Man of Steel Review (No Spoilers)

Usually, each year I have up to a handful of films that I really look forward to seeing. This year, the most anticipated for me has been Man of Steel (followed by Iron Man 3). Since the announcement of a film being made, with a story by Christopher Nolan and David Goyer, the excitement levels have been slowly elevating. When I saw the first preview, I was creaming in my pants - it was epic. Today, that culminated in finally being able to see the finished product. 

Before I get into what I thought of the film, let me mention my thoughts about the choice of director. Zack Snyder, responsible for 300, Watchmen, Legend of the Guardians and Sucker Punch. I've seen all of these except Legend. 300, I have watched once entirely, and found it to be average. Sure, the visuals were impressive, but the engagement factor was quite low. I tried to watch it again once, and ended up turning it off. I want to give it another go, just to make sure, but am in no hurry. Watchmen I saw at the cinemas, and quite enjoyed it. I have the extended edition at home (yet to watch), and am looking forward to sitting down and watching that. Sucker Punch, oh my god, this was a bad movie. Great action scenes, but absolutely no story at all. Well, there was a story, but it was too basic. Anyways, overall, when it was announced that this man was to helm the Superman reboot, I was really scared about the final product. Even though C Nolan and D Goyer are involved, could Z Snyder screw the pooch? Sucker Punch style, or just make a boring film like 300?

Well, it turns out, he has delivered the goods. Man of Steel is a very enjoyable movie, and pretty much just awesome all round. Great new take on the Superman we all know. Superman from 1978 is a classic, and considered a benchmark in superhero films. This film doesn't try to follow that style, but re-envisions the character with a more serious tone. There is no comedy here. Sure, there are some funny parts, but this is dark and real. Not Batman dark though. These two characters in themselves are very different. 

Henry Cavill is an absolutely perfect piece of casting. It is really difficult to picture anyone else in this film as Superman. He hasn't taken the mantle from Christopher Reeve, but his take is excellent, and I look forward to seeing him don the suit once again. The entire cast is epic really. You've got two of cinemas greats playing the fathers - Russell Crowe as Jor-El, and Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent. I love both these actors, and they are excellent in their respective roles. If you haven't put it together, yes, both of Clark Kent's dads are Robin Hood. I was initially hesitant about Amy Adams as Lois Lane, mainly because I thought she would be too old for the part, but, she is great. Michael Shannon as General Zod - pretty menacing bad guy. 

Visuals are great. These days though, most movies like this with budgets have pretty good special effects. There's no excuse not to really. If you have a big tent pole pic, the special effects should be top class. The action is aplenty in this movie, but there are still character moments that draw you in emotionally. There's a particular scene that impacted me quite heavily, even when thinking about it afterward. I knew then, that I was really drawn into this movie and the world that's been created. 

So, how did it measure up for something I was anticipating so much? Not a let down at all. Didn't exceed, but, with a lot of mixed reviews lately, I went in a little scared at what I was about to see. I enjoyed this more than Iron Man 3, but perhaps not as much as Star Trek Into Darkness. But, the tones of those films were quite different. Bring on Man of Steel 2.

Rating:

4.5 out of 5. (Epic)

Fast & Furious 6 and After Earth

It's been a good weekend for cinema going - two visits. Been a long time since I've done that. First up, Fast & Furious 6. This series has cheese written all over it. But, it's a series of films that is also a lot of fun to watch. Fast 5 changed the format of the films by moving away from the street racing scene and instead moving the series into action heist territory, but still firmly focused on the cars. It was a good move, as it has seriously reinvigorated the series. Thankfully, the 6th instalment keeps this new take and is perhaps more exciting that the 5th. 

Minus some members of the 5th film's ensemble, we have the major players back for some more frenetic car chases and stunts, and some funny banter between the characters. There's plenty of action in cars and out of, with a few hard hitting fight scenes. Gina Carano, from Steven Soderbergh's 'Haywire', joins the cast, and has a nice little biffo with returning cast member Michelle Rodriguez. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is also back, and looks bigger than what he did in Fast 5. The man is beyond beef cake...he is frankly, fucking huge! He's a great addition to the cast, and I hope he sticks around for future instalments. 

And of course, we have Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. You've gotta love these two. The characters they play are perfect for them. They're well and truly solid mates now, after being on edge with each other in previous films.

Yes, the film is ridiculous. The last action scene will raise at least one obvious question - I won't say what, but if think about how long the scene is, and where it is set, the question is pretty clear. But, aside from whatever you think of these films, this is an exciting film and you must leave your brain at the door. Throw logic out the window, and just enjoy the ride.

Fast 7 is due out same time next year. A new director (James Wan - 'Saw','Insidious') is on board now though, so it will be interesting to see what he brings to the franchise. The standard of films 5 and 6 has certainly set the bar high.

Next up, a film that has been pretty much panned by most reviewers - After Earth. In some ways, I think some of the criticism is purely because of the director behind it - M . Night Shyamalan. He's the man that burst onto the film scene in 1999 with The Sixth Sense. He then did Unbreakable and Signs - both were pretty good. But, his form since has been not so good. Most reviewers have not liked films like The Happening, Lady in the Water and The Last Airbender. I have to say, I have liked them, but I doubt I would watch them again. Next to what he started out with, they're pretty mediocre. This unfortunately means that films with his name attached are more prone to being savaged. Sure, the quality of the film plays a part, but, his name plays a bigger one. Notice the lack of visibility of his name in the promotions for this film. The studio is aware of the public perception.

So, how does he fair with this film - well, it's better than his last few. It's a bit difficult to compare this film to something like The Sixth Sense or Unbreakable, as the genres are very different. Thing is, with those films, they're quite memorable, and ones you'll likely watch again. This one, although it is good, again, is probably not one you'd watch again. When I say good, it only just makes it to that status - it could be because I'm a Will Smith fan.

The film is set 1000 years after humans have abandoned Earth, because it was pretty much left uninhabitable. The situation is that humans destroyed the planet, and we left it to exist somewhere else. Will Smith and his son Jaden (playing father and son onscreen as well)  have crash landed on Earth. It's now considered a very dangerous place for humans. The story is essentially a survival tale. The special effects are good, but you know they could be better, the action scenes are ok, the acting is ok. Will Smith is not the lead here, his son is.  He's an ok actor, but has a long long way to go before he gets anyway near having the charisma and presence onscreen like his dad. Good luck to him.

There are some tense moments, but perhaps some more story elements were needed to really amp up the excitement level. Perhaps if Will Smith had some more screen time and action scenes it may have been better. It is worth watching once, but I doubt you'll take anything memorable away from it, and therefore you probably won't watch it again.

Ratings:

Fast & Furious 6 - 4 out of 5.

After Earth - 3 out of 5.

Star Trek Into Darkness

I hadn't managed to get to the cinemas for a few weeks - holidays and sickness keeping me away. I tried to go see this film on my last day in town before flying out, but just ended up doing last minute holiday prep. So, with much excitement, I finally managed to see Star Trek Into Darkness on Saturday night.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2009 reboot of the franchise, and the trailers for this film were epic. It turned out I left the cinema highly satisfied. In fact, I could say it was better than the first. Plenty of humour and action, and a lot of heart. The cast is excellent, and they gel so well together. 

The only negatives I could say about this film is that the motivations of the villain were perhaps a little weak. In fact, I can't even remember much about the explanation of the origin of his character. I think I'll definitely have to watch it again as soon as it is out on blu ray. The ending may also be a little flat as well, but, these are minor gripes. 

All up, I was having a great time during this film. Now I'm really excited to see what director J.J. Abrams does with Star Wars - Episode 7. In fact, it would be interesting to see who they bring in for the next Star Trek film, as J.J. has made a couple of pretty outstanding films to live up to in this franchise.

Rating:

4.5 out of 5. (I was thinking 5, but I think another viewing is required first).