My Top 20 Most Anticipated Movies of 2017!

Well, 2016 is nearly over and it has been a heck of a year for movies, hasn't it? We've had the highest highs across a number of genres (Civil War in the superhero category, Arrival as a general masterpiece), and we've had the lowest lows (I don't want to talk about Ghostbusters any more than I already have so let's move on). Now, towards the end of the year, it's time to look ahead to the films of next year. I had planned to do a top 10 list of the movies I was most excited for next year, but, in creating it, it quickly came to me that there were far too many to regulate it to just 10. So here we have it: my top 20 most anticipated movies of next year! One more thing before we get started here, because I know it's a question a lot of you guys might ask when you're going through this: where's Trainspotting 2 (or any of the other big movies I've not included for that matter)? Look, I'm not saying it's going to be a bad movie by any means, especially with the old cast all back and Danny Boyle at the helm once again. I've simply not seen the original movie, and nothing about the announcements that have been made have made me extremely excited to see the movie compared to the 20 movies I'm about to talk about here. That's just me though. We'll start with some honourable mentions and then get into the list itself. Enjoy!

Honourable Mentions

• T2: Trainspotting - 27th January
• The Lego Batman Movie - 10th February
• John Wick: Chapter Two - 10th February
• Ghost in the Shell - 31st March
• King Arthur: Legend of the Sword - 12th May
• Baywatch - 26th May
• Cars 3 - 16th June
• Transformers: The Last Knight - 23rd June
• The Dark Tower - 28th July
• Jumanji - 22nd December

20. Murder on the Orient Express

I wouldn't blame you if you had know idea that this movie was coming out next year. We have seen no footage, posters, or even images from the movie. Maybe that's to be expected since it's coming out towards the end of November. So, why is it on the list? This is a movie that has already sold me on a) the fact that it's an Agatha Christie adaption, which is a factor alone which makes me intrigued to see how it is handled, and b) the star power that is already involved in the movie. This movie is packed with an impressive array of stars, including Kenneth Branagh (who is also directing the movie, and you may know as Gilderoy Lockhart of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" fame), Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Dame Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Penélope Cruz, Josh Gad, Michael Peña, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Phew. That is quite the cast, and they're all fairly well known for their great performances so matter what they're cast in (Johnny Depp is maybe the one exception as of late but as long as he's playing an eccentric character then we should be OK). Hopefully, with this cast, this movie will end up being something great to see.

Release Date: 22nd November

19. It

Yet another horror reboot but here's one which might have quite a bit going against it. This isn't like Friday the 13th, where they can just constantly remake the same movie with a different bunch of random teenage actors to get slaughtered by a faceless killer, or another torture franchise like Saw which is a pretty similar practice. This is a recreation of an old cult classic, and is recasting a role which was made iconic by Tim Curry in 1990. Nonetheless, I can't help but get excited by everything we've seen so far. The promised focus on the section of the source material where the main characters are kids promises an enhanced sense of vulnerability and threat throughout the movie. This might be a divisive opinion as well, but I am a big fan of the new actor and design for Pennywise the Clown seen above. Bill Skarsgård is a much younger choice for the role than Tim Curry was but the younger age, in addition to the much more old-fashioned look of the clown character, hopefully means that the kids are going to be going up against a more frightening and potentially more sadistic version of the character than we've ever seen before.

Release Date: 8th September

18. Power Rangers

I feel like I have to assure you guys that I'm not joking that this movie is up here on my list. Power Rangers was always a fun part of my childhood. I still remember the early days of the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, the dinosaur one, and a couple of others. Yes, this movie looks ridiculous. Yes, it looks pretty generic. Yes, the designs are completely unrecognisable. However, I have just have to admit that this movie simply looks like a lot of fun. I'm not expecting great things (and clearly neither are Lionsgate going by how the release date has been firmly set for two weeks after Kong: Skull Island, and a week after Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast), but rather I am expecting a cheesy, over-the-top action movie which harkens back to my childhood. Not only that, but the cast is actually pretty great. Bryan Cranston and Bill Hader are signed onto the movie, while Elizabeth Banks as villain Rita Repulsa already looks like an inspired casting choice. Is it going to be bad? Almost certainly, but is it going to be a fun movie to watch? Definitely.

Release Date: 24th March

17. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Now we come to the movie on the list that I am probably the most concerned about (which is saying something considering we were just talking about the flipping Power Rangers), and that's largely down to Johnny Depp's recent track record and the declining quality of the Pirates franchise towards the end of it's current four-movie run. Look, there's no way about it, Johnny Depp just hasn't been great as of late, and the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie was not good at all. That said, I've got high hopes for this one. The trailer is much more dark and scary than we saw in the last few movies in the series, and even reminds me of the greatness of the first entry to an extent. You've got Javier Bardem playing a creepy villain, and, so long as he doesn't chew the scenery and go too much over the top, he could prove to be the bad guy the series needs right now. Not only that, but Orlando Bloom will be returning to the series after a long hiatus as Will Turner, with the kid we see in the trailer supposedly being his son. It looks like Disney are taking all the right steps to get this franchise back on track, and I'm cautiously optimistic to see what the result is.

Release Date: 26th May

16. The Mummy

Why are Universal attempting to set up a shared universe for their monster franchises? I cannot fathom why they think that this is a good idea, but I nonetheless can't help but feel excited to see the new big screen adaptation of the Mummy, starring Hollywood's favourite daredevil actor, Tom Cruise. At the very least, if you're looking to kick start a brand, there's worse people to pick for your lead than Tom Cruise. The trailer was actually surprisingly violent and intense, particularly in the plane sequence at the start, which is promising. The special effects and the make-up on the Mummy herself in the movie also look to be on point. I am not actually off put either by the fact that Universal are clearly ditching he horror roots and elements of the franchise is favour of a straight-up action packed summer blockbuster, especially since the action does look great. The primary concern here is that the movie will spend far too much time setting up the future of this series in a desperate attempt to convince audiences that this is actually justified and worthwhile. As long as the movie doesn't focus too much on these elements, however, we are hopefully in for a good (albeit silly) time with this one.

Release Date: 9th June

15. The Fate of the Furious

Who knows how the Fast and the Furious franchise is still standing after 8 movies? As time goes on, these movies are becoming increasingly ridiculous, over-the-top and straight-up mind boggling. Orange Lamborghini fighting a submarine? Who cares about common sense? A wrecking ball taking out a bunch of pursuing cars? Apparently Universal think they're producing a Looney Tunes movie. This series keeps attracting big stars as well, with new additions to this instalment including Charlize Theron as villain Cipher, and Helen Mirren in an undsclosed role, while Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kurt Russell and Jason Statham also return to the scene. It looks crazy, off-the-wall, and brain cell killing stuff. Which is exactly why I want to see it. The trailers attempt to lure you in with a big change to the status quo of the series with Vin Diesel turning on the crew. Universal, listen up: this is not what people care about. They want big, fun, ludicrous action set pieces for 2 hours, and that's exactly what I want (and expect) from this movie.

Release Date: 14th April

14. Kong: Skull Island

Hey, remember when I said Universal were going crazy with their shared Monsters universe? Well, apparently Warner Bros. want a little slice of that action because next up is Kong: Skull Island as a continuation to their own shared universe for all their skyscraper climbing monsters, including Godzilla and the titular ape of this picture. Like quite a few of the movies I've mentioned already, I'm in this movie for visual spectacle. Kong himself looks excellent just going by the trailers alone, while the other creatures which inhabit Skull Island also have really interesting designs. The movie itself also has a really interesting colour scheme to it, and looks really well-filmed (though that might be down to a bit of trailer editing magic). The cast is great as well, including big names Tom Hiddleston, Oscar winner Brie Larson, John Goodman, and Samuel L. Jackson. I'm not expecting great things from this movie, but it's been a long time since King Kong was last on the big screen, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the studio has done with this version of the famous beast.

Release Date: 10th March

13. Alien: Covenant

Look, Prometheus was a big step back for the Alien series. It raised too many questions for its own good and answered none of them, the characters weren't particularly likeable, and, perhaps worst of all, the only one of the iconic Xenomorphs in the movie was seen at the very end, and even then it looked a bit wrong. Alien: Covenant, on the other hand, looks to be a return to form for Ridley Scott and the crew. Yes, Scott is back in the directing seat once again but this does look to be a far simpler story than that of Prometheus harking more back to the first movie than the later complexities of Prometheus or absurdities of Alien: Resurrection. It's just a crew on a ship being hunted by a violent, unstoppable alien. Simple but effective. The ship environment is sure to provide a far more claustrophobic horror environment than any other horror movie that's set for release next year. Not only that, but the set designs that we've seen so far as excellent, the marketing is nostalgic, and the cast is excellent, including Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Guy Pearce (surely playing another creepy role), and a double dose of Michael Fassbender in two roles. What's not to love?

Release Date: 19th May

12. Beauty and the Beast

Disney are just on a roll right now, aren't they? Not only are their animated features receiving critical acclaim across the board, but they are also exceeding all expectations with regards their live-action adaptions of their old classics. Two of these are currently among my best movies of last year, with both Pete's Dragon and The Jungle Book opening to critical acclaim. Next up on their list, though, could prove a much bigger challenge for the studio as they adapt the first animated movie to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture. However, everything about this remake looks on point for the most part. Everything but Ewan McGregor's dodgy French accent appears to have been incredibly well handled. The visuals of the movie in particular look to have been lifted right out of the animated movie and put on the big screen again. The cast is also largely perfect. Emma Watson hopefully won't be too much of an issue as Belle, but Dan Stevens already seems to be ingenious casting as the Beast, while whoever cast Sir Ian McKellan as Cogsworth deserves a pay raise. The big draw for me and I would guess many other fans, is the music. The music of the original is still wholly recognisable today and has proven itself timeless. Seeing these, and new songs from original composer Alan Menken, on the big screen is something I can't wait to see come March.

Release Date: 17th March

11. Thor: Ragnarok

To some extent, Thor has been the black sheep of the MCU. This is the one Marvel franchise people tend to point to when asked about issues within this universe, and to be fair, The Dark World gives them good reason to. However, the next instalment in the series, Thor: Ragnarok, looks to change that in a big way. Director Taika Waititi is a really interesting choice to put at the helm for this entry in the series, but he already seems to be expanding the scope of this franchise despite his indie film roots. Not only will the film be visiting Earth briefly (hopefully with the promised cameo of Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange as seen in that movie's post-credits scene), but Thor will also be traveling throughout the universe, accompanied by Tom Hiddleston's Loki, Anthony Hopkins' Odin, and will even be joined by Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/the Incredible Hulk. The big casting in this movie though is in the villains of the piece, with not only Karl Urban and Internet meme Jeff Goldblum entering the fray, but Oscar winner Cate Blanchett as primary villain Hela. This new star power, along with the adaption of a number of comic storylines and the brilliant special effects Marvel is known for, is hopefully going to bring Thor out of the shadows of his Avengers teammates at last.

Release Date: 3rd November

10. Dunkirk

You'll soon notice that this is the only movie on this list based on a true story and this is largely down to how well director Christopher Nolan and his marketing department have already shown off this movie. Visually, it looks like Nolan and the crew are on point as ever, with incredible effects and war sequences on display in small sections in the trailers. The cast is also impressive, though the addition of Harry Styles is certainly questionable - although it may work out alright, ultimately it may end up being nothing more than stunt casting. Besides this, however, we have Nolan regulars Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy, as well as well-known actors including Mark Rylance and Kenneth Branagh (who you may remember from an earlier movie on here). The main thing that gets me excited for this one, however, is Nolan's track record for great writing and exploring the characters involved in the events of the movie. Hopefully we'll be able to see all of the soldiers in the movie explored to some extent so that we can establish emotional connections to them so that we can truly feel the weight of the events of the rest of the movie, because there will surely be some tragedy to some characters. I'm feeling confident on this one though. In Nolan we trust.

Release Date: 21st July

09. Wonder Woman

I wonder if DC were surprised when the trailers for Wonder Woman were released. After all, they're surely not used to getting an almost universally positive reception to their movies, but that's what Wonder Woman has been receiving so far. After all, Gal Gadot's performance was one of the great parts of Batman v Superman this year, and the World War I setting gives the movie a unique tone and setting to any other superhero movie on the horizon right now. The action of the movie looks incredible, something also helped by the setting, and already includes trench warfare, battles on horseback, airborne dogfights, and even the glimpses of the battles on the beach between the soldiers and the Amazons that Diana was raised with. What's more, director Patty Jenkins actually seems to understand this character, and seems set to be given significant character development throughout he movie until the character reaches the position she was in by the start of Batman v Superman. A great cast, fantastic set design, visually breathtaking, and with so much more going for it, Wonder Woman looks to be the movie that will change the fate of the DCEU for the better. Warner Bros. could be in serious trouble if this one doesn't go to plan.

Release Date: 2nd June

08. Kingsman: The Golden Circle

I absolutely loved the first Kingsman movie, as audiences worldwide. Fun, nostalgic, and extremely violent, the movie was a love letter to the spy genre while also bringing a comedic element to the film. Plus any movie which can make English gentleman Colin Firth into a serious action star deserves some recognition. Now, 3 years later, the franchise is set to expand its rank and world-buidling significantly, as Eggsy, Roxy, and Merlin (all once again played by Taron Egerton, Sophie Cookson and Mark Strong respectively) travel to the United States to team up with their American counterparts, the Statesmen, to take on Julianne Moore's villain Poppy. We haven't seen anything from the movie yet in terms of footage (not surprising given that it was recently pushed back to October next year), but these small plot details, as well as the new cast members (which also include Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, and Jeff Bridges as Statesmen agents) while Matthew Vaughan and the crew are also back at the helm, are enough to get me seriously excited to see this movie. It's potentially a bit concerning that Colin Firth has been confirmed to have some involvement in the movie considering the effectiveness of his death in the first movie. As long as either it is kept to small flashback sequences or we are given a satisfying explanation for why he would be back, however, then this might even just be another one of the movie's positives.

Release Date: 6th October

07. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Marvel movie 2/3 coming out next year (and you know that the third one is going to be coming up due to my love for the superhero genre). The Guardians of the Galaxy were the franchise that truly decided whether or not audiences would trust in Marvel to do what they liked. Who ever would have thought that a movie about a talking raccoon, a sentient tree, and the rest of a gang of misfits would gross over $770 million worldwide to become one of 2014's biggest summer money-makers. Next May finally sees the return of the Guardians in a movie set to further expand the cosmic realms of the Marvel universe, bringing in a great new group of cast members including Kurt Russell as Peter Quill/Star-Lord's father, Sylvester Stallone, Pom Klementieff, and Elizabeth Debicki as new villain Ayesha. The trailer for the movie looks excellent and already looks like it will be both one of the best comedies and best action movies of next year. The effects are incredible, and it looks much larger in scale than the last movie. One potential issue might be the overuse of Baby Groot, but this shouldn't be a problem if they continue on their success of the first movie and give all of the Guardians an equal amount of character development throughout the movie. Can this one be as successful as the first movie, and just as good? Here's hoping.

Release Date: 5th May

06. Logan

Yes, yet another superhero movie makes the list. This one's here for a number of reasons but the big one sets it apart from all the rest: this is the last time we're going to be seeing Hugh Jackman in the role of Logan/Wolverine. 17 years after Jackman first took up the role in the original X-Men movie, the saga of the Wolverine will finally come to an end next year. Everything about the trailer cements that this is going to be an emotional rollercoaster of the movie, with not only Jackman's character seemingly reaching the end of his life, but also Patrick Stewart's Professor X. Either of these characters could die in this movie, but we've been promised a satisfying send-off for a character who we have grown to love and a performance which has become so iconic. Not only this, but the movie has been assured an R-rating (that's a 15-rating in the UK), which points to one of the most comic book accurate movies of next year. Violent and emotional, "Logan" is a movie I can't wait to see. Thankfully, we've not got too long a wait.

Release Date: 3rd March

05. Spider-Man: Homecoming

Of all 3 Marvel movies coming out next year, this one of course takes the top spot on the list. After his fantastic introduction in Civil War this year, I (along with the majority of audiences) could not wait to see what would come next for the latest incarnation of Spidey. Everything was looking good for this movie even before the release of the first trailer. Tom Holland has quickly become my favourite version of Spider-Man, due to his perfect blend of the nerdy Peter Parker and the snarky Spider-Man, while the rest of the cast also give plenty of good reason for excitement, including Michael Keaton as the villainous Vulture, and the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man. The trailer just made ensured that we all had plenty of good reason to be excited. The visuals of the movie look excellent, the movie is clearly sticking to it's comic-book roots (I'm just saying, under complete Sony rule, we never would have seen web wings on that suit), and the expanded focus on Peter's high school life makes the film look like it will have a more John Hughes-vibe than any other Spider-Man movie. Not only that, but director Jon Watts has actually managed to make the Vulture intimidating! As comic book fans will know, any movie that can do that must be at least a little bit special.

Release Date: 7th July

04. Blade Runner 2049

Sequels to old, classic movies are becoming a part of the modern film industry more and more nowadays. Normally, when a studio threatens to touch one of their precious childhood or classic franchises, fanboys will light up their torches and take to Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and any other form of social media. With this little blog, I am unashamedly among them. However, the sequel to Blade Runner has been met with a positive reception since the start, largely thanks to a returning Harrison Ford, the new cast (including Ryan Gosling, Robin Wright, and Jared Leto), and the signing on of director Denis Villeneuve, who's currently scoring four to four on directing with Enemy, Prisoners, Sicario, and Arrival under his belt. The trailer is extremely atmospheric and tense, and if that's any indication of what the movie itself will be like, then there's reason here to be excited. Not to mention that it's beautifully shot. All in all, this one looks like it will be a visual spectacle, a superbly acted movie, and a film as ambiguous and thought-provoking as the original. Bring it on.

Release Date: 6th October

03. War for the Planet of the Apes

I've already been through what I thought about the recent trailer for War for the Planet of the Apes in my recent trailer recap but I just have to reiterate that this is an incredible trailer, for this continuation of a series which I have loved. This movie promises a more vicious and potentially frightening Caesar than we've seen before, hopefully providing a chance for Andy Serkis to show off even more depth to this character, while once again demonstrating a different side to the ape culture: that of the war time. Maybe what excites me most is how different this movie seems to be compared to the other two movies in the series. This movie is no longer about diplomacy and relations between species, but about how the disagreements between two groups can escalate to all-out war between the two, and if there is an possible way back when the best of them all, their leader, seems to be content with ploughing forward to victory. It's an exciting new direction for the series, and a movie which I cannot wait to see come summer next year.

Release Date: 14th July

02. Star Wars: Episode VIII

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was, in my opinion, 2015's best movie. It was a masterpiece, with excellent characters, effects, and it was a worthy follow-up to the legendary original trilogy. Around a year from now sees the follow-up to this movie, acting as the eighth main entry in the Star Wars franchise. We'll finally see the continuation of the scene with Rey (played brilliantly by Daisy Ridley) and Luke Skywalker (a returning Mark Hamill), the return of characters from the last movie and the originals alike, and the introduction of new characters and faces to the franchise, including big names Laura Dern and Benecio Del Toro. This entry in the series seems to be wrapped in even more mystery than The Force Awakens was before it's release. We still have no indication of plot, who the new characters are, any new locations, a proper first look at footage, or even a title for this instalment. It just goes to show the power of Star Wars then, that we don't have to have seen anything to be just as, if not even more excited, about this movie than most other movies coming out next year.

Release Date: 15th December

01. Justice League

After all the faults of the DC Extended Universe, this movie really shouldn't be at the top of the list. Yet, here we are: Justice League. Lower your pitchforks, everybody, we have every reason to be optimistic about this movie as well: the cast is phenomenal, the writers (actually surprisingly) seem to have taken on board all of our criticisms and started to inject more humour into this universe, and the effects of these movies look as on point as they have been since "Man of Steel" back in 2013. However, what sets this one apart for me is my love of these characters. I have loved these characters for years, in their live-action, animated, and comic book incarnations. Therefore, what more explanation do you need for why this one has topped my list? Like the Avengers, this is the first time we are going to be seeing these characters being brought together on the big screen, and the little taste we got of the chemistry between them in "Dawn of Justice", for all the faults that movie has (and my rating undoubtedly should have been much lower), this gives us great reason to look forward to the formation of the Justice League at last in November next year.

Release Date: 17th November

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Do NOT Download Super Mario Run (Micro-transaction Hell)!!

Can you imagine the excitement of gamers all over the world, myself included, when Nintendo announced that our favourite plumber/Princess rescuer Mario was going to be coming to mobile devices in 2016? It was unreal. It wasn't quite Pokemon Go in terms of excitement but it was still a big deal. Super Mario Run was pitched as Nintendo's first crack at the mobile games market, and people thought to themselves, if this was successful, maybe this could signal a whole new era of mobile games. Well, this game was released today and I am here to tell you that this is not the case! This is an urgent public service announcement from good ol' Flix Reviewer here: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, download Super Mario Run. It is the definition of money-grabbing at its very worst in the mobile arena, and we as the consumers need to put our feet down and say "no". Let me explain my experience with the game and why I had deleted it off my phone within 10 minutes of downloading it. 

The game starts off well enough. You've got the modern, updated Mario aesthetic, it's a new and refreshing take on the gameplay of the series due to the automatic running aspect but it still feels familiar to fans of the franchise, good performance, and everything else you might expect. All in all, a promising start. So I'm playing through the first world in the game, and each world has 4 levels, desperately trying to get the pink collectible coins, excited about challenging my friends, because I actually told some of them in a group chat when the game came out. Eventually, I got to the end of World 1-3, and it was time for the castle level, the big one, my first confrontation with Bowser himself on mobile (bare in mind this took about 8 minutes of gameplay). I clicked on it and then...I got a message saying I couldn't play beyond level 1-4, and would have to click a button to access it. Fearing the very worst, I cautiously clicked the button. Once I did, I knew that Nintendo were going to be no different from every other mobile developer. Here's the screen that greeted me and made my jaw drop:

I actually initially was laughing a bit, I thought "this must be a joke, it surely has to be". Then the humour started to fade, and my anger came to the top. This is a joke, but certainly not in the funny sense. There are 6 worlds in the game, all with 4 levels each. Minus the 3 levels you get for free at the start, and that's 21 levels total. Plus a few "Rally Tickets" (likely some form of premium currency for another game type), and coins? This is a seriously concerning and low amount of content. Nintendo is exploiting its consumer base and the fans of the Mario franchise, plain and simple. There is no excuse for marketing a game as being free, and then bombarding the player with a paywall this severe practically immediately. This game is an extremely dangerous precedent for other games looking to use existing licenses but we can stop this together. Look at how well the Square Enix "GO" series has done, bringing franchises like Hitman, Tomb Raider and Deus Ex to the small screen and charging £1.49 up front for all content. Sure, there's still some micro-transactions at play but this is purely to get to later levels faster. £1.49 is a reasonable price and though you might not like it still, it's a damn sight better than the screen above. Do NOT let Nintendo get away with this nonsense and cause other developers to turn to this disgusting, exploitative business practice. People of the Internet and gamers of the world, I beg of you: say NO to this game, and stop this from ever happening again. Thank you.

Trailer Overload! - Spider-Man: Homecoming, Apes, Transformers, And More!

This has been a heck of a crazy week for trailers hasn't it? I can't imagine why, it's not like there's a little movie coming out next week which is taking audiences back to a galaxy far, far away that studios might want some marketing for their movies to play in front of. Who knows what could be the real reason behind this flux of trailers. What matters is that we got to see the trailers online this week. I would have loved to do full trailer reactions and breakdowns for all of these, but I'm only human, so let's break down the 6 big trailers for the week and I'll give you some quick thoughts on each of them.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

This is one of the more recent trailers revealed this week, and one of the very best. Spider-Man was a great part of "Civil War" earlier this year, and fans have been extremely eager to get a first look at his upcoming solo adventure in the MCU. Thankfully, Marvel seem to have knocked this one out of the park, and looks superior to the most recent Spider-Man ventures (which were then fully headed up by Sony). The main reason this one looks great to me is because it is placing good emphasis on both the roles of Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Tom Holland is great in both of these roles, with the new focus on Peter's high school life being a welcome addition, while also having the trademark humour of the Spider-Man character. His relationship with Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark is also something else that is going to be fun to explore. The effects work in the movie is stellar, particularly on the cruise ship sequence at the end of the trailer and the look of the villains, including Shocker (who you can see in the international trailer) and especially the Vulture, not looking at least partially ridiculous for the first time across comic books and the cartoon series that he's been a part of (Michael Keaton bringing some spectacular menace to the role also adds a great deal of excitement to the character). Overall, this is one I can't wait to see.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Well, I certainly didn't expect two Marvel trailers this week, but in addition to the return of the web-slinger, we also got our first, full look at the return of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel's break-out hit of 2014. This movie looks to be raising the stakes of the plot considerably, with the numbers being faced by the Guardians being far larger than those faced in the first movie, a fact that is particularly clear from when you look at the incredible space battles seem when Star-Lord is piloting his ship, the Milano. The rest of the Guardians also make a reappearance, but a great deal of emphasis seems to being put on one member of the team in particular. I'll give you three guesses who that is? Of course, it's Baby Groot. In fact, I'm a little concerned that too much of the focus of the movie may be being placed on the plant, despite the difficulty to give the character significant development (although the first movie did this rather effectively), so hopefully director James Gunn and the crew haven't built the entire movie around him. That said, everything else in the movie seems spot on. The jokes are all excellent, the effects work is fantastic, and what little glimpses we've had of new characters (in this case, Mantis, seen at the end of the trailer and played by Pom Klementieff) make this look like a movie to be excited about.

War for the Planet of the Apes

Between this trailer and Spider-Man: Homecoming, this may be my favourite trailer to see released this week. The rebooted Planet of the Apes series has been a fantastic sight to see on screen and the latest entry of the franchise "War of the Planet of the Apes" looks to continue that trend. This looks to see a far more vengeful Caesar than we've seen in the past, and this is hopefully going to give Andy Serkis more of an opportunity to show off more emotion and development for the tribe leader, particularly after trying so hard to make the relationship between humans and apes work, but it ultimately leading to this potential climax. Just look at the tag line used for the movie: "This is our last stand". If that doesn't have a sense of finality to it, I don't know what does. The action looks incredible in the movie and the effects work is at the point where the apes are extremely realistic. Every part of the trailer has an intense and dark feel to it, even more so than the past couple of Apes movies, and I hope this carries over into the movie itself. Basically, I can't wait.

Assassin's Creed

I am shocked by Fox. Less than a month to go until the release of Assassin's Creed, the video game movie that might be able to go against the curse of this genre, and they release this trailer which has just practically given away a general outline of the entire plot of the movie. Admittedly, this does seem like it is sticking to the story of the video games, including the use of the Apple of Eden as a plot device (I predict a MacGuffin here), but it would have been nice for Fox to not start giving away every potential plot point they possibly could in an attempt to draw in both new audiences and the players of the franchise. That said, it doesn't mean the movie doesn't intrigue me as a fan of the game. The effects work looks to be largely faultless (helped in a big way by the incredible work of the stunt men) and the movie does have a great aesthetic to it, both in the present day and during the Spanish Inquisition sequences (which will thankfully be in Spanish rather than continuing the typical trend of the games by having them all speak in British accents). All in all, there are plenty of potential problems at play in this movie but I am cautiously optimistic to see this one come January. 

Transformers: The Last Knight

Here's where the trailers for the week really start to go south. I mean, what did we honestly expect from this? It's another Transformers movie directed by Michael Bay, so of course it's all explosions and flashy action sequences over any kind of substance, plot, or decent characters on show. One of the big attractions for a lot of people may be the mechanical dragon, and the historical events tied into the plot including the Nazis and (I swear I'm not joking) Kind Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. However, I guarantee all of you reading this that these sequences will be regulated to a quick few minutes at the start before we get back to dull new Transformers will little to not personality outside of racism (oh yeah, don't think any of us have forgotten Revenge of the Fallen Bay), even more dull Marine stereotypes, and, worst of all, ultra-dull Mark Wahlberg. Not even a possibly evil Optimus Prime can get me excited to see this movie. Hey, at least they've got Anthony Hopkins this time round, and it's anyone's guess just how big his pay cheque must be.

The Mummy

Check it out, it's Tom Cruise back for yet another summer blockbuster. "The Mummy" is Universal's attempt to kick start their own cinematic universe of all their classic monsters. It seems like Tom Cruise is the right choice for the leading man, bringing all of his usual charisma and humour to the role. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast around him hasn't been given much development, at least in this trailer. The only other even remotely interesting character is Russell Crowe's Dr Jekyll who we see towards the end of the trailer. Even then, while Crowe seems to be giving a more sinister edge to the role than we've seen in the past, I've still got a bad feeling that he is going to be a horribly generic character, possibly being set up over the course of 5/10 minutes to be the big villain fro this new series. The visuals are impressive in the movie, there's no denying that. The Mummy herself seems to have some interesting abilities, and, knowing Tom Cruise, that was probably a real plane crash at the beginning of the trailer (not too convinced by that scream though).

"Westworld" Season 1 Review

So, I tend to focus much more on movie reviews than other types of content on here (not that there's been much of that lately but I'm trying to fix that). However, I spend just as much time watching TV as I do watching movies (probably way more if you include Netflix). Obviously, there's plenty of great programmes on TV nowadays, particularly as networks are producing more and more original content and independent online companies like Netflix and Amazon are starting to create their own content. That said, I don't tend to judge TV on the same scale as I judge movies. I'm not paying an increasing amount to see it (for the most part), and there's generally a few restrictions on most shows that stop it from going up to the level where it could be movie quality. Every now and then, though, a show comes along that is a special case, something so clever and ingeniously weaved together, that it deserves a full review and it is the duty of reviewers to tell you how well made it is. HBO's new series "Westworld" is one of these cases, with show runners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy having crafted a masterful TV series well worth your attention. Let's take a (spoiler-free) look.

The plot of the show revolves around a futuristic theme park inhabited by extremely life-like (both in terms of look and actions) androids, or as they are typically referred to, "hosts". From our world, people can pay to visit this park, a hyper-realistic recreation of the Wild West, and essentially can do whatever they want, including kill and maim as they so please. However, not everything may be as perfect as it seems as new behaviours seemingly begin popping up in the hosts, making them behave in a slightly different manner than it probably safe. It is clear that the focus of the show, as has been highlighted by many other reviewers, is on these scenes. There are always multiple storylines going on at once within the park, and these are all as interesting as each other, inhabited by equally interesting and intriguing characters. It is the evolving dynamic within the park that is perhaps the best executed of all of the show's aspects. As more and more hosts begin to suspect something is wrong with their world, and begin to slowly develop a more human consciousness. The mysteries of this development, as well as several others within the park that I won't spoil here (because you honestly need to experience this whole series yourself), are all as well-executed as this, although some do get far more time devoted to them than others, and the show feels quite slow to develop these on occasion. For example, one sub-plot revolves around the quest of the guest known only as the Man in Black (played by a fantastically sinister Ed Harris) but the show is rather slow to reveal more about his ultimate goal until later on when the sub-plots begin to cross over. Although I didn't find this a major issue, as the other stories as well as the Man in Black's own exploits were all extremely enjoyable regardless, I could understand why some may find this show to have some pacing problems, particularly near the beginning.

However, the events taking place within the park are not the only stories that are told within the show. We also get some insight into the behind the scenes operations of the business, particularly though the various employees and their relationships with Dr. Robert Ford (played by Anthony Hopkins), the creator of the park and its inhabitants. I've heard a lot of people complain that these scenes were less of an addition to the series, and more of a hinderance, or a distraction. However, I thoroughly enjoyed these sequences and often enjoyed them even more than the events taking place within the park itself. Just as in Westworld, there are plenty of twists and turns within the setting of the main building where the hosts are built and repaired, including security work, corporate manoeuvring and dark secrets from the past, particularly Ford's. This is where the show really puts the time into its world-building, setting up the state of the outside world, and just why certain characters, both human and host, act the way they do and slowly revealing their true motivations. All in all, these scenes acted as a perfect way to introduce further aspects to this futuristic setting, while possibly hinting at plot points that could be explored in the future (the finale in particular does a spectacular job of doing this without feeling unsatisfying and unfinished for the sake of continuing into a (thankfully confirmed) second season).

You kind of get the idea for the scale and quality of a TV show when well-known actor and Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins signs on from the start. Hopkins is a fantastic part of the show throughout. Although he may not always have the most screen time, his presence is felt throughout, and the audience can never sake the unsettling feeling that he knows, and even wants, everything that is about to happen, no matter how terrible. However, Hopkins is only one member of a phenomenal cast, who are always at the top of their game, while their characters are equally well developed and understandable. I just mentioned Ed Harris as the mysterious Man in Black, with Harris injecting the appropriate menace and evil into the role from the very start of the show when we are introduced to the character for the first time. However, as we slowly learn more about his standing in the outside world and his past, he becomes a more sympathetic character, and is someone that you will love to hate. Other actors who do a great job and have a fantastic dynamic together are Jimmi Simpson's William and Ben Barnes' Logan. It is largely William who undergoes the most development but it was nonetheless intriguing to see their bond develop more as the series continued. Other special shout outs go to Jeffrey Wright's charismatic Bernard and Shannon Woodward as Elsie, the down-to-earth programmer who was one of the most likeable and funny characters in the show for me. I could be here for a long time talking about every character and actor on the show, and how good a job they all do. However, if I have to pinpoint two, this is firmly Evan Rachel Wood's and Thandie Newton's show. These two actresses easily receive the most screen time of the bunch and have the most exciting development throughout the series. Newton's Maeve is often more entertaining due to her more unpredictable, volatile character, and how she later interacts with both Westworld and the real world is a real treat to watch. However, Woods gives the more relatable and interesting performance as Dolores, in my opinion at least. She portrays a young woman who has had her whole world torn down around her, and is forced to adapt to circumstances that she nor anyone else she knows fully understands or appreciates. It is an emotional journey we experience with her, and I would not be surprised to see Woods' name being thrown around a lot during awards season.

Westworld is not only a marvel of acting and writing, however, but also a technical masterpiece, particularly with regards the cinematography. Thankfully, the directors of the show have resisted the urge to resort to shaky camera techniques and extreme close-ups, particularly in the Western setting with the quick, fluid shoot-out sequences that are an integral part of the genre. They refrain from using these over-saturated techniques throughout the show, and instead use much slower and more sweeping shots to allow for all the detail of the shot to sink in before they cut away. The landscape shots in particular are beautiful and handled extremely well. The way the camera tracks the mountain landscape towards the beginning of the series and at numerous points throughout, before ultimately tracking the train that travels through the world are all expertly handled and precisely calculated shots. Another smaller technical aspect is the handling of lighting within the show, which is also used to convey character moods, emotions and the state of events at the time. As you can probably tell, one of the reasons Westworld impressed me as much as it clearly has was due to the choice of the writers and directors to divert away from traditional story telling techniques in film and TV and instead uses subtle aspects, like cinematography and lighting, to show emotion and add something to the development of the characters as well.

I just mentioned the shoot-out and fight sequences that play a part in the series and the effects work on display here is excellent. It's largely due to the heavy use of practical effects during these scenes, making the blood spurts and violent shots look extremely realistic rather than if the show had relied entirely on CGI. Make no mistake, this show is not for the faint of heart if you struggle with life-like violence and a serious amount of gore. They do not shy away from showing the extreme violence shown towards the hosts of the park, particularly due to the inability of the guests to be properly hurt in this world. The main point of these scenes, however, is to impress the audience and show of the ability of the show runners to put together highly enjoyable action set pieces. These are not the only scenes that make use of special effects, however, as it is in the real world that more CGI is put to use. These integrate extremely well into the aesthetic the show has adopted, and never feels so distinct from the rest of the series that it feels like they are separate shows. Another aspect of the series worth a quick mention is the impressive work on the set design of the show, in both the real world and in Westworld. The shooting location of Utah works extremely well as a setting for the Wild West scenario, while the rest of the behind-the-scenes crew did a fantastic job in creating the various towns and areas that are visited through the series. An equally impressive job is done in creating the futuristic environment of the park facility. 

Music is such an integral part of film and TV, more so than I think a lot of reviewers often acknowledge. I was excited when it was announced that Ramin Djawadi, the composer behind another little HBO series "Game of Thrones" (probably haven't hard of that right?), and the network have struck gold twice with their soundtracks. Djawadi's soundtrack to the series is masterful and ingeniously reflects the moments on screen as they happen. Even the opening title sequence score is deceptively clever when you think about it towards the end of the series. Not only does it reflect the events on the screen as we are bombarded with names, but the beautiful piece actually symbolises the structure of the show's plot as well. Starting off slower but beautifully elegant, it reflects the first time we as the audience enter Westworld, but becomes faster and more erratic as it progresses, before climaxing in clashing and dissonant chords. Perhaps this was meant to reflect the chaos of the final few episodes that you can feel brewing from the very start of the show. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it's a nice thought. Not only this, however, but we are treated so some fantastic renditions of pop, rock and other modern songs scattered throughout the series. Listen out for the distinctive saloon piano and you're bound to recognise a few songs throughout the series. Don't worry though, this isn't Suicide Squad syndrome, where the music is randomly scattered throughout the piece for the sake including that song by a famous artist. The music selected is cleverly worked into the moment and is not only used to great effect during set pieces, but also during smaller character moments. It is highly commendable that the writers of the show have implemented music as a character device, as well as dialogue.

Whenever we look ahead to the year ahead, and check out the list of upcoming films and TV shows, we tend to judge them on a different scale. They have different award shows, budgets, and other factors which naturally have to be taken into consideration. Fair enough for the most part. However, "Westworld" is a special case. In judging this 10-episode series, in my honest opinion, this is not just the best TV show of the year, but also quite possibly surpasses the quality of every other full length movie that we have been to see in cinemas this year. Not only is it phenomenally acted, ingeniously written, and beautifully filmed, but it takes an opportunity to deliver a surprisingly deep message about the nature of humankind and the horrific acts that everyone with the kind of free reign granted to the guests of this "park" would undoubtedly commit. It is a poetic reflection of modern society and technological advances, and a dark mirror of the human mind at it's worst.

Pros

• Phenomenal acting
• Excellent and appropriate character development
• Intriguing world-building and mysteries throughout
• Beautifully shot
• Great CG and practical effects
• Excellent music
• Perhaps most importantly, never a dull moment

Cons

• Possibly a bit slow at the start but even this won't be a problem for everybody.

Rating: 10/10

Original Air Date: 2nd of October, 2016

Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newman, Jeffrey Wright, James Marsden, Sidse Barnett Knudsen, Simon Quarterman, Shannon Woodward, Jimmi Simpson, Ben Barnes, Tessa Thompson, Ed Harris, and Anthony Hopkins  

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" Review

Do you know what franchise people just can't get enough of? Harry Potter. Since first turning up in his first book, and later in the iconic movies, the boy wizard has become a worldwide sensation. As such, why would we, the general film audiences, ever consider that Warner Bros wouldn't ever attempt to exploit the franchise after the main series had come to an end. It seems naïve now to think that we ever thought that would be the case. Thus, we now have a confirmed FIVE MOVIE FRANCHISE (talk about confidence) revolving around the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander and some incredible creatures under the heading of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." So, does the first movie in this new series live up to the expectations of the fans and fulfil our dreams? Or does it confirm the fears of all audiences since the movies announcement that Warner Bros are actually flogging a dead horse? Let's jump in.

If I have to give Warner Bros one credit in the area of plot, it's that they do not lean too heavily on the Harry Potter franchise itself for plot help. Although there are a few references, do not expect to see any familiar faces popping up in this movie. This is firmly Newt Scamander's story, as he travels to New York in the 1920s, seemingly intending to not be there long before a clumsy No-Maj (what the Americans call Muggles) called Jacob lets some of the creatures that inhabit his magical, bigger-on-the-inside suitcase loose by accident. Now, it's up to Newt, Jacob, an American law enforcement agent named Tina, and her sister Queenie to round up these creatures, all while being pursued by the American equivalent of the Ministry of Magic. Simple enough, and it sounds like a lot of fun. And fun it is, at least while the movie decides to focus on this plot! It's a reminder of a simpler time, of the first Harry Potter movies before that darkness, death, and unbearable romantic drama of the later movies. However, the inclusion of a number of subplots makes this movie far messier than any of the Potter flicks. Not only do we have this main plot thread (which should have been enough), but we also have tension over the whereabouts of another Voldemort-like Dark wizard, an inconsequential story with a newspaper organisation, and, perhaps most strangely of all, the relationship of another American wizard with a family of magic haters which delves into themes such as prejudice and even child abuse. Ultimately, the issue is that these themes do not blend, and it feels like there were many different ideas for different movies being used all at once here. Trust me, it's a little jarring to cut from wizards jumping around in Central Park to a character being beaten by their adopted mother.

Let's talk casting. Eddie Redmayne is fine in the movie as new protagonist Newt Scamander, but it's nothing really revolutionary from what we've seen Redmayne play in recent years: the socially awkward, mumbling stereotype (although he does get a bit more development as the movie goes on that will hopefully be a more interesting plot thread for future movies to explore). Katherine Waterston's Tina is an equally troubled character. Again, it seems like there were some really good ideas here, particularly with regards her past and relationship with the MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) Defence Department, but it's never really explored in enough depth to establish an emotional connection to the character. The two members of the main four who fare best are Dan Fogler's Jacob and Alison Sudol's Queenie, largely due to their electric chemistry and the humour the two actors bring to the movie in place of the more quiet leads. Honestly, one of, if not my favourite character in the movie was Colin Farrell's Percival Graves. Although you don't see as much of him as I would have liked at the beginning, as we see more, he moves more away from a stereotypical law enforcer and becomes a more interesting menace for the latter half. The character is only made more enjoyable by Farrell's delightfully sinister performance, particularly in scenes with Ezra Miller's Credence. If I have to pinpoint one major issue with the cast, however, it comes at the tail end of the movie. It's no secret that Johnny Depp has been cast for the inevitable sequels for this new franchise, and, no spoilers here, but by the end you know who he's playing. While it's not a disappointing casting (though the disappointment comes hand in hand with the reveal for me, and you'll understand why when you see the movie), it ultimately feels unnecessarily tagged on, and was likely included once Warner Bros decided to milk this franchise for as much as they could get from it.

That said, the secondary cast is largely put to waste here. Although they give interesting and often scene stealing performances, the characters are so poorly developed and under-utilised that I have to wonder why some high-profile actors were even hired for this movie. Take Ron Perlman for example. Trust me, I got a smile seeing Hellboy as a goblin gangster running a magical underground club in 1920s New York, but I can't help but feel like he was wasted in this role, and could have had much more fun in a more substantial role later in the series, establishing considering how it's been padded out considerably. Other wasted actors include Jon Voight, and Carmen Ejogo. The latter is perhaps the most disappointing, due to her role as Madam President of the MACUSA Seraphina Picquery. We never get the impression throughout the movie that she is a strong enough witch to be considered the most powerful magical politician in America. If you thought the politicians in the Harry Potter movies were bad, you are going to be mortified by the stupidity and incompetence that this group display throughout the movie.

However, one area this franchise has always nailed down and this movie continues to excel in is visual effects, both practical and special. Of course, this movie focuses much more heavily on CGI than some of the earlier movies in the series (for obvious reasons) but at least some use of practical effects is always appreciated nowadays in the sea of CGI explosions and slop that flood the cinemas every week. Perhaps the most important point, the titular fantastic beasts of the movie all look excellent. A blend of cartoon-like and realistic, the immersion of the audience in the movie the filmmakers is never broken by an unrealistic looking or unfinished effect, something that was especially a concern considering the amount of interaction that was obviously going to be required between the actors and imaginary creatures in front of them (watch out for one scene in particular with Eddie Redmayne in a zoo and imagine him having to perform that scene with nothing in front of him). However, that said, there is one complaint I have about the movie when talking about the beasts and that is, somewhat surprisingly, some more actual Fantastic Beasts would have been nice. There are around 5 creatures in the movie that escape the suitcase, plus another which I won't spoil here. While all imaginative and ingenious designs in their own right, this rather small amount does not really justify the movie having the title it does for me. One more area where the effects work is absolutely stellar is the action, which is also choreographed extremely well. Since these are all adult wizards, the action is actually more aggressive and violent than we have seen in many other Potter flicks (except perhaps the final two parter). Duels are relentless as the two wizards involved attack each other without mercy, the implementation of beasts into combat is something other magic-based movies have never really dived into, and it is a fun and more interesting element to see the magical teleportation technique (which other Potterheads will know as Apparition) to try and allow wizards to get ahead of their enemies. Clearly, the action in this movie will keep you guessing and interested without fail.

Some other technical aspects of the movie, on the other hand, are a mixed bag to say the least. Of course, the cinematography is on point, with the sweeping camera shots tracking wizards and witches as they swiftly move through the city in pursuit of each other, or as they chase down magical beats though the street. The cinematography itself is always clear and you will always be able to tell what is happening on screen. It may seem silly to highlight this as a potential issue, but it is always worth highlighting when a movie does something particularly well when so many others make a mess of this area. One aspect, however, which does not fare so well, is the editing of the piece, particularly near the beginning of the movie. The movie as a whole feels like it has been put together quite sloppily and in a rather jumbled way. It's instances like this where it is either down to obvious re-shoots or straight-up poor editing. Or both. There's one particularly lasting offender of this failure. There;s one moment near the start when two characters are walking toward each other. The movie cuts extremely quickly between the to faces in around 2 or 3 seconds before the scene climaxes in what was likely intended as an impactful moment. However, the editing is so jarring and unclear that it actually takes a moment to come to grips and understand what had actually just happened. In short, this clearly should have been handled much better than how it has turned out.

There was one person who was certainly not in an enviable position when he signed on to this movie: James Newton Howard. Not sure who that is? I don't blame you to be totally honest, but he is the composer of the score for the movie, and was taking over from Harry Potter score regulars John Williams, Nicholas Hopper, and Alexandre Desplat. For people like me who love film scores and soundtracks, that's clearly quite the formidable task, especially considering the iconic nature of the Harry Potter soundtracks. But, as you could probably guess, there's a reason I'm highlighting it here in a paragraph of it's own, and that is because the score in this movie is absolutely phenomenal. The recurring choir piece that you hear throughout the movie has the incredible effect of being magical and wondrous when need be but also haunting and often spine-tingling. When this is the case, you know you have a good soundtrack for your movie. One other piece I'll highlight is the motif that plays as Newt and Tina walk into the MACUSA for the first time. There's so many other moments int the movie that are enhanced by this soundtrack, but I won't spoil them here for you. Music is such an important part of making a movie, and it's good to see that Howard has lived up to the legacy of an already legendary franchise.

To sum up my thoughts of this movie, as a Harry Potter fan, I thought it was great. In that regard, it ticked all the right boxes: fun characters, impressive visuals, but most importantly, it brought me and millions of other fans back into this wizarding world. However, when I look back on the movie more critically and think about any potential issues, the problems of the movie become far more apparent. The plot is not as strong as the other movies set in this universe, possibly because they were written by experienced screenwriters who were using a book as a strong basis. I have a great deal of respect for J.K. Rowling and all of her creativity to forge this universe and all of the new aspects and creatures that are added into this movie. However, as this is her first screenplay, and all of her ideas may have to be slimmed down into 2 hours, this may provide a simple explanation for the numerous plot holes and overabundance of tonally confused subplots. Not to mention the one criticism of this movie I never thought I might have coming out of it: some more of the actual Fantastic Beasts would have been nice. Overall, this is a fair foundation for this new series but there is plenty of room for improvement. I am looking forward to seeing more of these characters and watching their development in the future, and I think that if you're looking for a fun movie to watch this weekend, this one is worth a watch.

Pros

• Some great performances 
• Interesting character backstories
• Amazing visuals
• Incredible action

Cons

• An often jumbled and confused plot
• Sloppy editing
• Some more "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"

Rating: 7/10

Release Date: 18th of November, 2016

Starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, and Ron Perlman

Notes: Hi guys, just a few notes at the end of this review. First off, for anyone confused at why the rating is that high, I was torn between a 6 and a 7 for a while, but my nostalgia and ultimate enjoyment of the movie was what pushed this one up for me. Secondly, and far more importantly, there haven't been a lot of reviews or content up here recently, and I've missed a lot of movies. I'm really hoping to get back into this but I'm still very busy so I might have to start doing smaller reviews than my usual style. Thank you all for continuing to view this little project, especially considering the number of reviews that are out there on the Internet. 

"Suicide Squad" Review

Of all superhero comic books, my favourites are the ones published by DC Comics. The company has published my favourite comic book story arcs, and is the home of all of my favourite characters, many of whom have been adapted for the big screen over the years. However, what's undeniable is that Marvel are killing DC on the movie scene, and I have enjoyed all of their movies, characters, and storylines since the release of "Iron Man" way back in 2008. DC have been attempting to catch up with Marvel's massive lead on them in creating a superhero cinematic universe for a few years now. However, both of the movies which are part of the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) have had a pretty divisive reception to say the least, especially "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" earlier this year. It was clear that, if Warner Bros were going to make this universe succeed, they would need to change up their strategies and have a big hit on their hands. Hence we now have "Suicide Squad," marketed as DC's answer to "Guardians of the Galaxy," with the trailers including pop music rather than a deep, booming Hans Zimmer score, as well as more humour instead of a gloomy Superman and Batman growling "do you bleed." So, is "Suicide Squad" worthy of being the big hit that the studio sorely need, or should you avoid it and convince the company that they need to scrap this world, and start fresh? Let's take a look.

The story of the movie revolves around U.S. Intelligence Officer Amanda Waller gaining the authority to put together a team of criminals and super-villains which will be controlled and overseen by her to battle any metahuman or otherworldly threat the world might face. The team includes the assassin Deadshot, the madwoman Harley Quinn, the human crocodile Killer Croc and more. The first act (which lasts about 30 minutes) revolves largely around introducing these characters in an interesting and stylistic way. It almost makes the unbelievable amount of exposition across these scenes acceptable, since it is presented in a unique and humorous way. In fact, this is the main difference between "Suicide Squad" and the other DC movies that we've seen before: it is full of funny and amusing moments. Since many of these characters are firmly on the wrong side of the law and don't care much for helping people. The interactions between the characters are all very believable but equally interesting to watch throughout the movie. However, what the movie fails to do is build a realistic team dynamic between them. Fair enough, when they are first brought together, they do split into pairs and start making plans on how to escape. However, the team have never worked together before this mission, and so it is unbelievable that they would suddenly be able to take down the threat they are up against simply because they actually put their minds to it. There is very little, if any, build-up through the movie to these team moments in the finale.

As the trailers have done a good job of showcasing, only one character that we've already met in DC movies returns here, and that is Ben Affleck's Batman for a quick few minutes (don't worry, that's in the trailer too, it's not a spoiler).  Thankfully, Affleck is continuing to do a great job and I can't wait to see him more in the role. However, the main focus of the movie is on the members of the Squad themselves, but only a few are appropriately developed. Will Smith's Deadshot is one of these. Deadshot is one of the only characters in the movie that is given any emotional depth and a reason to support him. The character's likability is only helped by Smith's humour throughout the movie. However, the real star of the movie is Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. Appropriately insane and true to her comic counterpart, Robbie steals the show from her co-stars and delivers a killer performance, particularly in the emotional moments. The only other two characters who received any meaningful development were Jay Hernandez's El Diablo (who I can't really go into detail about for the sake of spoilers) and Viola Davis' Amanda Waller, who is far scarier and more intimidating than the Squad. Davis delivers an excellent performance throughout the movie, and she is one of the other characters I can't wait to see more of. The rest of the Squad, on the other hand, is left out to dry. Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag is a dull, generic soldier with no real personality despite the attempt to give him a tie to the villain, Jai Courtney is good as the comic relief Captain Boomerang but is given no real development besides one strange character trait and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is given nothing to do as Killer Croc. However, the worst of the lot is the villain. They haven't really been shown off much in the trailers so I won't spoil it for anyone who doesn't want to know, but they are given absolutely no personality, are not intimidating, and the actor doesn't do a good job at performing this role.

Wait, there's a character I'm missing, you say? Who could that be? Oh right, one of the focuses of the marketing: the Joker, played this time around by Jared Leto. Now, a lot has been made of Leto's actions on set in the build-up to release, with Will Smith going so far as to say he "only met the Joker" on set, while Leto made a show of sending different items to people on set. Additionally, in typical DC fashion at this point, there was plenty of controversy surrounding the character's look, with the Joker now resembling a punk rocker instead of the psychotic anarchist fans have grown used to. However, having now seen the final product, I have got absolutely no problem with Leto's performance in the movie. It's clear that he has totally devoted himself to the role, and he does a good job of making the role his own. He does not match the level of Heath Ledger's legendary portrayal of the character from "The Dark Knight," but he brings together different personality traits of Jack Nicholson, Ledger, and Mark Hamill's different versions of the character. However, what I do have an issue with is how Joker is utilised within the movie itself. The character is completely inconsequential, and the events of the movie would not have turned out any differently if the character had been cut. Also, the trailers have completely misrepresented the movie here. It is not the Joker vs the Suicide Squad. Joker's entire purpose in the movie is to track down Harley and break her out of prison. What is clear here, though, is that Leto and Robbie have fantastic chemistry in these roles, and it makes me very excited to see them together again in another movie, possibly Ben Affleck's Batman movie.

However, while people may argue about the handling of the story and characters in the movie, what nobody can question is that the action sequences here are on point. As the movie constantly goes out of the way to tell the audience, these are the bad guys, the villains, the criminals of this universe. This immediately gives the action in the movie a unique feel to any other superhero or comic book movie we've seen before. With the characters clearly not caring what happens to each other and not being held back by morality (these guys are willing to and kill more than Batman in Dawn of Justice), the filmmakers have much more flexibility is how they deal with the mindless drones being sent the way of our "heroes." Although, despite the 15-rating given to this movie by the BBFC (who are responsible for all UK film certifications), they still find a way of showing that the group are not actually killing humans. The mix of powers and abilities on screen at the same time in the movie is very interesting to watch. Mixed with the great special and visual effects of the movie (a nice blend of practical and CGI), you're guaranteed to have a great time watching the action being showcased throughout the movie. However, while I am praising the special effects for the majority of the movie, particularly on characters such as El Diablo, there is one particular character which is built entirely out of CGI and looks incredibly strange. The character just doesn't feel like he belongs in the same movie from the rest of the characters, and looks incredibly fake.

The make-up of the movie is extremely well done, and may even be Oscar worthy. Seriously, just take a look at Killer Croc and tell me that the work that has been done to transform the actor into a hideous, realistic-lookign crocodile isn't an incredible feat. The same can be said for the villain's henchmen who, although they may be brain dead in combat, at least they're interesting to look at. The same can be said for the set design in the movie, particularly Belle Reve prison, where many of the Squad members are picked up from at the beginning of the movie. It is entirely believable that this would be the prison used to contain the super villains of this universe. I also enjoyed the cinematography of the movie, which is very clear at all times, and surprisingly lacking in excessive shaky cam or slow motion during the action scenes. It's always good when everything that is happening, despite the often insane amount happening on screen at one time due to this being a large-scale team movie. All of the cinematography and presentation of the movie is presented in a very enjoyable way that is unlike any other movie I've seen in a long time.

If I have one other major criticism of the movie, it's the music choices director David Ayer has has implemented throughout the movie. Constantly throughout the movie, different pop songs will start playing, whether it's a recruitment sequence, a backstory flashback for one of the characters, or (somewhat more predictably) during one of the action scenes. However, very few of these songs are good choices and work in the context of the movie. Imagine my shock when a Kanye West song started playing out of nowhere during the scene shown in the trailer where Deadshot is being tested by Waller. An even worse example of this is when the song "Spirit in the Sky" came on early on in the proceedings. Why is this worse? Because it has been straight-up copied from the soundtrack from "Guardians of the Galaxy," which was the clear inspiration for this type of soundtrack. This is one of the many, many examples in this movie of DC finally showing their desire to follow in Marvel's footsteps. Overall, these songs felt more shoehorned into the movie than anything else.

So, is Suicide Squad better than "Dawn of Justice?" It certainly is, largely thanks to director David Ayer's better handling of the many different characters in the movie. Yes, it's true that a few, such as Deadshot and Harley, are given much more development and backstory than others. However, these undeveloped characters are where the movie is at it's worst, with some receiving so little backstory and character development, that it becomes hard to understand why they have been included in the movie in the first place. The villain is hands down the worst example of this, and is terribly executed, both by the writer and the actor. However, that's not to take away from everything else that is good in the movie, such as the much better writing in the movie, which adds more humour to this universe, as well as the action throughout the movie. Overall, Suicide Squad is a step in the right direction for this cinematic universe, but it still has a long way to go until it can compete with Marvel on their level.

Pros

• In-depth and emotional backstory for A FEW Squad members
• Some excellent performances
• The use of humour throughout
• Fun action sequences
• Make-up and costume design throughout the movie

Cons

• Some severely underdeveloped characters
• Terrible villain
• Bad music choices

Rating: 6/10

Release Date: 5th of August, 2016

Starring Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Karen Fukuhara, Adam Beach, and Ben Affleck