Aladdin (2019) - Review

Review: 

*Originally written May 22nd, 2019*

Yeah, I'm pretty much done with these live-action Disney remakes now. I had a soft-spot for a couple and I really liked Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book, but after the mediocre Dumbo and now this incredibly bland and cynical remake of Aladdin, I'm over it. I just wish I turned on these films faster, because in all honesty, they deserve it.

What makes a little of these films great is how tight, fun and entertaining they are. The original Aladdin is even one of my favourite of Disney's animated classics and this re-imagining brings absolutely nothing new to the table and does so very little to justify its existence outside of printing money for Disney. A company I'm very quickly beginning to despise. 

The problem I have with this and earlier this years Dumbo is just wasting the directors. I'm not the biggest fan of Guy Ritchie, but I give him credit when it comes to style, he has own unique sensibilities that feel present in all of his films, for better or worse. His films can be very obnoxious at times, but there is some entertainment in his quick-witted dialogue and incredibly stylised action. His films feel like his own. If I had no idea Guy Ritchie directed this and then afterwords discovered this, I would have thought it was a joke. Aside from two very brief moments, there is not a single ounce of wit or style that makes this feel like a Ritchie film. 

It once again feels like a film directed by a corporate machine with no flair for the cinematic. So much of this feels flat and lifeless. Some of the songs are obviously very good, as they were in the original and the  updates of these songs are absolutely fine, but everything just lacks energy, making it seem like some tiring chore. It's amazing to me that a film with a budget this insanely high can feel so uninteresting and dull. There seems to be a lot going on screen with these musical numbers, but the way its shot makes it seem so damn boring. 

It's a shame too, in hindsight, an Aladdin film from Guy Ritchie actually sounds like an interesting idea. The style from his early British crime films could have actually merged well with the story of a young street rat here, but it's so safe and uninteresting. They do not take a single risk with this update and it shows. It honestly made me wish I was watching Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, one of his biggest flops and a film that was panned left, right and centre, but that still displays more creativity and unique style than anything onscreen in Aladdin. 

It's not all bad though. Even with the horrific marketing, Will Smith somehow managed to be the best thing about this. He brings a lot of charm and charisma to the role, despite the questionable character design. His performance in this is very much Will Smith being Will Smith, but by the time he joins the film, it was a welcome addition. Relative unknown Mena Massoud also gives a fairly solid performance as Aladdin, he's not amazing, but he carries the film well enough.

Marwan Kenzari's Jafar is a big miss. A completely one note and boring villain who's motivations are nothing more than "He's evil", it's just annoying. If they're going to spread these stories out for an extra 40 minutes from their animated originals, they could at least try and use this time to expand on character, but instead they just add filler between the plot beats we already know in order to get the film to around the 2 hour mark. 


There's so little to say. It is what it is, a deeply cynical cash grab with a solid Will Smith being himself and a few moments of fun from songs you remember from your childhood. Too competently made to be called bad, but so deeply unoriginal and pointless to be called good. I can't believe I'm saying this, but what a waste of Guy Ritchie....

5/10 Dans

Aladdin is out now in cinemas in the UK
Watch the trailer below:

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John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) - Review

Review:

*Originally written May 15th, 2019*

The John Wick series is an unlikely series if I've ever seen one. Starting off as what could have potentially been VOD/straight-to-DVD trash ended up being one of the most creatively shot, entertaining and classy pieces of action cinema released in the past decade. Sure, it's Keanu Reeves going to war with the criminal underworld after the death of his dog, but it ended up being so much more than that.

The sequel only improved on things. Expanding this insane, comic-book like world and upping the stakes, delivering even more creative, brutal violence and a surprisingly dramatic story that felt like it had depth, even making way for an incredibly effective cliffhanger that leads into this inevitable third film. I wasn't sure just how they'd top the second, but my god, they did it. Those crazy sons of bitches did it.

Taking place instantly after the events of the second film, John Wick finds himself with a $14 million bounty on his head after murdering a high ranking criminal and breaking the rules of his underground crime syndicate, leaving him with nowhere to go and no one to help him. I wasn't sure what exactly to expect from the story here, after the first 40 minutes, everything I was expecting was pretty much proved wrong, making this one of those rare films where I had no idea what was going to happen. 

I knew this franchise was conceived as a trilogy, but with nothing but growing love and popularity for the series between films, part of me knew this wouldn't be the last we'd see of John Wick. I'll admit I'm a little disappointed at the direction taken here to not end the franchise and instead set up an inevitable fourth film, but then again, much like the Mission Impossible series, I'm always taken back at how they manage to up the ante, so I have faith they'll continue this series in the right way. In all fairness, without spoiling things, it does promise a very interesting direction to take the series. 

Even with that, everything story-wise was a genuine surprise. It takes some strange routes to get there, even stopping off at Casablanca for an entire act, but it's always intriguing and makes use of its trademark action and black humour while continuing to grow this ever expanding world of underground assassins with their unique honour system, rules and code. 

Among the returning cast of supporting characters, we also get a whole variety of new faces, most of which are very welcome additions.  A few of the actors from the Raid series get their chance to shine, after having their talents wasted in forgettable cameos withing huge Hollywood films (There's even a great homage to The Raid 2 thrown in here). Halle Berry makes a excellent use of her screen-time in her first good role in years as an ex-assassin with ties to Wick and has two adorable dogs that even get involved with the action. I'm really hoping one of the spin-off films around this series has her in mind.

Of all the new faces, the main one that sticks out is sadly once again the villain. This series has always had a problem with forgettable villains and this might just be the worst of the lot. Mark Dacascos "Zero" gets some brutal and extended fight-scenes, which he does well in physically, but in terms of character, there's very little there. There's a couple of fun jokes about him being a big fan of Wick, but that wears off pretty quickly and he kinda reminded me of Randall Park in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Take from that what you will.

Franchise returners all get much bigger and expanded roles. Ian McShane is still a delight as the owner of the "Continental", although some of his character choices are questionable towards the end. Lance Reddick has much more to do and even gets involved in some action this time around. Then, Laurence Fishburne is still just awful as "The Bowery King", chewing his scenery to unbearable levels in his brief appearances. 

Then there's Keanu Reeves as John Wick himself, a role that's as tailor made for him as John Wick's suits are for him. He continues to expand his range with while playing the cold-hearted assassin with just enough humanity to make him feel like a real human being. His dedication to performance his own stunts and physical work is only rivalled by possibly Tom Cruise. Reeves gives it his all. Many accuse Reeves of being wooden, but he's far from it here, showing Wick his more depth and range than the previous two films combined. 

Now, what you're all here for with a John Wick film is the action, and yes, the film delivers this in levels that I could barely take in with just one watch. The third film in this series is absolute carnage brimming with creativity. It's beautifully shot with no shakey-cam bullshit, it's relentless and feels absolutely brutal. Wick makes use of whatever he can to kill someone, from guns, knives, books, his hands and even a horse (All within the first 40 minutes). It is utter carnage.

Each set-piece expands upon itself and ups the stakes to near comical levels, Which is what you should expect at this point. Once you embrace how absurd this world is and how deranged the violence gets, you really do learn to love it. I miss films like this, brutally violent action films with just enough budget to accomplish huge action scenes without having to tone it down for a family friendly audience. These really are the films we should be supporting. 

I'd argue that Parabellum is exhausting, but in a good way. It rarely slows down from the action, kind of similar to Mad Max: Fury Road or Mission Impossible: Fallout, it's exhausting, but so rewarding by the end of it and while you're sitting there just taking it all in, it's a transcendent experience. I never thought I'd say that about a film series that started with a retired assassin avenging the murder of his dog.

Amongst all the incredible action, this is also a gorgeous and beautiful looking film. Even the smaller scenes have a cinematic flair to them, but this series loves neon and continues to do so. Some of the sets and designs are absolutely stunning, brimming with interesting details, lighting and colouring. It must be said how underappreciated Tyler Bates score is too, reusing and remixing previous tracks from the series and bringing in some pulsating and tense music to accompany the already insane action scenes.


If you're a fan of this series so far, I can't imagine you'll be disappointed by what's been put on display here. A gorgeous visual feast of creative violence and carnage that manages to be one of the best action films of recent years in a series that just gets better with each film. I'll be amazed if 2019 gives us a better action film than this. 

9/10 Dans

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is out now in cinemas in the UK
Watch the trailer below:

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Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (2019) - Review

Review:

*Originally written May 14th, 2019*

I'm not exactly sure what my deal with Pokemon is. I definitely grew up around it, I remember the cards, I might of seen a few of the films and the TV show, but outside of the imagery of Pikachu and Ash, I really don't know or remember anything about the series. I can name a few of the more obvious Pokemon, but outside that I'd say I'm a poser of a fan.

Even with that, I was very much looking forward to Detective Pikachu. A detective comedy with Ryan Reynolds voicing Pikachu? It's definitely one of the weirder and more out-there concepts for a massive budgeted franchise film I've seen for quite some time. Although I still wish they went with Danny De Vito as the voice, there was certainly potential there. 

The film itself though, is an incredibly fun time. It might not commit to the weirdness as much as it should, but for a kids film, this is pretty much everything you could ask for. A simple, easy to follow story, an interesting and varied world, humour that lands and a surprising amount of heart. I can't say how faithful to the games this is, as I've not played them, but in terms of video-game movies this is by far the best I've seen and the most successful from what I've seen (And I have seen far too many).

My biggest concern with this was the lead actor. Justice Smith. His role in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as the screaming banshee of unspeakably annoying levels destroyed any excitement of any project he would be starring in. Honestly, I cannot express just how awful he is in that terrible film. That Razzie nomination was more than justified. Thankfully, he proved to be a surprising lead that carried things well, making way for an emotional arc as Tim, as he finds himself uncovering a mystery that involves his dead father, a shady corporation and the Ryan Reynold's voiced Pikachu.

Now, let's get on to that. Ryan Reynold's Pikachu is very much Ryan Reynold's doing his usual Deadpool thing. A sarcastic pop-culture joke machine, but it surprisingly works in the film's favour. Mostly due to the absolutely incredible CGI creation of Pikachu, an instantly adorable, sweet and cute creation that is impossible to hate. This is how you make a live-action character come to life (Looking at you Sonic).

In fact, bringing this entire world of Pokemon to life is something I didn't expect the film to pull off as well as it did, but the world building here is so impressive. I love the design of all the Pokemon and they mix into the real world pretty perfectly, we see snippets of how society has made use of them (Squirtles being used as firefighters was my favourite). There's so much stuff going on in the background that can be set-up for future films I can't wait for. 

Outside of Pikachu and Tim, the supporting cast are easily brushed a little to the side. Kathryn Newton leaves an impact as an aspiring reporter who partners with Tim to sort out this mystery, while Bill Nighy hams it up in a role that is laughably obvious where it was going to go from the beginning, but as a kids film, I can probably give it a free pass. I had no idea Nighy was even in it, but he's a welcome surprise none the less. 

i don't know what much else to say there is about Detective Pikachu, it's definitely an achievement in video-game films, Ryan Reynold's incredibly cute Pikachu steals the show and there's so much going on here that can be further expanded on in sequels. It's great. I'mma go play Pokemon Go now. 



8/10 Dans

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is out now in cinemas in the UK
Watch the trailer below:

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