The Darkest Minds: Film Review

The Darkest Minds: Film Review

Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Harris Dickinson, Skylan Brooks, Gwendoline Christie
Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Take a pinch of Young Adult, a snip of The Host, a snifter of The Hunger Games, sprinkle liberally with a shoe-horned romance, mix in some young X-Men, drop in some elements of Avengers: Infinity War, top with a hint of everything-you've-seen-before-in-this-genre and you've got new film The Darkest Minds.

Set six years after children mysteriously started dying and survivors were considered worthy only of rounding up and putting in camps, The Darkest Minds stars Stenberg as Ruby, a teenager who's broken out of a camp, thanks to the help of a mysterious doctor (Mandy Moore).

But unsure whether to trust her, Ruby ends up on the run with conveniently-nearby-hidden-kids Zu (who can control electricity), Liam (telekinesis to go with wooden good looks) and brainy Chubs (looks like a Fresh Prince cum Dope extra).

Searching for a utopia for the children who survived, Ruby and the gang are hunted from all quarters.

Frustratingly, The Darkest Minds has some potential.

Complete with a soundtrack clearly aimed at its audience of YA readers, and adapted from a book by Alexandra Bracken, it knows what it wants to do - even if it feels like a patchwork mesh of every YA film you've ever seen. (Those for those exposed to it for the first time, it could become something,
thanks to its diverse leading cast).

But rushing through dramatic edges, shoehorning narrative elements in and giving them nary a second to breathe or dispatching them with a laissez-faire approach does little to build this first outing into any kind of franchise.

It's even worse with the cursory way threats are tossed aside, having built them up to be something substantial. Matters are not helped by an obvious villain and some truly wooden acting when emotional clashes come to the fore.

Perhaps the greatest crime of the YA mesh with X-Men is how the film doesn't really resolve itself, preferring to dangle narrative elements for potential sequels and leaving to a feeling of frustration in the film's denouement, where poignancy and emotional heft should have done the heavy lifting.

There's potential for darkness here, and perhaps the target teen audience would have appreciated some truth (shots of kids being executed are truly chilling) but rather than build dystopia, The Darkest Minds is content solely to play it too safe to be relevant or compelling.

Rampage: DVD Review

Rampage: DVD Review

There is only so far Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's charisma and endless muscles will go - and his latest flick, Rampage where he re-teams with San Andreas director Brad Peyton, sorely tests that.

Johnson plays Davis Okoye, a former species forces cum animal saviour who's now a primatologist.Bonded with a white silverback gorilla called George (and who gets a brief back story flashback later in the piece), Davis finds his world rocked when a science experiment from space causes his friend to change from gentle Curious George Harry and the Hendersons' beast to roaring destructive angry King Kong type.

Things are further complicated when the evil corporate bigwigs, who created the genetic editing process, want their DNA back and hatch a plot to get the creatures back to the city.

In a race against time to save his bud, and with a shady government agency on his heels, headed up by a hammier friendlier version of The Walking Dead's Negan himself Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and a former genetic scientist (007 star Naomie Harris) in tow, Davis has it all to do.

Based on the 1980s video game where monsters menaced the city and picked off human armies, Rampage shows clearly its video game edge - ie little to no cohesive plot, scrabbling from one section to the next without any care for logic or anything to trouble the brain.

The problem with Rampage is that if you're expecting dumb, you'll get it in spades.
If you want some god-awful dialogue thrown in there as well (Morgan's agent spouting the line that "When science shits the bed, I'm the one called in to change the sheets" being the worst), then you'll be happy.
And if you simply want to see a bit of rote CGI monster smash city / Kaiju fight, you'll be satiated, but not satisfied.

Rampage, despite Johnson's usual charisma as he plays Dr Doolittle and beast bestie, is just not enough of anything to warrant much more than dumb.

Characters are woefully underwritten (step forward, Naomie Harris' expositionary scientist) and the bad guys are laughably paper-thin, but Rampage tries to take itself too seriously, when really it should just embrace the stupidity of what its premise is. 

There are signs that it does this in the end, with Johnson rolling out his action jackson figure that we've all been expecting, but it comes too late in the day to really resonate.

WETA Digital's work with George is, as you'd expect from the Apes trilogy, stellar; but their work on the other creatures, while homage to the original villains of the game, stands out as looking a bit wobbly in places and less realistic than it could be.

Ultimately, and unfortunately, Rampage is not quite the popcorn thrill it should be - while it's at heart, a mash up of buddy movie and monster flick, the B-movie pretensions are what hold it back. It may be as dumb as a bag of spanners, but it's not smart enough to use that to its strength.

By refusing to embrace fully what it could be, Rampage goes from being a slam dunk to a film that shows that not everything Johnson touches can turn to gold, even if he coats it all in a few knowing nods here and there. 

Happy End: DVD Review

Happy End: DVD Review

Michael Haneke returns to the festival circuit with something purporting to be lighter fare than his usual, but still with some of his usual concerns.

Centring on a construction dynasty and their gradual unravelling, a truly stellar cast taking on various roles as the Laurent family.

When the company's rocked by the ground giving way at a venue (an allegory much to be applied to the family itself), the various pressures on the Laurent clan become apparent. Combined with a suicide attempt from a family member and a patriarch determined to go on his terms, there's a lot to deal with for them all...

Happy End may be a comedy, but it seems to have forgone the laughs for something a little bleaker.

It's really only in its last 10 minutes that the humour seems to come to the fore and the film adds a few lighter touches. Described as a satire on bourgeois values, Happy End is a little lacking and frankly, in places, a touch dull as things happen off screen which are supposed to be of emotional consequence and leave you frustrated at what to cling on to.

With swathes of time devoted to a chatroom conversation in its full pixel glory, there are times when Happy End can sorely try your patience.

Where it not for Isabelle Huppert's calm composure, Toby Jones' presence and a searing turn from a young newcomer Fantine Harduin as a child entered into the dynasty, this would be sorely close to walk-out territory.

Haneke may be playing with some familiar themes of suicide and euthanasia, and there are some moments blessed by a scion of precision dialogue, but Happy End's wide varying eye means that it rarely feels like it settles on one subject for long enough for you to emotionally engage with.  

The Spy Who Dumped Me: Film Review

The Spy Who Dumped Me: Film Review

Cast: Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux, Gillian Anderson, Sam Heughan
Director: Susanna Fogel

Mixing a bit of raunchy comedy with some spy action and bundling it up in the usual Kate McKinnon schtick actually works reasonably well for The Spy Who Dumped Me.

Kunis stars as Audrey, newly 30 and dumped by her boyf Drew (Theroux, in casting mode for a Bond style role). After a night out with her BFF Morgan (McKinnon, once again killing it with ad-libs and goofiness), Audrey finds herself thrust into the middle of a conspiracy and on the run in Europe.

On her tail is Sebastian (Outlander's Sam Heughan, a little stiff here) who may or may not be trustworthy and a group of eastern European agents...

The Spy Who Dumped Me has some funny touches.

Its opening gambit mixes some pretty impressive spy shenanigans with Theroux taking centre stage before it collapses into a style over substance type global jaunt that hops around with nary a concern for its admittedly flimsy central plot.

It's grating because the spy elements of the film feel secondary to everything else, and given this is the hook the comedy's predicated on, as the film propels itself through its nearly two hour run time, these are the parts which stand out more - and certainly in the beats of the finale, degrees of apathy have set in.

Fortunately, the whole thing is genuinely saved by both Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon.

Their BFF-ship is joyous to behold and the bond of sisterhood is there for all to see, rather than being spun out in an empowerment message aimed at cloying sentiment (though parts of sentiment creep in at the end.)

It works because of the genuine laughs proffered by the duo, whether it's McKinnon spitballing under Fogel's direction or Kunis playing her patented mix of naive and naughty as the stay-at-home who's starting to come out of her shell.

Throughout The Spy Who Dumped Me, this is the one takeaway - when a female comedy is done right, it's fresh, bright and breezy. And thrust into a genre that's primarily been a man's world for far too long, Kunis and McKinnon soar and show no signs of fatigue. Whilst there's no hint there could be a sequel (other than a post credits scene which hints at it) it has to be said that a second outing with this pair would be no bad thing - it's just if they do team up again, more work needs to be done with the spy shenanigans, because given the right script, these could be spies to love.

Life Of The Party: DVD Review

Life Of The Party: DVD Review

Melissa McCarthy's Life of the Party feels tame, uninspired and in some parts, stretched as long as a college lecture fronted by a droning professor.

McCarthy plays Deanna, a mom who starts the film dropping her daughter off for college and ends up moments later on the cusp of divorce and homeless.

Deciding to go back to college (where her daughter is) to finish the year she never completed, Deanna embraces college life - and the books - like before.

Turning into a mother for some of the sorority's lost, and dating a younger man, Deanna finds her place - before facing the obvious third act obstacles.

Despite some touches - a great double act with Maya Rudolph as Deanna's friend being the highlight- Life of the Party tries to mix awkward banter with McCarthy's knack for trademark pratfalls and physical humiliation.

It works in parts, but for large swathes of the film, the bumpy to ally mixed film hits too many lulls and cliches on the way to prove a winning formula.

It helps less that the rating tones the film down, making it hit more of a TV movie special than a riotous romp fest. But in some ways that's perhaps where the truisms of McCarthy's continued success reaches - her endless relatability to sections of the cinema going audience proving to be fertile ground for those looking to spend a dollar on women-led films, or searching for girls night out fare.

The problem with Life Of The Party is that it's never quite as strong enough as it needs to be; it fails to hit some of the highs, while eschewing the typical teenager embarrassed by my parents trope and narrative. It also never quite hits the empowerment high it's aiming for either, preferring to be a muted call, rather than a rallying fanfare.

It strives to be different, but ultimately, Life Of The Party is a party few will fully want to attend til the end - much like any party eventually does, it rather outstays its welcome. 

Episode One of The Walking Dead: The Final Season Is Now Available for Download

Episode One of The Walking Dead: The Final Season Is Now Available for Download

The season premiere, 'Done Running,' launched today  on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One across all regions, and on Nintendo Switch in North America.

Leading publisher and developer of digital entertainment Telltale Games, alongside Robert Kirkman's Skybound Entertainment, today premiered the inaugural episode of The Walking Dead: The Final Season, a new four-part game series that will conclude the journey of Telltale's iconic survivor Clementine. Episode one, 'Done Running,' is now available for download on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One across all regions. It is also available digitally on Nintendo Switch in North America and will launch on Switch in other regions later this month. The full season is available for $19.99 USD. Episode one can now be downloadedimmediately upon purchase, and all subsequent episodes will become available for download as they are released. In addition, episode one voice packs and translations are currently available for download within the episode. The Walking Dead: The Final Season has been fully dubbed in French, German, Latin-American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese. It has also been subtitled in French, German, Latin-American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Russian, and both traditional and simplified Chinese.   Season Description: Clementine, now a fierce and capable survivor, has reached the final chapter in her journey. After years on the road facing threats both living and dead, a secluded school might finally be her chance for a home. But protecting it will mean sacrifice. Clem must build a life and become a leader while still watching over AJ, an orphaned boy and the closest thing to family she has left. In this gripping, emotional final season, you will define your relationships, fight the undead, and determine how Clementine's story ends.  Emotional, Gut-Wrenching Story - See Clementine's journey through to the end. As she builds a new life, you will have to grapple with new types of choices and live with the consequences as AJ looks on, learning from your every move. More Control, More Tension - A new over-the-shoulder camera system, greater freedom to explore detailed environments, and scenes with unscripted combat capture the fear of living in a world overrun by the undead and create the most engaging The Walking Dead game yet. Striking New Visual Style - The all-new Graphic Black art style rips the ink from the pages of the Eisner Award-winning comic book series and brings the world of The Walking Dead to life like never before. Supports 4K resolution and high dynamic range on compatible devices.    To date, The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series has sold more than 50 million episodes worldwide, earning more than 100 Game of the Year awards from outlets including Metacritic, USA Today, Wired, The VGAs, Yahoo!, The Telegraph, Mashable, Polygon, Destructoid, and GamesRadar. It has also received two BAFTA Video Games Awards for Best Story. The Walking Dead is set in the world of Robert Kirkman's award-winning comic book series and offers an emotionally-charged experience in which players' actions and choices determine the course of the story across the entire series. In order to see their choices reflected in the upcoming season, players will be able to import their existing series save files into The Final Season. For more information, please refer to this blog. Players can also complete the interactive Story Builder either online or in-game to create a new custom save file. Episode one, 'Done Running,' has been rated 'Mature' by the ESRB. For more information on the game, visit the official website and Facebook page, and follow Telltale Games on Twitter. For more information on The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman, and all of his titles, visit Skybound.com.

The Meg: Film Review

The Meg: Film Review

Cast: Jason Statham, Bingbing Li, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Cliff Curtis
Director: Jon Turteltaub

The shark film is an easy hit genre.

In this latest, which is frankly more suited to a Syfy TV slot than a big screen release (and even that's being generous), Jason Statham is Jonas Taylor, a former diver whose life is haunted by a decision to leave some former crew members to die to save others. (Classic Kobayashi Maru type stuff.)

Retired from diving, Taylor's called back in when an exploration beneath the seabed goes awry and his ex-wife is trapped. Taking part in the rescue and still believing a massive creature lurked below despite everyone's contrary protestations, Taylor and his team inadvertently provides a chance for a megalodon shark to escape his surroundings.

Now with humanity on the lunch menu, it's a race against time to rid the seas of the shark.

The Meg is not smart enough to realise its trash concept and embrace it.

And while this shark tale hits every cliche with barely any relish, parts of its execution are brilliantly realised.

From the smart looking techno futuristic seabase to the submersibles, the design side of The Meg is wonderfully brought to life. And it's populated by some standout turns - primarily Cliff Curtis' de facto base leader Mac, whose grounded performance makes him the mate you'd want to call on in any given situation.

There are times when Statham plays it a little too close to zany, delivering his cornball dialogue with a little too much gusto. It would have been wiser to have played up the redemption angle of this character, mixing it in with kind of haunted turns those obsessed with either sharks or whales deliver (Jaws, Moby Dick et al), but Statham isn't too far taxed from his usual MO.

Disappointingly, Bingbing Li's scientist goes from strong model to weak-kneed at the sight of Statham's Taylor when he shows up, and it's poor scripting at best. Equally some of the final scenes where the shark menaces a bay full of foreigners, the racial stereotyping is dangerously close to offensive. It's very much like those are pandering to the Chinese box office, without writing for them.

The shark's execution is nicely done, and there are some reasonable action sequences early on (Taylor being hauled through the water with a rope and the creature snapping at its heels being one of the best), but Turteltaub doesn't really deliver anything other than rote shark action, a tacit admission and nod to what's expected, but nothing more.

Ultimately, The Meg, unfortunately, bites. Its cliched codswallop, along with an at times overly familiar and tedious story, doesn't do much to deliver any kind of originality to the genre - and the suspense and emotional pull when people are dispatched are solely missing.

This is one shark tale which sadly, is like a fish out of water, floundering for its life.