Thor: The Dark World (Film)

Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston,  Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgaard, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

At long last. Although it feels like a lifetime has passed since the God of Thunder's original outing, it's been a mere two years. Crazy that. I'm also pretty sure I'm one of about 17 people that feels that way, as 2011's Thor seems to be the most underrated adaptation taken on by the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.

Although the first instalment managed to gross almost $450 million and achieve a 77% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, for some reason, the character still hasn't been able to resonate with viewers the way say, Iron Man, Hulk and maybe even Captain America have. But fear not Thor fans, as that's sure to change after one viewing of Thor: The Dark World.

The film picks up after the events of The Avengers, with Thor comfortably back home in Asgard, and Jane, Selvig and Darcy (Portman, Skarsgaard and Dennings respectively) taking residency in London. Doing their sciencey stuff or whatever. Our hero is brought back to our world after Jane is possessed by the Aether – an omniscient force sought after by the dark elf, Malekith (Ecclestone) who wants to inhabit the Aether for himself . Thor is forced to band with adopted brother and current outlaw Loki (Hiddelston) to free Jane, crush Malekith and keep Asgard in check. Easy.  

Kenneth Brannagh's out and Game of Thrones director, Alan Taylor's in. So in. Taylor's used his days on Thrones to his full advantage, as Asgard has never gleamed with such prestige. The battle scenes do bite from Lord of the Rings in part, but that’s to be expected. Mother Frigga (Rene Russo), Jane and the other earthlings are utilised much more than in the previous instalment, while screenwriters Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have paid special attention to how much Loki is adored in the real world, without overdoing it. 

Alas, The Dark World is not without it's problems, as a few pivotal plot points are almost blink-and-you'll-miss-it fast while The Warriors Three might as well have been left out completely. Oh, and it may be a bit too Star Wars-y for it's own good. Other than that, the film is a strong yet emotionally raw addition to the franchise, and features many more surprises and teasers of what the Marvel team have in store over the next couple of years.

Hopefully we'll get another sequel. 

B+ 

Best Films of 2012

Once again, the following list should really be dubbed the best films I’ve seen in 2012, or better yet – “favourite” films of 2012, as there are a number of which I haven’t been able to get my hands on, or that haven’t been released over here in the UK. I feel that Lincoln, Django Unchained and Beasts of the Southern Wild would have all found a place on the list, but oh well, gotta make do with what we have. So here goes:

10. This is 40

Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Megan Fox, Chris O’Dowd, John Lithgow

This is hilarious. Ignore the reviews and go and see it for yourself. The "sort-of" sequel to Judd Apatow's Knocked Up follows the marriage of two of it's previous supporting characters, Pete (Rudd) and Debbie (Mann) and their children, Sadie and Charlotte (Maude and Iris Apatow - as in Judd's offspring). Detailing the hardships of marriage as well as turning 40, I found this to be one of Apatow's most enjoyable films yet.

9. The Master

Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Jessie Plemons, Ambyr Childers, Rami Malek

Although the film didn't live up to my expectations, The Master is still really strong film. Beautifully shot and amazingly acted, the film is a healthy contender for the on-going award season. Phoenix stars as a wayward WWII vet that finds guidance in the creepy and charismatic author Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) that deeply mirrors the controversial religion Scientology. Full review here.

8. The Cabin in the Woods

Chris Hemsworth, Fran Kranz, Kristen Connolly, Jessie Williams, Amy Acker

Another title which I wasn't originally crazy about, but after a second viewing I realised it is in fact a horrific yet intentionally fun and hilarious horror film. Helmed by Joss Whedon creator of TV's 'Firefly' and 'Dollhouse', as well as the 'Buffy' and 'Angel' franchises and Drew Goddard, ('Lost' & Cloverfield) Cabin follows a group of teenagers heading off into the woods for a SUPER-FUN Spring Break. Naturally as teenagers do, they get hacked off one by one. Un-naturally, there is a whole other force at work which is sure to shock and surprise everyone. Full review here.

7. 21 Jump Street

Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Dave Franco, Ice Cube, Brie Larson

A remake/adaptation that is this good gives me hope for Hollywood cinema. Written by Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) 21 Jump Street sees rookie cops Morton and Greg (Hill and Tatum) go undercover to tackle a high school drug ring. Unlike most things with Jonah Hill in, hilarity actually ensues.

6. End of Watch

Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera

Probably the most unseen or unknown film on the list is also another cop title. End of Watch sees Gyllenhaal and Pena star as Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala, two Californian cops who decide to secretly film their goings-on while out on the job in South L.A. Cue copious shoot outs, overtly obvious racism and a budding yet not-soppy love story between Taylor and sweetheart Janet (Kendrick). The film is harsh and unapologetic in it's content but still finds the time to be heart-warming in it's tone.

5.  Brave

Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters

Disney and Pixar's latest effort is one of it's greatest and underrated achievements. Merida (Macdonald) is a Scottish princess, who is much more focused on archery and forging her own destiny than crowns and ruling a country. Under the thumb by her loving but controlling mother (Thompson), who fails to ever see eye-to-eye with her daughter, Merida finds a spell to "change her mother" to make her accept her own choices. Of course, this wouldn't be a Disney film, or any film ever made, if something didn't go drastically wrong. While being a largely magical and fantasy based film, Brave is also an honest depiction of the complicated issues between mother and daughter without rubbing the subtext in our faces.

4. Looper

Joseph Gordon Levitt, Bruce Willis, Paul Dano, Piper Perabo, Emily Blunt

I was blown away by this. "It'll never live up the hype" I said about this, as well as the final 3 entries on my list. I've never been so happy to be wrong, as Looper is a crowning moment for Sci-Fi cinema. Set in a future dystopia (obviously) where time travel is possible, Joe (Levitt) is one of many "Loopers" - someone who kills people sent back in time by their corrupt bosses after they've fulfilled their time and duties for them. However, after recognising his future self (Willis) and failing to assassinate him, Joe goes on the hunt for his older-self and on the run from his mob-employers, as failing to eliminate those sent back ends in death for the Looper. Those that have seen the trailer and not the film, should give this one a go especially, as it is one of the only titles in recent memory that has a whole narrative that is carefully left out of pretty much all promotional content. Prepare to be awed. 

3. The Avengers

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson

The second film on the list to be headed by creative geek/mastermind Joss Whedon. It's been a great year for him. This. Is. So. Good. (Full review here.)

2. Skyfall

Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe

'This is the end' Adele coos over the gripping title sequence to the latest instalment to the Bond franchise. Directed by the ever amazing Sam Mendes, (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Road) Skyfall's themes are mainly to do with conclusions and new beginnings. Focusing heavily on the past of Bond's senior, M (Dench), MI6 find themselves confronted by Raoul Silva (the fantastic Bardem), a former agent who wants revenge on M for betraying him. It's the most ambitious Bond title so date, and arguably the greatest.

1. The Dark Knight Rises

Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Marion Cotillard. 

"No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough", says Roger Ebert.

The marriage between mighty fine action sequences and a compelling plot have never been so perfect for each other as they are for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. Where do I even begin with this? The cast is stellar, with not a poor performance in sight, from Tom Hardy as the unstoppable Bane to the sleek and powerful Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle aka Catwoman. The city's dark 'Occupy Gotham' setting and rise of our hero himself are mesmerising. The 165 minutes practically fly by. (Full review here)

The Avengers (film)

My second film review in a row and second piece by Joss Whedon is Super-Superhero flick The Avengers, or Avengers Assembled (depending on your terrority to avoid confusion with the Spy fiction series-turned lacklustre movie of the same name). The film sees previous Marvel Studios headliners Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) Thor (Chris Hemsworth) Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) joined by Natasha Romanov/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) who appear in Iron Man 2 and Thor respectively, to take on mad man and Thor antagonist, Loki (Tom Hiddlesworth) from, you guessed it- taking over the world.

The Avengers, which has been in the pipeline for Marvel for some years now, since the first Iron Man film in 2008, lived up to my expectations as a stellar two hour story/action piece, as every wonderfully over the top fight scene is met with a gut-wrenching drama or plan of action scene. At first meeting the group wastes no time butting heads with one another, letting their egos get the better of them in a “my power and abilities are better than yours” cockfight-esque manner, but ultimately find themselves united as New York finds itself on the brink of complete and utter destruction.

It should be said, probably most importantly that even though Downey Jr., Renner, Hemsworth and Johansson and therefore Stark, Barton, Thor and Romanov give great performances action as well as dialogue-wise, the ultimate pleasant surprise is in the hands of Captain America, who remained mostly unutilised in his own mediocre movie Captain America: The First Avenger. However, it must be noted that the smashing Hulk himself manages to yank the limelight off of his teammates and place it solely on himself as an incredible character, which has been overshadowed by two lukewarmly received films and a messy communicational breakdown between Edward Norton and Marvel Studios.

Ultimately, The Avengers is the incredible Superhero epic we’ve all been waiting for.

Oh, and of course, stay for the bonus scene during the credits.

A

The Cabin in the Woods

Let me just say, from genius Joss Whedon, creator of shows “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Angel” and “Firefly” and Drew Goddard, the man that brought us the terrifying and nauseating Cloverfield, I expected better. Critics and audiences alike are raving about The Cabin In The Woods, but for me, the film failed to live up to its hype.

Cabin starts off as any other teen horror movie would: a group of teenagers including Curt (a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth), not-soVirgin Dana (Kristen Connolly), new guy Holden (Jessie Williams), sexy yet bookish Jules (Anna Hutchinson) and Marty (soon-to-be Whedon regular Fran Kranz) heading off to a remote location where various strange occurrences forebode a series of gruesome hunting’s and killings from a mysterious sometimes human and often other worldly being set out to kill the protagonists for no real reason other than as a plot point for a gruesome and gory slasher flick.

From Left: Kristen Connolly (Dana Polk), Jessie Williams (Holden McCrea),
 and Chris Hemsworth (Curt Vaughn)

But, only this time, the strange occurrences and other worldly beings are being controlled by an elite member of scientists who have been enforced to set the plan in motion for a greater cause. 

Cabin is occasionally witty and very clever, but the film lacks on character development as a whole.Those looking for Whedon's usual inclusion of girl-power will find it within in the film, mostly from an unexpected source who shall remain unnamed for those who haven't seen it just yet. The first 50 minutes or so chop and change from being generic horror genre drivel, to smart and engaging, and then to eye-rollingly irritating, although it must be said that the final act that follows is both extremely watchable and entertaining.

Cabin isn’t as “scary” as it is “jumpy”, and unlike other films in its genre it is intentionally hilarious. It should be said that however you feel about The Cabin in the Woods, you cannot deny that the film is extremely original, although the film loses is ground in places so to speak it will be unlike anything else you have, and will, see this year.

B-