Film Review: The Jungle Book

Jon Favreau’s adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling classic The Jungle Book is awe-inspiring in its visuals and immensely entertaining in its story.

Mowgli, an orphan boy, is raised in the jungle by wolves, with the help of panther Bagera. When fearsome tiger Shere Khan asserts his dominance, Mowgli must leave the only home he has ever known…

Viewers would be forgiven for being skeptical when a live-action remake of the Disney animated classic The Jungle Book was announced. Thankfully, Favreau’s film quickly assuages any fears. This new version of the film is captivating, distinguishing itself sufficiently from its animated predecessor.

Favreau plays homage to the 1968 animation with this film. The most obvious nod is the music; some of the songs from the original film are adapted well in this new version. Favreau distinguishes the new adaptation in terms of tone. Whilst there is still a playfulness in many scenes, The Jungle Book has more darkness than its predecessor. Rather than a moodiness, this comes across as a desire to depict the brutality of the jungle. There is more of a realism to this version; it does not shy away from some blunt events. Whilst a couple of sequences may be frightening to very young viewers, the tone works overall.

The Jungle Book is well paced; with the narrative progressing well over the running time and momentum building to the climax. The main characters are developed succinctly, but with enough depth to make the audience care about their fates. There is a good balance of humour, adventure and peril, all of which is suitable for a family audience.

Special effects in the film are fantastic; the rendering of all the animals are immensely realistic and believable. The soundtrack is a wonderful accompaniment. Neel Sethi makes a charming young Mowgli. Idris Elba brings striking presence as Shere Khan, and Bill Murray makes a wonderful Baloo.

The Jungle Book is a fantastic adventure, one that brings to life its amazing source material.

Previews: The Conjuring 2 trailer, The Jungle Book and more!

The first of the film previews for 2016, including The Conjuring 2 trailer, the latest poster for The Jungle Book and more…

The Conjuring 2 Trailer

The Conjuring 2 trailer promises more of the same from horror director James Wan. The follow-up to 2013’s The Conjuring sees Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reprise their roles as ghost hunters Lorraine and Ed Warren. With the action shifting to 1977 for the Enfield haunting, The Conjuring 2 will hit the big screen on 17th June 2016.

The Jungle Book Poster

Here is the latest poster for The Jungle Book. Jon Favreau directs the live action adaption of the famous tale. The film features an enviable voice cast which includes Bill Murray, Idris Elba and Scarlett Johansson. Newcomer Neel Sethi stars as young Mowgli. No word yet on whether there will be songs. The Jungle Book is set for release on 15th April 2016.

The Forest Trailer

The Forest is horror movie set in Japan’s Aokigahara Forest. The film stars Natalie Dormer as an American who travels to Japan to track down her missing twin sister. Also starring Tyler Kinney, The Forest will be released in UK cinemas on 26th February 2016.

Hail, Cesar! Poster

Hail, Cesar! is the new comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen. Set during Hollywood’s Golden Age, the film concentrates on a day in the life of a studio fixer. Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton feature among the film’s stellar cast. A must see for those who love films about filmmaking, Hail, Cesar! hits UK cinemas on 4th March 2016.

Film Review: Identity Thief

Two likeable lead actors do not necessarily make a likeable film. Identity Thief is testament to this.

Sensible office worker Sandy Patterson is dismayed to find that someone has stolen his identity. With the police being of limited help, Sandy travels from Denver to Florida to confront the woman who has caused a whole heap of trouble…

Identity Thief is a comedy which also strives for a more emotional connection with its audience. The film would have been more enjoyable if it had been funnier. Simply put, there are not not enough belly laughs. Whilst Identity Thief does amuse at times, this is not sufficient to sustain the entire movie.

Identity Thief follows a caper format, with plenty of obstacles thrown in to hinder Sandy from completing his goal. The film requires a healthy suspension of disbelief. Not least in its premise; it is highly dubious that it would be left to the victim to bring a perpetrator to justice.

The two main characters work reasonably well together in a odd-couple kind of way. Writers Craig Mazin and Jerry Eeten have attempted to give the two protagonists a bit of depth. To a certain extent, viewers will care about the fate of both of them. But this is undermined somewhat by implausibility of the set-up. The secondary characters are very one dimensional. Some are outright caricatures.

Jason Bateman is suitably cast as the straight guy to Melissa McCarthy’s wacky character. Both are good comedy actors; it is a shame they did not have stronger material to work with in this instance. Jon Favreau is fittingly odious in a small role, while Amanda Peet has little to do in playing the supportive housewife.

Identity Thief is by no means painful viewing. However, it is unlikely to be a movie that audiences return to again and again.

Film Review: Cowboys & Aliens

Cowboys & Aliens is a watchable enough movie, but there is nothing particularly bright or exciting about it. With the talent involved in the film, it is a shame the end product is not better.

When a man wakes up in the middle of a plain with a mysterious metal bracelet on his wrist, he struggles to remember anything. Making his way into town, trouble quickly ensues when people start to recognise him. Woodrow Dolarhyde has a score to settle with the man, but this is interupted by an attack on the town by flying machines…

With the title Cowboys & Aliens, most would expect an endlessly fun movie. Unfortunately Jon Favreau’s film does not deliver on this front. The film is played quite seriously, which eliminates most of the fun that could be had with this concept. It is a shame, as Favreau did a great job in making Iron Man fun and appealing.

The main problem with the film is that the tone is all wrong. The filmmakers seem to be aiming for earnest when they should have been aiming for mirthful. Cowboys & Aliens would have worked better with an abundance of tongue-in-cheek humour, more akin to the style of Back to the Future Part III. Instead, it is a straightforward western that features aliens. The film should have been more of a thrill ride, but is far to serious for that.

Moreover, the writing is patchy, despite the emphasis on sincerity rather than fun. The film features some lazy stereotypes, such as the faithful Indian servant Nat. Even the main characters offer little reason for the audience to root for them. They are too one-dimensional, which makes it difficult to care about their fates. The cowboys and Indians strand is dull and cliché and the dialogue doesn’t help either as it is often staid.

The special effects used in the film are pretty much faultless. Likewise, set design is also good. Some of the action sequences are let down by a lack of strong direction. Cowboys & Aliens is surely one of the loudest films of the year. This is fine given the blockbuster style, but some may find it a little overbearing.

Daniel Craig is solemn as Jake; the character has little life to him. Olivia Wilde is a little livelier as Ella, while Harrison Ford is well cast as Dolarhyde. The actor certainly brings some much needed presence to the movie.

The touches of Steven Spielberg, producer of the film, are all too clear. However, in a stellar career this is not one of the filmmaker’s brighter moments.

The Empire Big Screen Diaries – Day 3

Like the protagonist on an epic quest in a sword and sorcery film, I embarked on the final day of Empire Big Screen. First order of business was the Paramount Showcase. After a brief video animating the company’s biggest films, a series of trailers were shown. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol was followed by Paranormal Activity 3 and Like Crazy. After this, a featurette on Cowboys and Aliens was screened, introduced by Jon Favreau (on video). We also got to see a short clip of the Footloose remake, and the trailer for The Devil Inside (which was highly reminiscent of last year’s The Last Exorcism). Two clips of the Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots were then screened. Te footage was great; the film looks as if it will be very funny. To round things off, footage of The Adventures of Tin Tin was screened with a message from producer Peter Jackson and director Steven Spielberg. The clips looked good, but I always think humans in CG-animation look weird.

After a brief interlude, the Lionsgate Showcase began. After the trailer for A Dangerous Method was shown, we got to see footage from Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus. Set in the modern day but with the original Shakespearean dialogue, the film looks interesting if a little unusual. The showcase was rounded up by four trailers – 50/50, Abduction, Warrior and Conan the Barbarian.

Seizing the opportunity for a proper lunch break, we headed to Armadillo (again). My fish burger was nice, but I felt bad that we didn’t leave a proper tip. In fairness, it was all the change we had, but apologies to Armadillo staff.

The Disney Showcase was the final one of the weekend. Real Steel was first up, with director Shawn Levy on stage to talk about the film. He also gave away tickets to the premiere, but asked the most difficult question ever. Needless to say, I did not know the answer. Two clips were then screened; the film looks like fairly standard family fare. Andrew Stanton then introduced John Carter and footage from the film was screened. Finally, Steven Spielberg (by video) introduced some footage of his upcoming film War Horse. What struck me more than anything was that Spielberg seems to have some hand in directing or producing many of the films discussed this weekend. He may have even a hand producing this post. Human star of the film Jeremy Irvine then came on stage to discuss making War Horse.

After hanging out in the press room for a bit (Jeremy Irvine was being interviewed there, talent-spotters!), it was time for The Muppets! Director of The Muppets James Bobin and star Kermit the Frog were interviewed live via satelite. I was told that the Muppets were originally meant to appear in person. Maybe it is just as well this did not happen, as I may have got kicked out for running up on stage and hugging Kermit. The interview was a lot of fun, and the clip screened involved Kermit singing a song. It almost brought a tear to the eye…

After all that excitement, it was time for the Conan the Barbarian premiere. Jason Momoa was present to introduce the film, shown at the biggest screen at the O2 Cineworld. The film was pretty disappointing itself (review to follow).

After the very last visit to the press room, I went to the secret screening. Cineworld tried to rob me blind with their popcorn prices, after which I settled down to watch the film. Before it started, I asked the gentleman next to me if he knew what the film was (I did by this point). When he answered “Cowboys and Aliens” I was perplexed, and thought he was joking until he showed me his ticket. I was in the wrong screen. After cursing my stupidity, I ran next door and luckily the trailers were still on. I then settled down to watch The Debt, a very good thriller (review to follow). And that concluded Empire Big Screen; the film was good way to end a busy but exciting weekend.

Many thanks to Empire and Romley Davies for having me, plus all the lovely people who made the weekend so much fun (you know who you are!).

Film Review: Iron Man 2

Suspend your disbelief (as is called for by all comic book films), and Iron Man 2 is a thoroughly enjoyable film. Make no mistake, however, as sequels go, Iron Man 2 is no Dark Knight.

Following on from Iron Man, the sequel focuses on Tony Stark as he faces a new nemesis in the form Ivan Vanko. Coupled with this is the issues the protagonist faces in his personal life, particularly with his health…

Iron Man 2 is very much a typical comic book film sequel, albeit a good one. Themes from the first film are carried through, characters gain more depth, and the narrative is built to an exciting climax. However, in one sense, it is very much like the first film; new characters are introduced and obstacles are generated to form an archetypal narrative arc. In this way it differs from The Dark Knight – Iron Man 2 lacks the depth and creativity of Nolan’s Batman sequel.

Most of the genre’s sequels concentrate on the story of the villain, whilst also developing the motives and trials of the superhero. The origins of the hero are inevitably covered in the first film, thus the back story element must be fulfilled by another character. Iron Man 2 follows this lead, as we are almost immediately introduced to Ivan Ranko. The film bucks the trend somewhat by later sidelining this character and firmly focusing on the hero. Tony Stark is in many ways the antithesis to Bruce Wayne; outrageous and arrogant, he revels in his superstar/superhero status.

Robert Downey Jr. once again gives a charismatic performance as Tony Stark – one of the highlights of the film. Mickey Rourke is suitably cast as antagonist Ivan Ranko, offering just the right level of over-the-top-ness required for the role. Scarlet Johansson is slightly more enigmatic as Natalie Rushman; it is unclear whether her slightly stilted performance is intentional, or due to the actresses’ limited range.

Kudos to Jon Favreau for directing an entertaining action film. The special effects are excellent, and the action scenes are what fans have come to expect from the big-budget genre. A welcome addition comes in the form of the AC/DC soundtrack, providing the perfect accompaniment to the high-octane visuals.

There is no doubt that Iron Man 2 will do good business. A third film seems inevitable, however like this sequel, it is unlikely to match the critical acclaim enjoyed by the original.