Hello all! Sorry there hasn’t been a review on a Sunday for about a month now. The tour I was involved in basically ramped up in its intensity for the last month and its been virtually impossible to watch many films whilst out on the road. So below are films I have seen across the last month (mostly at weekends!), presented here for you. So, let’s get right… THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE LAST JEDI BY THE WAY. IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE AND WISH TO, DO NOT READ THE SEGMENT ON THE LAST JEDI!
So with that said, let’s get into it!
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
My main festive film this year! So I had never seen this movie before (a legitimate crime, I know), and as such this is one of Lauren’s favourite Christmas movies. I gave it to her as a Christmas gift and on our Christmas Day together, we gave it a watch! Result? Well, I really enjoyed it! Yes there are very very corny moments spread throughout but that didn’t have any negative bearing. The film is about the joy of Christmas and the joy that comes with believing in Santa Claus, both from the young and old (I’m still a firm believer at 21 years old!). There’s great performances from Richard Attenborough and a very young Mara Wilson and its a film that the whole family can enjoy! I mean the majority of you have probably seen this film at some point or another, but if you haven’t, I would definitely recommend watching it during the next festive period, because even if you can’t stand the cringe and corniness, you’ll still find something to take away. Even if its regaining a little bit of that belief in jolly old Kriss Kringle himself!
Pocahontas (1995)
Another film me and Lauren watched on our Christmas Day! Again this is another well known one. It was released smack bang in the middle of the Disney Renaissance of the 1990’s (soon after The Lion King) and is often fondly remembered. Coming clean, I never watched this one growing up as a child. It was never in my VHS collection and I never caught it on TV. My first time watching it was actually as an 18 year old first year uni student! Quite late to the game… Nevertheless, the main positives I can draw from this film is certainly the animation style. It’s something quite familiar but also quite different and some of the environments look truly stunning. The songs too are also well produced and sung and the tension ramps up in the story when it needs to. But my one huge issue that I think I had with this film, is that the story just feels a little bit too rushed. There are several elements of the plot that begin to be developed. Interesting parts of the plot that you desperately want to learn more, but they would either be forgotten about or wrapped up really quickly. The build to the climax and its resolution seems appallingly quick. You almost wish they’d allocated an extra 15 minutes or so just to flesh it out. Nevertheless, despite that, and the obvious Disney-fication of the original story (which is dark, very very dark…), this film still has its place among Disney’s animated classics, and there are many positive reasons why it is still fondly remembered by generations of people.
The World is Not Enough (1999)
There was bound to be a bit of Bond on here in the run up to Christmas! This is the third film to star Pierce Brosnan as 007 and as such it was hyped to be ‘the biggest Bond yet’ as a lot of them have been in the franchises 55 year history. Does it deliver on this promise? Well, yes and no. The action is superb, as Bond films shine in this category so well. And the development of Brosnan’s version of Bond continues to build, but then there are parts which seem a little too, to put it lightly, lacklustre. I like the idea of a villain who can’t feel pain, but he just seems a tad bit boring. Some of the side characters again seem quite forgettable. But my favourite section of this movie is definitely the beginning, where there is a spectacular boat chase across the Thames, ending at the (at that time brand new) O2 Arena. Definitely one of the best pre-titles Bond sequences ever. Overall, this film isn’t one of the best for me, but it is certainly far from being one of the worst.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
I’m gonna come clean with this…. I have never ever seen the original Jumanji with Robin William
Yes. A lot of people will stop reading now, hey ho. But its honestly never one that cropped up in my childhood or later on! I was certainly aware of it, but never had the compulsion to give it ago. So when this new film was announced, I at first didn’t understand the initial backlash from people. It seemed like the idea of a new version of this film was such a big deal, I didn’t even have an intention originally of seeing it! However, Christmas Eve warrants a tradition for our family, that we like to go and see a film at the cinema on Christmas Eve. My brother took my Dad to see The Last Jedi and me and my mother went for this one! And you know what, it was pretty damn entertaining! From what I’ve gathered, this film doesn’t try to imitate, or directly reboot the original. It takes its inspirations, but puts a completely new and fresh spin on it. Primarily, Jumanji isn’t a board game, its a video game, and quite a complex one at that. The characters with their own unique powers and weaknesses, the landscapes, the challenges they come up against, its all been very cleverly worked out, without making it over complex for a non-gamer savvy audience. Also the main cast of actors do a great job. Dwayne Johnson is absolutely hilarious and this film is the first major one where I have found him genuinely funny! Kevin Hart gives a great Kevin Hart performance as well as Jack Black (although he does get annoying at times). Finally, Karen Gillan! What a surprise there! Although engraved in my mind as Amy Pond during her Doctor Who days, she gives a great performance here, worthy of a watch! Overall, if you like the original, like the cast here, or just want to see a fun, family friendly, entertaining movie, then you can’t really go wrong with this one! Just give it a chance, I doubt you’ll be disappointed!
The Hobbit (1977)
Tells the story better in 90 minutes than Peter Jackson did in 2 two-hour plus long movies! I know I’m harping on a dead meme here but I honestly think that is true! Just to clarify, getting this was tough! There is no release of this film on home media here in the UK, and I had to buy a VHS tape online from America! But I remember me and my brother watched this constantly as children, as our Dad brought us home once the same tape! Me and my brother watched this late on Christmas Eve, another family tradition where we watch a VHS tape on Christmas Eve, for no real reason apart from why not! The songs instantly came back to us! Many of the lyrics of which are taken straight from the Tolkien text! Most of the songs are also very memorable and WILL stick in your head. Sure the animation now may look quite basic and static and some of the voice acting is deliciously over-the-top, but primarily does it tell the story? And yes, yes it does. If you want to introduce the works of Tolkien to particularly young audiences, then I strongly believe that this version of The Hobbit is the best way to go. Yes of course it misses out a lot of the detail but the key elements are there. And its a lot more enjoyable than the live action versions (sorry, but they’re just a little bit too dire for my taste). If you haven’t seen this, then I recommend you check it out. Either online, or go the old route and find yourself a VHS player, and bask in what was one of the first attempts to even interpret Tolkien’s beloved classic!
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
SPOILERS! I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT KEY PLOT POINTS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Well, wasn’t this one a rollercoaster! I loved The Force Awakens when that first dropped in 2015. Sure it was essentially a modern version of A New Hope (1977) with many of its story points, but at its heart, it was a great Star Wars movie. This one prompted a similar reaction for me, but with some key differences. First off, every single scene involving or starring Luke Skywalker I absolutely loved. I loved seeing this old version of this familiar character, to see how he’s changed, why he’s changed and where he is going in his journey with the Force. And Mark Hamill, arguably, one of the best performances of his career, from start to finish. No question. His confrontation with Kylo Ren in the final act, his mentoring of Rey on the remote island, just every second he was on screen, I was hooked in such a deep way that I don’t often get with Star Wars movies. Also, from about halfway onwards, this film got really good. The tension was there, the sheer desperation for these Resistance members to survive was so great, you felt for them every time their plans were anticipated or thwarted, you felt that struggle. But my main problem with this film, is that a solid 30 minutes of it could have either been restructured, or completely cut altogether. And the segment I’m talking about is the casino based planet and the side story of the safecracker. Now, had this safecracker (who betrays the Resistance) came in, swooped in at the end and helped them, then I could have just about justified this side plot. But nope, he betrays them and you never see him again. These segments were spliced between the scenes with Luke and Rey and cutting back to this bloody casino really slowed down the pace and just made it a little bit boring. Those 30 minutes could have been used, in my opinion, for the following avenues.
- Some detail or origin for Supreme Leader Snoke – This character we barely learn anything about in The Force Awakens and in this film I was so glad to see him in person and learn more about how supremely powerful he is. But when he gets killed off (quite unexpectedly to be honest) you’re left wondering, sooooo, who was this guy? I’ve heard they’ve released a book or some media detailing his origin, but I think this info really should have been placed within the film.
- More scenes of Luke and Rey – We could have had 30 more minutes of Luke and Rey’s relationship and bond with each other. That would have been a better use of time alone.
- Go with a safecracker story, but keep it tight – We didn’t really need to go to the casino planet. Just have them pick someone from the Resistance, go to a Star Destroyer, boom, job done.
That was my main gripe, but there were so many moments I loved. And if you are a Star Wars fan, old or new, then you should definitely devote some time for this film. It’s not the best Star Wars ever in my opinion, and yes in some ways it is very much like The Empire Strikes Back (I mean the final planet is essentially Hoth), but the fact is there are so many likeable moments. Whether its an actors performance or a planets scenery or just little jokey or action based moments, theres many things that will make you applaud and love it, just like people have loved the franchise for the last 40 years.
And that’s all folks! Thank you very much for sticking with me, reading the reviews and watching the trailers! I hope to go back to uploading reviews weekly, so may 2018 be a year of success, happiness and all things positive for you! Merry Christmas and have a very Happy New Year!
Adam xx
The Sunday Film Review 