Film Review: Prometheus - (2012)

Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce (...just why?)
Running time: 124 minutes
Age Rating: 15
UK release date: June 1st 2012

(Just as a word of warning, this review contains spoilers. So don't say I didn't warn you.)

So here we are. Its coming to the end of the film and at this point I just want it to end. Noomi Repace's character, Shaw, is pleading with the captain of the ship "Prometheus" to stop another ship leaving the planet. For some reason he agrees (which is completely out of character) and begins preparing the Prometheus for flight. The two extra pilots refuse to leave and they all share a moment before manically pressing buttons and mashing on touch screens. In a spectacular visual moment, the ship takes off and begins rapidly approaching the other ship. We know that they wont stop. At this point the music is reaching its peak and at the last moment the captain shouts "Hands off!" as all three characters throw their hands into the air as they smash into the other ship. The result of this is, an explosion that is truly remarkable on a technical level. And in a way, that's sort of a good way to desicirbe what I think of the production and result of the actual film.

Now unless you've been living under a rock this year, you'll  have heard of Prometheus. The totally not a prequel, but is a prequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien. I've found that the reception to Scott's return to sci fi is extremely mixed, with people either saying they love it or hate it. I fall on the dislike side, yet I feel that the film does posess talent and elements that are truely unique.

Sorry about the extremely long introduction, I'll make the plot synopsis quick. So the story follows Elizebeth Shaw, as she and her husband travel to an uncharted world in search of an alien race thought to be the creators of humanity. Of course they are funded by the mysterious Weyland corporation who seem to have an alternative agenda (I think). So they get to the planet and everything is fine... No of course it isn't, everything goes to hell. My major issue with the film is the plot. It feels completely thrown together and at times makes absolutely no sense at all. Characters do things that are completely illogical and make no sense what so ever. Now I could sit here naming plot holes and dumb character motivations but we'd be here for a very long time. The problem with these is that they are so jarring and obvious that its near impossible not to notice them. This really doesn't help when trying to get into it, I mean even films like The Dark Knight Rises has plot holes but because their so un-noticeable it really doesn't break the flow of the film.

Now I must admit that the visual aspects to the film are impressive. The CG created environments and the ship look stunning, while the use of practical sets is really immersive. This is the man behind Blade Runner and Alien after all. The sci-fi elements of the film are all very fitting, especially the overly bulky space suits that are strangely fashionable. These elements of the film are really well constructed and very atmospheric. The performance of a lot of the cast is also very good. Michael Fassbender is exceptional and stops the film from being as much as a train wreck.

What really gets me about the film, is the complete lack of tension. The original Alien is a master at this, with a slow build up that gets the audience on the edge of it's seat. In Prometheus things just happen. There isn't really a build up or any suspense. For such a big and epic film, it falls down on the most basic elements.

Prometheus is a mess. I'll be the first to admit that it does have a few good elements and talent behind it, but when it all comes together it fails. I feel that the film was made worse by the fact I'm a fan of the original Alien, which Prometheus doesn't even come close in terms of quality. At this point the Blu-ray has been released and it claims to have answers to all the questions. But I doubt that it will answer my question, where did it all go wrong?

Film Review: Beasts of The Southern Wild - (2012)

Director: Benh Zeitlin
Starring: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry and Gina Montana
Running time: 93 minutes
Age Rating: 12A
UK release date: 19th October 2012

"The whole universe depends on everything fitting together just right. If one piece busts, even the smallest piece... the whole universe will get busted."

It's not often that a film makes me emotional. I find that a lot of modern cinema tries to force us to form emotional connections with characters, but I find that only distances me from them.

Beasts of The Southern Wild truly got to me.

Hush Puppy lives in a place called Bathtub. She's six years old and seems to understand more about life and death than anyone else. Everything seems fine for her and her father, Wink, but soon life starts to fall apart. Wink is suffering from an illness unknown to the audience and his daughter, while the rising water and destructive storms constantly attack Bathtub. This film is pretty bare bones in terms of story, being more of a character driven film. But this is far more compelling than most of the things Hollywood are up to these days.

The film can be grim and difficult to watch at times. Its shot to look extremely grainy and old, with a grey and brown colour scheme dominating most of the film. However, this isn't a visually dull film. The use of this grim style makes the limited use colours truly stand out. I was more visually impressed with this film then big Hollywood blockbusters that spend a fortune trying to make their films look nice. This film understands that beautiful imagery stands out when it balances it with the opposite.  The cinematography of the piece is very good. It is mostly done in a handheld/shaky cam sort of way, but it contributes to the very realistic and naturalistic style. The plot is built to be very believable, which works well when trying to make the characters feel relatable.

I don't quite know how to describe the sound track, other than its used perfectly and is awe inspiring. It has elements of nursery rhymes mixed into big epic instrumental pieces. Slow emotional pieces that are really uplifting. Just an overall amazing score that fit so well with the tone and feel of the film. It really helps the film define its overall identity and give the audience something to remember.

Like I said, this film is a character driven film. And the performances are mind blowing. The two leads have absolutely no experience in acting and yet inject so much life and energy into the film. Quvenzhané Wallis is the heart and soul of the film. Considering how old she is (Six!) makes the impact of her performance even more fantastic. Dwight Henry is equally impressive as Hush Puppy's father. The two work together so well and the relationship between the two is what drives the film. The point of the film isn't for some goal or objective to be achieved it's about the characters living and surviving together. While it may bother some people that there isn't really an end goal in the film, I don't see a problem. It's a compelling film that's about the relationships between its charters.

This film is held together by its awe inspiring performances, lush visuals and absolutely beautiful music. It's as heart-warming as it is heart-breaking and constantly keeps you engaged in its narrative. You'll never see anything like Beasts of The Southern Wild, So please don't miss this film.

"I see that I am a little piece of a big, big universe, and that makes it right."

Film Review: John Carter - (2012)

Director: Andrew Stanton
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe
Running time: 132 minutes
Age Rating: 12A
UK release date: March 7th 2012

I really can't help but enjoy John Carter. I have a complaints list as long as my arm, yet something about this film just makes me smile.

This is the part where I write a quick plot overview to get you interested in the film and give a bit of context for what i'll write later. But it's a bit difficult this time, because John Carter is mad. Its based off a series of books written way back in 1917. What happens is... Well... A soldier from the American civil war is transported to mars where he meets a princess and then fights in a timeless war against other people on mars. Yeah. I'll admit that I skimmed quite a few details, but this film's plot goes beyond confusing. It's not that the plot itself is bad, its that everything has a weird 'alien' name that are never explained. For example they live on Barsoom where the Tharks, Therns, Zodanga people and Helium citizens are all in some sort of conflict with each other. Also Carter somehow has super powers on mars because of the different gravity and something about bone density. Well, that's what I think because the film never stops to explain this, a problem this film seems to be full of.

On a technical level, John Carter is a pretty good looking film (which is good considering the $250 million budget). Mars looks vast and the aliens are visually distinctive. Mars and Earth contrast each other thanks to different colour filters, with mars being a hot red and earth cool blue. This makes each environment feel distinct and interesting and its especially effective in a scene where they would be cutting between the two rapidly. I must admit that the alien race, the Tharks, were really interesting. Led by Tars Tarkas (played by the wonderful Willem Dafoe), its actually quite interesting to see their tribal like traditions in a sci-fi scenario.

The action in this film is ridiculous. John Carter has the ability to jump really high (because he does) which means action scenes will involve he leaping around the environment having sword battles. Its not serious in any way, but its quite amusing to see large scale action scenes play out and John Carter leaping about doing cheesy action guy stuff. Don't expect a deep and meaningful piece of art when going to see John Carter, just bring some popcorn and don't really think about it. You'll have a much better time.

Now onto the bad stuff. The film never even attempts to explain stuff and that really detracts from the overall experience. A film can sometimes over explain stuff, but John Carter never even tries. Which is made even more confusing considering how long the film is, as there is huge gaps in the film where absolutely nothing interesting happens. I feel that the film could be cut down and be much more interesting and have much less wasted time in it.

John Cater is a mess. It was over budgeted, a financial flop and was questionable in quality. Yet I do not regret seeing it. It’s not intellectual and the world won’t end if you don't see it, but I'd still recommend John Carter. Sometimes a big dumb action film is just what you need.

"Did I not tell you he could jump!"