Review: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Well, I rewatched Part 1 and 2 in the last week, and actually enjoyed them more than what I did at the cinema. Perhaps the expectations I put on some films hampers my initial viewing. That kind of happened again with this - so, I look forward to rewatching it on bluray one day and perhaps changing my rating higher.

The shortest of all the Peter Jackson Middle-Earth films, this is also probably the last. I found it to perhaps spend too much time on Thorin's issues at the start, but, once it gets going, it is a thrill ride. Jackson certainly knows how to showcase battles in Middle-Earth, and this is epic stuff. There's plenty of individual fights to sink your teeth into as well - I particularly loved seeing Legolas back in action.

There's really not a helluva lot to talk about with this one - there is no continuing of the journey, it's basically a massive battle film. I like how the stories and events kind of link in with the previous LOTR trilogy. I'm sure there are some continuity issues, but nothing stands out to me at this point.

All the character's come full circle, with The Hobbit himself being a completely different character to what he started out to be - he's gone from scaredy cat to a true adventurer. All the character's introduced or touched on in the previous 2 films get some sort of look in here, even if for only a few seconds. If I had a little gripe, it would be that some of the orcs and other dastardly character's seem more CGI'd than before, but, I could be just nitpicking way too much.

All up, I do like the LOTR trilogy more, but that could be because of one particular character I liked a lot - Aragorn. He was just so fucking cool. This film and the other 2 are solid entertainment. It is amazing how they squeezed so much out of one book. I hated the book by the way, it was just so boring. The films are far better.

Rating:

3.5 out of 5.

Review: Exodus - Gods and Kings (2014)

The thought of Ridley doing a swords and sandals film gets me all giddy. After all, he provided such great ones with Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, and even Robin Hood (yeah, I said that shit). This one delves deeper into the religious zone, but, it is an interesting story. I didn't know much about it before going in, as I'm not familiar with Bible texts. I know Moses parted a sea, that's about it.

The overall story is very interesting, to me anyways. Two boys, who grow up together to be men, one of royalty, and the other the leader of the kings army, or essentially a servant. However, the father, who is king, sees greater worth in his army's leader. Now, right here, one of the glaring similarities that start to show through is with the plot in Gladiator. In that film, we had Caesar, and his loyal soldier, and dickhead son. Same scenario, different time.

To be fair, you could pick many films that have had a similar story arc, but with Ridley, it seems as though he was treading familiar ground, but didn't do it so well this time. Exodus has all the makings of a sweeping epic. Big budget, grand scale sets, grand scale effects, grand scale cast.

Is it a grand film? No. Somewhere along the line, Ridley forgot to give the audience something to care about. With his previous 3 films of this nature, I felt an emotion throughout the film, that drew me in and made me love them. With this, the scripting just doesn't do it for me. We know that Moses must free the slaves, but we don't get drawn into why he really feels this. Sure, he's had a falling out with his mate, gets banished from the city, and then has an epiphany about it all. For me, it wasn't enough.

Bale is the standout amongst the cast. He can lead a film for sure, but, the way this story unfolds, I just found it difficult to feel what he is feeling - that his journey involves freeing the slaves. Edgerton, well, I love him, but, I just don't know if he was right for this role. And, that is not because he is a white dude. I just think his bad guy schtick wasn't enough. Sigourney Weaver also stars, I think. She's in there, if you can find her.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate this film. It is good, it just doesn't hit the emotional points it needed to justify the character's actions on screen. Will I buy it on Bluray? Yeah, I probably will, because it looks fantastic. And, you never know, I could learn to love it.

Rating:

3 out of 5.