'Furious 7' review

Furious 7 review:

Wan Ton of Fun

BY IAN TAN

One last ride.

This is an amazing actioner courtesy of first-time action director James Wan (y’all know him from ‘Insidious’ and ‘The Conjuring’). If you thought the trailer gave away too much, boy, are you in for a surprise. Yes, the trailers do give away some of the money shots, but there’s absolutely nothing like watching those completed sequences whole. That parachuting cars scene used in majority of the film's marketing especially looks great in IMAX, even if the post-converted 3D isn’t all that noticeable.

Action sequences aside, Wan definitely cares for his characters. The first 20 minutes of the film are dedicated to the characters’ relationships with one another, and help conjure up enough emotion for you to care about these characters when the over-the-top action sequences hit full throttle.

"Just when you didn't think it could get any better, huh?"

Emotionally, this is the most humanly accessible Fast & Furious movie in the series, not only because of Paul Walker’s unfortunate demise last year but also because James Wan just knows how to make these characters we’ve seen for six films already more... human, having the theme of ‘family’ serve as the film’s emotional core.

Speaking of Paul Walker, he seemed like he was pretty much in the movie the whole time, and there were really only two scenes where I figured they must’ve used a stand-in (his brothers, according to sources) with a CGI face (rumoured to be courtesy of WETA Digital), one in a darkly lit fight scene and the other during the closing shots of the film. But the CG face never looked too obvious to me.

The Rock and The Transporter in the ring

As for flaws, I did feel as if Jason Statham could have been given more screen-time, but despite that I thought he made the most of his time on screen and was a pretty badass villain. Djimon Hounsou also plays an antagonist in the film, but feels somewhat underused, with his character not having any real motivation for his plans. Another gripe I have with the film is that its climactic action sequence feels a little too prolonged, and the fact that most of it takes place at night made certain sequences hard to digest, and some of the green screen and CGI may look obvious at times. Then again, most of the film’s action sequences are very well filmed and executed. Action sequences that take place in the dark just aren’t really my thing.

We'll miss ya, Paul.

To wrap it up, Furious 7 was an amazing, exhilarating ride filled with some of the best and most innovative action sequences I’ve ever seen on the big screen. I can see Hollywood already hiring James Wan to direct more action flicks in the future. As a tribute to Paul Walker, this film truly does the late actor justice, and may cause a tear or two to drop during the last 5 minutes of the film, right before the screen cuts to white, with the words “For Paul”.

Verdict

Furious 7 gets 7.9 out of 10 stars from me. – I cannot wait to see it again.

Film Info

Furious 7 opens in Malaysia on Thursday, 2^nd April in 2D, 3D, IMAX 3D and D-BOX.

'Cinderella' Review

Cinderella Movie Review:

Good Old Disney Magic

BY IAN TAN

          ‘Thor’ director Kenneth Branagh brings us a modern, live-action retelling of the fairytale and Disney classic Cinderella, and it’s a good one.

            The first thing that stood out to me about this film was its gorgeous production design and costumes, as expected from a Kenneth Branagh film. Golly gee, were they a joy to look at. In fact, the whole look of the film is reason enough to see it in a cinema, or better yet in IMAX to fully appreciate the meticulous detail involved in every set piece. The score by Patrick Doyle and the visuals are great too and help bring the sense of Disney magic to life.

            As far as performances go, this film is filled with the charm and talent of its ensemble cast. In typical Disney fashion, we have characters we can’t help but to root for, and others we just cannot stand. The latter role is taken up by Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother, and what a dislikable character she was. Disney is known to have some really nasty villains, and Cate Blanchett fits the role of the evil stepmother perfectly. Richard Madden is charming as Prince Charming, however, I still preferred Chris Pine’s rendition of the character from Into the Woods a little more.

No need for 3D to make these colours pop

Speaking of Into the Woods, Lily James is a better Cinderella than Anna Kendrick was, as I didn’t really buy Kendrick as Cinderella. I know they’re both different takes on the fairytale, but I can’t help but compare the two films considering that Into the Woods came out a mere two months ago.

Cinderella and Prince Charming's second meeting in cinemas this year.

There really isn’t anything I really have to complain about in this movie. The only thing that bothered me slightly was that Cate Blanchett, being the great actress she is, outshines Lily James’ Cinderella character, making the villain of the film more memorable than the titular protagonist. Other issues people may complain about could be its predictability, but we all know the Cinderella story anyway, so that wasn’t a problem for me.

'The Shining' Twins and Evil Mom Ultimate

All in all, Disney’s made a Cinderella film that I believe this generation will remember for long time. Besides being a wonderful retelling of the fairytale we all know, Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella is filled with trademark Disney heart, wonder and magic.

Final Verdict

Cinderella gets 8.9 out of 10 stars – A perfect family watch for this school holiday.

           

'Chappie' Movie Review

Chappie Movie Review:

The Robot Works

BY IAN TAN

           

              Neill Blomkamp brought us the inventive and original District 9 back in 2009 and the slightly underwhelming Elysium in 2013. Despite the mixed response towards the latter film, the sheer intrigue of the posters and trailers for Distrcit 9, Elysium and Chappie all show that Blomkamp is no stranger to intriguing sci-fi concepts. For District 9, Blomkamp’s compelling premise coupled with a good script and story led it to critical success. When Elysium came out, however, the script, story and editing didn’t match up to it’s ingenious premise and production design. Fortunately with Chappie, Blomkamp gets both aspects of his filmmaking process right, mostly.

            Chappie is set in a world where law enforcement has become almost entirely mechanical, with robot cops (RoboCops? Heheh) called Scouts showing great promise in the decrease of crime rates in Johannesburg. Deon, the inventor of the Scouts, plans to enhance this technology and create conscious, living Scouts, and through a series of circumstances, Chappie is born. But not all is happy and cheery, as Chappie not only has to face the cruelty of the real world and the gangsters that inhibit it, but the determined-to-ruin-Deon’s-career Vincent Moore (Hugh Jackman) as well.

The OGs from da hood

   

                  The performances here are great. Dev Patel is sympathetic and likable as protagonist Deon while Jackman makes for a hateable antagonist as Vincent Moore. Supporting cast members such as Watkin Tudor Jones and South African deejay Yolandi are memorable in their respective roles as well. The one who deserves the most praise, however, is Neill Blomkamp’s muse Sharlto Copley as Chappie. Copley does wonders not only as the voice of Chappie, but as an animation reference as well (the “poor man’s motion capture” as Copley calls it). Some of the more heart-wrenching and emotional scenes - both dramatic and subtle – are elevated by Copley’s performance. Chappie can now be added to Hollywood’s list of most likeable robots in film.

Chappie in action

            As good as the film’s story, script and performances are, it isn’t without a few drawbacks. One of which is the editing by Julian Clarke, which either spends too long a time on certain scenes and too short a time on other, arguably more important scenes of drama. Scenes between characters like Deon and Vincent seem far in between, making their presence feel almost absent for the middle chunk of the film. Had the editing of the film focused a little more on the bitterness between the characters, the final confrontation towards the end would’ve had a much bigger emotional impact on audiences. Besides that, the ending of the film did feel a tad too much like District 9’s ending, and may annoy some audiences in how the events towards the end of the film happen without a deeper explanation to it’s plausibility. I can’t really say much about it without spoiling it though. Another nit-pick I have with the film is the Moose robot (that one created by Hugh Jackman’s character as seen in the trailer), which seems a little too familiar to the ED-209 from RoboCop.

"I'll claw ya, bub." 

            With fine performances, some good sci-fi drama and storytelling, Chappie is Blomkamp’s second best picture to date, just behind District 9. Despite being bogged down by a few editing issues and a questionable ending, on an emotional and story level, Chappie works.

Final Verdict

Chappie gets 8 out of 10 stars – Well worth your money. No need to catch this one in IMAX though (unless you like cool robotic sound design), I’d save that for Furious 7 and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

'The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water' Review

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water Review:

Heeee ♫ ~

BY IAN TAN

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water sees Spongebob and co from Bikini Bottom back for another trip to the theater – this time in 3D. When the dastardly Captain Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas) magically obtains the secret formula to the Krabby Patty through his magical “sandwich-god” book, it’s up to Mr. Squarepants and the gang to retrieve it from him before the citizens of Bikini Bottom begin tearing themselves apart because no one can live in a world without burgers.

The above plot allows for some wacky what-did-I-just-smoke-slash-drink sequences that’s probably great fun for kids, but way too trippy and nonsensical for teenagers and adults. But hey, it’s supposed to be like that, and if questioned on whether or not director Paul Tibbit and Spongebob series kick-starter Stephen Hillenburg have provided the goods for their target audience (about 4 to 10 year olds), I believe they have.

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water delivers the kind of humour present in early Spongebob episodes, which may please longtime fans, or make them wonder why they even found them funny in the first place. Either way, it did feel like a trip down memory lane (?) for me in that I was reminded of the nautical nonsense and absurdity that for some reason attracted me as a child the first time I caught an episode of Spongebob Squarepants on Nickelodeon.

Coming atcha in 3D

Although everything from the characters, Plankton’s continuous life’s mission to steal the Krabby Patty formula and the humour of early Spongebob episodes are present in this film, I still do prefer that first Spongbob Squarepants Movie back in 2004. Remember, that one where David Hasselhoff launches Spongebob and Patrick back to the ocean by contracting his man-boobs? Yeah… but that one seemed to have higher stakes, more memorable character moments and better heart to the story than this newer does. While the previous film made good use of Spongebob and Patrick’s friendship as its emotional core, this film ignores that to give us a Spongebob and Plankton story that never really hits home, or the heart. You won’t find a Goofy Goober emotional moment here like you did in the last film, so in that sense, this film didn’t really work for me.

We got a lot more 2D where that came from

Initially, I had doubts regarding the 3D animated versions of their characters and the fact that they’d be superheroes with powers made me cringe more than ever when I first saw a trailer for this film. However, I quite liked the use of 3D animation and live-action in the film. It was a nice addition, although only the last 20 minutes or so is dedicated to it. I liked how the film started out with traditional 2D animation, because when the live-action sequences began, it felt just right of a transition. And the whole superhero thing did feel very tongue-in-cheek in how they’re parodying the current superhero genre craze. Mr. Krabs has red armour like Iron Man, Patrick controls thunder and lightning (and ice-cream) like Storm and Plankton’s all muscular and green like the Hulk. It did make me cringe a little at times but for the most part, I found it humourous.

Hehe, kudos to whoever made this

All in all, The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water is great fun and nonsense for kids and old fans of the Spongebob series, but won’t quite mix well with anyone above 13. Again, if you’re an adult or a teenager watching this, it does get a little crazy at times i.e. a talking, standing dolphin with a cape named Bubbles who watches over the universe appears at one point in the film to grant Spongebob and his pals the ability to breath on land, and don’t get me started on the ever-so-trippy time machine music.

Final Verdict

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water gets 6.5 out of 10 stars – Don’t light up that roll ‘cause you are in for one heck of an acid trip.