Saturday, July 27, 2019

MCU Phase 4 Rant

Over the weekend, all of the phase 4 entries into the MCU were announced. There were 11 new projects announced. Some of them I am keen about but some less so, but my biggest issue with phase 4 isn't primarily what is coming, but how it is coming. You see, out of all the 11 projects announced, 6 of them are films, with the other 5 being TV shows streaming exclusively on the soon to be launched streaming service, Disney+. They are:

Films (Order of Release):
- Black Widow
- Eternals
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- Blade

TV Shows:
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
- Loki
- Wandavision
- Hawkeye
- What If...?

All interesting titles to say the least but what is really ticking me off about this bunch is how it is being presented. To put it lightly, I absolutely hate the fact that TV shows are now being incorporated into the MCU. 

I am aware that there are already TV shows with characters in the MCU such as Agents of Shield or Agent Carter. Those are fine because they act as spin-offs where you don't need to have seen them to understand what happens in the movies. I haven't watched any of the current MCU TV shows, yet I understand the events of the films just fine. But, here it looks as if the TV shows are continuing arcs and stories that will be crucial for understanding things within the films. This means the TV shows have to be seen to understand the films. This really irritates me because they're all streaming on the new streaming platform, Disney+, which according to my research, is only launching in the USA once these shows are out. Even if it does come to the UK, I don't want to have to pay for a monthly membership or anything to just watch a few shows. Sure, Disney and Marvel will make more money, but they literally just made the highest grossing film of all time, can't they catch a break? Also, I'm not a huge bingewatcher. I can't dedicate to watching an entire show once it is released or even over a few weeks.

Additionally, some of these shows are taking ideas from the end of Endgame that I was really excited to see the continuation of, more so than any of the films they announced. I was really looking forward to seeing what would happen now that Captain America has passed away and given his trusty shield to Falcon. I really wanted to see what would be the next chapter of Hawkeye's life, and Wanda's too. So all these great ideas are being limited to an extremely exclusive streaming platform in the form of TV shows.

I'd like to take this time to address an unfortunate truth that I have a strong opinion on. Nowadays, it seems that the idea of films going straight to streaming services is more popular than the idea of going to the cinema. This doesn't anger me, but it makes me sad. As such an avid fan of film, the cinema is a huge part of what I like about film. There's nothing to me that beats going to watch a new film on a huge screen, with fellow audience members who are all being swept up too. And I don't like to think that this way of watching a film may soon go extinct and instead all I do is sit at home and watch it on my laptop. Sure, it is more convenient for many people, but to me it lowers the experience. What's worse about this situation here, is that the MCU helped amplify my experiences in cinemas. When I went to see Endgame, the audience laughed at the jokes, we cheered when Cap picked up Thor's hammer, we applauded when the heroes came out of portals, we cried when Iron Man snapped his fingers, and we all celebrated the achievement of the film together. That was a series of moments I'll never forget. Cinema has many powers and what the MCU's next phase is doing is encouraging the opposite. Thankfully, the new films will be theatrically released, but let's not remain used to it.

Anyway, in regards to the films that actually are coming: I'm excited for Black Widow because she's one of my favourite characters and definitely deserving of a feature movie, Eternals and Shang-Chi are both properties I am unfamiliar with and thus am unsure what to expect, Doctor Strange 2 is really exciting because he's another character I like and the titular multiverse sounds intriguing, and despite some negativity, I can't wait for Thor 4, I loved Ragnarok and with the Taika Waititi returning I'm sure it'll be another round of the same awesomeness.       

Sunday, July 21, 2019

The Lion King (2019) - Movie Review - Has anything changed at all?

This film is a PG, was released on July 19th 2019, and this review will contain SPOILERS, but to be fair if you don't know what happens in the original Lion King, what?

Introduction 

I love The Lion King. It is one of my favourite films of all time and definitely the best-animated movie that Disney has made without the help of Pixar. It has such gorgeous animation, lovable characters, a majestic sense of scale, excellent songs I know every word to, a really powerful message, and some strong emotional moments. It's just flawless. So, why remake it?

Thoughts Going In 

I didn't have my expectations high for this film. I could tell that it was going to be worse than the original but also lack a lot of the original's magic too. This was evident from what I saw in the trailers. I also suspected Jon Favreau, while being a talented director, wouldn't be able to do a great job here. This is because when he made the first Iron Man, it was great. But, Iron Man 2 wasn't as good. Here, he's already made one fabulous Disney remake, The Jungle Book, so maybe he'd run out of steam by the time The Lion King came around. Who knows, I was just keen to see it now. 

The Story 

Simba is a young cub who is next in line to the throne of Pride Rock. However, his jealous uncle, Scar, brings tragedy into his life and Simba is banished from the Pride Lands and forgets who he is. Yadda yadda you know the rest.

What I Liked 

Well it kind of goes without saying but the visual effects work in this film is stunning. You begin to forget that this film was entirely animated in a computer after some time as you just accept it as real. The attention to detail to make this as photo-realistic as possible is astonishing. The fur, the water, the blades of grass, each individual leaf on the trees, every little spec of dirt, the rocks, the sky, it is all well done to a remarkable extent. This is one aspect of the film that you can't fault because it is clear that a lot of people have spent a lot of time on this part of the film. 

Some of the voice acting was good. Not a stamp on the original but competent. Donald Glover was really good as Simba. I love Donald Glover as an actor, he's done so many great performances in recent years in films like The Martian, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and others. Even though he had minor roles in all of the above, he still makes the most of what he's meant to do. Here, he has all the charm and charisma that Matthew Broderick had before. Seth Rogen was perfect as Pumbaa, his comedic timing and his laugh were on point, even if his singing wasn't quite. Of course, James Earl Jones being back as Mufasa was the right decision because nobody could ever replace him, and he did a great job once again. 

The score is absolutely as electrifying as it was before. Although, they do some nice variations on it here which were well done. This is one of the best scores of all time and I don't think it will ever not feel epic.   

The last thing that is praiseworthy is that the film has the overall tone and feel of The Lion King. While I was watching it, even though it looks and sounds different, it still felt like the 1994 classic. I know the opening to the original like the back of my hand, I know it starts with the sunrise, then a rhino, then some antelope, then some meerkats, then a leopard, and so on. And the opening shots of the film were exactly the same but in live-action. I wasn't hoping for them to make any great changes as that would risk tarnishing what we love, and I liked seeing how they recreated nearly every scene from the first time around but with the live-action twist.

What I Didn't Like 

There are many issues with this film. Firstly, these characters are all made to look like real animals. The issue with this is that they are no longer as expressive as they were in the original. This is a big setback in a story where connecting with the characters is quite a significant attribute. Then you look to the voices. Because the actors are all acting with the necessary emotion and energy, it felt unnatural when it looks to be coming out of the mouth of a creature that doesn't look as if they feel the same thing. What's even worse is that some of the animals have limitations where it doesn't seem as if they can pronounce certain words. Zazu's beak moves up and down like a Muppet's mouth so you couldn't see what he was saying from what you saw, and it looked jarring when you heard what he was saying. Additionally, some actors seem to be going over the top. Chiwetel Ejiofor seemed like a good choice for Scar, but he was so melodramatic when delivering lines such as "long live the king" or "run away and never return" which was unnecessary when Scar was better off as sly and malicious in his delivery, which Jeremy Irons pulled off perfectly. As much as I liked Donald Glover, he too seemed to be exaggerating in the wrong way at certain points, the climax in particular. As for the other actors, John Oliver didn't have the witty and charming nature of Rowan Atkinson as Zazu, Billy Eichner lacked the energy and quirkiness of Nathan Lane as Timon, and Beyonce didn't add much to the role of Nala, her delivery felt flat and dull and it was clear that she was only cast because she's popular and can sing well. The actor for young Simba was also really irritating, which made me feel bitter about the character when that was clearly not how I was meant to feel. Unfortunately, there were even some times when James Earl Jones seemed a bit artificial as Mufasa. This is most likely due to how he was in the original so it feels like his dialogue was just slapped into this new version. So, as a whole, the film presents many issues with its characters and actors.

Secondly, the aesthetic of the film, while visually impressive, felt wrong for this story. When I think of some of the most memorable scenes in The Lion King, I think of the beautiful opening sunrise against the monotonous red sky, or the variations of colours and designs for a more exotic feel during the Just can't wait to be King song, or the murky greens in the Be Prepared song, or what about the obvious contrast of colours of the Pride Lands in Mufasa and Scar's reigns. A lot of what makes these scenes special is the colours. Animation is what allows for such vibrancy and it makes certain stories more visually interesting and engaging. This is why I felt underwhelmed when I saw the bleak sunrise against a much less atmospheric sky that opened the film, or how Just can't wait to be King is basically Simba running around singing, with all the colours remaining the same, and then Scar sings Be Prepared in an insipidly grey cave area, and when he becomes king, there isn't a great difference between how the Pride Lands looked when Mufasa was king. This has also had an effect on the character design. You no longer have the iconic red manes, Zazu's bright blue feathers and bright orange beak, Scar's beady yellow and green eyes, and so much more. So, the transition to live-action has washed out a lot of the adventurous colour palette that made the original so visually exciting.

Another odd thing is that the film doesn't feel as grand as it did before. Once again, thinking of memorable scenes in the original, I think of the sharp reveal of a striking Pride Rock, or the gigantic stampede of charging wildebeest which allowed for an equally as gigantic sense of impending doom, and then there are my favourite scenes in the original, the majestic ghost of Mufasa and the awe-inspiring moment when Simba slowly walks upon Pride Rock in the rain. The original film has an unmatchable sense of majesty and scale, all due to the animation. So, once again, I was underwhelmed when I saw a slow pan to some pile of rocks I'm supposed to see as Pride Rock, as well as a stampede that takes place in what felt like an extremely narrow ravine with wildebeest not running particularly fast nor in as great of a quantity, and Mufasa's ghost is swapped to be some swirly, faceless cloud in the sky, and when Simba walks upon Pride Rock, he literally just walks upon Pride Rock. The same way that he walks throughout the rest of the film. Not in slow motion, not over a great period of time, and even the score can't make it seem great. These once terrific scenes no longer feel as glorious or as huge as they were before. 

You may look at a lot of these criticisms and say "Well they can't fix those issues because it's meant to look realistic." And in many ways, that is the film's major issue. It is trying to be realistic. Animation is a criminally underutilised medium of film, and I hate how so many people pass it off as just a way to tell stories to kids. No, that is absolutely not true. Animation allows us to tell stories that would seem ridiculous in the real world, animation can allow you to feel emotions for things that you can't feel for in the real world, and animation allows for limitless amounts of expression, creativity, imagination, wonder, character, vibrancy, beauty, and so much more. It is the very reason why we could ever have imagined The Lion King, to begin with. When you go to live-action (or try to make it look like live-action) you take away all of the above. And all of the above can be summed up in one word, magic. 

Conclusion 

The Lion King remake does feel like it is The Lion King, and there are some good performances, the same brilliant score, and groundbreaking visuals. But, the fact that it tries to be live-action has taken away the expression, vibrancy, grand scale, and simply the magic of the original. This film has absolutely no reason to exist, and because it is essentially a shot-for-shot remake, I cannot see myself rewatching this instead of just rewatching the original. I can see plenty of people going to see this film and loving it. After all, it is the start of the summer holidays for a lot of people and many families will go to see this and enjoy it, and that's fine. Although, if you have kids and you're excited for this film so that you can introduce them to this story, why not just show them the original? It's superior in every way and much more serviceable to young children. Don't ignore a perfect film for a bland and lifeless retelling of the same story. 

I'm going to give The Lion King a 5/10   

Friday, July 19, 2019

Apollo 11 - Movie Review - Both immersive and informative?

This film is a U, was released on June 28th 2019, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS because there is nothing to be spoiled, unless you've been living under a rock the size of the moon.

Apollo 11 is a documentary about the titular space mission when three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, set off to land on the moon for the first time in human history. I love space and I thought that this would be a good thing to see in the cinema and also good for some insight into the mission. We recently had First Man which was a dramatisation of the same mission but that was more focused on the life of Armstrong and the sections in space and on the moon were somewhat secondary. So I was excited to see more about this achievement in American history. 

The thing I was so happy about with Apollo 11 is that it really only gets the title of a documentary just because it uses archival footage of a real event. I was so glad to see this film didn't have a cheesy narrator nor interviews with some of the people involved, as that would've distracted from the point of the film. Instead, the film just shows you everything that happened from the moments preparing to lift off, to when the three made it back to earth and were celebrated. So, I enjoyed this film so much because it felt like it was telling a story, and given the fact that it is only made with real footage, it was a much more engaging and gripping experience. The film also masterfully uses sound. It is so well implemented that it makes the film more atmospheric, and the wonderful score adds to this. There are times when the film goes silent, sometimes it has tons of voices at once, and it always felt appropriate to the scene. The biggest accomplishment of this film is that it has an atmosphere. When what you see and what you hear are combined, it takes you right into the world of the film and you can feel everything the film wants you to, whether it's the high heart rates of the astronauts, the complications of calculating landings / other manoeuvres, or the awe of watching the first man step down a ladder onto the moon. One thing I should mention is that this film demands a big screen. The bigger the screen and the louder the volume, the more invested you can be in the film. Although that's not to say it can't be enjoyed on smaller screens, its only the experience that gets enhanced by the larger size. Another thing is that the films does a great job at helping you understand how a lot of technical aspects of the mission worked. This was especially good for me as even though I love space, I'm not familiar with how any of this mission was pulled off, so it was beneficial to get a technical understanding.

In terms of negatives, there are very few. My only real issue is kind of inevitable for a film like this, and that is that some of the footage is a little bit poor in quality as is some of the sound. However, this isn't a legitimate critique in my opinion because the fact that they could get all the footage they did is largely commendable, its only problematic when you can't clearly identify what is being said or what is happening. 

Apollo 11 is one of the biggest surprises of the year. I'm not usually one to enjoy documentaries nor can I really put up with archive footage of a low quality, but I loved this film. This is an enthralling experience and I can't wait to see it again. Even though some of the novelty may be lost from the transition of cinema to home, I'm still really excited. It takes you right into the legendary mission of 1969 with excellent usage of sound, music, and really impressive footage. This is a film I'd highly recommend to anyone who likes space or just wants to be blown away for an hour and a half, because it is worth it. I can't remember the last time I left the cinema so keen to revisit the film I'd literally just witnessed.

I'm going to give Apollo 11 a 9/10

Sunday, July 7, 2019

Spider-Man: Far From Home - Movie Review - A worthy continuation?

This film is a 12A, was released on July 2nd 2019, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS, but there will be a discussion of MAJOR SPOILERS after the main review. There will also be spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.

Introduction 

Spider-Man is probably the one superhero we've seen the most iterations of in the shortest amount of time. With Tobey Maguire starting it off, Andrew Garfield briefly giving it a go, Tom Holland being the MCU version, and even the animated Into the Spider-Verse. This character has been through many highs and lows but at the moment, he's been doing really well. Spider-Man: Homecoming was a really entertaining movie, offering a more down to earth aspect of the MCU, Into the Spider-Verse was fabulous and upon rewatching, it got so much better, I criminally underrated that film when I initially reviewed it. But now, after the earth shattering events of Endgame, Spidey is here to hopefully calm us all down. 

Thoughts Going In 

I was certain that I would really like or even just enjoy this movie, there was nothing throwing me off. My only concern was that this film would feel underwhelming after Endgame which was not that long ago, similar to what Ant-Man and the Wasp suffered as a follow up to Infinity War. But, regardless, there wasn't much I held as a concern.

The Story 

Now that Tony Stark is gone, Peter Parker is left without a mentor and feels lost in the world, feeling unable to fill the shoes of Tony. However, he soon leaves for a holiday all over Europe. On this trip, he hopes to connect with MJ and tell her about how he feels about her, as he has a crush on her. However, Nick Fury interrupts his trip and introduces him to Quentin Beck / Mysterio. They need his help to battle elemental beings who have invaded earth from an alternate dimension. Peter is then left with the choice, help to save the world, or spend time with people he cares about. 

What I Liked 

Spider-Man: Far From Home takes everything that worked wondrously in Homecoming and either continues it, or makes it even better. 

Firstly, the action. Homecoming had some great action scenes such as the one at the Washington Monument, however some of it felt slightly uninteresting and fatiguing because the down to earth segments of that film with Peter in school were more entertaining. Here, the film makes the action more interesting and more exciting. The fights with the various elemental beings were really cool to watch and CGI was remarkable. The climax which takes place in London was also excellent with some fascinating visuals. The music stood out most in these sequences and there were even some exhilarating versions of the classic Spider-Man theme. This was the best aspect of this film because it was something the first film was lacking. 

Secondly, the characters were also much better. Peter feels as if he has grown as a character since Homecoming as he now clearly understands the responsibility he has. He frequently hesitates to join the fight simply because he'd rather be on holiday with his friends. He wants to remain a normal child with normal friends and doesn't want to get wound up in all the action. This made him much better as it shows that he is progressing as opposed to remaining as a naive and desperate child, as in Homecoming he was eager to be out saving the world instead of being at school. Ned was just as likeable as before and he delivered some really funny jokes. One trait I like about both Peter and Ned is that they always have a tendency to claim "that's awesome" at certain things in the film, and this is great because that is absolutely how teens would react to these things, coming from me. MJ was also a standout because she is essentially the same as she was before, but there's more of her. The relationship between her and Peter was also really endearing and somewhat relatable as I could understand how Peter felt, being desperate to approach a girl you have feelings for, but too shy to actually do so. This made me enjoy watching how their interactions played out, and it was more entertaining when MJ begins to get suspicious of Peter being linked to Spider-Man. The only other notable character was Mysterio. Jake Gyllenhaal did a really good job and the chemistry between him and Peter felt very genuine. The other characters such as Nick Fury and Happy were essentially the same as before, but like MJ, there's just more of them, which was good. 

The last thing was that the movie seemed to be a good balance between all its strengths. It doesn't dwell on one aspect significantly more than another and felt very consistent. Each part gets its time to shine with there being enough of the down to earth stuff and enough of the superhero stuff so that they're both equally as entertaining. The film also throws in a bit more drama regarding Peter and his struggles. There's a twist in the film which allows for his struggles and fears to be visualised and enhanced and it made the film both dramatic and engaging. And, oddly enough, it didn't distract from the other two aspects. This film got the perfect balance between all three of these components, and it made this an unbelievably satisfying watch. This was another improvement from Homecoming because that film had plenty of the characters and action, but we've established that the latter was less interesting than the former, and the drama in that film wasn't quite as prominent, even though it was still really well executed and even powerful.

Also, one other thing is that the ending of this film (as in after the post-credits scene) left me completely clueless as to where the series is going next. And honestly, I love that. For a franchise this big and elaborate, that is not something I thought I'd ever say, and the excitement of not knowing where we go next is unlike any other feeling.

What I Didn't Like 

There are some minor problems with this film but not severe. The biggest issue is with the central twist. I won't give it away and I'll expand later but it was extremely predictable, explained in a messy way, and will probably undercut some of the tension in scenes prior to the reveal upon rewatching. You'll know this when you see the movie. 

Like any comedy, there are jokes that don't work. However, this film has a few running jokes that fall flat as well as elongated jokes that wasn't much fun to begin with and were completely inessential. But that does go for any comedy so I suppose it is inevitable. 

Conclusion 

Now THIS is how you follow up the biggest movie of all time in style! Spider-Man: Far From Home was everything I wanted and more. It gets the absolute optimum balance between thrilling action, endearing characters and interactions, as well as new drama to deepen our protagonist. I loved this movie and it outdoes Homecoming easily. I don't think it's quite Into the Spider-Verse nor is it as spectacular as Endgame, but it proves that although we've seen tons of this character, we've barely seen anything. I can't wait for more of this interpretation of Spidey and I hope this one goes on to do really well. 

I'm going to give Spider-Man: Far From Home a 9/10  

Update to Marvel Rankings 

As this is an MCU film, and we've had two entries since my ranking, I thought I'd update my ranking of all the films with the additions of Avengers: Endgame (which I have revisited) and this. There are a few other differences too, but keep in mind that I can never properly rank a set of films as my opinion on films are constantly changing and never set in stone. 

23. The Incredible Hulk
22. Thor
21. Iron Man 3
20. Captain America: The First Avenger
19. Thor: The Dark World
18. Iron Man 2
17. Iron Man
16. Captain Marvel
15. Black Panther
14. Ant-Man and the Wasp
13. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
12. Avengers: Age of Ultron
11. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
10. Doctor Strange
9. Ant-Man
8. Avengers Assemble
7. Guardians of the Galaxy
6. Captain America: Civil War
5. Spider-Man: Homecoming
4. Spider-Man: Far From Home
3. Avengers: Endgame
2. Thor Ragnarok
1. Avengers: Infinity War 

I'd like to address that Endgame improved drastically upon rewatching. I think a film of such scale has to be seen multiple times before you have fully comprehended the whole thing. My issue with Thor wasn't as problematic as he was funnier than I remember, some of the discombobulated aspects of the time heist weren't as apparent, and the final battle was still as awesome. However, you may notice that Infinity War has dethroned Ragnarok as my favourite entry. The reason is because I rewatched it after seeing Endgame and thus knowing what happens after the cliffhanger ending. Amazingly, I still enjoyed it hugely and was still shocked by the ending. It is a film that I don't see myself getting bored of at any point in the near future. Also, because my main issue with Infinity War was whether it would hold up after Endgame, and it did, I have now moved it up to be the first 10/10 in the franchise, it just deserves it. 

Spoiler Time 

Don't read this part if you have not yet seen the movie

So yeah, the twist with Mysterio was really interesting because initially, when I first heard he was in the movie and I saw him in the first trailer, I actually thought he was quite simply a villain and he was this movie's baddie. However, the thumbnail for the second trailer showed him joining forces with Peter, so I then got confused. The trailer and start of the film suggested he was on the hero side, but I was still very doubtful that he was. Turns out, I was right. But the weird thing here is that I predicted this twist without knowing it was a twist, which is a little bit mind blowing. But then, the way the twist was then explained felt very messy and just an exposition dump.

Anyway, his illusion technology was the thing that enhanced Peter's struggles and fears. The sequences where he basically traumatises Peter were horrifying and really compelling. And the final battle where Peter takes down the fake elemental from the inside has some really dazzling visuals. My only concern with this is that when I rewatch the hydro-man and molten-man fights (both of which took place before the twist occurred) they will be less tense because I now know Peter is just fighting a load of fake nonsense. But, for the time being, those sequences were great and really cool. 

Ok, the mid-credits scene. So, I'm probably not as excited as other people by this scene. The reveal of JJJ (portrayed by J.K. Simmons, the same actor as the original Spider-Man movies) was cool as he is great in the role but I didn't get super pumped upon this reveal like other fans did. I was more concerned about the fact that Peter's identity has been revealed and Mysterio tricked people into thinking Peter killed him. Does this mean that Peter Parker is going to be on the run from the police in the next movie? Who knows.

The post-credits scene wasn't exciting but more confusing. It is revealed that the Nick Fury and Maria Hill that appeared in the film were actually Skrulls in disguise. It is then shown to us that the actual Nick Fury is on some kind of space vessel alongside more Skrulls. Not only does this force me to remember the bland movie that was Captain Marvel, but I don't know what this means for upcoming films. This may also make me look back on the events of the film differently as I now know some people are just Skrulls, but I can't be sure just yet. 

Also, there was no "_____ will return", so this only intensifies the fact that the future of the MCU is completely unknown. Seriously, what is even the next movie?