Avengers: Endgame: Blu Ray Review

 Avengers: Endgame: Blu Ray Review

It's finally here.

The end of the road for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's current phase, and the conclusion of events after Thanos snapped his fingers, and wiped out half of the world in Avengers: Infinity War.

Avengers: Endgame arrives with such a weight of expectation one year after the tease of the end that it's hard to live upto what fans - and cinemagoers - want.

But simply put, if you're a fan of the MCU, Endgame delivers in spades - and as a casual cinema-goer there's also a lot to gain from a film that has dalliances with the epic, but never once forgets the intimate.

Avengers:Endgame is not a film the creators want spoiling.

The plot has been briefly hinted at in trailers but outside of the upcoming release, little is truly known of if Thanos is defeated, or how any attempts are made.

The interesting thing about the occasionally sprawling 181 minutes that unfolds is how much a lot of the payoffs from previous films are delivered and how all the threads of the other 20 plus films join together.

While it’s no condemnation to say Endgame contains an overload of fan service and crowd-pleasing moments, what it also contains is an emotional depth and exploration of sacrifice that’s confined to the core of original characters, that cinemagoers have spent a decade with.

There’s an elegiac feeling of its opening, the meditations on loss and if second chances are worth losing are heartbreakingly laid out; there’s a reaction to trauma that leaves you finally feeling Thanos’ actions in Infinity War had real consequences. Doubt, regret and angst are in order, and are deftly delivered by the human cast.

It's something the MCU has previously until now been somewhat flippant about, but this time around, there's a sense the remaining Avengers are truly broken and vulnerable.

Yet, there’s also scope and depth here which is more than alluded to - old grievances are raised again and the culmination of years of foundation laying has an emotionally resonant payoff that’s mostly worthy of the three hour run time for fans of the franchise.

Brolin once again brings greater depth to his bad guy Thanos and makes you feel like everyone has collateral and damage after he pursued his utopia. His nuanced bad guy has been a real boon for the franchise, and certainly delivers the heft needed in this chapter capper. 

This film is predominantly about the relationship between Chris Evans' Captain America and Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man. But more than that, it's about Steve Rogers and Tony Stark - something which rewards when it needs to.

In among the pleasing set pieces and odd touches of humour, there are one or two stumbles, which were perhaps inevitable during the three hour run time, and with a farewell mentality in mind.

A final battle is a depressing return to the usual CGI throw-it-all-at-the-wall fare (though, in all honesty, it's hard to see what else there is that could be done). Coupled with one or two moments of excess (and one overblown statement of intent to address ongoing criticism), it's the denouement fans will want, but one that critics of the superhero genre will dismiss as once again, overcrowded and overdone. 

When it's confined within to just a few single actors, it's fair to say the denouement soars in its singular quieter moments. Even if foreshadowing robs some of the emotion from landing as it should. In truth, the moments are more about your familiarity with these characters, rather than what exactly the narrative of Avengers: Endgame delivers.

Equally, despite all the promise and fanfare of the previous Marvel outing, it's troubling that one character is effectively reduced solely to a deus ex machina device in proceedings. 

There are also a few emotional moments that feel a little rushed, and didn't quite hit the mark that perhaps should have been expected.

But there are plenty of character complexities and moments that ground this superhero film in the realm of the human and our various foibles.

Ultimately, this film belongs to the original Avengers - it may be the end of Phase 3, and the farewell they've been anticipating after some 20 plus films over a decade, but it's not hindered the Russo Brothers from delivering a movie that is crowd-pleasing in extremis, one that walks a tightrope between nostalgia (thanks to plot devices) and closing a chapter from a studio that's always had its eyes on its vision.

Hellboy: DVD Review

Hellboy: DVD Review

For many, Ron Perlman is the definitive Hellboy.

With gruff voice and wearied attitude, his Hellraiser, along with director Guillermo del Toro set the tone for the story of the demon here to protect us all. But that was back in 2004 when the film hit a high, and now 15 years later, there's a new attempt to bring Mike Mignola's comics back to life.

This time, Stranger Things David Harbour is old Red, and Dog Soldiers' director Neil Marshall helps helm the CGI creations as Hellboy tackles an ancient sorceress bent on revenge in the R-rated flick.

The road to Hellboy is paved with good intentions.

But unfortunately, this reboot is nothing more than a slightly polished stinker that does nothing for the legacy work created by del Toro.

A CGI creature feature that in parts looks like the bastard son of Jack The Giant Slayer, the creature work is so incredibly cheap-looking that it distracts mightily from what's transpiring on the screen.

Which isn't to say much, because the basic plot and piecemeal sewing together of various scenes in the film feels beyond rote, and borderline dull.

Harbour tries to deliver what he can under the prosthetics, but if you're after subtlety, this ain't it.

All the good character work done by Perlman and del Toro is distilled down and then thrown out, because all Harbour has to work with is what the script writers believe Hellboy is, a series of quips and some petulance, rather than a build up of emotional heft aimed at immersing you in his world, and buying into the torment he feels at his place in the world.

It just doesn't work though throughout, with a Scouser pig creature that's supposed to be Jovovich's character's sidekick feeling like an extra from a bad cartoon movie. Fight scenes aren't much better either, scored as they are to heavy metal tracks and distinctly looking cheap in their execution.

The cheapness affects the feel of the film and the script struggles for any kind of heft; even worse, the world-building feels less fantastical, more rushed, rote and utterly  lazy. There are precisely two good moments in Hellboy, and unfortunately, they come right at the end of the movie as Marshall demonstrates some directorial flair for action sequences, chopping and changing between slow-motion and speeded up ass kicking from Hellboy.

It only serves to show what's been missing in the Hellboy 2019 reboot, a film that chops around all over the place, uses terribly clunky exposition to anchor its hero, and delivers nothing short of a disappointment.

Simply put, Hellboy in its latest incarnation deserves its place in cinematic hell. 

Missing Link: DVD Review

Missing Link: DVD Review

Meshing a whole range of genres, Laika's latest sees them build on the work done with Kubo, Coraline and The Box Trolls to produce something that while it lacks as much heart as their previous work, it still raises the game in the animated front.

In a take on the new world versus the old world, Jackman plays Sir Lionel Frost, an explorer and monster hunter who longs to be accepted into the inner circle of explorers run by Stephen Fry's puffed up Lord Piggot-Dunceby.

When Frost receives a letter purportedly giving him the location of the Sasquatch, he sees this as his chance to cement his place and show the naysayers. But it turns out the Sasquatch is the one who got in touch with him to seek his help.

Dubbing his find Mr Link, Frost sets out to help...

Missing Link is a curious film.

It lacks the derring do of the kind of adventure films you'd potentially expect, eschewing that in favour of something that's old school in many ways.

There are elements of a western here as Frost rides into a deserted town with bar fights on the menu; and there are components of classic Laurel and Hardy as the Odd couple of Link and Frost go on their journey, thanks to Link's taking everything Frost says literally - and which delivers some of the biggest laughs of the film.

With his benign face and innocence, Galifianakis' softly spoken Link is a fragile character given a heart that's hard to deny. There's silliness at times, called for by the script, and it works nicely, thanks to Jackman's somewhat stiff delivery as the explorer who's lost his place in the world, in pursuit of what he feels matters to him. The duo make a good pair, and it's at the expense of Saldana, whose character feels a little shoehorned in and sadly sidelined.

While part of the problem with Missing Link is that the threats just tangibly disappear at times, Laika's animation does much to paper over those narrative cracks. It may not be the traditional stop motion, given it's run through a computer, but there are elements of Aardman Studios here and the kind of beauty that was part of Kubo and The Two Strings (one of the most underappreciated animations of past years).

Laika's commitment to indigenous faces also shines again in the latter part of the film, and subtle touches make this an animation fan's dream as the different cultures merge.

There may be moments when the younger kids will get restless, but Missing Link is not above a dismissive raspberry to punctuate proceedings, nor is it opposed to some silly wordplay and sight gags that will be adored and amuse.

All in all, Missing Link may at times feel like it has some links of its own missing, but the overall chain is tight and strong, proving that Laika's branching out into wider stories is only a good thing.

Etherborn: PS4 Review

Etherborn: PS4 Review

Developed by Altered Matter

Etherborn takes the gravity puzzle and gives it a minimal spin.

It's minimal in its visual execution and also minimal in its length.

A relatively short game, but one that causes you as much as head-scratching as a normal puzzle game, Etherborn has the screen changing and twisting as you try to negotiate your own progression.

In many ways, this adventure's similar to Kula World and Bound, both of which deployed lateral thinking, fiendishly simple answers once you have them and feel rewarding once you've managed to solve it.

The gravity-shifting exploration platformer has a loose narrative, the bare bones of which feel like a spoiler to reveal. Collecting crystalline orbs is the key to progression as moving those on will help you open up other platforms to progress. However, sometimes, these orbs aren't as easily accessible as you'd like, nor are they as simple to come across.

The narrative feels a little disjointed, with some po-faced talk of creation and Endless trees, but for the most part, Etherborn's small scale commitment to head-scratching and sheer evocative minimalism makes the game well worth exploring.

Shazam! Blu Ray Review

Shazam! Blu Ray Review

The DC Extended Universe goes as light and as goofy as it ever has before with the unveiling of the story of Billy Batson aka Shazam!

Teenage Batson (Angel) has been bouncing from foster home to foster home, trying to find the mother who he lost at a carnival when he was younger. Pushed into one more home in Philadelphia, where five other foster kids live, Batson's resentful and decides he doesn't need anyone but himself.

Befriended by superhero obsessed Freddy (Grazer) from within the clan, Billy finds himself literally transformed when he's given the powers of Shazam by a wizard (Djimon Hounsou) who's searching for a champion.

But Batson's still a kid at heart, and when confronted by Mark Strong's evil Dr Sivana who wants his power, he needs more than just puerile intentions to save the day.

Shazam! is essentially Superman vs Lex Luthor, poured through a prism of Big, Harry Potter and Instant Family.

It's fair to say that the DCEU has gone a bit goofier with this origin story, and Chuck star Levi exudes the qualities needed for the big kid in a superhero suit that will resonate with youngsters, who are likely to run round shouting Shazam for their own needs.

Levi packs in the charm, and the innocence while adhering to the conventions of the origin movie as well. But it's left to DC-obsessed Freddy (Grazer) to present the exposition of the mechanics of being  a superhero as the film plays out.

It's here that Shazam! falls into a few problems.

A choppy pre-titles start is flat, the final act showdown goes on way too long and the stakes feel (perhaps refreshingly) low key throughout, with only Shazam and his family being threatened by Sivana - despite earlier hints that Sivana would unleash the seven deadly sins to ravish the world. And a plot line about Batson finding his mother is not only oddly written, but wobbily executed.

Yet the film stays true to its sweet family vibe throughout, and messages of relying on siblings, family et al are nicely contrasted in our the protagonist and his antagonist.

There's an occasional flippancy about the way the extended universe is treated, and given how other films can be, that's no bad thing - but it does make feeling like Shazam could be a long term standalone proposition hard to swallow.

In many ways, this feels like a one-and-done kind of film, with Shazam simply brought in to provide comic relief for other team ups further down the line.

Ultimately, Shazam is a one size fits all superhero family film that packs a friendly vibe, and has fun doing what it does - whether that's enough to sustain a longtime proposition though remains to be seen - it'll need more than just a magic trick to pull that off. 

Win Long Shot on Blu Ray

Win Long Shot on Blu Ray

To celebrate the release of Long Shot, out now on DVD and Blu Ray, thanks to Sony Home Entertainment, you can win a copy!

About Long Shot

Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) is a gifted and free-spirited journalist with an affinity for trouble. 

Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is one of the most influential women in the world

Smart, sophisticated, and accomplished, she's a powerhouse diplomat with a talent for… well, mostly everything. 

The two have nothing in common, except that she was his babysitter and childhood crush. 

When Fred unexpectedly reconnects with Charlotte, he charms her with his self-deprecating humour and his memories of her youthful idealism. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, 

Charlotte impulsively hires Fred as her speechwriter, much to the dismay of her trusted advisors. 

A fish out of water on Charlotte's elite team, Fred is unprepared for her glamorous lifestyle in the limelight. 

However, sparks fly as their unmistakable chemistry leads to a round-the-world romance and a series of unexpected and dangerous incidents.

To win, all you have to do is email your details and the word LONG SHOT!

Email now to  darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com 
Or CLICK HERE NOW  
Competition closes August 25th

Win Avengers: Endgame on Blu Ray

Win Avengers: Endgame on Blu Ray

To celebrate the release of Avengers: Endgame on Blu Ray on August 14, you can win a copy thanks to Sony Home Entertainment.

About Avengers: Endgame

Avenge the fallen.

The fourth Avengers movie, and direct sequel to 2018's Infinity War. This will be the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (Infinity War, Civil War, Captain America: Winter Soldier).

The universe is in ruins following the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War. 

But with the help of their remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order.

Blu-ray Bonus Features:

• Remembering Stan Lee – Filmmakers and cast honour the great Stan Lee in a fond look back at his MCU movie cameos.
• Setting The Tone: Casting Robert Downey Jr. – Hear the tale of how Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Stark in the original “Iron Man” — and launched the MCU.
• A Man Out of Time: Creating Captain America – Trace the evolution of Captain America with those who helped shape the look, feel and character of this compelling hero.
• Black Widow: Whatever It Takes – Follow Black Widow's journey both within and outside the Avengers, including the challenges she faced and overcame along the way.
• The Russo Brothers: Journey to Endgame – See how Anthony and Joe Russo met the challenge of helming two of the biggest films in cinematic history … back-to-back!
• The Women of the MCU – MCU women share what it was like to join forces for the first time in an epic battle scene — and be part of such a historic ensemble.
• Bro Thor – His appearance has changed but his heroism remains! Go behind the scenes to see how Bro Thor was created.
• Six Deleted Scenes – “Goji Berries,” “Bombs on Board,” “Suckiest Army in the Galaxy,” “You Used to Frickin’ Live Here,” “Tony and Howard” and “Avengers Take a Knee.”
• Gag Reel – Laugh along with the cast in this epic collection of flubs, goofs and gaffes from set.
• Visionary Intro – Intro by directors Joe and Anthony Russo.
• Audio Commentary – Audio commentary by directors Anthony and Joe Russo, and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

To win, all you have to do is email your details and the word ENDGAME!

Email now to  darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com 
Or CLICK HERE NOW  
Competition closes August 25th