21. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

It will almost certainly not come to you as a surprise that I have not seen the original Guardians of the Galaxy. For fear of boring you, the reasons for this may include: film came out pre 2015, film looks unrealistic, film is set in space. There is a talking space tree for crying out loud. With idea to broaden my horizons, and because I had had reviews from friends telling me 'actually it's alright' I took one for the cinema team, and this was our film this week.

Obviously, reading this review, you have to know I haven't watched the first film, and am just giving my view of this sequel. I have no idea about any of the characters historys. The premise of the film is for this gang of superhero like characters to a) escape from a planet they have just robbed from, and b) it becomes apparent the main story line is to find the true heritage of main character Peter Quill (Chris Pratt).

The plot is simplistic but it is quite fun, and it has a good message (does it really matter who's genes you share?). The adventure is full of laughs and is bright and vivid, easily captivating attention. The group dynamics are interesting, a will-they-won't-they romance, sibling rivalries, and characters that subtlety dislike each other, but come together well as a team. I thought this was interesting and a potential USP in this franchise, as often in films like this, there is a 'good side' and a 'bad side' and less focus on inter-group behaviours and communication (sorry I actually feel like I'm writing a uni essay discussing that, I'll get back to my normal self now).

The soundtrack to this film is really great. I was looking for a new car CD the other week (yes I am 100 years old and still love a good Compact Disc), and was just browsing the new in section of Amazon Music, and there was the Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack everywhere! Download, CD, Vinyl, what was all the fuss about?! Now I know. Great tracks from the 70s fit really well with the story and the action in the film, and bring about that sense of nostalgia, and instil that 'feel good' factor into the audience. I feel like I want to buy the CD now but I am definitely not enough of a GotG fan to buy it - what if people ask me questions about the film, god forbid?

For me, the down points of the film are those action sequences that go on and on and on for no reason, when we all know what the outcome is going to be. I do know that this is the part that some people love, but I do often find this boring, as you probably know. I can see how this would really add to the appeal if Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Action is your thing. Also, I know I mentioned the plot line before and it's simplicity, and it is a simple premise, but the film I feel tried too hard to make it complex with bits of subplot which I just didn't find memorable - I watched this film on Wednesday; it's Sunday today and there are bits that just don't spring out to me already - I'm scratching my head wondering how they spread out this plotline into 2hrs 16mins.

I think if this is your type of thing, it will tick all the boxes for you, and will be a really enjoyable watch, with quirky characters, laughs and a soundtrack that delivers. If you're on the edge, it's definitely not a terrible film, something worth a watch but not something you would watch again. That said I'm not going to knock this film too much, as with all my bias against this film, I still enjoyed it, it features the lovely Chris Pratt, and has a whole sequence choreographed to Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain'. My rating for GotG Vol. 2 is 6.5/10

1. Passengers

I'll start off by saying that this is a bit of a cheat, as this film was released in 2016, however it's still being shown in cinemas (obviously), so this is my first film of the year!

I'll start off by addressing the fact that this movie is set in space. Already I'm on the fence. I find space and stars and planets and the universe completely beautiful, and on a clear night, I'm obsessed with the stars, and finding the couple of constellations I know. I even have a stargazing app. However, I am also absolutely terrified of it. I've never seen Gravity or Interstellar or Apollo 13 or any other space film pre-2015 (see previous post) for that exact reason. What I have seen, is The Martian. I went into that completely petrified, but it was actually one of my favourite films of 2015, so I went into Passengers feeling open minded

First thing with Passengers is it is not a Sci-Fi or Fantasy film, it is a Rom-Com in space, with little bits of action and excitement. I think it's quite a clever concept, as I can see it appealing to a large cross section of people, not least with it's casting of the lovely looking Chris Pratt, Jennifer Laurence, and forever Morpheus from The Matrix in my heart, Laurence Fishburne. 

Throughout the entire film, the only people we really meet are those that I've mentioned above, alongside Michael Sheen, which again, I found really interesting. I do think the acting and plot here was done really nicely; although we hardly hear a backstory to the characters, I do think you really get to know them. In terms of character development, we only get to know know them in the moment, we have no past events to go on, and only interactions with people they have never met before. I found this quite creative and unique, and it made me think about how we may judge characters in films and books from other people's reactions to them, and how writers can manipulate our opinions using surrounding characters. 

Now we move on to what I didn't like... I do think the situation that Pratt's Character, Jim, is left in, is terrifying and horrific, however, upon being told by a wise robotic barman 'Make the most of what you have', he get's drunk and begins to ruin a poor woman's life. From here I found an underlying creepiness to the entire film. 

I think some parts of the plot were sloppy and lazy, without giving spoilers, I think there was room for more character development later in the film. On top of this, I found the ending really annoying and unjust, and it made me dislike both Pratt and Laurence's characters. Considering this, the fact that I did have a strong distaste towards them, must show that I was invested in the film, and that the acting was good!

Overall, I'd give the film a 6.5/10. The concept for the film was interesting, but I think the plot didn't deliver. It could have been more thought provoking, and less objectifying. If you're looking for an adventure in space with some laughs, watch The Martian instead.