The Raid 2 Movie Review

I.... I just.... what the.... Wow.

The Raid 2 is written and directed by Gareth Evans and stars Iko Uwais and is the sequel to the action film The Raid: Redemption. The film literally starts shortly after the events of the first Raid, where Rama has to infiltrate an apartment building and take out and infamous drug lord and his many thugs. The Raid 2 sees the story expand from a small gimmick to a wide-spread crime drama, where Rama has to go undercover in the criminal underworld of Jakarta in an attempt to unveil the corruption within the police force and take out the crime lords.

I can not stress to you how much I adore this movie. There is so much about it that I like and is truly the best movie to come out in 2014, along with one of the best action movies ever made. Director Gareth Evans firmly cements himself as the best action director we have working today as he brings us a sequel which is bigger and better than the first instalment, a film which took the action world by storm.

The largest improvement it has from it's predecessor is with it's writing and the story that accompanies the action extravaganza. The story is very well written and it never spoon feeds you the exposition. It never became confusing for me because I was so heavily engrossed within the plot, absorbing in all of the elements which made this movie a successful crime drama/thriller. In all honesty, the whole idea of going undercover and seeing crime families and other rising criminals perform acts of violence, crime and corruption is just really interesting to me.

Iko Uwais again is unbelievable in the main role as hero Rama, who by the way is the biggest badass in terms of hand to hand combat. If you're a character who gets into a fist-fight with Rama, bad news is it will not end well for you. However, whilst being a major badass, Rama is not invincible. He takes a lot of damage during the 150 minute runtime (which by the way went by in a flash), adding to the tension of the final few scenes. You care for him because his main motivation is the security of his family, which everyone can relate to.

But when you read this review you wanted to hear about the action within the film. To put it bluntly, it's amongst the best I have ever seen! I loved the action in this movie and I can't express to you enough in this one review!

The fight sequences are choreographed and executed masterfully. The Raid 2 has so many of these amazing fight set pieces which do not hold back in terms of their gore and their violence. You, as a viewer, are so invested within the ongoing action because Evans films it in his own unique and beautiful way. Its unhealthily captivating; you feel every kick/punch/hit, you wince at slash, crack and crunch. The Raid 2 just does not take any prisoners, and is an orgasm for action junkies!

There are about 9 or 10 fight/action sequences which left me gawking at how magnificent they were. So many of them stand out in my mind. My favourites are probably a car chase sequence which redefined what a car chase sequence can do, a brutal and mass brawl in a muddy prison courtyard and a fight towards the film's conclusion which seemed to go on forever. The cinematography, editing and sound design is phenomenal, they helped create some of the best action sequences I have seen in my whole life! Gareth Evans directs this amazingly and deserves a lot of credit for the creation of this mind blowing action bonanza.

The acting performances are all good, it has a badass for a protagonist, it has a riveting story about crime and corruption with twists and turns throughout, it has some of the best fight and action sequences put to film. The Raid 2 has everything, and I loved it so much:



Rating - A+


1 sentence summary - Unflinchingly violent and bloody, The Raid 2 is an exceptional crime thriller involving the best action sequences ever put to film!



If you read this, please go and see The Raid 2 as soon as you can. It's phenomenal, spread the word!

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Noah Movie Review

Being a big fan of last year's Man of Steel, I found myself distracted during my screening of Darren Aronofksy's new film Noah, because whenever Russell Crowe spoke he sounded like his Man of Steel character Jor-El. Weird, I know, but true!

Noah is directed by Darren Aronofsky, the man behind Black Swan, and stars Russell Crowe as the title character. The film re-tells the famous story of Noah's Ark from the Bible; God wishes to wipe out the evil and exploitive human race via an everlasting flood, and it is up to Noah to build this enormous Ark to shelter his family and two of every animal from the oncoming flood.

Now I was curious to see this movie because Darren Aronofsky has made some very impressive movies in the past, plus I am not religious so if it did deviate from the source material in anyway, it wouldn't bother me at all. For example, when the film took the decision in which Noah receives all of the information via dream like visions as opposed to God (or the Creator as they call him in the film) speaking to him from atop a cloud, I was fine with it. In fact, that was one of the biggest positives for me in a movie in which I did enjoy, bar from a few things.

First and foremost, Russell Crowe does carry the movie well and there is no questioning the man's acting talent. I really felt as the plot thickened that Noah (played by Crowe, obviously) and his family were good people, and not just the people the film forces us to like. This was probably made easier because the evil humans in the movie were truly detestable, particularly the villain who Ray Winstone played superbly. I always think that of you care for the people on screen, the film has done something right!

Emma Watson also seriously impressed me with her performance within the film, which was probably my favourite out of all of them. Her performance worked because you cared for her character and the actress showed off her diverse emotional range and talent. The third act of the film sees Watson at her best, which was the shining light of that part of the film.

This was the part I didn't really enjoy. The film tried to take some interesting directions with some of the characters that, while it may have worked for other audience members, it didn't for me. This was probably because for the first two thirds of the film I was seriously invested within the majority of the plot and all of the characters.

Noah was also a good watch because Darren Aronofsky's talent shone through on multiple occasions. However, I was a little worried when I saw the first CGI creature which, in my opinion, wasn't up to scratch. The CGI is by no means terrible, but I really felt it could have been polished up a bit more for the theatrical release.

Besides, what is CGI to wide landscape shots that beautifully sell the location. Noah has these shots and they are beautiful and well crafted.

However I can't stress enough that the final third of the film just was not to my liking. The film dragged on for too long in my opinion and I checked my phone multiple times to see if we were finally nearing the film's conclusion! That is probably my biggest complaint with the film; the pacing and the length.

I have other complaints but in reality they are all little nit picks I have with some of the story elements that probably won't effect your viewing experience of Noah in any way. But there were things that did annoy me with the film, just so you know. But Noah is still an enjoyable film that is competently made:


Rating - B


1 sentence summary - Interesting, nice to look at and generally well made, despite its never ending run time!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

The Grand Budapest Hotel Movie Review

I have to admit that this is the first Wes Anderson film I've seen. After finally viewing his latest film The Grand Budapest Hotel, I might have to watch more of his films...

The Grand Budapest Hotel is directed by Wes Anderson and stars an enormous cast of some great actors, but the lead is played by Ralph Fiennes. The film tells the story of Zero, the current owner and former lobby-boy of the Grand Budapest Hotel, and of original owner M. Gustave. To summarise, when a very elderly woman dies Gustave is left behind a very expensive painting called "Boy with apple", which sees the elderly woman's family become exceedingly jealous. Then, Gustave is framed for murder and its up to him and Zero to escape from prison and prove Gustave's innocence by solving the case.

This movie surprised me so much because I don't think I've ever seen a movie like it. It's incredibly unique and original, along with being consistently witty, moving and intense. This film had a lot of dimensions to it resulting in a viewing experience of diverse emotions. The film, as mentioned previously, is consistently funny from very beginning to very end. The jokes themselves don't rely on the audience to die with laughter or anything but they did make me chuckle countless times because the humour was handled really well indeed.

Who knew that Ralph Fiennes was such a good comedic actor? Apparently Wes Anderson did! Fiennes is on fire in this movie, he is so compelling as the concierge Gustave to the point where it was difficult for me to take my eyes of him and notice other people were in a scene. He delivers Wes Anderson dialogue perfectly in what is probably the best performance of the year so far.

His lobby boy Zero was also played brilliantly, but what I loved the most was the hilarious back and forth and dynamic between Zero and Gustave, which typified the film because it was very odd indeed, but strangely compelling.

The supporting work in this movie is top notch. Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, Jude Law, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton. The list goes on, and they all do very well with the screen time they have and all contribute to the story in some way shape or form.

But the reason why I think The Grand Budapest Hotel was so successful at what it was trying to do was that it was so visually astounding. It used every single technical filmmaking aspect in a way which created a world which you as an audience member knew was blatantly fictional, but felt real because of the great acting and the characters on screen. The film felt almost dreamlike to me, and in the best way possible. It transported me out of the movie theatre into a fictional realm I never knew existed.

It's a visual banquet this film. The use of miniatures was integtrated well, the music fit perfectly, the colours, set design, costumes and make up all mixed together to create thus fictional world which Wes Anderson meticulously designed. The film also sees Wes Anderson's filming style where everything is in the dead centre of the screen, which made everything seem even more detailed and precise. I honestly loved this movie, it was such a refreshing film experience for me that I adored experiencing.

If I have one complaint, it would be that at times the violence in the movie just seems to be randomly thrown in for the sake of violence being thrown in. Also, this film probably isn't for the general film audience and appreciation for filmmaking and different styles is needed.

From what I've seen there has already been 3 great movies to come out in 2014; the Lego Movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and this. The Grand Budapest Hotel is truly a great film, and I loved it:


Rating - A


1 sentence summary - Unique, funny, clever and dreamlike, The Grand Budapest Hotel uses its precision and detail to transport you to a fictional realm, one that you won't want to leave!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Muppets Most Wanted Movie Review

The sequels are never as good. Well, usually. But does Muppets Most Wanted prove this point?

Muppets Most Wanted is the sequel to 2011's Muppets movie which saw the franchise make a fantastic return. That movie is one I seriously enjoyed, and has one of my favourite musical numbers ever put to film in it with the "Man or a Muppet" song. Jason Segel did a great job with that movie and really reinvigorated the franchise. Muppets Most Wanted is the direct sequel to that movie, but sees a new cast of actors and writers involved.

The film opens with a song which makes fun of the concept of sequels and how they're never as good. Really, the song is very ironic because this movie is not as good as its predecessor. The film sees number 1 criminal mastermind Constantine escape from a prison in deep Siberia, who just so happens to look identical to Kermit with the exception of a mole on his right cheek. Constantine then replaces Kermit within the Muppets seeing Kermit take his spot in the Siberian prison. Then, Constantine and sidekick Dominic (played by Ricky Gervais) use the Muppet's world tour to heist valuable items from galleries all across Europe.

While all of the actors who are in the movie, including all the Muppets, are good and entertaining to watch, the film still has an incomplete and slightly unsatisfying aura to it. The movie offers up various jokes that will leave you chuckling quietly in your seat, but nothing that leaves you dying with laughter. It is funny but not as funny as the first one.

The movie offers up various musical numbers as you would expect. The songs are written well and are incredibly catchy, offering up some entertainment. Yet they still lack the drive, creativity and originality that the songs had in the 2011 Muppets film.

But the film is still enjoyable. If you take your children to see it then the Muppets will keep them entertained. Will it keep you entertained though? I think it will, but not as much as maybe you thought it would.

The film really is all about the Muppets because most of the entertainment comes from the various characters we've come to know and love over the years. While the plot may not be the most significant detail of the film, I still liked it because it had a few pop culture references here and there and played on genre conventions and film clichés successfully.

The balance between Muppet and Human however is slightly skewed. I would have preferred to have had more Muppet and less human, simply because they offered me more entertainment. Ricky Gervais. Ty Burrell and Tina Fey were all entertaining (even if Burrell and Fey's accents were a little over the top and goofy)  but Kermit and co. were more so.

Also the cameos within the movie I think could have been written in more cleverly and done with more subtlety. For example, Christophe Waltz does a Waltz, and is even announced quiet clearly to be doing so. Subtlety people, it's a good thing!

The movie is enjoyable and will pass the time well, so see it if you want:


Rating - B-


1 sentence summary - Enjoyable, yet not as funny or clever as the first one!


Thanks for reading,
Matt