Pete's Dragon (2016)

The remake of the 1977 Disney musical film that I don't think I've ever seen fully but apparently is not all that good and is one of Disney's weaker efforts. It would seem then that this time around, they have taken the material and made something much better with it, dropping the musical elements for a more grounded approach, the new Pete's Dragon is actually a decent piece of harmless family entertainment.
It's got pretty solid performances across the board and the dragon is also quite adorable and has a very dog like inspired look to him. The films story is very simple and well executed, with a few emotional moments laced through it, including it's very touching ending.
Its nothing outstanding by any means, but certainly well made and decent overall. ***

Suicide Squad (2016)

So here is the latest DC offering that has been bashed by many critics and people and while it is true that the film doesn't fit nicely into your typical critical framework, I found the film to be quite alright actually, nothing outstanding but decent, Sure it's a little rushed and messy and the script is a little weak, but it is undoubtedly entertaining. I think the strongest aspect of this film is the acting which is very solid, everyone makes best use of what they can to bring these characters to life and I would happily see them play them again in future films. I think Will Smith in particular is on top form and I quite enjoyed Leto's Joker, also I think it's the first time I've liked Jai Courtney in anything, so that an achievement. The actions alright, there's a nice dose of humour and all in all I had a fun time, which for now is good enough for me. ***

Jason Bourne (2016)

Jason Bourne returns after 9 years in a brand new thriller fronted once again by Paul 'Handheld or GTFO' Greengrass. Prior to seeing this movie I watched the first three Bourne films (Legacy don't matter) for the first time, now I quite enjoyed them all (see previous post) and was interested to see what we would get 9 years on in this latest outing. Turns out it's all pretty much the same thing again, that's not to say that its bad, the film is actually pretty decent overall, it just doesn't bring anything new or super interesting to the table. The acting is sold overall as per usual with some strong additions to the cast including Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel and Tommy Lee Jones and the story is pretty decent but lacking the same dramatic impact as the previous films. Action is also aright but largely forgettable, plagued by its 'signature' handheld shaky style.
Film kind of just goes through the motions and slowly starts to pick up towards the end, definitely the weakest of the actual Bourne films, struggling to escape from a formula that's just a little tiresome, a thriller thats all in all just fine. ***

The Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum (2002 - 2007)

In anticipation for the newest Bourne film, I decided to watch the first three films for the first time. I was always a little reluctant to watch the series due to the influence the films had in popularising the use of shakycam in modern action cinema, ruining many action sequences for years to come. Despite my doubts though, I did end up really enjoying this films and think they are all very good thrillers.

The Bourne Identity (2002)

I never realised that the first film in the series was not directed by Paul Greengrass, instead we get Doug Liman and hardly any of the shaky handheld aesthetic that dominates later films (hoorah!) . Anyway this is a really well executed thriller, with solid writing, acting and cinematography. I felt like it had a similar tone and vibe to the first mission impossible movie which might be why I liked it so much. Its just a very engaging film, that's well paced and put together with Matt Damon being a very compelling lead. A great start to the franchise. ****


 The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

 With the second film in the series Paul Greengrass takes over, implementing the 'realist' handheld shakycam aesthetic. Now I hate that kind of visual aesthetic, but Paul Greengrass kind of knows what hes doing with it, so it isn't too bad and is barely a distraction in this film . The acting again is really solid with more of the great Brian Cox which is always nice and I really like the way they continue the story from the first one. There's also more action which (shakycam aside) is pretty good overall, though I found the climax a little weak. And there's also a little more character depth that leads to a superb scene before the ending. Overall I thought this was great and the best film in the series, it does lose a bit of steam in the climax, but the scene afterwards more than makes up for it and really ups this films ranking. ****


The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Most people regard this as the best of the series, I however think its the weakest of the three. watching this film I just already started to get tired of the with all this chasing round after Bourne and didn't really get invested until towards the end. I mean it's all solidly made still with the acting, story and action, but I just didn't care much at this point, still the ending is very strong and its still very entertaining, I just feel it doesn't match up as well to the first two.
 

 

Ghostbusters (2016)

So here it is the controversial Ghostbusters reboot featuring a female cast, that caused a mass negative outburst from many fans. I myself didn't really care much and went in expecting something potentially decent and that's a exactly what I got, nothing outstanding just a fun Paul Feig Ghostbusters film. The cast's themselves are likable and do a pretty good job and there's some cameos from original cast members which are a bit hit and miss but fun. The only person I didn't really like much Kate Mckinnon, I'm not sure what it was but everything she did just fell flat for me and I wasn't a fan. The comedy itself could also be very hit and miss but there's enough there to keep thing entertaining and the story is very run-of-the-mill but executed fine and visual effects aren't superb but not bad. Overall if you enjoyed Paul Feig's other movies your probably gonna enjoy this, it's just a fun little comedy that's harmless and does nothing to tarnish the original film in the slightest (not that, that was even possible in the first place). ***

The Neon Demon (2016)

Nicolas Winding Refn's latest effort, is a disturbing and beautiful horror about the sinister fantastical world of modelling, that is absolutely brilliant. Fronted by a great performance from Elle Fanning who is perfectly cast in the lead role, the film is engaging, immersive and hypnotic through out with beautiful cinematography and a great electronic soundtrack. It's chock full of tension with a sense of potential danger lurking through out. Overall it's just a bizarre and great movie that I loved and definitely one of my favourites from this year. ****1/2

The Legend Of Tarzan (2016)

Tarzan returns in a live action film that's kind of OK but a bit bland overall. Lets start with the casting, we've got Alexander Skarsgård in the lead role who has the brooding down to a T but lacks the presence to make for an engaging lead man, Margot Robbie works alright as Jane, Christoph Waltz plays his usual villainous self which is always enjoyable and Samuel L. Jackson add the much needed energy the film needs and thoroughly lacks.
The story itself is also a bit plain and generic but contains a few interesting elements that should have been focused and explored more to make for a much more compelling film.
There's actually a scene before the climax that I thought was really good and was going to set up an interesting climax, but instead gets thrown away for thousands of CGI Bisons, ugh. Overall it's a disappointing movie that had potential to be a whole lot better. **1/2