural link with the onboard computer. Although initially successful, the program begins to fail and in an all out effort to destroy the portal, mankind decides to drop a nuclear weapon into it.

The action is visually impressive. Although Guillermo Del Toro usually uses practical effects, he instead opted for CGI as this film is on such a huge scale. The fights between the jaegers and kaiju look really cool and this film is a definite homage to the early Godzilla flicks, mainly Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla (one of the best in the series).

Del Toro is also renowned for creating rich and diverse worlds, especially in both Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth. It is enjoyable to see kaiju body parts being sold on the black market and that whole area of the underworld seems to be a trademark of his.

Most of the cast is pretty ordinary, but the saving grace of the film is Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny). I know I seem to go on about him a lot, but he genuinely is a fantastic actor. He plays a doctor researching the kaiju and he has a manic enthusiasm about the monsters. It got to one stage in the film where I was just waiting for the next scene with him in it.

Overall, the story is pretty predictable and the films two hour run time was a bit too long for me. There is a lengthy introduction to world in which the characters live, which was cool, but once the plot started proper, the film went downhill fast.

Verdict: I feel as though Del Toro has let down his fanbase with this film. I am used to seeing more ambitious smaller films from him and felt as though this film was too big for him to grasp. The majority of my points go to his use of Charlie Day.

Only God Forgives

If you were expecting Only God Forgives to be anything like Nicolas Winding Refn's last film Drive, you'd be sorely mistaken. The only connection between the two is Ryan Gosling and he is nothing like the Driver in this film. In the pre-screening interview, Refn said that this film is like being on an acid trip and not the kind where you go to party and dance it off, the kind of trip that you think you're a part of the furniture.

At it's core this film is all about revenge. Julian (Ryan Gosling), is the owner of a Bangkok boxing club. His brother has just been killed for murdering a sixteen-year-old prostitute and his mother, Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) has come to kill the man responsible. That man is Lt. Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm). Crystal and Julian endeavour to take down this powerful police chief.

This movie is ultra-violent. When they spoke about A Clockwork Orange being a detriment to cinema audiences back in 1971, those critics would have no idea about how violent cinema would become in the years that followed. Although, the violence in this film is justified and reasons are given for it.

The cast is incredible in this movie, especially the performances from Thomas and Pansringarm. Kristin Scott Thomas is just unbelievably evil and openly speaks of the distaste she has for her son Julian to every person she encounters. She lets on that her relationship with her first son, Billy (Tom Burke) was a lot closer than a mother and son should have. She is a bit of a combination of Lady MacBeth and Jocasta (from the Greek tragedy Oedipus).

Pansringarm is brutal as Lt. Chang. His character reminded me somewhat of Gene Hackman in Unforgiven, the law officer who wants to do the right thing in the wrong way, except Chang goes about this in incredibly violent ways. Thai culture is really infused into his character, as every time he completes a violent act, he goes to a karaoke bar and sings a Thai folk song.

Gosling plays more of minor character. Yes, he is sort of the main character but he moves the plot along and is a quiet rage machine. Julian has a lot of anger toward everyone in the film as he is in a sort of self-imposed exile. The only other cast member worth mentioning is Ratha Phongam. She is quite a well known Thai actress and I believe that this is her first English language film. Phongam plays Mai, a prostitute who has caught the attention of Julian. She is very beautiful and has amazing talent as an actress.

Verdict: I like this film no matter how much of an acid trip it is, but it's a film that has divided everyone who has seen it. Feel free to tell me on Facebook or Twitter how wrong or right I am, as I know it has already sparked debate with filmmakers and critics alike. It was booed at Cannes but also received a standing ovation in the same screening.

Man of Steel

Did you ever wonder who pays for the reconstruction of a city after superbeings have destroyed it? Have you ever wondered why people don't recognise Clark Kent as Superman with glasses? If you answered no to both of those questions, then Man of Steel is the movie for you.

After a lengthy sequence on the world of Krypton, Jor-El (Russell Crowe), a scientist, sends his firstborn child (and first naturally born child of Krypton in a thousand years) away in a spaceship due to the imminent destruction of his home planet. Meanwhile, leader of a military coup, General Zod (Michael Shannon) fails to obtain a codex containing the DNA structure and ends up getting banished to The Phantom Zone (a type of black hole).

Thirty-three years later on Earth, Kal-El (Henry Cavill), after being brought up as Clark Kent in a small town in Kansas (never referred to as Smallville in this movie), is a drifter, floating from job to job, saving people where necessary. When he hears about a possible discovery of an alien spaceship in Canada, Kent travels there and finds the ship, resurrects his father's consciousness with a key and learns about his origins.

In doing so, Kent alerts Zod, who has been searching for Kent/Kal-El, bringing him to Earth. Zod realises that Earth is a prime location for beginning a new Krypton, thus dooming this film to the Superman curse of all these films being about real estate (seriously, look it up, every superman film has a plot or subplot about real estate).

Although the plot of this film is weak, both the superb acting and striking visuals and action sequences redeem the film. Henry Cavill (The Tudors) brings a depth to Superman that was missing in Brandon Routh's hollow performance. He has a certain charm that I believe Superman should possess and there is a true chemistry between him and his Earth parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane). Amy Adams (Doubt) is the perfect choice for Lois Lane. She is believable enough to play such a strong and independent reporter to Lawrence Fishburne's Perry White.

I found Michael Shannon's (Revolutionary Road) performance as General Zod to be good, although at times I felt his character was annoying, especially at his most persistent moments. On the other hand, Russell Crowe was fantastic at playing a role made famous by Marlon Brando. His gruff Aussie accent was not out of place as the Kryptonian accent was all over the place.

Zack Snyder (director of Watchmen, 300) is great at comic book adaptions and here he does another fantastic job, especially with the backing of Christopher Nolan, fresh of the back of his Dark Knight trilogy.

The action in this movie, especially the fighting scenes between Kent and the other Kryptonians, was believable and enjoyable to watch, although as I mentioned before, someone is going to pay a lot of cash to rebuild Metropolis.

Verdict: An all in all enjoyable movie to watch despite some weak points. I look forward to see what Warner Bros is going to do with the other DC characters ahead of an Avengers-style JLA movie.

Monsters University

I was 10 when Monsters, Inc. came out. Twelve years later, I'm studying at university and this movie comes out. It's great how life comes full circle. I should note that I was the oldest person in the theatre watching this (who didn't get dragged along by a child at least).

The story tells of how James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) became best friends at university years before they were the best scare team at Monsters, Inc. Their introduction to each wasn't smooth sailing, however. Whilst they are both in a scare class, they get thrown out of the program by Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) for having a fight. Together they figure out that they can back into the course by competing in the Scare Games, a group of challenges for fraternities and sororities.

I feel as though this isn't really a kids movie, as the majority of the jokes are aimed at a mature audience but at the same time aren't crass. Charlie Day's (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) character, Art, is an obvious stoner type and the film also lampoons the hazing process that takes place in fraternities (there's a great documentary by Todd Philips if you want to know more about that, Frat House). At one stage during the film, the kid behind me started crying.

John Goodman and Billy Crystal were okay in their roles, but since this film takes place earlier than the original film, I thought maybe some younger voices wouldn't have hurt, but since it's only voice acting I don't think anyone would really care.

The other voice cameos are quite a surprise. Apart from the aforementioned Helen Mirren, there is Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Alfred Molina (Raiders of the Lost Ark) and Dave Foley (The Kids in the Hall). And of course I get excited when Charlie Day is in anything.

The ending of the film was a bit of let down to me as well. Both Mike and Sully's career within the Monsters, Inc. corporation is crammed into two or three minutes at the end of the film. They could have just left that out all together.

It does kind of bug me that Pixar has so much potential from their roots as innovators for originality, but now I feel as though they're doing the same things over and over (the soon to be released Planes is a perfect example).

Verdict: A decently funny prequel that could have been stronger in terms of story, but will suffice for kids and adults alike.

Also, a bonus if you live in either the UK or Australia (these are the only two countries I know of at present). Prior to the movie actually starting, there is a screening of The Blue Umbrella, a charming love story of two umbrellas that will tug at the heartstrings.

World War Z

This movie is not for the hardcore fanatic of zombie pop culture. It was made for a mainstream audience who might be interested in seeing what this whole zombie thing is about. It's probably best to stick with The Walking Dead if you are a fan.

The plot revolves around Gerry (Brad Pitt), a former United Nations investigator, who, at the behest of his former colleagues, is sent around the world in search of something that will stop the zombies (not necessarily a cure). He leaves his family on an aircraft carrier and flies off around the world, encountering many people along the way. Gerry goes to South Korea, Israel and Wales in search of something to help.

This movie was very intense and chaotic and the setting was unsettling. This came from the fact that normally zombie films and TV take place in a contained environment, such as a shopping centre or prison, but here it was global. The scenes where hordes of the undead are swarming were intense and at times I didn't quite know what was going on.

The fact that the majority of the movie is chaotic makes the ending all the harder to watch. The final 40 minutes returns to a climax that would fit well in any other zombie film. It is the classic stalking of the hallways trying to reach the ultimate goal, but due to the intensity of the first part of the film, it just seems distracting. Maybe this is due to another writer coming in and rewriting the entire ending of the film. Apparently, it was supposed to end with another climactic battle, which would have kept up with the pacing of the entire film.

The cast of this movie is very chaotic as well. Brad Pitt and his family are the only constant. Except we don't see his family all too often, which is good because is wife Karin (Mireille Enos) is one of the most annoying movie characters ever. Matthew Fox (Lost) is supposedly in this film, and quite prominently billed, but I did not see him once, so that's a waste of some cash.

Verdict: Max Brooks' novel did have potential, but it was poorly executed and even though it takes place on a global scale, the world feels kind of empty but not in a I Am Legend way.

After Earth

Just when you thought Will Smith's career had gotten back on track with MiB III, he hits you with a really bad movie. And this time it's not M. Night Shyamalan's fault.

Sometime in the future, Earth has become inhabitable for reasons unknown and the human species sets up a colony on Nova Prime. For some reason there are aliens that smell fear or something, so an army of "rangers" are established. Cypher Raige (Will Smith) is the leader of this supposed peacekeeping army and he has just come home from a long stretch of fighting. His son, Kitai (Jaden Smith), is feeling somewhat sad and his father decides to take him with Kitai to his next posting (supposedly his last). Their ship crashes on the wastes of Earth and Kitai must save them by recovering the emergency beacon in the tail wreckage of their ship.

This movie is so bad, I got bored pretty early and started reading about the production of the film instead. Apparently it was supposed to take place in a modern setting and Will Smith was supposed to take his son on a camping trip, but they have a massive car crash. So basically, the same movie but marginally better. Then Will Smith thought he could make more money by setting the film in space, especially when the opportunity of cross-platform franchising comes up (basically more money).

I should point out the people who financed this movie: Will Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Caleeb Pinkett (see the pattern). All that for one kid. Who can't act. I am of course talking about Jaden Smith. I'm guessing every producer and director in Hollywood saw that this kid can't act and rejected him, so his parents made him a $130 million movie and hired a director who has made a good movie since 2000 (Unbreakable was a good flick, no matter what anybody says).

But we can't blame all this on M. Night. He didn't even get to put his Shyamalanian twist ending on it. Apparently the only directing he did was telling the cameraman where to point the camera. Smith directed both his son and himself. The other actor's in the film kind of wander around aimlessly. The only good acting came from the only female actors, Sophie Okonedo and Zoe Kravitz (daughter of Lenny).

Verdict: If you want post-apocalyptic Earth, go watch Oblivion. But if you're at that stage, just watch WALL-E instead. Also if Will Smith treats his kid like this in real life, that's one messed up family.