Film Review: BLUE VELVET (1986)

Writer/Director: David Lynch
Running time: 120 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
USA Release date: 19th September 1986

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 6th March 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

A bit of amateur sleuthing is always good value, but put it in the hands of someone like David Lynch and you’ll get something very different. After having had this one recommended to me by several people I decided to give it a viewing when it came up on TV recently. I have to admit, it’s pretty good… very strange in places, but still, very watchable and very compelling. But more of my thought later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters and those that don’t wish to know anything about the plot please hide in that closet while I write the next paragraph).

Young Jeffrey Beaumont comes across a human ear in a field near his home. Being a responsible type, he takes it to a policeman he knows, Detective Williams. The detective looks into the matter and later tells Jeffrey that he cannot discuss the case but he will tell him everything after the investigation. Jeffrey is not satisfied with this and is determined to find out more. Detective William’s daughter, Sandy, tells Jeffery that she overheard her father say that a woman called Dorothy Vallens may be involved. The pair decides to try and find some evidence. Sneaking into her apartment and hiding in a closet, Jeffery discovers more than he bargained for when a violent and shady character called Frank Booth turns up. I will leave my short summary here… I think that’s enough to intrigue you for now.

A very well made film with some great moments and also some totally strange moments. I found it very compelling and also quite bizarre in places. Great performances all round, particularly from Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth; he really gets to chew all the scenery in this one! Also worthy of note is Isabella Rossellini as Dorothy Vallens, again, a stellar performance. Kyle MacLachlan was excellent as Jeffrey Beaumont, as was Laura Dern as Sandy Williams. I should also give an honourable mention to Dean Stockwell who I hardly recognised as Ben.

As I’ve already said, this is a very compelling film with lots of quite strange and bizarre touches. I liked it a lot, but found the whole tone rather muted which, I felt, took away some of the impact of it. I would definitely watch it again though because I’m sure there are many nuances I missed first time around. Over all, it’s a very compelling story told it a way that is, at times, quite bizarre, but even so, very enjoyable… Recommended.

My score: 7.6/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0090756/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blue_velvet/
Trailer: http://www.alltrailers.net/blue-velvet.html

Film Review: THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (2011)

Writer/Director: George Nolfi
Running time: 105 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Drama/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 4th March 2011

Watched at the Cinema Saturday 5th March 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Based on a short story called ‘The Adjustment Team’ by Philip K. Dick, the ideas behind this film intrigued me from the moment I first heard about it. Imagine a world where your fates are determined for you and if you stray from your prescribed path, an adjustment is made to put you back on it. The ‘people’ responsible for making the adjustments are, of course, ‘The Adjustment Bureau’. Now you know that, I can write a brief summary (summary haters and those that don’t wish to know anything about the plot please try on some stylish hats while I write the next paragraph).

David Norris is a young ambitious politician; he is running for the Senate, representing New York, when his campaign is de-railed by a scandal from his past. Resigned to defeat, he retires to the men’s washroom to practice his speech. There he meets dancer Elise Sellas who he instantly falls in love with. She gives him the confidence to give a brilliant speech that galvanises the public enough to call for him to stand for election at a later date… but that’s in the future. He is so enamoured with Elise that, when he meets her again the very next day, he asks for her number, which she gives him. Now, the path that has been prescribed for David Norris does not include a relationship with Elise Sellas. In steps the Adjustment Bureau in the guise of a group of agents led by a character known as Richardson. They do all they can to keep the couple apart and even reveal themselves to David in an effort to make him see sense. Unfortunately for them, he is determined to be with her and eventually the case is sent up to the next level and Thompson takes charge. He gives David a choice, either continue on this path and ruin both of their lives, or take the path prescribed for him. It’s a tough decision, but David has an ally in Harry Mitchell, who has been following him for a long time. And it’s here I’ll leave my summary… don’t want to give too much away.

This is a very well made film with some great special effects, but it is the story that drives the action and not the other way around. It is very much a love story, but a love story with a rather cunning twist and one that I very much enjoyed. All of the leading cast are excellent; Matt Damon as David Norris, Emily Blunt as Elise Sellas, John Slattery as Richardson, Michael Kelly as Charlie Traynor, Anthony Mackie as Harry Mitchell and Terence Stamp as Thompson.

I love the premise of this film and, although I enjoyed it very much, I felt there was a little too much focus on the love story and not enough on the bureau. Maybe it’s just me, but I never really felt there was enough chemistry between the two lovers to warrant the effort put in by the David Norris character. In the end though, it’s a perfectly watchable entertaining film, without being particularly mind-bending or spectacular. Better than average and recommended.

My score: 7.2/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1385826/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/adjustment_bureau/
Official Site: http://www.theadjustmentbureau.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2215418393/

Film Review: ICE-COLD IN ALEX (1958)

Director: J. Lee Thompson
Running time: 129 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

Genre: War/Drama
UK Release date: 24th June 1958

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 5th March 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is another one of those films I remember watching at a young age on TV on a wet Sunday afternoon. There are only certain scenes I remember clearly, but having re-watched it today I realised for the first time just what a tremendous film it is. It’s not your traditional war film, there is very little fighting but that doesn’t matter, it’s more about the characters and their battle for survival against the desert. But more of my thoughts later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters and those that don’t wish to know anything about the plot please help crank that ambulance up the slope while I write the next paragraph).

I guess I’d better give you a bit of background first. The film is set in North Africa in World War II, The British army are being pushed back along the coast of Libya towards Egypt by the Germans. Captain Anson, MSM Tom Pugh and two nurses, Sister Diana Murdoch and Sister Denise Norton are somehow left to find their own way to safety in an ambulance called ‘Katy’. On the way they pick up a South African officer, Captain van der Poel, who at first seems ok, but later they become suspicious of. Amongst all this intrigue, Captain Anson comes to terms with his alcoholism and vows not to touch another drop until they get to Alexandria, where he will have an ice-cold lager, hence the title ‘Ice-Cold in Alex’. There is so much more I would like to say about this one, but, in the interests of not giving spoilers away, I’ll stop there.

This is very much a character driven piece, and as such you are easily drawn into the story. For the most part the four main characters are totally captivating and you will be surprised how quickly the time passes… and it is quite a long film for its day. So, excellent performances from John Mills as Captain Anson, Sylvia Syms as Sister Diana Murdoch, Anthony Quayle as Captain van der Poel and Harry Andrews as MSM Tom Pugh.

In some parts of the world I believe this film is known as ‘Desert Attack’, a pretty bad title I’m afraid. It conveys nothing of what the film is about and may have either misled or put some viewers off. It’s not perfect, there are some technical issues and one moment that just didn’t quite fit (for me). But at the end of the day, it’s all about what they discover about Captain van der Poel and what they decide to do about it that makes this film so good. It’s one of the best films I’ve seen that were made about World War II back in the days of black and white and so highly recommended.

My score: 8.6/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0053935/

RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/icecold-in-alex-desert-attack/
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrnsbB9AjIk

Film Review: REPO MEN (2010) - 2nd Viewing

Director: Miguel Sapochnik
Running time: 111 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama/Thriller
UK Release date: 16th April 2010

Watched on Sky+ Tuesday 1st March 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I first saw this one when it was released in the cinema. I quite liked it and thought it worthy of a second viewing when it came up on TV this week. Quite futuristic with certain visuals that are very remenicant of Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic, Blade Runner, although it’s nothing like Blade Runner (unfortunately). Here is a brief summary before I give you my thoughts on the film (summary haters and those that don’t wish to know anything about the plot please reclain that man’s pancreas while I write the next paragraph).

It is the near future where medicine has advanced enough that human organs can be replaced with artificial ones. One company ‘The Union’ controls the world market and as such can dictate the price. It is so high that most people opt to pay in installments. But if you miss three payments then the Repo Men will call and surgically remove The Union’s property. Remy and Jake grew up together, they joined the army together and when the war was over they became Repo Men together. Their boss is Frank, who is only concerned with the retrieval of The Union’s property, no matter how it’s done. Remy is married to Carol and has a son, Peter but Jake stayed single. Carol doesn’t like Remy’s line of work and wants him to move into sales. The two guys carry on with their work, which eventually becomes too much for Carol and she leaves Remy. Soon after Remy suffers an accident that leads to him having an artificial heart installed. He now gets a conscience and finds it hard to get back into the Repo business. He tries sales, but that’s not for him. Eventually he falls behind on his payments and becomes overdue. He goes off the grid and goes to live rough with others whose repayments have lapsed. There he meets Beth, a singer who has had many illegal artificial organs fitted. The pair decide to try and get their records erased when Jake is assigned to recover Remy’s organs. I won’t say any more, don’t want to give too much away.

It’s a pretty well made film although there is a lot of violence and it is very gory, not recommended for those of a nervous disposition. Decent performances from all of the leading cast, honourable mentions go to Jude Law as Remy, Forest Whitaker as Jake, Alice Braga as Beth, Liev Schreiber excellent as the very slimy Frank, Carice van Houten as Carol and Chandler Canterbury as Peter.

I pretty much enjoyed this film but I found it didn’t quite hit the mark. There is a very nice twist at the end which I did enjoy, but over all it kind of left me a little disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s quite entertaining and there are some good performances, I just felt the plot could have done with a little more refining. So, over all, violent, gory, futuristic, entertaining but the plot needed a little work. Having said that, it’s still recommended.

My score: 6.3/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1053424/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10012068-repo_men/
Official Site: http://www.repomenarecoming.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3661497369/

Film Review: CHRISTINE (1983)

Director: John Carpenter
Running time: 110 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
UK release date: 2nd March 1984

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 27th February 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is one of those movies that I’ve seen bits and pieces of over the years, but never all the way through, until now. You see, it’s always on late at night when I get home from the pub and I either see the start, or a bit in the middle, or the start and the end (having fallen asleep in between). And so, for the first time I’ve seen it all the way through. It’s actually pretty good, not great, but certainly worth watching sober sometime. But more of my thoughts later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters and those that don’t wish to know anything about the plot please help Arnie fix that beat up old Plymouth Fury while I write the next paragraph).

It is 1978 where Arnie Cunningham is a bit of a dork, he wears glasses and can’t get a girl to save his life. His best friend, Dennis Guilder, tries to help him out, but he’s just not cut out for that kind of thing yet. After a run-in with some bullies at school one day, Dennis is giving Arnie a lift home when Arnie spots a car for sale. It’s a beaten up red 1958 Plymouth Fury nicknamed ‘Christine’ by the owner whose brother, the former owner, had recently died. Arnie is instantly in love with the car and pays the asking price there and then. His parents don’t want the car at home and so he keeps it at Darnell’s ‘Do It Yourself Garage’ nearby. There is something strange about the car that Arnie can’t quite put his finger on, but he works hard to bring her back to her former glory. As time goes by he begins to become more and more confident in himself as his obsession with the car grows. By now he has a girlfriend, Leigh Cabot, but woe betide anyone that gets between Arnie and Christine. Now, you remember those bullies I mentioned earlier, well… Looks like that’s all you’re gonna get from me, you didn’t expect the entire thing did you? Sorry to disappoint.

Based on a novel by Stephen King I found this to be a pretty good adaptation of the story. The characters are well rounded and, of course, it’s a damn good tale. John Carpenter did an excellent job with the special effects, no CGI back then, but you wouldn’t know. Pretty good performances all round, particularly from Keith Gordon as Arnie Cunningham, he really had to ring the changes in this one. John Stockwell did a pretty good job as Dennis Guilder, as did Alexandra Paul as Leigh Cabot. I also have to mention Robert Prosky whose almost comic-book performance as Will Darnell was excellent and it was nice to see a younger Harry Dean Stanton as Detective Rudolph Junkins.

At the end of the day the star of the show is definitely the car, Christine. It has its own personality and a big role to play in the film. This is brought across very well by some excellent direction, some brilliant special effects and the performances of the human cast. It’s far from perfect I know, maybe a little long, but at the end of the day it’s still worth a watch (or two… preferably sober, but not essential)… Recommended.

My score: 6.5/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0085333/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/christine/
Official Site: http://www.theofficialjohncarpenter.com/pages/themovies/ch/ch.html
Trailer: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/christine/trailers/

Film Review: THE PRESTIGE (2006)

Co-Writer/Director: Christopher Nolan
Running time: 126 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Drama/ Mystery/Thriller
UK release date: 10th November 2006

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 27th February 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

For the record, I have seen this film before, but this is the first time I’ve attempted a review. I will admit to being a growing fan of Christopher Nolan’s work, ever since the excellent ‘Inception’ last year I have tried to see all of his work whenever possible. Although not perfect, this is a fine example of his work, a beautifully crafted story that is both compelling and very mysterious. But more of my thoughts later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters and those that don’t wish to know anything about the plot please enjoy the magic show while I write the next paragraph).

Every great magic trick consists of three acts; ‘The Pledge’, ‘The Turn’ and ‘The Prestige’. Now, I could tell you what they all mean, but Michael Caine does it so much better in the trailer. But I digress; we’re here to talk about the plot. Two magicians, Alfred Borden and Robert Angier are working together when tragedy strikes. Angier’s wife, Julia, is killed in an onstage accident. He blames Borden for her death and thus begins a bitter rivalry. They both set out alone to be the better magician and both make every effort to thwart the other. Eventually Borden creates a trick that Angier cannot figure out and from then it’s no holds barred. In search of the answer he goes to America to seek the help of scientist Nikola Tesla. What he creates for Angier is quite mind-blowing and very dangerous. But the secret to Borden’s trick is not what you may think. I think I’ve said enough and so I’ll leave it there.

As you might expect from a Christopher Nolen film, it is very well made with great cinematography, great sets, costumes and, not least, performances. Great work from both Christian Bale as Alfred Borden and Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier, both are superb in this one. Also great to see were Michael Caine as Cutter and Scarlett Johansson as Olivia Wenscombe. And I must give honourable mentions to Andy Serkis as Alley and David Bowie (yes him) as Tesla.

I have seen this one before and so could remember a good portion of the plot while re-watching it. Even so, I found it quite compelling; I love the way the audience are drawn into the story. It may not have the scope of The Dark Knight or Inception, and it may not be quite as crazy as Memento, but it’s still a great example of his work. As I said at the beginning, it’s not perfect, I felt some of the early scenes were a little rushed and a little more time could have been spent on ‘The Pledge’ without ruining ‘the Prestige’ (just a little magician joke there). Over all, very compelling, excellently made with some great performances… Highly Recommended.

My score: 8.6/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0482571/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prestige/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2835284761/

Film Review: CIRCLE OF EIGHT (2009)

Director: Stephen Cragg
Running time: 84 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Mystery/Drama
UK release date: Straight to DVD

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 26th February 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

From the description on the TV guide, this looked like it might be interesting. Unfortunately you cannot believe everything you read. The concept was quite good, however, the execution didn’t match up by a long chalk. I’ll explain what I mean later, but here’s a brief summary first (summary haters and those that don’t wish to know anything about the plot please help Jessica move in while I write the next paragraph).

Jessica is moving into her first apartment in the big city (Los Angeles in this case). Driving through the streets she’s full of optimism and looking forward to her new surroundings. Outside the building, the Dante, she meets Evan, an attractive young man who helps her with her stuff. The building manager, Ed, is a bit odd, but likable enough, although he’s a bit particular about tenants going into his ‘File Room’. Having moved in, Jessica is then visited by several of the other occupants, an odd bunch to say the least. They are all very insistent that she joins them for a roof-top party to celebrate the New Year. And then strange things begin to happen, Jessica begins to see the other residents murdered, one by one. Nobody seems concerned about this and so she goes to Evan to try and get some answers. I’ll leave it there and I’ve probably made it sound a lot better than it really is.

This film has the look and feel of a student short that got made into a feature. It all seems very amateurish, everything from the cinematography, to the sound, to the acting seems to have had little thought to it. Nobody on screen really deserves a mention, but I will name a few so you’ll know who’s responsible. If anything, John Bishop was the best performer as Ed, but he wasn’t great, Ryan Doom (great name!) was adequate as Evan and Austin Highsmith was ok, I guess, as Jessica.

I feel I’ve been a little generous with my score (below), but the concept behind this very poor film was actually quite good. The trouble is, little, or no, thought went into the execution. Maybe some of it could be blamed on budget restrictions, but I’ve seen much better than this made for a lot less. I think you can probably guess what comes next… definitely NOT recommended… You have been warned.

My score: 4.1/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1520496/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/circle_of_eight/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi984024345/

Film Review: FIREFLIES IN THE GARDEN (2008)

Co-Writer/Director: Dennis Lee
Running time: 96 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Drama
UK release date 29th March 2009

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 26th February 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This film was recommended to me by someone on Rotten Tomatoes (sorry, I can’t remember who). Reading through the cast list, it looks very impressive but as we well know, a great cast doesn’t necessarily make for a great film. This, unfortunately, proves the theory all too well. Although there are some great performances, the film lacks any heart, you don’t really care about the characters as so it all kind of falls apart. More of my thoughts later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters and those that don’t wish to know anything about the plot please go fishing while I write the next paragraph).

Michael Taylor is a writer of romance novels. His father, Charles, a much more serious and successful writer is a bully and made Michael’s childhood a misery. His mother, Lisa, is killed in an accident on the day Michael arrived home to celebrate her graduation from University. He is not alone, his sister, Ryne is with him, and his aunt, Jane Lawrence, and her family, husband Jimmy & children, Christopher and Leslie, are all there to support him. His ex-wife, Kelley arrives for the funeral and we are told, through flashback, of his life growing up in the same house in which Jane and her family now live. There is a sub-plot involving a manuscript that Michael has recently written, the significance of which is never really made clear.

Nicely shot with some really lovely imagery used, so hats off to the cinematographer on this one. As I said at the beginning, there are some great performances here. Ryan Reynolds stands out as Michael and Willem Dafoe is great, as ever, as Charles. Emily Watson did a great job as Jane Lawrence, Carrie-Anne Moss, again, a quality performance as Kelly Hanson and Julia Roberts was also great as Lisa. It was also nice to see Hayden Panettiere as Young Jane Lawrence (in flashbacks) and I thought Cayden Boyd did an outstanding job as Young Michael Taylor.

Now, despite all the star names in the cast and all the great individual performances, this film, I’m afraid, doesn’t quite work. The pace is, at times, painfully slow and I just couldn’t find anything I could care about in any of the characters. It’s a shame, I really wanted to like this one, but I guess you’ve got to watch a few turkeys sometimes so you can appreciate the good ones! Oh, and finally, I found the cruelty to wildlife depicted here in very poor taste, maybe another thing that put me off the characters. Sadly, NOT recommended.

My score: 4.8/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0961108/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008601-fireflies_in_the_garden/
Trailer (Sorry about the subtitles): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phtd7XOiky0

Film Review: CASE 39 (2009)

Director: Christian Alvart
Running time: 109 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
UK release date 5th March 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 20th February 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember when this one came out I didn’t know much about it, but I had a feeling it was going to be an interesting film. Well, since then I had heard a few more bits and pieces, but not too much. So primed with a little knowledge and a glass of red wine I settled down to the scariest film I’ve seen this year (OK, it’s only February & it is only the 36th film I’ve seen this year). I will give you my thoughts after a very brief summary (summary haters and those who don’t wish to know anything about the plot please help Emily with those big bolts for the inside of her door while I write the next paragraph).

Emily Jenkins is a social worker who specialises in cases of child abuse, she lives alone, but has a boyfriend (of sorts), Doug, a psychologist. She’s already overworked when her boss, Wayne, gives her her 39th case file. It concerns a young girl, Lilith Sullivan, whose grades are dropping at school and she keeps falling asleep in class. Emily visits the family and the parents’ behaviour gives her cause for concern but there is no evidence of abuse. She tries to get a friend of hers, Mike Barron, a cop to look into the case, but again, there is no evidence. Having struck up a friendship with Lilith, Emily is more determined to get her away from her parents. She receives a phone call from Lilith late one night and, concerned, she gets Mike to meet her at the Sullivan house. There they find the parents attempting to kill Lilith (I won’t say how) and they are arrested after a struggle. Emily now applies for, and gets, custody of Lilith. At first things go well, but then… Well, that’s where I’ll leave it, but I will say it’s about to get very interesting to Emily.

I guess the plot is not entirely original, but the film is very well made with a decent cast to keep the audience interested. Now I’ll admit I’m not a huge fan of horror films and so I don’t watch many of them, but did like this one. The main reason being the performance of Jodelle Ferland as Lilith Sullivan, she was truly creepy when required and it really added to my enjoyment of the piece. It was nice to see Renée Zellweger in a genre I never thought I see her in as Emily Jenkins and Ian McShane put in a decent shift as Det. Mike Barron. I guess I should also give an honourable mention to Bradley Cooper as Doug, although he wasn’t really stretched.

I quite enjoyed this film; it made a nice change to see a horror film that was actually a bit creepy for a change. It’s not perfect, there’s quite a slow pace that’s used to build the tension and the final scenes are slightly predictable. Having said that, I think it’s worth a watch, it’s certainly better than some of the scores I’ve seen it given around the internet (you know who you are Rotten Tomatoes).

My score: 6.1/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0795351/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/case_39/
Official Site: http://www.case39movie.com/mainsite/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4192142873/

Film Review: CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010)

Director: Louis Leterrier
Running time: 102 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy
UK release date 2nd April 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 20th February 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

As this film was released in 3D I had no interest in seeing it when it was released, I’m not a fan of paying extra for something that adds very little to the film and usually gives me a headache. Although, I believe, it made a bit of money, it was not critically well received. Well, I don’t always agree with them, but on this occasion I’m here to tell you I have to agree with the critics. But more of my thoughts later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters and those who don’t wish to know anything about the plot please fend off those giant scorpions while I write the next paragraph).

The gods live on mount Olympus and feed off the worship of the humans below. Unfortunately the humans are getting restless and don’t feel the love any more. The leader of the gods, Zeus, isn’t too happy about this and when his brother, Hades comes to him with a plan, he listens. Hades wants to teach the humans a lesson by releasing the Kraken, a giant sea monster, on them. Meanwhile back with the humans, a young man, a son of Zeus called Perseus is chosen to find a way to defeat the Kraken. A band of men go with him and one woman, Io, who proves to be of great help to Perseus. They must first find three witches who hold the secret to destroying the Kraken… I think you get the drift. There’s also the story of how the gods are trying to stab each other in the back going on, but I think there’s enough there to give you the gist.

This is a very well made film, you can tell they had a pretty large budget to make this one. There is quite a lot of CGI and it is all of high quality. The trouble is, it did tend to detract from the story by making the visuals more important and not progressing the story in places. Decent performances all round; Sam Worthington was good as Perseus, although I felt he was a little too subdued for the role. Liam Neeson donned the sparkly armour and did a good job as Zeus, Ralph Fiennes was the best of the bunch (IMO) as Hades, you got two for the price of one with Jason Flemyng as Calibos/Acrisius and Gemma Arterton did a decent job as Io.

I felt the plot was a little over complicated, there were lots of sub-plots going on and I could feel it getting a little confusing at times. Although the visuals were great, again, they didn’t really add a great deal (for me). Over all, although it’s not going to win any prises, it’s entertaining enough, a good one for a wet Sunday afternoon on the TV but I wouldn’t pay to see it in the cinema.

My score: 5.2/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0800320/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/clash_of_the_titans_2010/
Official Site: http://clash-of-the-titans.warnerbros.com/dvd/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2626946073/