GOTG Review

Guardians of the Galaxy Review:

Rise of The Guardians

BY IAN TAN

The moment Guardians of the Galaxy was announced by Marvel to be turned into a feature film, audiences were puzzled. Why would Marvel venture into something so vastly different from their previous works? Even Stan Lee thought it was a risky move to have the film be made. Now that the film is out, however, all these worries and concerns regarding the movie can finally be put to rest, because Guardians of the Galaxy is the best Marvel film to date. Well, in my opinion at least.

The film opens in 70s era Earth, in which we meet Peter Quil (“Who?”) also known as Star-Lord. Flash-forward 20 years later and we see him searching after a McGuffin* known as the “Orb”. This orb however, is quite the celebrity as pretty much everyone in the galaxy is after it. Soon enough, we are introduced to our anti-heroes Gamora, Rocket, Drax The Destroyer and Groot (a.k.a. Vin Diesel the tree) who – due to a common objective of keeping the orb away from evil forces’ control – join forces to become what is arguably the most dysfunctional band of misfits-turned-heroes ever put to screen. Much of the banter and arguments that stem from this make for some of the film’s funniest moments, making Guardians easily the funniest Marvel film so far. That’s right; it’s even funnier than The Avengers was.

The performances here are great. Everyone from Chris Pratt to Zoe Saldana to Bradley Cooper voicing a raccoon are great additions to the Marvel superhero roster and make for memorable and likable characters all round. Also, Guardians makes great use of every single character in the team without leaving any characters feeling underused (Hawkeye in The Avengers) or have the movie feel bombarded with an over-abundance of characters and motivations (everyone in The Amazing Spiderman 2).

From a story standpoint, the movie doesn’t really offer anything really new or enticing for a film of this genre. A simple summary of the story, without spoiling anything, would sound like this: Good guy finds thinga-majiggy that so happens to be the most powerful thing in the universe > Bad guys get hold of it and want to destroy the universe because revenge is everything > group of heroes must unite to defeat villain and his plans. Nothing super original. Fortunately though, director and screenwriter James Gunn takes all these familiar story tropes and makes each of them engaging and tremendously fun due to his sporadically funny script and well fleshed out characters.

Visually, Guardians of the Galaxy is stunning. Space vistas, planetary locales and spaceship designs are all intricately and beautifully designed. I’d even go as far as to say that the use of space and the galaxy as a setting in this film rivals even Star Wars, and gave me a good dose of science-fiction fantasy nostalgia. Music lovers of the 70’s will also be pleased as Guardians features a number of popular tunes from that era sprinkled throughout it. As the film is very “space-y” in nature, an IMAX viewing definitely helps encapsulate audiences in the splendidly colourful and spectacular world of space James Gunn and the filmmakers have created. This movie makes the best use of the IMAX canvas more so than any other IMAX release I have seen all year. This one is really worth your extra couple of bucks.

With an enormously likable cast of heroes, brilliant production design and an amazing sense of summer blockbuster fun and escapism, Guardians of the Galaxy fires on all cylinders (save some minor nit-picks like some forced expositional dialogue) and ranks as my favourite summer movie of the year, beating Dawn of the Planet of The Apes. I’m not saying that the latter pales in comparison, it’s just that Guardians of the Galaxy reminded me of the same sense of joy and cinematic wonder I had as a kid watching sci-fi fantasy films like Treasure Planet and Star Wars. Films like these are the reason why we go to the theatre – to escape reality and be enveloped in a world so different, and far more wondrous than our own. From the very first shot to the last, Guardians of the Galaxy put a big smile on my face and has been the most fun experience I have had in a theatre in a long while.

Guardians of the Galaxy is 2014’s definitive summer blockbuster and I could not recommend you more to see it.

 Final Rating
Guardians of the Galaxy gets 9 stars out of 10 - Pretty damn amazing.

*A McGuffin is a plot device/object used in films in which the plot revolves around said object to achieve a certain goal or target.

                                                      "Ain't no teeth like mine, 'except mine."

'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Review

Dawn of the Planet of The Apes Review:

 Apes Knock Out Dragons and Mutants in the Best Sequel of the Summer

BY IAN TAN

If there was a match between the best sequels this year, Dawn definitely takes the cake (for now; Mockingjay Pt. 1 and Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies are in for some heavy competition). Like all great sequels, Dawn masterfully expands on the already established events of the first film and is a notable improvement over its predecessor in every way imaginable, and that’s a pretty great achievement, considering that Rise of the Planet of The Apes was already a good film and reboot for the Apes franchise.

This sequel, set 10 years after the events of Rise, sees the extent of the Simian Flu’s widespread that has caused humanity to be on the brink of extinction. While humans are scrambling to get electricity and resources to find other survivors, Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his ape colony are striving to keep their home theirs and away from human contact, an attempt which backfires as passing through the Apes’ territory is the only way humans are able to get the electricity they need. And so begins the journey of trust, family and inter-species conflict.

First of all, the motion-capture performances in this film are arguably the best ever seen on screen. Andy Serkis again delivers an unforgettable performance as Caesar and not only gives the film its needed gravitas, but also provides it with some big emotional heft, more so than any other character in the film. Toby Kebbell, who plays Koba, an all-human hating ape, gives a mo-cap (motion-capture) performance on par with Serkis’ and makes for a formidable, aggressive and downright hateful antagonist that elevates the stakes and drama of the film. Here’s to Koba for villain of the year. 

Apes aside, the human cast do a good job in their respective roles as well and are definitely a far better human ensemble cast compared to Rise. Besides that, unlike say, some of the Transformers films, the human characters do not undermine the film’s larger plot and titular characters but instead build upon them and help carry the story forward instead of bogging the film down with unnecessary sub-plots, which a plus point of Dawn. They still could have been given a little more substance to work with however, and I do wish Gary Oldman had some more screen time, considering how much of a pivotal role he seemed to play in the trailers and marketing material.

Dawn is also playing in 3D cinemas and although it does not have many standout 3D moments, director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) skillfully uses the 3D effect subtly to create more realistic-feeling set pieces and environments that create a better sense of audience immersion compared to a regular 2D screening, even if you may not notice it. The visual effects and CGI of the apes are also more apparent in 3D and give Caesar and his apes an edge of realism that really lets you as an audience member appreciate just how much work the mo-cap actors and CG animators put into bringing these creatures to life.

Overall, Dawn of the Planet of The Apes is the summer’s best sequel (and possibly best movie) next to How To Train Your Dragon 2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past and delivers on every level a good and noteworthy sequel should. If you’re starting to feel sick of all the action and explosions and excessive spectacle of the numerous action and comic book movies that have been released this summer, Dawn should be a subtler treat to your senses. Here’s a summer blockbuster where you don’t have to leave your brain at the door.

Final Rating
Dawn of the Planet of The Apes gets 8.9 stars out of 10 - Brilliant.

Also, I'd like to thank TGV Cinemas for the premiere invites to this film. Keep an eye on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TGVCinemas for more premiere invite contests!