SPOILER Review - Guardians of the Galaxy

This is an official spoiler warning for Guardians of the Galaxy, so if you haven't seen it yet then please don't read this.

So if you're still reading you have probably already seen the intergalactic awesomeness and fun which is Guardians of the Galaxy. I really enjoyed the film and gave it a B+ in my original review, but I wanted to explain some more things I liked in the film which could come across as spoilers.

The film opens with young Star Lord on Earth and the first scene is pretty emotional. The poor boy is sat there listening to his "awesome mix volume 1" music in a hospital with his mother lying on her death bed. The mother dies, little Star Lord pretty much breaks down, runs outside and is captured by Yondu on a spaceship. I said that Star Lord had the most depth as a character already and the movie illustrates that through it's soundtrack, which is basically just 1980's classics. This is the music his mother gave to him, and Star Lord listens to it as it is the last attachment he has to his mother and Earth for that matter. I loved the soundtrack by the way. The score was sufficient but the 1980s hits were all fantastic.

We then cut to Star Lord as an older man and he is set to retrieve something. While he's doing this, he's listening to his music, dancing and booting small rat-like alien creatures. It was about at this point I realised the tone they were going for, and boy did it pay off throughout the rest of the film. Star Lord is then captured by Korath (one of Ronan's servants) and I thought that they would arrest him for taking the orb. It didn't pan out like that; it turns out Star Lord is a badass, and he escapes!

He tries selling this orb to someone but as soon as he mentions Ronan's name the buyer basically says "f*ck that sh*t" and kicks him out. Then he meets Gamora and shortly after that Rocket Racoon and Groot. What I loved was how the group didn't actually get along together at first. They only form the team when they all find kindred spirit in eachother as they're all basically outcasts. The group then ends up getting arrested and more awesome 80s music plays and more comedy ensues.

In the prison we see at the start that the four, and now Drax, all have different motivations concerning the orb that Star Lord found. Gamora wants it to be rid of Ronan and Thanos, Drax wants it to exert revenge on Ronan for killing his wife and daughter and Rocket/Groot want it for... money! They escape the prison in a really funny and entertaining action sequence which has one of my favourite parts of the film in it. It was that part where Drax chucks Rocket the gun and he's spinning around shooting things on Groot's shoulders.

Meanwhile we go to Ronan and we find out that he has been tasked to retrieve this orb for Thanos (it's an infinity gem, so obviously Thanos would want it) so he can blow up Xandar. I think Ronan want's the planet blown up because he has kind of dated beliefs and he just doesn't like this peace treaty which they signed. He's a pretty weak villain in my opinion, but we get to see Thanos at last and it did not disappoint.

The Guardians then go to a place called Knowhere which is like a hideout for Outlaws and it also happens to be a huge head of a Celestial being. There we meet The Collector again and he basically explains that the orb is in fact an infinity gem, 1 of 6 objects of immense power. We then get a neat demonstration of that when one of his servants blows up his entire collection.

We skip ahead now and Ronan requires the orb and says screw you Thanos, I'm going to blow up Xandar and then I'm coming for you. The Guardians basically decide that they're not going to let billions of people die at the hands of Ronan and they board the ship. They come across Ronan's servant Nebula (Gamora's sister) before Drax blows her up with bazooka. One of the funniest moments in a comic book movie I swear. Although that is soon topped when Groot in that one scene basically pummels those guys to death before turning around and letting out a cheeky smile! I said it before and I will say it again, this movie was so freaking funny!

The movie was also touching at times. It got me the most when Groot shielded the Guardians and basically sacrificed himself for them. "We are Groot". Man I nearly cried over a CGI tree. What is my life coming too!

Ronan's ship crashes and we come to that bit in all superhero films where we have the final showdown. However, this time the main villain is distracted by the hero challenging him to a dance off. Would anyone else other than Star Lord risk the fate of the galaxy over a dance off? No they wouldn't, and that is why Star Lord is as cool as anything!

Ronan is basically defeated and the orb is then locked away by the Nova corps. Groot doesn't die in the end as Rocket recovers a twig and places it in plant pot so he can grow again. The Guardians have their record cleaned and go off on another intergalactic space adventure.

The post credits scene also made me laugh. It was literally just Howard the Duck talking to The Collector amongst the ruins of his destroyed collection. Could it happen? Nah probably not...

Guardians of the Galaxy is a fantastic entrant into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and really excelled with it's surprising bursts of emotion, it's witty humour and it's characters. I'm so glad we're getting a sequel and I can't wait for the day The Guardians and The Avengers team up to battle Thanos. And I hope Drax is the one that kills him!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Guardians of the Galaxy Movie Review

Before this movie was announced did you honestly know who the Guardians of the Galaxy were? I didn't, but now I do and they're awesome!

Guardians of the Galaxy is directed by James Gunn and yet again sees the Marvel Cinematic Universe expand even more, this time in the far reaches of space. It is definitely Marvel's most ambitious film to date as it takes a group of relatively unknown comic book characters and gives them their moments to shine. Chris Pratt plays Star Lord, a human being captured by an alien ship at a very young age, who steals a mysterious power source in the shape of an orb. This then leads him to form a team with a group of 4 other misfits; Gamora, Drax, Groot and Rocket with the goal of stopping Ronan the Accuser from destroying the Galaxy.

Yet again Marvel have produced a fantastically fun movie only this time they're giving us a space adventure movie which doesn't take itself too seriously. I enjoyed the movie a hell of a lot and I'm glad that they've announced a sequel.

The movie has in my opinion one of the best moulds of drama and humour I have ever seen. I found myself laughing quite consistently throughout the movie, particularly one scene which involves all 5 of them sitting in a circle. 80% of the jokes either hit sufficiently or left me gut busting and it is by far Marvel's funniest film to date. And Chris Pratt as Star Lord is honestly at the centre of most of the humour in this movie and he is awesome as this character. He's a badass in combat but at the same time is the character with the most depth and development.

The band of misfits all work well off each other and they really are an interesting bunch of characters. Zoe Saldana is perfect for the role of Gamora and has a really intriguing backstory which involves Thanos, the big purple guy in the post credits scene of The Avengers. Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel, is also awesome yet so cute at the same time. He was involved in my favourite few moments of the movie; one of which was comedy gold and the other a dramatic scene which actually really got to me.

Rocket Racoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper, steals the show. Rocket is so funny. Plus he looks awesome as well. You'd expect a Marvel movie to look good and this movie lives up to that. It has these grand epic shots of space and of different planets and also has some cool and colourful special effects which look amazing, particularly Rocket's fur.

Dave Bautista in my opinion does take time to slip into the role of Drax and he isn't exactly the greatest actor on the planet. But when he does get all warmed up he does have some great moments which are pretty goddam hilarious. I keep saying it but this is honestly one of the funniest movies I've seen all year. Whenever it may begin to seem it is becoming too serious the movie does a 180 and starts to spoof itself. It's very self aware and I really liked that.

I do have small issues with it including how some of the jokes in the first half did fall flat and the dialogue became woolly, fluffy exposition at times. The movie did do that a few times where it felt as if a character was giving unnecessary backstory for the sake of telling the audience these things.

My biggest issue with the film is the villainous characters. Korath, Nebula and The Collector appear in the movie and I didn't really care much about them. The main villain is Ronan the Accuser and while it was cool to see how he linked with Thanos, he wasn't a good villain for me as he had no backstory and his motivations were never clear, he was only there to be the bad guy.

As far as criticisms go that's it. Guardians of the Galaxy proves that Marvel can make relatively unknown characters awesome by putting them in fun, hilarious adventure films which Guardians is. It's a hell of a fun time which I recommend you see. Also, if you think the post credits scene will tease The Avengers: Age of Ultron, you may be disappointed. But I wasn't, I just found it funny:


Rating - B+


1 sentence summary - A self aware comic book movie with great humour, action and interesting characters.


I will be doing a spoiler review for this movie which should be up by tomorrow.


Thanks for reading,
Matt

American Hustle Movie Review

2014 has arrived and my first movie review of the year is a 2013 release, a movie that I was hoping could make my final top 10 list of the year. But, has American Hustle done enough to make that list?

 

Yes it has. This is one of my favourite movies of the entire year. The events of American Hustle are difficult to explain in a plot synopsis, but it is loosely based on a true story. American Hustle kicks in to gear from scene 1 with an on-screen sentence that pokes fun at Hollywood for making movies about true events. Immediately, I was liking what I was seeing and from then on it didn't disappoint.

The plot revolves around a group of con men who work together to con innocent people via a money lending scheme. However, when they are caught by an ambitious FBI agent, they are conned into working with him, and his goal is to catch the mayor of New Jersey accepting bribes to revitalize gambling in Atlantic City. Obviously, numerous other things happen in the plot, various twists happen resulting in a lively and energetic movie that never ceases to entertain throughout it's 138 minute runtime.

The success of this movie and the main reason why it is so riveting is the script. Every single line is written with great care and the result is dialogue between characters which is nothing less than enthralling to listen to. This is the sort of movie where in order to understand the ins and outs of the plot, you need to listen carefully to every bit of dialogue that escapes these character's mouths. Trust me when I say that this is an incredibly easy thing to do because each character is so interesting. Interesting and funny. This movie could be hysterical at times which left me howling with laughter.

The 5 main characters are people you can really invest in because they are so well fleshed out as well as remarkably interesting. You understand every single characters motivations and they are acted so well by one of the best ensemble casts of the year.

Combining his stars from The Fighter (2010) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012), David O'Russell could begin to make this movie great through their talent shown in their performances. Christian Bale, the master of changing his body and commitment to a role, is unrecognisable and astonishing as Irving Rosenfeld, an experienced con artist. Amy Adams produces the best work of her career portraying Sydney Prosser, Bale's business partner and love interest. Jeremy Renner puts in a good performance as the crooked yet good-willed mayor Carmine Polito as well.

One of the biggest complaints about American Hustle from critics is that this is more of a parade for these various actors and is just a showcase for their talent. I couldn't disagree more. American Hustle is directed and edited confidently by David O'Russell who is simply utilising the incredible talent he has in front of him.

Other actors who disappear into their roles include Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. The talented Cooper brilliantly sells his character, an ambitious yet emotionally unstable agent and Jennifer Lawrence is hilarious as Irving's insane wife, I didn't find her over-the-top one bit.

This movie's soundtrack choices are both relevant and inspired, plus work well with the makeup and costume design in order to re create a believable and realistic environment which oozes style and screams the 1970s.

Written, acted and directed expertly, American Hustle was a movie that never had a dull moment. From the get go it was fascinating and entertaining to behold. I can't wait to see it again to see how all of the pieces of the plot fit together. I left American Hustle in a trance, it did such a good job at producing entertainment that allowed me to be sucked into this environment, I could seriously sit and watch those characters interact all day:


Rating - A+


1 sentence summary - Confidently directed and cleverly written, this movie is non stop entertainment with fascinating characters!


I seriously have no problems with it it's fantastic. I want to go and see it again and I can't wait to put this one on my final top 10 movies list of the year. It'll definitely be there.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

The Place Beyond the Pines Movie Review

This movie was recommended to me by many different people. Today, on my last day before restarting school, I saw Place Beyond the Pines. I don't really tend to watch art-house movies (which I'm sure this one is), but after viewing this I may give a few others a try..

This movie is probably best if you go in watching it knowing as little as possible. Obviously, it would be hard for me to review this without giving away a few plot-points within the movie. I won't spoil anything- you know that's not what I do. But I will try and summarise the plot for you.

The Place Beyond the Pines is a story that intertwines between a handful of people and begins with Ryan Gosling's character being reunited with a former lover. In order to help provide for his new-born son, he finds the necessary funds by performing several bank robberies. His story links in with Bradley Cooper's character; a rookie cop who's trying to work his way up in the police force. That's the basic premise of what is a pretty awesome movie.

The plot itself is well pieced together and is quite obviously split up into 3 segments. In a way, it feels like you could be watching 3 45 minute movies but it doesn't because the stories all link in perfectly with each other. The accolades have to go to the editing team for this, fantastic job.

I think  the best way to talk about this movie is if I talk about the 3 segments of it individually. Starting with the first one.

The first segment of this movie follows Ryan Gosling's character who happens to be a stunt motorcyclist. I've already said that his motive for doing the things that he does is for his family. Automatically, that makes his character very relatable to most of the movie audience. He is a fantastic actor no doubt about it. In this movie he solidifies that claim. Not only does he nail the calm and cold side of his visibly damaged character but he also nails the emotional side to his character. Whatever he did, no matter how illegal, I would always route for him.

The first segment of the movie is perhaps the most exciting. This is because all of the bank robberies and the bike chase scenes are within this act of the film. The bank robberies are realistic and intense. The same can be said about the bike chases. This is where I have to say that the cinematography in this movie is just stunning. There are so many unique panning shots during the bike chase scenes! Also, there are some cameras positioned in the front of the police cars so you can view the chase scenes from an officer's perspective! Yes it's shaky, but it excites you and fully engrosses you in what's going on. It's well shot, well edited plus is unique.

The visuals in this movie are absolutely beautiful and were achieved using minimal special effects. Its so clear and concise, fully involving.

The second part of this movie follows Bradley Cooper's character. The first and second parts of the movie transition very effectively and does in no way feel forced. Now, I know Cooper can act because of Silver Linings Playbook. But, this movie came out last September at TIFF before Silver Linings Playbook. Imagine being sat in that audience and witnessing "the guy from The Hangover" deliver a stellar performance like he does in this movie. He is truly incredible in this film.

Also, Cooper's character is the one I was most emotionally connected to, even more than Gosling's. I felt for the guy, sympathized with him. When his character was treated unfairly even I felt hard done by. That is just testament to how good and convincing a performance he delivers.

The third and final part of the movie is by far the most intense part of the movie. At centre stage are the children of Ryan Gosling's character and Bradley Cooper's character. They are played brilliantly by 2 kid actors. Rarely I say that about kids/teenagers in a movie but these 2 were fantastic! The conclusion of this film, let me tell you, is so intense! The reason I felt that is because the acting and the script allow me to easily form an emotional connection to all of the characters in the movie. It's truly marvellous.

The rest of the supporting cast, including Eva Mendes, all bring their "A games" to the table. All are great with not a single weak link.

This movie is well written, well acted, well spoken, well shot plus has such a realistic emotional tone within it. The characters, whether it was through their speech or posture, were so convincing I genuinely thought they were real people. The movie does such a fine job at making it so engrossing because it is very realistic.

I also like how this movie illustrates that actions you do can have consequences for many people other than just yourself, even years after the event actually happened..

I haven't felt so connected with a group of characters or been so intense towards a movie's conclusion for a very long time!

My only complaint about this movie has to be that it is a very long ride. I really have to gear myself up to watch it. However, that isn't a real complaint towards the movie is just I'm not a huge fan of really long movies.

The Place Beyond the Pines is in my eyes a modern day masterpiece of cinema. It's also probably my favourite movie of 2013. Which is why I would rate Place Beyond the Pines like this:


Rating - A+

1 sentence summary - A modern day art-house classic, with some masterful acting performances, a realistic script and beautiful cinematography.


My first ever A+!!! It was worth it though. If any movie deserves it its this one! Also, I am aware this movie came out in September 2012 at TIFF, but it came out in cinemas in March 2013 so I'm counting it as a 2013 movie. It is my favourite 2013 movie!

How did you find Place Beyond the Pines? Are you going to pick it up on DVD or Blu-ray? I would love to hear back from someone...

Thanks for reading,
Matt