May Reviews

After an unprecedented six week hiatus from the big screens (didn't see one film during April!), I finally got back to the cinema and started a catch up, even if it is a slow one. Six films seems like a poor show. It did include two of my most anticipated films of the year though – the latest entry into the X-Men franchise and the story of one of Disney's most dastardly villains, Maleficent.

Brick Mansions
Transcendence
X-Men: Days of Future Past 3D
The Other Woman
Godzilla 3D
Maleficent 3D

So to get on with it, here's what I thought about these few.


Brick Mansions — a remake of one of my favourite French films, Banlieue 13 (District 13), replacing one of the lead actors with the late Paul Walker in one of his last performances. As much as I wanted this to work, especially including one of my favourite actors, it just didn't. Replacing many close, hand-to-hand combat sequences with car chases broke up the frenetic passion David Belle brings to the screen with his extraordinary free-running skills. The end scene was a bit soppy, going completely against the grain with the style of the rest of the film too.

Transcendence — a stand alone sci-fi with Johnny Depp as a lead, what could be better? It's an interesting concept and filmed with passion, however the airy-fairy tech gets a bit far fetched as this sci-fi does its best to stay grounded. Depp's aloofness works against it too for a while, lacking the chemistry needed to show the loss Rebecca Hall's character would have been dealing with (once he becomes the emotional-lacking computer, it works). I did like the untraditional non-Hollywood ending, giving the material a bit of depth rather than a miracle cure.

X-Men: Days of Future Past — how do you wrap up all the loose ends of all the previous X-Men films? You don't... Just ignore most of them! Apart from the few continuity errors, this is a fun and different look at the X-Men franchise. It may not follow the comics to the letter but certain changes can be expected transferring to the big screen and writers and director explain elsewhere their reasonings, which all seem plausible to me. As much as I love High Jackman as Wolverine, this kind of felt like it should have been called 'X-Men: Wolverine's Excellent Adventure' - I thought he had his own films to do all that in, rather than take up the precious little time we have with the other mutants. Some of them are blink and you'll miss them type characters, which brings me to one that we could have had more from - Quicksilver. Providing one of the funnest and most unique scenes (I'm a bit of a slo-mo lover, when used properly!), Evans Peters is a welcome addition to the X-Men family.

The Other Woman — a smart, fun and sometimes silly comedy that plays perfectly to the stars – Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton – main qualities as rom-com queens. Starting with a plausible premise and building on the chemistry between the leads works well and keeps the pace moving as well as keeping it grounded in reality. There's nothing Oscar worthy, however it is enjoyable and doesn't leave you with an empty or nauseous  feeling, unlike some other rom-coms.

Godzilla — here's one to see in IMAX (although I didn't), massive set pieces with monstrous... monsters. It's just a shame that the human characters were so bland - not any actors fault, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen do their best. The pacing is a little slow so tends to drag in places, although the tense standoffs make this worth at least having a watch once.

Maleficent — here's an interesting one. After watching this, and even after a few days of it sinking in, I am still on the fence about this one. I believe I have to take a step back from this to truly appreciate it. Disney's original animated version of this story, Sleeping Beauty, is without a doubt one of my favourite films of all time and Maleficent one of the most fierce villains to frequent a Disney movie. To take that story and turn it on its head seems like an abominable mis-step in my books.

But... I did enjoy it. As a stand-alone film it is excellent. Angelina Jolie is exceptional – beautiful, gracious and exceedingly villainous when needed. The graphics are bold, bright and wonderfully whimsical and/or menacing, perfect for captivating all the kiddies and adults alike. The story is a great tale of heartbreak, revenge and regret from the 'villain's' point of view. The scoring is great, building a wonderfully dreamy atmosphere and subtly reminding you this is a hero's story at heart. I'll be off to see this one again at some point, hopefully this time I'll prove a better audience member by leaving the original at the door and enjoying it for what it is!