Tag: remake

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Film Review

Rating 12a
Length 2h13
Release 5.7.2017
Director Jon Watts
About Peter Parker tries to stop the Vulture from selling weapons made with advanced Chitauri technology while trying to balance his life as an ordinary high school student.
Moon: None sighted
Where to Watch: Netflix
Trailer:

The Good

  • I love that this film didn’t go all the way back to the beginning and give us an origin story for Holland’s Parker. It allows this film to give us something different from previous incarnations.
    It also allows this Parker to not be entrenched in the grief of Uncle Ben’s death or set on a path of revenge. We get to have a much younger Parker, who is able to truly have fun.
  • Michael Keaton is such a genius bit of casting, characterisation and plotting. Choosing a past Batman has very little impact on the plot, but there’s all the meta goodness that adds to the cinematic experience.
    It’s not lost on me that Vulture is the anti-batman. Where Bruce was a millionaire, Toomes is a working-class everyman embittered by the Marvel’s equivalent of Bruce Wayne.
    I also love the I’d that the name, Vulture, is not only a bird of prey, but is also a scavenger. It describes the aesthetic of Toomes technology, but it is very descriptive of the character too.
  • Ned is a spectacular friend and I’m so happy that he’s not Harry. I adore every scene in which Ned is just himself.
  • Tom Holland really is ideal for the role of Peter Parker. He’s first of all young looking enough to know that he’d at least be carded, but the choice to have Stark as a mentor allows the story freedom for Parker to fail. He’s not the first and final line of defence and it changes the tone of the film and the character expectation of Peter Parker.

The Bad

  • It is a tad too long for it to be a regular rewatch movie for me. By no means a unique issue for MCU movies, but I find myself restless just at the moment when I need to be paying attention.
    The only problem with this, however, is that I have no idea what I *would* remove to trim the fat.

The Ugly

  • I’m so mad that this film did the dirty on Donald Glover! That man was born for a live action Miles Morales so while having him in this was amazing, I’m devastated that it perhaps rules him out from the upcoming multiverse film ‘No Way Home’.

Final Thoughts

Truly my favourite of the the Spider-Man films and I’m so happy that, as of a few hours ago, Tom Holland has been announced for three more films.

Film Review: The Omen (2006)

Rating 15
Length 1hr 50
Release 06.06.06
Director John Moore
About Robert agrees to adopt a baby after his wife Katherine delivers a stillborn. They name him Damien. Father Brennan informs Robert that Damien is the son of the devil and so Robert attempts to kill him.

The Good

  • There’s a pretty decent cast involved: Schreiber gets the rare opportunity to play the lead in a movie and fairs pretty well considering he’s filling Gregory Peck’s shoes. Schreiber has that charm that allows you to believe that someone so young could hold the position he does while also able to pull off the doubt, anger and determination to do what is necessary.
  • David Thewlis takes on David Warner’s photographer, bringing his northern tones and gritty anger to character and Postlethwaite takes on the ill fated Father Brennan who was originally played by Doctor Who himself; Patrick Troughton. I’d have love to have seen more of Postlethwaite, but I’d probably say the same about any film he’s in. 
  • For those Horror fans out there Mia Farrow is perfectly cast as the clues-in nanny. Little bit of a nod towards her movie background, given she birthed the son of Satan in the painfully boring Rosemary’s Baby.
  • I did like the incorporation of some modern disasters into the Damian prophecy that gives that chilling sense of ‘this could happen’

The Bad

  • Julie Stiles looks in pain throughout the film. Yes she’s portraying someone who has suffered post natal depression and a strong sense of disconnect with her son, but her performance doesn’t make it feel like it’s part of the character. 

The Ugly 

  • Lazy film making/ script… it doesn’t divert enough from the original to justify its existence. It’s nearly a shot for shot remake and takes no risks to be its own movie. Quite sad when you consider the potential it had.
  • Well, if you’re going to redo a film, you really have to at least meet the quality from the original’s key scenes. Case in point: the visit to the church scene. It just lacks any of the power, fear or response from the viewer. Lacklustre is putting it mildly.

Final Thoughts

It feels rushed in order to meet a gimmick opening date. Great for initial box office, but feels cheap 14 years later.

Movie Review: Lion King (2019)

Lion King (2019)

Length: 1Hr 58

Rating: PG

Release: 19.7.2019

About:Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny on the plains of Africa. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother — and former heir to the throne — has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is soon ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. Now, with help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba must figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

The Good

  • The photo-realistic animals are breathtaking, detailed and quite simply a work of art. From the movement of the animal to tiny details all add to the magic of the story. It’s seen most powerfully when the film shows a lion’s ability to use smell. It forms a direction for the plot and gives us a look at how detailed computer technology is. There’s been criticism that the film lacks emotional impact because the animals ‘don’t emote’. This is simply not the case. They emote, but as an animal would.
  • Scar was less panto villain, more psychotic sibling with a lust for power. Even his relationship with the hyenas has changed ever so slightly, giving a darker and more desperate tone to his actions. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s voice will chill your bones in a way Jeremey Irons couldn’t.
  • Removal of anthropological behaviours of the animals brings an extra level of realism to the story. There’s no animal pyramid, no exaggerated facial expressions and Timon doesn’t walk upright. These are just a few things I can think of from the original that have been removed. I hadn’t realised, but one of my fears of a shot-for-shot remake was these conceits would remain and clash even more so with the realism.
  • The scenes that are meticulously recreated are not there out of laziness but an acknowledgement of the legacy it was taking on. The opening is one example, but the one I want to draw on is the stampede. On first glance it might seem derivative. However, what we have to remember is that the part in which the animals go over the lip and into the ravine was the Studios shining moment; it used the top technology to produce and it’s where we can see so very clearly how far they’ve come.
  • The songs have lost their show tune grandure and become much more integrated into the the characters and the storytelling. My favourite is still Be Prepared and I’m glad they kept it despite their misgivings.
  • Timon and Pumba shine as the comedy double act. They’ve again shed their Broadway perfect personas. Instead we have a conversational and down to Earth odd couple.

The Bad

  • While it isn’t something that bothered me overly, some may find there are perhaps one too many identical/ shot-for-Shot scenes or that the changes are too minimal. I personally didn’t like the stylised cloning of the iconic ‘fall’ scene, but it’s only a niggle.
  • I actually don’t like the story. I never have. It’s Hamlet with a somewhat happier ending and I really don’t like Hamlet.

The Ugly

  • Everyone’s a critic. The irony is not lost on me, I promise. I’m just as guilty as others. Currently, LiongKing (sic) is trending on social media and people are upset certain scenes aren’t there. At least this is something that was said after viewing the thing. However it’s not been the case for some other opinions.
  • So many people have already decided what they thing of the project without giving it a chance. From casting choices, to ‘Pumba looks scary and ugly’. As I said, I was also guilty of this. I was rather miffed when I discovered the mighty Mufasa would still be voiced by Darth Vader himself, James Earl Jones. I couldn’t help but think ‘why, what’s the point.’
  • I was incredibly wrong. His voice has changed, it reflects age and wisdom while tying together the animated and ‘live’ action. It was a stroke of genius.

Final Thoughts

It’s a beautiful film that needs to be seen on the big screen. It’s not the sing along classic, but something more enchanting.

Love Han x