Movies & TV series

Top Movies – Sully Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Clint Eastwood returns as a director and impresses his audience with a calm, yet tense film that retells the story of the miraculous forced landing on the Hudson River.

Genre: Drama

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Molly Hagan, Ann Cusack, Mike O’Malley, James Sheridan, Anna Gunn, Holt McCallany, Chris Bauer, Autumn Reeser, Jerry Ferrara, Max Adler, Sam Huntington, Blake Jones & Laura Linney.

Run Time: 96 min.

US Release: 09 September 2016

UK Release: 02 December 2016

German Release: 01 December 2016

Seven years after the miraculous water landing of flight 1549, Hollywood decided to create a movie of the event with director Clint Eastwood helming the project and Tom Hanks starring in the lead role, as Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. This biographical drama is very different to other Eastwood movies, in style as well as in tone, but it was nevertheless a fantastic cinematic experience. The film gave me a better understanding of what happened during those three minutes of flight and surprised me by depicting the later events from an unconventional point of view; that of the airline’s insurance and the NTSB agency.

I was living in the UK at the time when this event happened, finishing my last year of Uni. I remember having gotten out of class and just arriving at home early in the eve when my roommates told me to turn on the TV. At that time the world was dealing with the financial crisis and my thoughts were turning around that subject. When I turned on BBC News I was shocked to see the images on screen. The first question that popped into my mind was: “Is this a botched attempt at another terror attack?” however, I soon realised that it was a spectacular emergency landing after a bird strike hit the plane at take-off. The event didn’t stay long in my mind though, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the trailer for this film.

The story takes place a couple of days after the incident on January 15, 2009. Captain Chesley Sullivan, nicknamed Sully (Hanks), and his first pilot Jeffrey Skiles (Eckhart) are audited by the NTSB on the water crash in the Hudson. Sully soon notices that the NTSB Board members (O’Malley, Sheridan & Gunn) are trying to deem his actions as “pilot error”, a measure that would end his career immediately. In a bid to save his reputation, he arranges to have the simulations of the incident re-run with live pilots.

When it comes to movies based on real life events, it is hard to surprise the audience with the story, as the viewers already know what happened. Sully, though, managed to surprise me from the first act because the story is not depicting the moments that lead to the incident but rather the aftermath of the forced water landing. While there are flashbacks depicting what happened from three different perspectives, most of the plot is dealing with the insurance aspect of that tragedy and I found that angle of storytelling, to my amazement, quite compelling. I was also blown away by the dialogue in this film, as most of it was kept short and to the point, yet they managed to include some weight to the lines and at times it managed to sway my opinion of Sully’s heroic action.

What is there to say about Tom Hanks that hasn’t been said yet? This man is an absolute professional and one of the best actors of my generation, so it is no surprise that I was blown away by his presence in this biographical drama. He plays Sully as a calm and focused man, who tries to hide the fact that he is still processing what happened from the public, while also suffering from some sort of PTSD. Aaron Eckhart, who portrayed Sully’s co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles, also did a fantastic job. His relationship to Sully feels natural and is very believable.

Laura Linney played Sully’s wife, Lorraine Sullenberger, but she wasn’t an active persona like most of the side characters in this flick. Her role was merely to serve as a tool and give Hank’s character more depth. Her scenes basically consist of answering the phone when Sully calls home and then walking around the house, talking to her husband about finances, family and of course the consequences of the forced water landing.

The cinematography in this movie is very different from other Clint Eastwood films, for instance, the bright and vivid colours used turned it into a beautiful picture to look at. The greatest aspect of Sully’s cinematography, however, is its contained runtime because it doesn’t sway away from the story but rather gets straight the point right from the beginning onwards. The computer generated imagery of the airplane looked fantastic. I was surprised at how real the flight sequences looked; as if watching a documentary of the real event over and over again.

Verdict: This biographic-drama is an intense but strangely calm depiction of the happenings that lead to the “Miracle on the Hudson”, as well as how the NTSB dealt with the aftermath of the incident. Since the film was contained to a runtime of an hour and thirty-six minutes, the plot came straight to the point and created a feeling of urgency that helped build tension. The dialogues, just as the plot, didn’t jump around the subject too much but rather addressed the matter at hand immediately and thanks to that combination of narrative and dialogue, the audience at times came to doubt the decision made by Captain Sullenberger. Tom Hanks and Aaron Eckhart gave fantastic renditions of the pilots and had great chemistry, which sold the comradery and friendship of both men. The only issue I had was with the character of Lorraine Sullenberger, which was simply added to the film to flesh out Sully a little more. In the end, I found Sully to be a very well crafted biopic and I will give it an 8 out of 10.

Thank you for reading my review for Sully and don’t forget to like and share this analysis, if you enjoyed my thoughts on Eastwood’s newest dramatic biopic. There is one more review, maybe two, coming up before I post my worst and best list for 2016, so keep an eye on my blog.

Top Movies – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

The Star Wars saga takes a new path with this film and yet the force is strong with it, even though it changes its dynamic a little bit. Edwards managed to direct a worthy spin-off!

Genre: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi

Director: Gareth Edwards

Cast: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Genevieve O’Reilly, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Valene, Kane, Alistair Petrie, Jimmy Smits & James Earl Jones.

Run Time: 134 min.

US Release: 16 December 2016

UK Release: 15 December 2016

German Release: 15 December 2016

If you read any of my previous Star Wars reviews during the last year, you should know how big of a fan I am of this franchise and that means that Rogue One was, without a doubt, my most anticipated movie of this year! The Force Awakens did manage to give me new hope for this sci-fi series and I simply couldn’t wait for December to approach earlier this year. I saw the trailers, which looked good and although the massive wave of news about the extensive reshoots worried me, I still went into the cinema with a good feeling. I can now say without a doubt that I really liked Rogue One. It is not perfect and I still prefer The Force Awakens to the first anthology film but it was still a good Star Wars flick.

As stated above, I am a huge fan of the Star Wars saga. My uncle bought me the original trilogy on VHS, as a gift for my sixth birthday and I watched it numerous times until the tapes were worn out. Star Wars is one of the bigger reasons for my fondness of movies and therefore I always had large expectations when it came to new instalments. Rogue One managed to satisfy most of those expectations!

Jyn Erso (Jones), a criminal sought by the Galactic Empire, is rescued by a group of rebels while being transported to another location. At the rebel base, she meets Mon Mothma (O’Reilly) and rebel agent Casian Andor (Luna) who give her an ultimatum: Help the rebellion or risk being captured by the Empire. Their mission is to intercept a message from an Empire pilot (Ahmed) that defected and is searching for extremist rebel Saw Gerrera (Whitaker), who has ties to Jyn’s father (Mikkelsen). Along their mission, they obtain support from a blind force-sensitive monk (Yen) and his protector (Jiang).

I’ll get the negatives out of the way first and will start with issues I found in the plot and storytelling of this sci-fi war flick. The pacing during the first two acts is a little slow and can drag at times, especially along the second third of the movie. The beginning takes the viewer to a lot of different locations across the galaxy, as it introduces several characters and while it is interesting to see all those places, it does feel a little disjointed. Last but not least, the atmosphere felt sometimes a little too different to that of a typical Star Wars movie.

What I really liked about the narrative was that it delivered what it promised; a war-story taking place during the empire’s grand time. It is dirty, gritty and has a very mature tone. Even though the first two segments of Rogue One where a little slow, they still had an interesting dynamic to it and reminded me of a spy movie, as it had a very cloak and dagger appearance. I also liked the fact that we got to see a different side to the rebels, proving that not everything is as black and white as the original trilogy made it out to be. The best act of the film, though, is the third and final part, as it gives us a beautifully filmed and choreographed battle on one of the most astonishing locations I have seen. It was as if Star Wars: Battlefronts had come to life and I need to give Disney props on how they let the film end!

The story introduces us to quite a few characters but due to the restricted runtime, it doesn’t have the time to fully explore them. There is no need to, though, as the cast do a great job at fleshing out the personas with their fantastic performances, giving them the surprising side-effect of being interesting but dispensable; something that suits this film very well.

The main characters are Jyn Erso and Casian Andor, played by Felicity Jones and Diego Luna respectively. Jones gave a fantastic performance that reflected the tragic past in her role’s personality. Luna gives a good rendition as well; Casian comes off as dangerous and unsympathetic at first but makes an interesting turn in the third act, redeeming his actions of the past. However, what I most respected about these characters relationship is that even though they have an undeniable attraction, they don’t follow the clichéd path of romance.

K-2SO is voiced by Alan Tudyk and stole nearly every scene he was in. I loved the android and his very dry sarcasm, which caused me to chuckle nearly every time he was on screen. He is the very contrary of C-3PO and an effective ally of the rebellion. Chirrut Imwe, played by Donnie Yen and Baze Malbus, represented by Wen Jiang, were two of the stories most likeable personas and had a fantastic chemistry. Their friendship and respect towards each other felt real and that was part due to the fantastic acting by Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang.

Orson Krennic, portrayed by Ben Mendelsohn, was an intriguing villain that represented the bureaucratic side of the Empire but he also comes off as a little too cartoonish at times. He was nevertheless one of the better characters of this movie. While I really liked that they brought in the character of Saw Gerrera from the Clone Wars TV series, I did not like how Forest Whitaker portrayed the character, as he overacted and gave Saw was an over-the-top and crazy personality.

Cinematography wise this movie was very close to being flawless. I was in constant awe as all these images rushed through the screen because Edwards, as well as director of photography Greig Fraser, did an extraordinary job at bringing this universe to life. The practical effects looked great and most of the CGI was beautiful to look at, especially when it came to the destructive power of the Death Star or the realistic looking size of different objects and vehicles. There were two characters, however, that were fully motion captured and didn’t look as good as I had wished for and therefore distracted me from the story. That said, I did love the camera work and how they reused old stock footage from the X-wing dogfights, integrating them into the new film.

One of the bigger issues I had with this Star Wars anthology film was the music composed by Michael Giacchino who, although only having only four weeks and a bit managed to compose a terrific soundtrack but one that doesn’t really suit this universe. What the score is missing is an epic grandness to it that I will remember it by.

Verdict: Rogue One a Star Wars Story is the type of movie I would have wished the prequels to be. It was dirty, gritty and had some good dark moments in it, and while it mostly felt like a Star Wars movie it also managed to bring in some fresh air and change the tone a little bit. It didn’t always work, as it sometimes appeared to part itself too much from the typical atmosphere of the franchise and that managed to break my concentration at times. The two first acts, while interesting did drag a little bit and moved too slow, but this was redeemed by the fantastic third act that gave the viewer an action-filled battle like we have never seen before. Stock footage from the original trilogy was used for some of the dogfights in space, a fantastic fan service that tied this movie to the original trilogy and I simply loved the ending. The characters were all strong and intriguing, especially K-2SO and Krennic but could have easily been exchanged. I liked nearly every aspect of Rogue One, especially the cinematography and effects and will, therefore, give it an 8 out of 10

As always, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this first spin-off in the Star Wars cinematic universe. If you are interested, please find my other Star Wars reviews listed below.

Top Movies – Sing Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Can Illumination’s hour and a half long movie about a koala, his theatre and a singing competition beat Disney’s magnificent Zootopia?

Genre: Animation/Comedy/Music

Director: Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Taron Egerton, Scarlett Johansson, Gareth Jennings, Seth MacFarlane, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Beck Bennett, John C. Reilly & Leslie Jones.

Run Time: 108 min.

US Release: 21 December 2016

UK Release: 27 January 2017

German Release: 08 December 2016

I need to confess, this movie was not even on my radar until recently, when I saw a trailer for it during the screening of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. As a big animation fan, I bought a ticket as soon as it came out and hoped for the best. Given the fact that we obtained a similar movie earlier this year, in which anthropomorphic animals inhabit the world, I had no choice but to compare Sing to Disney’s Zootopia with the outcome that Illumination Entertainment’s latest animation can’t compete with the brilliant buddy-cop drama, Disney bestowed on us. Sing suffers from a couple of very severe issues; first and foremost the fact that Illumination thought that it suffices to combine animals and popular songs to produce a good movie.

In a world inhabited by humanlike animals, koala Buster Moon (McConaughey) needs to find a way to preserve the theatre he is presiding over. His only plan to save his beloved theatre from the bank is to create a live singing competition, with the winner obtaining 1,000 dollars. At least that was his original plan because his secretary Miss Crawley (Jennings) accidently sets free fliers with the wrong sum written on it. Now Buster needs to deal with a horde of performers that expect to see 100,000 dollars if they win.

Much like The Secret Life of Pets, one of this animations bigger issue is that it lacks depth or better said; it suffers from an insufficiency of storytelling in general. The best way to describe Sing is by comparing it to an overlong episode of X-Factor (or any other casting-show) but instead of humans, the competitors and the jury are composed of a variety of animals. While I need to confess that it was fun to watch these animals try and replicate performances of popular songs, it was not able to fill the hole that the missing plot left and it started to get tiresome after 40 minutes of its runtime. Needless to say, this movie was bland and predictable.

It also had its good aspects, such as the important message it tried to convey: to never let go of your dreams and surpass your fears to reach them. Sadly it fails to reach the audience due to the thinly developed story that deafens the message. Compared to Zootopia, this is an O.K. and enjoyable one-time-watch film that will surely be liked by children, while adults may find it rather hard to sit through, even if it is mildly enjoyable.

Again, just like Illuminations first movie this summer, Sing suffers heavily from an overabundance of side characters and sub-plots and this time it is more noticeable as the movie feels more convoluted and disjointed. The audience is forced to care for all these personas in such little amount of time but since it is handled very sloppy, none of these animals get the emotional attachment they would have deserved especially main protagonist Buster or mountain gorilla Johnny.

Matthew McConaughey did a fine job and his character of Buster Moon is a funny looking koala. The problem though is that Buster is depicted in such an unlikeable way for about three-quarters of this animation, that once he changes you simply don’t care about him or his problems anymore. If the plot would have focused more on Buster’s emotional attachment and his motives for trying every crazy idea to save his theatre, rather than chopping up the story to make time for fifty other side-characters, his character might have come over more likeable.

Miss Crawley was my favourite character in this animation. The elderly chameleon, voiced by Gareth Jennings, is Buster’s clumsy secretary and the comedic anchor of this computer-animated flick. Although her jokes are based on slapstick humour, it was the combination of that style and her age that made it work very well. My least favourite character was Gunter, voiced by Nick Kroll. It hated the German accent this pig was given and the stereotypical portrayal of Germans, as over-the-top and exhibitionists, which is getting old and annoying. I wish they had tried out something different with that character.

The animation and stylistic effects used for this film don’t differ too much from those used in The Secret Life of Pets. Both films utilize more cartoonish representations of animals, compared to the typical big-eyed designs of Disney. Watching this movie gives a feeling as if a children’s book had come to life, something I really appreciate as it gives Illumination its own style when it comes to their animated movies. The colour palette, though, differs from the studio’s previous flick. While it does make use of bright and vibrant colours, the film also employs darker and rougher tones to depict the dangerous aspects of the plot; such as the criminal underworld that Mike the mouse visits.

The musical choice was the biggest complaint I had with this movie. Illumination took the cheap way out and used unspectacular pop songs that everyone knows, to reach a bigger mass audience. Personally, I thought that the movie might have reached a little more depth if it would have made use of an original playlist.

Verdict: Illumination tried to create something different with Sing and that is my best compliment I can give this animation. Sadly, the movie suffers from three big issues that drag it down into the pits of “forgettability”. For one, this animation is missing a vital component of movie making and that is the main story that holds the plot together. Sing jumps from one subplot to the next, without exploring a character thoroughly so that the viewer can bond emotionally with one of them. That brings me to the second issue it suffers from; too many subplots mean too many characters, meaning that the main character doesn’t get the amount of screen time he deserves. The third and last problem Sing has is its musical choice. Other than that it was a fun movie with well-voiced characters by big name actors, but it’s not enough to grant it a second view. I will give Sing a 6 out of 10.

Thank you for reading my review, leave a comment if you want and don’t forget to like it if you enjoyed it.

Top Movies – The Secret Life of Pets Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Illumination’s pet adventure doesn’t quite capture the hearts of animal lovers, replicating an old formula of another animated feature rather than creating something new.

Genre: Animation/Comedy

Director: Chris Renaud, Yarrow Cheney

Cast: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell, Hannibal Buress, Dana Carvey, Bobby Moynihan, Chris Renaud, Steve Coogan & Ellie Kemper.

Run Time: 87 min.

US Release: 08 July 2016

UK Release: 24 June 2016

German Release: 28 July 2016

Let me tell you right from the start that I was really excited for this animated film and it managed to land a spot in my top 25 anticipated movies of this year; if you didn’t read it click on the link here. I loved the trailer, which appeared online over a year before this movie debuted in cinemas, I am a huge animal lover (I have three dogs and lost another this summer) and I liked all of Illumination’s Despicable Me related film, so I know what they can create. With all of these factors playing in, my expectations for this feature animation were gigantic and that did not play well for me in the outcome because The Secret Life of Pets was one of the biggest letdowns for me this year!

My dogs from left to right; Lola (R.I.P) :(, Hippie, Coco and Kea

The story revolves around Max (Louis C.K.), a Jack Russell Terrier living happily with his owner Katie (Kemper) in a small apartment in Manhattan. Neighbouring dog Gidget (Slate) has a secret crush on Max, but he is only interested in his owner and the attention she gives him. When Katie arrives back home with another dog she adopted, Duke (Stonestreet), Max gets jealous and tries to blackmail Duke. Enraged about Max’s attitude towards him, Duke tries to abandon him in an alley but they get attacked by cats and flee into the sewers, getting lost in New York. Gidget gathers the others, creating a rescue party.

Walking into the cinema, I was expecting to see a fun and comedic film about what pets are up too, once we leave them at home alone and I did obtain it for the first 12-15 minutes. My problem with the first quarter of an hour, though, was that it completely replayed the events of the first trailer and the comedic moments in it were, consequently, old and stale. After the introduction of Duke and the dispute between him and Max that gets them lost in the city of NY, The Secret Life of Pets turns into a mash-up of Toy Story and Lady & the Tramp, replaying the events of the Toy’s adventure basically beat for beat but without the heart and soul that turned the movie into an animation classic. Compared to the pictures it tries to replicate, this is no more than a forgettable throwaway flick.

My biggest gripe with the movie was the plot, because the story itself wasn’t written all too well; missing something that would make it interesting and since the entry didn’t manage to wheel me in, the whole movie simply dragged on for me. The comedy in the plot was too goofy for my taste. It starts off promising, showing us scenarios I know my dogs did as well when I left them alone, and then it suddenly changes direction and turns very slapstick, including an animal crime ring that drives cars and dresses up as humans.

There had been aspects of the story that I did like though, such as the display of emotions that these pets have for their owners and loved the conversation between Max and Duke about the latter’s previous owner. I simply wished the movie had shown as well how much we pet owners care for our animals. My favourite moment scene, was the last segment with Max, Duke and Kate because that was a moment that nearly made me tear up.

This animation suffers from an overabundance of different side-pets that distract from the main story. Max and Duke, though, are both the lead characters in this story and while Louis C.K and Eric Stonestreet did a good job at voicing the dogs, the characters themselves were just rehashes of Woody and Buzz. Nevertheless, it was fun to see how this two needed to start working together, once they get into trouble and how a friendship blossoms out of that necessity to co-work with one another. I also like how C.K. and Stonestreet managed to display their loyalty and love for their owner, simply using the correct vocal tones.

Kevin Hart played Snowball, the white dwarf bunny, and leader of the animal syndicate. Sadly, the character he played was an over-the-top, hyperactive psychopathic bunny and comedic wise it was too similar to the roles he usually plays. He was annoying and he had way too much screen-time. I simply did not like how he played the character. Gidget, voiced by Jenny Slate, is a white Pomeranian and secretly in love with Max. Her character, though, also gets way too much screen time and although not as annoying as Snowball, she does have her moments in which she grated my nerves!

The movie’s strongest aspect is its effects and animated design. It may not be Disney standard but it looks good nonetheless. I liked the design of the different animals, which look a little bit more cartoonish than in other animations but they were also incredibly detailed. The humans’ design also looked very good and contrasted that of the animals, because they looked more real. The colour palette fitted the light tone of the film and complemented it with strong and vibrant colours.

Verdict: The Secret Life of Pets was a movie I was really looking forward to seeing it, but it ultimately disappointed me in nearly all aspects. The story had no depth to it and pretty much just reused the plot of Toy Story point by point, the comedy in it was completely over the top and not funny, but my biggest issue with it was the fact that it simply dragged on because it had no interesting points to discuss. I did like some of the talks between Duke and Max, which proved how emotionally attached animals can be to their owners, but it wasn’t sufficient to entertain me throughout 87 minutes. Kevin Hart was awful as the “villain”, his outbursts and comments were simply annoying and there are way too many side-characters that distract from the main story. All in all, this is a movie that children will probably love, but adults will have a hard time sitting through it. I will give The Secret Life of Pets a 5.5 out of 10.

Thank you for reading my review for The Secret Life of Pets, leave a comment below and let me know what you thought of this animation by Illumination. Also, don’t forget to give it a thumbs-up if you liked it and please share it with friends and family. My next review will be for Illuminations Sing.

Top Movies – Arrival Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

This sci-fi epos a-la Contact might just be the best film of the year and it also proves why Denis Villeneuve is one of the better directors of our era.

Genre: Drama/Mystery/Sci-Fi

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Julia Scarlett Dan, Abigail Pniowsky, Jadyn Malone, Mark O’Brien & Tzi Ma.

Run Time: 116 min.

US Release: 11 November 2016

UK Release: 10 November 2016

German Release: 24 November 2016

After Prisoners, Enemy and Sicario, Villeneuve surprises once again with a stunning looking cerebral sci-fi drama that uses the study of language as a plot core. His eighth feature film sees Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner take on the leading roles, and keeps it character-wise very compact. The marketing for this trailer, though, was extremely misleading as it advertised a tension-filled invasion thriller, asking the question of “why are they here”? To my surprise, it was way more than that! Instead of a stereotypical “invaders from space” movie, we obtained a thought provoking and very emotional drama, enwrapped in a sci-fi tale that took its time to unfold and I loved every minute of it.

When twelve spaceships land on different locations around the globe, linguistic expert Dr. Louise Banks (Adams) is recruited by Colonel Weber (Whitaker) to decipher their language and find the means to communicate with the extraterrestrials. While mean, the global media is seeding distrust and confusion among the public, which causes a panic breakout. Banks is settled by the UFO landing site in the US and starts working together with physicist Ian Donnelly (Renner) to decipher the aliens writing, but time is running out as China and Russia cut communications and are preparing to attack the spacecrafts.

Now, this is the part where I will warn those of you who don’t like slow paced movies because Arrival is moving at an extremely slow rate. I liked it though and thought it developed at exactly the right speed, as it sets up a lot of questions that need time to be explained and the audience, in turn, needs time to process those revelations. Villeneuve also managed to set up tension perfectly along the first third of the film, by keeping the spaceship and aliens away from the viewer’s sight. We only hear and see news reports going on in the background and just as the public in the story, we are unaware if the aliens are friendly or if they have sinister intentions.

Along the second third, the picture takes a turn and focuses more on the character of Amy Adams, rather than the visitors from outer space. We learn of her horrible past, and the loneliness she is currently going through; the heptapod aliens are used as simple tools to study her character that ultimately sets up a comparison to human behaviour and language. The third and final act then pulls the rug from underneath the viewer’s feet and reveals a completely unexpected plot-twists, making the audience question everything they saw before.

My only issue, and it is a small thing but it did come up every now and then along the second act, was a subplot concerning some soldiers and an act of violent defiance against their superiors and the government, stirred up by right-wing propaganda in the media. It did not add anything to the main story and also didn’t leave any ramifications to the outcome of the movie. Apart from that, this movie was immaculate!

This must have been one of the hardest roles for Amy Adams, who plays Dr. Louise Banks, as she is the sole central focus of the film. She gave a marvellous performance though, possibly the best I have seen from her yet! Louise Banks is an expert linguist teaching at a University and working part-time for the government, translating taped conversations of possible insurgents. Her story is a very melodramatic one and sets the tone for the whole movie, but it suits perfectly as it infuses the plot with raw human emotion.

Jeremy Renner gave a great portrayal of theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly; he is the second lead but only plays a small part in the storyline. As small as Donnelly’s role is, he is nevertheless an important part of the complete picture and gives a few humorous lines to contrast the very serious and dramatic mood of the film. Forest Whitaker was also really good as Colonel Weber, but his accent was a little too much at times.

If you have seen any of Villeneuve’s previous movies, you will know that he always creates gorgeous looking movies and Arrival is no different. Bradford Young did such a fantastic job as director of photography; I was literally floored by the beauty of this film that was seeping with natural blacks and whites. The alien’s design was also very different but engaging and probably more realistic, as it strayed away from the typical picture we have of bi-pedlar beings with similar communication to ours. I was a big fan of the marine-like looking creature and how it communicated.

Just as Sicario thrived for its unusual but jaw-dropping cinematography, Arrival’s biggest asset is its hauntingly beautiful musical score and fantastic sound design. Jóhann Jóhannsson created the soundtrack for this sci-fi flick and the addition of Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight” helped to convey the emotional status of Adam’s character.

Verdict: Arrival is an uncommon but very suspenseful alien invasion thriller, and possibly my new favourite film of that genre. I was impressed by the way Villeneuve handled the topic because instead of making a stereotypical film in which extraterrestrials land on Earth, he used the aspect of space invasion to centre it around the use of language and make a character study of the leading persona. While the pacing is slow and might turn off some viewers, I thought it suited the movie incredibly well and it gave me the time to embrace the beautiful cinematography and its use of natural light and black and white colour palette. The contrast between long panoramic shots and close-ups on characters was something I admired. All in all, Arrival is an incredible cinematic experience and I recommend it to all who like cerebral and emotional science fiction. I will give Arrival a 9.5 out of 10.

Thank you all so much for reading my review, please let me know what you thought of Arrival and if you liked what you read, don’t forget to share this review.

Top Movies – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Seven decades before Harry Potter, a sole wizard travelled to New York with a suitcase full of fantastic beasts and changed the wizarding community for the better.

Genre: Comedy/Fantasy/Mystery

Director: David Yates

Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Carmen Ejogo, Ronan Raftery, Josh Cowdery, Jon Voight, & Ron Perlman.

Run Time: 133 min.

US Release: 18 November 2016

UK Release: 18 November 2016

German Release: 17 November 2016

I need to be honest here; I did not expect this movie to cause that much mayhem in Germany! Cinemas are still booked out for days and I was lucky to get in yesterday eve. It was well worth the wait though because I enjoyed every minute of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and left the screening room with a big smile on my face. While this fantasy hit plays in the same universe as Harry Potter, it felt very different and can be watched as a standalone picture; something I thought to be a positive because it didn’t need to rely on big names and scenes that tied it to the Potter franchise. It wasn’t a flawless movie though and I had a few nitpicks here and there.

The Harry Potter franchise was a big part of my childhood and adolescence. I read all the books in English and German, watched the movies and grew up together with these characters. I bought the official eighth title Harry Potter and the Cursed Child when it came out this year, and read it in one sitting. So I was naturally pumped to see this film in cinemas.

In 1926 the wizard community is on edge due to the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald escaping custody in Europe. While mean Newt Scamander (Redmayne), a wizard studying and protecting magical beasts, arrives in New York to set free one of his creatures but accidentally switches his suitcase with that of muggle Jacob Kowalski (Fogler). Kowalski releases all beasts when opening up the luggage and a race ensues, in which Scamander is trying to catch his creatures before Auror Percival Graves (Farrell) gets to them first.

This is J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut, proving that she is able to not only write a captivating novel but also a great film script. Fantastic Beasts felt like a natural extension to the Harry Potter novels for those that grew up with them, as it contained a mature and pretty dark storyline for the once younger audience of the magical series. At the same time, it was an original tale that took place 70 years prior to the tragedy that befell Harry and gave the viewers a different part of the wizarding world to explore. It also contains a soft-spoken message about animal treatment and preservation, which suited the film well.

The story was not without flaws though. For instance, I thought that some of the magical aspects were depicted a little bit uncreative and cold; such as the word “No-Maj” for nonmagical humans or the entrance to the department of magic, separating it from the real world. The way the movie ended, with Newt asking his thunderbird to help with a specific potion, was also resolved a little too convenient. Other than that I adored the narrative!

This is the perfect role for Eddie Redmayne, who knows exactly how to play introverted and insecure characters because that is exactly who Newt Scamander is. He has no real friends, annoys people around him and yet he is a really likeable character, who through his loneliness found friendship in the creatures he tries to understand and protect from the wizarding world. Redmayne did a fantastic job portraying Scamander, even though at times it was a little hard to understand his mumbling.

Dan Fogler plays Jacob Kowalski, a muggle that stumbles by accident upon the wizarding world of NY. He is used as the exposition-dump character, to explain specific things to the audience and it was handled really well, he is also used as comedic relief, but Fogler didn’t play it too silly to harm his presence on screen. Most surprisingly though, is the fact that Kowalski is the emotional anchor of this film and it does make sense, since it is through him the audience gets a peek into the wizarding world of New York.

Katherine Waterston and Alison Sudol portrayed the sisters Tina and Queenie Goldstein, two witches working for the Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA). Both try to help Newt find his creatures and get into peril for it. I loved Waterston as Tina. She was a strong female character who never gave up. Alison Sudol, on the other hand, tried to mimic Marilyn Monroe a little too much for my taste, but she was nonetheless a sweet addition to the cast.

I can’t say much about Colin Farrell, as MACUSA agent Percival Graves, or about Ezra Miller, who depicts the abused child of an anti-magic fanatic, played by a wonderful Samantha Morton, without spoiling a big chunk of the film. Be assured though that both of them fitted in perfectly and gave extraordinary performances!

This is a beautifully constructed fantasy epos with jaw-dropping effects and panoramic scenes that copy 1920’s New York in a very original way. The cinematographic style that was used, together with the good costume design and choice of sets, replicated that era perfectly and gave it a hint of the magical world, which J.K. Rowling dreamed up. I was also very fond of some of the beasts designs, especially that of the Bowtruckle, and the gloomy cold colour palette that nuanced the darker moments of the plot.

Sadly the effects didn’t always hold up throughout the movie’s length, especially when it came to the magical creatures. While some of them looked good there were others that looked rather weak, such as Newt’s Thunderbird. What made Harry Potter so beautiful to look at was the balanced mix of prosthetics and computer imagery. Fantastic Beasts, though, relies heavily on CGI and that disappointed me a little.

James Newton Howard managed to replicate John Williams’s musical touch to the wizarding world perfectly but at the same time, he gave the score his own little touch. The melodies complimented the story well and gave the film that special something.

Verdict: I enjoyed Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them from start to finish; the magical atmosphere and the fact that it plays in winter makes this a perfect pre-Christmas movie and got me into holiday mood. J.K. Rowling created an enthralling script that perfectly fits into the universe she created with the Harry Potter saga, and can yet be watched as a standalone movie. It has a couple of weaknesses here and there but I loved the story nonetheless. The performances were outstanding, especially that of Dan Fogler, and the characters simply loveable. My biggest issue was with the choice of effects, as there was more CGI than practical effects and at times it was very noticeable, especially when it came to Scamander’s creatures. Overall, I can recommend going to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in cinemas and will give it an 8 out of 10.

Top Movies – Kubo and the Two Strings Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

A young Japanese boy is being thrown into an adventure meant to prove his wits and courage against a godly spirit that knows no mercy.

Genre: Action/Animation/Fantasy

Director: Travis Knight

Cast: Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Brenda Vaccaro, Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa & George Takei.

Run Time: 101 min.

US Release: 19 August 2016

UK Release: 09 September 2016

German Release: 27 October 2016

The fourth animated feature by Laika studios took me completely by surprise! Travis Knight’s directorial debut not only managed to perfectly combine an old western animation technique with eastern mythology, but this film was crafted with a lot of love and respect for the genre. I was expecting a good movie but Kubo and the Two Strings is more than I could have imagined; an original story that transported me to a fantastic world and replaced Zootopia as my favourite animated feature of this year. So without further stalling, here is my review of Kubo and the Two Strings…

I first came by a Laika production when I saw the fun short film Moongirl in 2007 but they truly floored me once I watched their first full-length feature Coraline, a gorgeous looking but scary movie and today one of my most adored possessions on Blu-ray. I still haven’t managed to watch Laika’s second movie ParaNorman but I wasn’t a particular fan of The Boxtrolls. Kubo, though, managed to climb the top rank as my new preferred Laika animation!

In an ancient Japanese village, a young one-eyed boy named Kubo (Parkinson) lives together with his ill mother in a cave on top of a mountain. He uses musical magic to manipulate origami figurines and tell stories to the villagers, thus earning money. During a cold full-moon night a god from the boys past wreaks havoc in the village and Kubo’s mother uses the last of her magic to transport him away. A monkey (Theron) and a beetle-man (McConaughey) appear to protect Kubo on his quest to retrieve three mythical objects.

This animated film has an incredibly good written narrative, with no dull moment, and enriched with positive messages and morals but what really hooked me was the dense Japanese mythology embedded in the plot; a big surprise because this is a western movie after all. The bittersweet tale not only explains why love, family and friendships are one of the most important virtues in our human world, it also doesn’t treat its audience as simple or dumb viewers and that is saying something given that Kubo and the Two Strings is a movie for adults and kids alike. It was simply ideal to see an animation that was crafted with so much care and its originality was very refreshing, something you don’t obtain very often nowadays.

But it wasn’t just the fantastically told tale that turned this into a great contender, as one of the best movies of 2016; the dialogues between the different characters were just as creative and emotional. I was constantly blown away at how mature the thematics were that the people and creatures picked up to discuss.

For the story to work this well, though, the plot needs to contain interesting and charming characters and this is where this Laika production excels! Kubo, the main character in this animation, is not only a funny and very likeable young boy but he also went through some horrible tragedies, like losing his father as an infant and needing to take care of his mother, whose mental stability is slowly deteriorating. It is noticeable how much he cares for her and uses his gift for storytelling to earn money to be able to provide for the both. Art Parkinson did a great work voicing the character and I cared for Kubo from the first moment he appeared on screen.

Monkey and Beetle are the two creatures that appear to Kubo when he is set on a quest to retrieve three mystical objects to defeat the villain. Both couldn’t be more different and yet they have astonishing chemistry, even though they fight quite often. Monkey is stern and realistic, while Beetle has a more laid back and clownish but together they make the perfect guardians for the young boy. Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughy voiced the characters, managing to incorporate the spirits of these fine creatures.

The Moon King and his two daughters are the villains in this film; three godly spirits who believe that humans are inferior to them, and the reason why Kubo is fleeing his village. Ralph Fiennes voiced the Moon King while Rooney Mara gave her voice to the two sisters.

If you didn’t already know, I am a huge fan of animated movies. Although I am constantly amazed by the advancements made in computer animation, I prefer the older hand drawn films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, or classic stop-motion animation like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Laika proved with Kubo that stop-motion is still a great technique to create beautiful looking pictures, because this is a perfectly crafted animation feature, with gorgeous looking scenes, well-captured action and surprisingly realistic looking characters.

Music plays a big deal in this film; it is the basis of Kubo’s (and his mother’s) magic and it is used as a conductor for the raw emotions in the story. The Asian melodies, composed by Dario Marianelli, were handled rather like characters of its own and gave the picture that bittersweet note, which made it perfect.

Verdict: Laika’s fourth animation is their best by far and deserves to be nominated for an Oscar in that category. This movie managed to capture the audience’s interest from the start, using a combination of grand storytelling, characters that are engaging and gorgeously looking animated effects. The script was perfectly written; with not one bland moment in it and the stop-motion animation complements the narrative perfectly! Even though Matthew McConaughey and Charlize Theron are big Hollywood Stars, they didn’t draw away attention from the picture but blended in flawlessly. Kubo and the Two Strings was a welcome surprise for me and if it is still playing in theatres near you, I can only recommend you go see it or buy it on Blu-ray. I will give it a 10 out of 10.

Again, if you like originality and are a fan of animated movie make sure to check this one out in cinemas and if you want, leave a comment below to let me know what you thought of it. Thank you very much for reading this review and look out for my next one tomorrow!

Top Movies – Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Tom Cruise returns as Jack Reacher, in a very mediocre action conspiracy mystery directed by Edward Zwick.

Genre: Action/Thriller

Director: Edward Zwick

Cast: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Danika Yarosh, Aldis Hodge, Patrick Heusinger, Holt McCallany & Robert Knepper.

Run Time: 118 min.

US Release: 21 October 2016

UK Release: 20 October 2016

German Release: 10 November 2016

Welcome to my movie blog, today I am posting my review of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, the sequel to the fun action-thriller of 2012 and the adaptation of Lee Child’s eighteenth novel in the Jack Reacher series. I was looking forward to seeing this sequel since I enjoyed the first flick but was somewhat worried when I read all the bad reviews. When I left the theatre I realized why these critiques were hailing in; Never Go Back is not only a convoluted mess but it also takes itself way too serious, compared to the brilliant first action movie directed by Christopher McQuarrie. While I didn’t hate it as much as everybody else, I can honestly say that this is a much weaker picture.

Jack Reacher (Cruise) returns to D.C. to uncover a conspiracy that landed Major Susan Turner (Smulders) in jail, after being set up for espionage. Early during his investigation, he gets into trouble with Colonel Sam Morgan (McCallany) and a notorious paramilitary group led by General James Harkness (Knepper), who frame him for murder. Know on the run from the law, Reacher needs to learn to work together with Turner while protecting a teenaged girl (Yarosh) that just might be his daughter.

By biggest issue with this sequel was the narrative, because it has a really convoluted plot and doesn’t know which storyline to follow. There aren’t any clear motivations for the multiple villains, which go to ridiculous lengths to protect their criminal undertakings. It seems as if they are breaking the law simply because they are able to do so. Reacher and Turner’s investigation to clear their names is also filled with numerous twists and turns that did not add to the main plot of the film, and then there is also the fact that Never Go Back did not preserve the comedic self-awareness of the first Jack Reacher.

It also had a couple of good story aspects, though, like the opening scene that resembled the very tone and feel of the 2012 movie. The action sequences were possibly the best part; they are well plotted, with Tom Cruise and Cobie Smulders giving very physical and believable portrayals but it’s ultimately not enough to save the boring story.

Tom Cruise returns as Jack Reacher, the nomadic anti-hero and former MP. While Cruise retains that over-the-top seriousness and introverted personality of his character, it felt as if he wasn’t really all that excited to be in this film, because of the forced performance he gave. Cobie Smulders, though, was brilliant playing the role of Major Susan Turner, Reachers partner in stopping several Army related crimes. She infused her character with charm and energy, which pulled the story out of its rut at times.

Danika Yarosh portrayed the character of Samantha Dayton and was the most annoying character in this sequel. It wasn’t Yarosh acting skills that irritated me but more her persona on paper that lead her to do really stupid things, even though she was specifically told not to do them.

Patrick Heusinger and Robert Knepper, on the other hand, were the most one-dimensional villains I have seen in a long time. Heusinger played an assassin who just killed for fun and didn’t care for literally anything (including his own life), and Knepper was an uncharismatic a**hole who thought he could break the law without facing the consequences. I was seriously disappointed by the revelation of the villain’s undertaking at the end.

Oliver Wood created a very conventional looking action-thriller, the cinematography wasn’t jaw dropping or something out this world, it was simply “OK”. Most of this was due to how the action was captured. While the fighting choreography and the stunt work was good, the filming of it was pretty common with not one memorable scene in it. That was very disappointing for me because I saw other Edward Zwick movies in the past and he proved to be able to film gorgeous looking movies.

Verdict: Jack Reacher 2 was a surprising disappointing sequel to the fun 2012 action flick directed by McQuarrie. The plot was poorly scripted with too many sub-stories, which either didn’t add anything to the main story or simply have nothing to do with it at all. Tom Cruise, while giving a good performance, was uncharismatic and felt unmotivated and Danika Yarosh’s character was written as the useless and very annoying teenage brat. The only one who seemed to care was Cobie Smulders who was a fun addition to the film. The cinematography was disappointing with no unforgettable scene in it and the revelation at the end was anticlimactic. I felt really conflicted about this movie because it did send a lot of mixed messages but, in the end, I will give Jack Reacher: Never Go Back a 6 out of 10.

Let me know what you thought of this sequel by leaving a comment below and thank you for reading.

Top Movies – The Accountant Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Ben Affleck impresses this time as a mathematical and tactical genius, in a story that uses a refreshingly new technique of narration.

Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller

Director: Gavin O’Connor

Cast: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Jon Bernthal, J.K. Simmons, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, John Lithgow, Jeffrey Tambor, Jean Smart, Andy Umberger, Robert C. Treveiler, Jason Davis & Alison Wright.

Run Time: 128 min.

US Release: 14 October 2016

UK Release: 04 November 2016

German Release: 20 October 2016

This is my final “catch-up” review before posting my analysis for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. The Accountant is Gavin O’Connor’s latest action flick starring a very convincing Ben Affleck, who plays a genius mathematician dealing with autism. The trailers managed to convince me to give this movie a go but I was still not sure what to expect going into the theatres, so I am very happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this premise! It isn’t the grand action spectacle of the year that some hoped to obtain, but I never expected to get that from this movie and if you go in with the right set of mind, you will be able to experience this picture for what it is: a dramatic thriller infused with action segments.

Christian Wolff (Affleck) is a forensic accountant suffering from a form of autism and works for ZZZ Accountings, a firm that tracks financial deceptions by criminal undertakings. He obtains jobs through his handler “The Voice”, who contacts him via untraceable phone calls. Pursuit by Raymond King (Simmons), director of financial crimes for the Treasury Department, and his assisting analyst Marybeth Medina (Addai-Robinson), Wolff takes on a low-key job at the robotics corporation Living Robotics. There he meets in-house accountant Dana Cummings (Kendrick) and unravels a disturbing crime.

The Accountants strongest asset is also its biggest weakness; the different type of storytelling it uses to proceed in the plot. This is because the film does take its time to flesh out its characters, main as well as supporting ones, in terms of flashbacks throughout the entirety of the runtime. The problem with that is that at times the movie as a whole felt a little bit disjointed. Nevertheless, I loved the uneven narration and how the writer and director made the viewer care for all the persons in it.

This doesn’t mean that it is a slow-paced flick; on the contrary, it is a quick and snappy drama-thriller with well-implemented battle sequences throughout the plot. Bill Dubuque’s script also includes solid dialogue lines between characters, which are surprisingly humorous at times. Especially the first encounter between Affleck and Kendrick, which had me rolling on the floor because of how funny the situation and dialogue was.

As I said in the beginning of this post, Ben Affleck portrayed Christian Wolff brilliantly. Wolff’s childhood was harsh and unloving, his father (Robert C. Treveiler) was a decorated marine but kept himself emotionally distant from his boys, instead, training them in fighting and sharp shooting. Wolff is constantly tormented by his autism, unable to live a normal life and Affleck managed to display that constant struggle fantastically. Anna Kendrick, on the other hand, plays Dana Cummings, a very intelligent mathematician who is working in accountings for a state-of-the-art robotics company. Kendrick infuses this drama with natural humour and is the key for Affleck’s character to be able to open up a little bit. Both had fantastic chemistry on screen, which made their friendship seem genuine.

J.K. Simmons takes on the role of Raymond King, an agent of the state hunting Wolff for his financial crimes. King himself has a tainted past and it is not until close to the end that his story is properly revealed. Cynthia Addai-Robinson plays Marybeth Medina, an analyst for the Treasury Department, and blackmailed by King to aid him in bringing down Wolff. Addai-Robinson’s performance was the weakest one; she had the same static facial expression throughout the flick’s length and came off as very wooden.

Jon Bernthal also makes an appearance in this movie as the “main” antagonist, and his performance was very cold and chilling. He really sold his character as that of an unloving, careless and brutal hitman!

The Accountant is a beautifully shot movie that makes use of a cold and bleak colour palette, to express Christian Wolff’s autistic feelings. The action sequences were not only well choreographed but also captured perfectly on film, without any need of shaky cam use. My only grudge is how the movie cuts back into the past, as it does distract from the main story at times even if aids the character building. I do respect cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and O’Connor’s different style because it does work mostly but it also gives the film an incohesive feeling.

Verdict: This action-drama is more than what the trailers market it to be. It has a very strong plot that manages to mesh a lot of different genres together, if not always perfect, and ends with a twist no one saw coming. The unconventional style of narration is at times a little irritating but manages to flesh out the characters extremely well and thus establishes an emotional connection with the audience. Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons and Jon Bernthal all gave fantastic performances that felt very realistic. The cinematography was fantastic and projected the action sequences handsomely. All in all, apart from a few minor flaws, The Accountant was a fun movie to watch and I will appoint it an 8 out of 10.

Thank your for reading, I hope you liked my post for The Accountant and don’t forget to keep an eye open for tomorrow’s review of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.

Top Movies – Nerve Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

A dangerous game of “truth or dare”, minus the truth, surfaces on the Internet. Would you join to play or simply sit back and watch the others perform dangerous stunts?

Genre: Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Director: Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman

Cast: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade, Miles Heizer, Kimiko Glenn, Machine Gun Kelly, Juliette Lewis, Samira Wiley & Brian Marc.

Run Time: 96 min.

US Release: 27 July 2016

UK Release: 11 August 2016

German Release: 08 September 2016

Going on with movie reviews I need to catch up with, my newest post will be an analysis of Henry Joost and Ariel Schuman’s science-fiction thriller. Nerve sets up a world that mirrors our modern everyday life, examining our dependence on communication technology and the different Internet communities, especially the art of trolling. By doing so it tries to send a moral message to the viewer but fails at communicating it because of the third act’s weak delivery and the unsatisfying ending. Nevertheless, it did manage to entertain me throughout its full length and I left the theatre semi-satisfied.

Venus “Vee” Delmonico (Roberts) is a good high school senior and somewhat of a wallflower, dreaming of going away to the California Institute of Arts but is afraid of telling her mom (Lewis), who is extremely overprotective of her. Vee’s best friend Sydney (Meade) is a popular high school cheerleader and invites her to an Internet gaming community called Nerve. Nerve is separated into two factions: “Watchers”, people who pay to watch the players, and “Players”, people who are given dares to do in exchange for money.

Sydney is slowly becoming more prominent as a “Player” on Nerve and teases Vee about not having the guts to play until she humiliates her in front of her high school crush J.P. (Marc). Vee decides to play herself, against the advice of her friend Tommy (Heizer), and soon meets fellow player Ian (Franco) with whom she starts a romantic relationship. When things get dangerous and unprecedented Vee decides to quit Nerve but the “Watchers” won’t let her go.

Jessica Sharzer, the screenplay writer, did a decent job at adapting the novel into a script and the directors managed to implement it into a fast paced and adrenaline rushed picture. Nerve tried marketing itself as a modern mix of mystery and science fiction, by repackaging a teenage drama in an action story, but it still follows the typical plot lines of those movies and thus it didn’t offer anything new. That doesn’t mean the film is boring or hasn’t got creative merits because I did like how the narrative unfolded and that alone had a high entertaining value! I am just saying that in it’s core this was a clichéd high school drama trying, very hard, to be something more.

My biggest issue with this sci-fi thriller was the fact that none of the characters in it were interesting. There had been attempts at creating compelling back-stories but they never worked out. It was the chemistry between Emma Roberts and Dave Franco, playing Vee and Ian, which saved the movie and made it enjoyable to follow these two teenies through their adrenaline filled night. Emma Roberts was not only extremely attractive, but she simply had fun being in this film and thus gave a good rendition of her character. The same goes for Dave Franco, who impersonated the persona of bad-boy Ian. It is clearly visibly that he just enjoyed the time he shared with Roberts on screen and that is what made both of their roles so likeable!

Emily Meade and Miles Heizer, on the other hand, had been irritatingly dull and their characters felt overused. Meade portrays Vee’s best friend Sydney, a selfish and insecure cheerleader, who tries to use Nerve as means to get easy online fame. Heizer plays Tommy, a guy that is secretly in love with Vee and masquerades as her best male friend, with the writers trying to give him an interesting personality by turning him into a hacker.

What I liked most about Nerve, though, was its cinematography. This film looked gorgeous and made use of bright, strong neon colours and lights in nearly every scene, to manifest the modern era it plays in. I also appreciated Michael Simmond’s approach for a different cinematographic technique, by telling the story from phones or computer devices with cameras, even if that style was more distracting than aiding at times.

Rob Simonsen composed the soundtrack and I loved how the electronic music pulsated through the story since it perfectly fitted the genre! the soundtrack got a little bit too dominating at times but I thought it suited this kind of movie.

Verdict: In the end, Nerve is a fun, fast-paced but expendable mystery- thriller with an alright script. While the plot is highly entertaining, it does expect the viewers to turn off their brains occasionally and tries to be more than what it is; an action induced high school drama. The message about the dangers of online anonymity that this movie tries to communicate fail because the story does not have a closure with real consequences, for those that ran the gaming site. And while it had two very good leads with fantastic chemistry, the rest of the characters were boring, irritating and clichéd. The truly impressive part of this film is the cinematography and the music, which are beautiful to look at and listen to. I will give Nerve a 6.5 out of 10 and recommend it for a one-time watch.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you thought of Nerve and if you know similar, but better-produced movies. Thank you as always for reading my review and if you liked it, please share it with friends and family!