Marvel Cimatic Universe Ideas - Phases 2 & 3

In a random Marvel mood today so I decided to give to anyone that reads this a few of my ideas about the Marvel Cinematic Universe and what future films should come out between now and 2018. Please bare in mind that these are just my personal ideas. Nothing here is fixed or confirmed; they are literally just random ideas I came up with and I would do if I were in Kevin Feige's position. Obviously I'm not so you got nothing to worry about.


Phase 2 of Marvel includes the movies Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron. I'm going to assume that what happens in all of these movies before the second Avengers is that all the characters safely make their way through their movies and have to team up with their Avengers colleagues again.

So Avengers: Age of Ultron. We know for sure that the villain will of course be Ultron. However his origin story is yet to be confirmed and Ant Man is not in the movie, which is crucial to Ultron's creation in the comic books. My theory is that Ultron will be the responsibility of the Avengers. I have a theory that Tony Stark (Iron Man) will create Ultron by pouring in his own artificial intelligence (Jarvis).

As for the heroes involved, I would like to see the original 6 plus Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver. As for the plot, I would like to see a final battle with the Avengers all fighting Ultron across the globe. Also, Joss Whedon is known for killing off characters we love. So I would expect a few deaths in this movie. If I were to pick and chose, I would predict that Ultron will kill Black Widow and  Hawkeye. I also predict that the Avengers will stop Ultron but at a huge cost. After all the death and destruction caused, the people and the Government would surely want the Avengers to disband.

I have a theory this will happen. However I also believe that future films will involve Nick Fury secretly recruiting other Marvel heroes into his team for the next Avengers movie, which should come out in 2018.

And what of the Hulk? I would like Marvel to use inspiration from one of the best Hulk storyline's ever written (Planet Hulk) to tie this character in to future instalments. Whedon confirmed that the Avengers: Age of Ultron will take the character to "dark places". Does that hint towards the Planet Hulk storyline?

Spoiler alert! The Planet Hulk storyline begins where the Marvel version of the Illuminati (perhaps the people Nick Fury was talking to over the 4 televisions in Avengers Assemble?) believe that the Hulk is too dangerous to live on the earth. Why could that be? Could it be because in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Hulk is permanently transformed? Anyway, he is shipped off into space and then assembles an army on a far off planet to come back to Earth and take revenge on those who betrayed him (The Illuminati, SHIELD, The Avengers etc.). That storyline is called World War Hulk.

I would love that to happen but perhaps not in that exact way! I will talk more of the Hulk later..

Ant Man is scheduled for a November 6th 2015 release date. It will tell his origin story. I would like not only an origin story but also Ultron to be involved. Perhaps he has been locked away in a maximum security prison threatening to escape? If he were to, that would further devastate a planet affected heavily by the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Therefore, Ant Man can not let that happen. He could stop Ultron and then be secretly recruited by Nick Fury at the end. As for who could play Hank Pym and Ant Man, Adrien Brody, Simon Pegg and Benedict Cumberbatch have all been mentioned. Personally, I've no clue who they will cast!

Also, will Wasp be involved? I hope she is in the movie but in a War Machine/Falcon kind of way (they're a hero, but not in the Avengers as there would be too many people!).

So that's Ant Man. Then I think 3 movies will come out before the Avengers 3.

The first, hopefully in a Summer 2016 slot, Black Panther. One of the most over-looked characters in Marvel comic books, Black Panther would be perfect for his own solo movie plus involvement in an Avengers movie. The movie has been rumoured before and I hope that it does happen. This will be another origin story. As for the role of the Black Panther I would have loved Idris Elba in the role. But because he plays a character in Thor: The Dark World, he is unable to. The favourite for the part is Chadwick Boseman: I could see that working! As for the villain, no idea. I would chose one that would sufficiently test Black Panther's resolve and allow him to impress Nick Fury before being recruited into the Avengers.

The next movie I would put in either late Summer 2016 or November 2016, is a Doctor Strange movie. Who wouldn't mind seeing that? Yet again, I would have this as another stand alone movie before the character is recruited into the Avengers. Johnny Depp for the role, absolutely! I wouldn't know what villain to cast in the movie though. The 3 movies I've discussed mainly produce more characters to the cinematic universe and add freshness to the story. They may seem slightly irrelevant to the whole cinematic universe, but it would do what Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America did, it will give us a good introduction to the characters.

Also notice how I have not mentioned a third Thor or Captain America film. I think 3 Avengers movie plus 2 stand alone movies are enough for those characters as I would rather see new characters come in. The addition of the 3 characters above means the Avengers increase to a total of 8: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Quicksilver, Scarlett Witch, Ant Man, Black Panther and Doctor Strange. War Machine and Falcon not involved, Hawkeye and Black Widow dead. Also, there has been some talk of Vin Diesel playing Vision. Don't really want that, no offence!

Now for the 4th and final movie that would be put in before the Avengers 3. I would schedule it for a Summer 2017 release, as it's a big movie. I would call it Guardians of the Galaxy: Planet Hulk. This may seem far-fetched and not loyal to the source material I know, but hey? Iron Man 3 butchered The Mandarin and the Avengers: Age of Ultron will not involve Ant Man, who is crucial to Ultron's origin!

The Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) is set to introduce us to a much larger cinematic universe. It is also introducing us to a very important character in Thanos, the Avenger's adversary. Can they amalgamate Hulk into this? Yes they could! Hulk could land on a planet where the Guardians of the Galaxy are in that present moment. Hulk, angered and confused, could stumble across Thanos, who offers him the chance of turning back to Bruce Banner for good.

The plot could involve Thanos using the Hulk in a Marvel civil war movie way! He could take on the guardians in the pursuit of the six infinity gems. The gems are crucial as they are needed to power the infinity gauntlet, which is essentially a device which grants omnipotence to it's wielder. It gives him/her control over time, space, power, soul, mind and reality. Thanos would require this in an effort to destroy the Avengers as well as use it to control the mind of the Incredible Hulk.

Then we have the Avengers 3(2018) , or as I would call it, The Avengers: The Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos comes to earth and uses the Infinity Gauntlet to terrorise the earth as well as to control the Hulk and make him kill his former Avengers teammates.

This would be sooooo cool to watch! This would be my ultimate fantasy!

As for the movie's ending, Thanos and the Hulk would be stopped at great cost! The Hulk could be reluctantly killed by the Avengers. But what of Thanos?

As cheesy as this sounds, I would like the people of Earth to stop him. You know just regular people. This would make the Avengers believe that the Earth is in safe hands with it's people and they would agree to formally disband for good as Earth no longer needs Superheroes to defend itself. Plus, stopping Thanos would send out a huge message to the rest of the galaxy, would it not? Come to Earth, you get defeated!

Then, who knows? Marvel would have to use their universe for other purposes if they followed my route! Obviously they won't, but this is the way I would like it to go and also involves/ doesn't involve characters I would like/not like to see on the big screen.

Those are my thoughts on the Marvel Universe for phases 2 and 3. They don't involve X Men or the Fantastic Four as Fox own the rights to those and they would not meet on screen. The same can be said for Spiderman and Sony.

What do you think will happen from now until 2018in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Comment below and let me know.

As always, thanks for reading,
Matt

Star Trek Into Darkness Movie Review

Remember when that Star Trek movie came out in May? I certainly do. It would be a tragedy if I also never reviewed this movie before the Summer of 2013 ends. Let's do this..

Star Trek Into Darkness is a sequel to J.J.Abrams 2009 Star Trek film which was a huge hit with fans and in the worldwide box office. This film picks up where we left off from the first one - James Kirk is the captain of the U.S.S Enterprise and is accompanied by his crew as they undertake dangerous missions in outer space.

The whole premise of the movie makes you believe that the Enterprise are simply chasing after a criminal. It's a bit more than that! It has unexpected layers and depth, to put it simply!

The movie starts off with a sequence on a far off planet where the Enterprise is trying to stop a volcano from erupting and wiping out the entire planet and all of it's inhabitants. The following 20 minutes of the movie after that are a little misleading in the fact that it makes you believe it is taking a certain direction you weren't expecting. When I first saw it I became slightly concerned. However, the plot rectifies itself and all is very well indeed for the remainder of the movie.

Now J.J.Abrams said before Star Trek (2009) came out, the movie was mainly for movie fans who just want to watch an entertaining movie, with a little bit of heart, that isn't a huge fan-service movie for Star Trek fans. This movie is very much like that plus (just like its predecessor) does involve fan service within the movie. This pleases everybody!

One of the highlights of the 2009 Star Trek was the relationship between Kirk and Spock. It was the driving force of the movie! I was afraid this movie would completely re-hash it. It doesn't, thankfully! It is in the movie still but in no way is it completely recycled material. The relationship between the opposite personalities of Kirk and Spock is as always fascinating to behold -in order to capture that you need 2 great actors with fantastic chemistry between them, which this movie has.

Chris Pine as Kirk is fantastic. He does a good job at showing us audiences that although Kirk isn't the wisest of people, he's still a good guy doing what he thinks he can do to help his crew. I like how he does that with the character as it makes him relatable. Pine rocks!

Zachary Quinto as Spock is fantastic. He does a good job at portraying the character he is given really well. Spock is a Vulcan so is unable to lie. He's straight talking and logical, which Kirk is not. This characteristic of his makes for a few light, comic-relief moments. Him, like Pine, rocks as his character. They have such fantastic chemistry between them, the best chemistry of any 2 characters in any film I've seen in 2013.

Now, I know nothing about Star Trek lore or mythology. This just makes the film even better for me because I can know nothing about this franchise yet be absurdly entertained by this film and maybe even learn something along the way. You can have no complaints on that level! J.J.Abrams does such a good job at blending in Star Trek lore with Summer entertainment!

As for the supporting cast, all great. Zoe Saldana and Karl Urban are very good in their roles. Simon Pegg also offers the right amount of comic relief which a movie like this needs. Loved his Scottish accent! Even Alice Eve was good in her role!

Undoubtedly the scene-stealer is Benedict Cumberbatch. He is sensational in this movie! Playing a villain his just perfect for him as he just has everything. The voice, the posture, you name it! Even when he is just stood their he just feels so menacing! You get the sense that not only is he badass in combat, but he's superior in terms of his intelligence and efficiency. Plus, his character is given another dimension to it as he has motives for the things that he does. Cumberbatch as this movie's villain is my favourite acting performance from any actor I have seen so far (currently in August 2013) this year. I mean that, he acts impeccably well!!

Many gripes about the 2009 Star Trek were the overuse and annoyance of shaky cam. If it was there in this one, I didn't notice it so it mustn't have bothered me (or it was there, but I was just sat there captivated by Cumberbatches performance!). There is a definite over use of lens flares in this movie which is slightly distracting, unfortunately!

But, the special effects, CGI, green screen are all fantastic. They look crisp, colourful and realistic. The warp drive in particular is brilliant! It looks, feels and sounds so good and easily convinces you that that ship has just gone to the other side of the galaxy. The lasers and other special effects all look as convincing and sound just as good too! Again you have an action sequence which illustrates the "no-sound" environment of space, which is always so cool, plus a whole glut of fresh ones.

There are more fight scenes in this movie as well. These films just do such a good job with it's audio and sound effects. They're so good that you literally feel the crack of the bone if someone is being punched around the jaw! Another cool action sequence is the "ship-jumping" sequence. If you've seen the movie you know what I mean! That part is well-captured and exciting. Much like the whole movie. It's so exciting and enjoyable plus has that little bit of heart in it that makes it a perfect Summer movie. What more could you want? Oh yeah, this..

Now, I don't expect to get emotional during a Star Trek movie. This Star Trek movie made me emotional. There is a certain parallel to past Star Trek films that is just executed fantastically. The mood of the moment is just captured so well by the acting, the mood, the soundtrack. It is sensationally executed and made me feel more upset than I should have been (probably because the movie does such a fine job at pulling you in and making you care).

My biggest complaint of this movie is the ending. Not what happens, but the fact that it is very abrupt! It just seems to wrap up before you really want it to. It's the only badly-paced part of a well paced action/adventure/science fiction movie.

I loved this movie to pieces. The acting, the characters, Cumberbatch, the special effects, the pacing and action are all just so fantastic! The cinematography is also cool as well. It makes you feel like you are actually aboard the enterprise which is skill in it's own right! Cumberbatches performance alone is worth the price of admission to this movie! It's my favourite movie of the Summer!


Rating - A

1 sentence summary - The best possible sequel to the 2009 Star Trek, Kirk and Spock on form as always plus Benedict Cumberbatch doing a sensational job as a villain!


Love this movie! What do you think? Plus, what's you're favourite 2013 movie so far?

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Kick-Ass 2 Movie Review

It's weird actually! Whenever a movie I like gets a ludicrously low rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I just seem to like the movie more and more. Here is my take on the anticipated sequel to Kick-Ass.

In Kick-Ass 2, we return to the lives of our favourite wannabe Super-heroes Kick Ass and Hit Girl- who are struggling with some real world problems. Life isn't a comic-book, people get injured and killed, that's just the reality of it. However, their actions in the first movie have inspired other ordinary citizens to become Super-heroes and to do good. That's our movie; I had a good time with it!

29% on Rotten Tomatoes is a joke, in my opinion. Kick-Ass 2 offered me one of the most enjoyable cinema experiences of the entire Summer! I'm a big fan of the first movie. It has good direction and a unique style. This movie does a good job at emulating that style as well as making you feel like you are watching a live-action comic book- through the use of translation speech bubbles and time phrases and text boxes, typical comic-book devices.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson does a very good job at playing the lead role. He's good at portraying a character which is clearly way younger than his actual age. He's a great protagonist but does not steal the show. However, a lot of scenes he was involved in did make me laugh so I can't help but praise him. Also, one scene he was involved in required unexpected emotional range and extra credit has to go for that! Really surprised me..

However, the show-stealer is of course Chloe Moretz as Hit Girl! In this movie, there is a sub-plot which involves her and I think it is a necessary sub plot for her character to develop. I don't know why, but I was a huge fan of this part of the movie. Plus, it's always nice for the High School "Queen" to get here comeuppance (even if it was in such a horrific, brutal way!). I also liked how although she had promised to give up being Hit Girl, she still finds real life activities, like cheerleading, to still be Hit Girl.

A lot of controversy has revolved around the release of this movie and cast member Jim Carrey. Pacifist or not, he rocks in this movie. It would have been so easy for the movie to make him the typical zany Jim Carrey character. But no! You can tell he's crazy but in a creepy, subtle kind of way that works for his character and the movie. Also, the other heroes in "Justice Forever" are all funny and work well together. Particular favourite was Doctor Gravity.

As for the villains - outrageous!! They are absolutely ludicrously over the top, too violent, you name it!  They have ridiculously racist and stereotypical names plus wear these over the top, crazy costumes. Every time they came on screen I couldn't help but laugh at their hilarious apparel.

Now - the violence! Yes, a movie with Kick-Ass in the title will have violence in it. Sequels are supposed to raise the bar from the first movie and Kick-Ass 2 does it with the violence. It's just so, gory, over the top, unnecessary.. and downright fantastic! There are some absurdly graphic moments in this movie where the audience members would squirm and I was just sat their loving it!! Call me sick, twisted, whatever. It was great! Although, if you don't like violence don't waste your time watching this movie.

The comedy in this movie is great! I loved it. There were some funny slapstick moments and sarcastic humour in there yet the best humour in the movie for me was the subtle humour. For example, in Kick-Ass 1, my favourite part was where Red Mist (or the Motherfucker, as he is now known) and Kick Ass are in that car dancing to the song "crazy". In this one, the funniest bit, amongst all the violence, was simply a photo of Nicolas Cage smiling. My laughter was uncontrollable!

Right now for some gripes. The GREEN SCREEN! I know you don't have a huge budget but come on! Sort it out, it is pretty bad!! Also, I think that the first Kick Ass is slightly better. They're not far apart but the original just edges it for me. Plus, the shaky cam. Lots of fight scenes in the movie use it, others don't. The better ones are without shaky cam. That should say it all really!

Also I found the plot to be too fast paced. Things happen way too quickly for my liking. Also, villainous characters and others seem to be involved in the first few acts of the movie yet do not appear towards the end or have any at all relevance to the plot. Kind of annoyed me when I thought about it.

However, Kick Ass 2 is one of the most enjoyable, fun Summer movies I've seen all Summer. It's exactly what you want. Rotten Tomatoes, you can hate it if you like. Doesn't change the fact that the more you gripe about it the more I love it! I said to myself while watching this movie "I am having a fantastic time", and this is why I would rate Kick-Ass 2 like this:


Rating - B+

1 sentence summary - Outrageous, gory, violent, over the top but a fun Summer movie!


Kick-Ass 2, successful sequel or dismally disappointing? Whatever you think, let me know if you like.

Summer is coming to an end and 2 more reviews will be with you in the next few days i.e.. before August ends.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

2013 Belgian GP Review - Vettel edges further from the pack!

Sebastian Vettel extended his lead at the top of the Driver's Championship to 46 points and has edged further from the pack in pursuit of his fourth World Championship. It was a Grand Prix with lots to talk about, and all Summer I've been talking about film news and reviews so there's no better time to talk about something else. Here is my race review..


Qualifying was absolutely fantastic. Changing conditions, wet at one moment, dry the next made an exhilarating qualifying hour! Both Marussia's and the Caterham of Van der Garde made it into Q2, leaving both Williams', Toro Rosso's and the Sauber of Gutierrez at the back of the grid. Ferrari started 9th and 10th, Lotus 7th and 8th. Ferrari looked quick all weekend, and could have done so much more had qualifying gone better.

It looked like Di Resta had pole in the bag when he set his time before the rain came down. However, the rain ceased and the track dried. It was last man over the line to grab pole, and Rosberg, Webber and Vettel beat Di Resta's time. However, Hamilton was last over the line and took his 4th consecutive pole!

The start was crucial. Lewis made it round La Source in the lead. However, the Red Bull is the car with the best package and phenomenal speed. At the exit of Eau Rouge onto the back straight, Sebastian Vettel blasted past the Mercedes and from then on was untouchable!

He controlled the race from start to finish and never looked like giving up the lead. He said the car was "unbelievable to drive".

In second place came the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso. He qualified in 9th and who knows what he could have finished had qualified better? Starting in 9th, he made a good start and blasted up to 5th at the end of lap 1. He overtook very well as always and it is fair to say his first few laps are always electrifying.

Di Resta would have been looking for a good result but retired after a collision with Maldonado. He made a bad start and when Gutierrez attacked Maldonado into the bus-stop chicane the Mexican forced the Venezuelan wide. He went back onto the racing line, clipped Sutil (who survived to finish 9th) and smashed off Paul Di Resta's left rear tyre. His race had ended and his poor form continues. Maldonado received a 10 second stop-go penalty.

As for Gutierrez, that was the best I've seen of him all year. Determined and aggressive!

Jenson Button who started 6th finished in that position after reverting to a 2 stop strategy. The 8 points gained by him put McLaren above Force India in the Constructor's Championship.

The Mercedes of Rosberg and Hamilton also looked strong but not as good as the dominate Red Bull and the seemingly improved Ferrari. Hamilton clung on to 3rd place with Nico Rosberg finishing 4th who held of a late-assault from the retiring Mark Webber, who finished 5th.

The remaining point-scoring positions were filled by Felipe Massa in 7th, who passed a fair few people to get up there. Grosjean finished 8th after a penalty, 9th was Sutil and 10th was Daniel Ricciardo, who his Red Bull bound. He took the final point from Sergio Perez in the latter stages of the race.

Retirements were Charles Pic, Paul Di Resta and Kimi Raikkonen. 38 consecutive finishes ended at last, which was kind of an odd feeling to say the least!

As for the Championship, Vettel has extended his lead. It's going to take a mammoth effort from 1 of the 3 other front-running teams and a few slip ups from Red Bull though, which is unlikely at the moment! Alonso has moved up to second place with 151 points, Hamilton is now third with 139 points. Raikkonen is down to 4th in the Championship after his DNF.

Spa is the best circuit on the calendar. Today was no classic, but had lots to talk about!

What did you think of the race? Who can stop Sebastian Vettel? Also Monza, I don't wish to predict, but a Ferrari home win would be fantastic!

Thanks for reading a post which is about something else other than films!
Thanks again,
Matt

Ben Affleck will be Batman in Man of Steel sequel (2015)

Typical isn't it? I go on holiday for just 7 days and some of the biggest movie news of the year breaks out! Here is my take on it..

Warner Brothers have confirmed that Ben Affleck will play the Batman in the untitled Man of Steel sequel. It is believed that in the movie Batman will face off against Superman, played by Henry Cavill. A lot of people are sceptical about Warner Brother's choice, and for good reason.

Affleck has proven himself to now be a well established and talented director and a good actor as well. There are no problems on that side of the equation. However, did Warner Brother's pick the right man?

2 people which I thought would be good in the role were Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling. They both looked the part and I could buy the fact that they could portray the Batman character. I'm not saying they made the wrong choice; hopefully they thought long and hard about the decision and seriously considered the 2 I just mentioned.

This is probably the biggest casting choice the studio will make in terms of what they want to achieve with this franchise. Yes, Henry Cavill as Superman was huge, but back then I thought that it would just be a franchise dedicated to the world of Superman. However, with Batman in the sequel, a Justice League movie (rumoured to be out around 2017) is surely on the horizon. Affleck will have to seriously commit to the role.

In the past, Affleck has played a "caped crusader" in the movie Daredevil. That's probably all the credit he deserves from that movie. He even said himself that he was awful in it and the movie as a whole sucked. However, I have a lot of admiration for this guy's choice. Yes he had a shaky start, but now he is redeeming himself by making good movies (such as Argo) and is ready to take a gamble that could define his career. It's much like the Batman himself?

How will he play off with Cavill? I don't know, but that's not my concern.

I am sure that Ben Affleck will grasp the role as Bruce Wayne. He has a "rich Billionaire" look about it and he has the emotional range in his locker to portray the character. But what of the Batman? It's quite hard to see. Who knows? He could blow us all away with his performance. Only time will tell.

As for the Batman character himself, he can be done in 2 ways because he is so complex and interesting. The Dark Knight trilogy made the Batman a dark, gritty, realistic character who used stealth and ninja tactics to strike fear in the hearts of his enemies. He was damaged and Bale did a super job.

However, the way I think they will go with this movie an older, more experienced Batman (which suits Affleck, him being 41 years of age) who has been there done that. I hope that instead of showing stealth and ninja stuff like they did in the Dark Knight films, they show that Batman can beat Superman through his intellect. Whether that's using gadgets, laying traps for Superman or just simply outsmarting him, he will have to be a suitable match for Superman if he is to beat him. I mean, Superman flattened half a city in Man of Steel, Batman will have to be pretty well prepared to fight him..

I don't know what they will do in this movie. However, I'm certain they will team up in the end and that Lex Luthor will be a villain. That might not even happen..

So, will Affleck be just as good at Batman as Christian Bale was? Did Warner Brothers make the right choice? I'd love to here someone else's opinion!

Thanks for reading, when more movie news breaks out I'll be there to tell you all about it.
Thanks again,
Matt

PS - 3 more movie reviews to come before August ends, plus and F1 race review and a BPL season preview! Stick around for that...

Iron Man 3 Movie Review

Iron Man 3 came out in April this year and it would be a tragedy if I never came to review it before the end of the summer movie season. That being said, let's go..

Iron Man 3 is the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that is set after the events of the Avengers. The movie, like the first Iron Man film, is not a direct prequel to the Avengers storyline, so has to be a strong stand-alone film in order for it to succeed. And I think it is.

The characters in this film are all dealing with the events of the Avengers which give the plot of the film more substance and relevance. Hit hard by the events of the Avengers in particular is our hero Tony Stark. The man nearly died when sending a nuclear missile through an alien worm-hole, tell me that's not traumatic! I liked how they play on that as one of the story arcs of this film.

As for Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of Tony Stark, the guy has got it bang on! He has a cool, narcissistic nature with a brilliant sense of humour. The day this man is no longer a part of the Marvel movie set up will be an incredibly sad day for humanity. He's just a great actor in all fairness. Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Pepper Potts and I really dig the relationship between them. It's cute, believable, they can banter back and forth. It's handled very well indeed.

Guy Pearce also appears in this movie. Granted this man can act and in this movie he was ok. His character in no way shape or form stole the show, but for what the plot demanded him to do he did well.

Don Cheadle was good in this movie like Iron Man 2. Want this guy to be in the Avengers Age of Ultron if possible!

As for Ben Kingsley, he is surprising. Unexpectedly, the man has to play 2 roles in this film, both of them very different. This is just testament to how good of an actor he really is.

The plotline itself has a few story arcs going on but, unlike Iron Man 2, it isn't saturated with them that it makes the movie more convoluted than it needs to be. I like how they incorporate scientific elements in this film as well as some military elements. It's definitely the most comic-booky (I know that's not a word) of all the Iron Man films. All these elements mix well to make an interesting first few acts of this movie.

Then we have the infamous twist. This is, as you would imagine, going to determine the rating I give this movie. I am not a huge fan of Iron Man comic book lore. Therefore, I can role with the twist. It's shocking, unexpected and in my opinion is a good thing to help tell the story. If you can't role with the twist, you won't like the movie. Just saying. It was very bold of the studio to do something so risky that would divide the fans in this way!

And what would a good comic book movie be without the action scenes? You've got some good ones in this film; the slow motion shots when Tony Stark's house is getting obliterated by missiles, the scene where Iron Man has to catch 13 people when falling from 20,000 feet as well as the epic final battle, where there are dozens of Iron Man machines flying around. Its so entertaining seeing Tony Stark get out of a destroyed Iron Man suit and then jump of a ledge into another one.

I didn't notice any shaky cam, which was good. The special effects are all used well as well as are the varied sound effects. I don't know why but I'm a huge fan of all of Iron Man sound effects. whether it's the sound made by missiles before they are fired or the clank of his metal suit. The cinematography is sound as well.

As for negatives, there is a lot that goes on in this film. It's quite fast paced as well. Its probably not the best casual watch, but one you need to lock yourself into to understand all that is going on. Guy Pearce's' character may also be a weak link, but other than that I had a fantastic time watching this movie. I liked it a lot! There is just so much to like about this film plus if you can role with the twist that essentially "divides the fans" ,it's even better.

For what it is, a popcorn action movie of Summer fun, Iron Man 3 succeeds in its job. It does exactly what it sets out to do. There are some huge flaws with this movie but its still an enjoyable time in the movie theatre. I would rate it like this:


Rating - B+

1 sentence summary - If you role with the twist, this is an absurdly entertaining, popcorn movie with an interesting plot and an awesome protagonist!


The elements of this movie that I have just spoken about all work so well together that I can't help but really like this movie. Ultimately, it is unnecessarily risky but it didn't effect me at all so I'm cool with it..

Have you seen Iron Man 3? What did you make of the twist? Comment below if you fancy it.

Thanks for reading and be sure to read my other reviews.
Thanks again,
Matt

The Hangover Part III Movie Review

2 reviews in one day? First time that's ever happened. But because I saw this movie around May time and I want to review all the movies I've seen this Summer before it ends, I gotta do this. My last review was Scary Movie V, and while I'm in the mood to talk about bad movies lets review The Hangover Part III shall we..

Who knew the Hangover would become a trilogy. I didn't think so, what's the point other than the studio getting more money? Hangover 3 is unlike the second film as it isn't a complete rehash of the first film. It's an adventure movie. Immediately I'm thinking "You're titling the film after something which it isn't". Not a good start.

This movie revolves around Mr Chow. You know, that Asian guy who was really funny in previous instalments. I think that was because you get enough of Chow that you were satisfied yet still wanted to see more. This movie just crosses this line. Too much of Chow can make you sick.

As for the wolf pack members, I liked 3 out of the 4 in this movie because they are believable characters. Unlike Zach Galifianakis character. He's such an arsehole in this movie and I didn't like that fact. It was a story arch that they decided that I just wasn't a fan of.

As for the story, its ok. However, there are just too many twists in the plot that's already lacking compared to previous films.

As for the comedy. It's quite uncomfortable actually. It's not out of touch or anything like Scary Movie 5, but the reaction shots they put in the film where the audience is supposed to be laughing are just so uncomfortable because nobody is laughing. Never did I laugh out loud in this movie. A few chuckles here and there, but nothing special.

Its not a badly made movie but the more I talk about it the more I dislike it. It's such a let down to the first Hangover film which makes it even worse.


Rating - D

1 sentence summary - An uncomfortable watch, a film that lets down the incredibly hilarious first instalment.


That's my view on Hangover 3. What's yours?  Comment below and let me know.

Thanks for reading, summer movies that I enjoyed a lot more than the last 2 I reviewed are coming very shortly indeed.

Stay tuned for then,
Matt

Scary Movie V Movie Review

I know this film came out in April, but there are many films I wish to review before the summer movie season ends. So let's start off by talking about this piece of trash..

Scary Movie V. I know, 5. 5! Didn't really think they needed to make more than 3, or 1 for that matter. But no, we get 5 of them!

My philosophy is that the less you can talk about a film the worse the film actually is. Pretty sure this review is going to epitomise that statement.

So Scary Movie 5 has a cast of many celebrities including Ashley Tisdale, Snoop Dog (or lion, I don't really care), Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan. If I were to summarise the acting in this movie I'm pretty sure one word would cover it; awful. In fact no, I would call it absent! There isn't any its that bad!

The Scary Movie franchise is known to spoof many horror films. They don't really tend to do that in this one. They used other films like Inception, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Black Swan. The majority of the sketches they do on these films are just as uncomfortably unfunny as the horror films they spoof (including Evil Dead, which came out a week before this movie did).

However, the Inception bit did make me laugh, slightly. It's just that the Di Caprio impersonator looked a lot like Di Caprio.

What's unfortunate about this movie is that in terms of its comedy it peaks in the first scene of the movie. Yep, the small piece of text after the Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan sketch was the funniest bit of the whole movie. That's just tragic!

Some of the sketches just don't make any sense whatsoever and the order they are put in just makes the movie a lot more jumbled up than it needs to be. The props are also ridiculously unconvincing as well, but that is the least of this movie's worries..

As for the humour, what humour? The people that write these movies are so out of touch of modern day comedy and it just makes for ridiculously unfunny sketches and an uncomfortable atmosphere in the cinema.

Granted some bits did make me laugh, but the majority of the humour is out of touch and unfunny and every other aspect of this movie is just bad. Its a badly made comedy movie.


Rating - F

1 sentence summary - Bad acting, bad props, bad everything, with poor humour and stupidly unfunny comedy.


Although it's an F its still not the worst movie I've ever seen. This film would only be fun if you and 5 other friends turned up at the movie theatre drunk out of your mind. And thus concludes my ridiculously short review.

Worst film of the year? Probably. What did you think of Scary Movie V. Comments are always much appreciated.

Stay tuned for more film reviews of movie's that came out earlier this Summer..
Thanks again,
Matt

Now You See Me Movie Review

I have to admit, this is probably the most difficult movie to review out of all the movies I've done so far. It's hard because I don't wish to ruin the plot for you, yet its so hard to talk about without small details which could give away the plot. Now You See Me is very much a "see it for yourself" kind of film and it's been out for absolutely ages. I only saw it recently, so here we go..

Now You See Me is basically a heist movie. 4 magicians come together early on in the film and then we skip straight to the events of a year later. The group are using magic to rob a bank. That is only the start.

I like how the story is paced really well. It wastes no time in getting into the thick of things as the first 10 minutes introduce us to all 4 main characters, the different tricks they are capable of performing, the whole concept of magic and deception and of course them joining forces. It doesn't wait around it just gets straight to the point which I was really glad of.

The crew of magicians all work really well together as a group. They are all varied as characters, but share a similar goal. The dialogue between the characters is subtle yet interesting. I liked the majority of them; Eisenberg is generally a good actor and does everything he needs to do to portray the lead character, Fisher is not only ridiculously attractive but does a good job too and Harrelson provides subtle comic relief in a way which does not feel forced.

However, I can't help but feel that Dave Franco's character was the weakest of the bunch. If you took him out of the movie, it wouldn't have been any different (in ways that I won't spoil for you, you'll just have to trust me!). This kind of bummed me out.

Then of course you add Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman into the mix. Both are incredibly talented actors and both do a very good job with the characters they play. I wouldn't say they are out and out villains in this movie, but they both play slightly different roles to what they are usually cast as.

Finally, Mark Ruffalo. Big fan of this main after his stunning portrayal of Bruce Banner in the Avengers and he does a really good job in this movie as well. He plays the FBI agent who is trying to catch the "Four Horseman" but he isn't a villain in any way. He's just your average guy with feelings and things he cares about and I like how they show us that in this movie. It's not your average good people vs. bad people showdown.

I had a great time with this movie. If you need logic and reason to help you appreciate things then give this movie a miss. You have to open up your imagination to really appreciate the elements in this movie. Could the events of the movie happen in real life? Definitely not! But it's still downright fun and entertaining with an open mind!

As for the magic tricks in this movie, they were all really good. Sure, they aren't realistic but they are all interesting and entertaining to watch. They don't constantly repeat the same trick but rather use a collection of tricks to always keep you on your toes.

There is also a slight romance going on but it isn't really the showpiece behind the movie or something to remember the movie for.

The film's plot is well paced and all the characters (with the exception of Dave Franco) get enough screen time to strut their stuff. There are so many twists and turns in the plot as well. Some may say there are too many but I respectfully disagree. I was constantly engaged and had to remain focused for the majority of this film with everything that was going on.

I also have to give Isla Fisher another mention, because why wouldn't I want to?

I probably need to watch it a second time. But, after that I don't think I will need to watch it anymore to understand the "ins" and "outs" of the plot. It's not like Inception where you can watch it 6 or 7 times and pick up something new each and every time. Doesn't have the same re-watch value. Still, I was a fan of the majority of this movie and this is how I would rate it.


Rating - B

1 sentence summary - A well paced story of magic and deception which engages you in the plot with all it's twists and turns.



Have you seen Now You See Me? Did you enjoy the film? Are you going to buy it on DVD or on Blu-ray? Leaving a comment would be much appreciated..

Thank you yet again for reading,
Matt

The Worlds End Movie Review

The third instalment of the "Cornetto" trilogy has arrived in 2013 in the form of The Worlds End. How does this movie compare to the others? Is it any good? All in good time will those questions be answered my friends. For now, the review.

The Worlds End is another Pegg and Frost movie, so already I had high expectations of this film being a fan of both Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. Does it meet up to the high expectations? Actually, it's a bit of a let down.

Simon Pegg is a good actor. He has proven this over many films due to the range of characters he has to play. He plays quite a unlikeable character for the majority of this movie and does that job well (mainly because I actually disliked the character in the way the movie wanted me to). Nick Frost also does an alright job with his character. But, my favourite of the entire movie was Martin Freeman's character. I think he played his character best, I just like him as an actor.

As the "5 musketeers" progress through the infamous "Golden Mile" pub crawl, things seem a little choppy in terms of the storyline and editing. It's almost as if they were given a script that said "Ok, first this happens, then this, then this and so on" and this makes the story feel restricted in what it can do. They are literally jumping from pub to pub. Whilst watching it, I felt that the story had no natural progression in it but rather was just progressing because the script said it needed to.

Character development is in this movie in a really forced way; its very predictable. You know, you have the arsehole as the main character and he's meant to be "enlightened" towards the latter stages and then you have the grown up character becoming all rebellious towards the end as well.

What I liked though was that as the characters became more and more drunk, the more and more crazy things started to become! I was also thankful the movie wasn't just a massive drunk hallucination, that would have just ended it for me!

In a Pegg and Frost movie, violence in some form or another is merely an inevitability, and of course violence is in this film in the form of the main characters fist fighting the robots that have taken over the town. The special effects used in the film look good and do not detract from the movie in anyway. Another positive has to go to the props in this movie. The blue blood, robots losing limbs and becoming decapitated all looked realistic and were entertaining to watch. However, the fight scenes are always similar and there comes a time when you've seen it all and it just becomes less entertaining.

And just like my This is the End review, the film's comedy will get a mention. There are a few funny slapstick moments as well as some moments of well-written dialogue between the characters which made for some "laugh out loud" moments. Some moments, unfortunately, were just not funny. This is made worse due to the reaction shots afterwards where the audience is supposed to be laughing, but is not (you know, like the entirety of the film Grown Ups!). There was also excessive use of the "C" word at some moments where it is just completely unnecessary and adds nothing in terms of comedy.

The ending also felt rushed and unfinished, but I was thankful that the movie ended when it did. I had seen enough!

I was disappointed walking out of this movie. I was supposed to see Now You See Me (which I will review), instead I got the movie which brings down what would have been a solid "Cornetto" trilogy.

It's half and half really. It's a predictable and choppy story, but the violence, special effects and props are all used well. The humour is in the middle, however not as good as the humour in This is the End.


Rating - C

1 sentence summary - The Cornetto trilogy let down by a half-hearted movie that does not meet up to its predecessor's high standards.


I think that just about sums it up perfectly for me. I'm sure some people may disagree with me though. If you did, why not let me know in the comments section? Your opinions are of course always welcome.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

The Wolverine Movie Review

After the failure of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a sequel was announced shortly after. And so, 4 years later, we finally have that film. Was it really worth making though? Let's see..

The Wolverine is set after the events of X-Men 3 and our hero is experiencing the roughest part of his life. He's living the nomadic lifestyle, he hasn't shaved in years (from what it looks like) and is struggling to deal with the death of his love Jean Grey. Wolverine is given the chance of a lifetime by a man he saved from a nuclear explosion in 1945, when he offers him the chance of mortality. And now we have the Wolverine movie we've been waiting for!

Wolverine is easily the most interesting character out of all the X-Men. He's an anti-hero, he's damaged and his struggle against immortality is always an interesting thing to make a movie about. One parallel which I really liked in the movie was between him and a bear we see early on in the film; the bear is shot by a poison arrow causing it a very painful death which angers Logan as he sees his situation as similar to that of the Bear's. He would like the pain of his immortality to end.

Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine will never get old. He's played the guy in 5 films over 13 years and it never ever feels boring. Jackman does very well in illustrating that the Wolverine, like in the comics, is an anti-hero, who will kill people if necessary! Jackman is great.

There are a few other characters in this movie which were interesting enough. There really is nothing special about the acting but the actors tend to do a sound job at the roles they are given.

The main villain is Viper. Or is she? She didn't feel like the main adversary I was expecting from her. Yes she was smooth and sexy but she did not have that intense and menacing quality that would have made her a great villain.

Overall, the visual effects are varied and look fantastic, as are the sound effects. Both the sound and visuals work together well to create a cool comic-book feel to the movie, as all X-Men movies should have. The claws, Viper's venom, the nuclear explosion are just a few examples of the varied special effects we see that add this dimension to the movie. Slow motion is used just the right amount as well to add drama to the action happening on screen without completely overusing it.

The humour was actually pretty good, never was it cheesy. The soundtrack was alright, as was some of the cinematography. What I loved about this film was the fact that some shots were used to help portray the dark, anti-hero like character that is the Wolverine. I rarely notice things like that but when I do, props to the movie.

The movie is well paced with the right mixture of action scenes, that a comic book movie needs, and character development scenes, which make the movie more personal and relatable. The action scenes are very good. There is just something so great about Wolverine plunging his claws into people's stomachs! The scene on top of the train was epic, best action sequence in the movie by far!

Also, if you see it stick around for the ending. Got me excited for X-Men Days of Future Past. Even if in the X-Men universe there now is a massive issue of continuity, I still can't wait for the film to come out!

The Wolverine symbolises what makes an X-Men movie great. It's got cool action and is also a very well-written personal story. I walked out of this film and thought "I enjoyed that more than Pacific Rim". That's probably a spoiler for the rating. Ah well.


Rating - B+

1 sentence summary - The most interesting character in the X-Men universe is given the movie he deserves, a great personal story mixed with some awesome action!


That's my take on the Wolverine. What did you think of it? Are you looking forward to X-Men Days of Future Past? Please leave a comment below.

As always, thanks for reading,
Matt

Monsters University Movie Review

 Pixar's latest release is a sequel/prequel to the much-loved Monsters Inc, which is considered to be one of the best animations ever created, as well as one of my favourite childhood movies. Being a sequel, I was expecting the movie to be nowhere near half as good as Monsters Inc, thus lowering my expectations. This is what I thought.

So, as mentioned previously, Monsters University is a prequel to Monsters Inc, where the characters we have come to know and love during Monsters Inc are learning their trade in the scaring business at University. A few new characters are thrown in and here we have our movie.

After watching Monsters University all I can really say is that Pixar is back! Yes we have had a few disappointing releases such as Cars 2 and Brave in recent years but Monsters University really shows that the magic is still there. I really liked this movie.

One of the main reasons has to be that it didn't feel like a total re-hash of Monsters Inc. Sequels are notorious for either not raising the stakes high enough or just repeating everything that happened in the first movie. Monsters University gives us a new location, a new story and new characters mixed in with some old throwbacks to Monsters Inc that make a funny and entertaining movie.

One of the highlights of Monsters Inc was the relationship between Sulley and Mike. They aren't exactly friends at the start of this film. Sulley is a legacy child and is naturally scary, where as Mike is a real nerd who plays everything by the book. They are both given different personalities than the first movie giving them potential to develop as characters as the film progresses. This makes the film more intriguing as we did not see this in Monsters Inc.

As for the new characters, yes I really liked them as well. They really help illustrate how much of an underdog story this movie really is. Also, some lines made me howl with laughter. The little purple monster saying "I can't go back to jail" was my personal favourite!

As for the plot, some my say it is slightly predictable. I have to agree with you on that one. Being an underdog story it naturally is.

However, what this film does so well is the ironic elements in it. I'm not sure if that's the right word to describe it though? As an example, Randall is in this movie. He is the villain and main scare-rival to Sulley in Monsters Inc, so when he delivers some of his lines in this movie it's quite funny because you know he will end up as a villain in the near future. There a few other cool throwbacks, such as the CPA and Rozz.

Pixar have always been experts at comedy. They just have a unique style which again is very hard to describe but it works so well in movies like this and just make it that much funnier. The humour will appeal to children and adults, making it a great family movie.

As for the visuals, they are just as colourful and effective as Monsters Inc, which came out just under 12 years ago. My favourite has to be the eyes. They're done so well and do a fantastic job at portraying the mood and emotions of the characters. Pixar have always done that incredibly well!


My only real gripes have to be the predictable plot or that it isn't as good as Monsters Inc.

I laughed a lot and thoroughly enjoyed watching Monsters University and this is how I would rate it.


Rating - B

1 sentence summary - The magic of Pixar is evident yet again, with well-timed comedy and throwbacks to past films.

It's nothing revolutionary, but it's downright funny and entertaining, great for the whole family! The best animation of the year so far!

Have you seen Monsters University? What's your favourite Pixar film? Whatever it may be, please let me know via the comments section.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Pacific Rim Movie Review

One of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year came out earlier this Summer. If you haven't seen it, then use this review/post to help make your decision if you are so far undecided. Here we go..

Pacific Rim is an original story about an apocalyptic world where the human race is under attack by a huge race of monsters called the Kaiju, who make their way to Earth via a portal between dimensions in the Pacific Ocean. The human race's response is to come together to stop this menace and they decide to create huge robots called Jaegers in order to fight them off. This is our movie.

With a fresh premise and an original plot, Pacific Rim had a job of setting the scene for us and placing us into the conflict. They do this very well. The first 5 minutes is a narrated prologue where the stage is set. This is ultimately a good thing, as it saves us from a slow 30 minutes at the beginning of the movie which would have made it drag on for longer than it should have. That being said, the first 5 minutes could have been longer. I would have liked to have seen Cloverfield style events from the perspective of the people when the first Kaiju starts wrecking San Francisco. That would have been more effective, but I understand why they made the prologue as short as possible.

The main protagonist is played by Charlie Hunnam. His performance is Ok, but I saw nothing special from him. At times, some of his lines weren't delivered with the passion and drive I would have expected. More interesting characters include Rinko Kikuchi's character and Idris Elba's character. Elba is the star of the show. The man steals all of his scenes plus delivers one of my favourite lines from any movie that's come out in 2013.

Charlie Day and Burn Gorman both play scientists who are both relevant to the story and their relationship, at times, is quite humorous. However, at times it felt like they were just forced comic relief. That's probably the best way I can describe it.

The acting overall in the film is up and down. As for character development, it was poor. Very poor indeed. In the middle of this movie there is a slow hour where you sense they're trying for character development, but it is just not working. I don't think I've ever been so emotionally unattached from a group of characters than I was in Pacific Rim. Events happened at the end and I couldn't care less. I was just screaming for some action.

Now, the action. The whole point of Pacific Rim was to show off large robots fighting giant monsters. Both of them are visually stunning, as are the special effects. The robots themselves are really cool; they establish early on why 2 people need to pilot them and the monsters are just as cool.

The fight scenes are epic and are backed up with a very good soundtrack. The overall noise, effects and visuals present during the fight sequences are all mixed so well and make an extremely pleasant viewing experience. Also, props have to go to the cinematography. It's done so well that the size of the 2 things fighting is perfectly illustrated and is also adding to the overall pleasure of the experience. It's not all in your face, it excites you and you thoroughly enjoy yourself! Best visuals of the year by far, even better than Man of Steel!

Overall, I'm torn with this film. Poor character development and non attachable characters bring it down. But, the fact that the film does such a good job at what it was meant to do (cinematography, visuals, effects) this movie was a lot more enjoyable to watch.


Rating - B-

1 sentence summary - Poor character development but stunning and exciting action!


I think that's the best way to put it. So, have you seen Pacific Rim? Did you like it and is it better than Man of Steel? Please leave a comment.

Thanks for reading,
Matt