Guardians of the Galaxy - Review

Director: James Gunn Writers: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman Studios: Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio del Toro Release Date (UK): August 1, 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 122 min

“Guardians of the Galaxy” is an exhilarating blast of pure sci-fi pulp, stuffed full of thrilling outer space mayhem, driven by a commitment to unabashed nuttiness, and topped off with a kick-ass retro mix-tape soundtrack guaranteed to put a big, stupid grin on Quentin Tarantino’s face. It’s been widely proclaimed that this was a big risk for Marvel Studios, and from the outset it’s easy to see why: among its main characters are a walking, talking tree and a gun-toting, anthropomorphic raccoon, its setting is a bunch of weird whatchamacallit, thingamabob alien planets somewhere, and it’s based on a nerd property hitherto known only to the most hardcore of basement dwellers. Hardly an easy sell for the average Jane or Joe Movie-Goer. Then again, halfway through watching director James Gunn’s action-crammed comic-book space opera, I did begin to wonder, how is a film this stupendously entertaining in any way a risk?

I mean, it’s weird: certainly the weirdest film in Marvel Studios' 6-year, 10-film history. And it’s the most “out there” project they’ve ever embarked upon: it does, after all, take place in the far reaches of the galaxy and it stars a bunch of funky looking extraterrestrials. But it’s *fun*. Like, really, really fun, with an infectious sense of excitement, humour and adventure akin to the original “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” trilogies. Our hero, Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star Lord, is even introduced in his adult form as a sort of intergalactic Indiana Jones, shown thieving a mysterious spherical artifact from a ruined temple on a desolate alien terrain -- though it should be said, his roguish swagger and sarcastic tongue come straight from Han Solo. In the opening scene set in 1988, we watch as his younger self is plucked from Earth by a pirate spacecraft. 26 years later, he wanders the galaxy as a self-proclaimed legendary outlaw, stealing goods while his Walkman blares a mix-tape of ‘70s and ‘80s pop tunes.

He’s a misfit, and unashamedly so. And he’s just a flat-out fun character, with quips galore and Pratt nailing both the wise-ass routine and the action-man heroics. And yet, frequently the show is stolen from under his rocket-powered boots by his fellow Guardians, who are brought together in a high-security prison following a very public tussle. They’re your typical ragtag team of misfits, though to call this bunch typical would be to do them a great disservice. There’s Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), a vengeance-seeking, muscle-bound maniac oblivious to his own social ineptness. His species take everything literally -- fling a halfhearted metaphorical quip at him and risk getting your spine ripped out. There’s slick, green-skinned assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), who betrays the bloodthirsty radical Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) when his thirst for power becomes too much. There’s Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), a genetically engineered, wise-cracking raccoon with an undying love of explosions and gun violence. And then there’s Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), a humanoid tree whose vocabulary consists solely of three words: “I,” “am,” and “Groot,” and in that exact order. Anyone not especially into the film’s comic book shenanigans is bound to have their hearts won over by this walking, talking houseplant: he’s equal points adorably sweet and unstoppably deadly -- he’ll slaughter an army of badguys then turn around and flash you the goofiest, most lovable grin you’ve ever seen.

They join forces to defeat Ronan, who seeks the mysterious artifact stolen by Quill. See, that artifact, it turns out, contains an all-powerful orb called an Infinity Stone, which Ronan plans to use in a quest for vengeance against an entire populace. As an embodiment of heartless, power-hungry malevolence, Ronan works well; as a fully rounded character, he’s a little lacking, and Pace doesn’t quite have the gravitas to pull of such an underwritten character. Karen Gillan fares better as Nebula, the blue, mechanical equivalent to Gamora’s green assassin. Not just Ronan’s right-hand robot mercenary, she’s also Gamora’s jealous sister, and Gillan plays her with both sadistic glee and a deadly grace.

But it’s the Guardians who really shine here: they’re such an enjoyable collection of clashing personalities, and watching them butt heads and grow as a team is a real joy. Groot and Drax in particular are a joy: Bautista, a former pro wrestler with little acting experience, makes for a great comic relief, completely oblivious to his frequent insensitive remarks and social misunderstandings; and as he did as The Iron Giant, Diesel proves himself to have a knack for saying so much while saying so little. Gunn, meanwhile, infuses the film with style, energy and a nutty gusto, and handles the hectic outer space spectacle like a pro. The highlight, I would say, is the prison escape sequence, a stand-out set-piece full of thrills, laughs and gorgeous visual effects in a film absolutely bursting at the seams with all three of those. For sheer, unadulterated fun, the film gives “The Avengers” a run for its billion-dollar box office sum. “The Guardians of the Galaxy will return,” is displayed across the screen before the end credits roll. I for one await their return with eager anticipation.

Rating: 9/10

X-Men: Days of Future Past - Review

Director: Bryan Singer Writer: Simon Kinberg Studios: 20th Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, Bad Hat Harry Productions, The Donners’ Company Cast: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page, Nicholas Hoult Release Date (UK): May 22, 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 131 min

14 years after effectively jump-starting the ongoing superhero boom, and 11 years after giving the “X-Men” franchise its best entry with the pitch-perfect “X2,” director Bryan Singer returns to his world of super-powered mutants with “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” and in doing so, breathes new, ambitious life into the franchise’s lungs. As if the series’ scope wasn’t wide enough, Singer widens it even further, presenting us with a dark and bleak vision of the future: a nightmare world where surviving mutant rebels are exterminated like vermin by terrifying robot hunters called Sentinels -- not only does this lend the film an epic scale, it also gives it a really neat sci-fi edge, with unstoppable killer cyborgs and a grimly scary dystopia straight out of James Cameron’s “Terminator” movies. But this dystopia is not the film’s main setting, because also like in “The Terminator,” there’s a time travel plot, as Hugh Jackman’s older Wolverine, now sporting silver streaks which jut out from his temples like the claws from his knuckles, is sent back to his younger body of 1973: united with the characters from “X-Men: First Class,” Wolverine leads a mission to change the course of history and put an end to the genocidal war on mutants before it even begins.

The groovily fashioned ‘70s setting essentially makes “Days of Future Past” a continuation of Matthew Vaughn’s stylish, ‘60s-set prequel “X-Men: First Class,” continuing the stories of the young mind-reader Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), metal manipulator Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) and shapeshifter Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). Worries that Wolverine was once again hogging the spotlight (exacerbated by the fact that in the comic book source material it’s Ellen Page’s Kitty Pryde who goes back in time, not ol’ metal claws) are proven to be of the knee-jerk variety: the film is absolutely an ensemble piece, with Xavier, Erik and Mystique (once again all played to utter perfection by McAvoy, Fassbender and Lawrence) as the main players, and Wolverine, along with Nicholas Hoult’s blue furred Beast, sort of tagging along for the ride. Oh, and not forgetting Evan Peters’ super-speedy teen Quicksilver, whose jail-break set-piece, where he effortlessly springs Magneto from a maximum-security prison, is a dazzling and funny highlight -- I guess first appearances aren’t everything.

As he did in his first two “X-Men” movies, Singer does a terrific job in balancing out the spectacular, energetic action with resonant character development: McAvoy’s arc is particularly moving, as a troubled Xavier must learn to give up the use of his legs and regain his telepathic powers, both for his own good and the good of mutantkind. All the while Singer gracefully keeps the film from feeling crushed under the sheer weight of its ambitious scale and overload of mutant characters: despite the epic scale, Singer keeps the spectacle firmly grounded in the emotions of his protagonists. The end result is both a hugely enjoyable summer blockbuster and a thoroughly satisfying franchise entry, impressively topping the excellent “First Class,” if not quite knocking “X2” off its almighty perch. Of course, attempting to work out all the ins and outs of the intricate time travel plot will surely turn your brain to scrambled eggs, but one thing’s for sure: it rather brilliantly renders the franchise’s more rubbish entries, i.e. “X-Men: The Last Stand” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” entirely null and void. For that we can be eternally grateful.

Rating: 8/10

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Review

Director: Marc Webb Writers: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner Studios: Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Campbell Scott, Emberth Davidt, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field Release Date (UK): April 16, 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 142 min

Without doubt, the absolute best thing about Sony’s 2012 “Spider-Man” reboot was the pitch-perfect casting of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. As Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, the costumed webhead and his brainbox lover, Garfield and Stone are an endlessly watchable delight, bursting with personality, flaunting a warm passion and sharing a buzzing chemistry which for electrical surges rivals Electro himself. So it was with a great deal of joy that I discovered while watching “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” that despite the marketing’s overwhelming showcases of special effects action and comic book villainy, director Marc Webb had decided to make Peter and Gwen’s relationship the focus of the film — a relief, considering my worries that the story was to be a cluttered, unfocused mess.

As you may recall, at the end of the first "Amazing Spider-Man," Peter broke a promise: he swore to the late Captain Stacy that he would leave Stacy's daughter alone and thus keep her safe from Spider-Man's enemies. Now Peter's having to deal with the consequences of breaking that promise: haunted by guilt, he's seeing Stacy everywhere, and it's put a strain on his and Gwen's relationship. This is what drives the drama of the film: Peter loves Gwen and wants to be with her, and she too wants to be with him, but at the same time he wishes to keep her from harm. Peter and Gwen's relationship is the core - or the heart, if you will - of the story around which everything else revolves, and it's what keeps the film from being that cluttered, unfocused mess I worried it would be.

To that effect, it's ultimately what keeps “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” from being another “Spider-Man 3.” Like Sam Raimi’s much-derided threequel, Webb’s second Spidey outing has the infamously worrying count of three villains, these being Jamie Foxx’s electrically charged Electro, Dane DeHaan’s cackling Green Goblin, and Paul Giamatti’s roaring Russian mobster Rhino. Many internet commenters feared that this was once again too much, that the film would be crushed under the weight of its villains; as Scotty from “Star Trek” would proclaim, “She cannae take anymore, captain!” But if anything, it proves that the problem with “Spider-Man 3” was not, as is so frequently claimed, the number of villains, it was the lack of focus. Raimi didn’t find a focus to his story and the result was a cluttered muddle; Webb does, and he finds it in the romance between Peter and Gwen, who through being in the spotlight give the drama and the story a focal point and a driving force.

Which is not to say that the story’s structure is not a little unwieldy: alongside Peter and Gwen there is an awful lot going on, with the rise of Electro and the Green Goblin both requiring lengthy set-ups and the mystery behind Peter’s parents finally being solved. And which is not to say that the balance is perfect: following his transformation and a brief scuffle with Spidey at Times Square, Electro is disappointingly missing from action until the big finale, for example. But in juggling many balls, Webb impressively drops very few; certainly less so than he did in the first “Amazing Spider-Man,” where Peter’s intriguing pursuit of the truth behind his parents’ death was glaringly forgotten in the film’s second half. Considering all the sub-plots it’s surprisingly coherent, which I’ll put down to two things: 1. Peter and Gwen being front and centre, and 2. The sub-plots all being related to the evil entity of OsCorp, which ties them all together in a neat and sinister little bow.

I suppose it also helps that the film as a whole is fantastic fun and that it zips along with a bouncy energy. The sights of Spidey gliding and web-swinging between the skyscrapers of New York are utterly spectacular, the splashy special effects are universally splendid, and the action, which now utilises bullet-time to incorporate our hero’s spidey-sense, is properly thrilling. But Garfield and Stone are so good together, and their chemistry so warm and engrossing, that the scenes they share are alone worth the price of admission — all that other stuff is just an extra treat. I’d also like to mention that I’ve loved this reboot’s treatment of Gwen, who at no point has been the shrieking, helpless, ever-endangered damsel in distress that Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane was rather embarrassingly reduced to in the previous trilogy. Smart, resourceful and bravely getting in on the action, she’s effectively Spider-Man’s sidekick, and I just love that.

Rating: 8/10

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Review

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Writers: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely Studios: Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Cast: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson Release Date (UK): 26 March 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 136 min

Though recently defrosted from his days as a WWII super-soldier and supposed to be readjusting to the ways of the modern world, Chris Evans’ star-spangled man with a plan has found himself slap-bang in the middle of a ‘70s paranoia thriller — featuring Robert Redford, no less. In Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” there are some shady goings-on over at S.H.I.E.L.D. — shadier than usual, anyway. The super-spy organisation at the centre of Marvel’s ever-expanding cinematic universe is not to be trusted, if you’d believe such a thing: in an underground bunker, they’re building helicarriers worryingly capable of wiping out suspected threats before they’ve actually done anything; a covert mission to stop the hijacking of a ship turns out to be a cover for extracting top-secret data; hunted by mysterious foes, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury breaks into Cap’s apartment and advises him to “trust no one;” and Redford’s high-up official Alexander Pierce, along with the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D., is starting to look awfully sinister. If Joe Johnston’s 2011 predecessor “The First Avenger” was in the pulpy vein of the Indiana Jones adventures, the Russo Brothers’ sequel has the paranoid political charge of old conspiracy movies like “All the President’s Men,” “Three Days of the Condor” or “Marathon Man” — albeit with a little more computer-generated leaping and flying and kicking and punching, mind you.

What ultimately makes “The Winter Soldier” work is that not only does it strike a good balance between its CG action and political intrigue — for every time Cap bashes a badguy in the face with his big metal shield, there’s a cutting dig at government surveillance or the fine line between freedom and fear — it actually blends them together in a way that’s very effective. A scene in an elevator between Cap and some curiously nervous-looking S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives builds up suspense through suspicious glances and dripping beads of sweat, and then pays it off with a thrilling, electrically charged punch-up; similarly, a tense attack on Fury’s car by supposed police officers in the middle of a Washington street explodes with some high-tech weaponry. And the plot itself, following Cap as he and Scarlett Johansson’s agile and sharp-minded super-spy Black Widow go on the run from the organisation they once trusted, is straight out of an old-school Sydney Pollack thriller, just with a mechanically winged paratrooper and a super-powered, metal-armed assassin added in for fun. The result is a gripping and exciting mishmash of resonant political paranoia and special effects blockbusting, even if the scales tip a little too much in favour of the latter towards the (nevertheless enjoyable) explosive finale. Phase Two of Marvel’s master-plan continues to impress: Cap worked well on the WWII battlefront; he works even better on the ‘70s conspiracy scene.

Rating: 8/10

Thor: The Dark World - Review

Director: Alan Taylor Writers: Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely Studios: Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Ecclestone Release Date (UK): 30 October 2013 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 112 min

I think it’s fair to say that phase two of Marvel’s cinematic universe of superheroes got off to a pretty triumphant start with “Iron Man 3:” spectacular, funny and exhilarating, it bettered its two predecessors, deservedly bagged over a billion dollars worldwide and in terms of pure, popcorn entertainment value, damn near gave “The Avengers” a run for its money (and given that film’s box office takings, that’s a lotta dough). Now phase two continues with “Thor: The Dark World,” the second solo outing for Chris Hemsworth’s hunky, hammer-flinging god of thunder, and while it’s not the runaway success that was Mr. Tony Stark’s third solo adventure, it contains enough fantasy action, winning humour and big, meaty surprises to help keep Marvel geeks thoroughly happy (or should that be thor-oughly happy? No, no it shouldn’t).

What’s immediately clear is that Marvel have upped the scale for this second trip through the now-repaired Bifröst portal: the opulent realm of Asgard has been greatly expanded upon, with actual civilians wandering about and the grand kingdom looking much fuller and more grandiose than last time round; we get to see more of the oft-mentioned Nine Realms, with an early visit to Vanaheim as Thor battles marauders and later a trip to the deserted (and seemingly unpronounceable) Svartalfheim, where the Dark Elves and their Kursed warriors roam; meanwhile, down on Earth, we’re treated not with the first film’s small, dusty town of Nowhere, New Mexico, but with the city of London, chock-full of recognisable monuments all ripe for destruction.

There’s more action too, which “Game of Thrones” helmer Alan Taylor handles efficiently and thankfully without “Thor” director Kenneth Branagh’s overuse of Dutch tilts, which proved nauseating in 3D. The special effects set pieces are noticeably bigger: a full-on aerial assault on Asgard by the Dark Elves is an early example, massive in scale, ridiculously overblown and allowing for Idris Elba’s gatekeeper Heimdall to kick some serious elf butt.

Even the story’s more epic, focusing not on close-knit, Shakespearian family drama but on an imminent, universe-wide apocalypse. In an exposition-heavy prologue, we are introduced to Christopher Eccleston’s vengeful Dark Elf ruler Malekith, who seeks the Aether, a weapon with the ability to turn matter into dark matter and the power to plunge our universe into infinite darkness. Unfortunately for Thor’s Earthling squeeze Jane Foster (Natalie Portman, given a bigger role here), the Aether has attached itself to her body, and Malekith and his army have come to take it back. Eccleston, unrecognisable under heavy elf make-up, gives it his all, but unfortunately his villain rings a little hollow; in spite of his deep, commanding voice, his unsightly facial features and proclamations that he is a creature of pure evil, he’s a largely unintimidating villain, too one-dimensional, posing no physical threat and wielding murky motivations.

He’s a far cry from Tom Hiddleston’s grinning, deviously wicked Loki, who here has been condemned to an eternity of imprisonment in the dungeons of Asgard for his crimes on Earth — namely trying to take over our puny planet in the climax of “The Avengers.” When Thor needs help to escape a ruined Asgard, he calls on Loki, who is more than willing to oblige. As in Branagh’s first movie, it’s the love-hate dynamic between Thor and Loki that proves this sequel’s most valuable asset, here shaken up as the two brothers work side-by-side rather than battling toe-to-toe. It’s funny: Marvel spend so much time trying to make this bigger and more epic than the first film and what it all comes down to is the same exact thing — the troubled relationship between Thor and his little adoptive brother Loki. And as always, Hiddleston’s stealing the show.

Of course, everything comes to a head in a grand, action-packed climax in which poor Greenwich gets bashed to bits and in which Thor, rather hilariously, takes a ride on the London Underground. Full of invisible, intergalactic wormholes and featuring a giant invading spaceship, it’s a spectacular, apocalyptic and surprisingly funny finale that’s just about exciting enough to make you forget about some of the film’s weaker elements — i.e. plot contrivances, the empty villain and a throwaway “end of the world” plot. Still, in its better moments, “Thor: The Dark World” is fantastic fun sure to satisfy its fanbase, and I’ll happily admit that during a certain cameo from a certain someone (I won’t say who) I *might* have squeed a little — when you see it, you’ll know. As always, stay through the end credits for a couple of neat stingers, including (spoiler alert!) a cool little tease for James Gunn’s upcoming Marvel outing “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Squee!

Rating: 7/10

Kick-Ass 2 - Review

Director: Jeff Wadlow Writer: Jeff Wadlow Studios: Universal Pictures, Marv Films, Plan B Entertainment Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jim Carrey Release Date (UK): 14 August 2013 Certificate: 15 Runtime: 103 min

There’s something missing from “Kick-Ass 2,” the sequel to the blood-splattered, R-rated 2010 comic-book action-comedy about DIY superheroes doing battle with the mob. Actually, to be more specific, there are two things missing from “Kick-Ass 2,” and their names are Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman. The dynamic duo who brought Mark Millar’s transgressive comic to the big screen with style and pizazz, they’ve been replaced by Jeff Wadlow, director of the fight movie “Never Back Down.” Though officially on board as producers, Vaughn and Goldman’s absence in the key roles of director and writer, respectively, is felt as Wadlow’s loyal follow-up mimics but struggles to match the bravura of — and kick as much ass as — the wildly entertaining first film.

But that’s not to say that this second outing for the titular wetsuited, baton swinging vigilante isn’t a fun ride while it lasts: the hyper-violent heroics of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s wimpish Kick-Ass and Chloë Grace Moretz’s gutter-tongued kid Hit-Girl remain obscenely enjoyable, even if it's lost some of its shock value, and even if Wadlow lacks the deftness of touch boasted by Vaughn — the structure isn’t as tight and the element of surprise is gone, but who’s complaining when Hit-Girl’s slicing off badguys' limbs and calling them the C-word?

Based on Millar’s “Kick-Ass 2” comic and “Hit-Girl” spin-off, it sees crime-busting high-schoolers Dave Lizewski and Mindy Macready joining forces with a newly assembled ragtag team of back-alley superheroes called Justice Forever. Headed by baseball bat-wielding ex-mobster Colonel Stars and Stripes (a tough as nails Jim Carrey, almost unrecognisable under facial prosthetics), these have-a-go Avengers — or should that be Mystery Men? — face off against super-villain gang The Toxic Mega-Cunts. They're led by Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s chain and leather-clad The Mother Fucker, previously known as Red Mist, who’s gunning for revenge after Kick-Ass memorably blew up his crime boss dad with a bazooka at the end of the last movie.

With two rival super-teams comes lots of costumed freaks — including Olga Kurkulina’s eight-packed ex-KGB mega-bitch Mother Russia — but once again it’s 15-year-old Moretz who steals the show and makes leading man Taylor-Johnson the sidekick in his own movie. Though spending much of the film’s length trying to fit in with a gaggle of “Mean Girls"-esque airheads at the behest of her adoptive father, the pint-sized assassin gets to slice and dice in the film’s grand finale, where Justice Forever and The Toxic Mega-Cunts go toe-to-toe, and fist-to-face, in The Mother Fucker’s secret lair — it doesn’t come close to matching the operatic awesomeness of the first film’s high-rise finale, with dodgy CGI blood and cluttered action spoiling some of the fun, but Hit-Girl’s one-on-one punch-up with the 7ft-tall Mother Russia more than makes up for it.

There are some misjudged moments along the way — a scene of projectile diarrhoea-vomiting rings a little too juvenile, and although toned down from the nastier source material, a threat of gang rape against a female character is problematic in its comedic tone — but fans of the first film and Millar's comics are sure to find much to enjoy in the bone-snapping carnage and testicle-gobbling mayhem, and of course in Moretz’s unflinching, potty-mouthed performance. If there’s to be a “Kick-Ass 3,” surely it should just be called “Hit-Girl: The Movie.”

Rating: 6/10