As a quick heads up, this post is going to be my last one up here for a few weeks, likely until at least the start of August. I'll be going away for a while and won't be seeing any movies when I'm away, so there won't be a review for "Dunkirk"; there won't be a review for "Cars 3"; and, perhaps most sadly of all, there won't be a review for "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie". I'll try and catch as many of these as possible as soon as I'm back, and then I can do another post like this where I can quickly review a few at once. That said, they're reviews for another time so let's talk about the 3 movies in here. June and July have undoubtedly produced some of the great films of the year so far, with "Wonder Woman", "Baby Driver" and "Homecoming" being released in these two months alone. So, do any of these films continue the trend? Does "Transformers: The Last Knight" revitalise the franchise? Is "Despicable Me 3" finally an entry in the series as strong as the original? Is "War for the Planet of the Apes" the conclusion that the rebooted trilogy of Apes movies deserves? Well, let's jump in and find out!
Transformers: The Last Knight - Bay To The Max
I saw this movie on release day in the cinema, which you'll see below is the 22nd of June. You might be wondering, but why has it taken you so long to get round to writing up a review then? Well, you actually have to write about this movie in small bursts, otherwise the stupidity of the entire affair will begin slowly killing your brain cells the more you think about it. I like to compare the Transformers franchise at this point to the Fast and the Furious series. Both have silly, over-the-top action; both are infamous for their writing and acting; and both are seemingly critic-proof (hopefully until now when the final figures are revealed). However, there is one key difference: the Fast and the Furious movies know exactly what they are, and Transformers still takes itself overly seriously throughout. The plot revolves around a staff left on Earth during the time of King Arthur to a drunken Merlin and the race in the present day to find it, all while Optimus Prime slowly returns to Earth under the new guise "Nemesis Prime". The writing in the movie presents this story in an extremely pretentious manner, so determined to fool the audience that they are watching something of a higher standard than they are, seemingly convincing themselves in the process. The story is full to the brim with problems and quickly falls to pieces under scrutiny. The characters and acting don't fare much better either, with practically every character being a cliché. Mark Wahlberg is a surprisingly uncharismatic lead while Michael Bay continues to infamously degrade women through Laura Haddock's Vivian (whose name I literally count' remember for most of the movie). The only good character in the film is Anthony Hopkins' Sir Edmund Burton. It's a testament to Hopkins that he didn't sell out to this series and actually gives his performance his all, easily becoming the most entertaining part of the movie and carrying every scene he is in. The movie is also a film-making shambles behind the scenes, with terrible cinematography and frequently changing camera ratios throughout proving a serious distraction. So what reasons are there to see this movie besides Hopkins' performance? Well, as you might have expected, the visual effects and CGI are always on point. Michael Bay has a real talent as a film-maker for being to envisage the final product as he films his movies and therefore knows how to make his actors move, and the CGI look more realistic in the end result. The action is also appropriately over-the-top and insane, and, while it makes no sense, it can be fun to watch. This movie is simply maximum "Bayhem" and nothing more. If that's your cup of tea or you go in expecting nothing more than that, then there's a chance you might have some fun with this one. For the rest of you, keep a safe distance.
Rating: 3/10
Original Release Date: 22nd of June, 2017
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Gemma Chan, Stanley Tucci, and Anthony Hopkins
Despicable Me 3 - Third Time, No Charm
If I was to sum up "Despicable Me 3" in a single word, it would be this: competent. The animation is fine, and certainly has more effort put into it than a lot of Illumination Entertainment's other efforts, most notably "Minions" and last year's "Sing", the latter of which reused character models to an absurd extent. That said, it still lacks a great amount of detail, particularly in facial animations, backgrounds and other textures. The voice acting is decent, there's nothing inherently wrong with it, as the actors do the best with what they have been given. However, there is still a surprising lack of emotion put into the performances, making it difficult to connect with the characters on a deeper level and understand them more. This is of course not entirely down to the actors, but also relates heavily to the flaws of the script. The screenplay, somewhat unsurprisingly written by an insane 4 people, is a general mess. Characters are poorly developed throughout, and no real lessons are learnt over the course of the movie. Generally with these kids films at the very least I expect some sort of message for the younger audience, no matter how generic, so it was shocking that even this was absent from the story. The plot on the whole is a collision of ideas which might have worked if they had been fleshed out more, but unfortunately these are extremely underdeveloped to the extent that they are as engaging as they would have been in the initial boardroom pitch. The primary problem which applies to all of these stories is that they are nothing we haven't seen before, whether in this series or elsewhere in cinema: Agnes loves unicorns; Lucy wants the girls to see her as a mum; lead characters get fired and need to capture a villain to redeem themselves; and there's even a generic and clichéd twin brother plot shoehorned in here. Need I go on? Several of these are actually raised and resolved within 3 scenes, which is particularly troublesome where the writers (or, one of them at least) is trying to inject some emotion and conflict into the script. By wrapping these up so quickly, there's little time to become attached or invested in the conflict at hand, and ultimately each of these feels like filler to pad out this 80-minute film. As I said though, the film is fine and does have some entertaining elements. The Minions have (mercifully in my opinion) been toned down a lot in this outing and are regulated to their own subplot, which actually has some entertaining visual gags. Trey Parker's villainous Balthazar Bratt is a wildly enjoyable presence, and is easily the most fun part of the film, using his insane weaponry, disguises (including one resembling certain trending politician right now), and nostalgia every time he is on screen. Ultimately, although there is a general lack of charm and heart in the script as a whole, the rest of the movie is competently made. Fine animation and acting elevate this above recent entries in the series, but not quite to the heights of the original. It's an average movie, but a watchable one, especially if you know what to expect at this point.
Rating: 5/10
Original Release Date: 30th of June, 2017
Starring Steve Carrell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Pierre Coffin, Julie Andrews, Steve Coogan, and Trey Parker
War for the Planet of the Apes - Forged in Fire
Some of my favourite movies in recent years have been the rebooted "Planet of the Apes" movies, the first being "Rise" and the second being "Dawn". Both are incredible films, and now director Matt Reeves has returned with "War for the Planet of the Apes" to forge an ending for this revitalised trilogy of films. So, does it meet the expectations and the high bar set by it's predecessors? Absolutely. This is a truly beautiful film, with the effects of the apes going above and beyond all expectations. I may go so far as to see that these are the best visual effects and CGI that I have seen in a live-action movie. Ever. If this film doesn't get some recognition for it come awards season, it will be truly criminal. The actors behind the apes manage to also give some great performances through the CGI and visual wonder, particularly lead ape Andy Serkis as Caesar. The raw emotion that Serkis and his co-stars are able to convey throughout the film is something brilliant to behold. The human actors also give great performances. Woody Harrelson excels as the formidable and intimidating Colonel, but the performance is a strangely accessible one, and you'll find yourself unexpectedly sympathising with him later despite the atrocities he commits. Production design and make-up of course both deserve shout-outs as well, with the Apes series having excelled in creating practical sets throughout all 3 movies now. The score is also outstanding, with Michael Giacchino's intense, heart-pounding music accompanying every action sequence but also including emotional tracks and a haunting piano in some places. The aforementioned action is also great to watch. You might be surprised by a slight lack of big set pieces throughout but the movie more than makes up for it with some brutal sequences when the time comes. However, where the movie truly excels is in the writing. Although there is some slightly tone-deaf comedy at a few (infrequent) points courtesy of Steve Zahn's Bad Ape character, this is a shocking, harrowing, and emotional film, truly conveying the horrors both sides of this conflict have had to endure for the past 15 years in this world. There is also a second conflict in the movie which is somewhat even more engaging however, and that is the internal conflict of Caesar himself. We see him struggle throughout the film with the decisions he has already been forced to make for the good of his people, even questioning if he himself is becoming that which he so strongly looks down on. The struggle between mercy and vengeance is a theme which has been recurring throughout all of these movies, especially in Caesar himself, and it is spectacular to see Matt Reeves continue to explore these ideas, and inspire some thought-provoking messages and imagery for the audience to consider long after the film has come to it's end. In short, "War for the Planet of the Apes" stands not only as a stunning movie in it's own right, but it serves as an incredible ending to this series, firmly cementing it, in my mind at least, as possibly the greatest trilogy of films I have ever watched.
Rating: 10/10
Original Release Date: 11th of July, 2017
Starring Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Judy Greer, and Amiah Miller
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