Suicide Squad Review.

Suicide Squad Review.

This review will contain spoilers.

Some of you may be aware that I am quite the comic fan, I was very cautious to see Suicide Squad, while still excited, after the fiasco of Batman vs Superman. Suicide Squad was probably the best DC/Marvel film I have seen to date. It was a stylish, classy and refreshing film from DC comics and Warnerbros Entertainment. Suicide Squad is the first of it's kind; a film focusing on a team of villains assembled by a black-site government division in an attempt to be a detergent against present and future meta-human beings. Needless to say, things get a bit crazy. 

Suicide Squad stars Will Smith (Seven Pounds, Pursuit of Happiness) as Deadshot, Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) as Joker, Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) as Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman (Robocop) as Rick Flagg, Cara Delevingne (Anna Karenina) as Enchantress, Jai Courtney (Divergent) as Captain Boomerang, Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder) as Amanda Waller, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (LOST) as Killer Crock. Directed by David Ayer (Fury, End of Watch)

Firstly I will get something out of the way that lots of people were curious about before the film, in fact, it was probably the most talked about thing from the up-coming film: Jared Leto as the Joker. He was outstanding and delivered better than I honestly thought he would. I will not compare him with Ledger's BECAUSE they are entirely different Jokers met with different Batmans and portrayed in different respected universes. Although Joker was not the primary antagonist in the film, nor did he have a huge amount of screen time, Jared Leto almost perfectly captured the infamous "Clown Prince of Crime." A chilling and insightful performance with a haunting laugh. 

Now, on to the main spectacle: The Squad. There was a lot of speculation at some of the casting for Suicide Squad, primarily Will Smith, Joel Kinnaman and Jai Courtney. I am happy to say that they all delivered. Will Smith as Deadshot was brilliant, I may almost go as far as to say it was perfect casting. Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg was also brilliant, Rick Flagg is the commanding officer over the squad although not a part of it, he brings an amazing dynamic to the screen. Finally, Jai Courtney. Jai Courtney was probably the actor cast that I was most cautious for, having not seen him in much before this but he was very convincing and fit the role brilliantly. The portrayals for El Diablo, Killer Croc, Captain Boomerang, Rick Flagg, and Katana were all also amazing, and Harley was better than I thought although I won't say I was completely blown away. Amanda Waller was perfect. Enchantress (played by Cara Delevingne) was a wonderful surprise. Enchantress, while appearing a protagonist at the start, turns out to be an antagonist along with her brother, who together are god-like status beings that used to be worshipped by humanity and set out to make that so again. This coupled with Joker as the secondary antagonist worked exceedingly well, two stories playing at once was a risky move but David Ayer really pulled something special out of the bag. 

The Easter eggs were so nicely placed, a few in particular that I loved were:

A Flash cameo arresting Captain Boomerang, for Boomerang is primarily a Flash rogue (villain) so this made sense and it also gave us a nice look at Flash's suit (Flash will be debuting in Justice League 2017).

A reference to the Suicide Squad's creator - The John F. Ostrander Federal Building. John F. Ostrander was one of the creators of Suicide Squad.

A double Easter egg in reference to one of the all-time greatest Joker stories - 'The Killing Joke' and Harley Quinn's New 52 origin story. In a flash-back in the film, Harley dives into a vat of acid to prove her love and devotion for Joker, briefly as she falls we see 'ACE Chemicals' on the side of the vat. In The Killing Joke, Joker is made by falling into these vats. 

Alex Ross's Joker/Harley dance was featured in another flash-black. Alex Ross is one of the greatest and most respected DC comic-book artists so this was only fitting to feature.

The Watchmen 'Smiley' logo was featured as a display in a shop window that Deadshot looks into when reminiscing about his life and Daughter.

The whole feel to the film was well executed, tasteful, stylish, bold and classy. Now, I love Marvel AND DC, I'm not going to compare on which is better for I love them both for different reasons. Batman vs Superman was frankly a mess, the ultimate edition released on DVD was much better but it wasn't a great start for DC however DC just pulled a BIG punch with this film. The only negative things I'd say was the pacing, occasionally when jumping from scene to scene it felt a bit cluttered and also a few of the characters could have done with a little more screen time. The story was great, there were some nice plot twists, nice and surprising level of humour and as said earlier there were plenty of Easter eggs. The acting was great and it was nothing similar to anything Marvel or DC have shown before. I rate 9/10 on the comic-book-film scale!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens *Spoiler Free Review*

I went to the midnight launch of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and all though I'm not a die hard SW fan, I absolutely loved it. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a brilliant, fun, spectacular film. A definite must watch! I rate this film 9/10, 5 stars.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens starring Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina), Adam Driver (Hungry Hearts), Daisy Ridley (Scrawl), John Boyega (Attack the Block), and Mark Hamill (Kingsman: Secret Service) is an instant classic! A family friendly, action packed and filled with sci-fi wonder. Harrison Ford reprises his role as Han Solo the infamous smuggler with his best friend, and co-pilot Chewbacca and delivers an amazing and charasmatic performance once more. New to the franchise; Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and John Boyega set their feet firmly into the ground with their characters; Poe Dameron, Rey, Kylo Renn and Finn as they set about making the start of their journey into the new trilogy.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an emotional roller coaster that will leave you craving for more, the film is packed with classy humour, wondrous special effects and glorious battle scenes that only JJ Abrams could produce. The film has a few plot twists that will surprise you and leave you seconding guessing, The pacing for the films is mostly brilliant, but a few scenes and reveals could have been handled better creating more suspense and tension, apart from this small detail the film was flawless, brilliantly setting up for the next to come. A brilliant film for those die hard fans and those not alike.

The force is strong with this one.

Sicario *Spoiler Free* Review.

Sicario is a gritty, dark, brutal and brilliant film, quite possibly the a contender for the best film of the year, I award Sicario 5 Stars and 9/10.

Sicario starring Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow, Looper), Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men, Everest), and Benicio del Toro (The Usual Suspects, Savages) is a crime, action, and drama film directed by Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners - director). Sicario beautifully captures the harsh reality for Mexico and the wars between the cartels and law enforcement agencies, Emily Blunt really delivers an outstanding and compassionate performance of Kate Macer, an FBI agent who specialises in escalated cartel activity who is enlisted by higher members of the US government to aid the efforts against the cartels. Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro deliver stunning performances, as the story unfolds and Kate delves deeper down the rabbit hole, dark secrets are revealed, who is really friend and who is really foe?

Sicaro holds some of the best cinematography of the year and a under-the skin feel of brutality, capturing suspense, thrills and drama all equally as much leaving the water captivated and eager for more. The film contains several plot twists and a brilliant script. I would highly recommend Sicario, a brilliant film.

Legend Review. *Review Will Contain Spoilers*

LEGEND is an instant classic, a bold and brilliant British film. A definite must see! I rate LEGEND 8/10, 4 Stars.

LEGEND, starring Tom Hardy (Warrior, Mad Max: Fury Road) and Tom Hardy (Warrior, Mad Max: Fury Road) and co-starring Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Emily Browning (Sucker Punch) and Christopher Eccleston (Thor: The Dark World) is a British crime thriller film written and directed by Brian Helgeland, the film follows and is based on the true story of the Kray twins; Ronald and Reginald and charts their dominance over London during the 1950's and 1960's leading up to their imprisonment in 1969, it closely focuses on the life of Reginald as he tries to manage both the gangster firm and his deeply psychotic and extremely violent brother, Ronald. Tom Hardy plays delivers two outstanding performances as he plays both Ronald and Reginald, the two heads of a brutal, gangster firm. 

The dynamic of the Kray twins is really captured in the film, I myself already knew a lot about them because I had learned of them and read prior to the film's release Our Story, written by Reginald Kray himself. The Kray twins were a true gangster firm of organised crime with class and money, but also extremely violent, gruesome and intimidating, over the 1950's and early 1960's they dominated the East End of London with crimes ranging from robberies, arson, assaults and protection rackets. The firm was mainly ran by Reginald who dealt with all the business inquiries whether that be paying off police or organising protection for clubs, casinos and other stores that operated within their reach, Ronald Kray however was a psychotic one-man army, extremely violent and temperamental, this was great for intimidation but not so great for running a business which operated behind the scenes and away from the law. Tom Hardy's double performance of these two very different and iconic characters is really spot on, with his portrayal of the characters we can really see the struggle that the twins created for each other, Ronald and Reginald loved each other dearly and because they were brothers, and twins, Reginald had an extremely hard time controlling and keeping Ronald safe at the same time for he knew that Ronald would be the firms downfall. 

The film is narrated from the perspective of Frances Shea (Emily Browning), Reginald's wife. Emily Browning captured Frances Shea beautifully and her dynamic with Tom Hardy as both of the twins worked wonders, with Ronald not trusting anyone but Reginald he viewed Frances as neither good enough for his brother, nor valuable in anyway. It really helped fuel the war between right and wrong, and set the twins even more at each other's throats. 

One thing I was a little let down by is that the film plunges straight into the setting of London which is already for the most part controlled by the Krays, I was really hoping and wanting to see more of how they climbed the ladder to become a firm to start with; the smaller crimes. If this had been included I think the film may have been a 5 star rating, but unfortunately, it was not. The footage and film we do see though is brilliant though. It really captures what life was like for those both in the firm and out, although Christopher Eccleston doesn't have a huge role in the film, he does provide us with the sense of desperation that the police felt during the 1950's and 1960's while under stress from the government with corrupt politicians and from the intimidation provided by the firms.

LEGEND is a truly great crime film, probably one of the best to date and definitely one of the best films this year, I also think that this is Tom Hardy's best performance yet!

The Man from U.N.C.L.E *Spoiler Free* Review.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E is a refreshing, classy, stylish and elegant film. A definite must-watch! I rate it 8/10, 4 Stars.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E starring Henry Cavill (Immortals), Armie Hammer (The Social Network), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) and Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby) is an action-adventure, comedy spy film directed by Guy Ritchie and based on the 1964 MGM television series. Set in the height of the Cold War we see Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) the CIA's finest agent and Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) the KGB's best soldier forced to work along side each other, in an undercover plot to stop a illusive criminal organisation from using nuclear weapons to insight global war once more.

Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer create a very interesting dynamic between the duo, ultimately America and Russia have to team up for this mission but neither agents are very comfortable with this idea, in-fact the night before they were at each other's throats. Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer both deliver incredible performances and I believe that there couldn't have been a better choice for either character, they both fill the shoes brilliantly. Alicia Vikander also delivers an outstanding and very believable performance as Gaby Teller, a German car mechanic who also goes undercover with Solo and Kurakin. Throughout the film we see Solo and Kurakin both compete to assert who is the alpha and who is the beta of the two, they both have their own different, and preferred styles which are to reflect Russia's and American's ways, which are both just as effective. Over the duration of the film we naturally see the pair become closer but even before this we see moments of humour as they each have to abandon their own ways to get the job done, like children throwing a tantrum.

The film is based on the 1964 MGM television series and you can really see the imagery from this as well as that of the classic James Bond films with some stylish gadgets and sexy suits, Guy Ritchie has really created something special and memorable in this film, the cinematography is very bold but also elegant, we see a wonderful contrast of the stylish American agent with humour and class paired with the dramatic KGB soldier who brings, action and thrill, throughout the film this combination never disappoints. The story is filled with bold action and dramatic suspense but also an effective choice in humour, very tongue in cheek which accompanies the cinematography, acting and scene incredibly well. The script is very enjoyable and has a few twists, creating a not-so predictable spy film! With moments of romance, action, comedy, suspense and drama, fabulous visuals, stylish and slick camera work, classy antics and a very, very enjoyably plot; this film is a thoroughly enjoyable watch and fun for all the family!

Fantastic 4 review. *Review Will Contain Spoilers*

The new Fantastic 4 reboot is anything but fantastic, I rate it 2/10, 1 Star.

Maybe the 4 is how high they were hoping people would rate it?

There is one thing in particular that I really can't get over due to the comic-book geek inside me and the wrong done by it but I'll get to that later. Fantastic 4 starring Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle), Miles Teller (Whiplash), Kate Mara (House of Cards), Jamie Bell (King Kong) and Toby Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) is the biggest let down of the year so far and I honestly don't think anything will top it, firstly and this is a big thing for any Marvel family but this one in particular; during this film there was no 'team' feel the entire way through, there was no group dynamic at all; the four aren’t even in the same place UNTIL after they get their powers, and there’s no shared screen-time between the 4 of them until well into over half way through Invisible Girl and Thing don’t even have a good interaction, pretty sure they don't even talk until the last scene, it doesn't feel like there's really any family bond between any of them, Reed Richards and Ben Grimm are supposedly lifelong friends but in the film only have the bare minimum of scenes together as adults and Sue Storm isn't even present when the team are 'created' but Victor Von Doom is, that's just completely wrong. 

Now to that thing I really can't get over; Doom. Doom is one of Marvel's most powerful characters, and he should look the part. In the new Fantastic 4 he looked about as intimidating as the Nintendo Wii's interface. Also, Doom's superpowers make absolutely 100% no sense. He can (to put it simply) do anything he chooses, from simple telekinesis to advanced telekinesis to making people’s heads explode and his plot to destroy Earth is completely random because there was very little build up or a sub-plot explaining it apart from right near the start when he mentions one line about "The people in charge of the world are also the ones driving it into the ground". 

The story's events are poorly timed and executed, the film is nearly 2 hours long yet it felt really rushed, the entire first hour of the film builds up to... Wait for it... Nothing, nothing at all, about half way through the story jumps forward an entire year which would have been okay if they had explained what had been going on in this year, but there was no plot evolution or anything, it was just awful writing and the last battle scene is over in barely 10 minutes. The film also totally disregards the comics and replaces it with nothing good, the director actually told the cast not to read up on their comic-counterpart's backgrounds because he wasn't going to take anything from the series of Marvel Ultimate Comics apart from a slight, minor inspiration, the film is trying very, very hard to be a dark and gritty sci-fi adaptation but without using any of the reading material which in it's self completely strips the film of any passion or a personality. The CGI in this film is terrible, I am no expert when it comes to doing special effects so it's probably much better than anything I could make but if you're going to try and make a dark and gritty sci-fi superhero film then the one thing you really should do well is the CGI, it honestly looks like it was produced in a microwave oven; the rendering is extremely poor and there's little attempt to even cover up this terrible work, for example when Sue Storm/Invisible Girl uses her force-field powers there's a stretchy-plastic looking Kate instead of the real actress, the Thing actually looks good, although he doesn't wear anything which was a bit of a shock to see, maybe the studio was going for some rocky comic relief (sorry). 

Ultimately, the film is a poorly organised mess of ideas with extremely bad execution, terrible CGI and pays absolutely no respect to the comics, so the studio may as well have not even made a Fantastic 4 and made their own film, it probably would have been better. A few scenes were mildly entertaining, Thing looked good, and Fox did manage to name the characters correctly so this is why I give the film 2/10 instead of 0.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation review. *This review will contain spoilers*

I have decided to rate Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation 7/10, 3 Stars. This review will contain spoilers so if you don't want to know, then don't read ahead.

I was very much looking forward to Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation starring Tom Cruise (Edge of Tomorrow, Minority Report), Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker, The Town), Simon Pegg (Paul, Star Trek into Darkness), Rebecca Ferguson (Hercules, The White Queen) and Alec Baldwin (The Red Hunt for October, The Departed) and for the most part it was a very enjoyable film with great acting and a nice level of humour and thrill. However, I was let down and disappointed by a few things and it didn't feel like a Mission: Impossible film; Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation more felt like a mash up of Hitman and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the story-line didn't flow well, events were rushed into or given no setting before hand at all in some cases, the actions scenes looked hastily thought out and it didn't contain many elements of the previous films. In all the previous Mission: Impossible films there are several heart pounding moments and scenes but in this one there was nothing particularly spectacular about it, there was no real wow factor. I know that the I.M.F is an independent espionage agency but in the films before it there was much less spying, sneaking around and deception, and more danger-driven action, suspense and action, maybe Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation was different from the last four on purpose to go down a new path but I didn't enjoy at as much. Also, in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol there was a team member called Jane Carter portrayed by Paula Patton (2 Guns, Deja Vu) and in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation she is nowhere to be seen with no explanation where she went or what happened, and finally after the reveal in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol that William Brandt portrayed by Jeremy Renner wasn't just an analyst and that he was in-fact a brilliant agent with a high-range of skills we were made to believe that he would be back in the field again and that we would see more of him but we did not, in fact we saw barely any of him which was very disappointing.

For the most part of the film I really enjoyed it, it of course had a brilliant level of humour provided mainly by Benji who really stole the show this film and there were a few scenes that I really, really loved such as the amazing car - bike chase in Morocco, specifically when Ethan changed from car to bike and there was a spectacular homage paid to the bike chase in Mission Impossible 2. While the story certainly was a hard task for the I.M.F what with the added pressure from the C.I.A it didn't feel quite as impossible as the story in Ghost Protocol, and I don't think much will ever seem more impossible than that. I would still recommend watching Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation but it wasn't the film I was hoping it would be, it was not of the same caliber of the previous stories.