Movies & TV series

Top Movies – Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn Movie Review – Movie Reviews Sites

Ash returns to fight back against the evil spirits that him and his friends accidentally released, but will it be enough to stop the Kandarian demon?

Genre: Comedy/Fantasy/Horror

Directors: Sam Raimi

Cast: Bruce Campbell, Denise Bixler, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley DePaiva, Richard Domeier, Ted Raimi, John Peakes & Lou Hancock.

Run Time: 84 min.

US Release: 13 March 1987

UK Release: 26 June 1987

German Release: 28 January 1988

Welcome to round two of my Evil Dead review series. If you read my post yesterday, you’ll know that I am currently analysing all three original Raimi flicks before reviewing the first season of Ash vs Evil Dead. While I wasn’t a big fan of the first horror-shocker I really did enjoy this film, which served not only as a sequel but also as a retelling of the first story during the first ten minutes of its runtime. The concept for a sequel was discussed early, during the production of The Evil Dead with Raimi envisioning Ash travelling through a time portal back to medieval times. Sadly the budget of 3.6 million dollars was lower than what the director expected and therefore he scraped the idea.

— WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! —

This sequel begins with a 10-minute introduction, explaining what the book of the dead is and revisiting the events of the first movie (which were changed) that lead Ash (Campbell) and his girlfriend Linda (Bixler) to fight for their survival against wicked demonic spirits. Ash ends up killing his girlfriend, who became possessed.

The main plot begins where the last film ended, with Ash being pushed through the woods by sinister forces, which end up possessing him. Thanks to the sun rising, Ash manages to regain his body. The young man runs back to his car and tries to leave the haunted woods, but ends up by the destroyed bridge and the sun begins to set again. Meanwhile, Annie Knowby (Berry), daughter of cabin owner and anthropologic professor Raymond Knowby, tasks a group of people to guide her to the cabin of her father, where they encounter a distraught and borderline crazy Ash.

Compared to the first Evil Dead, which was not being funny on purpose, Raimi used the extremely surreal story and it’s goofy main character to create one of the best horror satires I have seen to-date. What makes this movie so appealing, is the fact that the characters are aware of the silly, yet horrifying, situation they find themselves in and simply go with it, hacking and slashing their way through ridiculous evil spirits in a desperate way to stay alive. The script and narrative are also big improvements to the meagre first story. Raimi focuses more on comedy than on the horror aspects, which give this low-budget flick a loving touch. What I appreciated most, though, is how the 10-minute recap at the beginning retells the events of The Evil Dead and thus gets rid of its major flaws.

As funny and entertaining as this movie might be, it becomes extremely repetitive after the first hour, especially if you saw the previous film. It basically consists of the characters fleeing from the evil spirits, hiding and fighting back once someone gets possessed. However the ending redeems the repetitive tone, once Ash accidentally travels back in time and wakes up in the middle of a battle in medieval England (?).

When it comes to characters, most of which appear in the story are not really explored, with the exception of Ash and Annie. The rest just serve as fodder for the evil spirits, turning them into enemies Ash needs to end up fighting. Even though the lack of character depth is somewhat disappointing, I found it good that Raimi’s portrayal of women changed when comparing it to The Evil Dead. Ash, on the other hand, made a dramatic character change; gone is the shy and humble young man, replaced by a self-secure if not a little clumsy protagonist and I need to applaud Bruce Campbell because he simply owned the role!

With a bigger budget, the cinematography and effects improved immensely compared to the first picture. Raimi re-uses his extensive first-person style that shows us the destructive force of the demon from its point of view, and I still believe it’s one of the best cinematographic effects of this series. It manages to convey tension and fear without ever showing us the creature. The makeup and prosthetics used for Evil Dead II also improved immensely, as did the special effects and the over-the-top violence and gore is used this time around as a comedic effect rather than a shocking one. However, due to the age of this film, not all effects managed to pass the test of time.

Verdict: Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn is the sequel to the highly popular The Evil Dead, as well as a spiritual retelling of the first story. Sam Raimi shifted the narrative tone from horror to comedy, amping up the goofy aspects, and it did benefit the movie not only from a plot aspect but also character wise. Ash’s persona change not only gave the movie the necessary groove (pun intended), but he was a much better protagonist than in his previous depiction with Campbell making a fantastic acting job. Just as in the first horror tale, Raimi managed to prove that he is incredibly creative behind the camera. All in all, this is one of my favourite comedy-horrors and I give Evil Dead II an 8 out of 10.

My next review in this series will follow this Saturday, so if you are interested make sure to keep your eyes open. Thank you very much for reading this review and if you liked it, make sure to share it.

Top Movies – The Evil Dead Movie Review – Movie Reviews Sites

The Evil Dead is one of the fan’s most praised movie in its genre, having gathered an immense cult following. It is also the film that started Raimi and Campbell’s careers.

Genre: Fantasy/Horror

Directors: Sam Raimi

Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor,

Betsy Baker & Theresa Telly.

Run Time: 85 min.

US Release: 15 October 1981 (Premier)

UK Release: 16 January 1983

German Release: 10 February 1984

As a set-up for my Ash vs Evil Dead review, I decided to make a series out of it and review all original Evil Dead movies this week. The Evil Dead was Sam Raimi’s first real feature-length film and is nowadays a cult classic in the genre of horror. Raimi obtained a meagre 350 to 400 thousand dollars as a budget for the project, with the movie making successful 2.6 million at the box office but the filming process proved to be very uncomfortable for cast and crew. With the praising review of horror author Stephen King, it finally managed to garner the interest of New Line Cinema, which acted as the film’s distributor. Despite its cult following and the good reviews, though, I am not a big fan of this first flick.

— WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! —

The story takes place in a remote cabin, where five young adults in their twenties decide to spend the weekend and party. The group of friends consists of Scotty (DeManincor), the alpha male of the group and his girlfriend Shelly (Tilly), Ash (Campbell), his girlfriend Linda (Baker) and sister Cheryl (Sandweiss). The cabin and its surroundings, though, differ from what they originally imagined; it’s spooky, dark and has a supernatural vibe. Soon paranormal activities within the cabin lead the group to find a recorder with an old incantation, which sets free an old evil that starts possessing one friend after another.

The Evil Dead is the horror shocker that catapulted the careers of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell in Hollywood. While the movie had a good premise and skilfully balanced between comedy and horror, it was the incredibly cheesy and terrible written dialogues as well as the stupidly developed characters that damaged the story as a whole. Apart from Bruce Campbell’s Ash, it was hard to sympathise with any of the incredibly clichéd horror victims, as the characters made one wrong decision after the other.

That said Sam Raimi’s love letter to horror flicks was a game changer for the genre, as it included a great setting, atmosphere and incredible violence. This is a fantastic achievement for a director’s first feature motion picture and also impressive, considering the very small budget and the trouble actors and film crew experienced while filming. I also liked how this movie ended, leaving the outcome of the last scene open for the viewer to interpret. Not a lot of directors have the courage to end their projects like that, especially during those years were cliffhangers weren’t well received.

The characters were my biggest issue with this pic; especially the way women are portrayed in it. I am not talking about the rape scene, which served its purpose as a shocking element, but rather the fact that they got possessed first (suggesting a weaker mind compared to the male leads) to become solely objects of gore for the male to inflict violence upon, in the most creative ways.

Bruce Campbell played Ash, a well-mannered and humble character compared to his friend Scotty. He is shocked when the mayhem begins and disgusted at the violence that Scotty displays, when he is in danger of getting chewed to death by his girlfriend. Campbell plays his part well, but the overdramatic scenes and the extreme blood displayed on screen turns his persona into a goofy survivor. Interestingly enough, it is that dopey vibe that turned his character into an icon of the horror genre. Scotty, on the other hand, was my least favourite character as he was a despicable human and an egoistic jerk.

The most impressive aspect of this movie must be the use of camera, which was fantastic! Raimi took a lot of shots from the first person perspective, and thus not only managed to rise the tension but successfully integrated the camera as part of the story. One of the best shots taken in the film was where he swept the camera along the floor and following Ash, who is himself dragging a body along the wooden floorboards. The visual and special effects, as well as the makeup used for this supernatural gorefest, are surprisingly good considering the limited budget – but it is still dated by today’s standards. Now, the problem this movie has is that it uses gore, as the defining aspect of the narrative when it should have been used as a tool instead, just as is the case with CGI in this era of filmmaking.

Verdict: The Evil Dead might be a cult-classic today and it surely did raise the bar for modern horror flicks, still, I would not count this as one of the better movies in its genre since it did suffer from some severe plot flaws, such as cheesy dialogues and seriously underdeveloped characters. It showcased impressive directorial skills though, given the low amount of money obtained and the fact that this was Sam Raimi’s debut as a regisseur, setting new standards for horror films. The cinematography and makeup were astonishing and the few special effects used looked good for its time, but look dated nowadays. So considering the problematic with the narrative which clashes with the brilliant camera work, I will give The Evil Dead a 6.5 out of 10.

Thank you very much for reading my review! You are welcome to leave your opinion of the movie in the comment section below. My review for the sequel/reboot Evil Dead II will follow tomorrow.

Top Movies – Batman Returns Movie Review – Movie Reviews Sites

Having defeated the Joker, Bruce Wayne will need to fight three new enemies who are threatening Gotham and its citizens.

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy

Directors: Tim Burton

Cast: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Murphy, Vincent Schiavelli, Andrew Bryniarski, Michael Gough & Pat Hingle.

Run Time: 126 min.

US Release: 19 June 1992

UK Release: 10 July 1992

German Release: 16 July 1992

Welcome back to my DC movie review series, which I will continue with Batman Returns. Following the success of Tim Burton’s 1989 version of Batman, Warner Brothers decided to produce a sequel and brought back Tim Burton as director and Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The result was a very dark and spooky movie that did not fare well with the audience and the studio, which thought that Burton went too far. Nevertheless, it obtained generally positive reviews even though it definitely was inferior to the 1989 film. Personally, I was not a big fan of Batman Returns.

— WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! —

The plot takes place during Christmas, 33 years after the Cobblepot’s got rid of their deformed child. The Penguin (DeVito) kidnaps industrialist Max Shreck (Walken) and blackmails him to help him be accepted by the people of Gotham. While mean Shreck’s assistant Selina Kyle (Pfeiffer) figures out the businessman’s evil plan and she is pushed out of a window, falling to her death. Cats swarm her body and she is being revived, develops a mental disorder, and fashions a cat costume becoming Catwoman.

During a meeting between Shreck and Bruce (Keaton), Selina surprises both of them and leaves Bruce enchanted by her beauty and quirky personality. Both have a short-lived date when Batman is needed in Gotham but stumble upon each other again as their alter egos. Bruce is simultaneously checking on the Penguin, who together with Shreck starts a campaign to become mayor and thus support Shreck’s plans for a nuclear power plant. Cobblepot also plans to destroy Batman’s reputation as Gotham’s hero and uses Catwoman to reach that goal. Batman will need to fight on both fronts; as Batman against the Penguin and Catwoman and as Bruce Wayne against Max Shreck.

This sequel started the multiple villain story arcs, presenting us with the Penguin, Catwoman and to some extend industrialist Max Shreck, making it feel a little bit too crowded and disjointed at times. The extreme dark tone and atmosphere had been one of the reasons why it obtained such negative feedback from the viewers, the other reason being the misdirection of some of DC’s better-known characters, which turned them into the typical Burton-esque gothic personas that had little to do with Batman and his world. The story itself was silly, even for a Batman movie, and very over-the-top but it also makes for a fun and entertaining Christmas flick.

That said, Batman Returns also had some really good qualities and entertaining dialogues, such as the conversation between Penguin and Catwoman, who planned to turn the people of Gotham against Batman. This turned the former hero into an anti-hero, wanted by the police. Although a little bit cramped, Burton managed to balance the different character stories pretty well and I also liked the romance that blossomed between Selina and Bruce, as it felt natural and was added with care into the story. Finally, the dialogues might be a little silly but are witty and suit the tone of the plot.

Michael Keaton returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman and compared to his first appearance in 1989, this story focused more on his superhero persona and his relationship with the different villains that sprawled all over Gotham. Bruce has made some major characteristic changes, his relationship with Vicki Vale had not worked out and he is feeling alone, until meeting Selina Kyle, portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer. Keaton managed to display those emotions very well and he had fantastic chemistry with Pfeiffer, who also did a terrific job. Selina Kyle’s persona though, was depicted differently to her comic book character; a former prostitute and inspired by Batman to done her cat costume. In this blockbuster, she is a shy office assistant who gets tossed out of the window by her boss and is revived by cats.

Danny DeVito, who played the Penguin in this comic book adaptation, was the weakest character in the movie and I really hated what Tim Burton turned this iconic character into! What we obtained in this film was not the Penguin, but a deformed and disgusting psychopath. I am not a big fan of Danny DeVito and I don’t find him funny, he was scary though and served Burton’s purpose. Still, his lines were extremely cheesy and his plan to steal the firstborns of Gotham was stupid. DeVito simply failed to depict a good villain, after the fantastic performance of Nicholson as the Joker!

Christopher Walken portrayed Max Shreck, Selina’s boss and murderer and a business tycoon with a silly plan to rob Gotham of its energy, to sell it back to the city at a higher price. He is supposed to be the opposite of Bruce Wayne and thus more of a business opponent, but it actually just is Christopher Walken playing himself. While I know that Sleepy Hollow came out seven years later, I couldn’t help but notice that Max Shreck’s make-up design was very similar to that of the headless rider (also played by Walken).

The cinematographic style is similar to that of the first film, but with a much darker atmosphere. The colour palette shifted to a greyish blue that enhanced the grittier tone of the narrative. The special effects look better than in Burton’s previous Bat-flick and the music, composed by Danny Elfman, is one of the best parts in the movie and one of the most epic soundtracks for a superhero blockbuster.

Verdict: In the end, Batman Returns is a fun and entertaining Tim Burton flick, with a solid plot line and entertaining dialogue scenes, but it is not a Batman movie. Burton took everything from Batman lore and reshaped it to his liking, making this a very dark and gothic action-fantasy Christmas movie, but it simply has nothing to do with the DC comics it is based on. While I liked Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer in their respective roles, I simply hated what the writers and director did to the character of the Penguin and disliked Danny DeVito’s portrayal, which was very over-the-top and silly. This is also one of the few portrayals by Walken I did not enjoy. If you are expecting a Batman adaptation, this film will surely disappoint you, but as a Burton flick it was quite all right and I will, therefore, give it a 7 out of 10.

Thank you very much for reading this review and if you liked it, be sure to share it with others. I will be reviewing all three Evil Dead movies next week (incl. Army of Darkness) as well as the TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead and the Angry Birds animation, which will be released on Thursday.

Top Movies – Neighbours 2 Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

The bane of college parties returns to bite the Radners in the butt, just when they are ready to sell their house. This time, though, the neighbours are not boys but girls.

Genre: Comedy

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Cast: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ike Barinholtz, Dave Franco, Carla Gallo, Kiersey Clemons, Beanie Feldstein, Selena Gomez & Lisa Kudrow.

Run Time: 92 min.

US Release: 20 May 2016

UK Release: 06 May 2016

German Release: 05 May 2016

Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising, a.k.a Bad Neighbours 2 as it is known in the UK and Germany, is a follow-up to the 2014 comedy film Neighbours. I was positively surprised by this sequel, expecting a dull plot that retold the same jokes and plot as the first movie, and while this is true to some extent, Neighbours 2 was actually an extremely funny and sometimes macabre continuation of the first part. I can honestly say that I was enjoying this comedy from beginning to end, not finding one dull moment and was surprisingly invested in the character story arc.

This is more of a “passing the torch” narrative than it is a simple repetition of events, and includes the typical foul-mouthed vocabulary and poop jokes of a Seth Rogan comedy. It also has a surprising, emotionally touching, note to it. The story revisits the characters of the first movie, depicting how they evolved since their little “neighbourly” feud. Kelly and Mac are expecting their second child and need to sell their house and move into a bigger one since they are running out of space. Teddy is still trying to figure out what he wants to do in life. All three meet again when a new sorority moves next door, making life hell again for the Radners. The result is not only hilarious but includes a fulfilling emotional conclusion.

This sequel, just like its predecessor, has some issues though. A few of the jokes and sketches were taken straight out of the first film, and even though it wasn’t more than one or two, they did lose their comedic effect the second time around! Then there was the troubling fact that it did contain once again characters, in high-level positions, which behaved like jerks and simply weren’t believable. Lisa Kudrow, for example. was not only completely wasted, but a disappointment in general!

The cast retained its chemistry and Chloë Grace Moretz was a fantastic addition to the roster, but the movie was clearly focused on the characters Kelly, Mac and Teddy and how they evolved. Seth Rogen & Rose Byrne still depict a believable married couple, who moved passed their stage of being comfortable around each other and need to step up as parents. They are clearly way over their heads as first-time parents, trying to cope with their two-year-old daughter and doubting their parenting skills. They are also expecting a new baby and in dire need of more living space. Their only problem is the new sorority that moved in next door and is causing them trouble, trying to sell the house.

Zac Efron, playing Teddy, managed to surprise me once again. Although his movie with Robert DeNiro, which was released earlier this year, was a complete flop, it managed to prove that the young actor got rid of his Disney image once and for all. Efron is a good and capable comedian and I enjoy most of his R-rated comedies. His performance in this film topped that of Dirty Grandpa (not shocking at all!) and also gave Teddy a softer side to his character. Teddy lost his way in life, still not knowing what he wants to become, he finds his purpose when helping out his former neighbours to get rid of the sorority.

Chloë Grace Moretz depicts Shelby, the head of the sorority that moves in the house next to the Radners’ home and is the newest thorn in her neighbours’ eyes. The young teenager and college freshman had a tough high school time, with an overprotective father and no friends, to change that she decides to join a sorority but is shocked to learn that sorority members are not allowed to consume alcohol or drugs in their home. She soon meets Beth (Clemons) and Nora (Feldstein), and together they decide to create a sorority that challenges those unscripted rules.

This comedy made use of computer effects for stunt-like scenes that were too dangerous to perform in reality, as well as practical effects that were part of punchlines for macabre jokes; both meshed well together but were sparsely used. Although the CG effects looked fake at times and there clearly is a scene that was filmed in front of a green screen, it never hampered the humour in the story.

Verdict: Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising is a fun sequel to the already enjoyable Neighbours. Contrary to other comedic sequels that simply reuse old jokes and sketches, Neighbours 2 either came up with new toilet humour (that nearly crossed the line) or managed to repackage jokes from the previous film, giving the punchline a different end. Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron and Chloë Grace Moretz had great chemistry and clearly enjoyed their time on set. The neighbourly feud between the two houses was really funny, as usual, and the pranks they played on each other kept me entertained throughout this comedy’s runtime. If you were a fan of the first movie, you will clearly like this one, but if you don’t like poop jokes and foul-mouthed dialogues I would not recommend you go watch this film. Me? I had a blast with Neighbours 2 and will, therefore, give it a 7 out of 10.

Have you seen this sequel yet? If you did, leave a comment below with your opinion. Thank you for reading!

Top Movies – Baahubali: The Beginning Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

This Indian blockbuster manages to entice its audience with a mythological fairy tale and grand looking, Hollywood-like, special effects.

Genre: Action/Drama/Fantasy/Romance

Directors: S.S. Rajamouli

Cast: Prabhas, Tamannaah Bhatia, Rana Daggubati, Satyaraj,
Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan & Rohini.

Run Time: 159 min.

US Release: 09 July 2015

UK Release: 10 July 2015

German Release: 28 April 2016

The highest grossing Indian film finally made its release in Germany and boy what a screening it was! I went to see the movie yesterday, early in the day, visiting one of only two cinemas in Munich that screened this huge blockbuster spectacle. I was impressed at how much I enjoyed this, at times very over-the-top, action fantasy-drama that sees for the larger part of the first act the protagonist trying to climb a waterfall to the top, to see what lies on the other side of the cliff. S.S. Rajamouli managed to direct an epic looking fantasy epos, that at times reminds more of a Hollywood blockbuster than a Tollywood flick.

This period-piece epos tells the tale of Shivudu (Prabhas), a young man possessing superhuman strength, who was adopted by Sanga (Rohini) and her husband when they found him close to drowning as an infant, in the nearby river at the base of a waterfall. Shiva grows up driven by one purpose, to climb the waterfall and explore the world above. When he finally manages to master the difficult climb, he is exposed to a world of pain and suffering but also meets Avanthika (Bhatia), a warrior princess he falls in love with.

Baahubali is the first film of a two-part series that unleashes two different cinematic styles, letting them clash and creating one of the biggest spectacles I have seen this year. Based on the myths of Indian folklore heroes, Rajamouli combined them all into one story to tell his own tale that looks like a graphic novel depicted on screen. The film mixes American Hollywood storytelling with that of Indian Bollywood, making for a very light but at the same time gritty and violent picture. What it reminded me most of, though, was a classic Disney animation that came to life, as it had all the right ingredients; the light and at times violent tone, the musical entries and the fairy tale like atmosphere.

It also was very aware of its bigger than life presence that, at times, made for very funny dialogue/action sequences, these being purposely over-the-top and giving the film a good balance between drama and humour. Some scenes were a little too silly and that did not mesh well with the serious part of the story. Having recently watched Gods of Egypt, I couldn’t help but compare the two and conclude that Baahubali: The Beginning succeeded in what the later failed; creating a bloated, but compelling blockbuster.

Prabhas, a moderate South-Indian Tollywood star, takes on his first big action role as Shivudu/Baahubali and proved that he is more than capable to portray characters that are more complex than the usual male love-interest in rom-coms. In fact, he not only portrayed the protagonist Shivudu aka Mahendra Baahubali but also his father Amarendra Baahubali in a flashback scene that spans across the last act of the movie. Shivudu is a charming, unusually strong and curious young man who is drawn to the upper levels of the waterfall close to his adoptive home. Once managing to climb up the cliffs, he learns of his true heritage and of the intrigues that lead him to grow up under the care of his adoptive parents.

Rana Daggubati stars as the main antagonist Bhallaladeva, brother to Amarendra Baahubali and tyrant king of Mahishmati. He inherited his father’s jealousy, which ultimately leads him to hate his brother due to his superior skills that would eventually lead him to inherit the throne. Sadly, I thought that Daggubati was the weakest cast member, because as clear as his motivations and reasons were, I did not believe his rendition.

Tamannaah Bhatia plays Avanthika, a female warrior belonging to a rebel group meant to save the enslaved queen Devasena, and thus free the Kingdom of Mahishmati. Although just having a brief on screen-appearance in comparison to other characters, Bhatia managed to sell her character’s devotion to the rebel’s cause and her surprise at finding love in an unexpected place. Finally, Ramya Krishnan was introduced in the third act of the movie as Queen Sivagami and gave another fine performance.

Senthil Kumar was director of photography for this movie and created an epic looking flick, reminiscent of big Hollywood blockbusters, and made use of two different colours palettes. The first one represented the typical Bollywood vibrant colours, with lots of ruby reds, pinks and electric blues. These colours were used for the musical and fairy tale aspects of the movie. The other palette used golden/brownish and dirty colours, representing the grittier and more grounded aspect of the story.

The special effects were somewhat of a mixed bag. Some of the effects looked really good, as in the waterfall climbing scene or the computer generated city of Mahishmati. Other effects looked straight up crap, like the giant bull fighting scene or some effects in the epic 45-minute battle, shown at the end. Those last examples were easy to spot, as they looked and felt incredibly synthetic.

M. M. Keeravani, who is the director’s cousin, composed the beautiful soundtrack to this epos and created the songs for the musical scenes, with Madhan Karky chosen as the lyricist for the Tamil version of the songs. Kalyan Koduri completed the film’s sound supervision.

Verdict: This Indian blockbuster seriously impressed me! Some of the over-the-top sequences would have definitely sufficed to plunge this movie into the depths of movie trash, such as this year’s Gods of Egypt, but S. S. Rajamouli managed to balance those larger than life visuals with some well-placed narrative humour. The combination of story and effects made me feel as if I was watching a classic Disney animation, and I was genuinely invested in Shiva’s story of self-discovery. Apart from some minor issues concerning the screenplay and the, sometimes, artificial looking computer effects, this is a fun and very entertaining blockbuster that had me longing for the second part. I will give Baahubali: the Beginning an 8 out of 10.

Did you see the movie? If so, leave a comment below and share your experience with this fantasy epos. Thank you very much for reading and if you liked this review, be sure to share it with others.

Top Movies – A Hologram for the King Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

A salesman is stranded in a desert of self-pity and doubt while trying to pitch a new telecom system to a Middle-Eastern monarch.

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Director: Tom Tykwer

Cast: Tom Hanks, Alexander Black, Sarita Choudhury, Sidse Babett Knudsen, David Menkin, Christy Meyer, Megan Maczko, Ben Whishaw, Tracey Fairaway & Tom Skerritt.

Run Time: 98 min.

US Release: To Be Announced

UK Release: 20 May 2016

German Release: 28 April 2016

Tom Hanks opens this comedic drama with a fantastic take of the Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime” and sets the tone for this funny but dull movie. A Hologram for the King is a German-American production, based on the novel of the same name written by Dave Eggers. Director Tom Tykwer wrote the script to this comedy-drama and Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions and Saban Films released the film. I did not read the novel so I can’t compare it to this adaptation, but this motion picture sadly doesn’t reach the grandness of Tom Hanks other projects, instead it just lingers in mediocrity.

Just as in the book the plot for this adaptation revolves around Alan Clay (Hanks), a washed-up and very desperate salesman working for Reliant, who is sent to Saudi Arabia to pitch the firm’s new holographic teleconferencing system. Alan is going through some trouble himself, after having lost his funds, house and wife – who divorced him shortly after. His last hope to ensure the funds for his daughter’s (Fairaway) college education is to sell the holographic system to the King of Saudi Arabia.

A Hologram for the King is a sweet and innocent film that delves deep into the psyche of its protagonist, after this one hits a low point in life and reaches an existential crisis. It is an emotionally touching allegory about the human midlife crisis, love and globalisation, similar to Bill Murray’s Lost in Translation. The dialogues and scripted situations in which Clay finds himself in also manage to be quite funny making me laugh and smirk every now and then. Though the part I was most impressed with was the opening act, a smart metaphoric dream, that quickly depicts his emotional state, as well as the losses he suffered.

As loveable and delightful as this movie is, director Tom Tykwer completely missed the mark he was aiming for. The story, in general, was bland and uninteresting; a shame because Alan Clay is a really likeable character but his life just isn’t intriguing enough for a feature film. Most of this drama simply revolves around the US salesman trying to pitch the newest IT technology to the King of Saudi Arabia, though, his working routine repeats over and over again, with too little deviations happening throughout those days. Flashbacks are included that are meant to flesh out the main character, but these rather disrupted the slow pace of the story, than adding depth to it. Those aspects made this flick feel much longer in its runtime than it actually was and the abrupt ending made for an unsatisfactory conclusion.

The complete cast was energetic and gave exciting renditions of their characters, but it was Tom Hanks that stole each scene he was in. This actor is one of the most versatile of our generation, managing to turn a simple and boring character, like Alan Clay, into a likeable and charming person. Clay’s business trip is ironic itself since he is a person stuck in the past (as shown by all the flashback’s) trying to sell a futuristic technology. The lump growing on his back is a metaphor for the burden of his past mistakes he is carrying with him.

Alexander Black made his big screen debut in this comedy-drama and he was fantastic! Black is hysterically funny and has great chemistry with Tom Hanks. He plays Yousef, Clay’s personal driver and just like Alan, he is a person who is stuck in a rut. He absolved one year of college in the US but decided to return to Saudi Arabia working as a personal driver/cultural guide for tourists.

Rounding of the cast is English actress Sarita Choudhury, as doctor Zahra. Clay meets her when he finds the lump on his back, seeking for medical attention. His doctor attracts him immediately, but the cultural differences don’t allow him to act on his feelings. Zahra is introduced around mid runtime and her character is not explored that much, but it is revealed that she is going through some similar troubles as Alan. Choudhury did a grand job depicting the character of the female doctor and was believable in her role.

The cinematography for A Hologram for the King, by Frank Griebe, was amazing and really handsome to look at. The movie was generally well shot and well lit, which blended perfectly with the palette of strong and vibrant colours used to display the story. The special effects that were used for the dream sequences looked really good and were well implemented. The only issue I had with the cinematography were the flashbacks, which really distracted from the main story and at times got slightly confusing.

Verdict: Tom Hank’s newest comedy-drama is a beautiful, smaller scaled motion picture that manages to touch its viewers emotionally, through the cast’s interpretation and depiction of the characters. The movie itself is a visual spectacle, making a combined use of good camera work, great lighting and beautiful radiant colours. Sadly it contains a bland story and the message it tries to convey gets lost in the rut the narrative is stuck in. While the lovable and funny characters intrigue the audience, the rest of the story leaves the viewers waiting desperately for something of remote interest to happen and the ending is truly enraging. I will therefore give A Hologram for the King a 5.5 out of 10.

Do you agree with my review? Leave a comment below and let me know what you thought. Thank you very much for reading my review and if you are interested, I will continue my Batman/Superman series tomorrow with Batman Returns.

Top Movies – Captain America: Civil War Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

It is friend versus friend, as our heroes are torn apart from the inside due to secrets that were kept and doubts arising from previously made decisions.

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Chadwick Boseman, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Daniel Brühl, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp & Tom Holland.

Run Time: 147 min.

US Release: 03 May 2016

UK Release: 29 April 2016

German Release: 28 April 2016

Click here to read my prior reviews for: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Civil War might be Marvel’s biggest project to date, featuring nearly every hero that was previously depicted in another Marvel movie, but it also strays far from the comic book it is based on. A continuation of both, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron, this third Cap film is a fast paced and well directed action-thriller that sees our heroes needing to deal with the decisions made in previous stories. But is it worth watching in cinemas?

Before I get into detail about what I liked and didn’t, narrative-wise, I need to express my issue with making this a Captain America movie! It would have sufficed if the story would have just focused on Rogers and his search for Bucky Barnes, with Zemo and Tony Stark interfering. The ramifications of that story could have been dealt with in an Avengers movie based on the Civil War comic books. As it stands now, the title of this superhero flick is misleading because, even though it is a continuation of The Winter Soldier storyline, this is clearly an Avengers story arc and not a Captain America one!

With that out of the way, let me start with the fact that I did like the narrative! I didn’t find it mind blowing nor did I think it was superior to The Winter Soldier, but it was definitely a good Marvel flick. The gritty and mature tone from the previous Cap film carried over on to this one, but instead of another spy thriller, the Russo Brothers directed an intense and fast-paced political thriller. It delved deeper into the psyche of the heroes and not only dealt with the aftermath of each battle the Avengers were present at, but pitched friends against each other while the world is on the hunt for Bucky Barnes, to arrest him for his prior crimes. The epitome of this movie was the fight at the Berlin Airport, teased in the trailers, since it was brutal as well as surprisingly hilarious.

It was not perfect though! At times it felt like it dragged on for a bit, but its biggest flaw must have been the convoluted plot. The movie started out fine and was simple to follow, but somewhere around the middle the story started feeling incredibly packed and at times got hard to understand. An example was the inclusion of Peter Parker; as much as I loved the Spider-Man cameo, his introduction simply felt a little forced. Still, compared to Batman v Superman that wasn’t able to juggle all the different storylines well, these directors managed to balance the inclusion of all the characters and stories quite fine.

This movie has a large array of cast members and characters, which is why I will only focus on the main characters and newcomers to the franchise. That said, I also want to point out that the villain Crossbones was completely wasted, something I did not expect. Then there also was Elizabeth Olsen who obtained more attention than I thought she would get and I really liked how they emotionally fleshed out her persona.

The main characters of this superhero flick are Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America and Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man, who are leading the two segments of the fractured Avengers. These friends bud heads when the Nations of the UN draft an accord for a governing body to oversee and direct the Avengers, after another incident resulted in more casualties. Chris Evans keeps portraying Cap as he did from the start and has a strong belief that the Avengers need to be free from the reigns of politics to save those people that need help. He is a humanitarian not a politician. On the other hand, we have Downey Jr who shows us a side of Tony that we never saw before. He is hurt; plagued by doubts about his actions as Iron Man and things he didn’t do in his youth.

Sebastian Stan returns as Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier and makes a fantastic rendition. This movie is, in fact, a continuation of his character’s story arc and delves deeper into Barnes’ history as the Winter Soldier, giving the character more depth. Stan made a fantastic job, displaying his persona’s confusion and doubts about what he did under the influence of Hydra. He is trying to live a low-key life to escape his past, but it soon catches up with him, making Bucky realise that he can’t even trust himself.

Daniel Brühl portrayed the villain Zemo and I was somewhat disappointed by his screen time and performance. Brühl is a fantastic German actor, able to transform into any character he is given, but he really failed to capture this villain’s essence. Zemo is depicted very different from his comic counterpart, a reason why Brühl might have had difficulty to believably portray that person, although, further reasons were his very weak plan of revenge and the very limited screen time he obtained in this movie.

Both newcomers, Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther and Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, were fantastic! Boseman sold his depiction of T’Challa well and his character had a good reason to go on the hunt for Bucky. Tom Holland must be the best Peter Parker and Spider-Man we saw on the big screen yet. The guy was smart but also clumsy and he always made funny remarks during fights, just as Spider-man does in the comics.

This is by far the best-looking Marvel movie to date! It features an electrifying cinematographic style by Trent Opaloch; reminiscent of a lot of spy-thrillers in the way it jumps scenes and introduces the viewer to new places around the world. The choreography and camera technique for the big battle was marvelous, leaving me floored at how good everything was captured. The best visual aspect of this movie however, must be the effects; both practical and computer generated since both meshed together perfectly and made for a beautiful looking superhero blockbuster.

Verdict: Captain America: Civil War was definitely not Marvel’s best picture narrative-wise, and left me partially disappointed because of the misleading title. I still need to recognise that this is a really good written, directed, and shot film that features fantastic performances by the whole cast. I really liked how Tony’s and Bucky’s past was presented to us, fleshing out both characters even more and Elizabeth Olsen surprised me with her fantastic rendition of Scarlet Witch. The weakest part of the plot was the villain and his motivation. My favourite aspect of this superhero flick was the cinematography, which was top notch. In the end, I found Civil War to be weaker than Winter Soldier but better than Age of Ultron, and it is worth seeing in cinemas. I will give this Marvel film a 9 out of 10!

Did you see the movie yet? Leave a comment below and let me know what you thought. Thank you very much for reading this review, and please share it if you liked it.

Top Movies – Gods of Egypt Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Egyptian gods are white, twice as tall as human beings and bleed gold instead of blood. Who knew?

Genre: Action/Drama/Fantasy

Director: Alex Proyas

Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gerard Butler, Courtney Eaton, Elodie Yung, Rufus Sewell, Chadwick Boseman, Geoffrey Rush, Bryan Brown & Rachael Blake.

Run Time: 127 min.

US Release: 26 February 2016

UK Release: 17 June 2016

German Release: 21 April 2016

So this review is coming a little later than usual due to the reason that Germany was one of the last countries to release this blockbuster in cinemas, but also because I decided to review Ratchet & Clank before uploading this one. I tried to dodge critiques by other reviewers before going to watch this, but unfortunately I couldn’t escape them all. Nevertheless, I went in with a friend to enjoy this movie for what it is and have a good time, and boy did we have a blast with this over the top CGI crapfest! I could not believe that Alex Proyas, the guy that brought us The Crow and Dark City, directed this movie.

The sloppily written script for this blockbuster was unoriginal and meshed together the plots of Disney’s Aladdin and God of War III (PlayStation’s epic conclusion of the trilogy), with the visual aspects of Transformers. But compared to Aladdin or Kratos’ story, this flick had no engaging narrative whatsoever and just piled up every cliché possible, in the hopes to create a fun plot. The makers also tried to impress and convince the audience that it is an epic spectacle, by scaling up everything on screen to a monstrous size. Basically, it is the movie equivalent of buying a sports car to compensate for a small sized penis.

The clunky dialogues were delivered so exaggerated and over-the-top, it made them sound fake and hysterically bad. The screening room was in tears, laughing about the actors inadequate line delivery! There truly is not a single positive thing I can say about Gods of Egypt; well perhaps the fact that the actors didn’t take their roles serious enough and just had fun with it, or maybe the only good thing that came out of this film is that it was so hilariously bad that it managed to entertain us from beginning to end. The question that still lingers in my mind though is: what possessed the studio executives to greenlight this film?

When it comes to the characters and cast, the fun stops and it gets more critical! It is one thing to make a fun-bad movie, but to depict all gods (except two) as white is a huge disgrace and a spit on Egyptian culture. Most of the Egyptians on screen were even depicted by Caucasians! Proyas himself was born in Egypt, so I can’t understand why he decided to picked-up this mythology and ruined part of his own culture.

Gerard Butler stars in his second big screen flop this year, and it’s even worse than his premise in London has Fallen. Granted, he is aware that he signed up for a bad motion picture, but his loud and pretentious dialogues could not really save his character from being funny, as intended to. It was rather embarrassingly amusing. Butler plays the villainous god Set, brother of Osiris, uncle to Horus and jealous of his sibling’s success. In a fit or rage, he kills his brother and blinds his nephew, thus banishing him from Egypt, and starts ruling over as a tyrant.

After seeing Brenton Thwaites in Son of a Gun I was sure that this young actor would be going places. Well, I was wrong! After being in that suspenseful thriller, Thwaites decided to star in a mediocre comedy and a disappointing chick-flick, before ending up as Bek (a rip-off of the character Aladdin) in this monstrosity. He plays the clichéd, good looking and athletically talented lover of Courtney Eaton’s Zaya. Forced to work together with the blind Horus, both set off on an adventure to find his eyes so that Bek can save his girlfriend. Just as with the rest of the cast, Thwaites line delivery was laughably bad.

Nikolaj Coster Waldau, one of Game of Thrones biggest stars, was cast to play the young and vain god Horus. Kicked off the throne by his Uncle and having lost his lover, the goddess Hathor, Horus thirsts for revenge against Set and thus makes a deal with Bek. This is the first time I saw Coster Waldau star in a big role for a motion picture and I was seriously disappointed by his performance. I was not expecting a grand performance, but at least to see a fun performance that would not embarrass him. Sadly, not even he managed to come out of this wreck unharmed. Geoffrey Rush and Elodie Yung rounded up the cast, as god/dess Ra and Hathor respectively.

This movie was shot incredibly bad, with every scene feeling completely artificial and fake. Nearly everything that happens on screen was filmed in a green screen room. The fights looked like set-ups and the effects and computer generated images ranged from looking astounding, such as the inside of Set’s pyramid, to excruciatingly appalling, as in the scene where Bek and Zaya are riding on a horse carriage. In fact, I was surprised at how bad the effects looked sometimes, considering this time of age. With this much CG constantly being thrown into the viewer’s face, it was no surprise that the complete blockbuster felt bloated, too “bling-bling” and synthetic.

Just as the script and cinematography, the makers of this catastrophe decided that the sound effects and music needed to be grand and loud, to convince the audience that it was worth spending money for this flick. Marco Beltrami composed the soundtrack to this film, which is a set of Egyptians melodies making one long, clichéd, “epic” composition.

Verdict: Gods of Egypt was a complete mess from start to finish. The overreliance on CGI, basing its story on the visual effects, dragged this excuse of a movie even further into the pits of crap. The script was badly written and included some of the worst dialogue scenes I have heard in a long time while displaying everything as big and loud as possible to try and make up for the lacklustre story. The performances by the cast were despicable and straight out embarrassing. Even so, as excruciatingly bad as this flick might be, I still had a lot of fun watching it even if I was laughing at it for the wrong reasons. I will therefore give Gods of Egypt a merciful 2 out of 10, but I don’t recommend you go see it in cinemas! If you are planning to see this movie, wait until it is out to rent and watch it with a bunch of friends.

Let me know what you thought of this blockbuster! My Captain America: Civil War review will follow on Friday. Thank you for reading and if you found it helpful, please share it with others!

Top Movies – Ratchet & Clank Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Are you ready for some asteroid kicking fun? The first feature-length film starring the video-game heroes Ratchet and Clank just landed, so get ready!

Genre: Action/Animation/Sci-Fi

Director: Kevin Munroe, Jericca Cleland

Cast: James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye, Paul Giamatti, Jim Ward, Sylvester Stallone, Bella Thorne, Dean Redman, Rosario Dawson, Armin Shimerman & John Goodman.

Run Time: 94 min.

US Release: 29 April 2016

UK Release: 28 April 2016

German Release: 28 April 2016

Ratchet & Clank is a computer-animated feature film based on the successful PlayStation game franchise of the same name. I am a big fan of the games, having played the first, third and sixth instalments and I was therefore looking forward to seeing this motion picture in theatres. Kevin Munroe (who is currently filming Sly Cooper, another video game adaptation) and Jerrica Cleland (cinematographer for Finding Nemo and Arthur Christmas) directed this animation, based on the first video adventure of the duo. These are some of the most popular PlayStation games that combine silly jokes, both for adult and kids, with a lot of action. The question is, does that recipe transfer well to the big screen?

The plot retells the story of the first game and focuses on the Lombax Ratchet (Taylor), a feline alien dreaming of becoming more than a simple spaceship mechanic at Grimroth’s (Goodman) shop. While mean the evil Chairman Drek (Giamatti) is using a devastating weapon that destroys planets and with the help of Dr. Nevarious (Shimerman), develops an army of robots to combat the Galactic Rangers, an elite group of policemen that keep order throughout the galaxy. Clank (Kaye), a malfunctioning robot, is accidently created and is shot down on the way to warn the Rangers. He is found by Ratchet and together, both set out on an adventure to save the Galaxy.

Sadly this film isn’t exactly what I was hoping for, which surprised me because I thought that if there was a chance for a good movie adaptation of a videogame, it would have been as an animated flick. Ratchet & Clank’s biggest issue is that it is a completely forgettable movie! I am writing these mere hours after watching it in cinemas and am now experiencing problems remembering parts of the plot, especially things that happen in the second and third act. An explanation for this is that the story was not that interesting and lacking emotion, a shame because the games always had entertaining value and heart.

But the uninteresting story was not the only reason for this animation’s forgetfulness. A big factor that contributes to the blandness of the plot is the messy structure of the story. Just as with Batman v Superman, there was far too much going on, for a film of that size and it did distract!

That said, there are some redeeming aspects to this film especially if you are a fan of the games! Ratchet & Clank retained its fun and humorous tone throughout the film’s length and made a lot of funny pop cultural references, including a hilarious scene that paid tribute to the Wilhelm-scream. Children and adults alike will have fun with the movie’s jokes, especially because a lot of them have a double meaning. I also liked how the story stayed for true to the source the longest part, retaining its juvenile soul, while other aspects were modified to suit the narrative.

The cast and characters belong mostly to the film’s better aspects and I was really happy to see that the studio kept the main voice actors of the games. This retained a familiarity between fans of the franchise and the characters so that the audience wouldn’t need to re-adapt to new voices. Minor characters, on the other hand, were bestowed with the voices of Hollywood’s better-known stars, spicing up the casting roster a little bit.

James Arnold Taylor returns as Ratchet. The voice-over actor lent his voice to the Lombax since the second game Going Commando. As in the games, Ratchet can be quite headstrong and juvenile, something that gets him quite often into trouble. He doesn’t know where he is from and therefore dreams of joining the Galactic Rangers and make the galaxy a better place, thus leaving a positive mark in history. David Kaye voices Clank since the first game, so it was nice to hear his voice in this film. Clank always was my favourite character of the two. He is smart, inventive and was always a true friend to Ratchet no matter what.

Further voice actors returning to speak their characters were Jim Ward as Captain Qwark, the most annoying character in the movie, and Armin Shimerman as the villainous Dr. Nefarious. Qwark’s story was changed from the original narrative in the games. He is stupid, easy to manipulate and his big ego makes him unbearable. Dr. Nefarious felt like he was shoehorned into the story, being the most prominent villain of the game series. His character should have been saved for a possible sequel, instead of wasting it in this animation.

Paul Giamatti voices the primary villain, Chairman Drek, and although he is really funny, his character wasn’t fleshed out one bit, making him a mere two-dimensional baddy. Sylvester Stallone, on the other hand, plays Dreks second in command Victor Von Ion and although his character is not explored either, it is that mystery that makes Von Ion such a threatening character. Ratchet’s mentor Grimroth is portrayed by John Goodman and is a side character of the story.

The cinematography by Anthony Di Ninno is fantastic and made for a beautiful looking animated movie, but I went in expecting nothing else. Ratchet’s fur and eyes are depicted in all detail, and Clanks bolts, wires and metallic body look like actual metal. The few action sequences were designed amazingly, leaving me in awe as I was looking at the spectacle that developed in front of my eyes. The 3D-effects were “alright”, but I would not recommend watching it in that format since 2D would be sufficient enough.

Verdict: The film adaptation of Ratchet & Clank was not a big disappointment, but a disappointment nonetheless. The plot is a structural mess and the main story was lacking excitement, making this a forgettable cinematic experience. However, I was happy to see the original voices of the characters return for this adaptation and the cast, in general, did a convincing job even if some of the characters weren’t sufficiently fleshed out or straight out annoying. The animation and effects were nice looking but the 3D was barely noticeable. Overall, I would say that fans of the franchise will have some limited fun with this animation, but others might get a little bored. I will therefore give Ratchet & Clank a 6.5 out of 10!

Let me know what you thought, if you decided to go and watch this movie. Did you think it holds up to the games? As always, thank you so much for reading my review and if you liked it, make sure to share it!

Top Movies – Captain America: The Winter Soldier Movie Review – Movie Reviews Sites

**The second Captain America is a vast improvement on the Cap’s first solo film and reaches the top ranks of Marvel’s best!**

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Cast: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L. Jackson,
Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie,Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp & Cobie Smulders.

Run Time: 136 min.

US Release: 03 May 2014

UK Release: 26 March 2014

German Release: 04 April 2014

My review series that will lead up to Captain America: Civil War, continues with an analysis of the second Captain America movie: The Winter Soldier! If you read my review for Captain America: The First Avenger you will probably have figured out that I was not a big fan of that film, but with the change of directors came a new and fresh take, making this movie so incredibly appealing. It is by far the grittiest of the MCU movies and gives us the first solo adventure of Steve Rogers in modern times (not acknowledging The Avengers). There is a lot that I liked about The Winter Soldier, so let’s get on with it.

— Warning! Spoiler Review—

Steve Rogers (Evans) has issues adapting to modern life; it is not only the change in culture that makes him feel like an outcast but also the fact that his old school ideals don’t fit into the modern world of moral complexities. He is unable to trust his partner Black Widow (Johansson) and boss Nick Fury (Jackson), who constantly keep information from him. Things get worse when Fury is “killed” by the mysterious Winter Soldier (Stan), an old friend of Cap’s past, and Hydra makes a reappearance. Rogers needs to confront his trust issues and finds an unexpected ally in former soldier Sam Wilson (Mackie).

The darker and more mature tone of this movie was a great change compared to the more light-hearted first film. It was also very suspenseful and Marvel’s most grounded movie to date, being more of a spy thriller with superhero aspects than a pure superhero flick, which gives The Winter Soldier a welcome change in atmosphere. It also contained a lot of politics and put Cap consistently on a path he was not comfortable with. One of the reasons I liked this movie was because it showed that the world of spies is not all shiny and glamorous, but rather a filthy job where you need to get your arms elbow deep in dirt. The dialogues were suspenseful and interesting to follow and gave the movie a good balance between serious and humorous, and the jokes included suited the situations well.

I did think that it had some issues though, the biggest being the exposition heavy-dialogue scene with Dr. Zola’s virtual presence where he explained Hydra’s plan to our heroes. The other one was more of a personal issue concerning the car chase with Fury; It wasn’t that I didn’t like the chase but it was the car itself I though did not fit into that grounded world the Russo’s created, reminding me too much of the Knight Rider car!

One of the benefits this movie has is that it didn’t sell its characters as these unreachable, nearly god-like superheroes, but as actual human beings that have issues and need to figure out a way to deal with their everyday problems. The people in this movie are flawed and very vulnerable persons, which included the villains. This is one of the reasons I still enjoy this movie when re-watching it.

Chris Evans was once again fantastic as Captain America. He not only looks the part of the boy-scout hero but also sells his rendition from a psychological point of view. Steve explains to a dying Peggy Carter that the only reason he joined S.H.I.E.L.D. was that he knew she was one of the founders. But he is consistently left in the dark about specific aspects of missions he is sent to and even feels like he can’t trust his fellow agents and superiors because they are always hiding something from him. This is actually bringing him to a breaking point where he is considering quitting the agency. Evans also managed to sell his fight scenes and stunt work well, making him a believable super soldier.

Scarlett Johansson returns as Black Widow, acting as one of many sidekicks Cap has in this flick and she has a terrific chemistry with her co-actor Evans. She does a great job at portraying the character and we keep getting little bits and pieces that hint towards her past (just as we did in Marvel’s The Avengers). This is the film that reveals by far the most about Nick Fury’s character, portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson. We get to see a side from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s director we have never seen before, as vulnerable and lonely due to him not being able to trust anyone. Samuel L. Jackson gave a fantastic rendition!

With the Red Skull gone, a new leader was given control of the terrorist organisation Hydra that reformed within S.H.I.E.L.D. That man is the Secretary of Defense Alexander Pierce, played by Robert Redford, and he was a magnificent character. Being a politician, it was hard to place the character because Redford played his persona as realistic as possible until the character revealed his allegiance to the secret Nazi organisation himself.

Sebastian Stan did not have a lot of dialogue lines, but was nevertheless amazing as the Winter Soldier and sold his fighting scenes and stunts, making him a great villain. Not only did he cause moral dilemmas for Steve Rogers, being his best and oldest friend who was thought to be dead, but the fact that he was experimented upon and brainwashed by Hydra made him stand out from the typical bad guys. Anthony Mackie was funny and a badass, as Sam Wilson/Falcon and I liked the take on the character for this film series.

The cinematography of Captain America: The Winter Soldier is really good and beautiful to look at, with well-executed stunt work and action scenes that look very realistic. There are a few moments during which shaky cam was used, but it wasn’t overdone and served its purpose in those scenarios. As with most superhero movies the production team made use of computer generated imagery for specific parts, but it was only used in minimal amount. For the most part, the Russo Brothers wanted to keep it as real as possible and succeeded in doing so.

Verdict: The third film of Marvel’s Phase Two is one of the best superhero flicks Marvel Studios produced! It not only proved that this franchise can be mature and grounded, but the tonal shift gave the series a welcome change in style. The best part about this movie was how the Russo brothers focused on producing a spy-thriller rather than a superhero flick and it suited the storyline and the persona of Captain America very well. The performances were fantastic; especially that of Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan and Samuel L. Jackson, and the cinematography was top notch. This is my third favourite Marvel film, topping the first Iron Man, and I can only recommend this flick to anyone who is a fan of comic book movies and spy thrillers. I will give Captain America: The Winter Soldier a 9.5 out of 10!

Thank you very much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this review. My analysis for Captain America: Civil War will follow this Thursday.