Movie Review 853 results

Barbie Movie Review

With a storyline that works the angle of Barbie (Margot Robbie) becoming a sentient being who begins to question the reality of her surroundings, it opens the door for some very assertive social commentary. Ideas delivered with a sly wink via an effective monologue by America Ferrera. The fully colour-saturated look is as imbued with robust ideas as those words.   //   Casting Ryan Gosling as the Ken doll works well as he is unafraid to ham it up or play the fool and ...

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Those big risks give the action on-screen a much more visceral impact and the wow factor is elevated substantially. This is also needed as the character development in this, the seventh time out is minimal. Cruise is such a recognisable celebrity that it is difficult to see him other than himself but in that context, he rarely disappoints.   //   The storyline of Dead Reckoning revolves around a hot topic in today’s news cycle Artificial Intelligence or AI as it is ...

Insidious: The Red Door Movie Review

Insidious: The Red Door envelopes the audience with just enough information to build a sense of unease that escalate throughout its 107-minute running time. This might underwhelm those who thirst for extreme violence or novel ways of dispatching victims.   //   When you take the time and make the audience endure the pace you can build to a real climax. This is where most horror films lose the plot, too much violence and it becomes cartoonish, showing the protagonist in ...

Joy Ride Movie Review

The setup is simple Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola) are lifelong friends, having known each other since a very young age. Audrey is an overachieving lawyer and Lolo is a free spirit and struggling artist. Together they are the classic odd couple.   //   When Audrey has to travel home to China to close a big deal she brings Lolo along and chaos ensues. The film pushes the boundaries and gloriously steps over the line time and time again. It makes you realise ...

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Movie Review

After the opening WW 2 set-piece we jump forward in time to find Jones being awoken from a deep slumber by a neighbour loudly playing the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour to herald the arrival of the first men on the moon. This expensive use of a fab four tune successfully sets up the late sixties landscape, as does the slice-of-life scenes from New York City   //   Coming in contact with his goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) sets in motion a contrivance that ...

No Hard Feelings Movie Review

Jennifer Lawrence plays Maddie Barker, one of the few permanent residents in Montauk, New York. The town is a destination for New Yorkers with money to while away the idyllic summer months by the water while the locals tend to their every need.   //   Maddie, on the cusp of losing the house her late mother left her due to back taxes answers an ad to seduce the lonely child of a rich couple played by Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti. This predictable premise (for a ...

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Movie Review

The Transformers films have always operated at a high level of visual spectacle and basic human endeavour and the new edition is no different. Things have improved notably now that they are casting humans with more real appeal than being just eye candy even though they give them very little to do.   //   Stakes have risen and it’s nothing less than the complete annihilation of planet Earth at stake. With the introduction of a new set of adversaries, the Terrorcons who ...

Elemental Movie Review

The story does have a message and not a particularly veiled one about acceptance of those that you share very little in common with. This is softened via a unique take and look of its main characters. There is also a very Eastern feel to the sense of family.   //   Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) is a young female flame that is struggling to come to terms with the place in life her father has mapped out for her. When her life intersects with Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie) an ...

The Flash Movie Review

The Flash character has always inhabited a world similar to that of Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man is so much as a somewhat normal teen who through an accident is given special powers. These powers combined with the challenges of the teen years make them more relatable. We’ve all had awkward moments during that phase of life.   //   Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) continues to be haunted by the death of his mother and the unjust incarceration of his father for her murder. He ...

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Movie Review

Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) proves it is still tough being a young Spider-Man and balancing high school, girls and keeping the parental units unaware of your superhero antics. He’s also enduring the absence of gal pal Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld). When Gwen returns and seeks his help on a mission, it turns his life inside out.   //   The look of the film is unlike any other and uses a plethora of animation techniques and a robust palette of colours to dazzle the ...