Film Review Club

Shadow and Bone is a fantasy series set in fictional Ravka, it follows a young soldier as she finds out she has an extremely rare power than could unite her world and destroy the shadow fold that haunts their lands.  CAST & THE ACTING (8/10) The cast is relatively unknown with Ben Barnes who plays General Kirigan being the most notable actor in the series, having appeared in The Punisher series, Narnia and Seventh Son. The lead actress is Jessie Mei Li who plays Alina Starkov, a young women whose newfound powers change her life forever. Other cast members include Freddy Carter as Kaz Brekker, Archie Renaux as Maylen and Kit Young as Jesper. The acting is actually pretty good in this series and it looks to be one of the next big Netflix shows. The actors are all very convincing which is crucial for a fantasy show and they create some really interesting characters.  PLOT & THE STORYLINE (8/10) I do enjoy this genre, as I have mentioned many times in previous reviews and this stor

The latest Star Wars trilogy consists of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). This set of films follow the latest Jedi prospect Rey as she stumbles upon the resistance, soon to realise she has strong ties to the force and the Sith. CAST & THE ACTING (8.5/10) I actually think the casting was good and the acting very convincing. The cast was full of charisma and there were certainly less cringeworthy moments in this trilogy compared to the previous two. Daisy Ridley plays Rey and delivers a strong performance, portraying a lost girl searching for a family and a purpose. Adam Driver plays they main villain Kylo Ren and also does well, sharing similarities with Rey in the sense that he seems lost, clinging on to the dark side for purpose. Other cast members include John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Issac as Poe and Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford all reprise their roles as Leia, Luke and Han Solo. As muc

The original Star Wars Trilogy consists of; Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Return of The Jedi (1983). Set after the events of episode 1, 2 and 3, these films follow Luke Skywalker as he journeys from a farmers nephew on Tatooine to a Jedi with the resistance battling Darth Vadar.    CAST & THE ACTING (8/10) Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker, who I think does seem perfectly made for the role, I certainly couldn’t picture anyone else playing him. However the acting isn’t the best but I think that’s across the entire cast, they were all relatively inexperienced actors so it’s understandable. The late Carrie Fisher was cast as Princess Leia and Harrison Ford as the smuggler Han Solo. Although the acting wasn’t great I must admit that the chemistry between the three of them does make it an enjoyable watch nonetheless, which is why I have given a good score. Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker play the roles of C3-PO and R2D2 and inject

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a film directed by Gareth Edwards, following Jyn, who’s father is abducted by the Empire and forced to design the infamous Death Star. Eventually she joins the group of resistance fighters who infiltrated the Imperial Research Facility to steal the plans for the Death Star, leading to the events in Star Wars: A New Hope. CAST & THE ACTING (8.5/10) Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso who delivers a strong performance. I think Jones really suited the role and made it her own, a rather emotionally conflicted character yet courageous and strong. Other cast members include Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, Rhiz Ahmed as Bodhi Rook, Mads Mikkelson as Jyn’s father Galen and also Forest Whitaker as rebel extremist Saw Gerrera. It’s a really good cast and they gave great performances which really got you invested in these characters. The importance of creating such inspirational characters in this film can’t be underestimated because the whole basis of this film is the

Falcon and The Winter Soldier follows Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes as they attempt to take down the new terrorist organisation the Flag Smashers. It explores the history of the super soldier serum and introduces a bunch of new and existing MCU characters. CAST & THE ACTING  Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie reprise their roles as Bucky Barnes and The Falcon both delivering excellent performances. Mackie is superb, showing the effects of racism in America even for a Superhero, as well as highlighting the class struggle going on in the world, his performance was inspiring and I can’t wait to see him again in future projects. The same can be said for Sebastian Stan he really showed the daily struggle that Bucky faces adjusting to normal life, dealing with the demons of his past. Seeing him progress and finally find some happiness at the end is really touching to see, so credit has to be given for the excellent acting. I was also pleasantly surprised by just how good the dynamic between

Solo is a film directed by Ron Howard about the popular Star Wars character Han Solo during his younger years, as he gets his first taste of the criminal underworld. We see his first love, his first heist and of course how he acquires the famous Millennium Falcon. CAST & THE ACTING (8.5/10) Contrary to most people’s beliefs, I actually liked the casting of this film and thought the acting was actually pretty good! Alden Ehrenreich does well to bring a younger, maybe more naive Han Solo to life which was really enjoyable. Emilia Clark plays his love interest Qi’ra, Woody Harrelson plays Beckett and Paul Bettany plays the villainous Dryden Vos, all delivering strong performances. A casting I think was perfect was Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian! The dynamic between him and Alden really complimented the relationship between Han and Lando on screen. So I have given a strong score of 8 here. PLOT & THE STORYLINE (8.5/10) I really liked the storyline because it introduced the Crims

This review is on the prequel Trilogy which consists of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. This trilogy follows Anakin Skywalker and his journey from a young boy found on Tatooine to eventually becoming the Sith Lord Darth Vader. We also see his mentor ship under Obi-Wan Kenobi and relationship with Padmé.  CAST & THE ACTING (7.5/10) I actually think the casting of these characters was great, Hayden Christensen was fantastic at playing a conflicted Anakin Skywalker and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan fit perfectly. There were other big names cast throughout the 3 films such as Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon, Samuel L Jackson as Mace Windu, Natalie Portman as Padmé and Christopher Lee as Count Dooku. The reason I haven’t given a higher score here is because I think at times the acting was a little cringeworthy but I believe that was probably down to the screenplay and writing rather then the acting itself. However combined with a grea

How I Met Your Mother is a tv series about a group of friends living in New York City. It centres around Ted Mosby and his long and emotional journey to find the love of his life, with the series actually being narrated by an older Ted, telling his kids about how he me their mother.  CAST & THE ACTING (9/10) I loved the casting for this series, Josh Radnor was the perfect Ted Mosby and he was joined by a bunch of famous actors such as Jason Segel who played his best friend Marshal, Alyson Hannigan who played Lily, Cobie Smulders as Robin and finally Neil Patrick Harris as Barney. The dynamic between this cast is great and the chemistry really comes across well on screen. The comedic acting shines throughout the whole 9 seasons which was combined with some great writing of course. But these actors were also great at bringing the real emotional and intimate moments to life. So I think a strong 9 is perfectly justified in this category! PLOT & THE STORYLINE (9/10) We have seen ple

Jiu Jitsu is a film directed Dimitri Logothetis about an ancient group of Jiu Jitsu fighters who join forces every 6 years to fight an alien soldier. This soldier arrives through a portal that opens up when a meteorite passes Earth every 6 years and if they don’t get the honourable fight they are searching for then innocent people will be killed. CAST & THE ACTING (6.5/10) I looked at the cast of this film and actually had high hopes, Nicolas Cage, Frank Grillo, Rick Yune. They were actors who usually star in pretty decent films. However they all play supporting roles and the main character is actually played by Alain Moussie, who’s acting skills were non existent in this film. The acting from the rest of the cast was also questionable and if it wasn’t for those 3 well known actors named above, who delivered half decent performances, then the score for this category would have been even lower!  PLOT & THE STORYLINE (5/10) I think the plot in this film was absolutely terrible, t

American Assassin is a film directed by Michael Cuesta and follows Mitch, a man who loses his fiancé in a terrorist attack and for the next 18 months dedicates his life to avenging her death. However he is soon recruited by the CIA as an anti terrorist operative and transitions from a man on a war path to an agent having to follow orders. CAST & THE ACTING (8.5/10) The main character Mitch is played by Dylan O’Brien, an actor who I have credited for his great acting skills in previous reviews. This is no different, we see him transition into essentially three different characters in one film! He starts as a man of innocence, in love having just proposed to his girlfriend and upon her death soon becomes a man on a war path, hellbent on avenging her death, no matter the cost. Then finally a soldier having to follow orders. To portray these characters so well takes a lot of skill so I must credit his acting skills again, he is the underdog for my favourite actor at the moment! The oth

The Night Manager is a series directed by Susanne Bier, which follows the former military man Pine as he is recruited by a British intelligence officer to infiltrate the inner circle of one of the biggest arm dealers in the world. CAST & THE ACTING (9/10) Tom Hiddleston is the lead actor playing the role of Jonathan Pine, he was perfect for this role. He does very well in the combat choreography but also shows range in being able to shift from the military trained soldier to the polite and composed night manager at a number of different high society hotels, which is how this story starts. I can understand why this role has had him heavily linked with the notorious James Bond job! Hugh Laurie plays Roper the international arms dealer, with Olivia Colman playing Angela Burr, the British intelligence officer who hires Pine. Both showcase their incredible talents and acting experience. So I believe a high score is justified here, the entirety of the cast done so well at portraying beli

Our first animated film review!  Scoob is an animated film directed by Tony Cervone about Scooby Doo and the rest of the Mystery Incorporated gang. We see how the group all first met and how they are put to the test against the evil Dick Dastardly! They are not alone, they soon find some unlikely allies in the a group of famous superheroes. CAST & THE VOICEOVERS (7/10) There are a lot of famous voices in this film, Zac Effron is the voice of Fred, Amanda Seyfreid is Daphne, Gina Rodriguez is Velma and Will Forte is Shaggy. We also see other key characters voiced by the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Jason Isaacs and Ken Jeong. The voice work isn’t too bad but I couldn’t help but think that some of them just really didn’t suit the characters. That could be because I was so used to the old cartoons I used to watch as a kid or even because of how well casted the live action films were years ago but I really couldn’t get used to the voices in this film and that’s why I have a pretty low, aver

The Planet of The Apes trilogy consists of three films directed by Matt Reeves; ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’, ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ and finally ‘War of The Planet of The Apes’. The films follow Caesar an ape enhanced with a drug that allows him to think and act like a human, eventually becoming smarter than most humans too. In first film we see Caesar witness injustice and cruelty towards apes and he then decides to revolt and escape. Meanwhile the drug is tested on humans which creates a disease that wipes out most of the population. The second film we see him work towards peace with the remaining humans but eventually war breaks out, which leads to the final film. CAST & THE ACTING (9/10) Andy Serkis plays Caesar and is also responsible for the motion capture for him which requires serious talent to imitate and move like apes. Andy has a great reputation for motion capture acting in Hollywood and is certainly one of the best around! Other big names appear throughou