Review #1,297: 'Blade Runner 2049' (2017)

Ridley Scott's Blade Runner suffered greatly at the box-office when it was released in the summer of 1982, but has enjoyed an astonishing re-evaluation in the proceeding decades as one of the greatest and most innovative science-fiction movies of all time. During the last 35 years, talk of and ideas for a sequel have been constantly thrown around, with Scott often voicing his interest in returning to the future world of Replicants and Blade Runners. After much fan-fretting, the follow-up is finally here, only with Denis Villeneuve at the helm, but seeing what Scott has done to his other masterpiece Alien in the last few years, his departure is most welcome. With 2016's Arrival, Villeneuve hinted that he may just be cinema's next sci-fi visionary, and now with Blade Runner 2049, he has only gone and confirmed it.

In 2049, Replicants are still living amongst us. With many of them retreating to solitary lives outside of the city, Blade Runners such as Ryan Gosling's K are still employed to hunt down and 'retire' any Replicants in hiding. When investigating farmer Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista), K uncovers a shocking secret that will change everything that is known about Replicants and their poistion as dangerous and disposable property. K's boss Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright) wants the matter swept under the carpet before the truth starts to leak out, and tasks the highly competent Blade Runner with taking care of it quickly and cleanly. Also taking an interest is Niander Wallace (Jared Leto), the head of the company now leading in the way in the manufacturing of Replicants following the demise of the Tyrell Corporation. He sends his Replicant enforcer Luv (Sylvia Hoeks) to uncover the truth and to stop K, who is having his own identity crisis, before he makes the whole thing disappear for good.

One of the many issues people had with Blade Runner back in 1982 was its pacing. It runs at under two hours, but is certainly in no hurry to rush into the next action scene or to offer any easy answers. Blade Runner 2049 takes the same approach, thankfully, choosing to gently stroll around this world and let you absorb its ugly beauty. The sequel spends less time in the rainy metropolis of Los Angeles, choosing instead to explore the snowier, desolate regions outside of the city and the glowing, inhospitable ruins of Las Vegas. It's all brought stunningly to life by cinematographer Roger Deakins (who must be a shoe-in for the Oscar) and production designer Dennis Gassner. This unhurried approach may explain why Villeneuve's film - despite massive fan and critic anticipation - under-performed at the box office. It also runs at a whopping two hours and 40 minutes, so anyone who failed to bring a cushion to the cinema may have been shuffling in their seats, but Blade Runner 2049 is one of a small collection of movies that justifies its lengthy running-time, numb backside or not.

Resurrecting his third iconic character in 9 years, Harrison Ford also returns as Rick Deckard, the former Blade Runner and possible Replicant who was last seen fleeing with Sean Young's Rachael. Ford appears much later in the film than I was expecting, especially when you consider how prominent he was in the marketing campaign. But Villeneuve has wisely chosen to make this K's story, refusing to re-introduce Deckard until he becomes necessary to the plot. K is a Replicant and knows his place in society, and his journey is one of loneliness, doubt and contemplation. His isolation is highlighted further by Joi (Ana de Arnas), the holographic girlfriend who finds herself in her own philosophical quandary, and who no doubt represents our own over-reliance on technology while we experience less actual human contact. Blade Runner 2049 is bold film-making, refusing to pander to the mainstream crowds or to simply drool over the original, cementing itself as a great work of science-fiction in its own right. It doesn't live up to the original, but it's damn close, and that's an achievement few thought possible.


Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Mackenzie Davis, Lennie James, Dave Bautista
Country: USA/UK/Hungary/Canada

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,194: 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' (2017)

After Marvel had struck gold with The Avengers in 2012, raking in over a billion dollars at the box-office, it seemed that the studio could do no wrong with their roster of superheroes, with Iron Man 3 going on to also break the billion mark in 2013, despite being one of the weakest in the franchise. When it was announced that they would be bringing the Guardians of the Galaxy, a relatively obscure, space-dwelling gang of misfits to the big screen, to some this seemed like their biggest risk yet, and one that could stop the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its tracks. James Gunn's spunky, colourful and idiosyncratic blend of B-movie quirkiness and big-budget thrills struck a chord with the audience, and this group of minor league superheroes only really known to comic book fans suddenly became a household name.

For fans of the first movie, there is plenty to enjoy in the sequel, which takes its 'Vol. 2' from the new playlist of '70s and '80s favourites on the soundtrack, usually pumping out of the retro walkman belonging to the group's leader, Peter Quill, AKA Star-Lord (Chris Pratt). Taking place almost immediately after the climax of the previous instalment, the gang are all present and ready to take on an intergalactic monster hoping to steal some valuable batteries from a golden, near-perfect race called the Sovereign. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is stern-faced and struggling with her feelings for Quill; Drax (Dave Bautista) once again gets all the funniest lines and is the best thing in the movie; snarky weapons engineer Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) seems eager to push everybody away as he tests his newly-forged bond with the other Guardians; and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) is a big-eyed baby, clumsily fumbling from one scene to the next and inspiring the most "aaahs" from the audience in the process.

When they inadvertently piss off the Sovereign's leader Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), the Guardians find themselves marooned on an island. They have their arses saved by a mysterious figure who introduces himself as Ego (Kurt Russell), a character glimpsed in the opening flashback scene via some immaculate de-ageing CGI enjoying a courtship with Quill's mother. Ego is a Celestial, an ancient being who has manage to build an entire planet around him. To give him his full name, he is Ego the Living Planet, and he is also Quill's father. Themes of family run throughout the film, with Gamora constantly fighting with her returning sister Nebula (Karen Gillan), Drax forming a sibling-like bond with Ego's assistant Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Groot playing the role of the baby everybody is responsible for, and of course Quill's daddy issues. Also returning is blue-skinned Ravager Yondu (Michael Rooker), the guy who kidnapped Quill from Earth and raised him like a son.

Marvel directors have been vocal in their support for the hands-off approach taken by Kevin Feige, the man overlooking the entire Cinematic Universe, which goes some way to explain how they can attract such enormous talents as Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler. Gunn has been given the key to the kingdom here, and he throws all of his Troma-taught wackiness at the screen. Space battles and gun-fights fill the screen, and while there's a bright, almost psychedelic visual pizzazz to it all, there's a real lack of dramatic weight. Somebody at Marvel should have reeled Gunn in. With the constant quipping and '80s references going on, including an appearance from Pac-Man, it never really feels like the characters are in any danger, and even less so the galaxy. There's also an insistence on trying to squeeze humour out of every single scene. I don't remember one joke failing to land back in 2014, but there are plenty of moments in Vol. 2 that had me frustratingly straight-faced. In particular, one running joke involving a character named Taserface (Chris Sullivan) long outstays its welcome.

The film is as its most effective when exploring the quieter interactions between the wide roster of characters, and the Freudian issues brought along with Ego and his uncertain intentions. While the Fast & Furious franchise insists its mythos is built around 'family' by having Vin Diesel inform us so every 10 minutes, the Guardians genuinely feel like a tight unit brought together by their own troubled pasts. Rooker brings a lot of heart into his role of surrogate father facing a major turning point in his life, after he is exiled from the Ravagers by higher-up Stakar (Sylvester Stallone) and faces a mutiny led by Taserface. Gunn ultimately tries to bring too much to the table, piling on the jokes and special effects-laden set-pieces, as well attempting to introduce new characters who will surely play a larger role in future instalments. I left the cinema back in 2014 overjoyed and eager to see it again. Three years later, I left with a headache and a sore backside, but still with a fondness for the characters.


Directed by: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Debicki
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #953: 'Spectre' (2015)

Now the longest-running franchise in cinema history, Daniel Craig's James Bond is back for a fourth outing, and the British super-spy's 24th 'official' adventure overall. Also back is director Sam Mendes, who, after the phenomenal success of 2012's Skyfall, was always going to return to the franchise that brought him both critical and box-office embraces in equal measures. Now that Craig's Bond has been seen as a hot-headed maverick and evolved into the invincible agent with a license to kill as depicted by Connery, Moore et al, the re-boot that kicked off in 2006 is now up to speed and ready to relax into the formula that proved so successful these past 50 years.

Sadly, all Spectre seems to be is formula. It opens in Mexico during the Day of the Dead, where Bond is on a mission following a recorded tip-off from Q (Judi Dench) to assassinate three men who are plotting a terrorist attack. One man escapes, and Bond chases him through a crowd dressed in macabre costumes and into a helicopter. The opening set-piece is easily the most thrilling part of the movie, and Mexico City, beautifully captured by cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, proves to be an inspired location during one of its most visually illuminating festivals. Straight after the rather hypnotic opening credits, which plays over the sound of Sam Smith's mediocre theme, the plot kicks in and it turns out MI-5 is becoming a redundant outfit; old men in suits who seem like small potatoes in a world of drones and high-tech spy software.

Spectre's ultimate goal is seemingly to prove that this is far from the case, that old-fashioned heroes who can sip martini's and bed beautiful women between taking down criminal organisations are far from gone. Judging by the box-office takings, the film makes its point and then some. It's just a shame that the quality takes a rapid decline after the exciting opener, and insists on establishing itself as a serialised franchise, with all the films from Casino Royale onwards linking into one another. Bond finally finds himself face to face with his greatest foe of all, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), and it's revealed that previous villains Le Chaffre, Dominic Greene and Silva were no more than puppets under his control. The revelation is illogical, ridiculous and ultimately pointless, serving no purpose other than to cash in on the recent trend of having films take place across a shared universe (started by Marvel).

At two and a half hours, the thin plot is stretched out as far as it can go. Bond tracks the illusive terrorist organisation Spectre to Rome, Austria and Morocco, accompanied by the daughter of a former Quantum agent, Dr. Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) and relentlessly pursued by hulking henchman Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista). By the time the quite bizarre extended climax comes, it feels as if the film should be wrapping itself up. Familiar cast members Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw are back in their respected roles and are given enough screen time to actually effect the plot, but Naomie Harris's Moneypenny is sadly underused, as are Bautista and Monica Bellucci. Still, with a budget of around $245 million - one of the most expensive ever - Spectre is one of the most handsome films I've seen and is why I can't be too hard on the film with my star rating. But with the hype that came with the film upon it's release, it's a bitterly underwhelming experience.


Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista
Country: UK/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #778: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014)

With the rights to Marvel's other vast array of T-shirt adorned superheroes, such as Spider-Man and the X-Men, firmly in the clutches of other studios (who are reaping in the gazillions), Marvel - now combined with the surprisingly un-meddling might of the House of Mouse - are finding themselves having to turn to some of their more left-field, obscure creations. They don't come as unfamiliar as the Guardians of the Galaxy, a group of rag-tag criminals and rogues who operate millions of miles away from Earth and the Avengers, a gang no doubt familiar to hardcore comic-book fans, but little more than a collection of strange looking aliens and one human to the rest of us.

It's a massive surprise, then, that Guardians of the Galaxy may be Marvel's best movie to date, eclipsing the unexpected charm of Iron Man (2008), the easy-going chemistry of The Avengers (2012) and the formula-flipping breath of fresh air that was Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). Director James Gunn, the man responsible for the fun Slither (2006) and the twisted Super (2010), knows that you probably don't know these people, but he makes sure you'll remember them. A combination of risky, but spot-on casting, a well-structured, incredibly witty script by Gunn and Nicole Perlman, and feast-for-your-eyes cinematography by Ben Davis, makes this the most fun to be had all year, perhaps even the decade.

After being abducted as a child shortly after watching his mother die, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) now operates as a space bounty hunter, working for space-hillbilly Yondu (Michael Rooker) and trying to go by the name of Star-Lord. When he steals a mysterious orb and almost getting killed in the process, he betrays Yondu and tries to rake in the bounty for himself. This draws the attention of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the green-skinned adopted daughter of space tyrant Thanos (glimpsed in the credits of The Avengers, and here played by Josh Brolin), who attempts to steal the orb for herself.

Also in the vicinity and hoping to capture Quill for the reward money, are Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), a foul-mouthed, gun-wielding raccoon, and his companion Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), a self regenerating tree. The four get into a scuffle and find themselves imprisoned by Nova Corps, where they come across tattooed man-mountain Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), a man with a serious grudge against Gamora's boss Ronan (Lee Pace), who killed his wife and children. Though the group clash due to ego-fuelled personalities, grudges and personal demons, they may be the only thing standing between Ronan and the orb, the latter of which holds almost infinite power which Ronan plans to use to fuel his own genocidal tendencies.

The orb just may be the most obvious MacGuffin in cinema history (Quill even references The Maltese Falcon (1941), one of the most famous examples), and the plot sometimes whizzes by without giving you time to reflect or allow it all to sink in, but it's really hard to care when all you really want is to see these five characters in a room together, and if they happen to blow a lot of shit up at the same time, then all the better for it. The real success is the casting. Han Solo comparisons are obvious, but to lump Chris Pratt's star-making performance into the same bubble as Harrison Ford's iconic space cowboy is lazy and unfair. Quill is a loveable idiot, tough enough to face up to a fight, intelligent enough to always carry tricks up his sleeve, and flawed enough to make us care.

Racoon and Groot, one of the most adorable and effortlessly hilarious couplings in recent memory, will no doubt be the ones that the kids take away from the film, but it's Bautista, a WWE wrestler in his first major role, who truly stands out. He serves as the real emotional core in the film, initially fuelled by hatred and rage, but gradually learning the importance of friendship and camaraderie. Drax's failure to grasp sarcasm and metaphors also shows a deft comic timing, made even funnier by the man's imposing stature and gift of the scowl.

The film trips up on Marvel's usual struggle to deliver a climatic action scene that truly thrills or even offer anything original, but it's the first time I found myself genuinely concerned about a superhero's fate, all five of them in fact. It's a thrilling, beautiful, hilarious, and just plain weird movie, all scored to some great funky tunes from the 1970's (usually blasted through Quill's 'Awesome Mix Tape #1', which he listens to on his retro walkman, one of the few things he has left from Earth). The two hour running-time will feel like barely half the film has gone by by the time the credits begin to roll, and the inevitable sequel (the film is now the highest-grossing of a summer that involved the fourth entry into Michael Bay's CGI-ejaculation Transformers franchise) can't come soon enough.


Directed by: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close
Country: USA/UK

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie