2015 Film Reviews

-Kingsman: The Secret Service

    Ho boy... I've been curious about this movie for quite a while now. After Matthew Vaughn bailed on both Kick Ass 2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past, I was wondering, "What does Vaughn want to do?" That question was answered last May, when I was in the theater to see Days of Future Past, and the trailer for Kingsman: The Secret Service played. Now, I'm a very big fan of Matthew Vaughn. I loved his Fantasy film Stardust when it came out. (No. Not just because the main character's name is also Tristan. ) He also made Kick-Ass and X-Men First Class. Two great films that I think rank in the top 15 Comic Book Movies. That he moved from those 2 genres into a spy film, made me wonder what he saw in it. Because I am not a big fan of spy films. I've only seen 3 Bond films. Two of them were forgettable. While Skyfall was one that I immensely enjoyed. But regardless of what I thought of spy movies, I went to see Kingsman opening night, specifically because I love Matthew Vaughn's work. And with that, lets get into the plot.
     Kingsman is a film about a secret organization of spies that protect the world, largely by protecting the world's leaders from harm. Colin Firth plays an agent codenamed Gallahad who makes a mistake and loses one of his fellow agents on a mission. Feeling guilt, he personally delivers a bravery medal to the fallen agent's widow. When she refuses to take it, he gives it to the agent's son, Eggsy, telling him to call the number on the medal if he should ever need help. 17 years later, Eggsy has grown into an adult, unemployed and putting up with his mother's abusive boyfriends. One night he gets arrested for joyriding. And in custody, he uses his free phone call to call the number on the medal. Gallahad gets him released and takes him to a pub where he offers to give Eggsy a chance to follow in his father's footsteps and become one of the Kingsman. Eggsy refuses. But when Gallahad gives him a demonstration of what a Kingsman can do during a barfight, Eggsy agrees. To become a Kingsman, Eggsy and several other young adults are put through a series of dangerous tasks, sometimes ending in the death of one of the group. Eventually, Eggsy is one of the only 2 left. But he is forced out of training and into the field when the world is threatened by Richmond Valentine. 
    That is basically the premise of the film. I gotta say that I think this film works incredibly well as both an homage to classic spy flicks like the Bond films, and its own original story. They do reference the Bond films and the Jason Bourne films, as well as a few others. But I think this one just has a different feel from the spy films I've seen. The fight scenes are perfectly choreographed and shot. The violence in this film is also very brutal. I didn't realize it was R-rated until F-bombs were being dropped and limbs were being chopped. The style of directing from Vaughn in this film feels like a fun cross between Edgar Wright and Tarantino.
And speaking of Tarantino, we have Sam Motherf*cking Jackson here, playing a brilliantly hilarious villain with a lisp who vomits at the sight of blood. The whole cast here is great! Colin Firth convinces me for the first time that he can kick ass. Michael Cain and Mark Strong are great playing other members of the Kingsman. Even Mark Hamill himself has a fun little role here. But it all comes down to our main character Eggsy. What did I think of him?
For his first big lead role, i think Taron Egerton was also pretty good as a sharp man who can do parkour, and still be someone who will disobey orders to do what he knows is right.
There's also this chick on the villain's side, Gazelle, who has prosthetic legs that can extend into blades. And she kicks ass! Gazelle is a menacing villain whose legs give us some incredibly kinetic action scenes.
    Throughout this film there are alot of themes about hostility, and environmentalism, and even religion and some points.
There is a VERY shocking scene in which Colin Firth brutally murders everyone inside a church who were currently in a fight. It may sound random, but it would make sense if I spoiled more of the film. Which I won't. But the church fight goes on for about 5 minutes, with some incredibly long camera shots that go on without cutting. The whole scene is shocking, and yet it is sadistically comedic.
This film has a very good sense of humor, using it at the appropriate times. And if it isn't an appropriate time for a joke, the film adapts its tone to fit the joke. The scene is also surprisingly dark at times, not holding back its punches. 
    I saw this in a theater that had alot of surprisingly elderly people. And I could tell they were shocked by some of the profanity and violence of the film. And yet, when credits rolled, they were the ones who started applauding before I joined in. And as they left, I overheard just about everyone who left say that they loved the film. Which is why I am going to give Kingsman: The Secret Service a 5/5 And a STRONG RECOMMEND. I had even more fun seeing this in the theater than I did with Guardians of the Galaxy. It is THAT GOOD.
I think this may be Matthew Vaughn's best film. If you can see one film in theaters this weekend, trust me. Do not see 50 Shades of Grey. You can find films exactly like it on the dirtier areas of the internet and at just a fraction of the runtime. Instead, go see Kingsman. You'll have a ton of fun and laughs. 
With that, this is Tristanthejawsfan signing off.
And remember, 
Manners Maketh Man

-Mad Max: Fury Road

 First of all, I'd like to thank ChristoMan for introducing me to the original Mad Max trilogy. I didn't really care for the first one (Even if what they did with their budget was impressive.) But I loved The Road Warrior, and I enjoyed most of Thunderdome. So by the time Fury Road came out, my hype for Avengers had more or less burned out, and my hype for the new Mad Max film was ignited. So now the next film I'm hyped for is Jurassic World. (Still really optimistic and excited for that one. )
Second, I'm sure alot of people have seen the INSANE critical praise that this film has been getting. It's almost scary how positive critical response has been. So, I'm not writing this review to tell you that the film is good and that you should see it. That's pretty much what all critics are saying. I'm writing this review to explain why I think you should see it, and why I think more films like Fury Road should be made.
This film doesn't really have much of a plot. And I know, alot of people are going to go "That's putting style over substance like Michael Bay! It's gonna suck then!" But I strongly disagree. Bay never put style over substance. He put explosions, product placement, and bouncing tits over substance. There's a difference. A film can be loved and enjoyed just for its visuals and style. Look at much of Burton's films, or even Zack Snyder's stuff. Film and cinema is a visual media. Probably the number one rule for film is "show, don't tell". I feel like everyone has gotten carried away and believes all films must be well written like a Nolan film and relate to individuals in order to be good. And while great writing can certainly heighten a film, Fury Road is a film that shows the world that breathtaking visuals can be enough sometimes. A film doesn't NEED a great or complex story to be good.
Hell, I recently saw Steven Spielberg's first film, Duel. A film with no plot really, just a simple premise with vehicles chasing eachother. But it's all about execution. An hour and a half film of a guy in his little red car being run down by a massive truck, wouldn't be as entertaining or visually stimulating if it weren't for Spielberg's execution and style.
Mad Max Fury Road works very much the same way. It's essentially a 2 hour car chase, that gives us sparing amounts of dialogue and character development throughout. If you're looking for a Nolan film, or a script that forces you to use your brain, look elsewhere. But personally, I'm glad that for once we get a film that proves that style can be superior to substance sometimes.
The director, George Miller, who is returning to the Mad Max films after 30 years, now in his 70's. He set out to make a silent film almost. He wanted to make a film that foreign audiences who didn't speak english could understand without subtitles thanks to visual cues and the actors' body language. And I think he succeeded in that aspect. I'd almost love to see an alternate cut of this film that muted the dialogue, leaving us with just the sounds and the score. Speaking of which, this film has quite an epic score thanks to composer Junkie XL. Its loud and thundering, with almost a growl behind it, which blends it seamlessly with the movie's sound mix. The vehicles in this film are also awesome. I can't put into words how satisfying it is to see real cars doing these stunts. No more of this CGI Fast and Furious BS. Yes I know some of their stunts were practical. But THIS is how you do a car chase with carnage, flames, bullets, and sand. And while the characters aren't deep, I think the actors do a great job at portraying them. Tom Hardy. I only know him from Dark Knight Rises, but he's great here. Playing a Max who's almost feral. He speaks more as the film goes on. But at first, he only says a few simple words at a time and seems very animalistic, even borderline snarling at times. Charlize Theron is pretty good here as well, playing a character who feels like the female version of Max in this universe. But my favorite character has to be Nux, played by Nicholas Hoult. He steals the show in several scenes.
And throughout this film, I do like the amount of world-building they do. Showing different factions of the villain's army. Like the Gas Town, and the Bullet Farmers. As well as some unique cars driven by members from other territories. Like the "Buzzards" and their cars covered in spikes. You can't get much more badass than a rust Fire Truck covered in spikes, speeding through the desert, with giant saw blades and an excavator arm extending from its sides.
I can't really think of anything to say about this film. I think this may be one of my new favorite films period. The one thing I will say, is that if you're looking for a deep story about characters, you won't find one here. There are a few subtle themes about feminism and anti-war. But you don't really know the characters any better at the end than you do at the beginning. But then again, none of the Mad Max films have really been about characters. They've been about the world and the post-apocalyptic environment that George Miller brings to life like no one else. Max is just a character trying to survive like everyone else.
I strongly recommend this film to anyone looking for a film with incredible style and action scenes. It is a beautiful piece of film-making and entertainment. And unlike Lucas with Phantom Menace and Ridley Scott with Prometheus, Miller returns to his original trilogy to not only make a film that's faithful to the originals, but one that I will hold up as the best of the series.
I give Mad Max Fury Road a very enthusiastic 5/5

-Jurassic World

The original Jurassic Park, will always be the best of the series. I think the makers of Jurassic World were well aware of that. But just because you can't top the original, doesn't mean you shouldn't try to, or that you can't make a good film. And kudos to Colin Trevorrow for giving his all, and delivering us the best sequel in the series yet. And it's the one Jurassic Park deserved, as it pretty much ignores the events of The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3. Both of which, I didn't entirely hate, but I'm willing to ignore them for the sake of this film. As a Jurassic Park fanboy, who read both of the books, saw all the films, and followed the development of this film online since it began, I can say that the final product that we've been delivered, is faithful to the original source material. 
I love the premise of this film, that it's 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park (in real life, it's also been 22 years since the first film came out) and the Theme Park that John Hammond dreamed about has finally become a reality. The other films and books never toyed with that idea. Which gives this film such a juicy and interesting premise. But I also feel like there's a bit of subtext in this film as well. The people in charge of the park talk about how people aren't "thrilled" by dinosaurs the same way anymore. That they've become so used to them and accustomed to them that they don't have the same feeling of awe that they did when they first saw them. I feel this resembles the way that audiences no longer are blown away by CGI in films the way that they were when Jurassic Park revolutionized the technology. And while this film relies mostly on CGI, unlike the original, (it's still great CGI) there is one scene that uses an animatronic dinosaur, and is actually a pretty touching moment. The puppet dinosaur breathing it's last quiet breath... I think it symbolizes the way that practical special effects are sadly becoming a dying art. The scene actually got tears to start welling up in my eyes. (Several moments did.)
I also love that this film almost feels like a sequel that's self aware. 
The new dinosaur created for this film, The Indominus Rex, is created because the attendants of the Park want things "Bigger, Louder, and with more teeth". And many of the people working at the Park make snarky comments about bigger not always being better. As if they know that doing things "bigger and better" will inevitably blow up in your face. Which is usually what happens with sequels.
One thing I loved in this film, is the way that they kept the dinosaurs hidden early in the film, but not for as long as the original did. Which felt like a nice throwback to classic "Spielbergian" build up from films like Jaws.
Jurassic World also manages to perfectly recreate the suspenseful and intense setpieces of the original film, that the other sequels were never able to execute as well.
But what about the characters? Well, Chris Pratt plays Owen. An ex-Navy, who's been working at Jurassic World and has been able to kinda train the Raptors. Mostly because they imprinted on him at birth. But it's a shaky relationship he has with them that will be tested throughout the course of the film. Almost as shaky a relationship as the one he has with Claire, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. An actress I've never cared for in anything I've seen her in before. Be it Spiderman 3 or Terminator Salvation. And I expected to hate her here. But she surprised me in this film. As she plays the woman in charge of running the park. As as the Park grows more and more chaotic, I could sympathize with her struggle to hold the place together and prevent as little panic and loss of life as possible. Claire also has a decent character arc as she must learn to respect the animals of her park as living beings who also have feelings. She also has a pair of nephews visiting the Park, who haven't seen her in 7 years and end up thrown into danger when the Indominus Rex escapes. Both of whom are played pretty well by Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins. Irrfan Khan is enjoyable as Mr. Masrani, the man who's filled the shoes of the now dead John Hammond. The only actor I didn't enjoy, was Vincent D'Onofrio, who plays a cliche character who wants to weaponize the Raptors for the military. He gets what he deserves in the end.
The score of this film is also nice and majestic. They couldn't get John Williams (He's busy with The Force Awakens.) So they got Michael Giacchino, whose music I've loved in Star Trek (2009), Super 8, Ghost Protocol, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
They play the original and familiar Jurassic Park theme a few times, but the composer knows to rely on his own original flourishes. Which is a statement that goes for pretty much this entire film.
It pays a loving homage to the original film, and fills your heart with nostalgia. But it still manages to be original and tell its own story.
As with any of these films, the dinosaurs are cool to look at. The end climax is an absolute JOY to watch.
In conclusion, comparing this film to the first one, is like comparing the Indominus Rex, to the classic T-Rex. 
Sure, the I-Rex is bigger, and smarter and can do all these cool things. But the T-Rex will always be the favorite dinosaur by the fans. And much like the I-Rex has some of the T-Rex's DNA, this film has much of the same feelings and tones of that original Jurassic Park put into it. But the film-makers have also injected alot of other things into this film that make it unique and original enough, while making the series fresh again.
I'll put it this way, each year there's one movie coming out that's part of a franchise I love and I anticipate it more than any other film that year. In 2012, it was Prometheus. In 2013, it was EVIL DEAD. In 2014, it was Godzilla. I walked away from all of those films happy. But none of them left me with the strong feeling of nostalgia and satisfaction that Jurassic World has.
It's not a perfect film. There are flaws with it. But it's a fun ride, with interesting subtexts if you look for them, that made me cry and feel like a kid again. I give Jurassic World a Strong Recommend, and a 4/5

-Terminator Genisys

 The Terminator franchise is a series that I’ve always compared to the Alien franchise. Both series are heavy in Sci-Fi and occasionally Horror. Both series have solid first installments, as well an arguably better sequel. And then they were both followed by 3^rd and 4^th installments that were heavily flawed, but had their moments. And much like Terminator, Alien will be getting a 5^th installment. Although Alien is a series that I hold much dearer than Terminator, I’ve always enjoyed the series. Despite me being more hyped for Alien 5, I still wanted to see Terminator Genisys.
                And we’ve had a ton of old franchises trying to make a comeback this year. First Mad Max with the amazing Fury Road. Then Jurassic Park with the fun and self-aware Jurassic World. We’ve still got Star Wars coming at the end of the year with The Force Awakens. But now, we’ve got Terminator trying to make a much needed come-back with Genisys. So my hope going in, was that Genisys would at least be entertaining and re-energize the franchise. Now, having seen it, it’s not the roaring come-back that Fury Road or Jurassic World were. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad.
                Terminator Genisys takes us back to basic formula of the first two films. But it keeps things fresh with a new plot involving time travel, alternate timelines and new takes on old characters. My favorite sections of the film, take place back in 1984 during the first film, where they add a film grain to the composition to match the look of the original film. One thing that doesn’t match the original films though, the visual effects. They don’t look terrible. But at no point do they look real. What about the actors though? Emilia Clarke plays Sarah Connor. And she definitely looks the part, but she manages to play the role differently and make it her own, as a Sarah who knows her destiny and doesn’t want it. And of course, Arnold is back, playing his most iconic role. He does just as well as he did in Terminator 2 and has an interesting relationship with Sarah as he raised her and is fondly nicknamed “Pops”. However, Jai Courtney is kinda dull as our new Kyle Reese. I recognize that the actor is trying to do the best he can, and he does have a few good lines. But he just never leaves an impression on me. The again, Michael Biehn didn’t leave much of an impression either in the original Terminator. but he never felt as bland. And some of the worst scenes in the film for me, take place in the future with Reese and John Connor sharing dialogue that just thuds. And speaking of which, Jason Clarke is also a little bland as John Connor. (Though a little better than Bale in Salvation. XD) But once he becomes evil (It was in the trailers! I didn’t spoil it, they did!) I enjoy him as the scenery chewing and sometimes menacing villain. 
While the film is pretty entertaining, I’m never as invested or adrenalized as I am when I watch the first two films. But the plot still holds my interest. I like the idea that John Connor, the last hope for humankind, is now the machines’ last hope.  And Jai Courtney and Emilia have some fun chemistry at times. The film has good humor without ever being as abundant or forced as Terminator 3. I knew this film probably wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as 1 or 2. But I was hoping that it’d at least be better than 3 and Salvation.  And it is. That may be a low bar, but this is easily the best Terminator film since 2. It does go back to the old days of 1 and 2. But it’s the new stuff that keeps me interested. It leaves a few subtle loose threads for more sequels, but not in a frustrating way like Amazing Spiderman. I enjoyed Genisys, and if they’re going to make more Terminator films, this is the direction I want them to go. Not a parody/rehash like 3. Not a bland drama like Salvation. But an alternate timeline. One that has been drawn by this film for future sequels to use. Genisys is an entertaining reflection on the Terminator films and for that, I give it a mild recommend and a 3/5

-Attack on Titan (Live-action film)

SPOILER WARNING

I know there are thousands of fans of Attack on Titan, myself included. (If you're going to be one of those snobbish fanboys and correct me, saying that it's called "Shingeki no Kyojin", get the hell off my page please.)
I never got around to reviewing the Anime. Which is something that I may someday still do. But for those wondering, I'd give it an 3/5. it's an Anime I enjoy, but one that does have deep flaws both with the writing and the pacing. But I loved it for the world that they created, the show's tone, and the impressive action set-pieces. So when I heard that Toho Studios (maker of all the Japanese Godzilla films) was planning to make two Attack on Titan Live-Action films, my interest was piqued. It seemed like a film hand crafted for me to enjoy. Well I finally saw it, and I'm ready to give my thoughts on it. But keep in mind, if you're one of those Attack on Titan purists who doesn't like any changes to what was on the pages of the manga, this probably isn't the film for you. I'll go into why that is later.
To begin, I like the changes made to the world in this film. It was fairly ambiguous in the original material as to whether it was post-apocalyptic or not. Here however, it is much more clear that it is indeed post-apocalyptic, with the remaining scraps of tech they have lying around, and the more steam-punk aesthetic, which I kinda dig more than the show's. They change some of the names of the walls and the towns within them, but that ultimately isn't a problem for me. It still tells the same story as the anime, and should feel very familiar. However, there are tweaks made to it here and there that both keep the pace flowing as well as intrigue those who are used to the show like me.
The film has an all Asian cast, which isn't a problem for me, but is for alot of purists. But it's a Japanese film, what did you guys expect? I don't have a problem with any of the cast here. I like the actors playing Eren and Armin. Particularly Eren, who is able to play the character in a way that makes me more interested. In the show, Eren was the least interesting character. The only characteristics he had were rage, and the ability to turn into a Titan. But while I think they improved on Eren, I don't think the actress playing Mikasa is that great in the latter half of the film. Which leads me to this film's biggest twist for those familiar with the manga. They switch characters out. Instead of Eren's mother being eaten, they put Mikasa in that position. Which I like much better. The death of Eren's mother was a moment that never left an emotional impact on me, because she was a character we spent no time with, and so I didn't really care that she got eaten. Mikasa on the other hand, we have spent time with, and is more developed. Thus, it is more impactful when it happens to her. Though she doesn't die, she returns later, with a bite shaped scar on her chest, and an amount of disdain toward both Eren and the world itself. Alot of people hate this change to her character, and have given this film shit for it. I won't. I think it's an interesting conflict, even if the actress doesn't sell it as well near the end.
Something that fans and critics have hated on, are the effects in this film. But I am going to defend them. I think that we have become far too spoiled by CGI in our big blockbusters. I love the creativity in the effects here. They picked actors and actresses with very interesting faces to play the Titans. That's right! Like the Godzilla films, this one uses miniatures and compositing to create the illusion. And some of it doesn't look great, but most of it looks good. When they have Eren on a set of a rooftop in one shot, the Titan actor in another shot next to a miniature of that same rooftop pretending to hold Armin, and Armin struggling in a large puppet hand in another shot all composited together and in focus, it looks impressive. The Titans are creepier than ever, with smaller ones scrambling under the big ones to get their share of flesh. The gore is also great, but not when they use CGI blood. 
They do use CGI a little bit to enhance the features of the Titans, such as the way their cheeks split open when they go to eat, which is a nice addition. And that's how CGI SHOULD be used. To enhance what's already there. Not to create something from scratch. You could create Titan's completely with CGI, but they wouldn't look anywhere near as creepy as they do here. I was far more unnerved and creeped out in this film than I ever was when watching the show. It's easily the scariest giant Kaiju film out there. The one effect that doesn't look good to me, is Titan Eren. Instead of going with an actor, they got a guy in a suit to play him. And while I like the way he looks, I don't really like the way he moves.
The film doesn't end the story, but it leaves off on a good note to hook you for part two. And if it doesn't, then the mid-credits teaser WILL. I haven't seen the second film, Attack on Titan: End of the World yet. But the teaser they showed has me really excited for what's to come.

In conclusion, Attack on Titan (2015) is a fantastic vision brought to life. With it's gritty cinematography, horrific creature effects, and brisk pacing, it's a juicy retelling of the manga/anime but with differences. Some may not accept the changes. But I am glad that when writing the film adaptation of his work, the creator of Attack on Titan realized, "What's the point of telling a story the same way?". Honestly, if you like the manga or anime the way it was, then go watch that. For me, this film made several improvements over the source material and has me really excited for Toho's return to Godzilla as well as the next Attack on Titan film. I've always been a fan of two genre's merging, and this is a perfect example of that. It's both an unnerving horror film, and an exciting Kaiju film. I liked this film far more than the show, and it is definitely another one of my favorite films so far this year.
I give Attack on Titan a 4/5

-Star Wars: The Force Awakens