How To Train Your Dragon 2 Movie Review

The summer of 2014 has been so solid, and HTTYD2 (which is what I'm calling it from now on as I'm too lazy to type it out fully) just proves it...

HTTYD2 is directed by Dean DeBlois and is the sequel to the surprise hit How To Train Your Dragon. The film again follows Hiccup and Toothless and follows the events 5 years after the first movie. In the film Hiccup now has to step up to the responsibility of being the leader of his people whilst at the same time he is dealing with a personal conflict and the threat of a villain gathering an army of dragons grows.

My experience with the first movie was a good one and I thought it was a good animated flick, if not a tiny bit overrated by some people. However, if people go on to say that HTTYD2 is one of the best animations of the last decade, I can't disagree with them. HTTYD2 does everything a sequel should do and it gave me a great film experience in which I was sucked in from scene 1 to the end credits.

One of the best things about this movie is the characters at the forefront of the film. The relationship between Hiccup and Toothless is incredibly cute and relatable for anybody who has ever owned a pet in their life. The dynamic between the 2 leads is excellent and on top of that the 2 characters themselves are given more depth and are more fleshed out, which is exactly what a sequel needs to do. Toothless is literally awesome in a way where he can be cute and badass at exactly the same time, and Hiccup goes through some really impactful situations in the movie, which help develop him more as a character. No longer is he Hiccup the boy, he is Hiccup the man who must step up to do what is required of him.

That is obviously a familiar theme but is an effective one if executed well. This is just one theme the movie has expertly woven into it; others including friendship, family and sacrifice. The movie also doesn't spoon feed children with obvious exposition and does not sugar-coat over some of the dark stuff which can happen to people, which gets 2 thumbs up from me as I am sick of animations doing that these days. The movie blends emotional and development scenes well.

Although action sequences are also blended brilliantly into the story and are awesome to watch. The movie's cinematography is so impressive and is at its best during these huge action sequences where the camera follows a dragon flying through the air. The musical score composed by John Powell is also breath taking at times, and like it's predecessor is one of the movies best strengths.

The character animation is beautiful and the voice cast is also very good. I will say what everyone else is saying but it is so true that Jay Baruchel is perfect as Hiccup. I honestly left HTTYD2 thinking about just how involved I was in it and I had so many positive things to say. But, it isn't perfect in my eyes...

My 2 issues with the film start with the villain. It wasn't that he was bad its just he was clichéd right down to his physical appearance. It's almost a rule of Hollywood animations these days that the villain must be physically huge and have long dark hair with an eye scar. Also the side characters in the movie don't really do much for me and in my opinion don't bring a lot to the table in terms of being comedic relief.

But HTTYD2 is a great kids movie and I really liked it, so its getting a high grade:



Rating - A-


1 sentence summary - A superior kids film with excellent characters, themes and emotions woven through it!



Question: Your favourite DreamWorks's animation of all time?


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Edge of Tomorrow & 22 Jump Street Double Feature - Movie Reviews

Having seen both Edge of Tomorrow and 22 Jump Street very recently I thought it would probably be best if I clumped both reviews into 1 post. Sounds logical I guess...



Edge of Tomorrow


Edge of Tomorrow is directed by Doug Liman, the man behind the Bourne Identity, and stars Tom Cruise, arguably the biggest movie star in the world, alongside Emily Blunt. In a dystopian future, practically unbeatable alien creatures called mimics invade the earth and Tom Cruise's character is sent to the front line in order to help with the invasion. However after failing miserably the first time he obtains the ability to wake up after death and re start the day. I liked Edge of Tomorrow but it was not perfect. Firstly, Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt are great in their roles and do have really good on screen chemistry. The direction from Doug Liman combines a hand held style which works when it needs to along with epic wide shots which look awesome. The battle sequences work because you can actually see what is happening on screen; there is no quick cuts and shaky cam, which is a relief! The action is pretty incredible and the first 2 acts of the film are solid science fiction movie making, its exhilarating and refreshing at the same time. For example, in this film Tom Cruise has a different story arc to what you'd expect because he's a coward. Only through endlessly repeating the day does he become and efficient badass in combat, which Emily Blunt is from the first time you see her on screen. She is an incredibly strong female lead and was probably the second best thing about the film, behind the action of course! The film, despite showing the same day over and over, never felt repetitive, which gets a thumbs up from me! However there were issues for me with pacing in the final act of the film. Personally, I thought it was trying to rush things and it came to an ending which, for me, didn't work. It isn't a popular opinion but I honestly thought that the film's ending just wasn't satisfying enough. It pains me to say it but it is true. However, the first 2 acts were dynamite at times, and I recommend you see it!


Rating - B




22 Jump Street


22 Jump Street is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. 21 Jump Street was a really good comedy as it was so refreshing. I was afraid that the sequel wouldn't capture the same tone the first did, but it turns out that 22 is actually funnier than 21. 22 Jump Street is a kick-ass comedy film with nearly perfect consistency. The comedic timing of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum is exceptional and I honestly think the person who said "let's put them 2 in a buddy cop comedy movie" is a genius! There isn't really much else I can say about 22 Jump Street other than it is very funny and at 3 times I was gut busting. Ice Cube is so much funnier in this film compared to 21 and has one scene in where I literally had tears. There's 2 other scenes like that. It is so rare that a comedy sequel can be better than the first but these guys honestly made it work. The film is also so self aware and does a great job at spoofing the fact that it is practically the same film as the first as well as spoofing the idea of sequels, having a larger budget, action movie clichés and so on! The film does have a few completely predictable moments, it does border into sappy at times and the supporting cast is made up of a few characters which were pretty annoying. But the film was so funny! It is a great time at the theatre, I recommend going with a few friends as you will all enjoy dying of laughter sitting next to each other!


Rating - B+




If you're reading this, what did you think of Edge of Tomorrow and/or 22 Jump Street? Did you like Edge of Tomorrow's ending? Whatever your thoughts I'd like to know!

Thanks for reading,
Matt

The Wolf of Wall Street Movie Review

You know it really is times like these when I feel glad that my first top 10 movies of 2013 list was only preliminary, otherwise this beauty would have missed out...

The Wolf of Wall Street is directed by Martin Scorsese and sees the legendary director team up with Leonardo DiCaprio for the fifth time. Based on the book of the same name, The Wolf of Wall Street is the story of Jordan Belfort, an American Stockbroker with ambitions to earn millions of dollars on Wall Street. The movie follows his rise and fall from stardom, and is one that I was seriously looking forward to.

The reviews that I have seen of this movie have generally been very positive indeed. I was anxious to see Scorsese's next project for myself so I could draw my own opinion from it. And I have to say that this, like American Hustle, is one of the very best movies of the entire year. I have completely fallen in love with this movie!

Yet again, Martin Scorsese proves that he can produce movies that are just as good as his best pieces of work. The Wolf of Wall Street sees the trend continue, and is directed with energy and flair. There literally is never a dull moment. Sat there for just under 3 hours, I was never bored for one second and the time flew by. I have set through movies like Carrie this year that were practically half the length of The Wolf of Wall Street yet felt like twice as long!

The movie is more of an experience, and one that I think I shall experience more of when it releases on blu-ray. With a 3 hour runtime, a lot of stuff does happen. Only after I watched it did I realise just how much really happened in a plot that is fascinating, unpredictable and full of things to enjoy.

Every scene felt as if the camera motions were crafted with care and precision. The style of filming is full of motion, the camera glides seamlessly at all times and really brings to life the atmosphere of the scene all the time. The editing and song choices also scream everything that this movie is; vibrant, energetic and ultimately, fun.

Yet again Leonardo DiCaprio is on fire completely disappearing into the role of his character Jordan Belfort, an ambitious stockbroker who is both self centred and greedy, plus is addicted to all sorts of substances including the worst drug of all; money. Despite him being a total dick, you are with him all the way and DiCaprio puts in yet another excellent performance. Probably a performance that the Academy will overlook, again!

Jonah Hill is hilarious every time he is on screen and the rest of the supporting cast all do fantastic jobs. Matthew McConaughey is in the movie for the first 15 minutes and is never seen afterwards. For the screen time he received, he did great. Also great in the movie is Margot Robbie. Or as I like to call her, the most attractive female on the planet! All jokes aside, she does do well with her performance.

However the one quality which shines above the rest which makes The Wolf of Wall Street so good, is just how goddam funny it is. It is without doubt the funniest movie I have seen since I started writing these reviews. There were some scenes in which I was trying to catch my breath minutes after they had finished due to the strength of the twisted and sadistic comedy the movie threw at me.

It was so entertaining to watch these people perform these despicable acts of debauchery and I literally couldn't get enough of it! I could have watched those characters do things like that all day and not get bored. If the movie had not had been as hilarious as it was I don't think I would have routed for the characters (DiCaprio's in particular) as much as I did, mainly because they are just horrible people. The rise and fall of Jordan Belfort and the stuff in between are full of disturbing yet hilarious acts debauchery, the amount of memorable moments in this movie would be hard to count with 2 hands.

If I were to complain about one thing it would be this: this isn't for everybody. Some people are going to be offended by some of the scenes in this movie so please be warned. Also, this isn't a family movie. I mean, this really IS NOT a family movie!

That being said, some of the scenes in this movie will be ones I remember for a long time. It's well acted, well directed, the characters share really good dialogue between them and it is one of the funniest films I've seen in the last couple of years. Seriously, watching the things that Belfort and some of the other characters did were so evil and so disrespectful yet I couldn't care less because I was laughing my ass off!

The Wolf of Wall Street serves up 3 hours of laughs and entertainment that never ceases throughout. I said something similar in my American Hustle review. Why do I keep referencing American Hustle? Because they have the same rating:


Rating - A+


1 sentence summary - A 3 hour riot of laughter and enjoyment, a controversial yet downright entertaining effort from Scorsese!


Yes, this one is going to be on the final top 10 list as well. There's still a couple of films I need to say but we're nearly there and I can't wait!

Thanks for reading,
Matt