Thoughts Before The Battle - The Hobbit and looking back at Desolation of Smaug

During my rather long hiatus from doing anything with this blog I neglected to get a word in about the second Hobbit film The Desolation of Smaug. You can't really ignore these films, The Lord of the Rings was such a triumph that anyone who enjoyed the films, like me, is naturally excited by The Hobbit or anything made by Peter Jackson in general. A year on from the release of DOS and the third and final installment The Battle of the Five Armies is about to hit our screens. I've watched the second film in different guises and will likely be watching films one and two in their extended format back to back before seeing the third, yet still I can't fight the feeling that . . . The Desolation of Smaug just wasn't that great.

Critics were divided on the first but nearly all of them agreed that the second outing was better, well I can't help but disagree. Don't get me wrong the ingredients are all there for a fantastic film. Pacing and story wise this thunders along and proves to be very entertaining, with much more happening in terms of action than the first outing. The visuals and the acting for the most part are great, it's so wonderful to see the dwarves getting more screen time and becoming recognisable and providing a lot of humour and emotion. Scenes will Bilbo in Mirkwood with the ring and the moment the dwarves enter the mountain feel big and add to how difficult the journey is. The moments fans of the book have been waiting for are there, albeit with a different twist in a number of cases. Legolas works, the introduction of the completely made up character Tauriel. . . kind of works and Chris Evans shines brightly as the roguish Aragorn-alike Baird. Lake town is also an immersive and realistic environment, the effort put in to make this seem real is notable.

A stand out moment in the film is where the company get caught up in the web of the spiders in Mirkwood, this scene was well put together and looked fantastic. Similarly the hugely bombastic barrel ride the comes later takes the film up a notch. The ambition here is great which means there are shots that you just think yeah that's pretty much all computer generated. However without it the scene would not have been exciting, nor as memorable so you can forgive this . . . but . . . and I'm about to nit pick here . . . the second I saw one of the point of view shots from a barrel I was instantly pulled out of the film. "That looked bloody awful" my brain said, and then it happened again, "what the hell was that?" I wondered. Only the third time did I think "Have they actually used Go Pro footage in this?". Sure enough when I watched the documentary from the extended version it was confirmed "Yep, there's Go Pro footage in the Desolation of Smaug"! I know it's small, I know it's barely noticeable, but it's there and it did completely pull me out of the film, all the way through the subsequent scene I was thinking why, why, why did they do that? The reason is poor and it could have been avoided.      

More of these "what is going on here?" moments happened and what became apparent in certain parts of the film was that the decision had been made to make this in to three films and that this film was going to take the brunt of that decision. Scenes that might otherwise have made it in to a simpler two part series were cut in favour of grander ideas to extend out later scenes and embellish other characters. My biggest gripe was the reformatting of the scenes with Smaug, it was blindingly obvious that Peter Jackson had originally intended to stay near enough true to the book on this one, however shoehorned in was this huge action sequence involving the very suspect melting of gold in to a very handy huge dwarf mould. Many parts of this scene looked unfinished with some of the CGI being laughably bad. It comes as no surprise to discover that indeed the decision had been made to put this scene in a few months before screen date, cue mad panic of animators struggling to get this done in time. I felt the scene was completely unnecessary and it really isn't fooling anyone that this was thrown in to bulk out the film. Nearly all of this scene was filmed entirely on green screen and it shows unfortunately. The only positive result being the amazing shot of Smaug blasting out of Erebor covered in gold only for it fall from him like rain as he takes to the skies.

Sure enough our introduction to Smaug is the stand out moment of the film and he is realised so well, especially with the huge sounding voice thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch and a bit of audio trickery. Reminiscent of the scene between Gollum and Bilbo here our little Hobbit has met his match, however out of the two of them I still enjoy the meeting with Gollum the most. Smaug however feels devious and monstrous and the way they've gone about creating the environment he dwells in is utterly stunning.

I mentioned Tauriel kind of worked, she's a good character as it's nice to see an empowered female elf character here who is rough tough and not someone to be messed with. However there's another function here and it serves a purpose in the third film, and I shall not pass judgement until I see it, nor shall I spoil this for anyone who hasn't read the book, but I'm not a fan of the way they're going about this. I'd rather see Kili and Fili bonding like Merry and Pippin did in Lord of the Rings to give events in the third film more heft, not a rather ridiculous love affair.

The film as a whole is hugely entertaining, but I still enjoy the tones of the first film more. I love the Fellowship of the Ring and so I naturally warm to An Unexpected Journey due to this, it has similar themes and motifs and by the end Bilbo has changed just like Frodo and Sam at the end of Fellowship.  

I've also seen the extended versions of both films which both improve and build upon certain story lines. Although the less said about the inclusion of the Goblin King's song the better. The second one indulges in Beorn a bit which is great because I felt this part was way too fleeting and it's good to see his character a bit more fleshed out. It also puts back in the story line of Thorin's father Thrain which makes more sense in the context of previous conversations in the first film and in the very first scene of the second film.

I hope that all this hard work to extend the story lines to fill three films means the final installment gives the extra parts in DOS more meaning and that they serve a purpose. It's hard because The Two Towers managed to just about stand on it's own as a film but it was adapted from three books so that makes more sense. Here the film just doesn't work as well on it's own like the first outing did and it's occasional inadequacies in graphic quality and writing just pulled me out of the film on a number of occasions. I'm really looking forward to the final film which will be out in less than two weeks. No doubt I will be reviewing it so stay tuned.

If you have yet to see The Desolation of Smaug I recommend giving the extended version a go as although it's longer, the scenes that feel truncated in the theatrical version have a bit more room to breath in this.

Theatrical Cut
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Extended Version
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

How To Train Your Dragon 2 - Review

Over a year ago I posted about coming back to blogging about films. Annoyingly it's something that when I come to to I tend to over think and then I end up doing nothing, hence the serious lack of film reviews throughout the past year. Some of it comes down to confidence issues and a bit down to not having the time in the day to do anything. Anyway I am feeling more committed to doing this, however daft and unread this blog may be, onward with bravado to share my thoughts and views on films.

In the same post I published in August last year I shared a trailer for a How To Train Your Dragon 2. I didn't manage to see it in the cinema, so having just come out on DVD and Blu-Ray I thought it was a good opportunity to see it and very briefly share my thoughts.

The first outing was hands down one of my favourite films of 2010, it adjusted my disdain for Dreamworks Animation as out came this well rounded, exciting, funny and all around crowd pleaser that had genuine heart. So four years on the sequel is here and I'm pleased to say that spark and excitement is still there. This feels necessary, another step for Hiccup (and his dragon Toothless) as he grows into becoming a leader and an adult. In typical sequel style this is bigger, ballsier with heaps more dragons and characters. Most of these introduced characters stand up well in the story, although Hiccups mother voiced by Cate Blanchett is a little odd, you're never fully sure just exactly what that accent is. However her inclusion here is written in well and moments between herself and Stoic (Hiccups father) are great.

There's typical high jinx from the supporting characters that deliver entertaining back and forth's especially when Snotlout and Fishlegs are vying for Ruffnuts attention only to be out done by the roguish Eret voiced by Game of Thrones Kit Harington (John Snow). This time the enemy isn't the dragons as such, but a fairly paint by numbers bad guy in the form of Drago Bloodfist voiced ominously by Djimon Hounsou (famously in Gladiator as a slave) who controls dragons with fear (and a rather large alpha dragon) rather than compassion.

So you've got two leaders who have a gift with dragons, one is evil one is good, all the hallmarks of an easy to get on with kids movie. It really is decent though and what's delivered is something that is fun for kids whilst not being overly paint by numbers in the metaphor realm. There's a real gut punch at the end that's on par with the bitter sweetness of the end of the first outing.

You also have to appreciate the animation here, there is distinct improvement in quality and textures in comparison to the first film, like the skin on Toothless' scales and the fire and atmosphere effects. The human characters are better defined and the lip syncing which was a little off on the last one is improved. The soundtrack which stood out so proudly in the first film is back and just as inspiring and grand this time around, I hum the tune regularly.

In conclusion this a strong follow on from the first outing, it stands on it's own as good well rounded film and like all good films that warrant sequels it doesn't fish for that validation at the end. I'm aware there have a been a few books written in this series so obviously there will be more to come. This is as good as the first outing and if you enjoyed the last one then this is a no brainer.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Preview

So very quickly posting this before I head out the door for the night because Star Wars is back and I could NOT be more excited!!

Feast your eyes on the brand new teaser trailer for The Force Awakens.



I screamed all the way through watching it in pure unadulterated excitement. I'm a big Star Wars fan and ever since J. J. Abrams was signed on I had faith that he would honour the look and feel of the original trilogy and already it looks like he's delivering just that.

The prequels in my opinion were a huge muddled misstep that, rather than enhance and build on the previous trilogy and franchise, managed to bring it to its knees. Now we have what would appear to look like a direct follow on from Return of the Jedi. We've got X-wings, slightly altered Stormtroopers and the biggest hint of all the freaking Millennium Falcon with a noticeably missing satellite dish. This not only looks like the Star Wars we've long waited for but it sounds like it too, the sound effects, that recognisable X-wing noise, it just puts me back in that cinema seat in 1997 when my dad took me to see the Special Edition of A New Hope.

It's relief to see that the powers that be have chosen to at least show some footage from the film for the teaser. In the past Abrams teased Star Trek fans with footage that didn't even feature in the film.    

Like many fans I can't wait to see this and December 2015 seems like a real age away, but I'm sure the wait will be well worth it. However in the interim we also have Jurassic World to look forward which I'm not as optimistic about, but once again I find myself transported to my childhood upon seeing a dinosaur theme park fully realised on screen. There seems to be a run of films that have targeted those of us who were kids in the 90's with the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. I wonder if Bucky O Hare or Thundercats will get a big screen debut in the next few years?

I wish I had the resilience to not watch any future trailers to keep me surprised come next year, but occupational hazards dictate that this is probably unavoidable. Let me know what you think of Star Wars trailer.

Interstellar Review

A truly lapsed film critic I am. No meaning behind the Yoda like wording to that but I have been very lazy in my committal to typing out my thoughts on films. Once again a film has roused me into dusting off the keyboard and setting to reviewing. Christopher Nolan is a name that gets my attention when it comes to choosing what to see in the cinema. In fact there are a good four films I would very much like to see at the moment (Mr Turner, Nightcrawler, Fury and The Imitation Game) and I've ended up seeing Interstellar twice. So obviously the jig is up already, I like this film . . . a lot. However like any good film critic I'm not blind to it's potential flaws and where it may possibly lead people to not want to line up to see it again.

I have a real fascination with space, like every kid that played with action figures and was brought up on a steady diet of Thunderbird's and Star Wars, I dreamed of being an astronaut at some point. I love looking up at the sky and wondering what life is like in the solar systems of those stars and the galaxies beyond. So space films always excite me, and when I heard Christopher Nolan was going sci-fi for his next picture I'd already strapped in for the ride.

Interstellar centres around Cooper, an ex pilot turned farmer since Earth slowly becomes uninhabitable due to a barrage of dust storms and blight that destroy crops. A twist of fate and a little persistence from his daughter Murph leads him to discover that there is a plan to save the human race. He must leave his family on Earth with no guarantee of when or if he will come back from a mission to discover a new home for human civilisation.

From the outset I was drawn in to the film, Matthew McConaughey is a perfect casting choice for Cooper, and not only that, he's in an imagined future that feels real. Life on Earth is simple, in fact it's almost idilic, if it wasn't for the dust storms. Cooper does what he can to support his family but his sense of adventure is still there, and it's palpable. His ability to do anything at the drop of a hat is underpinned in these first revealing set pieces of the film. The supporting cast lay some real emotional groundwork as Mackenzie Fox who plays young Murph delivers a terrific performance and really sells the gravity of the situation when Cooper leaves with no idea when or if he will come back.  

Once we're off on our adventure the film wows and blows your mind with fantastic visual effects and adventures in to different horizons that bend time and space. You will be forgiven for not keeping up entirely with the concepts first time around. I love that Nolan has faith in his audiences ability to digest complex ideas that do take some serious concentration. His exposition of these concepts that appear throughout the movie are sometimes a little unwarranted, however in some cases you may find yourself thinking 'what the hell did he just say?'. However if you could play along with Inception, which is a lot easier to get your head around in my opinion, then you'll likely take most of this on board and make it through to the other side without scratching the skin off the top of your scalp.

Not fully understanding some of the jargon will not detract from your enjoyment here, the main focus is on Cooper and his drive to get home and to do anything it takes to get there. There are parts that feel a lot like Sunshine here as questions are raised regarding the motives of characters and how their goals could effect the course of the human race. Similarly like Sunshine and 2001: A Space Odyssey the visual effects and the visualising of space as something dangerous, haunting yet wholly exhilarating is there.

In a time where CGI has begun to look nearly unnoticeable it takes a film maker like Nolan to really hold the kind of people who use it like a crutch to account. The second you see these great space ship models with fantastic real lighting falling on them you have a greater belief that this is real, the more you can convince yourself of that, the more immersed you become. Throughout the film there are moments where other filmmakers would have used computer effects to fake things, but here the effort has been put in to make things real where it's deemed possible. It's a tactile environment, the hyper sleep pods, the ships the interiors and the robots that travel with the crew a lot of time it's all there in camera and you notice it. There are robots on board with the crew, and these are stupendously realised. Earlier scenes give the sense of 2001 or Alien where the robot could be deemed as sinister, but further in the film these rectangular creations will surprise and even make you crack a smile.

What also lifts the film is the use of the soundtrack. When Hans Zimmer works with Nolan you're likely to think ok so more electronic big bass noises reminiscent of The Dark Knight or Inception, and this is what I expected. However he's gone for big, but with church organs! The first flurry that arrives very early in the film is uplifting, it feels grand and adventurous and as the film progresses the swell just gets bigger. I instantly looked up the soundtrack after seeing this and have had it on several times, it's great.

The story as whole is focused on Cooper and Murph and how their relationship effects the both of them even when separated by hundreds or thousands of light years. Within this there's a drive from the astronauts and the scientists to quantify and understand, time, space and gravity . . . oh and love. If you buy it then the ending will feel like a good fit. I for one liked it and it made sense given the start point of the film and the themes that underpin the plot throughout. I suppose it might have been nice to leave it open like Nolan has the propensity to do, but here you get a rounded ending that I thought was satisfying. Others have not enjoyed it so much, and I can see the justification, but as a whole I really enjoyed this. So much so I went to see it again and loved it even more second time around.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Boyhood - Review

Ok so it’s been a while since I wrote anything to do with film (nearly a year . . . yikes). Namely it’s been down to a lack of time and in all honesty a thought that giving voice to my opinion on film was a waste of time, but as a I type I realise how therapeutic it is and if just one person takes something from what I say then it’s probably worth it. A looong time ago I said I’d be back, well I’m here, and it’s because every film I’ve seen lately has been a stand out in some respect and I feel the need to share an opinion or thought about them. This morning I watched Boyhood and it was so stand out I felt I needed to tell the world (well anyone who might read this) about it.

I am a Richard Linklater fan, more so when he’s penning his work as well as directing like Dazed and Confused and the Before trilogy (the third of which I've still yet to see!). His outlook on life and in particular suburban America is always well toned and rather than being one-sided is always objective in the way he looks at his characters. He also has a great ear for music. Boyhood is a project that has been in the making for over a decade. The film charts the upbringing and growth of a young boy, Mason as he changes with age he faces the decisions and emotional difficulties of growing up with separated parents. There is definitely no film like this as we see snapshots of this boys upbringing with the cast around him also going through the same thing, when we first meet Mason, played by Ella Coltrane, he is 6 years old and by the end he’s just started at University, no tricks just good old fashioned ageing and obviously a great deal of patience on Linklater’s part.

The patience and the ambition has truly paid off. This is endearing work that in different hands might feel woefully long and boring. However the observations in the film such as the fads of the times Mason is brought up in, the big questions about life that crop up in his teenage years, that feeling of being a child and those definite moments you recognise from your own upbringing make for a enriching 2 hours and 20 minutes. Not only his own moments but the trials and tribulations of his separated parents, played brilliantly by Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke make this a film that all ages will relate to.

For the exception of one stand out character you always feel for the adults, who are also going through their ageing process as well as the children and dealing with it in different ways, sometimes with positive aspirational qualities and others with a misguided outlook on life, forcing their problems and regrets on young people.

The films lays things out plainly, no 2 years later subtitles, each stage has a small story to tell that’s part of a bigger picture and from one scene to the next you see how Mason changes. I enjoyed seeing these changes and you find yourself keeping an eye out for the moments when time skips ahead; I kept an eye on how regularly Mason's haircut changes.

Certainly there are moments that nod to American culture and some uninitiated may not recognise, however there is still something here for everyone. For me this film brought back a lot of memories, thoughts and feelings from when I was younger, especially since I spent a good deal of time in a America in my late teens and early 20’s.

My gears are regularly ground by cliches and emotional bribery in films where things just feel forced or are put on screen to look appealing or sexy. Linklater appears to know these are things that aren’t needed and in fact should be avoided at all costs, that families don’t talk everything out, that there may not always be that moment of ultimate emotionally recognition and that it’s a given that couples have sex and this in no way needs to be seen or exploited.

As far as ideas go this is truly original and will probably never have a cinematic equal. As a film it is interesting and thought provoking and heart warming, one I would definitely watch again and will stick in my memory for a long time. It may be quite a long yarn, but it’s worth telling as it gives definition to the difficulty and naivety of growing up.

On the blogging side of things I will attempt to endeavour in keeping this up . . . we shall see.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Captain Phillips - Review

Finally got myself along to the cinema recently and took my parents to see Captain Phillips. I already had a great sense of anticipation in seeing this, with plenty of media coverage surrounding this real life story, and names like Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass involved, I was naturally excited.

Captain Phillips certainly delivers, it's a tense, exciting and well paced film. There's a great familiarity with Tom Hanks' character and, although not a direct copy, there are elements of Chuck from Cast Away and Jim Lovell in Apollo 13. Hanks commands here and it's probably one of the greatest roles he's ever done, he's thoroughly believable and engaging as a well worn Captain. However the crowning jewel of the film is Barkhad Abdi and the two other real life Somalians who play the Somali pirates. As complete new comers to acting on screen Abdi who plays Muse is devastatingly brilliant, with moments of utter confidence and belief in front of Tom Hanks to those moments of self doubt as their escape plan begins to unravel.

Greengrass is the one steering the story and commanding excellent attention in pacing and storytelling. In what could easily have become a rather dragged out second half, Greengrass explores the dynamics of the group of pirates, upping the ante as one member seeks to usurp the authority of their captain Muse (Abdi). The tension created in both the initial hijacking of the ship and the subsequent kidnapping of Captain Phillips is real edge of your seat stuff. The beginning of the film also introduces us to the pirates and gives us a window in to why they are doing this. By having us involved in the pirates story at the very beginning of the film and understanding their motivation, we are invested in the interests of both parties.

As usual Greengrass is using handheld cameras, which he knows how to do. So many producers have jumped on this idea in recent years and in many cases this unnecessary motion and intentional shaking does nothing more than annoy this cinema goer. However here it draws you in, it makes the experience feel more real, and doesn't ever make you feel like it's a unnecessary gimmick, rather it is a great cinematic tool.

The themes running throughout the plot will speak to everyone. One in particular rang true and it was the idea how much we do for our job and the fact that it's a means to an end. The arguments with the crew who aren't 'paid enough to deal with this', the business like approach to the hijacking, the way the authorities interact with everyone, and 'that scene' where we feel this cold unemotional treatment of someone going through emotional trauma. It's a job, 'it's just business' says Muse as he takes command of the ship.

What makes Captain Phillips amazing it's how universal it is, this isn't flag waving, god save America stuff, this is a truly even handed, very human perspective on a terrifying turn of events. The script coupled with the fantastic acting never once feels fake, there's something honest and deeply accessible here and you will come out this feeling like you've witnessed something memorable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I'll Be Back . . .

. . . as the great Austrian once said, and I will hold to my word. All's very busy here and I've been trying to take time out to write thoughts and feelings on films that I've seen and all manner of things going on but, finding the time is proving incredibly tough.

I've got so much I want to talk about, like how surprising yet still brilliant The World's End was, or how old siege face Alan Partridge in Alpha Papa was a great revisit of the character for the fans, but does it cater for just anybody? How Jim Carrey was criminally sidelined in the rather misguided but still a bucket fun Kick Ass 2 and how my ultimate pick of the year, (bar the next Hobbit film) Elysium delivered on a promise at being a balls out sci-fi movie, with added socio political riffs, South African cussing and craaaazy weapons.

Not to mention I haven't done a piece on just thoughts about films up coming. I really want to talk about how utterly mind blowing it is that Star Wars Episode VII is going to be shot on 35mm . . . . un . . . . believable. It means a lot for cinema any may be a fantastic middle finger to the likes of Cameron and yes I'm going to say it, Jackson for bludgeoning us over the head with 3D!

Sorry this is a short one just want to get something down and set myself an internet based promise to keep writing film stuff because it's written in ink . . . vicious, digital, ink.

For now if you haven't please read my Behind The Candelabra review, possible one of the knock out films of the year, took me very much by surprise. I also wanted to share with you all a trailer for a film I am trepidatious about however given it's a sequel to probably the best thing to come out Dreamworks Animation I can't help but feel a touch excited . . . enjoy.

I will be back!